Beware of Covetousness
Matthew 6:24 (NET) “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. It wasn’t long after Gerald rededicated his life to Christ that he was faced with the temptation to make some quick money [in an unrighteous way] . Because he was now born again and his conscience now alive, he felt a check in his spirit concerning that “opportunity” to make quick money. He wanted to be sure that he was not doing anything that didn’t please the Lord. Unfortunately, when he discussed his concerns with one of his Christian brothers in the church, he could see that the brother was not truly interested in knowing whether it was the will of God for one to make money that way, the brother was only interested in making more money. Gerald almost got led astray by that brother, but his discipler came along and showed him why making money that way was unrighteous. When it comes to matters of money, more believers stumble there than matters of demonic attacks or most other kinds of temptation. The biggest contender with God for your love is mammon. If a believer is not intentional and deliberate about overcoming the love of mammon, he would be cut in it without knowing how much his heart has been consumed by it. Remember, you cannot love God and mammon. When a believer is not willing to know [and submit to] God’s opinion and will when it comes to matters of getting money, it is a sign that he is now enslaved by mammon. On the resurrection morning, many will realize how much ground they lost because their hearts were enslaved by the love of money. May we not be found weeping and gnashing our teeth on that day. Go into today remembering that one of the biggest threats to your spiritual life is the love of money. There is more warning about this in the Bible by the Lord and His apostles than there is warning about most other tricks of the devil. (see Luke 12:15, Luke 8:14, Hebrews 13:5, 1 Timothy 6:6-10, Ephesians 5:3-5). Pray: Lord, deliver me from the love of money and help me love you in truth. Help me know that it pays much more to love you than to love mammon.—Abraham Damilola Arigi Bible in 1 Year: I Peter 1-3Streamglobe is nondenominational. Kindly share this Devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together. Contact us (WhatsApp): +15155195600, +2348138224547 Listen to Streamglobe 24/7 Christian Radio here☞ https://streamglobe.radioSubscribe to our Apple podcast here: https://bit.ly/streamglobe https://listen.streamglobe.org/DevotionalAudio2375.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 16:40 — 4.8MB)Subscribe: RSS
Living according to faith
Hebrews 11:22 (NET) By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, mentioned the exodus of the sons of Israel and gave instructions about his burial. Gerald had many Christian friends and colleagues who laughed at him when he started taking his walk with God more seriously. The difference between him and them was that he truly believed the full message of the gospel while many of them either did not understand the full message of the gospel or did not truly believe it. The gospel message, if properly understood, will produce similar results in the hearts of those who have truly believed it. It would always produce repentance and transformation into the nature of Christ (Romans 8:29). A man who truly understands the full gospel message and believes it cannot be materialistic. His worldview and value system will be shaped according to God’s word, and his appetite will be for what pleases God alone. A man who truly understands the message of the kingdom will not rest until he sees the nature of Christ formed in him because he understands that he would be evaluated according to how much he had been transformed to this nature. A man who understands the message of the kingdom would want Jesus to return sooner rather than later because he knows that the literal coming of Jesus would usher him into literal glory and power. From today’s Bible verse can see that because Joseph had faith(believed the word of God given to his great-grandfather), he understood that the people of Israel (who were not yet slaves at the time) would come out of Egypt the way they did, and he was very particular about where his remains would be buried. He insisted that his bones be buried in the promised land. What Joseph believed affected the things he did and his plans for the future. Go into today remembering that faith without works is dead. If you truly believe the message of the kingdom, this faith would manifest in the way you live your life. It would affect the way you raise your children and your plans for the future.— Abraham Damilola Arigi Bible In 1 Year: Acts 11-12 (In today’s audio)Streamglobe is nondenominational. Kindly share this Devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together. Contact us (WhatsApp): +15155195600, +2348138224547 Listen to Streamglobe 24/7 Christian Radio here☞ https://streamglobe.radioSubscribe to our Apple podcast here: https://bit.ly/streamglobe https://listen.streamglobe.org/DevotionalAudio3509.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:26 — 2.4MB)Subscribe: RSS
How Powerful Is Your Enemy?
Proverbs 24:10 (ESV) “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small” Junior often came home with his face swollen because he was bullied and beaten up by his schoolmates. After several failed attempts at stopping this continued assault, his parents finally enrolled him in a kickboxing class, he attended the classes after school often with a swollen face. After two months of continuous training, his parents noticed that he no longer returned home traumatized, “what changed?” They asked. “I beat them up!” Junior responded. Many Christians today are under the continuous assault of demons, witches, wizards, curses, etc, and are running from one prayer house to another without freedom in sight. Some have even turned to witch doctors, sorcerers, magicians, and the likes for help – – all of which also ends in futility. How powerful is your enemy? He is powerful to the degree to which you are weak. According to today’s passage, you are not failing because your adversaries are too powerful for you, no, you fail because your strength is little. If you truly desire freedom, you must pay attention to the things that make you spiritually strong and run away from those things that make you weak. Every form of sin you commit weakens you. Apart from outright sins, there are little disobediences and weights that slow down and prevent believers from ascending the heights of God. We should beware of them. If you must be stronger than your enemies, if you desire continuous victory, you must pay attention to obeying every instruction God gives. See Isaiah 1:19 and Joshua 7:11-13. Go into today knowing that sanctification (continuous and complete obedience to God) is what makes for strength to overcome your enemy. Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for saving me. I ask for the grace to live in complete obedience to you. Amen!—Dr. Emmanuel James Bible in 1 Year: ZephaniahStreamglobe is nondenominational. Kindly share this Devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together. Contact us (WhatsApp): +15155195600, +2348138224547 Listen to Streamglobe 24/7 Christian Radio here☞ https://streamglobe.radioSubscribe to our Apple podcast here: https://bit.ly/streamglobe https://listen.streamglobe.org/DevotionalAudio3508.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:39 — 17.6MB)Subscribe: RSS
Living a life of purpose
Ephesians 5:8-10 (NET) for you were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light – for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth – trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. When Gerald became a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, pleasing God became his priority in life. This did not happen instantly, but as he continued in the words of Christ, he arrived at the knowledge of the truth— he understood the purpose of life and how pleasing God and becoming like Christ are the major goal of this present life. As a result, he became free of all spiritual limitations and became more successful in his earthly trade because he was now a reliable and dependable businessman. He also became a good husband and father to his children because he was no longer living a self-centered life. Gerald’s life now experienced a level of peace, joy, and contentment that he didn’t know was attainable before he became a disciple. One of the most important attributes of true believers is that they desire to learn what is pleasing to God and do it. Life is about pleasing God. A man who lives to please himself will not find lasting pleasure; such a man has been condemned to vanity. But a man who lives to please God will find the fullness of joy, true peace, and eternal pleasures. Man was not created in the image of man but in the image of God. Any man that lives for himself will find vanity, death, and destruction at the end, but any man who lives to please God will find life, peace, and joy everlasting. Go into today remembering that you were created in the image of God. Your life is meant to be Godward, not selfward. Man can only find purpose and completeness in God. Lord Jesus, please help me live a life of purpose — pleasing you in all respects. — Abraham Damilola Arigi Bible In 1 Year: Ecclesiastes 3-4Streamglobe is nondenominational. Kindly share this Devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together. Contact us (WhatsApp): +15155195600, +2348138224547 Listen to Streamglobe 24/7 Christian Radio here☞ https://streamglobe.radioSubscribe to our Apple podcast here: https://bit.ly/streamglobe https://listen.streamglobe.org/DevotionalAudio3507.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 12:04 — 8.3MB)Subscribe: RSS
God will restore
Luke 22:31-32 (KJV)And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. Desmond backslide so terribly that he became a prayer point for many of his brethren. He went back to the bad habits of his old life and was now living like an unbeliever. It wasn’t that he didn’t still love God but he found that he was now overpowered by the flesh, and it was as if he was in a pit that he couldn’t come out of. Because of the prayers and love of the brethren around him, he was restored. After the Lord restored him, he became a mighty tool in the hand of the Lord to restore many others. The major trick the devil uses to cause people to fall and remain on the ground is his lies that bring condemnation. If the devil can distract and hinder a believer from the ministry of prayer and the word for a long time, that believer will become spiritually weak and might not be able to withstand the temptations of the devil. He may be able to withstand normal temptations sponsored by the flesh, but when demons are empowering the temptations (as they often do), he may not stand a chance because he is spiritually malnourished and weak. If the believer falls into a temptation powered by demons, they would ensure that his fall comes with a level of condemnation that is unusual. They will make the believer feel worthless and so dirty that he may not even have the courage to pray. This means more weakness and more falls. Go into today remembering that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. If you fall, rise up and move on. Don’t let the devil keep you on the ground with his lies that bring condemnation. Open up to believers who can help pull you back up if an issue becomes too stubborn for you to handle. Prayer: heavenly father, do not let me fall into temptation, and deliver me from [doing] evil.— Abraham Damilola Arigi Bible In 1 Year: Psalms 125-127 (In today’s audio) Streamglobe is nondenominational. Kindly share this Devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together. Contact us (WhatsApp): +15155195600, +2348138224547 Listen to Streamglobe 24/7 Christian Radio here☞ https://streamglobe.radioSubscribe to our Apple podcast here: https://bit.ly/streamglobe http://listen.streamglobe.org/DevotionalAudio3506.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 7:42 — 5.3MB)Subscribe: RSS
Living as Sons of Light
Ephesians 5:8-10 (NET) for you were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light – for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth – trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. When Gerald was a child, he used to be very naughty. But when his parents were expecting important visitors and they wanted all their children to be very well behaved especially him, his mother would call him aside and promise to give him some money for being good when the visitors are around. This always worked like a charm. Because of the financial incentive, even as a little boy, Gerald knew how to be good. As an adult, whenever he wanted something from someone or to impress them, he knew how to act and sound good and kind, but being good and kind was not truly his nature even though he knew the expectations of that nature. So when after accepting the Lord Jesus, he was taught by his discipler that as a child of light, one of the fruits of his life should be goodness, he knew exactly what it meant. He understood that for him now, being good and kind was not to be a guest attitude when he wanted to impress someone or get something out of them, it was now to be his way of life because he had received the divine nature that makes bad people good. As Gerald started walking every day with this consciousness of being good, he realized that even though many times, being good was not convenient for the flesh, it was always refreshing to the spirit, and the more he acted in the divine nature of goodness and kindness, the more pleased the Holy Spirit within him was, and this translated to more inner joy and strength in his spirit. After receiving the new life and the indwelling Holy Spirit, if we walk in our old sinful bad nature, the Holy Spirit [within us] is not pleased but grieved, and this would affect our inner joy and deplete our inner strength. But the more we consciously walk in the divine nature of goodness, righteousness, and truth, the Holy Spirit within us is pleased and He rejoices. This joy of the Lord within us will fill our hearts with joy and strengthen us. Go into today remembering that the joy of the Lord is your strength. Let the words you say and the things you do be pleasing to the Lord. This is the source of your inner joy and peace. Prayer Confession: As a child of God, I walk in the divine nature. I am pleasing the Lord in all things, and fruitful in every good work.— Abraham Damilola Arigi Bible In 1 Year: II Chronicles 29-32Streamglobe is nondenominational. Kindly share this Devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together. Contact us (WhatsApp): +15155195600, +2348138224547 Listen to Streamglobe 24/7 Christian Radio here☞ https://streamglobe.radioSubscribe to our Apple podcast here: https://bit.ly/streamglobe https://listen.streamglobe.org/DevotionalAudio3505.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:21 — 16.8MB)Subscribe: RSS
Complete in Him
Colossians 2:8 (NET) Be careful not to allow anyone to captivate you through an empty, deceitful philosophy that is according to human traditions and the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. Many of the Gentile Christians in Colossi were greatly harassed by some Jewish teachers who insisted that they needed to also be converted to Judaism in order for their salvation to be complete. Some of the believers in the Gentile territory were deceived by these doctrines and some of them started observing Jewish festivals and feasts, started circumcising their children, and even worshiping according to Jewish tradition. Today, we may see traces of this same error in the body of Christ; it seems to be creeping in gradually. There are some Christians today that actually believe that their prayers have more merit when prayed at the Wailing Wall in Israel. Some have even gone as far as beginning to practice some of the Jewish feasts because they have been told that there is some power in doing such things. I have heard that some Christians have started celebrating the Passover, and some even partaking in the animal sacrifice which is a part of that festival. Please remember that as a believer in Christ Jesus, the covenant you have with God is superior to the covenant a Jew who is not saved has with God. We have a better covenant with better promises (Heb 7:22, 8:6). You do not have to become a Jew in any way for you to walk in the fullness of the blessing (Galatians 3:13). That doctrine (which says you have to become a jew to partake in Abraham’s blessing) is a lie from the pit of hell and it brings believers under the dominion of elemental spirits. Go into today thanking God because He has made you complete in Christ Jesus (Col 2:10). You do not need any Jewish tradition to be made complete.—Abraham Damilola Arigi Yearly Bible Plan: Deuteronomy 7-9 Streamglobe is nondenominational. Kindly share this Devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together. Contact us (WhatsApp): +15155195600, +2348138224547 Listen to Streamglobe 24/7 Christian Radio here☞ https://streamglobe.radio Subscribe to our Apple podcast here: https://bit.ly/streamglobe https://listen.streamglobe.org/DevotionalAudio3504.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 13:47 — 9.5MB)Subscribe: RSS
Fulfilling God’s expectations 2
Romans 8:29 (KJV) For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Because Benson wanted to be a responsible Christian, he sought to understand God’s expectations of him and fulfill them. He was a little confused because he didn’t know how to discern God’s specific expectations of him. He went to his discipler to share his concerns. That was when through scripture, he discovered the expectation that God had for him as a believer. As he fulfilled that one, he received the ability to discern specific instructions for specific seasons of his life. Scripture reveals that God’s goal in calling us is that we become like Christ [in character and nature]. We will even look like him physically during the resurrection (see Philippians 3:21, 1 John 3:2). It is expedient that right now we become like Him spiritually through the new birth, spiritual growth, and sanctification. Jesus says “learn of me, for I am humble and gentle in heart”. In becoming like Christ, learning is an important part of the process, and learning requires a time component. This precious time you have on earth gives you the opportunity to become like Christ in character and nature. Don’t waste it. We were born sinful. The sinful man is proud and self-centered, he lies and is envious, and a man with such a nature cannot inherit the kingdom of God. You must become like Christ if you would inherit [thrones in] His eternal kingdom. It is your destiny to inherit God’s kingdom. Go into today remembering that God’s ultimate expectation of you is that you become like Christ. As this change of nature happens to your inner man, you will grow in fellowship with God such that you will know and understand His specific expectations for you in every season of your life. — Abraham Damilola Arigi Bible In 1 Year: James 4-5 Streamglobe is nondenominational. Kindly share this Devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together. Contact us (WhatsApp): +15155195600, +2348138224547 Listen to Streamglobe 24/7 Christian Radio here☞ https://streamglobe.radio Subscribe to our Apple podcast here: https://bit.ly/streamglobe http://listen.streamglobe.org/DevotionalAudio3503.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:57 — 8.2MB)Subscribe: RSS
Fulfilling God’s expectations
Philippians 3:13-14 (KJV) Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. When I was in secondary school, there were those who believed they knew mathematics so much that there was nothing more to learn. They felt quite arrogant because they believed there was no mathematical problem they couldn’t solve. But their arrogance was because of their limited exposure to real mathematics in secondary school. But as many of them went to the university and started doing real mathematics, they became humble and realized that the higher they went in studying mathematics, the narrower their scope in mathematics became because that field of study is so wide at the advanced level that, for example, it is impossible to do a Ph.D. in all aspects at the same time. As soon as a believer begins to think he has arrived and does not need to learn and grow again, that believer can be sure he will soon be called home or backside terribly. If anyone thinks he knows enough, it is a sign that he doesn’t know as much as he needs to know (1 Corinthians 8:2). If apostle Paul were comparing himself with other Christians around him, he might have been feeling accomplished, but he understood that there was a prize for the high calling in God, and attaining it was his goal. Do you know that God has expectations of you in this season of your life? Let your goal be that you meet these expectations. Prayer: Lord Jesus, please help me know your expectations of me in this season and help me fulfill them. Amen. — Abraham Damilola Arigi Bible In 1 Year: Acts 9-10 Streamglobe is nondenominational. Kindly share this Devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together. Contact us (WhatsApp): +15155195600, +2348138224547 Listen to Streamglobe 24/7 Christian Radio here☞ https://streamglobe.radio Subscribe to our Apple podcast here: https://bit.ly/streamglobe http://listen.streamglobe.org/DevotionalAudio3502.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 17:58 — 12.4MB)Subscribe: RSS
Impending Judgment
Acts 24:25 (NET)While Paul was discussing righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became frightened and said, “Go away for now, and when I have an opportunity, I will send for you.” When Lamar accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior, he didn’t accept Christ because someone told him that that was a ticket to a better life (that gospel could never appeal to Lamar because he was born into great wealth), he believed in Christ because he now realized that Christ was the only one who could shield him from the judgment that was sure to come. He had several disturbing dreams before a preacher brought the gospel to him, and in those dreams, he saw himself descending into hell fire. He knew he was doomed but didn’t know the way out until the gospel came to him. Today, there is a conscious effort by some to remove the warning about the judgment of God from the preaching of the gospel. Any gospel message that does not properly explain the ramification of Jesus’ salvation from impending judgment is a weak gospel. One main point of the gospel message is that receiving Jesus is the only way to escape the impending damnation (see John 3:18). From today’s Bible verse, we can clearly see that one element of the gospel message preached by the apostles was “The Judgment of God”. When in the days of the apostles, people they preached to asked ‘what shall we do [to be saved]?’(see Acts 2:37, 16:30) they asked this question because they understood that there is impending judgment and doom, and they wanted to be saved from it. Go into today remembering that there is coming judgment on all humankind. The only way to escape it is through the salvation of Christ Jesus. Prayer: Ask the Lord to make you more effective in helping people escape eternal damnation by preaching the gospel to them. — Abraham Damilola Arigi Bible In 1 Year: Habakkuk Streamglobe is nondenominational. Kindly share this Devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together. Contact us (WhatsApp): +15155195600, +2348138224547 Listen to Streamglobe 24/7 Christian Radio here☞ https://streamglobe.radio Subscribe to our Apple podcast here: https://bit.ly/streamglobe https://listen.streamglobe.org/DevotionalAudio2366.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 16:12 — 4.7MB)Subscribe: RSS