Kings in the Midst of Scarcity

 STRENGTH FOR MY DAYS 

A Daily Devotional by Bishop David

Kings in the Midst of Scarcity

 November 15

But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? Luke 12:20

 

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY Luke 12:16-21  16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

 

 

MORE LESSON 2 Kings 4:1-7  1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. 2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. 3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. 4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

 

Then I was much younger, fifty naira was sufficient allowance for a month. The university ran cafeteria and some sets ahead of me ate food free. By the time it got to my turn we were paying fifty naira or less per plate and it usually wasted because we always had excess. You couldn't come to school and suffer. I'm sure it will be strange to undergraduates that the university ran cafetaria that was what we enjoyed. Now I see female university students live with boys off campus because they have no accommodation. I have seen Nigeria produce more criminals than it has never been in history, and I have seen blood shed everywhere.

Yet we have Nigerians who buy jets and live in wasteful affluence. As God's children we are not supposed to emulate that kind of lifestyle. As much as we encourage God's children to live as kings in the midst of scarcity, we do not encourage wasteful lifestyle, we do not encourage the king's children to be unconcerned about palace staff. It's very important to look out for the welfare of the less privileged in the society.

 God's wealth and blessings in a man's life are always for a purpose. Every blessing of God in your life is a means to an end and not an end in itself. Society will be a lot better if those who have the resources look out for the welfare of the less privileged around them. Instead of using all your wealth for just you and your family, begin to see how you can use your resources to create a better society. Kingdom advancement is not just in prayer and fasting or paying your tithes and offerings in church; these are very important and they have their place. But there is another form of giving called giving to the poor. For instance, if you come up with a strategy or a scheme that helps to remove prostitutes and armed robbers from the street and empower them to become independent and live a decent life, your wealth has become a weapon of mass evangelism. So rather than live in wasteful affluence as kings in these challenging days, look for how to make the life of the person next to you better through the resources that God has blessed you with.

 You may not be able to feed a nation, but you can give a meal to a hungry child. You may not have a foundation to cater for a thousand out of school children, but you can pay one term's school fee for a child. At whatever level you are right now, there is something you can do or give to make a difference. What you are looking down on may be the prayer point of your neighbour. Use it to be a blessing. As kings in these days of scarcity, we must ensure that we use our resources to create a better environment where the will of God will find full expression as waters cover the sea.

 Prayer/Action

*          Ask God to bless you in the midst of scarcity.

*          Pray that you will be a source of blessing and encouragement to others.

*          Make a decision to help someone today.

 

 

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: Father, show Yourself mighty on my behalf this new month and cause every war to cease, in the victorious name of Jesus.

 

TODAY’S FASTING FOCUS War cease Psalm 46:9

Covenant Realities

 STRENGTH FOR MY DAYS 

A Daily Devotional by Bishop David

Covenant Realities

14 November

 

 SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY Psalm 89:26-33 26 He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. 27 Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. 28 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him. 29 His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven. 30 If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; 31 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; 32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. 33 Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.

 

MORE LESSON Genesis 28:16-22 16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. 17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. 18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.19 And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 21 So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: 22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

 

My mercy will I keep for him for evermore; and my covenant shall stand fast with him. Psalm 89:28

 

The reading passages of today explicitly reveal the value of covenant and the privileges of making covenant with God. When God wanted a permanent partnership and relationship with Abraham, God made a covenant with him in Genesis 17:1-2, And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me and be thou perfect. And I will make a covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

 This covenant that Abraham made with God indeed led to multiplication and greatness that went beyond Abraham to his generation of children yet to be born, they all enjoyed the covenant blessings. Covenant excites God. He did it not just with Abraham but also with kings and nations alongside with other individuals. Covenant is done in partnership; covenants have witnesses and tokens. To be sure of a good life on earth, tidy up your life by entering into a covenant with God.

 A covenant with God means His strength, glory, honour become available to you especially when you fulfil your side of and service the covenant. Does that mean when you are in covenant with God there will be no pain or challenges? No, as long as we are in the world there will be pain and challenges. What happens with covenant children of God is that in challenges, covenant power brings divine assistance and grace to overcome.

 When Israel was in bondage in Egypt, they called upon God, the covenant that God had with father Abraham spoke for them and they were delivered. (Exodus 3:3). Also in the case of Jacob in Genesis 28 while facing the self-imposed challenge of collecting his brother's birthright and he had to run away. On the way he met with God and made a covenant with Him, which God honoured over his life. He also told God what he would do if God helped him. From verses 20-22 of Genesis 28, Jacob said God would be his God and he would give Him a tenth of his income.. This is called covenant token. It is not done by compulsion but willingly and God kept His part, Jacob also kept his. This is a biblical pattern we can also emulate and we will enjoy all the benefits therein. God is a covenant keeper, we must also keep our covenant with Him.

 

Prayer/Action

*   Praise God for choosing to honour you with His covenant.

*   Ask for power to keep your part of the covenant.

*   Ask that the benefits of the covenant will be yours and your children’s forever.
 

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: To the glory of God, I declare today that I stand defended from all evil, in the defensive name of Jesus.

Overflow Dimension

STRENGTH FOR MY DAYS 

A Daily Devotional by Bishop David

Overflow Dimension

13 November

 

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Psalm 23:5

 

 

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY Psalm 23:1-6  1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever*.

 

MORE LESSON  Psalm 35:27 27 Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.

 

The anointing of God in a man's life brings him to the realm of overflowing blessing: the dimension of when he constantly has more than enough. In this realm, a man is so blessed that he always has extra such that he can never exhaust. In the name of Jesus, by the fresh oil of the Holy Spirit, step into the overflowing dimension. When you get to a point where you can't finish your extra, what happens to the main supply? It's never touched: you won't eat from your main cash anymore, but begin to eat from the overflow, in Jesus’ name. So, if your overflow is more than sufficient, you don't ever have a reason to touch the main. What's the implication? You are going to become three things.

1.  You will become a generational blessing. You know why? It is because the main source is still intact: it's not touched. Proverbs 13:22 says, A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just. God wants to bless you beyond you. This is the Abrahamic order of blessings and we are the seeds of Abraham. So, as you prepare your heart to receive the blessing that God has for you, look beyond yourself because He is making you a trans-generational blessing.

2.  You will begin to be comfortable in ‘comfortability’. What I mean is that there are certain levels of comfort at which you enjoy what is more than others' comfort. When you cannot only enter an aircraft that is comfortable, but where the class you sit in is different from that of the others, that's more than being comfortable. You will arrive at the same time but not in the same way. I have sat in economy, in business class and also in first class. The difference is clear because the way you feel on arrival is different. While some people are busy snoring as if they are on their bed in first class, in the economy, you are struggling to stretch your legs. When you come out of the economy, your knees are aching but with a first class, you just say, “Thank you, Jesus”.

3.            You become a blessing. From today on, your extra will be bigger than you can eat. When you get to that level, you start taking care of others. That is your portion, in Jesus' name. Amen! In Luke 5:7, Peter caught so much fish that he began to beckon others to share his blessing. This is the realm of being a blessing: you are so blessed that you become a blessing to others. Peter had enough and transferred to others without feeling that he lost anything. God is more than enough and not just a sufficient God. Describing Him as the sufficient God is not totally a correct picture of His person; He is more than enough.

 Prayer/Action

*      Declare that by the anointing of God you will step into your overflowing dimension.

*      Declare that your season of dryness is over.

 

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: Father, I decree to the remaining days of this year that there shall be neither obituaries nor mourning, in the winning name of Jesus.

Beyond the Physical

   STRENGTH FOR MY DAYS 

A Daily Devotional by Bishop David

Beyond the Physical

 

12 November

 

And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. Luke 5:5

 

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY Luke 5:1-9  9 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken,

          

 MORE LESSON Job 42:12-17  12 The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. 13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. 15 Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers. 16 After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so Job died, an old man and full of years.

 

In life, never let your physical reality become your destination. If you want to go higher in life, step into what is written in the Golden Book (the Bible). In today's text, Peter realized his level of failure and the insufficiency of his situation. He said, “We have not caught and we can't catch.” But he didn't stop there: he transferred that failure, that insufficiency, to Divinity. What was the result of the transfer? He got more than sufficient. He came with one boat which was sufficient but went home with two boats which were more than sufficient. So we have a God who can change our insufficiency to not just having enough, but He has the capacity to move us beyond enough into the realms of more than enough. There is no point struggling with what is not working when you are connected to the One who can help you to turn things around. Peter could have chosen to keep proving to Jesus that he was a professional fisherman and he would have gone home with nothing. However, he looked beyond his physical reality and dared to take Jesus for His word, and was astonished at how things worked out.

 

When placed side by side the word of God, man's wisdom, no matter how professional, is in no way a match to the word of God. The doctor can say that a patient has one week to live whereas the word of God says that He will satisfy him with long life. If that patient dares to believe God's word despite his deteriorating health condition, he will not only live but will fulfil the number of his days to a ripe full age. However, if a man chooses to dwell on his physical realities, he will make the word of God of non- effect in his life. So, never let your physical condition define you.

 

There is no physical reality that the word of God cannot overturn. In II Kings 7, the hunger is the land was so terrible that women agreed to take turns to eat their children. Evidence exists of the strong ties between mother and children; yet, the situation was so bad that women were eating their children. However, in the midst of the situation, the word of the Lord came through the prophet in II Kings 7:1: …Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. One of the king's official, who probably was abreast with the current economic situation doubted the word of God, and even though he saw its fulfilment, he never tasted of it.

It is better to accept what God has said rather than doubt and miss out on God's mighty supply. Indeed nothing is too difficult for Him to do. Let God be true and every medical report, economic situation, family crisis, etc be a lie.

 

Prayer/Action

*    Pray that you will not be trapped by what is happening physically around you.
*       Receive grace to believe God beyond physical realities.
*       Pray that the physical realities will not overwhelm your faith.

 

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: By the unquenchable fire of the Holy Ghost, I make a proclamation that this day and the entire month is a no trouble season, in the mighty name of Jesus