The Prepared Table

STRENGTH FOR MY DAYS 

A Daily Devotional by Bishop David Bakare  

The Prepared Table

Thursday, 8 August

 

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 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: John 6:48-58 I am that bread of life. 49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

 

One of the most read psalms of all ages and denominations is Psalm 23. It's a profound psalm that expresses the full love and care of God for His people. In fact, children in some schools still recite this psalm as part of their daily routine. It's a psalm of assured and guaranteed provision of God. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies...: Psa. 23:5 is our emphasis this morning. Good news! There is a prepared table before you. It is a table of complete satisfaction that deals with all levels of want. No wonder the Psalmist started with, The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. That table is based on covenant not feelings; it is provided for by the complete sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. So, it is not transient or flaky,

Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us: Heb. 9:12.

This intense sacrifice ensures the performance of God's promises in our lives, whether for health, wealth or any other thing. Because the table is set, the promises will be fulfilled with speed.

Jesus Himself is so confident of the abundance available at the prepared table that He told the Jews in John 6:50;

This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

Also, in that psalm, the prepared table includes anointing and an overflowing cup. The Lord's Table is that of complete satisfaction that caters for the spiritual and physical needs of man. That is why no one should miss communion services or come for communion services carelessly. Rather, one should come prepared with expectations to God's prepared table. Could it be that the dryness you keep experiencing is because you do not come often to the Lord's Table? When last did you come with a readiness to partake in faith? Has it not become an empty tradition that you just come to carelessly? Yet all that you need for a complete life, spirit, soul and body is on that table. Get out of lack and dryness this moment by creating time for the Lord's Table and go with full understanding and expectation. If you do, then be assured that you will have complete satisfaction in Him!

 

Prayer/Action

* Thank God for preparing the table for you ahead of your arrival.

* Decree and declare by faith, that you begin to experience the reality of the prepared table henceforth.

 * Come against everything hindering you from benefitting from or being a partaker of the prepared table of the Lord.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: Oh God, You brought me this far by the death of Your Son Jesus Christ and You will take me further by His resurrection power, in the wonderful name of Jesus.

Captain of the Lord's Host

 

STRENGTH FOR MY DAYS 

A Daily Devotional by Bishop David Bakare 

Captain of the Lord's Host

Wednesday, 7 August

 I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Psalm 16:8

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Joshua 5:13-15 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?  14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?  15 And the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

MORE LESSON: Joshua 6:1-16 Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. 2 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. 3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. 5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him. 6 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD. 7 And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD. 8 And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. 9 And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. 10 And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout. 11 So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp. 12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. 13 And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. 14 And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days. 15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times. 16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.

 

God spoke to the children of Israel saying, Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle: Deut 2:24. It is not a contradiction that God told them that He had given them the land already but still instructed them to go and start fighting for it. The fact that God has made a promise and given a land doesn't mean that in that land there will be no giants that we need to fight and dispossess in order to possess our possession. So, whenever you get to your promised land and battles erupt, don't say, 'I thought the Lord said that He has given me this land.' The battles are the proof that the land is yours. So, go ahead and fight for the land. You must be convinced that with God, victory is sure. The Lord has already won the victory for you; your battle is to impose upon the enemy that which the Lord has won.

However, fighting for the ‘Promised Land’ must never be done alone and in the strength of the flesh or else it will end in utter defeat. There is need to engage the Captain of the Lord of Hosts to lead the fight. Joshua had this understanding so even though God had given him the promise, as he approached Jericho, he went to a secluded place and lifted up his face to seek God. He sought for the strategy to implement the victory that the Lord had already promised. It was then that Jehovah showed up and introduced Himself to Joshua as the Captain of the Lord's Host. He gave Joshua all the details and strategies to engage in order to defeat Jericho. The Captain of the Lord's Host led the battles that Joshua fought.

God promised that the Captain of the Lord's Hosts would go ahead of Joshua to terrify all his enemies before him and throw them into utter confusion. This is why no man was able to stand against Joshua all his life. It is wisdom to wait and hear God instruct you to go before you move. It is more wisdom for you to tell Him to lead the way ahead of you while you follow. The Lord is not just a warrior, He is the Captain of the Warriors. When you see the Lord going ahead of you, then know He is not moving alone. He is always accompanied by a troop of heavenly armies, an innumerable escort of angels, and battalions of Spirits of Just Men Made Perfect. The Captain of the Lord's Hosts will go ahead of you into every battle of life and you will never know defeat again in life, in Jesus name.

 

Prayer/Action

* Thank God for His defence over your life and all that concerns you.

 

* Ask God to 'ARISE' on your behalf and to go ahead of you in all your affairs in life.

 

* Decree and declare that you remain in the company of the Captain of the Lord's Host.

 

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: Today, I decree that because Jesus is my Shepherd, every hireling must scatter, in the powerful name of Jesus.

Valuing God's Presence II

STRENGTH FOR MY DAYS 

A Daily Devotional by Bishop David Bakare 

Valuing God's Presence II

Tuesday, 6 August

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Psalm 16:11

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Exodus 3:11–4:14 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. 13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. 16  Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: 17 And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. 18 And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. 19 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. 20 And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. 21 And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty: 22 But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

4:1 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. 2 And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. 3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. 4 And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: 5 That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. 6 And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. 7 And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. 8 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. 9 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.10 And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. 11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. 13 And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. 14 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.

 MORE LESSON: Psalm 114:1-8 When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language; 2 Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion. 3 The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back. 4 The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs. 5 What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back? 6 Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs? 7 Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob; 8 Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters.

 

Moses was sent by God but he began to plead for God's presence to go with him. When we look at the interaction between Moses and God at the burning bush, ordinarily, it would seem to an onlooker that God’s presence was already enough. After all, Moses was speaking to God. If God wasn't present, how come he was talking with God? In addition, signs and wonders were happening, that seemed like a clear evidence of God being around. How do we reconcile fire burning, rod changing to snake, hand turning leprous and returning back to normal and the man was still asking God for His presence?

This shows us that Moses literally wanted to see God physically. He didn't just want revelation, miracles and wonders; he wanted to see God. He was asking God to commit Himself to him and bind himself with an oath to him. Moses continued to press until the Lord gave him His word and said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest: Exo. 33:14. God's presence is beyond revelation and good preaching; it is beyond healing, miracles, signs and wonders. These could appear as a result of God's presence but they are not the ultimate of God's presence. The ultimate of the Presence is God Himself with a man wherever he goes.

One would later discover that Moses knew what he was talking about when he started making definite requests for God to go with him. It wasn't long, in the course of Moses' assignment, that he faced situations that only the presence of the Lord could answer. When Moses faced the Red Sea, no amount of eloquence or anointing could do anything at that junction; it was only the presence of Jehovah Himself that could speak. Psa. 114 explains that it wasn't Moses’ prayerfulness or because he had an anointing for signs and wonders that made the Red Sea to part. The Scripture makes us understand clearly that what happened was that as Moses was approaching the Red Sea, the sea actually saw its Maker – the Creator of Heaven and earth coming towards it, so it quickly made way. The same thing happened with Jordan and all the mountains that stood as hindrance on the path of Moses.

The Presence of God is the difference! Moses walked as a god in his generation because the presence of the Almighty God was with him. Thank God for gifts and talents, anointing and graces, abilities and callings but with all these, you must get God's presence to rest upon your life. The Presence of God is the ultimate.

 

Prayer/Action

* Thank God for access to His presence.

 * Earnestly pray that the presence of God will never depart from your life and all that concerns you.

 * Never stop meditating on the presence of God.

 

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: In this month oh Father, position me strategically for my helpers to locate me, in the wonderful name of Jesus.

Valuing God's Presence I

STRENGTH FOR MY DAYS 

A Daily Devotional by Bishop David Bakare 

Valuing God's Presence I

Monday, 5 August

For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. Psalm 84:10

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Exodus 3:10–4:14 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. 11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? 12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. 13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. 16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: 17 And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. 18 And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. 19 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. 20 And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. 21 And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty: 22 But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

4:1 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. 2 And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. 3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. 4 And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: 5 That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. 6 And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. 7 And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. 8 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. 9 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land. 10 And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. 11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say 13 And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. 14 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.

MORE LESSON: Exodus 33:12-19 And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. 13 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. 14 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. 15 And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. 16 For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. 17 And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. 18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. 19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

Moses had a dramatic encounter with God when he received his call at the burning bush. God told him all He wanted him to do and how he would lead the children of Israel from the land of bondage. Moses however kept looking at himself and his limited ability and felt that the assignment was too big and difficult. God then shifted Moses' attention from himself to Him, the All Powerful God. When Moses asked God, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?: (verse 11). God responded by telling Moses who He is and added that, ...I will certainly be with you...: Exo. 3:12. God was trying to make Moses realise that it wasn't about his ability but His Ability.

The Lord gave Moses several signs; the rod becoming snake, hands becoming leprous and water becoming blood. All these spectacular signs were not God's main interest. He was merely trying to use them to convey a message to Moses. God's interest was to bring Moses to a point where he would be convinced that God sent him; God was with him and with God nothing would be impossible to him. But Moses continued to press and ask questions till he angered God.

We mustn't copy Moses' unbelief but we must learn a lesson from him. Moses realised that it was dangerous to go on an errand in his own power and might without the power and presence of the Sender. In fact, Moses felt so weak and vulnerable in his own ability that at a particular point, he came out point blank to God and told Him, ...If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here: Exo. 33:15. Moses valued God's presence so much that he wouldn't proceed without His Majestic Presence.

It is amazing to see a man, who had experienced an encounter at the burning bush, heard the voice of the Angel of the Lord and seen the face of God, still feel insufficient to go on unless the Lord Himself would go with him. Some other people, having seen only the bush burning, would have hurriedly opened a ministry and named it 'Burning Bush Ministries Incorporated' without even hearing from God or waiting on Him. But here was a man who had encounters, heard the voice of the Lord and seen signs and wonders done through his own hands still crying, 'Lord, all these are not sufficient for me to go, you must tell me that You are coming with me in all Your Fullness or else I won't move from here.

Moses was a man that valued God's presence. God is asking you today, 'How much do you value My presence? How many times have you gone on your own without Me?'

Prayer/Action

* Thank God for the gift of His presence. 

* Pray against whatever distracts you from the presence of God.

* Continually meditate on the presence of God.

 

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: Every altar of pain and affliction in this new month, I command you to catch fire, in the victorious name of Jesus.