Waste Not

  STRENGTH FOR MY DAYS 

A Daily Devotional by Bishop David 

Waste not

Friday, 4 October

 

When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. John 6:12

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: John 6:1-12 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. 2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. 3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. 4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. 5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? 6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, 9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? 10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. 12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.

 

MORE LESSON: Joel 2:25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.

 

A thorough search through the Scripture shows God's hatred for waste. The miracle of multiplication of bread and fish had just taken place and the attendant euphoria was enough for people to go home without paying attention to the left over. However, Jesus instructed that they gather up the fragments and when they did, to their amazement they had twelve baskets. The lesson here is what we take for granted as little waste can amount to much if we pay attention to it.

If we can effectively deal with wastes in our lives and our communities we can overcome poverty. By the nature of resources they are usually limited and always need to be conserved. People who waste their resources don’t get to the wealthy place. There is a place called the wealthy place and only people who master the art of conservation of scarce resources get there. Nations rise and fall by the correct deployment or otherwise of their peculiar resources.

Resources are manifold and can be listed to include time, talents, mineral deposits, opportunities, comparative advantages, strengths etc. If an individual decides to waste his time, he can end up wasting his life if care is not taken. Similarly, if a man wastes his talent(s) he will come to nothing in life. Time and talent are linked in such a manner that greatness results from them if deployed correctly. The other thing that must not be wasted at all by sensible individuals is opportunity. When opportunity comes and it is taken the result can be phenomenal.

Believers in Christ are in a good position to maximise the blessings of God upon our lives by the help of the Holy Spirit. By the direction of the Spirit of God we can be led to avoid wastage in all ramifications. The power that we can wield by the Holy Spirit is unquantifiable. Just like Jesus had to tell the disciples to gather the fragments, if we walk in the frequency of the Spirit He will teach us not to waste anything whether it be money, opportunities, talents or any other resource. The prayer is that God should help us always to be sensitive to the Spirit's guidance so that we don't get caught up with the spirit of waste.

 

Prayer/Action

* Decree that by the mercy of God you recover from every waste that you have ever suffered.

 * Pray that you will no more waste opportunities in life.

 * Declare that greatness awaits you as God helps you to avoid losses going forward.

 

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: This day, I proclaim that the Lord is with me like a mighty terrible one. I shall fear no evil, in the victorious name of Jesus.

 

TODAY’S FASTING FOCUS: Divine cover; Psalm 105:12-15

The Seed of Thanksgiving

 STRENGTH FOR MY DAYS 

A Daily Devotional by Bishop David 

The Seed of Thanksgiving

Thursday, 3 October

 

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: 2 Timothy 3:1-4 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

 

MORE LESSON: John 11:41-42 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. 42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

 

One of the signs of the end time enumerated in today's text is being unthankful. This end time spirit has crept into the lives of many and has rendered some people ungrateful in many areas of life to their detriment. No matter how blessed you are, if you don't consciously remind yourself of the need to be thankful, the spirit of this age may catch up with you. If the devil succeeds in keeping a man down with complaints about things that have not happened for him or that are not happening around him, the spirit of ingratitude will possess him so badly.

A look at the children of Israel in their journey through the wilderness to the Promised Land shows clearly that they were a people full of complaints. The spirit of complaints is anti- thanksgiving and as such should be resisted vehemently by every wise hearted Christian. Everything written in the Scripture is for our example and learning; as such a great lesson to be learnt from the Israelites’ journey to Canaan is that God hates complaints. Rather than complain, we should have faith in God and put our trust in His ability and faithfulness, regardless of our present circumstance.

One other thing that can hinder thanksgiving is the spirit of competition and comparison. The quest for more is not wrong in itself, but the inability to balance such quest can lead to covetousness. A covetous man will not know the way of thanksgiving and as such happiness may elude him. Jesus warns that we should beware of covetousness (Luke 12:15). The wisdom needed to heed the caution is to understand that the life of a man does not consist in the abundance of what he possesses.

There is a prescription that the Bible gives us to deal with ingratitude in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. It may be an impossible task to give thanks for everything, but we must muster strength to give thanks in everything. This prescription is important as a way to combat the end time spirit of ingratitude. Also, thanksgiving should not be cultivated as a yearly practice as most people think, but must be cultivated as a regular practice. The more regular thanksgiving is the better our lives become.

 

Prayer/Action

* Declare that you shall not be overtaken by the spirit of complaints, but will learn to give thanks always.

 * Declare that no matter the situation, you choose thanksgiving always.

 * Declare that as you give thanks your life and situations will improve.

 

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: It is written, "If God be for me who can be against us?" With God on my side, October is walk-over, in the powerful name of Jesus.

Money is Good

STRENGTH FOR MY DAYS 

A Daily Devotional by Bishop David Bakare 

Money is Good

Wednesday, 2 October

 

But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. Deuteronomy. 8:18

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Ecclesiastes 5:18-19 Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion. 19 Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.

 

MORE LESSON: Matthew 17:24-27 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? 25 He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? 26 Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.  27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.

 

One of the misconceptions in the body of Christ over the years is that about money, as it pertains to whether it is good or evil. It is recorded in the Scripture that some people made a shipwreck of their faith because of money, the underlining reason being the love of money (1 Timothy 6:10). The strange thing about money is that it is deceptive; there is usually a false sense of security that money brings to those who have it. If you don't know God and you get carried away by the security that money brings, you will be in a big mess.

A quick look through the Scripture shows many instances where money solved problems as a testament to the fact that money is good. The parable of the good Samaritan is a case in point. In Luke 10:25-37 a man fell among thieves and needed to be helped. Apriest and a Levite who passed without rescuing the man in his critical condition were clearly poor both in judgment and resources. When the good Samaritan came by, he had money to take the wounded man to the hospital, made deposit for his treatment and left a complimentary card so he could be reached for more money, in case the need arose. Jesus eventually commended the good Samaritan as the wounded man's neighbour, even when he had never met him before. Money is good because if properly deployed, it connects you with people.

In Deuteronomy 8:18, we understand that it is God who gives the power to get wealth in order to establish His covenant. The power to get wealth includes life, health, wisdom and direction. If it is the good God that gives the power to get wealth, then wealth cannot be bad. The caveat however is, as Psalm 62:10 warns ... if riches increase, set not your heart upon them. The undoing of many people is becoming 'possessed with their possessions'.

In order for us to experience how good money can be, we should work legitimately and diligently, trusting God for His blessing on the works of our hands. After securing the blessing of God, we must not forget Him; neither must we close our eyes to the needs of people around us. Proverbs 19:17 says, He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again. Money is good to meet our needs, do the work of God on earth and meet the needs of others.

 

Prayer/Action

* Receive the power to get wealth without losing it.

 * Pray for the heart of a giver so that you can appropriately distribute the wealth that He endows you with.

 

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: This October, I shall operate with the peace that passes all human understanding, in the name of Jesus.

Followers of Christ

STRENGTH FOR MY DAYS 

A Daily Devotional by Bishop David Bakare

Followers of Christ

Tuesday, 1 October

And he said unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew 4:19

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Matthew 4:18-19 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

MORE LESSON: 1 Corinthians 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

The call to follow Jesus is a great one because following a great man is a making process for greatness. Transforming fishermen to fishers of men as promised by Jesus to His disciples is a quantum leap. From the foregoing, it is crystal clear that no one follows Jesus and remains the same. This implies that if your life is not changing, and you claim to be following Christ, you need to check whether you are truly following.

Peter was following Jesus, but a time came when he began to follow from afar (Matthew 26: 58). Unfortunately, this led to Peter denying Jesus. In order not to backslide in our walk with Christ, wisdom demands that we close any gap that may exist between us and Him. Some practical examples of gap are: withdrawing from prayer, constant missing of fellowship and not finding time to read the word of God. Most times people don't go back from following Christ in a day; it happens by gradual drawing back. Drawing back is not allowed in the Kingdom, and God will not delight in anyone who draws back (Hebrews 10:38).

Following Christ begins with being born again and culminates in our entering into Heaven to be where He is. John 12:26 says, If any man serve me, let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be…. In following Christ therefore we can get to His destination. This is true because who or what you follow determines where you end up. Young people must particularly pay attention to the truth that they can't follow just anybody.

The picture of us following Christ may look like a big assignment and it is, but it is not an impossible task. Following Christ can be broken down into some miniatures: Hebrews.12:14, follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man will see the Lord. 1 Timothy 6:11, But thou o man of God, flee these things: and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. From these scriptures we know what to follow that is equivalent to following Christ: peace, holiness, righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and meekness. We must also flee some things so as to be able to follow the things that really matter in our heavenly race.

Prayer/Action

* Receive abundant grace to follow.

* Ask for grace to cut off the bridge that may take you back to Egypt and hinder you from following Jesus effectively.

 

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: I give a powerful hallelujah shout to the God who made October a reality for me and Nigeria, in the wonderful name of Jesus.