Wisdom for Living II

STRENGTH FOR MY DAYS 

A Daily Devotional by Bishop David

Wisdom for Living II

Tuesday, 8 October

 

How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver. Proverbs 16:16

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Proverbs 4:1-8 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. 2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. 3 For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. 4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. 5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. 6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. 7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.

 

MORE LESSON: 2 Chronicles 1:10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?

 

In continuation of our discourse on wisdom for living we shall be considering more proverbs of the Bible that we can apply to our life in order to be more successful in our Christian journey. (vii) He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city: Proverbs 16:32. Joseph is an example of one who ruled over his spirit when he was tempted by Potiphar's wife and Samson is an illustration of one who took over a city but had no control over his spirit. It is like saying, 'it is better to be a Joseph than to be a Samson'. Self-control is a great virtue that must be cultivated. Thankfully, self-control is a component of the fruit of the Spirit; implying that we should not struggle to manifest self-control as Spirit filled believers.

Also, (viii) Proverbs 17:5 reminds us Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished. No matter how rich you are, don't mock the poor; if you cannot help the poor make sure not to hurt them either. In the same vein, Proverbs 17:5 admonishes us not to laugh at people in their calamity. What we are expected to do when people run into trouble is to show empathy. (ix) Proverbs 17:22 encourages us, A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. One of the greatest favours you can do to yourself is to be happy, circumstances not regarding. If you can be happy, it will be well.

Let's add four more proverbs as we end the discussion. (x) A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24. The law of success incorporates friendliness; the more friendly you are the more people will come around you. (xi) Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread. Proverbs 20:13. Too much sleep equals poverty! (xii) A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold. Proverbs 22:1. A good name is the path of honour and if you can't combine riches and honour, choose honour instead. (xiii) By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life. Proverbs 22:4. So if you want to combine riches, honour and life be humble and fear the Lord.

 

Prayer/Action

* Ask that the Spirit of wisdom which is one of the seven-fold Spirit of God, baptise you now and always.

* Thank God for the manifold wisdom of God operational in your life.

 

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: This is the month that the LORD has made and I shall rejoice and be glad in it, in the rejoicing name of Jesus.

Wisdom for Living I

 STRENGTH FOR MY DAYS 

A Daily Devotional by Bishop David 

Wisdom for Living I

Monday, 7 October

 

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Proverbs 4:7

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Proverbs 4:1-8 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. 2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. 3 For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. 4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. 5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. 6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. 7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.

 

MORE LESSON: Ecclesiastes 10:10 If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.

Proverbs 16:16 How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!

 

The beautiful thing about wisdom is that it helps us navigate through life in an uncommon way. Interestingly, wisdom for living cannot be exhausted in one’s entire lifetime; we understand that there is a beginning to wisdom though there is no end to it. What does the Bible tell us as the beginning of wisdom? Proverbs 9:10 says, The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. The fear of the Lord is what we need in order to be counted as wise people.

The book of Proverbs in the Bible is a compendium of wisdom that everyone can depend on as a compass for life. Some of the wisdom that we really need is selected as follows: (I) Proverbs 1:10, My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. There is so much enticement of sin by sinners today more than ever before, we are however admonished not to give in to the pressure. (ii) Proverbs 3:3 urges us, Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart. The best necklace a man can have is mercy and truth. Your life began with the mercy of God and can only be progressive when you continue to depend on His mercy. Truth, on the other hand is what you owe yourself. In being as truthful as possible we can be as fruitful as expected.

There are many other proverbs to pay attention to: (iii) Proverbs 4:23 encourages us, Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. The issue of your heart is the issue of your life. If you want a good life you must have a good heart. (iv) Proverbs 11:25 says, The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. This scripture teaches that we should not be stingy if we want our life to matter. Life responds to givers more than it doe s to hoarders. (v) Proverbs.12:24 warns, The hand of the diligent shall bear rule, but the slothful shall be under tribute. Have you ever heard the statement, 'tired men rule the world?' It is a truism that if you are hardworking you will rule your world. (vi) Proverbs 14:23 declares, “In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury. It simply means you should be more practical in your approach to life than being theoretical as the manner of many is.

 

Prayer/Action

* Declare that you choose the way of the Lord, which is the way of wisdom.

 * Pray that by the wisdom of the Lord, the enemy will not confuse you in life.

 * Ask for grace to manifest the wisdom of God in your generation.

 

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: The glory of this month in my life shall be greater than the former months, in the precious name of Jesus.

Open Doors II

STRENGTH FOR MY DAYS 

A Daily Devotional by Bishop David 

Open Doors II

Sunday, 6 October

 

I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in piece the gates of brass, and cut in sunder bars of iron. Isaiah 45:2

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Isaiah 45:1-6 Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; 2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: 3 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. 4 For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. 5 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: 6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.

 

MORE LESSON: Revelation 3:7-8 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

 8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

 

Doors are openings, portals and access. God wants us to experience access in all areas of life, therefore God loves to open doors to us. Struggling to survive was never the original package of God for man, it was sin that brought in struggling and closed doors. But Jesus came so that we can have access to what Satan and sin stole from us. In John 10:9 Jesus said, I am the door, by me if any man enter in; he shall be saved and shall go in and out; and find pasture. The first and main door that gives access to all the goodness and greatness of God is Jesus. When we accept His Lordship, access to all other essentials of destiny fulfilment becomes a reality. God wants us all to experience open doors. Declare, “Today, I receive open doors.”

We must learn the principles to discern or know if an open door is truly from God in order not to enter the wrong door. i) God-given open doors will never contradict biblical truths and injunctions; He will never open a door that leads to personal compromise or disobedience to His instructions, example being “unequally yoked” by using dating sites to get into marital relationship with unbelievers (II Corinthians 6:14).

ii) Open doors by God will be confirmed or established by two or three witnesses, whether they be biblical verses, advice from sound believers, pastor or a well respected person. Through prayer, discernment and seeking godly counsel, there will be confirmation of God-given open doors. iii) God-given open doors require dependence on God. God will never lead us to things that will separate or alienate us from Him. He loves relationship and insists on being first in our life (Matthew 6:33).

Open doors from God will cause our faith to be stretched and strengthened; causing us to grow in faith and Christ-likeness. May we all experience God's open doors.

 

Prayer/Action

* Ask God for unusual access to definite success as you step out today.

* Rebuke forces that hinder God-given open doors.

 * Ask for discernment to enter the right doors by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

 

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: I lift my hands and shout hallelujah to the God who kept me this far and will take me further gloriously, in the wonderful name of Jesus.

Open Doors I

   STRENGTH FOR MY DAYS 

A Daily Devotional by Bishop David 

Open Doors I

Saturday, 5 October

 

And to the Angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth , and no man openeth. Revelation 3:7

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Revelation 3:1-8 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. 4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. 5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. 6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. 7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; 8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

 

MORE LESSON: Isaiah 45:1 Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;

 

Revelation 3:7-13 is a letter to the Philadelphian church and it starts with the declaration, I know thy works.... This is a beautiful reminder that God is a God of knowledge. There is nothing that we are doing or not doing that God does not know. Imagine that the first thing God would tell the Church in Philadelphia about them is 'I know thy works'! It is true that we are not saved by works, but we are known by works. Our works actually are our fruits and the Bible says by their fruits we shall know them (Matthew 7:15-20). The question is, What are your works by which you are known by Heaven?

Going by the wordings of a song which says, 'Let us not grow weary in the work of love, send the light, send the light' we understand that the work that every church and its members should be involved in is the work of love. The work of love is accomplished by individual members of the church sending the gospel light in practical terms to all who need it. If Christianity was borne out of the love of God that released Jesus to a dying world, it can only be sustained by the same love that Christ's disciples spread around the world. This is consistent with John 13:35 that says, By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

As reward for the Philadelphian church for having good works despite their small strength, God set before them an open door which no man could shut. This church was not without strength, only that their strength was small. It may be that they did not have numerical and financial strength but they had some kind of strength all the same. As a matter of fact, it was strength for them that they were able to keep the word of God. The spiritual strength of keeping the word of God is real strength. The reason why Saul, being the first king of Israel, was rejected from being king was because he did not keep the word of God (1 Samuel. 15:26). Our staff of office as kings on the earth is keeping the word of God.

Open doors may not be by your physical strength; it is in spite of your lack of strength that God opens doors for you. However, the strength that you need is spiritual – that is, keeping the word of God and not denying His name like the testimony that the Philadelphian church had.

 

Prayer/Action

* Pray that irrespective of your strength or otherwise God will open doors for you.

 * Pray that your spiritual strength will sustain you and your open doors by the grace of God.

 

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: In the name above every other name, this tenth month of the year will work well for me by the power of the Holy Ghost, in Jesus' victorious name.