God: My Song

STRENGTH FOR MY DAYS 

A Daily Devotional by Bishop David

God: My Song

Sunday, 1 December

Memory Verse: But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night. Job 35:10

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Psalm 40:1-3 I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. 3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

MORE LESSON: Exodus 15:1-2 1 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. 2 The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.

A “song” can mean many different things in the now, today, in the past, or the future. Songs tell stories of the past, present and the future. God is the Author and Giver of every song we sing (Job 35:10, Exodus 40:3). The expression, “The Lord is my song” literally means in Hebrew: “You are the subject of every song I sing.” When God is everything to you, He becomes your song. The psalms are words of praise, exhortation and glorification of God encoded in songs. Every song tells a story of the acts of God or people's experiences and encounters with God. A song can tell or define a man's heart condition based on what he/she has gone through in life, as expressed in the wordings of the song. Here are a few examples of hymns sung as a result of people experiences and encounters.

1. IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL is a hymn written by hymn-writer Horatio Spafford and composed by Philip Bliss. Spafford wrote the song after his four daughters died when the S.S. Ville Du Havre sank.

2. AMAZING GRACE: the lyrics were inspired after John Newton's experience of receiving God's grace and mercy despite the terrible things he had done. Prior to his salvation and ordination as a minister, he participated in the Atlantic slave trade and captained a slave ship.

3. THE GREAT PHYSICIAN: this song offers praise to Christ as our spiritual physician and encourages sinners to come to Him for healing. "The Great Physician now is near, The sympathizing Jesus; He speaks the drooping heart to cheer: O hear the voice of Jesus." "Your many sins are all forgiven....”

4. MYFAITH HAS FOUND ARESTING PLACE: the song writer failed in business, his wife left him, his 5 children also abandoned him and creditors were pursuing him. He was frustrated and decided to go to a mountain to pray and die. Two angels paid him a visit and told him to go back home, then King George of England sent for him after learning of his woes. The king who needed an adviser thought that having learnt from his business failure, the man would be the best choice. Two chariots were sent to take him to the palace and his wife who ran away was sent as his cook. The police that were pursuing him became his servants and his children returned. He said, thereafter ‘My faith has found a resting place.”

I pray that whatever you are passing through right now, God will give you a song, in Jesus’ Name. God had given people songs in times past: God gave Israel a song (Exodus 15:1-2); He gave David a song (Psalm 40:3); He gave Sarah laughter (Genesis 21:1-6) and Hannah a song (1Samuel 2:1-2). It is your turn for God to give you a song.

Prayer/Action

* Pray that God will put a song in your mouth.

* Ask God, who is the Giver of songs, to replace the song of the enemy with a song of praise.

* Declare: “I know my Redeemer liveth” and He will put a new song in my mouth.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: Hallelujah, I am in the number that made it to the last month of the year. I shall see the last day and beyond, in Jesus' mighty name.

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.