Acceptable Service I

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SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Ephesians 2:10

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

MORE LESSON: 1 Corinthians 3:8-10

8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. 9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. 10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

Thursday, 18 September

Memory Verse: For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

You are God's workmanship; your salvation is an enlistment into divine assignment. You are saved to serve. God saved you not just to sit in church, but to serve purposefully. God watches what you do and weighs how you do it. The question, however, is your service acceptable?

In 2 Timothy 2, Paul outlines the framework for acceptable service.

• You must please the One who called you (v.4), not your ego, ambition or audience.

• You must serve by the rules (v.5), not invent your style.

• You must endure because the assignment outweighs the affliction (v.6–13).

• You must present yourself as approved (v.15); God is not seeking hype but authenticity.

God owns the work and He alone sets the standard. He's not desperate for volunteers; He's searching for worthy vessels. He is not just watching what you do but also weighing how you do it. Acceptable service require:

1. A Perfect Heart

1 Chronicles 28:9 says, the following condition, Serve him with a perfect heart and a willing mind... You may be gifted, eloquent, and busy, but if your heart is not right, your service is rejected. God inspects the heart before He receives the hand. He doesn't just examine your actions, He audits your motives. Amaziah did what was right, but not with a perfect heart (2 Chronicles 25:2) and God rejected him.

1 Corinthians 3:12-15 says fire will reveal the kind of material you built with. If they're made of hay, they will burn. Only what is born from sincerity, love, and purity will stand the test.

2. being a Living Sacrifice

Romans 12:1-2 calls you to become a living sacrifice. That means you don't serve God at your convenience—you serve Him at a cost. David said in 2 Samuel 24:24: I will not offer to the Lord that which costs me nothing. That's the kind of heart God honours; honest service is sacrificial.

God doesn't need performance; instead, He demands purity. If your heart is far, your hands are empty, even when they are full. God does not reward activity; He rewards authenticity. God accepts service that flows from a perfect heart and a sacrificial life. Don't just serve, serve acceptably.

Prayer/Action

* Ask the Lord to purify your motives and heart so that your service will be rooted in love.

* Present yourself as a living sacrifice—pure, yielded and ready.

* Pray that your life will be acceptable before Him.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: Father, let the beauty of Jesus be found upon me today like never before, in the excellent name of Jesus.

© Strength for My Days by Bishop David Bakare - All Rights Reserved

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

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SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: John 14:1-3

1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

MORE LESSON: Acts 27:22-25

22 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. 23 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, 24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. 25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

Wednesday, 17 September

Memory Verse: Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. John 14:1

Your heart is the engine room of your life. If the heart is troubled, life can derail. That’s why Jesus said in today’s memory verse, LET NOT your heart be troubled.” It’s a command, and not a suggestion. Some of the many things that threaten to trouble the heart include:

• the unknown and uncertainty (Matthew 10:26);

• fear of the enemy (Matthew 10:28-30);

• the cares of life (Matthew 6:28 32);

• and a heart poisoned by unforgiveness (Colossians 3:13-14).

The truth is that whatever you don’t confront will continue to torment you. If you let fear, offence or anxiety to fester, they will choke peace and power out of your life.

So, the way forward is to do the following things:

i. Choose to rejoice in the Lord (John 16:33).

ii. Engage your faith; live, walk, and speak by faith (1 John 5:4; Romans 1:17; 2 Corinthians 5:7).

iii. Lean on the indwelling Christ; greater is He in you! (1 John 4:4).

iv. Let God’s peace rule.

v. Clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, patience, armour for your heart and testimony (Colossians 3:12-14).

This is not emotional survival; rather, it is spiritual dominion. Christ’s peace is not the absence of storms; it is the presence of His power in storms. Don’t just cry about the storm, command: “Peace, be still!” (Mark 4:39). You are not a victim; you are anointed to rise. Let not your heart be troubled— make your choice: rise in faith and rule your storm.

Prayer/Action

* Shut the door against every trouble targeting your heart.

* Receive the peace of God and command calmness over every storm in your life.

* Declare that your will not be troubled nor complain but walk in victory, by faith and not by fear.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: Overturn, overturn; I overturn every evil plot loaded in my year today, in the powerful name of Jesus.

© Strength for My Days by Bishop David Bakare - All Rights Reserved

Praise that Breaks Protocols

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SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Psalm 138:1-8

1 I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. 2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. 3 In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. 4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth. 5 Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD. 6 Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. 8 The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.

MORE LESSON: 1 Chronicles 15:25-29

25 So David, and the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the house of Obededom with joy. 26 And it came to pass, when God helped the Levites that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that they offered seven bullocks and seven rams. 27 And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites that bare the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the master of the song with the singers: David also had upon him an ephod of linen. 28 Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise with psalteries and harps. 29 And it came to pass, as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looking out at a window saw king David dancing and playing: and she despised him in her heart.

Tuesday, 16 September

Memory Verse: I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart… even before kings will I sing praises unto thee. Psalm 138:1

Real thanksgiving breaks the rules of dignity. It shatters protocols. If your praise still looks “neat,” it hasn't reached heaven yet. Until your Thanksgiving embarrasses dignitaries, breaks protocol, and dismantles your pride, it hasn't touched God.

When you're truly grateful, you empty yourself, you lose your titles and forget your status. You become like David, dancing before the Ark. David brought the ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem, as recorded in 1 Chronicles 15:28: Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise with psalteries and harps. He praised God until the whole queen got offended in verse 29: And it came to pass, as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul, looking out at a window, saw king David dancing and playing: and she despised him in her heart. He stripped off his royal attire in exchange for reverence.

You can't celebrate God as “big man” and expect to see His mighty hand. Until your honour is laid down, you have not started true thanksgiving.

You owe God praise, no matter the achievement you have recorded. Your title didn't save you; Jesus did. Whatever appointment you have, that contract, that job, that testimony; they are not your doing. Strip the pride and remove the polish. If God hadn't stepped in, the enemy would have finished you.

Since we owe Him everything, how should we praise Him?

• Let your mouth praise Him – Complainers can't provoke wonders. Only grateful hearts receive the overflow.

• Let your money praise Him – Praise Him with the resources He has blessed you with. Stop needing reminders to give. Stop waiting to be begged to sow. If someone must push you to be grateful, you're not thankful yet.

• Let your glory praise Him – Whatever makes you stand out, bring it back to His feet. Psalm 108:1 says: I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.

Jesus is both Lion and Lamb. He defended you like a lion and lay down like a lamb. Why hold back your gratitude when your Defender roared like a lion for you? Why hide your praise when your Shepherd bled for your soul? Why hide your appreciation? Why act like you earned this? Until your praise embarrasses you, it hasn't impressed God—praise like David': give like Mary; worship like the healed. If your pride is intact, your praise is incomplete.

Prayer/Action

* Tell the Lord that you will always return all the glory to Him.

* Tell the Lord that from today, your praise will be loud, your giving extravagant and your thanksgiving break protocol.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: Father, give me Grace this month to follow you unconditionally, in the precious name of Jesus.

© Strength for My Days by Bishop David Bakare - All Rights Reserved

Hope Beyond Hope

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SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Romans 4:17-22

17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. 18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

MORE LESSON: Job 14:7-9

7 For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. 8 Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; 9 Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.

Monday, 15 September

Memory Verse: Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. Romans 4:18

When God teaches you about hope, He doesn't begin with what you can see. True hope, the kind Abraham walked in, is the supernatural ability to call what doesn't exist by name, as though it does. This is not wishful thinking; it is prophetic alignment. Abraham, against hope, believed in hope. It's seeing nothing but saying something. Abraham didn't wait for Isaac to be conceived in Sarah's womb before he answered the name “father of many nations.” He gave a name to what no one else could see.

That is what God is calling you to do—to name what doesn't yet live, to relate with what is still invisible, and to believe without evidence. That is not optimism; that is divine hope. The hope of God is not about seeing light at the end of the tunnel—it is dancing when there is no tunnel at all!

Abraham gave thanks to God, hoping that what God had promised would come to pass. Romans 4:20 reveals that Abraham ...staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. Thanksgiving is not authentic when it is easy. It becomes weighty when it's painful but when things are good, it's natural. To praise when everything screams defeat is supernatural. That's the Thanksgiving that moves Heaven—rejoicing in pain, worshipping through storms, clapping with tears on your face.

But to operate at that level, you must guard three spiritual qualities.

1. Joy – you must be joyful. It is only when the heart is joyful that thanks can flow. Do not let anyone take thanks from you; the only way is to remain cheerful. Do not surrender your joy. Not to your job, pain, waiting season, or losses. Joy is the womb of thanksgiving. If you lose joy, you silence your thanksgiving.

2. Love for God – learn to love God. It is in loving God that you can thank Him in hope, regardless of what happens. Only lovers can trust through pain. When you love God, you thank Him regardless of the challenges.

3. Faith – Hope stands on the shoulders of faith. Without faith, thanksgiving becomes empty noise.

Don't just say God is good when you get a promotion; be ready to say He is good when everything gets delayed. When you're down to nothing, your praise must rise to everything. Real hope gives a name to the unseen. Absolute praise makes no sense to the flesh. Hope and praise like Abraham—radical, relentless, and raw.

Prayer/Action

* Ask God to help you praise beyond reason. Help me name what doesn't yet exist.

* Pray that your heart will be filled with joy and that your faith remains unshakable.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: Underneath me, this month, is the everlasting hand; I shall fear no foe, in the powerful name of Jesus.

© Strength for My Days by Bishop David Bakare - All Rights Reserved