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For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.
2 Corinthians 10:4, NKJV

TODAY'S WORD:

Scripture tells us that there is a battle going on in our minds. Our thoughts dictate our actions. That’s why the enemy will do everything he can to get you thinking in the wrong direction. Sometimes it’s not our own thoughts that are holding us back; sometimes it’s that we’ve believed the negative things that other people have spoken over us. Those words are like seeds. If you dwell on them long enough, they’ll take root and become a reality. In life, there will always be people telling you what cannot be done, speaking negative things. Too often we latch on to those negative words and develop what the Scripture calls a “stronghold.” It’s a wrong thinking pattern that keeps us imprisoned in defeat and keeps us from God’s best. The way you break those negative strongholds is by rejecting the lie and embracing the truth of God’s Word. In other words, you have to choose to delete that negative file in your mind. Today, why don’t you take inventory of your thought life? Ask yourself, “Where did these thoughts come from? Do they line up with what God says about me?” Break the negative strongholds and embrace God’s truth so you can be all that God has called you to be!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Father, today I choose to reject negative thoughts. I choose to reject lies from the past. I break every stronghold through the power of Your Word and embrace Your truth which sets me free in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

— Colossians 3:2

I have learned over the years the value of purposely setting my mind on things I want to happen throughout the day, instead of passively waiting to see what kind of thoughts I happen to have.

Just as we choose our clothes and purposely put them on, we can and should choose our thoughts, because what we meditate on often becomes our reality (see Proverbs 23:7). “Where the mind goes, the man follows” is one of my favorite sayings!

Today I set my mind to be strong, energetic, and joyful. I have decided to enjoy this day and to be a blessing everywhere I go. The more I think positive things, the more excited and empowered I feel! God is waiting to bless His children, but we need to expect Him to do so. What are you expecting from God today? Nothing? A little? A lot?

I taught this in our office chapel, and an employee came to work the next day and said, “I have lots of problems at home, especially with my teenage son who argues with me constantly. After hearing Joyce speak on expecting good things, I decided to try it. Instead of driving home dreading the evening, I went home expecting something good. My son looked at me when I got home and told me that he loved me, something I hadn’t heard in a long, long time.”

Aggressive expectation is faith in action! Release your faith for God’s best in your life and get ready for an upgrade in blessings.

Prayer Starter: Father, I am sorry I have been so passive about my thoughts. Forgive me, and help me learn to think in a way that will release Your best in my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Psalm 27:1-14

People will ask, “What can I do to really grow as a Christian?” Often they are looking for a secret path to maturity—some action they can perform. But the true key to growing in your relationship with Christ isn’t based on service or knowledge or any other outward accomplishment the world tends to admire.

Genuine maturity and effectiveness hinge upon your heart relationship with the Lord, rather than something you can do for Him. When you understand this truth, your whole paradigm shifts. It puts all Christians on the same level, from the high-profile preacher to the quietest member of the church. The believer’s talents, accomplishments, and personality are far less important than the commitment to simply know God.

The Lord called David “a man after My own heart” (Acts 13:22 NIV). What was it about him that God valued so highly? He certainly had his share of mistakes, sins, and character flaws. Yet more than anything else, what characterized his life was that he sought to know the Lord. Whether he was a shepherd, fugitive, warrior, or powerful king, the time he spent with his heavenly Father was his lifeline. In psalm after psalm, David laid everything before the Lord—and wholeheartedly longed to do His will. This was his greatest strength.

Do you want to grow spiritually and be transformed in your everyday faith walk? Take a step beyond asking, “What can I do for God so that I can be a better Christian?” Instead, come before the Lord and say, “Here I am. You have full access to my heart.”

Bible in One Year: Luke 17-19

Philippians 2:3
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself

We move at warp speed, rushing through exhausting days to fall into bed with unmet demands still burdening our hearts.

With so many responsibilities and so much pressure to perform, it is easy to develop tunnel vision. We focus exclusively on ourselves and our dreams and desires. Others become resources to reach our goals or nuisances that impede our progress.

Jesus calls us away from a life of selfishness into a life of sacrifice. Following His example, we learn to look up and look around. When the disciples shooed away the children who clambered around Christ, He stopped them and pulled the children in for a blessing.

On a life-or-death mission, He stopped for the woman with the issue of blood. On the Sabbath day, while the Pharisees looked on scornfully, He healed the man with a withered hand.

In the middle of important work, He noticed and took time. In fact, the irritants and outcasts were His important work. Instead of pushing them to the fringes of society, He pulled in the prostitutes, swindlers, crippled, and poor.

Where can we swap our selfish ambition for sacrifice? How can we exchange our conceit for concern? In the middle of our important work, let us look up and look around.

Blessing:

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you and give you His peace. May Jesus give you eyes to truly see those around you. Look up and look around. As you minister to the least of these, you do it as unto Him.

Today's Bible Reading:

Old Testament

Jeremiah 51:54-52:34

New Testament

Titus 3:1-15

Psalms & Proverbs

Psalm 100:1-5

Proverbs 26:18-19

What is success to you today? How would you define it and how do you plan on achieving it?

I believe that true success is about striving to obtain everything that God has promised is yours, no matter how long it takes and no matter what kind of obstacles you might face. Success does not mean you never have problems; it means you know how to overcome them with the Word of God.

There is no such thing as a life on this planet without problems. We are always going to be confronted with adversity, trials and tests of all kinds. It’s our attitude about these problems that will determine whether we fail or succeed.

Hebrews 10:35, 36 in the New Living Translation says, “Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.”

There is a reward promised to those who will not give up. There is a reward promised to those who will stick to it. I don’t see anywhere in the Bible where people who quit are rewarded. It’s only those who develop staying power. THE MESSAGE says it like this, “So don’t throw it all away now. You were sure of yourselves then. It’s still a sure thing! But you need to stick it out, staying with God’s plan so you’ll be there for the promised completion.”

Just think about it. You have come too far to quit. You need to stick it out. You are not a quitter; you are a winner!

Confession: I will stick it out and stay with God’s plan so I will be there for the promised completion!

Author: Jerry Savelle

Romans 5:1

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

We are not trying to get peace with God. We already have peace with God, having been justified by faith through our Lord Jesus Christ. This peace with God brings us the peace of God, which guards our hearts and minds (see Philippians 4:7). Then, the peace of God inside us will also translate into the peace of God outside us—in all our outward circumstances.

Firstly, we will find that what would normally cause us much care and anxiety will no longer be the case. Secondly, not only will everything turn out well, but we will also be blessed in more ways than one. This is what happens when Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is our peace.

A church member, though stricken with cancer, enjoyed the peace of God, knowing that He was her healer. She later received confirmation from two different doctors that she had been completely healed of cancer. In addition to receiving her blessing of complete healing, she also received from her insurance company a critical illness claim of S$50,000!

Another church member, upon hearing news of her retrenchment, committed the matter to God, believing that He would work all things out for her, especially her loss of a regular income. Shortly after, she received her retrenchment package—a substantial five-figure sum. And within days of her retrenchment, she received calls from her contacts in the industry, offering her jobs, two of which were jobs in well-known multinational corporations (MNCs).

At that time, she had not yet started looking for a job, so the calls were unexpected but welcomed. She finally opted to work for one of the MNCs—a dream come true for her—at a salary that was 30 per cent more than her previous one! When she simply prayed, “Abba Father, I trust You to look after me,” and rested in His love and peace, she was abundantly blessed.

Beloved, because Jesus is your peace, you are blessed in more ways than one. Your soul will prosper. Your health will prosper. Your finances will prosper. Your loved ones will be taken care of. Your relationships will flourish. You will enjoy the favor of God. All because you have the Prince of Peace!

Even in unfair treatment and disappointments, you can trust God to be your vindicator and to work out His plan for your life. As you do, you’ll not only feel heaviness lift off of you, but you’ll begin to dream again. Get ready to see the new things He has in store!

Sacrifice is an integral part of God’s discipleship process that must be embraced to grow in His favor. We may have desires in our hearts that we want to come to pass, but we must obey God to reap the benefits. You must listen and accept the responsibility that He gives you even when it’s not what you had in mind. Listen to the blood; He will always give you better!

Night of Worship with William McDowell 2019 | William McDowell Personal Life Story

Monday October 28th 2019
Memorise: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

Read: Genesis 21:5-14 (KJV)
5 And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.
6 And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.
7 And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.
8 And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.
9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.
10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.
12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.
14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

Bible in one year: 
Ezra 1-3,
Revelation 21:9-27,

Hymnal:
Sing hymn 4

Message:-
The Lord declared His place in the universe to be first in all things and filling all spheres, saying in Revelation 1:8

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

In light of this, He expects those who have given their lives to Him to put Him first in all things. Making God first in our lives is the highest honour we can give to Him. Indeed, there is no other position suitable for Him in our lives than the first position. The implication of this is that we must consult Him first before we do anything. Those who jump the gun in their walk with God by taking steps before consulting Him always encounter disappointment, failure, hardship and great frustration. No wonder the Prophet said in Habakkuk 2:1:

“I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.”

To enjoy our walk with Him therefore, we must be ready to always walk behind Him, patiently walking and watching as He goes ahead of us to make every crooked path straight, and carefully putting our feet in His footprints.

An example of someone who jumped the gun in the course of his walk with God is Father Abraham. If he had consulted with God before sleeping with Hagar at Sarah’s bidding, the Lord would not have allowed it (Genesis 16:1-3). This action brought commotion to Abraham’s household and caused him great grief. When Sarah could no longer bear the situation, she insisted that Hagar and her son, Ishmael, be sent away. It was at this point that Abraham consulted God on the matter, and God said to him in Genesis 21:12:

 “And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.”

If only He had checked with God first, he would have avoided so much pain and hurt. Beloved, let us learn to put God at the beginning, at the middle and at the end of all our plans, because He must fill all spheres of our lives for perfect guidance. This should not be too difficult for those who desire to live with Him in his kingdom eternally. Is God first in your life?

Prayer Point
Father, please help me to recognise and be guided by Your footprints in every situation I am faced with in life, in Jesus’ Name.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional Lessons was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical Churches in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.

But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory [making us conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:57, The Amplified Bible

Victors! More than conquerors! That's what the Bible says we are. I know you've heard that many times before, but today I want you to let the reality of it really sink in. I want you to spend some time meditating about what those terms actually mean.

The dictionary says that victory means "final and complete supremacy or superiority in battle or war, success in any contest or struggling involving the defeat of an opponent or the overcoming of obstacles."

To conquer means "to get the better of in competition or struggle, to master, suppress, prevail over, overwhelm, surmount, to gain superiority, to subdue, to vanquish, to crush, to defeat."

Once you get those definitions firmly in mind, you'll realize in Jesus you've gotten much more than a ticket to heaven. You've gotten the best of the world you're living in now. Through Him, you've overcome it, mastered it, suppressed it and prevailed over it.

No wonder 1 Corinthians 15:57 shouts, "Thanks be to God Who gives us the victory, [making us conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ" (The Amplified Bible)!

Why don't you shout too! Shout thanks to God today for making you an overcomer. Praise Him that you are joined up with the One who has conquered the world, the flesh and the devil. Shout hallelujah and enjoy the victory!

Scripture Reading:
Romans 8:29-39

. . . being knit together in love . . .
—Colossians 2:2

Thousands of young couples go through with a loveless marriage because no one ever told them what genuine love is. I believe we need to read the 13th chapter of First Corinthians, in which the Apostle Paul gives us a definition of love. He says, “Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” If people today knew that kind of love, the divorce rate would be sharply reduced.

Learn more about God’s divine love.

Prayer for the day
Lord Jesus, we need Your love and forgiveness in our hearts, if we are to love unselfishly.