2011 The Daily Answer 1

With:Suggested Prayer Point

Daily Memory VerseDaily Applicat ion

Call upon me in your t ime of t rouble and I wil l answer

copywright 2011

AN EASY WAY TO STUDY, MEMORIZE AND APPLY THE WORD OF GOD

Unless otherwise indicated, a l l scr iptural quotat ions are f rom the NCV, NLT, NIV, NKJV bible vers ions

The Dai ly Answercopyright 2011 byMabel TalabiWomen In LeadershipSouth Holland, IL

Printed in the United States of America.All r ights reserved under Internat ional Copyright Law.Contents and/ or cover may not be reproduced in whole or in par t in any form without the express wri t ten consent of the publ isher

1The Daily Answer April - June 2011

Apri l 1st , 2011

PRINCIPLE OF GIVING #1

Text: 2 Corinthians 8:1-5

The pr inciple of pr ior consecrat ion s ta tes that when I give to God, i t i s my f i rs t responsibi l i ty to have given of myself to Him f i rs t . In our text today, the Macedonians f i rs t gave themselves to God before giving Him their checkbook. In other words, they submit ted themselves to Him.

In Romans 12:1, the apost le Paul exhorts bel ievers to give themselves to God as a l iving sacr i f ice based on what God has done for us . God’s giving should be our model for giving. He gave us the best thing He had for our own benefi t . We should be wil l ing to par t with our best for Him and for His service.

If a man says he has given himself to God, but i t does not affect his checkbook, that man is deceiving himself . He has not consecrated himself to God at a l l . Giving to God must become a pr ior i ty. To exercise the pr inciple of s tewardship, one must have an understanding of what i t means to give God f i rs t place in their l i fe and to give themselves to Him without any reservat ion.

Prayer point: Lord, give me the grace to give myself to you without any reservat ion.

Memory Verse: And i f you are untrustworthy with worldly weal th, who wil l trust you with the true r iches of heaven? (Luke 16:11)

Appl icat ion: Consecrate yourself to God f irs t before trying to do anything for Him.

2 The Daily Answer April - June 2011

Apri l 2nd, 2011

PRINCIPLE OF GIVING #2

Text: 2 Corinthians 9:7

“So le t each one give as he purposes in his hear t , not grudgingly or of necessi ty or out of pressure; for God loves a cheerful giver.” The s tory of Ananias and Sapphira shows the importance of giving to God from the hear t . Our giving should not be motivated by what we see other people do. Love for God should be the motive for everything we do for Him — including our giving. Ananias and his wife sold a piece of land, then, they l ied about the amount they earned from the sel l . They l ied even though i t was their choice to give the money to God.

Exodus 25:2 ta lks about Moses col lect ing an offer ing for the Tabernacle f rom the chi ldren of Israel . The offer ing was to be col lected from everyone that gave i t wi l l ingly. 1 Chronicles 29:9 te l ls us that when the people of Israel gave for the construct ion of the temple, they gave with a loyal , perfect hear t . In the temple giving, they gave to God with a glad hear t because their hear t was r ight .

Prayer point: Lord, give me the grace to wi l l ingly and cheerful ly give of my substance to you and your work.

Memory Verse: “And i f you are untrustworthy with worldly weal th, who wil l trust you with the true r iches of heaven? (Luke 16:11)

Appl icat ion: Always give to God without complaining and murmuring. Give with thanksgiving in your heart .


Apri l 3rd, 2011

THE PRINCIPLE OF GIVING #3

Text: Malachi 3:10

We have al l heard someone say, “I t i the my t ime to God. That’s a l l they are get t ing from me.” I f a l l of us t i the only our t ime, where wil l the money for running the church come from?

This is a form of self-decept ion in which we rat ional ize our t ime commitment to God. We think that because we have given our t ime to His service, we are no longer responsible to give Him our income. Giving t ime to the work of God is good, but i t should not take the place of our income. God wants us to give back to Him a port ion of a l l that He has entrusted to us and that includes money.

We have also heard people say, “I can’t afford to give unt i l I have my f inances in order.” When wil l that be? The problem with this s ta tement is that we can’t reap a harvest unt i l we sow some seed. No one begins with a harvest . Rather, we begin with sowing a seed. We do not give to God because we can afford i t , but because i t i s a command from Him. As we begin to sow, we wil l begin to harvest .

Prayer point: Lord, by your grace, help me learn to release my hold on my possessions and learn to give the way you have commanded.


Appl icat ion: Do not only t i the your t ime but also t i the your money to God. Don’t wai t unt i l you feel you can afford to give to give to God. Give what you have and He wil l mult iply what you have given Him.


Apri l 4th, 2011


Text: Haggai 1:3-11

Sowing to the f lesh is important because otherwise the f lesh dies . Anyt ime we eat , we are sowing to the f lesh. Anytime we go to the doctor, we are sowing to the f lesh. For most of us , the only thing we do with what God has entrusted to us is sow to the f lesh. We go for massages and facials . We buy clothes and cars . We want to have the best while the house of God suffers due to lack of funds. The Bible says that whatever we sow to the f lesh is going to come back in corrupt ion. I t i s nothing but vani ty. Solomon the wise said that vani ty upon vani ty is vani ty.

Despi te this , we take t ime, energy, creat ive abi l i ty and al l that God has given to us and use i t to make money which we end up sowing to the f lesh. Look at Japan, just las t week, people lost everything they have worked for a l l their l ives . What about Hai t i? What about Louis iana? In today’s text , God sent a message through Haggai to the chi ldren of Israel to ask them why they were l iving in luxury while the house of God suffered.

The New Testament warns us that when we sow to the f lesh, we reap nothing but corrupt ion. But , when we sow to the spir i t we reap eternal l i fe and we reap things that s tand the tas te of t ime.

Prayer point: Lord, give me wisdom to always invest in the things of God.


Appl icat ion: Begin today to sow more into the kingdom if you are not already doing that .


Apri l 5th, 2011


Text: Mark 12:41-44

Our giving is not about how much we have. God is not interested in how much we give but how much we lef t behind. The widow in the book of Mark 12:41-44 i l lustrates this point . God measures our hear t and our fa i th by the measure of our giving. Jesus told His disciples that this woman, though she gave only two coins , gave more than al l the other people who gave that day because they gave out of their abundance. The woman gave everything she had.

Jesus is saying that giving is not to be evaluated by what she gave but by what she had. She had only two coins and she gave i t a l l . God wil l not judge us for not giving something we do not have, but He wil l judge us for holding back something He already put in our hands. Likewise, He would not hold us accountable for something we do not have, l ike a gif t or ta lent , but He expects us to give back to Him from the blessings He has giving us .

God knows what you have and the circumstances out of which you give to Him. He wil l reward you.

Prayer point: Lord, give me the grace to be able to give my al l to you with out reservat ion.

Memory verse: “And i f you are untrustworthy with worldly weal th, who wil l trust you with the true r iches of heaven? (Luke 16:11)

Appl icat ion: Begin to give to God generously instead of hoarding. I t ’s al l His anyway.


Apri l 6th, 2011


Text : 2 Corinthians 9:6

God told Noah af ter the f lood that as long as the ear th remains, seed t ime and harvest t ime would not cease (Gen. 8:22) . I f a farmer wants to produce a harvest , he f i rs t has to sow seed in his f ie ld . The kind of harvest that he expects is dependent on the kind of seed that he sows. I f a farmer wants apples , he must sow apple seed. He wil l not sow orange seed to reap mangos. The frui t of the harvest is determined by the nature of what is sown.

When a farmer wants a large harvest , i t i s imperat ive that he sows many seeds. In today’s text , Paul reminds the Corinthians that they wil l reap by the measure of what they sow. We wil l not reap anything different f rom what we sow. I f want someone to become our f r iend, we f i rs t become fr iendly to them. According to Dr. David Jeremiah, a preacher, the powerful effect of weal th can be explained in terms of physics: The greater the mass, the greater the pul l .

Prayer point: Lord, put seed in my hands so that I may sow i t into your kingdom.


Appl icat ion: Whatever you want out of l i fe , begin to sow that to other people . Whatever is the amount of harvest that you are expect ing, begin to sow as much because the more seed you sow, the more you wil l harvest .


Apri l 7th, 2011


Text: Malachi : 3:8,14

The word t i the means tenth. Ti thing means giving ten percent of our earnings back to God. I t i s not giving two percent or whatever we decide to give. The chi ldren of Israel , according to Malachi 3 , were supposed to br ing a heal thy animal and offer i t to God. Instead, many t r ied to offer blemished animals . This was an offense to God, so He cursed them.

God is offended when we want the best of everything for ourselves and yet give to Him something that costs us nothing.

When we t i the, we put God f i rs t . We do not give Him the lef tover, for that is an insul t to Him. Ti thing helps us to aff i rm our values and our pr ior i t ies to God. This is the only place in the Bible where God asks us to put Him to the tes t . He wil l prove His fa i thfulness .

When we t i the, we are not making a bargain with God; nor are we buying His favor. We are saying that we bel ieve God is able to care for us and provide for us .

Prayer point: Lord, give me the grace and the abi l i ty to always bring my t i the to you.


Appl icat ion: If you are not already paying your 10 percent to God, begin to do that . Do not wai t to give to Him after al l your bi l ls are paid. Give to Him f irs t .


Apri l 8th, 2011

THE GOSPEL OF GRACE AND PEACE

Text: Galat ians 1:1-5

Paul , af ter he had establ ished the source of his authori ty, prayed that Galat ians bel ievers would have grace and peace. The easiest way to summarize the gospel is that we did not get what we deserve (grace) and we inheri ted what is not due us (peace) . Grace is Jesus giving His l i fe as a penal ty for our s ins . Peace is Him rescuing us f rom the evi l world in which we l ive. A s tory is told of Charles Spurgeon and Joseph Parker, both having churches in London in the 19th century. On one occasion, Parker commented on the poor condi t ion of chi ldren admit ted to Spurgeon’s orphanage. I t was reported to Spurgeon, that Parker had cr i t ic ized the orphanage. Spurgeon blasted Parker the next week from the pulpi t . The at tack was pr inted in the newspapers and became the ta lk of the town. People f locked to Parker ’s church the next Sunday to hear his rebut ta l . “I understand Dr. Spurgeon is not in his pulpi t today, and this is the Sunday they use to take an offer ing for the orphanage. I suggest we take a love offer ing here instead.” The crowd was del ighted. The ushers had to empty the col lect ion plates 3 t imes. Later that week there was a knock at Parker ’s s tudy. I t was Spurgeon. “You know Parker; you have pract iced grace on me. You have given me not what I deserved; you have given me what I needed.” Appreciat ion of what has taken place in our l ives should cause us to give glory to God by the way we conduct our l ives . Are you knocking on the door heaven to give God the praise?

Prayer point: Lord, give me a ful l understanding of the grace by which I am saved and give me a heart of grat i tude to response with praise .

Memory Verse: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Chris t , for i t i s the power of God to salvat ion for everyone who bel ieves , for the Jew f irs t and also for the Greek. (Romans 1:16)

Applicat ion: Thank God for His grace and mercy in your l i fe .


Apri l 9th, 2011

BEWARE OF PERVERSIONS OF THE GOSPEL


Like in the days of the Apost le Paul , there are lots of pervers ions of the gospel today. People set cer ta in orders that are contrary to Bibl ical teachings, based on some form of angel ic vis i ta t ions. People who twist the t ruth are e i ther s incerely ignorant of the t ruth or they are motivated to ignore the t ruth in pursui t of their personal gains . Twisted t ruth of ten poses a greater chal lenge to undo than outr ight l ies . Note that those who are t roubl ing the Galat ians were not outs iders . They were Judean Chris t ians inside the f lock. They had been exposed to the t rue gospel . Paul’s emphasis here is that the measure of the t ruth is not to be by the personal i ty of the ‘messenger ’ but by the content of the ‘message’ .

We need to be careful to receive the gospel , as la id down in God’s Word, and reject any other contrary view. The pure gospel of Chris t may not be popular, but who are we t rying to please? I f i t i s men, then we are not t rue servants of Chris t (Verse 10) . I f i t i s the majori ty, we are on the wrong path (Matthew 7:13-14) . Is the gospel you heard, received, and obeyed, the same gospel proclaimed by the Apost les of Jesus Chris t?

Prayer point: Father, uphold me by Your power to discern and equip me with wisdom that I may not fal l a prey to false gospel .


Applicat ion: How can you te l l when people are twis t ing the truth? First , f ind out what they are teaching about Jesus Chris t . Then al ign i t wi th the Word of God, i f i t doesn’t match, truth has been twis ted.


Apri l 10th, 2011

THE GOSPEL IS LIFE CHANGING


Here, Paul presents himself as evidence of the l i fe-changing power of the gospel . Nothing outs ide of God’s message could have changed this zealous persecutor of Chris t ians to become a voice for the very cause he was against . The change in him caused many to give God glory.

The s t rongest argument for the Gospel of Chris t is the personal tes t imony of someone whose l i fe has been changed by i t . Charles Bradlaugh, an avowed inf idel , was said to have chal lenged the Rev. H.P. Hughes to a debate . The preacher, who was head of a rescue mission in London, England, accepted the chal lenge with the condi t ion that he could br ing with him 100 men and women who would te l l what had happened in their l ives s ince t rust ing Chris t as their Savior. They would be people who once l ived in deep s in , some having come from poverty-s t r icken homes caused by the vices of their parents . Hughes said they would not only te l l of their conversion, but would submit to cross-examinat ion by any who doubted their s tor ies . Furthermore, the minis ter invi ted his opponent to br ing a group of non-bel ievers who could te l l how they were helped by their lack of fa i th . When the appointed day arr ived, the preacher came, accompanied by 100 t ransformed persons. Bradlaugh never showed up. The resul t? The meet ing turned into a tes t imony t ime. Many s inners who had gathered to hear the scheduled debate were converted. What is your tes t imony? Is your encounter with the gospel evidenced by a changed l i fe?

Prayer point: Lord, I want to be a showcase of Your l i fe-changing power. Take control of my l i fe that others may see Chris t in me.


Applicat ion: What change has occurred in your l i fe s ince you received the gospel? Share i t wi th at least one person today.


Apri l 11th, 2011

THE GOSPEL BRINGS FREEDOM


Defining freedom is a major problem for our society today. Thomas Huxley, a nineteenth century agnost ic , in his address on Universi ty Educat ion said, “A man’s worst diff icul t ies begin when he is able to do as he l ikes .” Yet , Pr inceton Universi ty web def ined freedom as “ the power to act or speak or think without external ly imposed restraints .” Some people make up their own defini t ion and i t usual ly centers on whatever seems r ight and convenient . This f i ts the descr ipt ion of a lawless and chaot ic society.

Pastor John MacArthur, c i t ing John 8 verse 30, def ined Chris t ian freedom as knowing the t ruth. We are f ree f rom the decept ion of the World when we know the t ruth of God’s Word. Freedom for the Chris t ian is f reedom from enslavement . This f reedom is born not out of fear but out of fa i th . Paul , in this passage, seeks confirmation of the t ruth from Church leaders and refused to give in to fa lse Chris t ians who wanted to exchange the t ruth of the Gospel for the problem of manmade laws.

Prayer point: Lord Jesus, help me to see that my freedom is not the r ight to do as I please, but the opportunity to please my God.


Applicat ion: Seek the truth in every s i tuat ion and you wil l be free.


Apri l 12th, 2011

LIVE THE GOSPEL WITHOUT HYPOCRISY

Text: Galat ians 2:11–21

If you think you are s tanding f i rm, be careful that you don’t fa l l (1 Corinthians 10:12) . This is a key lesson in this passage. I f Peter and Barnabas, two prominent leaders in the ear ly Church, could succumb to the s in of hypocrisy, how much more do we need to be careful to not l ive a double l i fe? Their pract ice had deviated from their preaching. Who we appear to be when brethren are present should not be different f rom who we are when they are not . More important than the presence of our pastor or Chris t ian fr iends is the ever-present Holy Spir i t , who we are not to gr ieve by our act ions.

In the 17th century When King Louis XIV of France and his a t tendants arr ived at the chapel for the regular service one Sunday, no one else was there but Francois Fenelon the court preacher. King Louis demanded, “What does this mean?” Fenelon repl ied, “I had publ ished that you would not come to church today, in order that your Majesty might see who serves God in t ruth and who f la t ters the king.” Are we serving God in t ruth or f la t ter ing our companions?

Prayer point: Lord, at every place and in every circumstance, make my l i fe a window for Your l ight to shine through and a mirror to ref lect Your love to al l I meet .


Applicat ion: Does your environment suggest to people that you know Chris t?


Apri l 13th, 2011

THE GOSPEL IS RECEIVED BY FAITH


When we miss our way or we lose something important , we of ten at tempt to t race our path to back to where we s tar ted. We ask quest ions such as: Where did I s tar t? How did I get to this point? Whose help can I seek? The act of self-quest ioning or self-examinat ion helps one to avoid fool ishness . Paul , in this passage, a t tempts to offer the congregat ion in Galat ia c lar i ty concerning an error, as they del iberate on the quest ions he asks. They had s tar ted on the Chris t ian journey by fai th in the message of the cross , but they fai led to progress . They were revert ing back to just i f icat ion by deeds, which is contrary to fa i th .

Today, Chris t ians are not immune to this type of fool ishness . We tend to exchange the s implici ty of the Gospel for new teachings resul t ing from special revelat ions. We need to real ize that our walk with Chris t f rom beginning to the end is a l l about fa i th in His f inished work. Our work is only a response to His love for us .

Prayer point: Lord, I bel ieve. Help my unbel ief . I have placed my trust in You for salvat ion. Don’t al low me to shif t my focus to any other.


Applicat ion: Self-Survey: How did I get saved? Who is inf luencing my Chris t ian walk?


Apri l 14th, 2011

GOSPEL MADE US CHILDREN OF GOD

Text: Galat ians 3:23- 29

Angel ina Jol ie adopted a l i t t le Ethiopian chi ld . She s tepped out of her world and into the world of this l i t t le gir l whose exis tence was diff icul t a t best . Jol ie chose to favor to her. Her l i fe , once deprived, now had abundance. Her l i fe , once without any real future , exploded with possibi l i ty. What a difference i t can be when someone who has everything shows favor to someone who may not have very much. This is the closest way to explain our re la t ionship with God. We are no longer s laves , but sons of God. Divine sonship is not a pr ivi lege given to a l l mankind. Only those who bel ieve in Jesus Chris t are adopted as sons of God. I t i s good to know that with God there is no gender, racial or social c lass discr iminat ion. He offers salvat ion to whosoever wil l come through His Son Jesus Chris t .

God has adopted us . Now, we have every legal r ight to the kingdom of Heaven. Unfortunately, most Chris t ians do not have a c lue how much they real ly have through Chris t Jesus. This accounts for them not using the pr ivi lege for their good or for God’s good purpose.

Prayer point: Father, I was a spir i tual orphan when You looked into eterni ty and picked me to become Your chi ld and enjoy al l the privi leges that go with being in Your family. Accept my grat i tude and help me to l ive everyday worthy of my new family.

Memory Verse: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Chris t , for i t i s the power of God to salvat ion for everyone who bel ieves , for the Jew f irs t and also for the Greek. (Romans 1: 16)

Applicat ion: Repeat these words as a reminder of your new status: “I am a chi ld of God, He cal ls me son.”


Apri l 15th, 2011

THE POWER OF KNOWLEDGE

Text: John 4:7-24

Twice in the scr ipture , Jesus emphasized the power of knowledge during discussions with other people .

One of discussions can be found in John 3. In this passage, Jesus speaks with Nicodemus, a prominent bible scholar and a member of the rul ing counci l . Nicodemus def ini te ly read about God, knew theology, and recognized that Jesus was a teacher f rom above, but he lacked the knowledge of God. He also lacked the abi l i ty to speak and tes t i fy of what he knew and therefore he lacked the power of knowledge.

The other discussion, found in John 4, was with the woman at Jacob’s wel l . The woman recognized the prophet ic power in Jesus but she did not know who Jesus was. She was so concerned about the locat ion of worship that she lost s ight of who she worshipped — therefore losing the power of the Knowledge of God. Jesus told the woman that those who worship Him would worship Him in Spir i t and in t ruth.

You can only way you can r ight ly represent your country as an ambassador of your country, is i f you know and can tes t i fy of your country.

Proverbs 9:10 says that the knowledge of the holy is understanding. In Job 19:25, Job says, “I know my Redeemer l ives .” That is the power of knowledge.

Prayer point: Lord Jesus, I open my heart to you. Reveal yourself to me so that I can fal l in love with you anew.

Memory verse: Let not your heart be troubled; you bel ieve in God, bel ieve also in Me. (John 14:1)

Applicat ion: Consciously s tart applying fai th to what you have known and heard about Jesus. Then, seek to personally know Him more.


Apri l 16th, 2011

BE CONVINCED

Text: Acts 1:3

Let us take out some t ime today to look through the scr iptures a t some proofs that our savior, Jesus Chris t is no more in the grave. Let’s do this so that you may be convinced that you are on the r ight path. You serve a l iving God who was here on ear th , died for mankind and was resurrected on the third day in fulf i l lment of God’s divine plan. This is the foundat ion of our Chris t ian fai th .

• The chief pr ies ts and Pharisees arranged for guards to be posted at the tomb because Jesus had said he would r ise again. Matthew 27:62-66.

• The guards were given a large sum of money to l ie about what happened. Matthew 28:11-15.

• The tomb was empty. Luke 24:3.

• The tes t imony of the angels to the women at the sepulcher. Luke 24:4-8.

• His appearance to His disciples’ . Luke 24:13-15.

• The tes t imony of the apost les on the day of Pentecost . Acts 2:32.

These are just some of the proofs found in Scr ipture . But , as a witness , I join with mil l ions from different races , cul tures , colors and languages who have experienced His resurrect ion power in our hear ts and l ives . By His grace, we are able to say that Jesus is a l ive.

Be assured that s ince He fulf i l led al l He said concerning His own l i fe , death and resurrect ion, He wil l surely fulf i l l a l l He has spoken concerning you too.

Prayer point: Thank you Lord for you are fai thful , true, trustworthy and rel iable . Help me to love and fol low you al l my days, in Jesus name.


Applicat ion: Jesus Chris t is al ive . Because He l ives , al l fear is gone and we can face the chal lenges of l i fe . With Him, we are more than conquerors .


Apri l 17th, 2011

GOD OF THE UNIVERSE

Text: Job 38:1-11

It is interest ing to read the conversat ion between God and Job. I t i s amazing that when we go through t r ia ls , we tend to forget that God created us for a purpose. Sometimes, because of the intensi ty of the t r ia l , there seems to be no end to the sorrow. But the t ruth is that we are just passing through and “the la ter wil l be greater than the former.”

The universe is def ined as “ the whole world, esp. with reference to humanity: a t ruth known throughout the universe; or a world or sphere in which something exis ts or prevai ls : his pr ivate universe .” Since God created and owns the universe , He alone has control over i t .

The manufacturer of a car knows the car bet ter than a dealer or a mechanic . As far as the universe is concerned, every creature is l ike a dealer or a mechanic and cannot c la im knowledge of how to manage or maintain the universe unless they get the manual f rom the manufacturer. God Almighty is the manufacturer. You can access Him through the Savior Jesus Chris t . He is surely al ive and can help you navigate the New Year.

Prayer point: Father, in Jesus Name, I thank you because I know you own the universe. I give al l I have to you this year, even my “carried over” problems. See me through, in Jesus Name.


Applicat ion: Recognize God’s supremacy and sovereignty even in your t imes of tr ial .


Apri l 18th, 2011

NEITHER SLUMBER NOR SLEEP

Text: Psalms 121:1- 8

I enjoy going on road t r ips with my family. I t ’s a lways a wonderful bonding t ime with the chi ldren. I a lways make sure we plan a vacat ion each year. We usual ly rent a vehicle that wil l hold al l of us and we take turns dr iving. Last fa l l , we drove 12 or 13 hours to New Jersey. We planned to t ravel a t night so we could rest the next day. We lef t Chicago at about 7 p .m. My eldest chi ld was at the wheel . He drove about two hours; then he asked i f someone else could dr ive. He was t i red. His younger brother took over and did about four hours of dr iving. I was in the seat behind the dr iver monitor ing their dr iving with great anxiety. Then, my husband took the wheel and I immediately fel l as leep. When I woke up, my chi ldren made remarks about my uneasiness when they were dr iving and how I s lept while their dad was dr iving. I told them i t ’s because I t rust him. We’ve completed so many journeys together in the past thir ty years .

I thought how wonderful i t i s to know our Everlast ing God is a t the wheel . We can relax. He has an impeccable dr iving record. He never fa i ls . As the heavenly father takes the wheel in our hear ts , we know he has complete control over any s i tuat ion. Rather than le t t ing ourselves be anxious and lose s leep, we can relax. He who knows the end from the beginning is a t the wheel .

Prayer point: Father, in Jesus name, thank you for watching over me. I appreciate your love and protect ion over my l i fe .


Applicat ion: Trust in God ful ly. Relax in him who wil l never fai l you.


Apri l 19th, 2011

NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST YOU SHALL PROSPER

Text: Numbers 22:1-20

God wil l go al l the way to defend you. He can cause anybody to leave you alone. But most of the t ime, we are so worr ied that we are unable to recognize His presence with us and His love for us .

In the book of Mark, the Bible te l ls us about Jesus being tempted by Satan in the wilderness . In the midst of these t r ia ls , angels came and minis tered to Him.

The incident in our text shows us that we of ten are unaware of our enemies . The chi ldren of Israel never knew how much Balak wanted them cursed. Nei ther did they know that Balaam would be the one Balak t r ied to use.

When we have no clue of the danger we are , He sends His angels to carry us so that we do not dash our foot against a s tone. Jehovah, who is our Shepherd, sends goodness and mercy to fol low us anywhere we go.

God gave Balaam a s leepless night . A s imilar incident happened to Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 12, when the king of Egypt thought that he could take Sarah from Abraham. The Lord took i t personal ly and plagued Pharaoh’s house. Another incident happened in chapter 20. This t ime i t was king Abimelech of Gerar who wanted to have a one-night s tand with Sarah. The Lord God appeared to him in the night and warned him that i f he touched Sarah, he would be a dead man before the morning. So whether you are s leeping, dr iving, eat ing of whatever you may be doing, God is watching over you.

Prayer point: Lord, help me to remember that you are with me always.


Applicat ion: Repeat the memory verse unti l you know i t wel l .


Apri l 20th, 2011

THE TRUE GUIDE

Text: John 14:1-6

I worked second shif t one Sunday. I got off work at exact ly 11:30 p.m. and I was so happy. I hoped to be home within the next hour. I had dr iven about 30 minutes when I found myself on a different route that led me to the Indiana tol l road. Instead of seeking help or turning around, I chose to go on. I thought I would be able to f ind my way home since I l ived close to the Indiana border. What fool ishness! I prayed and cr ied so much that night . I f inal ly got home at about 3 a .m.

I am so thankful the Internet has made i t possible for people l ike me to explore and arr ive at new dest inat ions on t ime. I thought the f inal solut ion had come. Then, I heard on the news that someone was suing the makers of a GPS device for being led to a wrong locat ion. When I shared the news at work, I heard several other s tor ies about s imilar experiences . Though these devices have been very useful , they are s t i l l fa l l ible l ike every other thing made by man.

The only source that has never given incorrect direct ions is the word of God. Fol lowing the guidance of God leads to a sure dest inat ion. I t i s through the word that we get i l luminat ion and understanding. The indwell ing presence of the Holy Spir i t leads and guides us . Access to the way leads to knowing the t ruth. Embracing and abiding in the t ruth leads to l i fe and l i fe e ternal .

Prayer point: Father, in Jesus name, I thank you for the assurance that fol lowing you wil l lead me to a sure dest inat ion.


Applicat ion: There may be many guides , but the only one that guarantees a sure dest inat ion is Jesus


Apri l 21st , 2011

RESULT FROM FASTING

Text: Mark 9:14-29

Fast ing is not one of the topics preachers of ten preach about . Encouragers do not encourage people to do i t and bel ievers don’t real ly ta lk about i t . I t i s an intr icate aspect of victor ious Chris t ian l iving.

Fast ing is s imply another word for abst inence. I t means to deny oneself the pleasure of food, for the purpose of seeking God.

Jesus ta lks about fas t ing in the passage we just read. He wanted the disciples to see that there are cer ta in t imes you need to fas t in order to be victor ious.

You may be asking about the reasons for fas t ing and about s i tuat ions in which fast ing would be appropriate . Throughout the bible , men and women of God fasted for var ious reasons. Some of the reasons include: fas t ing for the nat ion, for del iverance, for choosing leaders , for s in and so on. But in this passage we are s tudying, Jesus encouraged the disciples to fas t when they were confront ing s i tuat ions inf luenced by demons. When Jesus was going to s tar t His minis t ry, the Bible says that He fasted for for ty days and for ty nights .

The key to unlock a door that others have fai led to unlock may be in your next fas t . Whether individual ly or corporately, Chris t ians are encouraged to take t ime to fas t and pray.

Prayer point: Lord, give me the s trength to fast and help me know who and what to fast for.


Applicat ion: After being prompted to fast , s tart fast ing as soon as possible . Abst inence from food and water for at least s ix to 12 hours is encouraged.


Apri l 22nd, 2011

LOOK UP

Text: Hebrews 11: 1- 2

Our Chris t ian journey s tar ts a t the point we give our l ives to Jesus. Life is l ike a race. All successful a thletes understand that endurance is vi ta l to achieving their goals . To achieve a worthwhile goal , you have to keep going forward.

The need for endurance, which the text descr ibes as running a race with pat ience, needs to be prayerful ly considered by al l Chris t ians . There is a need to pray and a need to separate ourselves f rom sin that hinders us f rom moving forward as we should.

What great joy is set before us in knowing that He who has gone down the path and made I t to the end is wil l ing to lead us safely to the f inish l ine.

This implies that as we journey on, we’re re lying on our savior to help us through temptat ions as we hold onto Him, even when our exci tement fades and when we feel lonely and out of tune. Pi lgr ims, look up unto Him. Jesus is the author and f inisher of our fa i th .

Prayer point: Father, in Jesus name, help me and s trengthen me as I make you my focus in this Chris t ian journey. I desire to run the race wel l and f inish s trong.

Memory verse: Trust in the Lord with al l your heart and lean not to your own understanding in al l your ways acknowledge him and he shal l direct your path. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Applicat ion: Determinat ion is a key to success . Make up your mind. I t wi l l be worth i t a t the end of the journey.


Apri l 23rd, 2011

AGAPE

Text: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

A lady preparing to celebrate her 40th bir thday sent out invi ta t ions to those she thought were her f r iends and those she thought ‘ loved’ her. To my amazement , a person who told me many negat ive s tor ies about the celebrant was one of the event planners . She was also very act ive at the ceremony. This incident kept me thinking for some t ime, but thank God that He made His word open to a l l so we may understand what i t means to have and relate to others with love l ike His .

I was in a bible s tudy group sometime ago and we were asked to def ine love. Diverse def ini t ions were given but as we looked at the text , the faci l i ta tor of the group asked us to read the text and replace the word “love” with the name of Jesus. I t gave the text a deep meaning and opened my understanding.

There are three main kinds of love. There is f i l ia l love that people manifest in the family as in the way a parent re la tes to his chi ld .

There is eros love that per ta ins to sexual love.

Then, there is the agape kind of love — the God kind of love that Romans 5:5 says f i l ls the hear ts of bel ievers because God has given them the Holy Spir i t .

The kind of love that our text reveals is greater than being chari table , generous or knowledgeable . All of these are commendable qual i t ies , but prof i t nothing without having a re la t ionship with Jesus who is love personif ied.

God is love — constant and eternal . He must have His abiding presence in us to manifest divine love

Prayer point: Father, in Jesus name, come into my heart and help me to love l ike you do.


Applicat ion: Try to read today’s text replacing the word love with the name of Jesus — It wi l l be worthwhile to look inward on how we have been relat ing to others . If that is how Jesus would have been, then good enough. If not , then i t i s best to make a change.


Apri l 24th, 2011

HAVING THE RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

Text: Acts 2:38

In the beginning of Jesus’ minis t ry in Gal i lee , He warned the people about the need for repentance. All through His minis t ry, He cal led people to repentance. Why would Jesus Chris t , the author of salvat ion, warn people to repent? Why could they not cont inue l iving the way they were before — especial ly those who t ry to be good?

Coming back to a re la t ionship with God through Jesus Chris t is necessary because man lost his re la t ionship with God when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Also, redemption lost can found be through Jesus Chris t .

Repentance s imply means confessing your s in and asking for forgiveness with ful l and s incere determinat ion to s in no more. I t requires man to acknowledge his s in , be s incerely sorry to have been l iving in such a s inful s ta te , then to make a complete turn from that s in to fol low the Lord. For, “All have s inned and fal l short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) .

Many love Jesus and desire to be in re la t ionship with him, but hate to hear about repentance. But to prove your love for Him who died to reconci le man back to God, you need to repent of a l l wrong doings. In other words, repent of your s in . Ask Jesus to come into your l i fe and abide with you. Unless and unt i l you take this s tep, you have not entered into a re la t ionship with Jesus Chris t , nei ther have you been reconci led back to God.

Prayer point: Father, in Jesus Name, forgive me of al l wrong doings in my l i fe . I have chosen to repent . Empower me to love you with al l my heart .


Appl icat ion: Repent r ight now if you have not done that before. If you are in relat ionship with Jesus, review where you have erred and repent .


Apri l 25th, 2011

THE GREAT GPS

Text: Ruth 1:1-6

Not a l l open doors are f rom God. In our text , the head of a family chose to move from where he was planted because of temporary uneasiness due famine in the land. He f led the land dest ined to f low in milk and honey. We are not told that he sought direct ion from God in any way. He lef t with his wife and two sons, but he died short ly af ter.

The two sons marr ied women in Moab. There must have been some rejoicing because the family increased, but that a lso was short l ived. Within 10 years , the two sons also died. Nei ther of them had any chi ldren. The f l ight f rom the land of plenty to a heathen nat ion ended in disaster. When the mother was lef t with just her daughters in- law, she decided i t was t ime to re turn home. After a l l , they lef t because of famine and the famine was over.

The terr i tory where God places us is the place where our safety, help and fulf i l lment is guaranteed. We need be careful when s i tuat ions seem diff icul t . We must cont inue to l ive in hope, because, “Tough t imes never las t ,” says Dr. Robert Schuler.

Prayer point: Help me, Lord, to always seek wisdom and direct ion from you before making decis ions.


Applicat ion: I t wi l l do us good to pray for our husbands, leaders and al l who make decis ions that may affect our l ives . We should pray for God to direct and lead them. He wil l guide and direct i f we wil l al low him to.


Apri l 26st , 2011

THE BRIDLED TONGUE

Text: 1 Peter 3:10-12

Today’s text reminds us to maintain peace around us by reducing s ins of speech and endeavoring to choose good over evi l . Reducing s ins of speech wil l help maintain peace.

In any relat ionship, i f we avoid evi l speaking such as curses , backbi t ing, l ies and harsh words, i t wi l l go a long way in maintaining the relat ionship. We need to learn to construct our speech so that i t wi l l be more of a blessing to others . Speeches intended to harm others should not come from our l ips . By doing so, we wil l avoid at t ract ing enemies to ourselves and we can l ive to see many happy days. More important ly, verse 12, of our text says the eyes of the Lord are watching over those who do r ight and their prayers are heard.

Prayer point: Father, in Jesus name, help me to be mindful of what I say. Help me turn from what you hate so that I might enjoy a peaceful l i fe .


Applicat ion: What comes out of our mouth effects us and our relat ionships with both man and God.


Apri l 27th, 2011

GIVING PURPOSEFULLY

Text: Ruth 2:15-16

I once watched a show cal led Secret Mil l ionaires . I was touched by one s tory of twin elder ly s is ters who dedicate their l ives to feeding the needy and homeless in their community with help from volunteers a t the ‘Love Kitchen.’

To reach out to others with kindness and generosi ty, one must be determined and ready to le t go of some possessions. I t was by God’s intent ional plan that He gave His only begot ten son, Jesus Chris t , as a ransom for the s ins of man.

The book of Isaiah, chapter 32 verse 8 , says, “The generous man devises generous things and by generosi ty he shal l s tand.” The man in today’s text instructed his subjects to be considerate of a young, s t range woman as she joined in the harvest . He also told them that they should intent ional ly drop some grain for her. He then added that none should insul t her.

Do we see i t as a pr ivi lege when God uses us as His hand to meet needs in people’s l ives? We see in this text that we should wil l ingly le t some things go. We may not be farmers , but whatever the product of our increase, i t i s good enough to share with others .

I t i s not surpr is ing that this chapter opened with the introduct ion of Boaz as a mighty man of weal th . In book of 2 Corinthians, chapter 9 verse 7a says, “So le t each one of you give as he purposes in his hear t .” Verse 8 says, “And God is able to make al l grace abound towards you that you, a lways having al l suff ic iency in a l l things, may have an abundance for every good work.”

Prayer point: Thank you Lord for le t t ing go of your beloved son that I might be saved from my s ins.


Applicat ion: Al l creatures of God give, even the sun and the moon. You are God’s representat ive on earth. Learn to give. He gave f irs t .


Apri l 28th, 2011

BE ENCOURAGED, BRETHREN

Text: Colossians 2:1-5

I once read a short s tory about how the devi l advert ised satanic tools for publ ic inspect ion. Laid among the tools was a harmless looking i tem with a high pr ice . In the s tory, when one of the shoppers asked the name of the tool , the devi l answered, “Oh, that’s discouragement .” When asked why i t was more expensive than other tools , Satan said, “Because i t i s more useful to me than the others . Many do not know that i t belongs to me. I t i s effect ive with many that I can not reach with my other tools .”

Not many people real ize that discouragement is of the devi l . Discouragement exaggerates the diff icul t ies of l i fe and makes them seem bigger than they real ly are . That is why the Apost le Paul reminds the church to be encouraged and to be bonded in love with others of l ike fai th . This is so they wil l remain s teadfast in fa i th when the going gets tough.

Around the world, f inances are fa i l ing and many are beaten down because the devi l is a t tacking marr iages and other family relat ionships .

Be reminded to f ix your eyes on Jesus. Keep t rust ing in Him who wil l never le t you down. This is a t ime to remain f i rm and be sure of whom you bel ieve. He wil l see you through.

Prayer point: My eyes are on you O Lord. Help me and s trengthen me so that I may not be moved. Intervene in my s i tuat ion that I may have a good tes t imony.


Applicat ion: Do not give up. Keep f ixing your eyes on Jesus. He wil l see you through.


Apri l 29th, 2011

WHAT KIND OF SOLDIER ARE YOU?

Text: Ephesians 6:10

I happen to be in a c lass with this gent leman from the mil i tary. Anyt ime he is ta lking about his experience as a soldier, his face l ights up and one can see his joy. This means he loves what he is doing. One cannot put his on the l ine for his country unless he loves country.

Bel ievers become part of the Lord’s army when they put their t rust in the Lord Jesus Chris t and submit to the leading of the Holy Spir i t . As the soldier loves his country, to the point that he puts his country ahead of himself , so we must put God f i rs t in a l l that we do.

As a good soldier obeys the order of his commander, instant ly and without quest ion, so we are to submit ourselves to the authori ty of our commander who is the Lord Jesus Chris t . I t i s in his s t rength that we f ight according to His orders .

Prayer point: Lord, help me to put you f irs t in everything I do.

Memory verse: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but are mighty in God for the pul l ing down of s trongholds, Cast ing down arguments and every high thing that exal ts i tself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into capt iv i ty to the obedience of Chris t…” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

Appl icat ion: Begin today to put God f irs t in al l you do.


Apri l 30th, 2011

PUTTING ON GOD’S FULL ARMOR


The soldier has many par ts to his gear. He makes sure to wear this gear in the proper order. Only when he is properly dressed can he use his sword to f ight the enemy. He cannot go into the bat t le half-dressed. That would be careless and could put him in danger. We as bel ievers have many pieces of God’s armor that we must put on dai ly as we f ight the enemy. Since we f i rs t t rusted Chris t , we have become ident i f ied with Him and receive His r ighteousness . Because our posi t ion is in Chris t , in the eyes of God we are c lothed with His r ighteousness . Though, posi t ional ly, we are r ighteous, we s t i l l s in and need to grow as Chris t ians . I t i s in this dai ly walk that we gradual ly learn the pr inciples of God’s word, apply them consis tent ly, and move toward spir i tual matur i ty. This is our progressive sanct i f icat ion. So, put t ing on God’s armor as a whole is posi t ional sanct i f icat ion, whereas , progressive sanct i f icat ion emphasizes put t ing on each piece of the armor in proper order.

We need to put on our Lord Jesus Chris t dai ly for only He knows how to use the armor effect ively. Only with His help and guidance can we gain victory.

Prayer point: Lord, help me to always put on the Lord Jesus Chris t so that I can be ful ly protected.

Memory verse: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but are mighty in God for the pul l ing down of s trongholds, Cast ing down arguments and every high thing that exal ts i tself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into capt iv i ty to the obedience of Chris t…” (2Corinthians 10:4-5)

Applicat ion: Trust in the Lord Jesus Chris t and begin to use each piece of the armor consis tent ly so that you wil l mature in your Chris t ian journey.


May 1st , 2011

THE BELT OF TRUTH

Text: Ephesians 6: 12

A while ago, my son came home from school . Every couple of s teps , he would s top and pul l up his pants . I asked him why his pants were fal l ing off of his wais t? He said he was not wearing a bel t because he could not f ind one. The f i rs t piece of armor a Roman soldier puts on is his bel t . The bel t helps him to t ie up his long, f lowing gown so that i t would not hinder his movement . The bel t a lso other par ts of the armor could funct ion wel l .

Hence, with the bel t comes the idea of removing hindrances. Hebrew12:1 te l ls us to lay aside every encumbrance and s in which so easi ly entangles us . Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:4 that a good soldier would not get tangled up with the affairs of this l i fe because i t would hinder his success as a good f ighter.

Truth refers to the word of God. I t i s the word of God that prepares us and teaches us about s in so that we may remove the s in that hinders us in our spir i tual warfare . Just as the bel t helps to t ie the breastplate and hold the sword, the t ruth of God’s word is the anchor for our soul . Jesus s t ressed the importance of the scr iptures in sanct i f icat ion when He said, “You shal l know the t ruth, and the t ruth shal l make you free”. Only when we take personal responsibi l i ty in commit t ing ourselves to God’s word are we freed from hindrances in spir i tual warfare .

Prayer point: Lord, help me to be personally commit ted to your word alone.

Memory Verse: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but are mighty in God for the pul l ing down of s trongholds, Cast ing down arguments and every high thing that exal ts i tself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into capt iv i ty to the obedience of Chris t…” (2Corinthians 10:4-5)

Applicat ion: You have the responsibi l i ty of put t ing on the word of God to get resul t . You must s tudy and memorize the word for yourself . David said in Psalm 119, “Your word I have hidden in my heart that I may not s in against you.”


May 2nd, 2011

BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS


As an ER nurse, I had the opportuni ty to observe the pol ice off icers who worked the night shif t with us . I not iced that before they s tepped out of the bui lding, they put on their bul le tproof vest . This protects the vi ta l organs in the front of the person l ike the hear t and the bowels .

The Roman soldier a lso needed a metal breastplate to protect his vi ta l organs while he went into the bat t le . This verse says that our thoughts and emotions are protected from Satan’s a t tack by the r ighteousness of Jesus. Satan at tempts to inf luence us through false doctr ine and by te l l ing us to re ly on our feel ings rather than on God’s word.

Satan of ten at tacks us by rais ing doubts about our salvat ion and relat ionship with God. He also at tacks by accusing us because of our s in . We should always remember that our s tanding before God has nothing to do with our own goodness , but i t i s based completely on the r ighteousness of Jesus. Hence Scripture reminds us that we are the r ighteousness of God through Chris t .

Prayer point: Lord, c lothe me with the r ighteousness of Jesus.


Applicat ion: When Satan accuses you of s in, te l l him that Jesus paid that price on the cross two thousand years ago. Continue to confess your s ins and walk in His r ighteousness .


May 3rd, 2011

SHOES OF PEACE


Some of the shoes we wear today are based more on fashion than funct ion. Those of us who s tand for long hours wear shoes that have good support . During snow, we wear shoes that wil l protect our feet and keep us f rom sl ipping.

The Roman soldier usual ly wore ceremonial sandals but when f ight ing, he would wear s t ronger shoes made of i ron or brass . These were made to protect his feet and give him a f i rm grip on the ground. In today’s text , Paul te l ls each Chris t ian to have the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. I t i s f rom this posi t ion that we are able to res is t the devi l .

Scr ipture te l ls us that having been just i f ied by fai th , we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Chris t (Rom. 5:1) . Peace in our hear t gives us the assurance and the securi ty we need in the warfare . When we are in this posi t ion, Satan can do al l he wants to do but i t wi l l not faze us because our feet are f i rmly grounded on our immovable re la t ionship with God.

Prayer point: Lord, give me your peace that surpasses al l understanding. Let your peace rule and reign in my heart .


Applicat ion: Pursue peace at al l cost . Be at peace with God and with man.


May 4th, 2011

SHIELD OF FAITH

Text: Ephesians: 6:16

The Roman soldier carr ied one of two types of shields , but i t ’s the larger one Paul is ta lking about here . I t g ives the soldier a l l -around protect ion. Pol icemen sometimes use shields to protect themselves as wel l .

The Chris t ian is constant ly under a t tack from his enemy, the devi l . I t i s the shield of fa i th that gives Chris t ians a l l -around protect ion. Fai th is t rust ing in the Lord Jesus Chris t and in nothing else . We cannot t rust in ourselves or in the good things we do. Hebrew 11:6 te l ls us that without fa i th i t i s impossible to please Him. He who comes to God must bel ieve that He is , and that He is a rewarder of those who di l igent ly seek Him.

Only by bel ieving God can we avoid the t raps and snares that Satan sets for us . Fai th means that God’s word is more real to us than our experiences , feel ings, and circumstances. With the shield of fa i th , we are able to protect ourselves by ext inguishing the arrows Satan f i res a t us . God’s word is able to handle every temptat ion and every problem that Satan throws at us .

Prayer point: Lord, increase my fai th in you.


Applicat ion: Trust and obey God. Every tr ick of the devi l can be handled by trust ing God.


May 5th, 2011

HELMET OF SALVATION AND THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT


As a parent , I make sure that my chi ldren wear their helmet to protect their heads as they r ide their bikes and play basebal l . In the past , a helmet was made from a s t rong metal that protected a soldier ’s head from arrows and swords. Sometimes, a visor would protect the eyes. Vis ion is very important to the act ive soldier because he needs to see where he is going. A soldier who cannot see is pract ical ly useless . What protects us as bel ievers is salvat ion in the Lord Jesus Chris t . I f we are careless and le t s in penetrate our armor, we become spir i tual ly bl ind.

The soldiers carry a short sword that they use in c lose combat . They had to be very precise when using this weapon. The word of God, the Bible , is the Chris t ian’s sword. I t i s the weapon against the devi l and against s in . Jesus used this weapon very effect ively. After his 40 days fast ing, the devi l came to tes t him. Jesus used the word of God to defeat him (Matt . 4) . This means that we must know scr ipture wel l enough to use i t and use i t correct ly. Par t ia l knowledge wil l not do us any good.

Prayer point: Lord, give me understanding of your word. Help me to s tudy and know your word for myself .


Applicat ion: Do not forget to put on your helmet , which is the Lord Jesus Chris t . Carry the word of God with you always.


May 6th, 2011

CHILDREN ARE WATCHING

Text: Deuteronomy 6:7- 9

An American missionary to China observed men t ra ining pets , t r imming f lowers , and weeding lawns and gardens. As he watched this , he wondered why we so of ten leave our chi ldren to their own devices . Someone once said, “You sow a thought and reap an act , you sow an act and reap a habi t .” Habi ts are the ways in which our l ives are l ived and expressed.

If we as mothers real ize that our today may affect our tomorrow, that t ra ining today determines the outcome tomorrow, that spending today determines gains tomorrow, that praying today determines the answer tomorrow; then we would be more di l igent in t ra ining our chi ldren in the way of the Lord.

God says the homes should be the chief place of instruct ion for our chi ldren. As mothers , we must be genuinely saved and al low our l ives to be guided by the pr inciples of God’s word. Chris t iani ty is l i fe . I t i s more than rel igion. I t i s not a c loak or uniform that you wear and remove at wil l . You cannot pract ice i t in church and discard i t a t home. You can’t s top being a Chris t ian at the mall or forget about i t a t the par ty. God commands that you be consis tent in your l iving and teaching as you s i t a t the house and on your way. What a bet ter place the world wil l be when God-loving and God-fear ing chi ldren l ive their l ives in obedience to the Word of God.

Prayer point: Father, in Jesus name, help me to be a fai thful mother and a useful tool in shaping the l ives of these precious gif ts .

Memory verse: Trust in the Lord with al l your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In al l your ways acknowledge him and he shal l direct your paths. (Proverbs 3: 5 & 6)

Applicat ion: What we teach our chi ldren now wil l effect how we are treated in lat ter years . We wil l always need them.


May 7th, 2011

CHILDREN ARE INVITED

Text: Mark 9:13-16

Sometime ago, during a Sunday service, a gir l of about three years sat in one of the chairs reserved for pastors and their spouses . She sat confident ly as she looked around. Ini t ia l ly, I thought she might have wandered in f rom the chi ldren’s sect ion. I thought the ushers would help her back, but when nothing was done, I beckoned to the head usher and cal led his a t tent ion to the ‘guest’ on the chair. He quickly went to take the gir l back to the chi ldren’s service, but was told that the gir l was invi ted by the pastor.

When the sermon s tar ted the pastor said the t i t le of his message was, “The place of chi ldren with God and in the body of Chris t .” I fe l t so bad for my act ion, but I wil l a lways remember that message.

In our text , Jesus Chris t invi ted the chi ldren to himself . He loves al l his creat ion and he knows the potent ia l in each chi ld . Because of this , He was displeased that the disciples t r ied to hinder the chi ldren.

The world is a dangerous place to ra ise chi ldren. Chi ldren must be introduced to the Lord very ear ly and then nurtured in the admonit ion of the Lord. Chi ldren are surrounded by innumerable opt ions on the Internet , on te levis ion and even in their neighborhoods. Without discret ion or direct ion, they t ry to respond to every s t imulus and eventual ly become prime candidates for a breakdown.

The creator chose us as the pr imary care-givers and t ra iners for chi ldren when he decided we would carry them in the womb for a whole nine months. I t would be wise to ra ise our chi ldren to love the Lord. We should not hinder them in serving the Lord and we should pray to a lways be good examples to them

Prayer point: Father, in Jesus name, help me not to fai l you as I raise my chi ldren to love you.


Applicat ion: God del ights in fel lowshipping with your chi ldren. Be sure not to get in the way.


May 8th, 2011

A LOVING MOTHER

Text: Ruth 1:7-22

I once watched a movie that showed a mother interfer ing so much in her son’s l i fe that he could not l ive on this own. The woman in this movie was so control l ing, that she l i terar i ly made decis ions for her adul t son. She said that no woman was good enough to marry her son. Eventual ly, a lady got entangled with the son, but this mother made l i fe a lmost unbearable for her. The mother became the lady’s r ival , thus turning a union that should br ing joy and happiness into hel l on ear th .

The effects of such s i tuat ions cause some women to pray and plan to e l iminate their mothers- in- law from the scene.

In our text today, we read of a woman who was so kind and loving to her daughters- in- law that they remained at home even when the woman’s sons were no more. She prayed, blessed and wished the women wel l . She encouraged them to move on with their l ives af ter the loss of their husbands. One chose to go back to her people but , the other insis ted on s taying with her mother- in- law — an uncommon decis ion. This mother- in- law did not vent the emotions of her loss on her daughters- in- law, l ike so many that wrongly accuse their chi ldren’s spouses whenever things go badly in the family. We al l need to take a cue from this woman cal led Naomi.

Prayer point: Father, in Jesus name, help me to love you and others so that my l i fe wi l l be a posi t ive inf luence.


Applicat ion: If I wi l l a l low, God wil l help me relate appropriately to others so that this world wil l be a bet ter place.


May 9th, 2011

NOTES TO MOTHERS

Text: Luke 2:41- 52

A Saturday morning prayer service ended and I went to see the associate pastor. While I was in her off ice , my daughters wai ted in the sanctuary. A young male who had also at tended the morning service wai ted with them. As I was leaving the church with my daughters , I asked them if the boy’s parents were s t i l l a t the church. They didn’t know so I went back to ask the boy. He was surpr ised. He was so engrossed in what he was doing that he did not know his parents had lef t . Unl ike the s tory of Jesus, this boy was not s tudying the Bible . He was doing what he usual ly did in church — playing music .

All a t tempts to cal l his parents fa i led so I decided to take the boy home. We met his dad at an intersect ion a few blocks from the boy’s house. He was on his way back to the church to look for his son. I appealed to the father on my young brother ’s behalf and I made reference to today’s text .

Many chi ldren that embrace the t ruth at an ear ly age want to serve God. Recent ly, a thir teen-year-old said this a t a thanksgiving service: “I am always happy when I wake up to come to church.” What a blessing to hear such from a teenager in this day and age.

I know a few teens that sometimes come together to search the word of God for understanding on var ious issues . Some have cal led me aside to ask quest ions about the word of God. Many of them are s incere seekers of t ruth. Let us support and encourage them.

Also, in church they experience t rue community and love. The environment is f ree f rom the bul lying some of them have to cope with at other places . Mothers , le t us make coming to church a del ight for our chi ldren .

Prayer point: Thank you, Lord, for our chi ldren who know you and express their love for you. We pray that those yet to know you wil l be drawn by your loving kindness , in Jesus name.


Applicat ion: We do ourselves a world of good when we al low our chi ldren to be taught of the Lord. Instead of sorrow, we wil l have peace.


May 10th, 2011

SHE ACTS LIKE MOM

Text: Romans 1:14-15

As we were wai t ing at the ai rport for a f l ight one evening, a lady walked by wearing a sweet-smell ing perfume. All eyes turned to her direct ion. This is how at t ract ive a sweet-smell ing perfume can be. Examine yourself . What type of smell do you give off? This is a very important quest ion — one that must be answered with honesty.

Beyond proclamation, the next most effect ive means of wit¬nessing is aff i rmat ion. This is when our ta lk matches our walk. Our chi ldren should see us as a sweet perfume and not as a smell of death and doom. We are cal led to be a l i fe-giving perfume that , in my understanding, is very at t ract ive — a l iving le t ter to be read by al l men. We need to remember we may be the only Bible they wil l ever read. Can you imagine i f the words are crooked or the pr int blurred? How wil l people be able to read i t? Your chi ldren are watching and reading.

Prayer point: Father, I pray that you reduce me to the point that I give off only a sweet perfume.

Memory verse: Trust in the Lord with al l your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In al l your ways acknowledge him and he shal l direct your paths. (Proverbs 3: 5 & 6)

Applicat ion: Choose to love people .


May 11th, 2011

A COMPASS

Text: Proverbs 22:6

A compass is a device for f inding direct ion. When the pointer fa i ls to funct ion correct ly, i t can lead ships sai lors to a t ragic end. A mother is l ike a compass to a chi ld who is born innocent , naïve and ignorant .

A chi ld is born into the ship of a human family to sai l on the sea of l i fe . Mothers are to mark paths for their chi ldren. I t i s a divine assignment , and how i t wel l i t i s done can determine the dest iny of the chi ld .

For a mother to fa i thful ly fulf i l l th is divine assignment , she must be walking the r ight path in l i fe . Jesus Chris t is the way, the t ruth, and the l i fe . He is the Word of God, the compass of l i fe . A mother, who wil l t ra in a chi ld r ight , must have a re la t ionship with Jesus Chris t and be a fol lower of the Savior. She needs to acquaint herself with the Word of God and the God of the Word so that she may be able to guide her chi ldren r ight ly. This is so the chi ldren may grow in s ta ture , in wisdom and in favor with God and men.

To neglect these assignments is to neglect the greatest ass ignment God has given to a mother.

Prayer point: Thank you lord for giving this chi ld to me. Help me to fulf i l l my divine assignment by training him l ike you want me to .


Applicat ion – He who leads wel l must fol low wel l . Be consis tent in being a fol lower of Jesus Chris t .


May 12th, 2011

WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS

Text: Proverbs 18:24

Without f r iends, the world would be a lonely place. Of a l l the gif ts God gave to man, none is as precious as f r iendship. He created us with the capaci ty to give and receive fr iendship with Him and with one another. I t i s a good thing to have people we feel safe with and we can share our hear t with. I t i s said that blood is thicker than water, but f r iendship t ranscends blood relat ionship. I t i s the union that can be found in Chris t a lone. He is both our f r iend and our brother (John 15: 14) .

Proverb 27:6 te l l us that fa i thful is the wound of a f r iend. A fr iend hurts to heal . Our best f r iend is the one who knows the worst about us and is s t i l l wi l l ing to accept us as we are . Jesus is that kind of f r iend. He told His disciples in John 15:15, “No longer do I cal l you servants…I have cal led you fr iends.” Do you want to have fr iends? Be wil l ing to be one f i rs t .

Prayer point: Lord, teach me to be a true fr iend.


Applicat ion: Sow fr iendship so you can reap fr iendship.


May 13th, 2011

WE ARE THE TRUE WITNESS


A cer ta in re l igious group got one thing r ight . Though they do not have the t rue message of the gospel , they do have witnessing. No matter what the weather is , they are busy going door- to-door to share Chris t with people . Even i f you don’t want to l is ten to them, they wil l pester unt i l you do. They are not int imidated by i t , nei ther are they ashamed of i t . They understand the urgency of witnessing because souls need i t to be saved. They even go with their chi ldren to give them on-the- job t ra ining.

Are you ready to te l l your family about Chris t? Do you see witness¬ing for Chris t as your responsibi l i ty or is i t someone else’s job? Your spouse and chi ldren are the f i rs t people you share the gospel with. Your home is the f i rs t place you should preach the gospel . We are a l l cal led to preach the gospel to every creature . Jesus commanded i t . Paul was compelled to preach the gos¬pel . Jesus said in the book of John that He chose us to go and bear f rui t so that our prayers wil l be answered. According to Proverbs 11:30, he who wins soul is wise.

Prayer point: Father, I pray that you wil l open my understanding to the great commission. Give me a thick skin and a sof t heart to be a witness for you.

Memory verse: “But you wil l receive power when the Holy Spir i t shal l come upon you and you wil l be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in al l Judea, and Samaria and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8)

Applicat ion: Make a conscious effort to te l l a t least one person about Jesus Chris t everyday, just one person.


May 14th, 2011

BENEFITS OF THE GOSPEL

Text: Colossians 2:8-10

A young adul t cal led a pastor for counsel ing. She had been t rying to f ind happiness in anything and everything, but to no avai l . She eventual ly gave her l i fe to Jesus and peace came into her l i fe . She began to have success in her l i fe , because the presence of Chris t helped her to reorganize and re-evaluate .

The gospel is the power that re leases the benefi ts of salvat ion in our l ives . Salvat ion is much more than being born again. I t refers to every benefi t to which you are ent i t led to as a bel iever of our Lord Jesus Chris t . Isaiah 9:6 is a verse f i l led with promises of the coming Savior. He wil l be the r ight Counselor. He is the Mighty God. He is the Everlast ing Father. He is a Father that never dies . Do you need peace? He is the Prince of Peace. In the gospel is the power to over-come every obstacle that may be in your way.

Prayer point: Father, I pray that as I medi tate and apply the gospel to my l i fe that I wi l l begin to experience i ts potency and i ts power in my l i fe .

Memory verse: -“But you wil l receive power when the Holy Spir i t shal l come upon you and you wil l be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in al l Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8)

Applicat ion: Start appropriat ing the power of the gospel in your l i fe .


May 15th, 2011

THE CALL AND THE ANSWER


Have you answered the cal l of the master yet? Within minutes of the miraculous restorat ion of his s ight , the bl ind man in John 9 was bold enough to te l l the scholar ly Jews about his encounter with Jesus. He was not int imidated his l imited knowledge of Jesus, ra ther he pro¬claimed the l i t t le he knew for a l l to hear. He was not afraid of being thrown out of the synagogue or being isolated. He main¬tained his s tand.

The same goes for Paul . After his conver¬sion, as recorded in Acts 9 , he began to preach the gospel . The woman at the wel l ran to cal l the vi l lagers to come and meet Jesus just minutes af ter meet ing HIm. Her bad reputat ion did not s top her. She did not care about what people thought . So what about us? What is holding us back?

Prayer point: Father, give me courage and boldness to proclaim Jesus to people . Amen.

Memory verse: “But you wil l receive power when the Holy Spir i t shal l come upon you and you wil l be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8)

Applicat ion: Begin to te l l o thers the l i t t le you know about our savior. Do not le t fear hold you back.


May 16th, 2011

WE ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH

Text: Matthew 5:1-13

Sal t is used in many other ways. When I went buy meat a t the s tore , I not iced that some meat was soaked in sal t water for preservat ion. At my job, we te l l our c l ients to gargle warm sal t water to re l ieve a sore throat . Dent is ts sometimes ask their c l ients to gargle sal t water, too.

We are the sal t of the ear th , the Bible says. “But i f sal t losses i ts sal t iness how can i t be made sal ty again; i t i s no longer good for anything but to be thrown away.” (Matt . 5 :13) . I f you soak meat in sal ty water, the sal t wil l permeate the meat and give the meat a sal ty tas te . As the impact of the sal t can seen and tas ted in the meat , so our impact as bel iev¬ers should be fel t everywhere we go. As sal t has the abi l¬i ty to preserve and to heal , so our presence as bel ievers should br ing about heal ing and dispel corrupt ion of any kind. As sal t adds f lavor to food, so our presence should add f lavor to the l i fe of others .

Prayer point: Father, grant me the grace to remember that I am the sal t of the earth and to act accordingly.

Memory verse: “But you wil l receive power when the Holy Spir i t shal l come upon you and you wil l be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in al l Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8)

Applicat ion: Always remember to bring out the best in any s i tuat ion.


May 17th, 2011

ARE YOU A SWEET AROMA?


As we were s i t t ing at the ai rport wai t ing for a f l ight one evening, a lady walked by wearing a sweet-smell ing perfume. The minute she by, a l l eyes turned toward her with an approving glance. This is how at t ract ive a sweet-smell ing perfume can be. Examine yourself . What type of smell do you give off? This is a very important quest ion — one that must be answered with honesty.

Beyond proclamation, the next most effect ive means of wit¬nessing is aff i rmat ion. This is when our ta lk matches our walk. People in our sphere of inf luence should be able to perceive us as a sweet perfume and not as a smell of death and doom. We are cal led to be a l i fe-giving perfume. In my understanding, this f ragrance would be magnet ic and at t ract ive. We should aim to be a l iving le t ter that is read by al l men. We need to be mindful of the fact that we may be the only Bible this s inful world wil l ever read. Can you imagine i f the le t ters are crooked or the pr int blurred? How wil l people be able to read i t?

Prayer point: Father, I pray that you help me to give off only a sweet perfume.

Memory verse: “But you wil l receive power when the Holy Spir i t wi l l come upon you and you wil l be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in al l Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8)

Applicat ion: Choose to love people .


May 18th, 2011

YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Text: Matthew 5: 13-16

One s tormy night , I got up to use the washroom and not iced that there was no l ight . I t was pi tch dark in the room. I did not know what to do. Our f lashl ights and lanterns were al l downstairs . As I tossed and turned in bed, my hand hi t my cel l phone. I picked i t up and opened i t . To my amazement , the l i t t le l ight that i t produced was enough for me f ind my f lashl ight . What a re l ief!

“…Like a c i ty on a hi l l top that cannot be hidden. No one l ights a lamp and then puts i t under a basket . Instead, a lamp is placed on a s tand where i t g ives l ight to everyone in the house” (Matt 5:14) . Wherever and whenever l ight appears , darkness vanishes . Since we are the l ight , our presence should give i l luminat ion to people who are in darkness . For the electr ic l ight to give l ight , i t must be connected to the power source. The same is t rue for us . We must s tay connected to the power source to be able to give l ight .

Prayer point: Father, give me the grace to be able to dispel any darkness in my sphere of inf luence. Keep me connected to you, in Jesus name. Amen.

Memory verse: “But you wil l receive power when the Holy Spir i t shal l come upon you and you wil l be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in al l Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8)

Applicat ion: Remember to s tay connected to the power source so that you can i l luminate your environment .


May 19th, 2011

WHAT IS THE MESSAGE YOUR ARE SHARING?

Text: John 3: 1-21

Perhaps you don’t know what to te l l unbel ievers when you meet them. Our message should be that God loved the world so much that He sent His only begot ten son that whoever bel ieves in Him wil l not per ish but have everlast ing l i fe (John 3:16) .

In 1Cor. 15:3 Paul said, “I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Jesus Chris t died for our s ins , just as the scr iptures said. He was buried and He was raised from the dead on the third day just as the scr ipture has foretold.”

After he was converted, as recorded in Acts 9 , Paul immediately began preaching in the synagogues, saying, “Jesus Chris t is the son of God.”

Eyewitness a lso shared about their experiences with Chris t . In 1 John 1:3, John wri tes , “I proclaim to you what we ourselves have actual ly seen and heard so that you may have fel lowship with us and our fe l lowship is with the father and with His son Jesus Chris t .”

Prayer point: Father, give me the desire and the power to share your wonderful message with the world.

Memory verse: “But you shal l receive power when the Holy Spir i t comes upon you. And you shal l be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in al l Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8)

Applicat ion: Don’t just te l l people your s tory, but te l l them about the l i fe , death, and resurrect ion of Jesus Chris t for that is the gospel .


May 20th, 2011

WHERE IS GOD’S LOVE?

Text: Malachi 1:1-5

Malachi , a prophet whose name means ‘The Messenger ’ del ivers the message of God’s love to His people . In their querulous s ta te , they quest ioned God’s love, because their def ini t ion of love was much different than God’s def ini t ion of love. They fel t unloved because of economic, pol i t ical and environmental instabi l i ty that surrounded them. God chal lenged the chi ldren of Israel to observe His deal ings with the chi ldren of Esau to get a bet ter picture of His love for them. Esau had the same r ight to God, but did not experience the same del iverance and restorat ion.

The main idea is that people who think God does not care about them just need to look around. Proof of God’s love is a lways within reach. The Jones’ don’t a lways have i t b igger and bet ter. The fact is this — when the Jones’ have bigger and more daunt ing chal lenges, no one wil l want to be l ike them. We tend to view our neighbors as having things bet ter because of our l imited perspect ive. God wants us to f ind assurance in His e lect ion. He wants us to understand that we are chosen and favored.

Prayer point: Lord, help me to understand the depth of Your love for me and to respond with true devot ion.

Memory Verse: But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness wi l l r ise wi th heal ing in his wings. And you wil l go free, leaping with joy l ike calves le t out to pasture. (Malachi 4:2)

Applicat ion: Recount your blessings for the past s ix months and give God the glory for them al l .


May 21st , 2011

WHERE IS GOD’S HONOR?

Text: Malachi 1:6

A univers i ty professor was presented with two quest ions about the word honor. What is honor and who should we honor? His response s tar ted a blog session. Contr ibutors seemed to focus their argument on the relat ionship between honor and moral i ty in var ious cul tures in their a t tempt to determine who deserves honor. However, most agreed that to show honor, one must give respect to a higher course or person. The problem of our generat ion is that we fai l to recognize the higher course or the ul t imate person worthy of our respect . The creator has been replaced with celebri t ies and eterni ty replaced with enter ta inment .

In this text , the Bible a l ludes to the hypocrisy of the people . They claimed God was their fa ther and master. Yet , He was not awarded the honor that is due the person who occupies e i ther posi t ion. God deserves more honor than a fa ther or a master. When we set our hear t to honor God, we ascr ibe to Him worth and value that supersede any other course or person. His ways becomes our utmost pr ior i ty.

Prayer point: Lord, le t the words of my mouth and the meditat ions of my heart give You the honor that is due Your name.


Applicat ion: Wri te down two ways in which you respond to God as a father or a master.


May 22nd, 2011

HOW IS YOUR WORSHIP?

Text: Malachi 1:7-14

It is surpr is ing to see how people go through a whole church service in a s ta te of spir i tual disconnect . They mumble through the s inging, vis i t the washroom during offer ing t ime, chat or text away the sermon session and look around during prayer t ime. The i rony here is that these same people of ten get intensely engaged in watching of sports or movies . There are people known for punctual i ty and eff ic iency at work, but never get to church service on t ime or have the least par t ic ipat ion in the house of God. Why is i t so? The answer is not farfetched. Reasons may include any of the fol lowing: Worship of God is not important , half worship is bet ter than none, or maybe they think that God can not see so He is unable to reward those that serve Him.

I t is easy to fa l l into r i tual is t ic rout ines and half-hear ted worship l ike the Israel i tes . They presented God with sacr i f ices that they dare not give their rulers . Instead of giving their best they gave their lef tover. God deserves our greatest reference and warmest worship. To ensure that we are giving Him our best , we need to worship with preparat ion, determinat ion, ful l par t ic ipat ion and t ransparency.

Prayer point: Lord, I do not want to be l ike the people who serve You with lef tover. I want You to be my priori ty and my focus. I want to serve You dai ly wi th ful l part ic ipat ion and transparency.


Applicat ion: Prayer, Expectat ion and Offering. Do you do these three things in preparat ion for every worship service?


May 23rd, 2011

DO YOU TAKE GOD SERIOUSLY?

Text: Malachi 2:1-9

I t is said that Frankl in Roosevel t of ten complained no one paid at tent ion to what was said during long receiving l ines a t the White House. One day, during a recept ion, he t r ied an experiment . To each person who passed down the l ine and shook his hand, he murmured, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” The guests responded with phrases l ike, “Marvelous! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you. God bless you, s i r.” I t was not unt i l the end of the l ine, while greet ing the ambassador f rom Bolivia , that his words were actual ly heard. Nonplussed, the ambassador leaned over and whispered, “I’m sure she had i t coming.” Sadly, that is how a lot of people go through sermons or reading of God’s Word. They are void of a t tent ion.

In our text , God invi ted pr ies ts to l is ten to His message and then to i t take to hear t . They had the choice of blessings and peace, or curs ing, rebuke and humil ia t ion. Those who are to receive blessings wil l have to take His warnings ser iously, reverencing Him, teaching others the t ruth, walking with Him and l iving r ighteous l i fe . In contrary, others do not take God ser iously. They do not honor His name and they cause many to s tumble.

The choice is the same today. We f ind out what is important to God by s tudying His Word and then set our hear ts to do what He says.

Prayer point: Lord, help me love You enough to pay ful l at tent ion to Your word and apply my heart to obeying You completely.


Applicat ion: What did the Lord teach you in His Word today? Str ive to fulf i l l the Lord’s wi l l .


May 24th, 2011

ARE WE NOT ALL CHILDREN OF THE SAME FATHER?


The prophet asked a ser ies of fundamental quest ions, which probably set the basis for most of these people’s act ions. Did they real ize that every man or iginate f rom the same l ine (Adam) who was created by God? If the answer is yes , i t does not make sense to violate one another. Israel i tes were violat ing one another by contract ing marr iages that corrupted the whole congregat ion. They also were violat ing their marr iage vows by having no-faul t divorce.

Today, the quest ion is this : “Don’t we al l have blood f lowing in our veins?” The Declarat ion of Independence by the Continental Congress s ta tes , “We hold these t ruths to be self-evident , that a l l men are created equal , that they are endowed by their Creator with cer ta in unal ienable r ights , that among these are Life , Liber ty and the pursui t of Happiness .” Is this not a t rue s ta tement? We cannot successful ly separate our re la t ionship with God from our deal ings with one another. The Lord wil l accept our worship when we begin to love what He loves and hates what He hates . Any form of faul t against one another, including divorce, is high on the l is t of what God hates .

Prayer point: Father, thank You for Your love toward me. Help me to be wil l ing to accept my responsibi l i t ies and never take my commitments l ight ly.


Applicat ion: Revis i t your commitments to measure your loyal ty to God and men.


May 25th, 2011

HOW CAN WE RETURN?


An atheis t said, “If there is a God, may he prove himself by s t r iking me dead r ight now.” Nothing happened. “You see, there is not a God.” Another responded, “You’ve only proven that He is a gracious God.” I t is fascinat ing to read of God’s gracious extension to undeserving people . Many have fai led Him over and over again. Yet , He is invi t ing them to return for a f resh s tar t . Many are in such a s ta te of apostasy that they do not real ize they have departed from God’s pathway.

The only way to re turn to God is by a change of direct ion. He asks them to change from “steal ing” to “giving”. “God doesn’t need our money, He is self-suff ic ient ,” some would say. The t ruth is this : When we refuse to re turn to Him part of what He has given us , we rob Him and we idol ize our possession. I f we have dr i f ted from the Lord, we can return today, posi t ioning ourselves for blessing by giving Him His port ion of our resources including money, t ime and energy. God is ready to re turn to us i f we are wil l ing to re turn to him.

Prayer point: Oh gracious Lord, into Your hand I commit my heart , my t ime, my possessions and my l i fe as a whole. Do what You wil l in and through me.


Applicat ion: Ti the your money and your t ime.


May 26th, 2011

WHO ARE THE LORD’S PEOPLE?

Text: Malachi 3:16-4:6

In the book of Malachi , God ta lks to the prophet about the dis loyal ty and hypocrisy of the pr ies thood and the congregat ion of Israel . At this point there was a separat ion of the wheat f rom the tares — those who feared the Lord and those who do not . The Bible says the Lord knows those who are His . In the midst of every generat ion no matter how perverted, there are a lways those who fear the Lord and separate themselves to seek af ter godl iness . To these, He promised a special re la t ionship, a fa ther ’s blessings and a mark of dis t inct ion.

Here, the qual i f icat ion for enrol lment to the record of God is ‘godly fear. ’ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruct ion (Proverbs 1:7) . A man that fears the Lord wil l obey His laws, decrees and regulat ions. I t was said of John Knox that he feared no man because he feared the Lord. No wonder Mary Queen of Scots is thought to have said: “I fear the prayers of John Knox more than al l the assembled armies .”

Do you fear the Lord? Then you are His and He has set up a t ime to reward you. Let this thought be a comfort .

Prayer point: Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your fai thfulness . Give me an undivided heart , that I may fear your name.


Applicat ion: Ask yourself this quest ions as of ten as you can: What I be saying or doing i f Chris t was s tanding r ight here?


May 27th, 2011

A BETTER PROMISE

Text: 1Timothy1: 1-11

There were three scenarios presented to a c lass to survey the react ions of people when they see warning s igns:

•When they get to a s tore and read the not ice posted to warn shopl i f ters .

•If they enter a room and see a purse that has a ‘do not touch’ sign on i t .

•What comes to mind each t ime they see a speed l imit s ign.

In the f i rs t scenario, some said, they would not be concerned about the s ign. I t would make no difference s ince they are not there to shopl i f t . Others said i t would make them uncomfortable , knowing that someone is watching their every move.

In the second scenario, many said they would s i t far away from the purse, while others said i f no one was watching they might t ry to touch or check the purse.

In the third scenario, many said they would ignore the speed l imit as long as they were not caught by law enforcement .

These scenarios were presented to help the class know that instruct ions are intended for some good — they are not to be argued, a t tacked or fought against .

In today’s text we are reminded that a l l the instruct ions or laws given in the word of God are good, i f used in the way they are intended, and they are not meant to cause harm those who do r ight . We usual ly res is t warnings, correct ions or instruct ions when we are gui l ty. Jesus has come to set us f ree f rom the law. He sets us f ree f rom the law of s in and death. Now, we can l ive freely through grace alone.

Prayer point: I thank you Lord for making me know that your instruct ions were intended for my good.

Memory verse: That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding r iches of His grace in His kindness towards us in Chris t Jesus. (Ephesians 2:7)

Appl icat ion: Since you cannot win when i t comes to the law; receive the grace that Jesus Chris t boought for you.


May 28th, 2011

HELP IN TIME OF NEED

Text: Hebrew 4:16

One Saturday morning af ter I f inished praying and had looked over the promises of God, I went to the balcony of my apartment in expectat ion. I was in need of help. I did not know where help was going to come, but I bel ieve God and his word.

My husband had gone on vacat ion to Europe. I was alone with four chi ldren. There was no food in the house. I had no money in hand, or in any account . How could I explain the s i tuat ion to my chi ldren? I kept t rust ing God. Out of the blue that Saturday, I not iced a woman walking down the s t reet . To my amazement , i t was my mom from out of s ta te . I was not expect ing her, but she was there and she brought everything we needed to make meals for several days.

She also gave me some money. The anxiety lef t as my needs were met by God’s divine intervent ion. That day the word of God came al ive in my l i fe . I cal led my chi ldren to fe l lowship as I shared the tes t imony with them. We al l appreciated and thanked God for the provis ion and the chi ldren thanked God for br inging Grandma to vis i t .

God is fa i thful and t rue to His word. I f we can put our t rust in Him; He never fa i ls . “Those who t rust in him wil l never be put to shame.”

Prayer point: Father, in Jesus name, help me to keep you in my focus and to keep trust ing you in my t imes of need.


Applicat ion: By favor unmeri ted we obtain mercy; so go boldly to the sure source of help each t ime you need i t . He is ever ready to help you.


May 29th, 2011

GRACE AND MERCY ARE AVAILABLE

Text: 1 Timothy 1:12-17

The word of God is e ternal and unchanging. As i t i s wri t ten, the ear th and heaven may pass away but a t iny jot or t i t le of God’s word wil l not go unfulf i l led

The Apost le Paul , in his le t ter to Timothy, was ful l of appreciat ion for the mercy of God. He acknowledged that he was a s inner saved by grace. He also was thankful that He was counted worthy to be used by God. Paul a lso acknowledged the effect of God’s abundant grace through Jesus. This grace makes a brand new man out of a former s inner. The song lyr ics “I am a new creat ion, a brand new man. Old things are passed away. I ’m born again. More than a conqueror, that’s who I am,” seem to be the words Apost le Paul was s inging.

This is the kind of gospel that is inclusive of the whole t ruth. No one born of a woman can become good by himself . No effor t on one’s own meri t can obtain salvat ion. No effor t can obtain a good s tanding with God. But when the grace of God that br ings salvat ion appears to any one, and that person chooses to t rust in God and love Him above al l others , a t ransformation of that l i fe takes place.

Ponder on this : Would Jesus have lef t His glory to die so that men might become sinning bel ievers or that those s inners might become saints? No number of half- t ruths can make a whole t ruth. Jesus did not die for men’s s ins so they may cont inue s inning. Some claim that whatever one does af ter professing to be saved does not mat ter, but i t does matter.

Prayer point: Thank you God for your mercy and grace revealed in your son Jesus Chris t to save me.


Appl icat ion: The mercy and grace of God is s t i l l avai lable i f you wil l bel ieve His word. Confess your errors r ight now. He is wi l l ing to receive you.


May 30th, 2011

GOD CAN FILL THE VOID

Text: Ephesians 2:1-10

A lady told a s tory about how she was confused, afraid and discouraged. She needed something to f i l l the void in her hear t and give her peace. She cr ied so much that her mom asked what was wrong with her. So, she cr ied unto the Lord that night for forgiveness and asked God to help her. She tes t i f ied she fel t peace within her soul . From the outs ide, i t had seemed as i f she was ok. But , she wasn’t . Despi te the facade that many put up, there is a void in a man’s hear t that only God can f i l l . However, many seek peace from wrong sources . The quest to f i l l th is void leads many to do drugs and seek relat ionships in wrong places .

A man also shared how he would go to the nightclub, theaters and dance hal ls t rying to f ind peace and happiness . He wondered i f there was something bet ter he could get each t ime he went out . On a glor ious day he learned that the pr ince of peace had been seeking him. This man said that night he prayed as wel l as he could, s ince he was not famil iar with church, and that God heard him. He said his l i fe was never the same again.

Nothing else can f i l l the longing in the soul of a man who has no relat ionship with the Lord Jesus Chris t The savior of a l l men is awai t ing al l who wil l come s incerely seeking Him, for He is our peace.

Prayer point: I need you, O Lord. I cannot cont inue this journey of l i fe wi thout you. Life becomes void i f you are absent . Fi l l me with your presence today, in Jesus Name.


Appl icat ion: The earl ier we turn to Him who is our peace, the bet ter for us .


May 31st , 2011

POWER OF INFLUENCE


My son recent ly migrated from Nigeria to the United States . Now, he sometimes asks how things are done here in the U.S. For example, i f asked about wearing a sui t to a job interview, I would respond in the aff i rmat ive. I would remind him that he is the chi ld of the Most High and His representat ive on ear th .

My son lef t for the interview and came back exci ted. He told me he spoke with a young man while he was wai t ing to s tar t the interview. The two exchanged pleasantr ies and there was quietness . Suddenly the man asked i f my son was there for an interview. He answered in the aff i rmat ive. In a few minutes , the man had removed the earr ings bl inking in his ears , but toned up his shir t and s t ra ightened out his c lothes .

The interviewer came in , introduced himself to both men and invi ted the other man to interview f i rs t . My son said when he was cal led back for an interview, the interviewer made a pleasant comment about his c lothes . The interview went wel l and, to the glory of God, he got the job.

As he shared the tes t imony, I thought about who would have corrected that man i f i t hadn’t come from within. The job opening was for a col lege graduate . I assume this man must have spent some years a t a col lege or univers i ty, but he s t i l l went for an interview wearing s loppy clothes . Who would have thought c lothes could ‘speak’ so loudly.

What effect the power of inf luence can achieve i f those of us who have yielded our l ives to Jesus and have made him our Lord wil l go into the world as l ight to br ighten our corners and as sal t to serve as a sweet f lavor and preservat ive in a decaying world. I a lso prayed that the other man would be hired too.

Prayer point: Help me Lord to be what you purposed me to be when, in mercy, you sought me and bought me with your precious blood. Help me to also yield when you prompt me, by your Holy Spir i t , to l ive for you.


Applicat ion: God is wi l l ing to accept as many as wi l l al low him to be Savior and Lord in their l ives . Al low him to use you as His witnesses to make a s ignif icant impact in this world.


June 1st , 2011

POWER OF INFLUENCE II

Text : Romans12:10

It’s a l l over the media . Derr ick Rose, a young, unassuming basketbal l player, is being touted for an MVP award af ter just his third year in the NBA. Michael Jordan, a basketbal l legend and Charlot te Bobcats owner, added his support af ter watching Rose on the court when the Chicago Bulls played the Bobcats .

Rose said the award would be an honor, but , “We’re just t rying to keep winning. The award wil l come i f we keep winning. We are t rying to play hard and play together.”

I wonder i f anyone not ices the humil i ty in the responses he gives to reporters af ter every game his team wins. I wonder i f they not ice the way he carr ies himself and the way he’s a lways reminding people that the team’s success comes from a team effor t .

Today’s verses say we need to love others genuinely and s incerely and we should take del ight in honoring others . We can do this in seemingly l i t t le things such as making way for the man in the car behind you by you to get by you without s t ruggl ing to get ahead.

We can display love in courteous gestures such as holding the door for others .

To sum i t up, we intent ional ly le t others take their turn ahead of us , by being pol i te and gracious towards others . This fosters uni ty in both small and large communit ies . I ts no wonder the Bulls’ record this basketbal l season has been so impressive. I am not sure what Rose’s re l igious aff i l ia t ion is , but I am sure, by the grace of God, we can del ight in honoring others .

Prayer point: Father, in Jesus name, I thank you for your interest in every area of my l i fe . Help me to l ive in a way that radiates your love to those around me.


Appl icat ion: Loving and taking del ight to honor others wi l l by no means diminish you.


June 2nd, 2011

THE SERVICE OF ENCOURAGEMENT


Ask a parent who has lost a chi ld and they wil l te l l how heavy sorrow can weigh on a soul . I used to know this woman. She was known as a jovial and cheerful woman unt i l she lost her only chi ld . Sorrow turned her l i fe upside down. Discouragement is an oppressor to the spir i t . When David suffered chastening from the Lord, he said, “There is no soundness in my f lesh nor any heal th in my bone (Ps. 38:3) .

Proverbs 12:25 says that a good word gladdens the hear t . Encouragement is a precious gif t in the church of God. How refreshing to see people come alongside of us to encourage us when we are going through diff icul t t imes. One of the great encouragers ment ioned in the New Testament is Barnabas (Acts 9:26-27; 11:22-24, 30) . When Martha and Mary lost their brother Lazarus, the Bible te l ls us that many Jews were at the grave s i te to console them (John 11:31) .

The Bible i tself is a book of encouragement . I t exhorts us to re joice with those who are re joicing and to weep with those who are weeping. I t can take many forms: A smile , being there , praying, helping to meet physical needs, e tc . As bel ievers , le t us make i t a point to encourage one another in any way we can. A kind word can go a long way.

Prayer point: Lord, give me good words that wi l l g ladden the heart of the sorrowful .


Appl icat ion: Be sensi t ive to the needs of those around you. Begin to do something about i t , no matter how small .


June 3rd, 2011

YOU CAN REFUSE TO GIVE UP

Text: 2 Kings 4:18-37

When people s top t rying, they fai l . I have heard i t sa id , “You are not a fa i lure when you fai l . You become a fai lure when you give up.” This is t rue. I have seen people fa i l in a tes t of l i fe but la ter they succeed when they keep on t rying.

Trying t imes are sometimes the most prof i table t imes of a man’s l i fe . This may sound absurd, but ref lect and evaluate: Are you more mature or less? Do you know what to do next t ime when you are faced with the same issue? I t is just l ike taking a new route . Your f i rs t r ide may seem long — you may even get lost on the way. On your second r ide to that same dest inat ion, you wil l remember the spot where you took the wrong turn and the t r ip wil l seem shorter. The same pr inciple appl ies here .

Events and s i tuat ions that you encounter may cause you to feel l ike a fa i lure . People around you may think you are a fa i lure . I t i s very important that you do not think of yourself as a fa i lure , even i f other people do, because whatever you are grappl ing with is just a small par t of your l i fe . I t i s not your whole l i fe .

Prayer point: Lord, I thank you because you can turn things around and make diff icul t s i tuat ions work for my good. My t imes are in your hands.

Memory verse: “And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his fr iends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. (Job 42: 10)

Applicat ion: Go r ight now to the long-abandoned project and s tart over again. Do not procrast inate .


June 4th, 2011

YOU CAN REFUSE TO FALL INTO TEMPTATION

Text: Genesis 39:1-12

Overcoming the temptat ion of adul tery or fornicat ion is a mat ter of integri ty. Keep resolving to keep yourself pure. Most of the t ime, this s in is done in secret or in the dark. I t i s a s in the Bible says you commit to the body, s ince your body is the temple of the Holy Spir i t . I t i s one of the s ins that have gr ievous consequences. For example, the woman may get pregnant or infected with a disease.

The people involved rarely qui t even when the agreement is mutual . Adultery can destroy an ent i re family. God made your eyes to look at beaut i ful people and appreciate them, but the moment you f ind yourself lust ing over someone, you need to leave the area and go to somewhere else . I f i t ’s a t work, you s top going to lunch with that individual or s top working alone with the individual . Whatever you have to do to avoid personal t ime with the individual , do i t .

For King David, I am sure i t was not the f i rs t look that le t him into commit t ing adul tery with Bathsheba. I t was what he did af ter the f i rs t look. He probably thought about get t ing her name and information. He thought about pursuing her a t tent ion, laying with her and eventual ly plot t ing her husband’s death to cover up the damage done. You can learn from the example of Joseph. He f led from a scene of temptat ion, even though he suffered, but he kept his integri ty and was rewarded by God.

Prayer point: Lord, I come to you with my mind made up to honor you in t imes of temptat ion. Help me to honor you everyday of my l i fe , in Jesus Name.


Applicat ion: Like Joseph, avoid temptat ion by leaving the area in which you are tempted.


June 5th, 2011

YOU CAN REFUSE GO BACK TO YOUR OLD WAYS

Text: Ruth 1:1-18

The Bible descr ibes a man returning to his old ways as a dog returning to i ts own vomit . The choices we make determine the l i fe we l ive. Right choices br ing about r ight resul ts .

In today’s reading, Naomi t r ied to persuade her daughters-in- law to go back to Moab and serve the idols they had forsaken. Orpah went back, but Ruth refused to leave Naomi. Going back was not an opt ion for Ruth. She had her mind made up to serve Jehovah God.

You would think that losing her husband would have been a good excuse for her to go back and serve the Moabite gods she knew. But instead, she told Naomi to s top pressuring her to go back. Ruth insis ted she had chosen to pursue the Lord God Almighty and there was no turning back.

Orpah gave in to the persuasion of Naomi just l ike a lot of people today give in to pressure and compromise their fa i th , their service to God, and their choice to l ive holy l ives . You must choose to take a s tand for God.

Prayer point: Lord Jesus, I have made up my mind to fol low you. Help me to s tay put when the pressure of the world comes, in Jesus Name.


Applicat ion: Stay s trong by holding on to Chris t and His promises for you. Like Ruth, you are about to succeed.


June 6th, 2011

YOU CAN REFUSE TO DENY GOD

Text: Job 2:7-10; 42:10-16

Denial , by my defini t ion means, “refusal to acknowledge the exis tence of God despi te the knowledge of His exis tence.” Because of t ragedy in his family, a man cal led David refused to serve God or bel ieve in the name of Jesus. His excuse was that i f God real ly exis ted, he would not have al lowed David’s chi ldren to suffer a horr ible accident .

Recent ly, in Afr ica , I met a man who refused to go back to the church because of a t ragedy that s t ruck his son. He claimed that he could not look at the s tage where his son used to lead the congregat ion into worship.

Tragedy can take the hope of a br ight future away and replace i t wi th despondency, i f you do not c l ing to God.

I usual ly counsel people who are going through t ragedy to quickly resume whatever they were doing before the incident happened while they take up a prayer l i fe l ike they have never had before . Constant prayer wil l diffuse the intensi ty of the t ragedy by keeping you constant ly before the presence of God. This wil l keep your hope and fai th a l ive.

Prayer point: Lord, lead me not into temptat ion but del iver me from evi l .


Applicat ion: Get your prayer partner to pray with you. Always cal l the person for prayer. Continue to confess wi th your mouth that God is fai thful and that the future is in His hands. Empty out al l the garbage Satan wants to dump in your heart . Hold on. You are only passing through.


June 7th, 2011

NEGATIVE TALK DOESN’T HAVE TO DISCOURAGE YOU

Text: 2 Kings 2:1-14

Let me s tar t by te l l ing you that whenever you hear discouraging words, know that something good is coming. Do not a l low negat ive words to you def ine what you wil l do next . Satan has just thrown a curve bal l to discourage you. No matter who gives you the advice to qui t , don’t give up — especial ly when you know you are in the wil l of God.

El isha had al l kinds of discouragement thrown at him. His master, El i jah, t r ied to prevent him from experiencing discouragement , but the sons of prophets mocked his ignorance everywhere they went . El isha’s refusal to fa l l for the negat ivi ty around him eventual ly paid off . He received what man could not give. He received the answer to his prayer.

When negat ive words are said to you, focus on your Goal . Intensify your pursui t . Do this with excel lence and you wil l make i t .

Prayer point: Lord, give me the grace and tenaci ty to remain on task when negat ive words are said to me.


Applicat ion: Move away from the company and environment where you hear negat ive words. Bel ieve what God told you concerning the s i tuat ion.


June 8th, 2011

YOU CAN REFUSE TO BE BITTER

Text: Genesis 43: 26-34

You can choose to be bet ter instead of bi t ter. Bi t terness wil l c loud your vis ion and confuse your thoughts . Joseph was t reated terr ibly by his brothers who were bi t ter because their fa ther gave Joseph special t reatment . I t was bi t terness that made Joseph’s brothers hear t less ly put him in the pi t . I t was bi t terness that caused them to sel l him to s t rangers and l ie to their fa ther about what happened to him.

When Joseph was elevated to the posi t ion of authori ty in Egypt , his brother came to get food to feed their famil ies . I t was Joseph’s turn to re ta l ia te . He could have been bi t ter and al lowed the spir i t of re ta l ia t ion take over, but he decided to be bet ter. He al lowed the spir i t of forgiveness rule his hear t .

The choice to forgive brought c lar i ty and wisdom to Joseph. He deal t wisely with his brothers because he was not bi t ter. He was able to keep his ident i ty to the end. He could have arrested his brothers and put them in ja i l . But this would never teach their souls to fear and serve Jehovah God. At the end of the s tory, Joseph’s brothers were sober and repentant .

God wants you to be bet ter not bi t ter so that the Holy Spir i t can work through you. This wil l enable you to make the r ight decis ion give God the glory.

Prayer point: Lord, forgive me for al lowing bi t terness rule my spir i t . Father, I choose today to l ive bet ter. Help me Lord, through your Spir i t , to forgive al l that have offended me.


Applicat ion: Bi t terness can keep you in bondage. Therefore, as soon as i t t r ies to take root in your spir i t , pul l the s tronghold down and say aloud that you forgive the person that hurt you. Cal l the person by name. You wil l feel a rel ief .


June 9th, 2011

BE A LEADER

Text: Daniel 3:15-30

One night , as I t r ied to get money from an ATM machine, I saw cars l ine behind each other a t one of the machine. This made i t seem as i f the other machine was broken. I was tempted to join the l ine of cars , thinking that something must be wrong with the other machine. But , I decided to see for myself and not copy what others were doing. Fortunately, the machine was working. I saved t ime prevented the frustrat ion of a long wai t . I ’m sure the other customers were pleased to know that the machine was okay and they did not have to wai t for long.

During his preschool years in a Chris t ian school , my son was repeatedly taught to be a leader and not a fol lower. He learned the lesson so wel l that now, whenever he is tempted to copy the bad behaviors of other kids , he is reminded of what he was taught . Because of this , he wil l quickly s top and take a leading role in the r ight direct ion.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego refused to fol low the wrong group. They decided to be leaders despi te pressure f rom the king. Their example eventual ly caused the king of Babylon to order his people to serve the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego.

Prayer point: Lord Jesus, give me the grace to take a s tand, no matter the threat , so I can lead others to you in Jesus Name.


Applicat ion: Remember you are a leader and not a fol lower. The only t ime you are al lowed to fol low is when others are coming to the house of God.


June 10th, 2011

MERCIFUL JESUS

Text: Mark 2:13-17

A female minis ter of God once looked at a young lady and, because of the lady’s l i fes tyle , commented that this young lady would never change. Whenever this minis ter spoke to her peers , she discussed the young lady’s fa i lures and used her as an example of someone that must not be emulated. She never made an at tempt to engage this young lady to f ind out why she was l iving that l i fes tyle . Eventual ly, this young lady received Jesus into her l i fe and l ived a holy l i fe that the minis ter did not bel ieve possible . Sometimes Chris t ians act l ike the Pharisees . When we see s inners who need Chris t , we cr i t ic ize them and are disgusted by their l i fes tyle . Sometimes when we see them hungry, we refuse to buy or share our lunch with them.

Jesus showed mercy. He cal led the wicked tax col lector, became a guest in his house and was wil l ing to eat with fel low tax col lectors and fr iends who are a l l “good for nothing.” We ought to do the same, knowing that Jesus showed us mercy f i rs t and He expects us to go and do the same.

Prayer point: Lord, I am sorry for being unmerciful to those who need mercy. Help me as I resolve to be merciful and kind to others .

Memory verse: On hearing this , Jesus said to them, “It is not the heal thy who need a doctor, but the s ick. I have not come to cal l the r ighteous, but s inners .” (Mark 2:17)

Applicat ion: Go out today and look for people you would normally reject and bless them with mercy — i t may be in cash or kindness .


June 11th, 2011

FORGIVING SAVIOR

Text: Mark 2:1-12

It takes a man who knows the depth of his s in less t ime and energy to confess his s ins to God than one who has been l iving r ighteously al l his l i fe . Often, i t i s easier to preach to someone who admits his f ra i l ty than to someone who always boasts of his r ighteousness . I wonder what was going on in the hear t of the woman who broke the alabaster jar of expensive perfume at Jesus’ feet . I t seems she understood how much she had been forgiven.

There are many s inners around us who need to come to Jesus. They may be physical ly paralyzed, but they are most def ini te ly spir i tual ly paralyzed. In some Chris t ian circles , some doctors bel ieve that s t ress , migraine headaches, and s ickness of the hear t , bones and muscle may be a resul t of unresolved s in .

Just l ike the fr iends of the paralyzed man who were wil l ing to do anything to get their f r iend to Jesus, we need to do al l we can to get our f r iends to the feet of our forgiving Savior, Jesus.

Prayer point: Lord Jesus, I thank you for forgiving my s ins . Give me a heart for others so I can bring them to your feet for salvat ion.


Applicat ion: Often, we do not bring our neighbors to Chris t because we do not bel ieve or don’t know if they wil l receive the message. I would encourage you to remember that we do not have to do the heal ing or saving. We share the Gospel . Jesus does the rest .


June 12th, 2011

COMPASSIONATE LORD

Text: Mark 1:40-45

In the passage we read, I do not bel ieve that Jesus was indignant because of the man’s request . I s incerely bel ieve that Jesus was angry because the man had been in that s ta te for a long t ime and nobody cared. This man with leprosy had been s ick for so long, ostracized from the community of f r iends and family, that he bel ieved no one was wil l ing to help him.

I personal ly experienced the feel ing of re ject ion when I found myself to be a minori ty in a community of people . I would l ike someone, but they would see me and turn the other way. But then, God himself intervened through someone who spoke to the community about “reject ing others who are not l ike you.”

Suddenly, I saw a huge change in the at t i tude of the people towards me.

Jesus is a compassionate God. He wil l not discard any leper. Perhaps you have done so much wrong that you feel l ike no one real ly wants to come close to you. Allow Jesus to be Lord over your l i fe . He wil l show you compassion. He never re jects anyone that comes to Him.

Prayer point: Lord, I have suffered so many reject ions but I bel ieve that you suffered reject ion on the Cross so that I can be received. Lord, show me your compassion that no man can reject .


Applicat ion: Take your reject ion to the Lord. Explain what you are going through to Him. Ask Him to help you and He wil l do i t .


June 13th, 2011

POWERFUL HEALER

Text: Mark 1:29-34

A woman was s ick and eventual ly passed. As people were t rying to take her to the hospi ta l for confirmation, they met with a man of God at the gate of the church. This man of God la id his hands on the dead woman and immediately, she came back to l i fe .

The lame son of a weal thy man was brought to the same church. At midnight , he fe l t l ike using the washroom. He never thought about i t , he just got up and walked. There were shouts of praise among the people .

This Jesus, who raises the dead and heals the lame, is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He touched Peter ’s mother ’s hand and she instant ly received heal ing.

I t is amazing that when the whole town came out , the same power that healed s icknesses and diseases and drove away demons was avai lable to everyone. Even today, i t i s avai lable to whoever bel ieves in the power of the name of Jesus.

We know that coming to Jesus is not a guarantee our problems wil l disappear. He wil l do what He knows is good for us . But , i t i s suff ic ient to say that Jesus has a l l powers to tackle any problem.

Prayer point: Lord Jesus, I bel ieve in you and I cast al l my problems on you. Father, take care of them.


Applicat ion: Dare to trust Jesus with your problems today. Relax, leave them with Him and al low Him to do is best in the s i tuat ion.


June 14th, 2011

LOVING FATHER

Text: Mark 3:1-6

A father s t ruggled to watch his chi ld’s cost ly way of l i fe . The chi ld would frequent ly get in t rouble with the law and the father would always go rescue him. The chi ld’s f r iends had deser ted him. Only the father was lef t . One day, the father looked into the eyes of his chi ld and said, “If no one s t icks by you, I wil l a lways be there unt i l I see God change you.”

Recent ly on the news, the s tory of a man named Ted could be found al l over the media . Ted was a homeless man unt i l God sent someone to him to take his voice and le t the nat ion hear i t . I know i t was God who sent someone to him because, when Ted met with his mom, she told him that she and her church family were praying for him — especial ly for his re turn to the Lord. After get t ing off the s t reet , he t r ied several ways to make money. He thought would solve his problems, but none worked. Eventual ly, I heard over the news that he had given his l i fe to Jesus and had chosen to le t a pastor counsel him. According to the news, this has added some s tabi l i ty to his l i fe .

God wil l never keep someone l ike Ted from coming to Him. I t does not mat ter what kind of l i fe they l ived or what hour of the day they come, as long as they come. He is a loving Father.

Prayer point: Lord, le t me experience your love dai ly.


Applicat ion: Remember, God is a loving father who wil l accept you as you are. He is ready to rescue you no matter what hour of the day or day of the week you cal l .


June 15th, 2011

EVER PRESENT GOD

Text: Mark 6:45-51

I wonder what would have made the disciples think that Jesus was a ghost . We read in our text today that they al l saw Him, they were al l afraid, and they al l screamed, “I t is a ghost .” After a l l the miracles Jesus performed in their midst , shouldn’t one of them be able to bel ieve i t was Jesus?

Most of the t ime, we act l ike the disciples when we feel that Jesus is not there anymore. Funny enough, in verse 48 of the passage we read today, the Bible says that “Jesus saw the disciples s t ra ining at the oars .” Is that not what happens in our t imes of s t ruggle? Jesus sees us s t ra ining and suddenly appears in a way we least expect . But , because we are not famil iar with Him working that way, we ignore Him. Jesus is ever-present in our l ives , but He may not come in a way we expect or do things the way we think He wil l .

Prayer point: Lord Jesus, I know you are my ever present Father. Please give me a spir i t of discernment to know when you are there, even in the midst of tr ial .


Applicat ion: Be in expectat ion of what God wil l do at anyt ime because He may move in a way that surprises you.


June 16th, 2011

CHRIST IS KING

Text: Mark: 8:27-30

When you are in a re la t ionship with someone for a long t ime, you expect that person to know a lot about you — especial ly i f i t i s your spouse or a chi ldhood fr iend. You wil l expect them to defend and represent you properly, no matter where they are . Their knowledge of you wil l assure you that they are a t tent ive to your re la t ionship.

Scripture shows us that Jesus was more concerned with what the disciples cal led Him than what other people thought Him to be. Did the disciples perceive Him the ways others perceived Him or did they know Him bet ter? Our relat ionship with Jesus is intended to be closer than our re la t ionship with a spouse or f r iend. The longer we s tay in a re la t ionship with Jesus, the more we are supposed to know Him and tes t i fy about Him to others .

Peter said, “You are the Messiah, You are Chris t the King the Savior of the whole world. You are the Anointed One and His Anoint ing. You are more than just a prophet and def ini te ly more than El i jah.” What a joy to walk with the Lord for a long t ime and have the knowledge of Jesus is .

Prayer point: Lord Jesus, never le t me loose s ight of who you are in my l i fe , for you are more than anything to me. Thank you for being my Messiah.


Applicat ion: When you form a habi t of worshiping God, i t wi l l be diff icul t for you to loose s ight or understanding of who He is . I t wi l l l i teral ly be diff icul t for you to equate Him with anybody. Worship Him dai ly.


June 17th, 2011

PRAISING THE LORD ALWAYS

Text: Ephesians 1:1-14

Just as fa i thful Fathers are appreciated al l over the world, we ought to recognize our Everlast ing father, who ceaselessly cares for us .

Franz Joseph Haydn [1732—1809], a composer who is cal led the father of the symphony and the father of the great quartet , f inishes his composi t ions with “laus deo,” meaning praise be to God. Toward the end of his l i fe , he was invi ted to watch the performance of his piece The Creat ion at Vienna Music Hal l . As the crowd rose to applaud him, Hayden s t ruggled to his feet and appealed for calm. As al l wai ted to hear him speak, he pointed to the sky shout ing, “No, no, not f rom me, but f rom thence comes al l .” In essence, he was returning the glory to who i t was due

Heaven is a place of praise . Different creatures including the twenty and four e lders are there worshipping God. Their preoccupat ion is giving adorat ion to the Holy God

The almighty God deserves our adorat ion and praise . He is our maker. We are who we are by his grace alone. All that we are and have is by his mercy. I f only we wil l take t ime to ponder on his many blessings and the wonders of his creat ions, we wil l soon join other creat ions in prais ing Him from whom al l blessings f low.

Prayer point: Thank you, Lord, for I can see what you are doing with me and around me, even in giving me the privi lege to come into your holy presence in worship.

Memory verse: In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integri ty, seriousness (Ti tus 2:7)

Applicat ion: No matter what c ircumstances surround us, we must real ize God is our creator and He deserves our praise .


June 18th, 2011

FATHERS AS THE GIVER OF WHAT IS GOOD:


The movie 2012 is a f ic t ional account of the end of the world as prophesied an ancient Mayan calendar. In the movie, there is a secret plan funded by a number of nat ional governments and several weal thy people to bui ld arcs . These arcs would be used to save people f rom the world’s destruct ion i f they are wil l ing to pay mil l ions for a t icket . One of these people is a Russian cr ime boss — a bi l l ionaire named Ivan. Even though he is heinous cr iminal , in the movie, Ivan sacr i f ices a l l h is weal th , power, and eventual ly his l i fe so that his twin sons can be spared from destruct ion and have a place on the arc .

Our text paints a s imilar picture . In one of Chris t ’s parables , we learn that even evi l men know how to give good things to his chi ldren. Fathers need to be appreciated, despi te their def ic iencies , because they work to provide good for their chi ldren — just l ike Ivan did in the movie 2012.

Prayer point: Father, bless me that I may be a blessing to my chi ldren. Grant power to provide their needs, in Jesus name, Amen!


Applicat ion: Show fathers you appreciate the good they do for their chi ldren.


June 19th, 2011

LEGACY OF A FATHER

Text: I Kings 2:1-4

Signs of a godly father can be seen in how he raises his son and how he passes on the torch of godly manhood. A fr iend of mine once said that his family legacy is to make sure a home is bui l t for the f i rs t male chi ld so that he can have a place for his family and his s ibl ings. At one point , that legacy could not be carr ied out because of f inancial res t ra int .

In his las t days, King David charged Solomon to “prove your¬self a man” by being a good husband, a good father, a good role model , and a good king. Solomon was to prove himself a man by keeping the Lord’s commandments , walking in His ways, and keeping the Lord’s judgments . The Lord would then keep His word to the family as He had promised. David passed on a great family legacy for his son Solomon to keep. Today, godly fathers should s t r ive to pass on this same legacy to the next generat ion.

Prayer point: Lord, grant me the grace to l ive according to Your commandments and s tatutes , to do al l Your wil l , and more important ly, grant me the grace to teach my chi ldren to do the same. Amen!


Applicat ion: Set aside t ime each day to s tudy God’s Word and teach your chi ldren His s tatutes and commandments .


June 20th, 2011

BETTER TO BE REAL

Text: Proverbs 13:7

Most of us want to be seen as successful , impressive, r ich, smart and nice. We make sure to project that image to people; hence our l i fe becomes a paradox. Pretense becomes the image we project to others . I used to know this man that was engaged to a lady who claimed to be a col lege graduate . After a year of courtship, he found out the lady never went to col lege. The marr iage was cal led off . Many marr iages today are on the verge of col lapse because during the dat ing process , people pretended to be something they were not . The par tner did not know the real person unt i l af ter the wedding.

Proverb 13:7 says, “Some who are poor pretend to be r ich; others who are r ich pretend to be poor.” This verse is about concei t and decei t . My aunt used to warn me about want ing to be l ike other people . She told me that most people we see are nothing but a window dressing. They hide who they real ly are .

This is Jesus’ word to the Pharisee, “Woe to you hypocri tes for you devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers , therefore you wil l receive greater condemnation” (Matt . 23:14) . As bel ievers , we have to be careful because Jesus did not f ind hypocrisy impressive at a l l .

Prayer point: Lord, help me to be content wi th who you have made me to be.


Applicat ion: Learn to be yourself . You do not have to prove yourself to anybody.


June 21st , 2011

REMAIN STEADFAST


The s ta te of backsl iding is implies spir i tual decl ine. Often, people qui t the church and blame the pastor for not teaching enough of the word. Others say they are t i red of the church asking for money al l the t ime. They never see i t as having to do with themselves . Backsl iding s tar ts with fai lure to guard our hear ts with the word of God. The Psalmist said in Ps . 119:11, “Your word have I hidden in my hear t , that I may not s in against you.” The word of God warns us to guard our hear ts with al l di l igence, for out of i t f lows the issues of l i fe . Only by the conscious and cont inuous presence of the Holy Spir i t can a bel iever keep the fai th . We have to be s tudents of the word.

According to our text , the backsl ider wil l be f i l led with his own ways. We do not want to be f i l led with our own ways. Rather we want to be f i l led with the word of God and with His Spir i t . Acts 6:4 te l ls us that i t i s impossible to br ing back to repentance those who were once enl ightened — those who have tas ted the good things of heaven, shared in the Holy Spir i t , know the goodness of the word, and have experienced the power of God and then, they turn away from God. I t i s impossible to br ing such people back to repentance. We are to ask for the enabl ing grace of God to keep us s tanding on a dai ly basis . We ask that he helps us f ind a way back up even when we fal l . When we see others who have fal len, we are to encourage them to get back up, too.

Prayer point: Lord, keep me rooted and grounded in you.


Applicat ion: Make a conscious effort to set your heart on the Lord. Study His word and fol low after Him dai ly.


June 22nd, 2011

WHEN GOD FROWNS


Our God is not just God of Love; He is a lso God of wrath. His anger is directed towards s in because he is a Holy God. For us to par take of His divine nature , we must a lso be angry toward s in . Jesus Chris t displayed anger to the people buying and sel l ing in the temple. According to the Bible , there are good t imes to be angry and there are t imes anger needs to be repressed. James 1:19 te l ls us to be s low to anger because human anger does not help us do the things God desires . This means that there is a human aspect to anger. Hence, we can safely ask, when is anger unrighteous?

Anger is unrighteous when i t i s directed toward a person rather than an offense, when i t i s exci ted without suff ic ient cause, when i t i s magnif ied more than the issue, when i t i s accompanied by the desire for revenge, when i t i s cher ished and heightened by ref lect ion, and when i t i s accompanied by unforgiving spir i t .

According to our text , there is a t ime to overlook an offense. Whenever we choose to overlook an offense, we are imitat ing God who is the father of grace and mercy. Proverb 16: 32 says, “Whoever is s low to anger is bet ter than the mighty, and he who rules his spir i t than he who takes a c i ty.” So, as bel ievers , we need to ask God for the grace to yield our spir i t to His a t a l l t imes. This is the only way we can develop self-control . A victor ious Chris t ian is one who has learned how to manage the chain react ions that lead to outbursts of anger.

Prayer point: Lord, r id me of every root of anger in my l i fe . Give me self-control .


Applicat ion: Choose to overlook an offense as you develop self-control .


June 23rd, 2011

FORGIVING FATHER

Text: Genesis 4: 1-15

Many things we do may be considered good deeds unless they are accomplished with wrong motives . For example, get t ing a dr iver l icense is a big achievement af ter hours of prac¬t ice are completed and the tes t is passed. Cain and Abel , chi ldren of Adam and Eve, decided to sacr i f ice to the Lord. Abel brought an ac¬ceptable sacr i f ice while Cain did not . The God of many chances gave him an opportuni ty to correct his error, but he did not . He was warned of the repercussion of his choices , but a l l these warnings fel l on deaf ears . Cain never heeded God’s warning or repented of his s ins . He was ful l of excuses .

The Bible was wri t ten for us that we might not enter into temptat ion. The laws of God are not hidden from us. We have opportuni ty to read His Word dai ly. I t comes to us f rom the pulpi ts and over the airwaves. More than the generat ion be¬fore, this generat ion has been told of s in’s desire to control us . You must l ive your l i fe in obedience to God, knowing your chi ldren are wai t ing for you to lead them in serving God properly.

Prayer point: God open my ears that I may hear and understand your command completely, fol low your blue print for my l i fe .


Applicat ion: What area of obedience are you put t ing off? Yei ld to the Lord in submission today.


June 24th, 2011

THE INVITATION

Text: Psalms 27:8

We take invi ta t ions ser iously. When we are invi ted to a funct ion, we do our best to honor the invi ta t ion. Some of us even take off work to honor a f r iend’s invi ta t ion. We don’t just a t tend; we go the extra mile to make sure we look our best for the event . But many of us won’t take off to fe l lowship with our Maker. Why is i t that we are re luctant to honor God’s invi ta t ion, and of ten, when we do, we go unprepared? And worse s t i l l , when we go to our f r iend’s par ty, we s tay unt i l the end but when we come to honor God’s invi ta t ion, we are in a hurry to leave. Many of us look at the clock every 5 minutes . What an affront to our God!

God invi ted us to fe l lowship Him (Psalm 95:6-7) , to ta lk with Him in prayer (Psalms 27:8a, 2 Chron. 7:14) , to cast our burdens and worr ies on Him (Matt . 11:28-30) , to par tner with Him as we make disciples of a l l nat ions (Matt : 28:18-20) , e tc . God told us , through Jeremiah the prophet , to cal l on Him and He would answer. He wil l show us great and mighty things we do not know about .

Brethren, we need to honor God’s invi ta t ion more than we honor anyone else .

Prayer point: Lord, help me to always make your invi tat ion my top priori ty.

Memory Verse: “You shal l know the truth and the truth shal l set you free.”(John 8:32)

Applicat ion: Begin to honor God’s invi tat ion f irs t . Make sure to prepare yourself physical ly as wel l as spir i tual ly.


June 25th, 2011

WHO IS REALLY IN CHARGE?

Text: Genesis 1:1-3

Who is real ly in charge echoes throughout the world? Most Parents out of f rustrat ion of ten ask their chi ldren who is in charge in this house. World unrest is about who is in charge. Husbands and wives f ight over who is in charge. Even l i t t le chi ldren as they play, f ight among themselves over who has more power than the other. This is usual ly evidenced by who grabs the most toys.

One has authori ty over what he or she authors . Since God is the author of the universe; He holds a l l r ight to i t not the devi l . The author wri tes the ending to his s tory and nothing can change i t . Only those who have authori ty can delegate i t . You cannot give what you don’t have. The author of the universe has ul t imate authori ty over a l l creat ion. The choice not to submit to Him, though He permits i t i s absolute rebel l ion. This is why the Bible reminds us that God the judge to whom we wil l a l l g ive account one day (Rev. 20:11-15) . I f we are to pray with authori ty and rule our world through intercession, we need to understand that God is in charge.

Prayer point: Lord, teach me to understand that al l authori ty belongs to you and help me to submit myself to your authori ty


Applicat ion: If not already, begin now to acknowledge God as the ul t imate authori ty for your l i fe .


June 26th, 2011

YOU HAVE AUTHORITY USE IT

Text: Psalms 115: 16

What God has in mind for Adam He intended for a l l Adams (Us) including authori ty over the ear thly realm hence Genesis 1:26 says God made man in His image and said, “Let them have dominion”. The authori ty to rule over the ear th was given to a l l mankind. According to Psalm 115:16, i t says , “The heavens are the Lords, but the ear th He has given to the sons of men.”

I t is a t rue s ta tement that God works on the ear th through humans, not independent ly of them. Perhaps, you are asking, why is God not making things happen as we would l ike Him to? The answer is that He is wai t ing for us humans to do something because he has delegated His authori ty to us (Matt . 28:18-20); He gave us authori ty over the powers of the enemy (Luke 10: 19) .

Since God gave His authori ty to a l l mankind; we have authori ty over our l i fe . No one has more authori ty over us than we do. No one has greater authori ty to pray for us than ourselves . So, begin to walk in your God given authori ty.

Prayer point: Lord, give me the grace to begin to walk in the authori ty you have made avai lable to me.


Applicat ion: Begin to use your God given authori ty today.


June 27th, 2011

THE ENEMY WITHIN

Text: 1 John 1:15-16

The atroci ty of September 1991 was perpetrated by people who l ived among us; l iving normal l ives l ike everyone else . Even they had their aviat ion t ra ining here in the US. Hardly did anyone suspect them to be enemies to the United States unt i l they did their evi l . They did what they did and succeeded because they had inside knowledge of how things work. We also have American ci t izens who are American’s worst enemy by working undercover for other countr ies , sel l ing inside information to other nat ions against the US.

The enemy within is the worst enemy one can have; because he has every information about us which no one else has . Just as governments have t ra i tors and spies within their operat ion so Chris t ians have enemies within as wel l . The f lesh; the enemy within seeks to hinder and suppress the work of God in our l ives . Satan and the world our external enemies cannot force us to disobey God but the f lesh gives Satan and the world a foothold with which to a t tack us .

So brethren, we have to watch out for this enemy the Bible cal ls “The lust of the f lesh” and subject i t to the word of God and the spir i t of God i f we are to walk in our God giving authori ty.

Prayer point: Lord, expose every work of the f lesh in my l i fe so that I can have victory over i t


Applicat ion: Begin to ask God to reveal self to you; because whenever an enemy is exposed; i ts power is broken. An enemy you do not know exis t wi l l a lways have an edge over you.


June 28th, 2011

SALVATION IN JESUS

Text: John 14:12

The f i rs t pr inciple that determines our level of authori ty in prayer is s imply our re la t ionship to Chris t . As a young adul t f resh out of school , I went to Lagos to s tay while I look for job. One day, I went to vis i t one of my fr iends at her place of work where I met her boss . After exchanging pleasantr ies with him, i t dawned on him that he knew my dad; they went to col lege together and were good fr iends then. So he immediately offered me employment based on the fact that he knew my father. I t i s said that having access to important people does open up doors for an individual .

The same way i t i s in our prayer l i fe . Just l ike every body has equal access to apply for a job; most t imes, our get t ing the job depends on who we know. As long as we know Jesus as our Lord and savoir we can access the father in prayer. The Bible te l ls us that as long as we pray to the father in Jesus name our request is guaranteed to be answered.

Everybody is born into the domain of darkness , but through fai th in Jesus Chris t we are del ivered from darkness and t ransferred into the kingdom of Jesus Chris t . I f you have never taken the opportuni ty to put your fa i th in Jesus Chris t , you need to do that today.

Prayer point: Lord, give me the grace to always put my trust in Jesus.


Applicat ion: Always pray in Jesus name


June 29th, 2011

ARE YOU HUNGRY FOR GOD?

Text: Psalms 119:130

Two chi ldren l ived l ike a pauper for over two decades because they did not know that their fa ther lef t them each a mil l ion in the bank. Their uncle hid the papers f rom them and was enjoying what r ightful ly belonged to them because they did not know. Due to lack of knowledge, some Pharisees who were arguing with Jesus insis ted that because they were Abraham’s chi ldren, they were not in bondage and does not need del iverance; but they are in bondage to the Roman Empire; their re l igious t radi t ion, Satan and s in . So, their only means of f reedom is knowledge of the Scriptures which wil l te l l them what they have through Chris t .

Psalm 119:30 s ta tes that “The entrance of His word br ings l ight into darkness and te l ls us everything about s in and Satan and how to be free f rom them” Our understanding of God and His word can affect our level of authori ty in praying. Without knowledge of God and His words we wil l not be aware of His provis ions for us or of His word. I f we are ignorant of what is r ightful ly ours in Chris t , we wil l not exercise authori ty to lay hold of those things. Again, without knowledge of God’s word, we wil l not have fai th (Rom.10:17) . To the degree we know and bel ieve the word, to that degree we wil l obey and act upon i t wi th authori ty

Prayer point: Lord, Give me knowledge and understanding concerning your word so that on one can cheat me out of my inheri tance which is in Chris t .


Applicat ion: Begin to s tudy to know the word of God for yourself .


June 30th, 2011

RIGHTEOUSNESS IN CHRIST

Text: 1 John 1 2:2

I remember that when I was a chi ld , whenever I did anything wrong, I tend to s tay away from my dad; even though I know that my father loved me. My father s t i l l feel the same about me; he did not s top loving me because of what I did, ra ther gui l t f rom what I did kept me from get t ing close to him. Our level of authori ty and favor with God is l inked to our level of puri ty. Psalm 24:1 says that those who have pure hear t and clean hands can approach God and His throne. As humans i t i s not possible for us to maintain our puri ty a l l the t ime; thank God for Jesus.

Isaiah 64:6 sates that on our best days our r ighteousness is l ike a f i l thy rag before God. But because of our fa i th in Jesus Chris t , God graciously dresses us up in His r ighteousness; so that we are no longer gui l ty and Satan has no ground to accuse us (Rom. 4:3-4, 2Cor. 5:21) . According to our text , the death of Chris t is the basis for the forgiveness of our s in in t ime and eterni ty and as bel ievers , we have Jesus as our defense at torney.

Prayer point: Lord, c lothe me with the r ighteousness that comes from Chris t


Appl icat ion: Always go to God based on the r ighteousness of Chris t and never on the grounds of anything we have done.


Contact :15821 Greenwood Road,South Holland, IL 60473Tel: (708) 201-1192Fax: (708) 201-1193website: http:/ /www.women-leadership.org

Contributors:

God by his grace has chosen His vessels who have prayerful ly wri t ten God’s message for His people .

Folake OlaleyeFunmi HaastrupRita OjibahGeah KaiOmololu Amoran


Contact :15821 Greenwood Road,South Holland, IL 60473Tel: (708) 201-1192Fax: (708) 201-1193website: http:/ /www.women-leadership.org

Dear Friend:

The Dai ly Answer is a quarter ly devot ional created for the dual purpose of a iding the reader to develop in their devot ional l i fe and to grow in knowledge of God’s word. The cost of producing such a l i fe edifying work is great . Your generous donat ion is appreciated.

Thank you graciously and the Lord bless and increase you.

To donate to the product ion of Dai ly Answer, please contact . .or send check or money orders to:

Dai ly Answer15821 Greenwood Road,South Holland, IL 60473

Cover Design & Production:

Urgent Message Product ion Minis t ry

South Holland, IL 60473

2011 The Daily Answer 1

Documents

Transcript of 2011 The Daily Answer 1