THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017 A SURPRISE DEAL TEXT: EXODUS 3:10, 11A)? BIBLE TEXT: "Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Moses said unto God, Who am I" (Exodus 3:10, 11a)? This deal was about the call of Moses by God for the deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. He would leave taking care of the flocks of Jethro at the backside of the desert to lead the Israelites to the Land of Canaan. Moses was not ready for this deal; he felt unqualified, but he was the man Jehovah El Shaddai (the God who is more than enough), had chosen to use. In his book, The Divine Conquest, A. W. Tozer said, "Not by might, nor by power, neither by native ability nor by training are men made apostles, but by God's effectual calling. So it is in every office within the church." Have you ever been appointed to lead a group or team like being a school prefect or the presi...

ONLY THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE  DAILY DEVOTION Today’s Scripture: John 8:32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Few thinkers influenced the modern concept of law, order and freedom like the Roman Senator and philosopher, Marcus Cicero. His ideas on justice, law and freedom still merit consideration over two millennia after his passing. And here is one of his most profound notions on freedom: “We are in bondage to the law in order that we may be free.” Cicero strikes a chord that rings particularly true for people seeking total freedom, which only Christ can give. To walk in the freedom Christ has bought us, we must subject ourselves to His Law, to His Word. For it is the truth, and the only truth, that has the capacity to set and keep us free. What is the truth? Jesus said: “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17). The Word of God is truth. And it is in binding it to our hearts through study and meditation that we f...

MARCH 16 Jesus Will Finish the Mission Devotional by John Piper “ This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14 don’t know any more inspiring missionary promise than this word from Jesus. Not: This gospel should be preached. Not: This gospel might be preached. But: This gospel will be preached. This is not a great commission, nor a great commandment. It is a great certainty, a great confidence. Who can dare talk like that? How does he know it will? How can he be sure the church will not fail in its missionary task? Answer: The grace of missionary service is as irresistible as the grace of regeneration. Christ can promise universal proclamation because he is sovereign. He knows the future success of missions because he makes the future. All the nations will hear! A “nation” is not a modern “country.” When the Old Testament spoke of nations, it referred to groups like ...

The Secret of Contentment By Billy Graham • March 16 • Topics: Persecution, Suffering HomeDaily DevotionThe Secret of Contentment smiling man I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great his power is to help those who believe him. It is that same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead . . . —Ephesians 1:19,20 (TLB) Jesus told His disciples that the world would hate them. They would be “as sheep in the midst of wolves.” They would be arrested, scourged, and brought before governors and kings. Even their loved ones would persecute them. As the world hated and persecuted Him, so it would treat His servants. Thousands of Christians have learned the secret of contentment and joy in trial. Some of the happiest Christians I have met have been life-long sufferers. They have had every reason to sigh and complain, being denied so many privileges and pleasures that they see others enjoy, yet they have found greater cause for gratitude and joy than many wh...

Eliminate Stress and Fill Your Life with God's Best by Joyce Meyer - posted March 16, 2017 Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.… —John 14:27 Nothing harms us emotionally the way stress does. We might say that anxiety is emotions out of control. When someone experiences anxiety, most of the time it's because their emotions have been stressed to the point that they are no longer functioning healthily. There are many situations that cause anxiety. The death of a spouse or child, divorce, and job loss are major events; however, not all the reasons are that serious. A lot of anxiety is caused simply by taking on more than we can handle. I used to feel constantly overwhelmed due to stress, but it was because my schedule was unreasonable. And—even worse—I thought I was doing it for God. It is amazing to me now when I look back at how d...

Spilling Through My Fingers Kirsten Holmberg Isaiah 40:9–17 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand . . . ? Isaiah 40:12 After I clumsily knocked over my glass on the restaurant counter, the spilled beverage began to cascade over the edge and onto the floor. Out of sheer embarrassment, I tried to catch the waterfall with cupped hands. My efforts were largely unsuccessful; most of my beverage rushed through my fingers. In the end, my upturned palms held little more than a meager tablespoon each, while my feet stood in puddles. My life feels similar on many days. I find myself scrambling to solve problems, oversee details, and control circumstances. No matter how hard I try, my feeble hands are incapable of managing all the pieces and parts. Something invariably slips through my fingers and pools on the floor at my feet, leaving me feeling overwhelmed. No amount of contorting my hands or squeezing my fingers more tightly together makes me able to handle it all. Y...

OPEN HEAVENS 2017 OBEDIENCE AND MIRACLES – Thursday March 16th 2017 Memorise: His mother saith unto the servants, whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. John 2:5 Read: John 2:1-12 (KJV) 1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. 3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. 4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. 5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. 6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. 7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. 9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made...

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES THURSDAY, 16TH MARCH. WISDOM THROUGH THE WORD. Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him (Proverbs 22:15). There’re people who never make the right choices or decisions or ask the right questions. What happened to such people? How did they become that way? The answer is in our opening verse. It says, “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child….” Then it says the rod of correction will drive that foolishness far away from him. The rod of correction isn’t a stick or cudgel; that may help in some cases, but the actual rod of correction is the Word of God in your mouth, and the Word of God is the wisdom of God. Meaning that, the wisdom of God, coming out of your mouth will drive foolishness away from a child so that as he grows up, he gets wiser. The Apostle Paul hinted on this in his address to Timothy. He charged him to continue in the Word, which he had learnt as a child and had made him wise: “And...

THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017 DAMNED THROUGH LYING -JEREMIAH 20:1-6 KEY VERSE: "And thou, Pashur, and all that dwell in thine house shall go into captivity: and thou shalt come to Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and shalt be buried there, thou, and all thy friends, to whom thou hast prophesied lies" (Jeremiah 20:6). Show me a man who is habitually or frequently a liar and you show me a man who will have his portion in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. I do not care to which denomination of Christians he may belong. I am sure he is none of Christ’s. And it is very sad to know that there are some in all fellowships, who have this great and grievous fault that you cannot trust them in what they say", said Charles H. Spurgeon. The people of Israel had forsaken God and had gone into idolatry; they had also built high places for other gods where their sons were offered in sacrifices. Jeremiah was sent by God to warn the people of the impending wrath of Go...