Watch Out For Part 2!!!

Spirit & Life Devotional
Tuesday, June 30
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

Watch Out For Part 2!!!

2 Samuel 19.18 "Then a ferryboat went across to carry over the king’s household, and to do what he thought good. Now Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king when he had crossed the Jordan."

When David fled from Absalom, there was a man from the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei. He came out, cursing David continuously. And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David. Also Shimei cursed David, saying: “Come out! Come out! You bloodthirsty man, you rogue! The Lord has brought upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are  caught in your own evil, because you are a bloodthirsty man!”

In the mind of Shimei, David was finished! In his mind, there was no way David would recover from his loss! In his mind, David would never be king again! Therefore, he had the audacity to curse the king and throw stones at him!

Here's what Shimei did not know: that the downfall of a man is not the end of him! Shimei was obviously not a good student of the scriptures, else he would have known that though a righteous man falls seven times, yet he will rise again! Shimei thought it was over for David, he didn't know that when God is involved, it is never over until we win!

I feel like jumping out of my body right now! I've got a good word for someone today, everyone who mocked you will come and prostrate before you! Everyone who rejected you, ostracized you, wrote you off, and belittled you, they will all join others to celebrate you! In the name of Jesus! I tell you, it won't be long, your star will so shine, it will be like a dream, even your classmates and colleagues will be bewildered! The Part 1 may not have ended in your favour, but watch out for Part 2!!!

What a message to end the first half of the year! It's indeed being a year of achievements! Hallelujah!!!

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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God's Special And Uncommon Gifts

Spirit & Life Devotional
Monday, June 29
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

God's Special And Uncommon Gifts

Proverbs 19.14 "Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord."

There are gifts or things that men can give you, but there are things that only God can give to you. Sometimes we are in a hurry and we miss out on what God has in store for us. It may "delay" a bit, but it always pays to wait for whatever comes from the Lord. Peninnah had her children early, Hannah didn't; but today, no one talks about the children of Peninnah, we don't even care to know them; but we know Samuel and even name our children after him!

James 1.17 says that "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." Yea, when it's from God, it's not only good, it's perfect! Hallelujah! Some parents want to manipulate things to favour their children; dear parent, let go and let God, so that your children can get the very best!

There are jobs, but God wants to give you a lucrative one! There are many men, but God wants to give you a good man! There are many women too, but God wants to give you a prudent wife who will only bring joy to your life! What's the point in having a very expensive wedding only to get divorced a few years later, or to be miserable for the rest of your life? The blessing of God makes rich, and it comes without sorrow! We must learn to trust God; to wait patiently for Him; and to truly believe His word that He's got good plans for us. As this week progresses, and as we enter into the new month, new quarter, and into the second half of the year, my prayer for you is that you receive God's special and uncommon gifts. Amen!

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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Glory Only In God

Spirit & Life Devotional
Sunday, June 28
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

Glory Only In God

Judges 7.2 "And the Lord said to Gideon, 'The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’"

Only God says something like that! You know why? Because He never shares His glory with any man. If it's what you can do all by yourself, God will stand aside; but if it's something beyond you, He will gladly assist you! That's just how He works! A lady once asked me to pray for her to be able to achieve something in order to get a reward, and I asked, "So you can get the glory, right?" I knew that God would be more glorified if she got the reward without much of her own effort.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence."

And Moses warned the Israelites, “Be careful. Don’t forget the Lord your God! Be careful to obey the commands, laws, and rules that I give you today. Then you will have plenty to eat, and you will build good houses and live in them. Your cattle, sheep, and goats will grow large. You will get plenty of gold and silver. You will have plenty of everything. When that happens, you must be careful not to become proud. You must not forget the Lord your God. You were slaves in Egypt, but he made you free and brought you out of that land. Don’t ever say to yourself, ‘I got all this wealth by my own power and ability.’ Remember the Lord your God is the one who gives you power to do these things."

Remember Nebuchadnezzar. He said, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” That very hour God made him become like an animal and he was driven into the forest, where he lived for seven years eating grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew, his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws. Remember Herod too. He was arrayed in his royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to the people. And they kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died.

Glory only in God!

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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You're Either In Or You're Out

Spirit & Life Devotional
Saturday, June 27
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

You're Either In Or You're Out

James 4.4 "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."

The closer we get to the end of the world, the clearer it would be who a person really is. There would be no sitting on the fence; you would be forced to declare your beliefs, because the true Christians will be persecuted. What's happening in the world today is a prelude to what is to come, and we must be prepared. The true church will be hated because of our refusal to compromise.

But even now, every day, every second, by the decisions we make, by our beliefs, associations and actions we are being separated. On one hand are the friends of God, on the other are the friends of the world. You can't be both! 1 John 2.15-17 says, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever."

Romans 12.2 says, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." The world is changing its definitions of good and bad, right and wrong; the truth is being twisted even by people who claim to be ministers of the gospel, even the Bible is being reinterpreted and used to justify sin. A lot of us have conformed to the world when we should have renewed our minds. As Jesus prophesied, the love of many of us is growing cold! Brothers and sisters, let's endure to the end, because it's only those who endure to the end, who remain steadfast and unmovable, that would be saved. His grace is sufficient for us.

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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Be Provoked

Spirit & Life Devotional
Friday, June 26
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

Be Provoked

Acts 17.16 "Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols."

You cannot change what you are comfortable with. In other words, you will do nothing about whatever doesn't bother you. And the more people who are less bothered, the more likely that things would remain the same. But you can make a difference.

Anger is not a bad emotion. The cause of anger, and what you do in reaction to your anger, are what make anger good or bad. The truth is that if we are going to change our world, our nation, our communities, especially as Christians, we must first be provoked by the things that are going on right now. Jesus overturned tables of money changers and traders in the Temple because He was angry! Men like Martin Luther King Jr and William Wilberforce changed the world because they were provoked!

Ephesians 5.11 says, "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them." Do you know why we are not winning souls as much as we should? Do you know why there's so much corruption, sin and evil in the world despite the fact that there seems to be so many churches and churchgoers? Because a lot of us are not provoked within. We are comfortable with the things going on; we even applaud them; we just want to live in peace and not offend people; we don't want to be labelled. Brothers and sisters, we must be provoked to the point of action! I pray that the fire of God will burn within us as never before, causing us to speak out and take necessary actions. Amen.

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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Private Praise Parties

Spirit & Life Devotional
Thursday, June 25
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

Private Praise Parties

Acts 16.25 "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them."

I know, a lot of us pray in private, but it seems that we have not learned to praise in private. We praise in church, in meetings and groups, but rarely offer praises to God alone. I think it's something you and I must learn to do.

Psalm 50.23 says, "Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.” And Psalm 149.5 says, "Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud on their beds."

I call it a praise party! Open your mouth, sing and dance to the Lord! Paul and Silas were in chains, but they didn't let those chains stop them from singing praises to God! Who knows, they may have danced! It doesn't matter if you are on a hospital bed, Psalm 149:5 says to sing aloud on your bed! Believe me, that sickness would go as you sing praises to God! Stop complaining that you don't have a car! It's a great opportunity to sing praises to God as you walk to your destination! And if you have a car, you are privileged to play CDs that can aid you! The other prisoners heard them sing! So sing! Be free! Praise Him! And see your life and situations change... from glory to glory! Hallelujah!

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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Let God Be The Head

Spirit & Life Devotional
Wednesday, June 24
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

Let God Be The Head

2 Chronicles 13.12 "Now look, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper!”

Four hundred men went to war against eight hundred and prevailed, killing five hundred of them because their king acknowledged God as the Head of his army.

You'd be quick to say that God is the head of your life, your family, business, team, etc, if I ask, but is He truly the head? Do you always acknowledge Him as the head? Do you consult Him before you make decisions? It's more than having inscriptions on the wall of your house and office, you've got to relate with Him as one.

Be a man or woman whose life is regulated by the word of God. That's the real proof that you have made God the head of your life. Jesus said, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46). Please spend some time to think about the things you do - how you live, your work, your business, your family, your finances, your relationships - are your actions being guided by divine instructions? When God is the Head, and you're living by His word, then success and prosperity are guaranteed. Please let God be Head indeed.

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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