Tag: devotional

Read: John 2:1-10 

Meditation verse: 

“His mother said to the servants, “whatever He says to you, do it” (John  2:5).

As you begin the new year seeking wisdom and guidance from God, He will speak  to you in diverse ways. He may speak to you through scriptures: a particular  scripture may light up before you as you study His word. He may speak to you  through messages from trusted and anointed men and women (carriers of ark)  or through counsel from other people. Whichever way He instructs you, be sure  to do exactly what He says promptly, rather than what you think is best.  

At the marriage at Cana, the wine got finished, so the organizers had a problem  at hand. The problem was presented to Jesus and His mother told the servants  to do exactly what Jesus commanded. The miracle is in the obedience, and this  is where we miss it as Christians. God may stir our hearts to do things that seem  foolish to the human eye. 

Imagine asking for wine and being told to fill jars with water. Imagine needing  money for tax and being told to go to the sea and cast a hook and collect a piece  of money from the mouth of the first fish that comes up (Matt 17:27). Imagine  fishing in tested waters all night as an expert fisherman and catching nothing,  then being told to cast your net into the least likely side of the river (Luke 5:5).  Imagine been told to roll away the stone from the grave of a man who had been  dead several days and stinking, so that he could be brought back to life (John  11:39). The list is endless. 

The foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men. God’s ways are not our  ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts. Be determined to follow God’s leading  in every area of your life in this new year. Remember, the miracle is always in  the obedience and obedience begins only when you take the first step.

IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Pst (Mrs) Oke Chinye, Founder of The Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM).

For Prayers and Counseling email rockteachingministry@gmail.com

or call +2348155525555

For more enquiries, visit: www.rockteachingministry.org.

Read: Joshua 3: 1-17

Meditation verse:

“…that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not  passed this way before” (Joshua 3:4b).

The children of Israel were about to cross over the Jordan to the  promised land after forty tears of wandering in the wilderness. The  officers went through the camp and instructed the people to move  only when they see the ark of the covenant of the Lord their God, with  the priests and Levites bearing it. They were to set out from their  places only after they had seen the ark, that they may know the way  by which they should go for they had not passed that way before.  

It’s the beginning of the year today: the first day of a new year. What  lies ahead in the year is unknown to us as we have not passed through  this year before. The ark of the covenant was a symbol of God’s  presence: Yahweh’s presence: His strength and almightiness. Today,  we do not have the ark with us or the Levites who bear it. We carry  the presence of God inside us in the person of The Holy Spirit. We are  bearers of God’s Almighty presence. 

Do not move ahead in this new year before you see the ark. Begin the  year by setting yourself apart to wait on God and seek guidance from  the Holy Spirit who is inside you. When you do this, “your ears shall  hear a word behind you saying, ‘this is the way, walk in it’. (Isaiah  30:21a).  

“And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: ‘give me a light that I might  tread safely into the unknown’. And he replied: ‘go out into the darkness and put  thine hand into the hand of God. That shall be better than light and safer than a  known way. So, I went forth and finding the hand of God, trod gladly into the night”. -ML HASKINS  

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Pst (Mrs) Oke Chinye, Founder of The Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM).

For Prayers and Counseling email rockteachingministry@gmail.com

or call +2348155525555

For more enquiries, visit: www.rockteachingministry.org.

Read: 2 Samuel 12:15-23

Meditation verse:

“So, David arose from the ground, washed, and anointed himself, and changed  his clothes; and he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went  to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate” (2 Samuel 12:20). 

It is the last day of the year. Irrespective of how you think the year went for you,  praise God that you made it this far and are alive. 

• You may not have achieved the goals you set. 
• You may not have started that business. 
• You may not have gotten that house. 
• You may not have bought that car. 
• You may not have gotten married. 
• You may not have gotten pregnant. 
• You may have lost someone precious. 
• You may be in a place of grief. 

Irrespective of what you lost or failed to achieve over the year, do not lose your  hope and faith in God. Each day offers a new beginning and opportunity for a  fresh start. Tomorrow is the beginning of a new day, the beginning of a new  year. How long will you mourn over your loses? As the clock strikes at midnight  today, why not do as king David did: arise from the ground, wash, and anoint yourself, change your clothes (signifying a change in your countenance and  mindset), and worship God. Then move forward and enter a new chapter of your  life. “And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of  Israel to go forward” (Exodus 14:15). Go forward!

IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Pst (Mrs) Oke Chinye, Founder of The Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM).

For Prayers and Counseling email rockteachingministry@gmail.com

or call +2348155525555

For more enquiries, visit: www.rockteachingministry.org.

Read: Psalm 136:1-26

Meditation verse:

“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1  Thessalonians 5:18).

I came across a quote some time ago and it has stuck with me till date. It read:  “when you are always thankful to God, your tank will always be full”. God  inhabits the praises of His people and wherever God dwells, blessings are sure  to abound. The bible instructs us to give thanks to God in every situation. This  implies having a lifestyle of thanksgiving, which is the hallmark of a fulfilled life.  King David was in the habit of giving God thanks. Not a few of his psalms had  thanksgiving as their theme. In Psalm 95:2 and 100:4, he encouraged us to enter  God’s presence with thanksgiving and praise. In Psalm 100:4, he instructed all to  be thankful unto God. Little wonder God referred to him as “a man after His own  heart”. 

Be deliberate about ending this year in a thanksgiving mode. Your thankfulness  to God should not depend on the circumstances of your life, nor should it be  based on what is currently going on around you. It is a spiritual imperative that  you continuously give thanks to the one whose knowledge of your  circumstances is supreme and who declares the end of a matter from the  beginning. God is good to those who fear Him, and whilst He is not the author  of all the bad things that may happen to you, He may permit certain trials for  your benefit. When you thank Him in every situation, you position yourself to receive all He intends for you to have or learn all He wants you to learn. This  way, you emerge stronger, wiser, and victorious in all things.  

When we murmur or grumble, we are displaying a lack of faith in the God who  controls the affairs of the whole earth. Without faith, it is impossible to please  God. Developing and maintaining a heart of gratitude to God is the best way to  end the year. Why not say this prayer today; “thank You Lord for keeping me  from January till December. I believe that the plans you have for me are good. I  choose to give You thanks always and in everything, because no matter how this  year has gone, You will cause all things to work out for my good according to  Your purpose, Amen”.

IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Pst (Mrs) Oke Chinye, Founder of The Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM).

For Prayers and Counseling email rockteachingministry@gmail.com

or call +2348155525555

For more enquiries, visit: www.rockteachingministry.org.

Read: Genesis 19:1-29 

Meditation verse: 

“But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt” (Genesis  19:26).

As the curtains slowly close over this year and we get set to enter the new year,  what is your state of mind? Gratitude, peace and serenity or confusion,  frustration, and regret? What posture are you currently adopting? If you feel  grateful, you will be looking up to God with praise and thanksgiving in your  heart. If you feel confused and frustrated, you will be looking around you,  searching for answers to why this happened or why that did not happen. If you  feel regretful, you will be looking back in regret, dissatisfaction, or longing. 

In today’s reading, God had decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. He sent  two angels to warn Lot to flee with his family. The instruction was “escape for  your life, do not look behind you”. But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became  a pillar of salt. Looking back is dangerous; it stalls your movement, hinders your  progress, and keeps you rooted in the same spot. When you keep looking back,  you are identifying with what is behind including your mistakes, fear, errors, and  all. Stop looking back at what should or should not have been, what is ahead of  you is more important. The past is gone, quit reliving it and get excited about  the prospects of the forth coming new year. You cannot open a new chapter of  your life if you keep reading the previous one.  

As this year rolls to an end and we get set to enter the new year, what posture  should you adopt? Look up to God in gratitude, faith, and anticipation. Jeremiah  29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord,  thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”. Psalm 121:1-3 states, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My  help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your  foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber”. These are God’s  promises over your life. So, get excited about the forth coming new year.

IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Pst (Mrs) Oke Chinye, Founder of The Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM).

For Prayers and Counseling email rockteachingministry@gmail.com

or call +2348155525555

For more enquiries, visit: www.rockteachingministry.org.

Read: Psalm 119:1-176 

Meditation verse: 

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).

Every living thing needs certain nutrients for healthy growth and survival.  Humans require several essential minerals and vitamins the absence of which  will lead to certain deficiencies and even death. For instance, absence of vitamin  C will lead to scurvy, a condition that leads to swollen and bleeding gums.  Absence of vitamin D will lead to the softening and weakening of bones in  children. Lack of Vitamin E will lead to heart problems and sterility. Without  vitamin K in the body, an injured person will bleed to death. Even plants require  nutrients to thrive, else they will shrivel or wither. We would not want to suffer from these deficiencies, so we are careful to nourish our bodies with a well balanced diet.  

What about our spiritual diet, which is the word of God? Are we as careful about  feeding our spirits as we are about our bodies? Jeremiah 15:16 says, “Your words  were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of  my heart; for I am called by Your name, o Lord God of hosts”. John 6:63 says, “it  is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you  are spirit, and they are life”. Psalm 119:9 says “how can a young man cleanse his  way? By taking heed according to Your word”. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “all  scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,  for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be  complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work”. 

The word of God is a very essential nutrient for your spirit. You cannot afford to  starve yourself of the word. Just as lack of vitamins and nutrients in our food  lead to severe abnormalities, absence of the word will result in lack of growth,  a weakening of your spirit, making you vulnerable and prone to sin, fear, anxiety,  spiritual apathy, and eventually spiritual dryness or deadness. As we prepare to  end this year and enter a new one, make up your mind to stop starving yourself  of the word of God. Make meditating on the word of God your number one new  year resolution.

IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Pst (Mrs) Oke Chinye, Founder of The Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM).

For Prayers and Counseling email rockteachingministry@gmail.com

or call +2348155525555

For more enquiries, visit: www.rockteachingministry.org.

Read: Acts 7: 1-57 

Meditation verse: 

“As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the  womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes  everything” (Ecclesiastes 11:5-6).

God is always working out His perfect will for your life. He is always busy behind  the scenesto bring forth His plan. He declares the end of the beginning and then  set things in motion. Though the circumstances of your life may not seem like  that to you at that moment. Look at the summary of the sufferings of the  patriarchs and the nation of Israel in today’s reading and see how God was  working out His perfect plan all the time.  

Vs 2: God called out Abraham to a foreign land. 

Vs 6-8: God told Abraham about the promise and gave him the covenant of  circumcision, then he begot Isaac and Isaac begot Jacob and Jacob begot the  twelve patriarchs amongst whom was Joseph. 

Vs 9: Joseph was sold to slavery into Egypt by his envious brothers. Vs 10: But God was with him, and he found favour with Pharoah who made him  governor over all. 

Vs 11: A great famine came over all Egypt and Canaan.  

Vs 13: Jacob sent his sons to Egypt for food. 

Vs 14: Joseph was revealed to them, and he sent for his father and all his  relatives. 

Vs 17: When the time of God’s promise drew near, the people grew and  multiplied in Egypt. 

Vs 18: A king who did not know Joseph arose and dealt treacherously with them. Vs 20: Moses was born and got raised by Pharoah’s daughter. Vs 29: Moses fled after killing the Egyptian and dwelt in Midian. Vs 30: After 40years, God appeared to him in a burning bush and commissioned  him to go set His people free. 

Vs 37: He led them out of Egypt through the wilderness and after 40 years, they  eventually got to the promised land. And God’s promise was fulfilled. 

God is never late with His promises “for a thousand years in His sight are like  yesterday when it is past” (Psalm 90:4). Irrespective of how this year has been,  do not lose hope. God is at work in your life and in the fullness of time, His  perfect plan will unfold. So, keep the faith and press on.

IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Pst (Mrs) Oke Chinye, Founder of The Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM).

For Prayers and Counseling email rockteachingministry@gmail.com

or call +2348155525555

For more enquiries, visit: www.rockteachingministry.org.

Read: Luke 2:1-20

Meditation verse:

“For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the  Lord” (Luke 2:11).

“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields,  keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the  Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them,  and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be  afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to  all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a saviour,  who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a  Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. “And suddenly  there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God  and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill  toward men!” – Luke 2:8-14 

Over two thousand years ago, an angel of the Lord stood before certain  shepherds in a field, proclaiming the birth of a child as ‘good tidings of great joy’.  But what was so special about this birth? It was the arrival of the much-awaited  Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would save mankind from destruction and death. It  was such great news that a multitude of heavenly host burst into singing and  rejoicing. The essence of Christmas is the celebration of the birth of the saviour  of mankind, Jesus Christ.  

In every celebration, the celebrant is the object of focus; there can be no  Christmas without Christ. How do we celebrate this day? Are we so focused on  the pomp and pageantry that we fail to remember that Jesus Christ is the reason  for the season? Here is God’s word for you as you celebrate this day and season  in commemoration of His arrival on earth: “but above all these things put on  love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your  hearts, to which also you were called in one body: and be thankful. Let the word  of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another  in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the  Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,  giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Colossians 3:14-17). Merry  Christmas!

IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Pst (Mrs) Oke Chinye, Founder of The Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM).

For Prayers and Counseling email rockteachingministry@gmail.com

or call +2348155525555

For more enquiries, visit: www.rockteachingministry.org.

Read: ISAIAH 65: 8-10

Meditation verse:

“Thus says the Lord: ‘as the new wine is found in the cluster, and one  says, do not destroy it, for a blessing is in it, so will I do for My servants’  sake, that I may not destroy them all”. (Isaiah 65:8).

Have you strayed and wandered away from the loving arms of God  because of sin? Do you feel you have gone away too far and can never be forgiven by God? Have you tried to return but the accusations of  the enemy have left you in a state of self-condemnation? 

Do not give up because God will never give up on you. Isaiah 42:3 says, “a bruised reed, He will not break, and a smoking flax, He will not  quench…”. God does not condemn you. That voice of accusation  belongs to the devil. If you have trusted Jesus as your Lord and  Saviour, His spirit lives in you and there is still a blessing in you. A  remnant which will never dry out. 

No matter how far you have wandered away, God is saying to you:  ‘there is still a blessing in you’. Do not destroy it by giving up. Why not  return this day to the loving arms of your Father. All you need to do is  acknowledge that sin and ask for His forgiveness, repent of it, and be  determined not to go back there. Then move on in the knowledge that  you are forgiven and loved by The Father 

“For there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again.  And that its tender shoots will not cease. Though its root may grow old  in the earth, and its stump may die in the ground, yet at the scent of  water, it will bud and bring forth branches like a plant” (Job 14: 7-9).

IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Pst (Mrs) Oke Chinye, Founder of The Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM).

For Prayers and Counseling email rockteachingministry@gmail.com

or call +2348155525555

For more enquiries, visit: www.rockteachingministry.org.