Tag: devotional

Read: 2 Peter 1:5-11 

Meditation verse: 

“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure,  for if you do these things, you will never stumble (2 Peter 1:10). 

How spiritually whole are you? 2 Corinthians 13:5 says examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. But what does a spiritually whole life look like? A spiritually whole life is: 

❖ Sanctified and Holy. Holiness in all things is important. Hebrews 12:14  states that without holiness no one will see God.  

❖ Soaked in scriptures. He or she meditates on the word of God. 2 Timothy  2:15 says study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that  needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 

❖ Filled with and sensitive to the Holy spirit. Romans 8:14 says “For as many  as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. He receives  revelation and insight for self and others from abiding in God’s presence.  Telling people what human teachers have taught them may be of some  help, but the most impactful words are spoken by those who have been  thought by the Lord. Revelation comes by being filled with The Holy Spirit. 

❖ Fruitful in every area of human endeavour. John 15:5-6 states “I am the  vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much  fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me,  he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw  them into the fire, and they are burned”. 

❖ Filled with a sense of serenity and peace. Phil 4:6-8 says, “be careful of  nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, let your requests  be made known unto God, and the peace of God which passes all  understanding will keep your hearts and mind”. Peace comes when your  roots are deep in Christ.  

❖ Lastly, a spiritually whole life is a life of total surrender. Galatians 2:20  states “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but  Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in  the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 

Sound spiritual discipline of worship, prayers, fasting, bible study and godly  lifestyle will help you achieve spiritual wholeness.

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 146:3-10

Meditation verse:

“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” (Psalm 121:1-2).

This is what the bible has to say about those who put their trust in people  because they are wealthy, powerful, or connected; “Don’t put your confidence  in powerful people; there is no help for you there. When they breathe their last,  they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them” (Psalm 146:3-4, NLT). 

A famous old song says, “stand up, stand up for Jesus, stand in His strength  alone, the arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own”.  

Yes, the arm of flesh will fail you. Why? Because as humans, we are fickle, weak,  and self-serving. We have a natural tendency to look out for our own interests.  Outside of God, no man can help another. It is God who wills in us to do of His  good pleasure. He is the one who holds the hearts of kings in His palms and turns  them to whichever direction pleases Him.  

Here’s who the bible prescribes that you put your hope in:  

“Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the  Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps truth forever, who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners. The  Lord opens the eyes of the blind; The Lord raises those who are bowed  down; The Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; but the way of the wicked He turns  upside down. The Lord shall reign forever—Your God, O Zion, to all  generations. (Psalm 146:5-10). 

Psalm 123:1-2 says “Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of  a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until  He has mercy on us”. Why not make this your daily prayer.

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: JUDGES 11 & 12 

Meditation verse: 

“So, teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Ps  90:12).

Jephthah the Gileadite, was one of Israel’s judges and a mighty man of valour.  Today’s reading gives an account of how he led Israel to victory against the  people of Ammon and Ephraim. He judged Israel for six years before he died. 

Three other judges led Israel after Jephthah: Ibzan, Elon and Abdon,  consecutively. However, very little was said about them. Their records merely  stated that they had many children and donkeys, nothing about any legacy left  behind; no wars fought, no territories conquered. Yet all three judged Israel for  longer periods of time than Jephthah. The next great account was that of  Samson who judged Israel after Abdon. 

We were put on this earth for a particular assignment. We were saved to serve.  We have a responsibility to make our lives count in our service to God and  others. When your time is up and your story is recounted, what would be in your  records? That you had great wealth and many children? Or that you touched the  lives of others in profound ways? 

What exploits are you doing with the gifts that God has given to you? What  service are you rendering to your generation? What footprints are you leaving  in the sands of time? This is a call to reconsider our ways. It is time to begin to  recalibrate your legacy.

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 TIMOTHY 4:6-8

Meditation verse:

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2  Timothy 4:7).

Several years ago, I participated in a parent’s race during the annual sports event  of my children’s school. About five mothers came out to the starting point to  participate. The whistle went off and we began the race as our children cheered  us on. I gave it my all and soon I was right ahead of the others. As I continued  running, I noticed a group of people standing together close to the end of the  field. Mistaking that for the finish point, I stopped by the group. The other  women who were far behind me ran past me and got to the finish point. I had  gotten distracted from the real finish line by the group of individuals. 

I pondered on the day’s event as I drove back home with the children and  wondered at how I failed to reach the finished line because of a slight  distraction. Not everyone who begins a race gets to the finished line. Some  runners lose their balance and fall by the way, some get distracted, others  become too weary to continue. Those who finish strong are the ones who never  take their gaze off the finish line. Similarly in the race of life, some people get  distracted by the cares of this present world, others become weary from fighting  the battles of life, still yet many do not even get started. 

The apostle Paul kept his eyes on the finish line and ended well. In discharging  his apostolic mandate, he completed three long missionary journeys, planted at  least 14 churches, wrote 13 of the New Testament books and endured some of  the toughest conditions, persecutions, and trials. And then he gave his  valedictory speech in 2 Timothy 4:7- 8, “I have fought the good fight, I have  finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown  of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will give to me on that  Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing”. Keep your  eyes on the finish line, so that you can end well and receive your crown.

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: Ecclesiastes 7:8-10

Meditation verse:

“The end of a thing is better than its beginning; the patient in spirit is better than  the proud in spirit” (Ecclesiastes 7:8).

Our understanding of things as humans is very limited; only God understands  and knows everything. We are therefore prone to false attributions, faulty  assumptions, wrong decisions, and incorrect conclusions. We may also  misinterpret the things that happen to us in life because we are concluding  based on our limited understanding or on just the evidence that we can see.  Hebrews 11 says “now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence  of things not seen”. Does this not mean that there are things happening that we  cannot see? There are things happening behind the scenes of our lives that we  are unaware of and as a result we interpret the circumstances of our lives based  on what we can see and conclude that all is not well.  

What can you see happening in your life right now and what have you concluded  about that situation? Before you label it as bad, can you truthfully say that you  have all the facts and evidence to conclude rightly? Aren’t there some things about that situation that you do not know or are not so certain about?  Ecclesiastes 11:5 states “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”. God specializes in working behind the  scenes of our lives and the secret things belong to Him. You have no way of  knowing what He is doing about your situation, why then would you conclude  and give it a tag? 

Here’s what God says in His word “The end of a thing is better than its beginning; the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Do not hasten in your spirit  to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools. Do not say, why were the  former days better than these? For you do not inquire wisely concerning this”. (Ecclesiastes 7: 8-10). So be rest assured that irrespective of what is going on  right now, everything will be alright in the end. If it is not alright now, then it is  not the end. God says it, believe it and that settles it.

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 18:1-8

Meditation verse:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with  thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).

Prayer is an intimate two-way communication between you and God. It is you  talking to your Father as well as listening to Him speak to you. A key secret to a  more fulfilling life, especially as you advance in age, is praying your way through  any and every situation. As we get older, life throws up several emotional,  psychological, physiological as well as physical challenges.

In the first instance, you begin to battle with the reality of ageing. Your physical  looks are no longer as they used to be. Your marriage may have lost its spark.  You may be having issues with your teenagers or your grown children maybe leaving home, leaving you with an empty nest. There may also be financial  concerns as retirement looms closer. Physical ailments may creep in and natural  changes like menopause may throw up a lot of emotional and physiological  challenges for women such as weight gain, decreased libido, heat flushes,  anxiety, and night sweats. The men are not spared either. If there’s one time  you need to pray through, it is as you advance in age. You must learn to cast  your cares upon the Lord and let Him carry your burdens. 

In the place of prayers, your burdens are exchanged for God’s yoke which is light  and easy. In the place of prayers, your understanding is enlightened, your mind  is renewed, and your strength restored. In the place of prayers, you call back life  into the things that are dead around you. You can speak life to every area of life  which is experiencing deadness. You do not have to live in marital deadness, or  spiritual apathy, or physical weariness or financial misery. You can settle all of  this in the place of prayer. Psalm 126 says: ‘when The Lord brought back the  captivity of Zion, we were like those who dream”. God’s ability to restore life is  beyond our understanding. Trees are burnt down and can grow back, broken  bones heal, dead tissues are restored. That’s the life-giving power of God. When  burdened by the challenges of ageing, go to Him in prayers, and pray through  those challenges. He promises to renew your youth as the eagles and make all  things new.

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 2: 1-25

Meditation verse:

“Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend  and keep it” (Genesis 2:15).

God had not yet formed man to till the ground, so He did not cause rain to fall  on the earth. As a result, no plant or herb had grown on the field. After He  caused a mist to water the whole face of the ground, He knew that plants would  begin to grow on the earth, so He created man from the dust. Then He planted  a garden eastward of Eden and put the man He had formed in charge of the  garden to till it. “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of  Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of  every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of  good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely  die” (Genesis 2:15-17). He then realized that the man would be too lonely in the  garden; he would need someone to keep him company and help him look after  the garden, so He created the woman as a help mate for the man.  

The Almighty is a God of processes and order. He may withhold some blessings  from you, until certain things are in place in your life. For instance, He may delay  your promotion to that exalted position until your leadership skills are in place  or certain habits that will derail you are eliminated. He may also delay the  blessing of a life partner if you are still a boy at heart. God will always show up  at the appropriate time. If you sense a delay of His promise in any area of your  life, why not ask Him today what He wants you to put in order? It may be an  offensive habit or trait that needs to be gotten rid of, or a skill that needs to be  developed, or a lesson that needs to be learnt. God’s blessings make rich and  add no sorrow to your life.

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 9:10-17

Meditation verse:

“But He said to them, “you give them something to eat”, and they said, “we have  no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these  people” (Luke 9:13).

A multitude followed Jesus as He went to a deserted place in the city of  Bethsaida. When evening came, His disciples came to Him and said, “send the  multitude away to the buy food and find where to stay, for we are in a deserted  place, but Jesus said to them ‘you give them something to eat”. You were not  called to serve everyone. You cannot be everything to everybody. There are  about seven billion people in the world. You are called to serve only a tiny dot  of this seven billion. This is the multitude you have been gifted to serve. 

How do you identify the multitude you have been called to serve?  Your life experiences can lead you to your multitude. For instance, what issues,  problems, or trials have you passed through that had a significant impact on  your life or that you learned from? What processes have you gone through and  succeeded? The things that happen to us in life are hardly random, they are usually part of God’s plan to get us to where He wants us to be. God will hardly  waste a life experience, including a painful one. If you allow Him, He can take  that pain and use it for the feeding of your multitude.  

My struggles with fear and low self-esteem helped me identify my multitude. I am not called to serve those who have it all figured out. I am called to serve the  emotionally and psychologically weary. Those who are stuck and held down by  self-limiting beliefs. What is your own story? Are you a cancer survivor? Are you  a victim of rape or domestic violence, a parent with an autistic child or a  rehabilitated drug addict? A single parent? A divorcee? A matured single? A  struggling at home mother, A widow? What have you suffered that you came  through victorious? Your experiences can help you identify the multitude you  are called to serve. You can feed them with your mess to message story. You can  feed them with your skills, your passion, and your expertise that you have  gathered over the years. 

People are helped better when they can relate to your personal experiences and learn from you how you survived. They are helped better from practical realm  experiences than from textbook therapy. The bible says that God comforts us so  that we can comfort others with the same comfort wherein we were comforted.  (2 Corinthians 1:4). 

Sometimes, God will allow you to go through some painful experiences to  prepare you for the assignment He has for us. But you must be willing to learn  from and share those experiences, rather than cover them up. It becomes your  own story and when you share that story, it becomes a powerful tool to  transform someone’s life.  

Several people have found purpose in the trials they have been through or the  things they suffered and endured. Everything you have passed through over the  years can become food for your multitude. Your life is a bundle of energy which  people must experience when they encounter you. Identify and feed your  multitude. Don’t send them away. You have enough to give to them to eat. You  are the light of the world. Light up your section of the world.

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.