TheNewsGuru

Tag: devotional

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: THE HEART OF YOUR FATHER

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: THE HEART OF YOUR FATHER

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: Luke 15:11-31

    Meditation verse:

    “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers”. (3 John 2).

    God’s plan for you is that you prosper in every area of your life. He wants you to be in close relationship with Him. He desires that you live in good health, experience flourishing relationships with others, thrive financially, have a sound mind that is devoid of fear and accomplish your purpose on earth. His plans for your life are plans of good and not of evil.

    Today’s reading which highlights the story of the prodigal son portrays the heart of God, our heavenly Father. The heart of our Father is full of love, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, and grace. Psalm 103:11-14 says “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust”. 

    You are loved, forgiven, pardoned, helped, strengthened, and graced by your heavenly Father to live an abundant and fruitful life. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). In Mathew 7:11, He says “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”. Isaiah 41:10 says “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand”. This is the heart of our Father.

    Irrespective of where you are today or whatever the circumstances around you may be, do not faint or lose heart. Focus rather on the heart of your heavenly Father which is set to do you good always. The song writer says, “I have a Father who will never ever fail me, I have a Father who will never ever fail me, Jesus is my Father, He will never ever fail me, King of glory, never ever fail me”. What a blessed assurance!

     

    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.

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: What to do in God’s waiting room

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: What to do in God’s waiting room

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: Acts 1:12-26

    Meditation verse:

    “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers” (Acts 1:14).

    Every now and then, we find ourselves waiting on God to fulfil an earnest desire of our heart which seems to be tarrying. It’s called ‘being in God’s waiting room’. Some of us are waiting on Him for the fruit of the womb, some for their life partners and others to commence the ministry which they believe they have been called unto.

    Waiting on God does not mean sitting around doing nothing. In our reading for today, the apostles were in the upper room waiting for the promise of the Holy spirit. Jesus had told them to tarry in Jerusalem until they were baptized with the Holy Spirit. Though they had no idea how long this would take, they did not just sit down doing nothing. They chose to get organized and prepare for the ministry that Jesus had handed over to them: they continued in prayer and supplication, chose a replacement for Judas, and kept the fellowship with one accord. And when the day of Pentecost eventually came, they were prepared.

    Are you currently in God’s waiting room? Do what you can, while you can and as long as you can. Then leave the rest to God. That way, when your day of visitation finally arrives, you will not be taken unawares.

     

    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.

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: God is always at work for your good

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: God is always at work for your good

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: Acts 7: 1-57

    Meditation verse:

    “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose”. (Romans 8:28).

    When faced with a confusing array of challenges, it may be worth your while to remember that God is in control of all things and in all things, He is working out His perfect plan. Though it 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 what you are going through today, do not give up. God is at work in your life and in the fullness of time, His perfect plan and promises over your life will surely come to pass.

     

    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.

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: When the gap becomes a wilderness (2)

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: When the gap becomes a wilderness (2)

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: ROMANS 8:18-39

    Meditation verse: 

    “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God” (Psalm 42:11).

    When you are going through a wilderness experience and you feel your dream slipping away, what should you do at such times? 

    o Examine your life. Unbelief, disobedience, or rebellion can lead to a wilderness experience. The children of Israel consistently doubted and rebelled against God (Ps 78:17- 18). “Therefore, their days He consumed in futility and their years in fear” (Ps 78:33). Eventually, a whole generation was wiped out and never entered the promised land. You would need to ask the Holy spirit if there is doubt or disobedience in your heart.

    o Lean on the One who has control. If there is no unconfessed sin in your life, be still and know He is God (Psalm 46:10). Wait on Him, for in the place of waiting your weariness will be turned to strength. “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isaiah40:31). Relax in the knowledge that the One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it. David spent seasons of his life in the wilderness, either tending to sheep, running from King Saul or from his rebellious son, Absalom. Through it all, he trusted God. 

    o Recall God’s faithfulness in the past: Icons of God’s faithfulness in our lives are all over the place. A restored health, miracles of provision, an act of deliverance, a fruitful marriage, or a divine breakthrough. Amid a wilderness experience, David recalled God’s faithfulness “O my God, my soul is cast down within me. Therefore, I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, and from the heights of Hermon, from the Hill Mizar… The lord will command His loving kindness in the daytime and in the night His song shall be with me” (Ps 42:6-8). I look back at ‘my near death’ experience as a symbol of God’s faithfulness as well as an assurance that His purpose for my life will be accomplished. If you don’t reflect on God’s faithfulness in your past, you may never be able to trust Him with your future.

    o Focus on the now: Work diligently at whatever your hands have found to do today (Ecclesiastes 9:10). There is no wall between the sacred and the secular world. It is all sacred. Whatever God has fired you to do in the now, do it well. “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 3:17).

    Above all, remember, that God has a purpose for allowing us to go through a wilderness experience. “For we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose’ (Romans 8:28). That hold up or delay is working together for your good.

     

    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.

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: When the gap becomes a wilderness (1)

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: When the gap becomes a wilderness (1)

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: Numbers 14:26- 35

    Meditation verse:

    “They bruised his feet with fetters and placed his neck in an iron collar. Until the time came to fulfil his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character” (Psalm 105:18-19, NLT).

    The dream that God has placed in your heart will require seasons of preparation and training. The greater the dream, the longer and more strenuous the training. The fact that God has revealed your dream to you is no guarantee that He will immediately unleash you to begin to live it out. There may be a gap period between when He reveals your dream to you and when He gives you the go ahead. The gap period is a time of preparation. Biblical characters like David, Joseph, Paul and even our Lord Jesus Christ did not start their ministries immediately. There was a gap between David’s call and his first work experience in the court. Joseph moved from his dream to the pit, from the pit to Potiphar’s house, from Potiphar’s house to prison, before he was exalted to the palace. Every step of the way, in character and competence, he was being prepared for his dream. Saul had a three-year gap before he began his ministry as Paul, the Apostle. Between ages 12 and 30, Jesus immersed himself in scripture, worked with his father, Joseph on his trade and looked after his mother, before He began His ministry at age 30.

    Similarly, you may undergo a period of preparation before you launch your dream. Your gap period will require preparation in three main areas: Preparation of Character, Preparation of Competence and Preparation of Circumstances. Sometimes the gap period may linger until it eventually becomes a wilderness experience. The journey to the promised land was supposed to take a few days, but the Israelites spent forty years in the wilderness. The wilderness is a place where water is scarce, where a traveller walks alone devoid of protection and where wild animals live. Such a traveller is bound to experience fear, doubt, and loneliness. The bible often depicts the experience of God’s blessings or presence with the ‘imagery of water’: streams and rivers “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly… He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water…” (Ps 1: 1-3).  A wilderness experience is therefore a season where you experience bareness, distress, doubt, and alienation from God. In a spiritual wilderness, God feels far away, distant, absent, and unresponsive (D. W. Ekstrand). You hear nothing, see nothing, and know nothing. At such times, you feel your dream slipping away and fear it may never happen. What do you do if you find yourself in such a place?

     

    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.

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Love: A more excellent way

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Love: A more excellent way

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: 1 CORINTHIANS 13:1-13

    Meditation verse:

    “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).

    As the world celebrates love on this day, let’s remember that love is not just a feeling. It is an action. It is a strategy for obtaining peace, mending broken relationships, overlooking offences, and building better relationships with others. Where words fail to bring the desired results, love will succeed. “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13: 4-7). Love covers a multitude of sin and answers to several life issues.

    John 3:16 says “for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. In 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, Paul the Apostle said, “for the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again”. Let the love of God be your focus of celebration this day. Let it permeate your whole being. Let it determine your choices, attitude, perspectives, speech, character, and actions.

    Choose the pathway of love always and not just for this day.  Love is a more excellent way of relating with people. When people treat you badly, if you choose to love them rather than retaliating, you are more likely to win them over.  When God blesses those around you and you begin to feel envious, if you love them at that moment by speaking a kind word, your feelings of envy will disappear. When you have the good things of life and others around you do not, loving them will prevent you from being puffed up. Love enables you to accept and relate with those who are not of the same social status as you. It helps you eschew that which is evil. “Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away” (1 Corinthians 13:8).

     

    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.

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: ARE YOU A GRATEFUL PERSON?

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: ARE YOU A GRATEFUL PERSON?

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: 1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18

    Meditation verse:

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

    Your gratitude to God should neither depend on the circumstances of your life nor should it be based on what is going on around you. The bible instructs us to be grateful and give thanks in all things. Developing and maintaining a heart of gratitude to God is one sure way to live a happier and more fulfilling life. Are you a grateful person? Here is a checklist for you.

    Grateful people are content with what they have. They believe that everything they own is a blessing from God. They eschew the self-entitlement mindset, believing they have received all by God’s mercy and grace.

    Grateful people attract peace to their lives. “Thankfulness creates gratitude which generates contentment that causes peace” (Todd Stocker).

    Grateful people are cheerful givers. Because they believe they have freely received from God, they are willing to freely give back to others. 

    Grateful people easily forgive others. They acknowledge their own humanity and are willing to overlook the shortcomings of others. By extension, they are accommodating of others.

    Grateful people have no need to compare themselves with others. They are content with who they are and what they have. “…But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise” (2 Corinthians 10:12). Grateful people are wise.

    Lastly, grateful people always attract God’s presence and blessings upon their lives. God inhabits the praise of His people (Psalm 22:3) and wherever God dwells, blessings are sure to abound. “When you are always thankful to God, your tank will always be full”. So, be a grateful person.

     

    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.

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Do not stay in the place of doubt

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Do not stay in the place of doubt

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: 2 Kings 7:1-19

    Meditation verse:

    “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of  the sea driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6).

    The Bible describes the one who doubts as a wave of the sea, blown and tossed  by the wind, and such a person should not expect to receive anything from God.  People who doubt hardly ever begin any meaningful project, because they are  constantly questioning the possibility of its success. They doubt themselves and  everyone and everything around them. They believe the worse would happen  because they are sceptical about everything. 

    Amid a severe famine in Samaria, Elisha prophesied that there will be abundance  of food by the following day. But an officer of the king doubted, and said “Look,  if the Lord would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” And Elisha said  to him, “In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.” (2  Kings 7:2). The officer was trampled at the gates of Samaria whilst others were  rushing to partake of the abundance. Doubt separates you from your supply. It  prevents you from being a partaker in it. The opposite of doubt is faith. Faith is:  “confidence in what we hope for, assurance about what we do not see”  (Hebrews 11:1, NIV). The bible says: “without faith it is impossible to please  God” (Hebrews 11:6). You cannot activate God’s favour and help when you lack  faith in Him. 

    Do not stay in the place of doubt. Doubt is an internal giant and a dangerous  stronghold that can keep you stuck in a rut. If you have a habit of doubting  everything including yourself, ask God to help you. He knows your level of faith  anyway. In Mark 9:23, Jesus said to the father of the boy who had the mute spirit  “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”. He knew the  man had little or no faith, and immediately the man responded honestly “Lord,  I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24).  

    “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and  without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no  doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the  wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;  he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:5-8).

     

    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.

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: HE IS ABLE TO KEEP IT

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: HE IS ABLE TO KEEP IT

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: Psalm 91:1-16

    Meditation verse:

    “For this reason, I also suffer these things; nevertheless, I am not ashamed, for I  know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I  have committed to Him until that Day” (2 Timothy 1:12).

    When you have a valuable item, you would want to keep it safe. So instead of  leaving it to lie around the place, you take it to a safe deposit box and custody it  there. Similarly, you take your money to the bank to keep it safe.  

    The enemy is the thief that comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). He  wants to steal your peace of mind, your health, the joy in your marriage, your  finances, the destiny of your children, your job and even your life. God can  safeguard whatever is entrusted into His hands. Psalm 127: 1-3 says “Unless the  Lord builds the house, they labour in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards  the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to  sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep. Behold,  children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward”. 

    Are you currently anxious because you are on the brink of losing that which is  precious to you? On your own, you are unable to safeguard anything, no matter  how hard you try. And no other power can help you. Instead of struggling why  not commit that difficult marriage, stubborn child, ailing body, failing health,  unsaved loved one, financial situation or whatever it is unto the hands of God?  The wording of a famous song says, “I am safe whatever ills betide me, in the  hollow of His hands”. You can be sure that the One who neither sleeps nor  slumbers will keep whatever you have committed to Him.  

    “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall [b]direct your paths. Do not be  wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to  your flesh, and strength to your bones” (Proverbs 3:5-8).

     

    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.

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: IT SHALL NOT HAPPEN

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: IT SHALL NOT HAPPEN

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: 2 Corinthians 10:1-6

    Meditation verse:

    “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling  down strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

    Most of our fears are based on things that are yet to happen and which may  never happen. Isn’t it ironic that we fear that certain events will occur in the  future and most times these fears are not founded upon any evidence? People  who have a fear of flying fear that something will go wrong, and the aircraft will  crash. And yet they have never been in an aircraft that crashed. People who fear  the dark are afraid that some evil occurrence will come upon them whilst it is  dark. Those battling with the fear of public speaking are afraid that they will  mess up before a crowd. Those struggling with the fear of failure are  unconsciously preoccupied with the thought that they will fail anyway no matter  how hard they try. Those who are afraid of the future fear that something will  go terribly wrong with them in the future.  

    To fear is to be frightened of someone or something. At one time or the other  we may entertain some degree of fear, but for some people fear becomes such  a significant psychological threat, that they unconsciously sabotage their  wellbeing and success in life in a variety of ways. Certain personality traits are  prone to fear. Individuals with a high score on the trait, ‘Neuroticism’ which is a  long-term tendency to be in a negative emotional state have high anxiety. They  worry about things, are often depressed, self-conscious, easily intimidated,  impulsive and are vulnerable to strong negative emotions or panic attacks.  Naturally, for these kinds of people, fear of almost everything is a given. 

    Fear can lead to what is known as a self-fulfilling prophecy, where what you fear  the most comes to pass. This happened to Job when he said, “What I feared has  come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me” (Job 3:25 NIV). And the  reality is that despite the best efforts of others, only you can set yourself free.  Fight with the word of God. Memorize and internalise scriptures that will help  you. There is a connection between your mind and your actions. As you feed your mind with God’s promises over your life, your fears will be transformed to  courage. Watch your thoughts also, focus on what is positive.  

    Next time you find yourself stopping in your track because of fear, ask yourself  ‘what is the worst thing that can happen if I do not fear? This is what The  Almighty says in Isaiah 7:7, “It shall not stand, Nor shall it come to pass” (Isaiah  7:7). “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you  received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba, Father” (Romans  8:15). You are an heir of God entitled to special privileges. You are part of a  chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a special person (1  Peter 2:9). You are not a fearful cringing slave, so quit acting as one. “What then  shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans  8:31).

     

    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.