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Tag: devotional

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Faith like potatoes

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Faith like potatoes

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: Hebrews 11:1-39

    Meditation verse:

    “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”  (Hebrews 11:1).

    I stumbled upon a movie some years back which has made a huge impact on my  faith even till this day. The movie “Faith Like Potatoes” is based on the  autobiography novel of Farmer turned Evangelist, Angus Buchan. It portrays the  inspiring true story of Angus, a local farmer in South Africa who learnt to trust  God with every detail of his farming work. After his conversion, Angus began to live out his newfound faith in God in his work as a farmer. When a chance fire  threatened to spread, Angus Challenged his Zulu Farm assistant to pray with him  for rain. It wasn’t yet the rainy season and the assistant scoffed but Angus  prayed, and it rained. The rains extinguished the fire.

    When the land experienced severe drought, such that nothing could grow on it,  Angus challenged the farmers to go ahead and plant their potatoes. Everyone  was skeptical, but Angus knew the God, he had come to believe in. So, the  potatoes were planted, but the surfaces remained very dry. It seemed nothing  was growing underneath. But when it was harvest time, Angus again challenged  the farmers to dig and harvest the potatoes. That little Zulu town experienced a  bumper harvest of big, fresh potatoes like never.

    At the end of the day, each one of us must live out our faith wherever we are  and in everything we do, otherwise our faith is useless. Our Christian faith must  be lived out especially in the marketplace. There is no separation between that  which is secular and spiritual, everything is spiritual. Our business practices,  engagements, associations, decisions, goals, activities, and outcomes must  reflect our faith in Christ. And this faith must be like the potatoes harvested by  Angus Buchan and his co farmers several years ago. Our faith must be big and  real enough for others to see, feel and touch.

     

    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: Who do men say you are?

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Who do men say you are?

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: MATHEW 16:13-20

    Meditation verse:

    “He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” (Mathew 16:15).

    As you interact with people daily, they form impressions about you which inform  who they think you are. Their opinions which are entirely dependent on their  interpretations of what you say and do, may not necessarily be a true  representation of who you are.  

    Whilst Jesus was on earth, He ate with sinners, visited the home of a tax  collector, ate without washing Hands, healed on the Sabbath and allowed a  former prostitute to anoint His feet. To Jesus, these were all acts of love- His way  of saying “I do not condemn but love you”. However, the pious Pharisees and  Sadducees saw things differently. Based on their own interpretations, they  called Jesus a wine bibber, breaker of sabbath laws and a friend of sinners and  outcasts. They even accused him of heresy when He said He was the son of God.  Jesus was not distracted by their accusations. He knew who He was remained  focused on the task at hand.  

    If you are adversely affected by what others say of you or get distracted, you are  undermining your progress and doing yourself a huge disfavor. The bible says in  Ecclesiastes 7:21, “do not take to heart everything people say, lest you hear your  servant cursing you”. If Jesus was unfairly and wrongly accused, why do you  suppose you will not be ill spoken of? 

    When Jesus wanted to know the truth about what others thought, He asked  those closest to Him, His disciples: “But who do you say that I am?”. If you truly  desire to know what others think of you, ask those closest to you and they will  tell you, warts, and all. But be sure to ask those whose judgement you trust.  

    Nothing means anything except the meaning we give to it and the meaning we  give to things differ based on our lens of interpretation. Do yourself a favor stop  whining over what others think about you. You cannot be the most popular  person on earth and focus on what God wants you to do. Let Jesus’ example  encourage you today.

     

    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: The many voices that speak

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: The many voices that speak

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: Luke 1: 1-80

    Meditation verse:

    “And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe  leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” (Luke 1:41).

    The baby in a woman’s womb feeds on whatever the mother takes in. Food,  drugs, and poisonous substances taken in by the mother will find their way to  the baby through the placenta. The baby also responds to outside sound and  stimuli. Pregnant mothers are often counselled to begin to pray and speak life  to their unborn babies as soon as they take in. It is a mystery we may not  understand. Elizabeth informed Mary that the baby in her womb leaped for joy  as soon as she heard her greeting and the bible records that her child, John the  Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit even from the womb.

    There are many voices that speak to us which unknowingly affect the babies in  the womb of our destinies. Whatever assignment or dream, or greatness that  you are carrying in your heart, which is yet to manifest is a destiny baby. Jealously guard it from strange voices which include false prophets, lies of the  devil, self-condemnation, and wrong counsel from others. Your experiences can  also take on a voice and speak fear and doubt into your life. Listening to the right  voice will cause your destiny baby to thrive and come forth in the fullness of  time but listening to the wrong one will cause it to shrivel and die a premature  death.

    The story is told of a man who planted two seeds in a pot and placed them by  his window to grow. Each day, he would speak to both plants, albeit different  words. He spoke words of affirmation to the first plant, whilst he cursed the  second. After a while, he examined both plants, and found that the first had  thrived and grown leaves, whilst the second had shriveled and died. Why not do  a life audit this day and ask yourself “am I listening to the right or wrong voices”?

     

    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: Your time of manifestation will come

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Your time of manifestation will come

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: Luke 1: 1-80 

    Meditation verse: 

    “So, the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the  day of his manifestation to Israel” (Luke 1:80). 

    Manifestation is the act of showing something or someone. The bible speaking  of John the Baptist, stated that he grew and became strong in spirit and was in  the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel. What this scripture helps  us understand is that there is a time for your manifestation and there are a  people you are meant to manifest to; this is the multitude you are sent to serve.  You are not called to serve everyone, stop running after everybody. 

    Understand too the importance of timing and stop fretting. Ecclesiastes 3: 1 says  “to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven”. Your  day of manifestation in the place you are called to serve will come; whether you  are called to ministry, business, or public service. Your efforts will pay off  someday. That seemingly painful experience is the desert ground that is  preparing you for your day of manifestation, like John the Baptist was in the  desert preparing. 

    So, what should you do? Trust your processes and keep becoming. Keep doing  what is in front of you. Today’s work is not wasted; it is stored work. In the  appointed time, God will make it happen. The day of your manifestation to your  people will come sooner than you think.

     

    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 business till I come

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Do business till I come

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: Luke 19:11-27 

    Meditation verse: 

    “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name  of the Father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all  things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the  end of the age” (Matt 28: 19-20).

    The business of soul winning is dear to God’s heart and today’s reading is a  beautiful illustration of God’s expectation and reward system in His soul winning  enterprise. Before the nobleman’s departure, he gave each of his ten servants  money and commanded them to trade with it while he was away. All ten  servants but one traded with their money and yielded profit(s). The unprofitable  servant was punished and referred to as a “wicked servant”.  

    God has given you excellent resources; talents, spiritual gifts, money, and time.  He expects you to utilize them in winning souls for Him and expanding His  kingdom. Before His departure from earth, Jesus Christ commanded you to do  business for Him until He returns, and He will ask you to give account of your  stewardship at His second coming. “Blessed is that servant whom his master,  when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him  ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘my master is  delaying his coming’ and begins to (do otherwise), the master of that servant will  come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not 

    aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the  hypocrites” (Mathew 24: 46-51) 

    The bible declares that he who wins souls is wise. You must be a witness for  Christ wherever you are and in whatever you do. You are called to be faithful to  this course until Christ comes to take you home, where you will reign with Him  in eternity.

     

    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: Get rid of those toxic thoughts

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Get rid of those toxic thoughts

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: 2 Corinthians 10:5-7

    Meditation verse:

    “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts (Proverbs 4:23,  GNT).

    Your thoughts are powerful; they can make or break you. Proverbs 23:7 says  that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. You cannot rise above the level of your  thoughts. Toxic thoughts are harmful thoughts that poison your life. They  activate the body’s fight or flee response- trigger fear, rejection, and low self esteem. They keep your brain out of learning modes of reflection, critical  thinking and problem solving. Here are four toxic thoughts to watch out for. 

    Self-defeating Thoughts: “I can never be good at this”. “That will never be me”.  “I have tried everything, I’m just not good enough”. These are thoughts and  feelings of worthlessness that you hold about yourself. They prevent you from  making the effort required to succeed, because you believe that no matter how  hard you try, you will never succeed. Keep faith and keep trying.  

    Guilty Thoughts: “I wish I hadn’t done this”. “I regret doing this, now I everyone  hates me”. Do you constantly condemn yourself because of your past mistakes?  Guilty thoughts will keep you rooted in one spot. You cannot move forward if  you have one leg stuck in the past. There is no error too big for God to forgive.  Ask for forgiveness and move ahead.  

    Escapist thoughts: “I will not be this way, if you had not done that”. Do you  constantly blame others for your shortcomings? You need to take responsibility  for your actions.  

    Comparing Thoughts: “I am not as friendly as she is, so nobody likes me”. Do you  often compare yourself with other people and feel you do not measure up? If  you do, you are being unwise. Accept and celebrate your uniqueness. 

    Get rid of toxic thoughts from your heart, using the word of God. “For the  weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down  strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself  against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the  obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

     

    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’s all part of the process

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: It’s all part of the process

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: JEREMIAH 18:1-6

    Meditation verse:

    “And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so,  he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make”  (Jeremiah 18:4).

    Most processes of development that result in change from one form to another are difficult and uncomfortable. The purification of gold, the emergence of  pearls from oysters, the emergence of a butterfly from a larva and the birth of a  baby from a pregnancy are not easy processes. See how the stomach of a  pregnant woman stretches and enlarges as her baby grows inside her. She  passes through so much discomfort until her baby is born. Even the process of  birth is painful. Change is a difficult process. Enlargement is uncomfortable. To  develop into a better version of yourself, you will pass through some very  difficult or painful stuff. It’s all part of the process. Comfort can only be found in  the status quo.  

    In making the ornament, the clay is first marred in the potter’s hands. After a  very messy process, a beautiful vessel emerges. God sent Jeremiah to the  potter’s house to make him understand how we are in His hands. “…Look, as the  clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel” (Jeremiah  18:6). God can do with you as a potter handles clay. He can rearrange the details  of your life to beautify it and sometimes this can uncomfortable. 

    When you pray for God to bless you and enlarge your coast, why do you assume  that the process or the journey will be easy? Why do you assume that it will  happen instantly? The purification of gold takes some time, full term pregnancy  takes nine months. God is working behind the scenes of your life to perfect that  which concerns you. He has information which you do not have. “As you do not  know what the way of the wind is, 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). Give yourself a break and stop fretting. It is all part of the  process, and it is working out 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: Personalize your worship

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Personalize your worship

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: Psalm 34

    Meditation verse: 

    “I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise will continually be in my mouth”  (Psalm 34: 1).

    Worship can become a chore, especially when you have been in the faith for  quite some time. It can become something you offer to God because you must.  At such times, the heart can be distracted. Many Christians do not even have  personal worship times. They only engage in corporate worship during Sunday  services.

    Personalized worship is a lifestyle; it comes from deep within. When worship is  personalized, there are no limits in terms of space, time, or activity. To  personalize something means to tailor to meet an individual’s preferences,  needs or specifications. When your worship of God is personalized, you call Him  names that depict who and what He means to you, personally. You recall  moments of your intimate encounter with Him. You sing songs that express how  you have experienced Him, and you use words that reveal your deepest  emotions towards Him. Personalized worship is a love offering.  

    One of the reasons God described David as a man after His own heart was that  he knew how to personalize his worship of God. He knew how to express his  deepest feelings and yearnings in the place of worship. One time he said, “As  the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul  thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” (Psalm 42:1-2). Another time he said, “Bless the Lord, o my soul; and all that is  within me, bless his holy name” (Psalm 103:1). Indeed, most chapters in the book  of Psalm were expressions of personalized worship to God.  

    There is a place for corporate worship as well aa a place for personalized  worship. The bible says, “but the hour is coming, and now is, when the true  worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking  such to worship Him” (John 4:23). God is looking for you. Why not personalize  your worship of Him, today?

     

    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: The God of processes and order

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: The God of processes and order

    By Oke Chinye

    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.

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: What has God said to you?

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: What has God said to you?

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: PSALM 119:89-106 

    Meditation verse: 

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

    When God gives you a word of promise, He expects you to do something with it. He gave it to you as a guide so that you do not grope or stumble in darkness. The bible states that God’s  word is a lamp to our feet. Your feet are for going forth. When you take hold of a lamp in a  dark room, you do not juststand still. You put the light in front of you and move forward. That  way, you do not grope in the dark, stumble, fall or end up in a wrong place. Similarly, with  God’s word, you will not stumble through life or miss your way entirely. But you must run  with the word, for it to light up your path.  

    It took several years before I understood this principle. Towards the end of each year, I would  take out time to wait on God in fasting and prayers. I would ask Him for a theme based on a  scripture to guide me in the coming year and He was always faithful. One evening, I sat at my  desk looking at all the themes that God had given me in the past years and wondering why  they had not yielded the resultsI expected. It suddenly dawned on me that God had expected  me to order my plans and activities for each year based on the word He had given me. I had  however sat still, expecting a magic wand to make things happen.  

    For instance, the year He gave me “purposeful advancement towards a life of significance”,  did I in the cause of the year, come up with a plan on how I would advance into significance  in key areas of my life? Did Iseek out enough opportunitiesto show case my gifts and talents?  Purposeful means intentional, planned or thought off and to be significant, you must show  up. When He said, “grow unto perfection”, did I increase the time I spent studying His word?  Did I ponder on what childish things I needed to do away with to become mature?  

    When God gives you a specific word, it is because He wants to accomplish something specific  in that area of your life, but unless you act based on the word, nothing happens. What has  God said to you? What have you done or what are you doing with what He has said to you? If His mouth has spoken, then His zeal has already perfected. This month, run with the word  that He has given to you.

     

    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.