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Tag: devotional

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Return to your default position

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Return to your default position

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: 2 Timothy 3:1-17

    Meditation verse:

    “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

    The default position of an object is its preselected option. It is its factory fitting; the way that object is meant to be. Your default position as a child of God is found in 1 Peter 2:9. “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light”. You are royalty, destined to reign.

    When a device becomes infected by virus or overloaded with data, it slows down or crashes. It then needs to be returned to the manufacturers for cleaning and resetting to its default position. In a similar manner, your lived experiences can cause you to crash out of your default position. Circumstances of life, oppression from the enemy, the cares of the world, the foolishness of the times as well as the environments you find yourself in can cause you to become infected or overloaded, leading to a crash-out from your default setting. The bible speaks of a time when iniquity will abound, and we are currently living in those times.

    A device infected with virus will not work until it is restored back. A Christian infected with sin and overloaded with the cares of this world can not reflect the marvellous light of God. He or she cannot reign as a king. If your life is currently not in its default position or if you have abandoned the faith, God wants to reset and restore you back to your default setting. A device cannot reset itself. It needs to be sent back to the expert. You cannot reset yourself. Why not cry out to God to restore you back to your default position. You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar person. This is who you are, this is you preselected option.

    “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” (Romans 8:29-30).

     

    IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Dcns 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 your mind lies to you [2]

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: When your mind lies to you [2]

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: Mathew 15:11-20

    Meditation verse:

    “Guard your minds with all diligence, for out of it flows the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23).

    Global Labeling: In global labeling, you generalize one or two qualities into a negative global judgment about yourself. Instead of describing an error in context of a specific situation, you attach an unhealthy universal label. For example, when you say “I’m a loser” in a situation where you failed once at a specific task.

    Filtering: A person engaging in filtering takes the negative details and magnifies them while filtering out all positive aspects of a situation. For instance, you pick out a single, unpleasant detail and dwell on it exclusively so that your vision of reality becomes darkened or distorted. When a cognitive filter is applied to your life, you see only the negatives and ignore anything positive. For you, the glass is always half empty.

    Selective abstraction: Drawing conclusion based on one of many elements. Many things are responsible, but you are looking from a very narrow lens.

    Emotional Reasoning: Emotional reasoning is when your emotions overtake your thinking entirely, blotting out all rationality and logic. Whatever you feel is believed to be true automatically and unconditionally. If you feel stupid and boring, then you must be so. Emotions are extremely strong and can overrule your rational thoughts and reasoning. You assume that these unhealthy emotions reflect the way things really are — “I feel it, therefore it must be true.”

    Polarized Thinking (Black and White Thinking) In polarized thinking, you see things only in extremes— all or nothing. You must be perfect, or you are a complete and abject failure; there is no middle ground.

    Jumping to Conclusions: Without the individual saying so, you know what he or she is feeling and thinking — and why they act the way they do. This is a major cause of offence and conflicts between people. Because what you feel or think they are saying, or thinking may be totally incorrect and very far from the truth.

    Cognitive distortions are very unhealthy and can lead to mental health conditions like depression or anxiety. It can affect your sense of self-worth, relationships, health, and general wellbeing. Learn to question irrational thoughts. Ask yourself: Is this true? Where’s the evidence? Am I a failure just because I failed once? Who says nobody likes me? There are over seven billion people on earth, what fraction of this population do I know, or have I met? How then can I conclude that nobody likes me?

    By learning how to identify and refute inaccurate thinking this way, you can find more rational and balanced way of thinking. For instance, you can say I failed in this, but that does not make me a failure, I just need to find a better way of doing this. However, if you are overly consumed by this pattern of thinking, then you need to speak to a professional counsellor or therapist.

    You should constantly feed your mind with the right things. Renew your mind with the word of God. Meditate on and memorize scriptures that remind you of who you are and what you can do. Lastly, Guard your minds with all diligence, for out of it flows the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23). It’s always a case of garbage in, garbage out.

     

    IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Dcns 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 your mind lies to you [1]

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: When your mind lies to you [1]

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: Mathew 15:11-20

    Meditation verse:

    “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man” (Mathew 15:18).

    Your mind is the element in you that enables you to be aware of the world and your experiences, to think, and to feel; It is the faculty of consciousness and thought. It is your ability to think and reason: the intellect. Your mind can be your greatest weapon for success or your biggest limitation for failure because it can lie to you. These lies are referred to as Cognitive distortions. Cognitive distortions are the ways in which our mind convinces us of the truth of something that isn’t true. Below are a few of such distortions.

    Overgeneralization: When you come to a general conclusion based on a single incident or a single piece of evidence. If something bad happens just once, you expect it to happen repeatedly. Or you see a single, unpleasant event as part of a never-ending pattern of defeat. For instance, if your busines does not do well, you conclude that you are a failure. You fail to see that some other factor outside of you may be responsible, like the market forces or harsh business climate.

    Personalization: When you believe that everything others do or say is a direct and personal reaction to you. For instance, if a good friend of yours walks past you on the road without saying hello, you immediately attribute it to something you did or said, without considering that she may just be having a bad day.

    Blaming/Denying: When you hold other people responsible for your situation in life. For instance, your father died 30 years ago, yet he is still the reason you have not made progress in life. You may also take the opposite track and blame yourself for every problem — even those clearly outside your own control.

    Magnification or Catastrophizing: When you expect disaster to strike, no matter what, or you imagine the absolute worst occurring. You may also exaggerate the impact of an insignificant occurrence such as a little mistake on your part.

    Minimization: When you downplay the importance of a positive comment or event or inappropriately shrink the magnitude of significant events until they appear tiny. For instance, if someone pays you a compliment, you down-play it. “Your dress looks nice”, and you say “oh, this cheap or old dress? You downplay the good things you achieve or own. This is quite common with individuals who suffer from a low self-esteem.

     

    IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Dcns 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: 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 Dcns 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 my inheritance

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: The God of my inheritance

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: JOSHUA 19: 1-51

    Meditation verse:

    “We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us- a sphere which especially includes you” (2 Corinthians 10: 13).

    I recall reading the 19th chapter of the book of Joshua and wondering why a whole chapter, including the previous one was dedicated to details of the division of the conquered lands amongst the tribes of Israel. The areas were all listed out according to tribes, without omission. As I pondered, it was impressed in my spirit that God is a God of inheritance. He is so particular about His children taking possession of that which has been freely allotted to them.

    In modern times, God is not allotting plots of land to you. Your inheritance is your sphere of influence. There is a sphere of influence in this earthly domain that you are meant to operate in and there are people within the sphere whose lives you are destined to impact.

    Examples of spheres include business, education, leadership, politics, sports, and religion. You must know the sphere or field of authority that God has assigned to you because you are meant to fulfil your life’s purpose within it. Many people are operating outside their own sphere others are clueless and not operating within any sphere.

    How can you identify yours? Several characteristics define it:

    Impact-influence-authority. With impact and influence come ownership and authority. Within the boundaries of your sphere of influence, you are an authority and a force to reckon because you are making great impact. So, where are you making your greatest impact? What sphere do you wield maximum influence and authority?

    Your allotted sphere delineates responsibilities and privileges, such as recognition and honour. You are mostly celebrated there because it is where you are making the most impact. Which field are you often called upon to serve in and where are you mostly celebrated?

    Your sphere of influence provides an avenue for the fulfilment of God’s promises over your life and the release of His blessings upon you. Where in your life do you see much growth and fruitfulness?

    Your sphere of influence is your ‘Rehoboth’: -a place of reduced conflict. Since it is your inheritance, God will fight for you, against any contender and help you succeed. Where do you exert the least effort, yet reap the most gain? Some people are frustrated by a lack of progress because they are operating outside their territories. This amounts to seeking an inheritance that God has not allotted to them.

    Lastly, your sphere of influence is your ‘point of reference’. It is the place where you are known for something. In Numbers 22, Balak the king wanted Balaam to curse the people of Israel because he was afraid of their prosperity. He sent messengers to Balaam saying, “for I know that he whom you bless is blessed” That was what Balaam was known for. On which soil are you leaving the most footprints? Your answers to all the above should reveal your allotted sphere.

     

    IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Dcns 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: Teach us to number our days

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Teach us to number our days

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: Psalm 90:1-17

    Meditation verse:

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

    The year 2020 had a profound impact on my life, occasioned by two events that brought me to tears and made me decide to become a more deliberate person. The first of course was the covid-19 pandemic. Suddenly, the whole world was brought down to its knees. I recall weeping one evening in the early months of the pandemic, not only because many people were dying all over the world, but also because it just dawned on me how vain we had become as humans and how much we had taken God’s abundant grace for granted. Our vanity upon vanity, our busyness, our clamouring for more, our strivings, our selfishness and greed. All for nothing. Suddenly, we were content just to be alive and be able to breathe on our own.

    The second event was the passing away of Chadwick Boseman: ‘the Wakanda Hero’. No, I didn’t know Chadwick personally, he wasn’t my cousin. I wasn’t even too crazy about Black Panther. I watched more out of curiosity because of the buzz it was creating at that time. But as I followed the life and times of Boseman on social media in the wake of his death, I broke down again and wept.

    Chadwick personified values that I admire and aspire to in life: excellence, brilliance, spirituality, integrity, and oratory prowess. He was such an inspirational actor and orator. A real gift to humanity. And he did all he did excellently well, whilst battling colon cancer for 4 years. And nobody knew? Chadwick made me realize that I have no excuses to make in life.

    Both events made it clear that life is finite and must be lived on purpose, for a purpose. We cannot continue like its business as usual. There are activities we need to take on, there are those we need to relinquish. There are relationships to be bettered, there are those to be relinquished. And the time to do them is now. Oh Lord, teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom!

     

    IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Dcns 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: Lessons from the ants

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Lessons from the ants

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: Proverbs 6:6-11

    Meditation verse:

    “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise” (Proverbs 6:6).

    One morning, my husband called my attention to an unbelievable sight in our balcony: ants had built a huge sand colony by one of the air conditioner units. We watched the ants in amazement. In lines, they went into a hole, came out with a tiny bit of sand, dropped it outside, turned and headed right back in.

    We wandered how long it had taken them to build this huge colony, as each sand brought out was so tiny. The consistency, perseverance, and diligence they applied to their task was beautiful to watch. Whilst I was very familiar with today’s scripture about the diligence of the ants, I had never witnessed it at work.

    I left the balcony that day with several lessons. Firstly, no matter how difficult a task is, it will never get done unless you begin. The reason a lot of us never accomplish our life goals is that we never ever begin. To go anywhere, you must launch out from somewhere or you will get nowhere. Secondly, consistency and perseverance are critical success factors in any endeavour. The ants could only carry very tiny bits of sand per trip, but by being consistent in their efforts, they built a large sand colony.

    The last lesson I took away was that a small start does not imply a small finish, so it is unwise to despise the day of small beginning (Zechariah 4:10). “Though your beginning was small, yet your later end would increase abundantly” (Job 8:7-9). Indeed, great lessons, we humans have been taught by these awesome tiny creatures.

     

    IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Dcns 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 power of intentionality

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: The power of intentionality

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: Ephesians 5:15-21

    Meditation verse:

    “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise” (Ephesians 5:15).

    ‘Intentionality’ is the fact of being deliberate or purposive. Synonyms include considered, planned, prearranged, predetermined, and thought out in advance.

    Being intentional is a philosophy and can be a way of life. When a person is intentional, he or she makes decisions and take actions based on what is important to them. The quality of their mental state (thoughts, beliefs, desires and will) is directed towards some object or state- this becomes their default position. Being intentional does not occur by happenstance. It is a choice you must make. And you can be intentional about any and everything. You can be intentional about being happy in which case your thoughts, beliefs and actions align with what makes you happy. You can be intentional about being on time. You can be intentional about achieving excellence in all your affairs.

    The apostle Paul lived life based on this philosophy. One time he said “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I should become disqualified. Another time, he said, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you” (Philippians 3:13-15).

    Being intentional is a primary ingredient for success in life. It entails being clear upfront about what you want to achieve and being willing to pay whatever price is needed to achieve it. Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar is quoted as saying “People do not wander around and then find themselves at the top of Mount Everest.”. Intentionality is a mindset which you must adopt if you want to accomplish your goals this year.

     

    IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Dcns 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 power of mentoring

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: The power of mentoring

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: Titus 2:3-4

    Meditation verse:

    “The things you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2).

    Mentoring is a developmental relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps to guide a less experienced or less knowledgeable person. The Mentor may be older or younger than the mentee, but mentors are usually experts in certain areas. Mentoring is biblical. Proverbs 9:9 “give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser, teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning. Titus 2:3-4 says “older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children. Philippians 4:9 says, “whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me, put into practice”. 1 Corinthians 11:1 says, imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.

    Mentoring, if well deployed can advance your personal and professional life. A mentor can provide visibility and good contacts for career growth, spiritual guidance, platforms for exposure, opportunities for growth, sponsorship, coaching and sometimes financial assistance. They can also provide psychosocial functions such as confirmation, validation, acceptance, counselling, role modeling and friendship. You have a responsibility to be mentored and to mentor others. Mentoring is essential for posterity, for the future generations.

    However, there is a dark side of mentoring as mentees have been known to suffer different forms of abuse from their mentors including: stealing their ideas, giving wrong counsel, personality clashes, deception, and dysfunctional relationships. Not every successful person in your field is fit to be your mentor. Know yourself and know the kinds of people you can relate with at that level. Check out the person. Who has he or she mentored before? We all leave trails and footprints as we journey through life, so look for the footprints of your potential mentor.

     

    IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Dcns 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 are you mentoring?

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Who are you mentoring?

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: 1 Samuel 22:1-2, 2 Samuel 23:8-38

    Meditation verse:

    “So, he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands” (Psalm 78:72).

    When these men came to David whilst he was hiding from King Saul in a cave, they were distressed, discontented and in distress. And he became captain over them (1 Samuel 22:2). Fast forward to 2 Samuel 23 and see who these men became under David’s leadership. They became able soldiers and military leaders, with very special skills. They fought great battles and were victorious on all fronts. They were fiercely loyal to David and became known as “David’s mighty men”. What did David sow in the lives of these men that occasioned their transformation?

    David understood that leadership was for service and not for personal gain. He accepted these men when they were at their lowest and poured himself into bringing out the best in them. He knew that leadership was more about what you can give to people, not what you can take from them.

    He did not lead from afar but surrounded himself with these men. And because he was in their midst, he knew their strengths and weaknesses and knew how to add value to them. He had a consultative leadership style. He conferred with his officers and commanders and carried everyone along. He said to the whole assembly, “If it seems good to you, let us…” (1 Chronicles 13:1-3). He was not an “I will” leader, carry your team along. He listened to them and encouraged them to contribute to decision making.

    David led these men by example, and he was a very competent leader. So, it was easy for them to learn from him. Excellence does not occur by happenstance, it takes practice, diligence, and commitment. In learning from their leader, they became mighty men. He loved these men with his heart and had a great reputation. Even those who were previously in Saul’s camp as well as some of his kinsmen defected to David’s camp. And he received every one of them.

    He was a generous King who gave willingly to those he led and to God. When offered a free land upon which to offer sacrifices to God, he insisted on buying it from the owner saying, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24). He bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

    Lastly David was a lover and worshipper of God. He put God first in everything he did. Once whilst still in hiding and needed a drink of water, three of his mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to him. He would not drink it but poured it out to the Lord. And he said, “Far be it from me, O Lord, that I should do this! Is this not the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?” Therefore, he would not drink it. (2 Samuel 23:14-17). He must have thought these men to love and worship God, and God brought out the greatness in them.

    Who are you leading? Who are you mentoring? What kind of leader are you? Are the people under you becoming transformed for the better?

     

    IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Dcns 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.