Tag: In His Presence

By Oke Chinye

Read: LUKE 17: 11-19

Meditation verse:

“So, when He saw them, He said to them, ‘go show yourself to the priests.’ And so, it was that as they went, they were cleansed”. (Luke 17:14)

The story of the ten lepers highlights the importance of obedience and faith. As they cried to Jesus concerning their situation, am certain they expected Him to say: ‘be healed’ or ‘you are cleansed from your leprosy’. But Jesus said ‘go show yourself to the priests’ and that was it. Had they not obeyed Jesus’ command they would not have received their miracle.

I have often pondered on this story and wondered what our reaction would be in today’s church. Wouldn’t we be utterly disappointed? Wouldn’t we murmur and complain? ‘Show ourselves to the priests?’ ‘He didn’t even touch us, how does showing ourselves to the priests count for anything? Have the priests not seen us all this while?’ These are just a few of the complaints that we would have muttered.

God does not owe us an obligation to answer our prayers in the way or manner we desire. Oftentimes, we expect Him to act in a particular way, and when He gives a command or stirs us in a direction that does not match our expectations, we struggle with obeying or fail to obey. If our eyes were to be opened to behold the miracles and blessings that we have missed due to our disobedience, we would be greatly saddened.

Learn to trust God completely this year and commit to obeying his leading, whether it makes sense to you or not. The miracle is always in the obedience.

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.

By Oke Chinye

Read: JOSHUA 15: 13-19

Meditation verse:

“She said, ‘give me another gift. You have already given me land in the Negev; now please give me springs of water, too’. So, Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs” (Joshua 15:19, NLT).

Caleb had given his daughter land in the Negev. The Negev was a dry arid land located in the Southern region of Jerusalem and Judea. It takes its name from the Hebrew word ‘Negev’ which means dry. The Negev was a dry wadi (dry riverbed) surrounded by mountains with no water at all most of the year. Caleb’s daughter realised that there was very little she could do with this type of land. Her father had given her an incomplete inheritance. So, she demanded that he make the blessing complete. She said, “give me another gift. You have already given me land in the Negev; now please give me springs of water, too”

It is okay to ask God to complete and perfect that which He has begun in your life. If He has blessed you with a good wife but you are yet to have children after several years, ask Him to give you children to complete the blessing of a good wife. If He has given you the gift of singing, ask Him for opportunities to bless lives with your voice. If He has blessed you with the gift of teaching and healing, ask him to open doors of opportunities so that you can minister to a hurting world with your gifts. You can ask for the blessings of promotion, upliftment, opportunities and breakthrough in your work, business, or ministry.

In which area of your life do you see an incomplete blessing? What is required to complete the blessing? Why not ask the Lord today to complete and perfect that which He has graciously began in your life?

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.

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 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.

By Oke Chinye

Read: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Meditation verse:

“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and (that your body) may keep well even as I know your soul keeps well and prospers” (3 John 2, AMP).

God is as concerned with your physical life as He is with your spiritual life. He wants you to look after your body and nourish it with healthy balanced meals and regular exercises, just as you take care of your soul by nourishing it with prayers, fasting and bible study. Paul highlights the hard work involved in fruitful Christian living. Becoming an effective and faithful witness for God involves discipline and commitment. We may also be required to give up certain habits and pleasures that hinder our progress and taint our testimony as Christians. Similarly, taking care of our bodies requires discipline, commitment to a healthy lifestyle and abstinence from foods that lead to excess weight and diseases.

Being overweight or obese can dampen your self-confidence and make you feel insecure. It is an area with a huge propensity to affect other areas of your life especially for women. Some women under the guise of Christianity, let themselves go after bearing children and this begins to affect their marriages. You have a duty to yourself and your husband to stay in shape and remain attractive. Likewise, a husband owes it to himself and his wife to stay in shape.

God cares about your physical wellbeing. If you are battling excess weight, He knows your struggles and wants to help you, but you must be willing to commit to the required discipline and self-denial. There are no quick fixes when it comes to losing your excess weight. It will take time, but if you are ready to take a step of faith today, you are well on your way to a more fulfilled and wholesome life. Recognizing the need to get started is half the battle won.

The beginning of a new year is a good time to start. Come up with a plan for regular exercises and healthier eating. Commit your plan to God and appropriate His power. As you go along, change what you can about yourself, but learn to accept what you cannot change. If you have done all and there is little change in your weight, embrace and love yourself. Remember that you are fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image (Ps 139:14) and He loves you unconditionally.

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.

By Oke Chinye

Read: Deuteronomy 1:6-8

Meditation verse:

“When we were at Mount Sinai, the Lord our God said to us, ‘you have stayed at this mountain long enough. It is time to break camp and move on (Duet 1:7, NLT).

A camp is a temporary structure typically used by soldiers, refugees or travelling people. It is meant for a specific purpose and for a period. As the children of Israel wandered through the wilderness on their way to the promised land, they lingered on Mount Horeb, and God had to urge them on.

As you journey through life, you may find yourself in certain situations that require you to accept conditions of living that you ordinarily should not. That is your camp; it may be a place, situation, a position, or a job. It is only intended as a temporary abode. The problem is that you become so comfortable and remain in a place that was intended for a specific purpose and period.

You know there is something bigger and better ahead, but you allow fear, self-doubt, counsel from men or the unwillingness to step out of your comfort zone to keep you from God’s best. You allow your distractions instead of your faith to define your journey. Sometimes, your ‘promised land’ may not be a clearly defined path, but you need to trust God’s leading when He says to you ‘it is time to move forward’.

It is still a few days into the new year and God is saying to you that you have stayed in that place long enough, you need to break camp and move forward. To advance this year and take giant strides, which camp do you urgently need to break from?

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.

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 just stand 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 results I 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 I seek out enough opportunities to 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. Be diligent to run with every word that God speaks to you this year. If His mouth has spoken, then His zeal has already perfected.

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.

By Oke Chinye

Read: Exodus 10:1-29

Meditation verse:

“Now the Lord said to Moses, ‘go in to Pharoah, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him” (Ex 10:1)

God may choose to harden the heart of men against you so that He may display his miraculous signs in your life. He wanted to display His awesome power before Pharoah as well as build up the faith of the children of Israel ahead of their journey to the promised land, so He said to Moses: “Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.” (Ex 10:1-2)

Not everyone you ask for a favour, will oblige you and not everyone who refuses to oblige you is doing so from a point of wickedness. Proverbs 21:1 says: “the king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes. God can cause a man to favour you in any situation, He can also cause a man to withhold that favour from you. “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Phil 2:13). Certain rejections and disappointments are a set up for God to do the miraculous in your life. If you fully understand this, you will fret less in the face of disappointments. You will hold your peace when those you expect to come through for you fail to do so.

If you are currently nursing a grudge because the one you expected to be of help to you in your time of need, deserted you, do yourself a favour and let go of that grudge. The help of man is useless anyway and cannot be compared to the might of The Almighty. (Ps 60:11). Why not make Psalm 23: 1-3 your declaration this year: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

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.

By Oke Chinye

Read: Zechariah 4:1-14

Meditation verse:

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumbline in Zerubbabel’s hand” (Zechariah 4:10 NLT)

No matter how easy or difficult a task is, it will never be done until the first step towards accomplishing it is taken. Every magnificent building was erected by laying the first block. Every great task begins with a singular activity. Every journey in life begins with a step. That first step is always the critical one. Until it is taken, nothing happens.

The first step may be as simple as making a phone call, sending an email, writing down a plan or it may be as significant as travelling to a different location or making a purchase. God is always delighted when you take that vital first step towards whatever He has stirred your heart to do. It is an indication of your obedience and trust in Him.

Zerubbabel had the task of rebuilding the temple and God said to him “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumbline in Zerubbabel’s hand” (Zechariah 4:10 NLT). A plumbline is a weight suspended from a string used as a vertical reference line to ensure a structure is centred. It’s an indication that construction is ongoing.

What goals have you set for yourself this year? What are your plans for 2022?

What assignment or task has been committed into your hands? Is the plumbline in your hands already or are you still evaluating and analysing? Do not get caught up with the bug of ‘the paralysis of analysis’ Take hold of the plumbline immediately. “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9 NLT). As God’s eyes scan the earth, will He see you holding the plumbline in the place of your assignment?

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.

By Oke Chinye

Read: Exodus 4: 1-17

Meditation verse:

“Then the Lord asked him ‘what is that in your hand? A shepherd’s staff, Moses replied (Ex 4:2).

God will often use what you already have in your hands to provide what you need, especially in the purpose He has called you to accomplish. The bible is replete with such instances. When God wanted Moses to go and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, He told Moses to use what he already had in his hands: the shepherd’s staff. David used what he already had in his hands to defeat goliath. When a certain widow cried out to Elisha for help, after her creditors threatened to take her two sons as slaves, Elisha used what she already had; ‘a flask of olive oil’, to make provision for her (2 Kings 4:2).

However, we often despise what we have in our hands. We believe it is inadequate or insignificant. To Moses, the staff was ‘just a stick’, but to God, it was the instrument for performing the miracles needed to convince the hard hearted Pharoah to let the people go. To the widow, her flask of olive oil was “nothing at all, but to Elisha it was enough to fill all the jars she could lay her hands on (2 Kings 4: 1-7). To Jesus’ disciples, what they had to feed the multitude was “only five loaves of bread and two fishes”, but to Jesus, it was all that was needed to feed five thousand (Luke 9:12-17). In each case, they did not think much of what they had.

Similarly, you may feel inadequate or insignificant. You may feel you have nothing much to offer to the world. But what you have in your hand is always enough for God to use. He can work with whatever you have, no matter how small. He can take that little qualification, skill, talent, or ability and make something great out of it, if only you will surrender it to Him. Quit feeling intimidated. Ask God to open your eyes to see what you have, then step out in faith this year and put what God has put in your hands to good use. And when you look back, you would be amazed by what you have accomplished.

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.