Tag: In His Presence

By Oke Chinye

Read: Psalm 27:1-14

Meditation verse:

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

Your source of strength: Psalm 27:1 says “the Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall, I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?”. Do you know the implication of this statement? You do not have to worry whether your ability will carry you through because you have a source to draw from. The Almighty God who is so strong that He does not need to sleep or slumber to be refreshed is the source of your strength. Never doubt your ability to carry out a task. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13).

Your source of strategies: Psalm 32:8 says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye”. John 16:13 states that when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. The Holy Spirit is the greatest teacher, coach, mentor, and life strategist. He can instruct and give you strategies for success in every area of your life.

Your source of solutions: God has a solution for every problem; including difficult issues. He can make a way for you where there seems to be no way. He raises the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the ash heap, that He may seat him with princes—with the princes of His people (Psalm 119:7-8). He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children (Psalm 119:9). He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire (Psalm 46:9). He calms the storm, so that its waves are still (Psalm 107:29), He can calm every raging storm in your life. There is no disease that He cannot cure. He can raise the dead and give life to every dead situation in your life. His ability to restore life is beyond human understanding.

What God cannot do, does not exist. There is no situation that he cannot change. He is your source for every need. Let Him be your highest priority this new 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.

By Oke Chinye

Read: Genesis 30:25-43

Meditation verse:

“And when they mated in front of the white-streaked branches, they gave birth to young that were streaked, speckled and spotted” (Gen 30:39).

Your mind is a dynamic gateway. It is where you feel, think, imagine, and dream. It is the seat of your thoughts and beliefs. What you see and hear influence your thoughts and your thoughts influence your actions. Your actions determine your outcomes and results. Jacob’s strategy for building his flock depicts this powerful principle. He had asked Laban, his father in-law, for the livestock that were streaked, speckled, and spotted. Whenever the stronger females were ready to mate, he would place the peeled branches marked with white streaks in the watering troughs in front of them. And when they mated in front of the white streaked branches, they gave birth to young that were streaked, speckled, and spotted. He did not do this with the weaker females. So, he built a great flock of strong livestock.

There is a connection between your mind and the outcomes you get out of life. You conceive in the womb of your destiny and birth whatever you focus on. When God was leading the children of Israel to the promised land, He repeatedly told them that the land was beautiful and good, flowing with milk and honey. He wanted them to create a mental image of the place. In Genesis 13:14-17, God said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.”

Great endeavours are first conceived in the mind and what the eyes cannot see, the mind cannot conceive. What can you see ahead of you? Be very deliberate about what you choose to focus on this year. Whatever you focus your mind on will eventually spur you on into a path of success or defeat. Choose wisely.

 

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: Proverbs 4:20-27

Meditation verse:

“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23).

Your mental and emotional wellbeing are essential to the quality of your life experience. What you think of, what you do and who you associate with, will affect how you feel which will either positively or negatively impact your mental health. Proverbs 4:23 says: “keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life”. With increase in mental health challenges and suicide rates, prioritizing your mental wellbeing is important. Here are some ways to enhance your mental health to enable you thrive as you proceed this year.

• Be very intentional about what you focus on this year. Jack Ma is quoted as saying “if you want to feed a problem, keep thinking about it”. It is so easy to focus on what you have lost, times you have failed, whose fault it is and why it happened. The human brain prefers to focus on what could go wrong. You will need to constantly redirect your focus to more positive aspects of your life. Philippians 4:8, says: “finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things”

• Constantly audit your focus. Ask yourself ‘why am I feeling this way’? What am I focusing on? Then change your focus if you need to. Spend your time on things that build your confidence rather than on what diminishes it.

• Regulate the influence of your external forces on your mental health. Ask yourself, ‘what is that thing in the outside world that when I see, it reduces my self-confidence and sense of self-worth? It may be presence of certain people or the social media handles of some individuals, which portray them as being perfect. Distance yourself from whatever it is. Delete, block and bar if you need to.

• Be the observer and controller of your life. A thermometer fluctuates up and down, depending on the temperature of the environment, whilst a thermostat controls the temperature. Choose to be a thermostat and control the tempo and pace of your life.

• Figure out what you are good at and develop yourself to become amazing at it. Stop focusing on fixing your weaknesses. It is a losing strategy for your mental wellbeing. Pay others to do for you what you are not good at and stay with what you are good at.

• Be very selective of who you permit into your personal space. Avoid people who dispense negativism. They will drain your internal power: (that is your hope, self-belief, resilience, and optimism). Have you noticed that you become so exhausted after spending time with some people? They either keep saying negative things, putting others down, constantly arguing or trying to control you? You need to keep a distance from such people for the sake of your mental health.

• Do not let people’s actions determine your emotions and actions. Since our actions determine our outcomes, when you let others determine how you react, you are invariably letting them determine the outcomes you get out of life. You can’t control the actions of other people, People do not get you angry, they just do what they do, and you react as you will. You can control your response and reaction.

• Do not wait for apologies before forgiving an offence. You may be waiting for a long time. Suppose they never apologise? Would you stay angry forever? That carrying too much baggage around.

• Be responsible for your life and actions. Own your experiences. Cherish the good, change the bad, accept what you cannot change. Strive to become financially independent. Avoid depending on others for your existence. If you do, they will control your life.

• Assert yourself when you should. It is wise to know when to speak and when to be silent. The bible says in (Proverbs 26:4-5). do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him, in the next verse it says answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his conceit When people mistreat you, let them know. We teach others how to treat us.

• Never compare yourself with anybody. Be unapologetically who you are. The apostle Paul says comparing themselves with themselves, they are not wise. Do not be unwise. Don’t compare. The people you are comparing yourself with have their own flaws.
• Get out of the goal post of your life and play in the midfield. Action breeds confidence. Inaction breeds fear.

• Lastly, guard your heart with all diligence. The battle is always first lost in the mind. Feed your mind with the word of God and avoid unwholesome content. Remember, as a man thinketh in his heart so is he (Proverbs 23:7).

 

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 Samuel 30:1-20

Meditation verse:

“So, David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.” (1 Samuel 30:1-20)

To pursue means to follow, chase, or go after something or someone. It also means to continue or proceed along a path or route. The opposite of pursue is avoid. To overtake means to catch up with and pass while travelling in the same direction or go past something by being a greater amount or degree. If you overtake someone, you went past them because you were moving faster than they were. To recover means to regain possession of something stolen or lost.

David and his men went to war and by the time they returned home on the third day, the Amalekites had invaded and attacked Ziklag, where they had made their home, burned it with fire, and had carried away the women and those who were there, from small to great. David and his men returned to a city burned with fire; with their wives, their sons, and their daughters taken captive. They wept until they had no more power to weep, but David strengthened himself in the Lord his God and inquired if he should go after that which had been stolen from them. And God answered, “pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.” “So, David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil, or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all” (1 Samuel 30:18-19).

This is the word of God for you in this new year. You can recover all that the enemy has stolen from you. You can get back that which you have lost, be it your peace of mind, health, wellbeing, job, business, ministry, position or the joy and sweetness in your marriage. Strengthen yourself in the Lord as David did, then pursue. Naturally, effort, persistence and commitment on your part will be required. But do not give up, for you shall surely overtake and without fail recover all.

 

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: Philippians 3:12-16

Meditation verse:

“Then the Lord answered me and said: write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it” (Habakkuk 2:2).

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

At the start of each year, we are quick to write down our ‘new year’ resolutions or the goals we would like to accomplish. We come up with a long list of dos and don’ts, which we usually abandon before the end of the first quarter of the year. Ever wondered why? One compelling reason for this is the absence of an impetus or a motivating force to back up and drive these resolutions. ‘Your Life Mission Statement’ can serve as the force that compels you to sustain or stick to your goals even in the face of seemingly unending challenges.

A mission is an assignment, a mandate, a quest or a purpose and you were created to fulfil a mission here on earth. ‘Your Life Mission Statement’ is therefore a statement that portrays your God given purpose. It involves three components; ‘who you are’, ‘what you will do’ and ‘where you will do it’. ‘Your Life Mission Statement’ is central to your life and can serve as a foundation for your goals and resolutions. It is the compass that determines the direction, and duration of your actions. It also clarifies what roles are important so that your time is not wasted on irrelevant and insignificant activities. In Habakkuk 2:2, God said to the prophet: “write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it”. Knowing your mission and putting down your mission statement is the first step towards a more productive life in this new year. When your resolutions or goals are based on your life mission statement, chances are you would stick with them and succeed.

The Apostle, Paul lived his life based on his mission statement. He was called to

be a witness for Jesus Christ and to bear His name before the Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. His mission statement which is stated in Philippians 3:10-14 directed the course of his life. What is your life mission statement? Do you even know what you want to accomplish this year? What will be the motivation behind your daily activities? Remember: “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up someplace else” (Yogi Berra). And chances are you won’t like the place.

 

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: 2 Samuel 12:15-23

Meditation verse:

“So, David arose from the ground, washed, and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate” (2 Samuel 12:20).

It is the last day of the year. Irrespective of how you think the year went for you, praise God that you made it this far and are alive.

• You may not have achieved the goals you set.
• You may not have started that business.
• You may not have gotten that house.
• You may not have bought that car.
• You may not have gotten married.
• You may not have gotten pregnant.
• You may have lost someone precious.
• You may be in a place of grief.

Irrespective of what you lost or failed to achieve over the year, do not lose your hope and faith in God. Each day offers a new beginning and opportunity for a fresh start. Tomorrow is the beginning of a new day, the beginning of a new year. How long will you mourn over your loses? As the clock strikes at midnight today, why not do as king David did: arise from the ground, wash, and anoint yourself, change your clothes (signifying a change in your countenance and mindset), and worship God. Then move forward and enter a new chapter of your life. “And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward” (Exodus 14:15). Go forward!

 

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 136:1-26

Meditation verse:

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

I came across a quote some time ago and it has stuck with me till date. It read: “when you are always thankful to God, your tank will always be full”. God inhabits the praises of His people and wherever God dwells, blessings are sure to abound. The bible instructs us to give thanks to God in every situation. This implies having a lifestyle of thanksgiving, which is the hallmark of a fulfilled life. King David was in the habit of giving God thanks. Not a few of his psalms had thanksgiving as their theme. In Psalm 95:2 and 100:4, he encouraged us to enter God’s presence with thanksgiving and praise. In Psalm 100:4, he instructed all to be thankful unto God. Little wonder God referred to him as “a man after His own heart”.

Be deliberate about ending this year in a thanksgiving mode. Your thankfulness to God should not depend on the circumstances of your life, nor should it be based on what is currently going on around you. It is a spiritual imperative that you continuously give thanks to the one whose knowledge of your circumstances is supreme and who declares the end of a matter from the beginning. God is good to those who fear Him, and whilst He is not the author of all the bad things that may happen to you, He may permit certain trials for your benefit. When you thank Him in every situation, you position yourself to receive all He intends for you to have or learn all He wants you to learn. This way, you emerge stronger, wiser, and victorious in all things.

When we murmur or grumble, we are displaying a lack of faith in the God who controls the affairs of the whole earth. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Developing and maintaining a heart of gratitude to God is the best way to end the year. Why not say this prayer today; “thank You Lord for keeping me from January till December. I believe that the plans you have for me are good. I choose to give You thanks always and in everything, because no matter how this year has gone, You will cause all things to work out for my good according to Your purpose, Amen”.

 

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: Genesis 19:1-29

Meditation verse:

“But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26)

As the curtains slowly close over this year and we get set to enter the new year, what is your state of mind? Gratitude, peace and serenity or confusion, frustration, and regret? What posture are you currently adopting? If you feel grateful, you will be looking up to God with praise and thanksgiving in your heart. If you feel confused and frustrated, you will be looking around you, searching for answers to why this happened or why that did not happen. If you feel regretful, you will be looking back in regret, dissatisfaction, or longing.

In today’s reading, God had decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. He sent two angels to warn Lot to flee with his family. The instruction was “escape for your life, do not look behind you”. But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Looking back is dangerous; it stalls your movement, hinders your progress, and keeps you rooted in the same spot. When you keep looking back, you are identifying with what is behind including your mistakes, fear, errors and all. Stop looking back at what should or should not have been, what is ahead of you is more important. The past is gone, quit reliving it and get excited about the prospects of the forth coming new year. You cannot open a new chapter of your life if you keep reading the previous one.

As this year rolls to an end and we get set to enter the new year, what posture should you adopt? Look up to God in gratitude, faith, and anticipation. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”. Psalm 121:1-3 states, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber”. These are God’s promises over your life. So, get excited about the forth coming new 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.

By Oke Chinye

Read: Daniel 3:8-30

Meditation verse:

“And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counsellors gathered, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them (Daniel 3:27)

To be scarred means to be deeply affected or marked by mental or physical pain or injury. Scars hardly fade away. They remain visible for a long period of time or forever. In the book of Daniel chapter 3, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had just passed through a horrible experience. They had been bound and thrown into a fiery furnace heated seven times more because they refused to bow to king Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image. But they came out unhurt and untainted by their experience. The bible states that they did not even smell of smoke; meaning there was nothing on them that showed what they had just gone through. Scorned, betrayed, thrown into a pit, and eventually sold into slavery by his own blood, Joseph had every reason to be scarred. He was accused of rape and thrown into prison. He was forgotten in prison by someone he had helped. He could have turned into an angry and vengeful person. But when he found himself in a position of authority, he refused to let his past define him, he said “you meant evil against me, but God turned it around for good” (Genesis 50:20).

Irrespective of what your experiences were this year, don’t get scarred by them. Your past does not define you; it prepares you for your future. Do you know why the front windscreen of your car is bigger than the rear-view mirror? It is because what is ahead of you is more important that what is behind. Quit reliving the pains of yesterday. Look ahead and get set to move on to what God has in store for you.

This is God’s promise to you as the year rolls to an end. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). Your light affliction which is but for a moment, is working for you a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. May you finish this year strong.

 

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 18:1-8

Meditation verse:

“Pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, NIV).

Prayer is an intimate two-way communication between you and God. It is you talking to your Father as well as listening to Him speak to you. The bible is replete with commands on how to pray, when to pray, what to pray for and the benefits of praying. Psalm 95:2 enjoins us to begin our prayers with thanksgiving. John 14:13-14 tells us to ask in the name of our Saviour Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 instructs us to pray without ceasing, whilst James 5:16 states that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man will bring much good.

Jesus Christ understood the importance of being in constant touch with His Father during His time on earth. Before every important event, He took time to be away from the crowd that constantly followed Him, to pray. Before He began His ministry, He went into the desert where He prayed and fasted for forty days and nights (Matt 4:1- 2). Before choosing His twelve apostles, He went out to a mountainside and spent the night praying to God (Luke 6:12-15). Before treading the path of Calvary to His death, He agonized in prayers in a place called Gethsemane (Matt 26:36-45). He prayed so much that once after praying, His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray.

In today’s reading, He reiterated the importance of continuous prayers with the parable of the persistent widow. Bottom line: ‘keep praying even when it seems not to be yielding any result. This way, prayer becomes a way of living so that you are constantly in God’s will for your life irrespective of what circumstances dictate. The biblical characters who lived exceptional lives prayed continually. David prayed in the morning, at noon, in the evening (Ps 55:17) and in the night (Ps 42:8). Even whilst on his bed in the early watches of the day, his heart was stayed on God (Ps 63:6). Daniel’s custom from his early days was to get down on his knees three times a day to pray and give thanks before God (Dan 6:10). Apostle Paul spent countless hours fasting and praying (2 Cor 11:27).

Are you in constant touch with God through prayers? Why not spend the remaining few days of this year tarrying in prayers. In the place of prayer God, through His Holy Spirit, instructs, teaches, guides and corrects us. A great way to end this year and begin a new one.

 

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.