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  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Stop sitting on your greatness

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Stop sitting on your greatness

    Read: 2 KINGS 7:3-16

    Meditation verse:

    “Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “why are we sitting here until we die”? (2 Kings 7:3).

    Four leprous men at the entrance of Samaria found themselves in a desperate situation. The famine had besieged the city, and everyone was hungry. If they entered the city,’ the famine is in the city, and they would die there. And if we sit here, we die also. So, they decided to surrender to the army of the Syrians. They reasoned If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die.” And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there.

    For the Lord had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses—the noise of a great army; so, they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us!” Therefore, they arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp intact—their tents, their horses, and their donkeys—and they fled for their lives. (2 Kings 7:6-7)

    Many of us are sitting on our greatness. We have suppressed our God-given abilities and mandate due to the challenges of the past. Some are sitting down due to boredom, apathy or lukewarmness. Others are wandering around aimlessly and clueless about what is available on the other side of life.

    You need to arise. If life has challenged you, it is time to challenge life back. Exercise your authority that Jesus Christ paid a huge price to give you. You have the right to an abundant and fulfilling life. There is a next level of abundance waiting for you at the other side. If the four lepers did not rise, they would never have partaken of the abundance that the fleeing Syrians left behind. Stop sitting on your greatness. Arise and dominate.

     

    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: Scatter your seeds on the ground

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Scatter your seeds on the ground

    Read: MARK 4:26-32 

    Meditation verse: 

    “But when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots  out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade” (Mark  4:32). 

    God’s principles cannot be broken. His word contains several principles that can  be applied for successful daily living. The principle of sowing and reaping is one  of such. You cannot expect a harvest if you did not sow any seed.  

    In today’s reading, Jesus likened the kingdom of God to a man who scatters his  seeds on the ground. To ‘scatter’ means to throw in various random directions.  The seeds must have been quite a lot for him to have scattered them. After  scattering, this man goes to sleep and as he rises by day, he sees that the seeds  have sprouted and grown. But he has no idea how this happened. And as the  shoots branch out, the birds of the air come under its shade to nest.  

    Whatever you do for God or in the name of the Lord will eventually grow and  prosper. Your efforts at sharing the good news, witnessing, giving, helping, or  encouraging others might seem weak and you may seem to influence very few  people, but God’s power is available to back you up and His word is a powerful  change and growth agent. As you faithfully discharge your duties, do not get  discouraged by the slow pace or little impact. Keep your eyes on the goal and  keep scattering your seeds, your great harvest of joy is coming.  

    Ecclesiastes 11:5-6 states: “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. In the morning sow your seed, and in  the evening do not withhold your hand, for you do not know which will prosper,  either this or that, or whether both alike will be good”. 

    Scatter your seeds on the ground. Your efforts at serving others in one way or  the other will yield bountiful dividends. As long as the earth remains, seed time  and harvest time shall not cease.

     

    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 out of that toxic environment

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Get out of that toxic environment

    Read: GENESIS 19: 1-29

    Meditation verse:

    “So, Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters,  and said, “get up, get out of this place;” (Genesis 19:12).

    Every environment you find yourself in has its people, culture, systems, and  practices. A toxic environment is one in which either the people or their culture systems or practices are out of sync with your core values. A toxic environment  may be your home, place of work, community, your local church, or a  relationship you are involved in. Being in a toxic environment can destroy your  faith, wellbeing, personal growth, dreams, progress, or even life.  

    Sodom and Gomorrah are examples of very toxic environments. The practices  of the people were dehumanizing. The men of the city, both young and old  demanded to have carnal knowledge with the men who had come to see Lot.  When Lot refused, they threatened to pull down his door, until they struck with  blindness. Then Lot’s visitors instructed him to take his family and get out of the  place, because they had been sent by God to destroy the place. Had Lot not  heeded their instruction, he would have been destroyed alongside both cities.  

    Do a scan of every environment you spend time in. Are you surrounded by  negative people who evoke negative emotions in you? Are you in a relationship  where you are mentally and physically abused? Do you feel belittled,  threatened, manipulated, caged in and unable to express yourself? If yes, then  chances are, you are in a toxic environment and you need to quickly get out. If you are unable to leave, you should create a ‘psychological island’ for yourself  within the environment. ‘Psychological islands’ are moments where you engage  in activities that edify your mind and uplift your spirit. Such activities can include  praying, meditating on God’s word, listening to inspirational music, or journaling, all of which can create a sense of peace and serenity within you. 

    Sometimes, it may not be obvious that an environment is toxic. You just feel you  are in the wrong place, or sense that God wants you to leave an environment. If  this is the case, get up and get out, no matter how comfortable the place is at  that moment. God is all knowing, the secret things belong to Him.

     

    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 restless and remove the yoke

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Get restless and remove the yoke

    Read: GENESIS 27:1-40

    Meditation verse:

    “You will live by the sword, and you will serve your brother. But when you  grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck” (Genesis 27:40).

    Jacob had stolen his older brother, Esau’s blessings again by pretending to be  him. So, when their father Isaac blessed Esau, he told him that he would serve  his younger brother, until he became restless. Only then would he throw away  the yoke from his neck.  

    There are certain things that you tolerate in your life even though they are not  serving you. They could be conditions, circumstances, bad relationships, people  who are abusive and who put you down. Toxic workplaces, abusive marriage,  sinful habit, health issue, weight problems, financial difficulty, or some  degrading conditions. These things are undermining you severely, but you allow  them, you permit them even though you do not like them. These are yokes on  your neck. A yoke is a wooden piece fastened over the neck of two animals and  attached to a cart for them to pull. Scripturally, yoke depicts servitude, bondage,  and burden. There’s nothing good about a yoke. It will slow you down, cause  you to bend over or even disfigure you.  

    Change does not occur by happenstance. That situation is persisting because  you are not yet fed up with it. When you get fed up, you will find a way to break  free. Fed up with being a supplanter, Jacob wrestled with the angel, until  daybreak. He refused to let go until God gave him a new name and changed the  trajectory of his life. Fed up with being childless, Hannah prayed until she 

    mistaken for a drunk. Fed up with the life-draining disease, the woman with the  issue of blood, pressed through the crowd to touch the helm of Jesus’ garment.  Standing in front of a mirror several years ago, weighing over 100kg, I became  fed up and got into a weight loss program. After years of struggling with fear and  low self-esteem, I got fed up and broke free by the power of God’s word.  

    You are a partaker of God’s divine nature, and you deserve to live a fulfilling and  abundant life. Refuse to settle for anything less. Receive this life changing word  today and get restless. You are not as helpless as you think. You can break free 

    from poverty, abuse, sin, shame, disease, lack oppression, or whatever yoke has  been placed on your neck. Call that situation by name and say “I am fed up with  you, I can’t take it anymore. I break free from you in Jesus name. Now, call the  opposite of that condition and say I am now entering into health, riches,  prosperity, peace, favour, love, in Jesus name, Amen.

     

    IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Pst (Mrs) Oke Chinye, Founder of The Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM).

    For Prayers and Counseling email rockteachingministry@gmail.com

    or call +2348155525555

    For more enquiries, visit: www.rockteachingministry.org.

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Are you grateful for the invisible blessings?

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Are you grateful for the invisible blessings?

    Read: PSALM 103:1-22

    Meditation verse:

    “He does great things past finding out, yes, wonders without number” (Job  9:10).

    I listened to pastor speak on the many invisible blessings from God, using this  powerful analogy. She said she was working on her desk late one night, when  she decided to check on her sleeping youngsters. On getting to the bedside, she  saw that her youngest child had gotten to the edge of the bed. Her next move  would have seen her falling and hitting her head on the bare floor. She  readjusted the child’s sleeping position and returned to her desk. A few  moments later, she decided to return to the children’s room. This time around,  one child had used his knees to block the nostrils of another. Again, she  readjusted their positions and returned to her work. In the morning, she gave  them their breakfast, and everyone said, “thank you mum for the food”. No one  mentioned the events of the night before. How could they? All three children  had been asleep, oblivious of what had gone on. 

    Psalm 103:1-5 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless  His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who  forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life  from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who 

    satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the  eagle’s”. Job 9:10 says, “He does great things past finding out, yes, wonders  without number”.  

    The Psalmist said, “I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me” (Psalm 3:5). Do you remember to thank God for the blessing of sleeping and  waking? Are you grateful for the many seemingly invisible, but important  blessings that He sends your way? Are you thankful that you can eat, drink and breath freely. The pandemic made us realize the importance of breathing without an oxygen tank. If God opens your eyes to behold the many unseen  battles, He has fought for you, it will amaze you. So, as you get up each day,  remember to thank God for the visible and invisible blessings.

     

    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 within the sensor range

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Get within the sensor range

    Read: EXODUS 14:10-18

    Meditation verse:

    “And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel  to go forward” (Exodus 14:15). 

    An automatic door does not open on its own, even though it is clearly marked ‘automatic’. You must get within the sensor range, before it will open.  Irrespective of how desperate you are to enter a building, if you are thirty yards  away from the sensor range of its automatic door, it will remain shut.  

    Similarly, we all have big dreams and huge expectations in life. There are certain  opportunities that we have been asking God to bring our way, but nothing seems  to be happening. Is it possible that God is expecting you to move towards the  sensor range? When the children of Israel found themselves in a difficult  situation, with the red sea in front, and the Egyptians behind them, they cried  out to Moses. God’s response to them was “why stand there and cry, move  forward”. In order words, get within the sensor range and you will see the path  that I have made for you.  

    Too many of us expect doors of opportunities to swing open whilst we are over  a hundred yards away from the doors. We wait for miracles to fall from the sky  or for someone to come rescue us. Getting within sensor range could be as  simple as picking up the phone to call on prospective clients daily or writing  proposals and sending them off. It may also entail going back to school to get  that degree, working extra hard to get that promotion or acquiring the skills  required to start that business.  

    It is often said that success happens when opportunity meets preparedness. Ask  God to show you what you need to do concerning the opportunities you desire  in life. And when He does, act with intent. Move forward and do all you need to  get close to the doors. When you are within sensor range, the doors will swing  open.

     

    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: Be intentional about your choices

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Be intentional about your choices

    Read: 2 CORINTHIANS 6:14-18

    Meditation verse:

    “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” (Amos 3:3).

    For everything you do in life, there is a way of doing it that will come naturally  to you and a way that will be alien and unnatural. Here is an exercise to illustrate  this fact. Take out a sheet of paper and write out your full names with a pen.  Now, switch hands and repeat the same assignment. Was your experience  similar for the two hands or was it different? When using the hand that you  normally would use, I bet you found it easy to write out your name, you were  quick to do so, and the words were clear and legible. With the other hand, you  would have found it difficult and uncomfortable, you would also be much  slower, and the words would be untidy or illegible.  

    This exercise is an illustration of how you are wired, which is your personality  type. According to the psychologist, Carl Jung, we are all wired differently across  four dimensions, namely, where you get your energy from, how you live your  life in the outer world, the type of information you trust and how you process  this information to make decisions. Within the four dimensions, you are either  introverted or extroverted, structured, or flexible in approach, a logical or a  sentimental person, and you either prefer hard facts or the big picture.  

    Based on this, you will be comfortable in certain careers, environments, and  relationships. Others will cause you enormous stress. The job you choose, your  work environment, the spouse you marry and the friends you keep can either  make you experience life in a natural, comfortable, and easy way or in an  uncomfortable and difficult way. Indeed, in everything you do or encounter in  life, your experience may either be a pleasant or unpleasant one.  

    Be intentional about your choices in life. Choose environments that enable your  growth and flexibility, rather than stifle them. Choose friends that inspire you to  greatness. Be amongst people who make you feel comfortable. Choose careers  that come naturally to you. But most importantly, choose a spouse that will  enhance your ability to live the abundant life, that God intended for you,  because your spouse is your partner throughout the journey of 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 is yours will eventually get to you

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: What is yours will eventually get to you

    Read: Ecclesiastes 11:1-6

    Meditation verse:

    “As you do not know what is the way of the wind, 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).

    “THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN” is a tearjerker movie that tells the story of a  mother whose 3-year-old son, Ben was stolen from her in a crowded hotel lobby.  Nine agonizing years went by and gradually every hope of finding Ben began to  dissipate. The family relocated to another city with the remaining two children but the pain of losing a child lingered. And then one morning, a young boy rang  the doorbell to their new home, and asked if he could help mow their lawn. A mother will always know her child and instinctively she knew she was looking at  her lost child. The boy now known as Sam, lived just two blocks away and had  no clue he was knocking on the door of his birth mother. Destiny had led him to  her.  

    Some years ago, I had this journal in which I wrote inspirational messages, goals  that I was working towards as well as specific promises I received from God each  time I spent time in His presence. It was a treasured possession, but then  suddenly, I couldn’t find it. I searched everywhere I could possibly have kept it  but did not find it. Weeks of searching turned into months, and then one  morning when I was not searching, I found it in the least likely place.  

    What is rightfully yours, especially if pre-determined by God will eventually find  its way to you. Suddenly when you least expect, you will find it in the least likely  place. When the family decided to relocate to another city, they had no idea that  destiny was leading them to their missing son. “Trust in the Lord with all your  heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge  Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

     

    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: A NEW SEASON

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: A NEW SEASON

    Read: Isaiah 55:10-11

    Meditation verse: 

    “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return  there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed  to the Sower and bread to the eater” (Isaiah 55:10).

    Part of my early morning prayer ritual is to open the little window in my  bathroom whilst it is still dark outside and declare into the emerging dawn, how  I want my day to turn out. On this morning, it began to rain as I opened the  window. And then I heard the following words in my spirit, “as it is in the  physical, so it is in the spiritual, as it is in the spiritual, so it is in the physical”. 

    The rains are usually an announcement that a new season has begun. The rains  signal the beginning of the rainy season as well as the end of the dry season. I  sensed God saying to me that just as the heavens have been opened and there  was an outpouring of rain upon the earth, so shall the heavens be opened so  that there would be an outpouring of every form of abundance over our lives.  

    Just as the Lord spoke to my heart that morning, I declare over your life this day,  that as it is in the physical, so shall it be in the spiritual. There shall be an  outpouring of the rain of favor, healing, salvation, deliverance, mercy, grace,  anointing and great wealth over your life this day and beyond. Where you had  hitherto experienced dryness, the siege is over. For thus says the Lord, “do not  remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a  new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a  road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:18-19). Welcome to a  new season.

     

    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: Surely the dawn will come

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Surely the dawn will come

    Read: Genesis 1:3-5

    Meditation verse:

    “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it”  (John 1:5).

    Few minutes after the clock strikes midnight, a new day begins. However,  though a new day has begun, it is still dark outside. But gradually, the darkness  gives way to the emerging light of the dawn. John 1:5 says, “And the light shines  in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it”. No matter how dark  the night is, surely it will give way to light at the breaking of dawn because it was  God who commanded it to be so. Genesis 1:3-5 says, “and God said, “let there  be light” and there was light. And God saw the light and it was good, and God  divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light day, and the  darkness He called night”.  

    Irrespective of how dark the season you are in right now is, surely, it will end  someday soon. Your season of light will come, and the dark season cannot stop  it. Psalm 30:5 says, “weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the  morning”. God’s ability to restore life is beyond our understanding. Trees are  burnt down and can grow back, broken bones heal, dead tissues are restored.  That’s the life-transforming power of God. 

    If a new day starts whilst it is still dark outside, why are you afraid of using the  dark seasons of your life as the start of a new beginning in your life? Determine  this day to create a new beginning from the place of that dark or painful  situation.

     

    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.