God‘s will for you in Christ Jesus!!!

Scripture Reference: 1 Thessalonians 5:14-24

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” Do you know that it is God’s will for you to be joyful always and to be able to give thanks in all circumstances?

Are you always joyful and giving thanks? Are there any issues that you are facing right now that’s causing you to lose your joy? Are the circumstances that you are facing so difficult that you are unable to give thanks? Or are you just lazy to give thanks and proclaim the goodness of God??

If you are losing your joy, I suggest that you need to pray continually until you see the breakthrough in your mind, heart, soul and spirit where you begin to thank God for all that he has done for you. When you press in and pray to the Lord continually, even in the most difficult situation, I believe the Lord will help you overcome the difficult situation in your mind. Then you will find the assurance that the Lord will deliver you and fill your heart & soul with His peace. As the Lord’s peace fills you, your spirit will rise up in thanksgiving. Before you know it, you will discover again the Joy of the Lord!

In simple words, we just have to put in CONSCIOUS EFFORT to pray continually and to give thanks DAILY. We need to recognize that all good things come from the Lord and it is not by coincidence or through our own efforts that we can gain them. Once you become more positive, naturally you’ll be too engrossed in giving thanks that the JOY of the Lord just naturally overwhelms you.

Don’t think,
Just do it!!

Praise the Lord and make music to Him!

Scripture Reference: Psalm 108:1-6

We all love music. Music has become part of our everyday lives. How has music become part of your life? When you face battles in your life, do you PRAISE the Lord and make MUSIC to Him? Or do you start to make NOISE??? (whining, grumbling, etc…)

As I meditate on God's word today, I came to realize that many of us do not sing and make music to the Lord enough everyday. I remember that when I was in my university days, I used to take my guitar and sing to the Lord whenever I was free. I also remember that it was through many such times that the Lord revealed many things to me and it was then that I received ideas on how to handle some of the difficult moments in my life.

I remembered the story of how King Jehoshaphat defeated the armies of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, as mentioned in 2 Chronicles 20. King Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army. As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir and defeated the enemies of Judah.

My dear friends, learn to make music and sing to the Lord. Praise Him in the midst of whatever situations you are facing and you will find the Lord fighting the battles for you in your lives. The next time you find yourself wanting to grumble or whine about the situation you are in, pause and sing to yourself this verse:

“My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul.”(Vs 1)

Let us BREAKOUT by praising the Lord and making music to Him!!!!

Fear Not, Trust in the Lord

Scripture Reference: Mark 4:35-41

In today's Scripture reference, Jesus asked His disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" (V 40)

This question keeps ringing in my ears as though Jesus is asking me the same question right now. In this month of January, I will be away from the country for quite a number of days and I cannot help but worry about how my wife and children would do in my absence for the next 2 weeks. As I seek the Lord in my devotion today, I was reminded to trust in the Lord and to commit all my concerns to Him.

There were so many times in which the Lord has helped me overcome many trials and difficulties. How can I be so worried? It is not that we cannot be concerned about our loved ones, but I felt that the question my Lord is asking me right now is this, "William, do you STILL have no faith?"

The issue is, how much do I really believe that God will take care of everything for me? If I truly trust Him to He will watch over me and my loved ones, then I should have no fear… In 1 Peter 5:7, the bible tells us to “Cast all our anxiety on Him because He cares for us.”

Are you worried or troubled over certain issues in your life (eg: your studies, your career or even your future) which may be causing you to fear and lose your peace?"
Even as you pray and surrender these issues unto the Lord, I’d like to remind you of God’s promise to us in Jer 29:11- “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Let us breakout together from our fears and trust in the Lord; so that we will find Victory in our Lord Jesus. I would like to encourage you to "FEAR NOT, but trust in the Lord!”

Do not give up, but cry out to Jesus, "Lord, save me!"

Scripture Reference: Matthew 14:22-33

Today, the Lord brought me to a passage that many of us are familiar with. One day, the disciples were alone on the boat and Jesus was walking on water towards them. On Peter's request, Jesus told Peter to "come". Peter obeyed, he walked on the water and went towards Jesus.

I guess many of us have experienced such times too, when we pray for the Lord to use us to build His kingdom, the Lord says okay and thus starts sending us out on His mission. Just like Peter, we obey and we start to move out of our "boat" or our comfort zone and follow wherever the Lord leads us to.

But after a while, in the same way, like Peter, when we see the "wind", we became afraid and we start to sink. When we see difficulties coming our way, trials take place with problems that we cannot solve; we begin to fear and doubt, wondering if we have heard correctly what God has called us to do, and wondering whether we should give up in what we have started to do, etc…

If you are feeling like that at this moment in your life, follow Peter's example. Cry out to Jesus, "Lord save me!" Yes, cry out to the Lord for help and He will come to save you.
Jesus never abandoned Peter, and neither will He forsake you. He will reach out His hand to catch you.
Jesus will not let you sink but He will catch you and walk with you until you are safe again.

As He catches you and guides you back to safety, there is one question that Jesus wants to ask you today: "Why do you doubt?" Take some time to reflect and write down how could you have or how you will respond the next time you are faced
with the winds and storms that come your way.

Remember, it is The Lord who will give you His VICTORY!!!!!

(Rom 10:13 - everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.)

It is the Lord who builds the House!!!

Scripture Reference: Psalm 127

Psalm 127:1 says, "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain..."
As I go deep in the Lord, I realized that it is very important to be able to rest in the Lord Jesus and depend on Him totally for all the things in my life. In the midst of building my tribe in the ministry, I've learnt that unless the LORD builds my house, I will labor in vain. Hence, it is important that I do not be anxious, but learn to commit to the Lord in prayer for whatever that I do.

Are you tired? Do you feel discouraged?
Have you tried to build your cell or done something for God but you still don’t see anything great happening?
Do you feel small and insignificant and hence give up trying?

Today, the Lord wants to set you free from the hurt and the tiredness. Right now, I want you to close your eyes and place your hand upon your heart. Will you surrender to the Lord, your hurts, tiredness & insignificance unto the Lord? Allow the Holy Spirit to take over and HEAL you and renew your faith, mind & heart. After which, make this declaration together with me:

Dear Lord, thank you for your healing & restoration. Today remind me that it is for your glory that I’m building your kingdom and not for my own ambition. I want to see & experience VICTORY in my life. Help me to anchor back in You for without Christ, I can do nothing. So Lord, in 2007 as I remain in you, help me to be fruitful and claim back all the blessings you have prepared for me. Lord, with You I’ll be VICTORIOUS again! AMEN.

An Approved Workman of God

Scripture Reference: 2 Timothy 2:15-26

Who is an approved workman of God? He is one who correctly handles the word of truth and avoids godless chatter. We need to have nothing to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because it will only produce quarrels.

In today's devotion, I learnt that we need to breakout from all quarrels and all kinds of arguments that are so unnecessary. This is the Year of Victory and to experience that Victorious Christian Life, we need to learn to submit to one another in love and we will break out from all these unnecessary quarrels.

Today's devotion is very real to me because I just had an argument with a brother of mine yesterday concerning some issue. I felt the Lord is so close to me in teaching me His ways.

My dear friends, those who think that they are spiritual and yet are quarrelsome; they are being deceived. The Lord is not pleased to see His children fighting among themselves. (The Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 2 Tim 2:24)

Did you just quarrel with someone yesterday?
Will you come to the Lord right now and release forgiveness over that someone who may have wrong you or make you upset? Will you commit to the Lord today that you will be a peace maker and guard yourselves from all fruitless arguments?

As children of God, the way we can shine like Jesus is to follow His example and become peacemakers like Him. Today, can you say that you are an approved workman of God???

Faith is the Key to a Victorious Christian Life

Scripture Reference: Romans 4:13-21

Romans 4:13 says: "It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring
received the promise that he would be heir of the world,
but through the righteousness that comes by faith."

According to Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” . We can see that Abraham was sure of his promise though he had not yet seen it, and he was certain that he’d receive it because God has the power.
Through this we know that it was FAITH that helped Abraham to overcome his unbelief and receive the promises of God. Abraham believed that God had the power to do what He promised although it was against all hope in the situation that Abraham faced.

In today's devotion, I want to share with you that if you want to succeed and live a Victorious Christian Life, you need to rise up in Faith and believe in God's promises.
From my personal experience, God has always chosen to bless us, but the issue is whether we believe and choose to receive His blessings. The evil one is always trying to accuse us of all our wrongdoings and deceive us that God will not bless us. We need to hold firm to our faith in our Heavenly Father and trust in His Word that His faithfulness prevails.

Is there a past experience or failure that has shaken your faith in God???
Do you want to BREAKOUT of it today?
I want to encourage you that within today, share with your pastor, G12 leader or even your own cell leader and ask them to pray with you and impart new faith unto you so that you may believe again and begin to see the great promises of God coming to pass in your life in 2007.

Let go of the old and receive the new!!!!

So begin to look into the scripture for the promises of God for your life.
Claim those promises for yourself and rise up in faith until you see those promises coming to pass.
Today, be determined that you will not let the evil one deceive you or defeat you, but you will rise up in faith to believe in God!!!
“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” Rom 10:17

We have the Mind of Christ

Scripture Reference: 1 Corinthians 2:6-16

In 1 Corinthians 2:12 it says that "We have not received the spirit of the world
but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us."

In today's devotion, I learnt that it is possible for us to actually hear God's prompting and receive revelations about the will of God in our lives. God has revealed His secret wisdom to us by his Spirit so that we can understand the things of God. (Vs 7)

I have also learnt that God is interested in our lives and he wants to talk to us and guide us in whatever we do all the time. The important thing is: Do we seek God in all that we do and allow Him to guide us in every step that we take? Are we sensitive to the Holy Spirit and follow His prompting whenever we ask of Him?

Is DOUBT & DISBELIEF your issue when it comes to not hearing from God???
Do you trust yourself more than you trust God?
In your anxiety and worries, do you have the tendency to just make your own decision quickly and not ask God for help?

Won’t you PRAY now and ask God to increase your level of faith to believe like a child, to ask like a child and to receive like a child so that we may be dependant on our Father in heaven again?

“…if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?” (Matt 7:7-11)

So rise up in faith and have the right mindset today. Begin to believe that God will speak to you. Then you will be on your journey to live a Victorious Life with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

We are Created to Praise

Scripture Reference: Psalm 150

Today, we are going to discover our destiny, the reason that we are created, the cause of our existence… The bible, in Psalm 150:6 says, “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.”

PS 150:1 Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.

PS 150:2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.

PS 150:3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,

PS 150:4 praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute,

PS 150:5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.

PS 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.

Let’s recognize this fact, that we are all made to Praise God!
Have you been using your tongue to praise God? Or have you been cursing men?
Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? (James 3: 11)
It’s never to late to ask God to forgive you. But will you make a decision today to allow only edifying words to flow out of your mouth?
Words that will heal and not hurt. Words that will praise and not curse?
Pray for self control and commit your tongue to Jesus! :)

* try this!! Whenever you wanna curse, exercise self control and substitute it with these 3 words: -

“PRAISE THE LORD!” :)

God has made us Righteous

Scripture Reference: Romans 3:21-28

I am using the Devotion Guide, entitled: "From Faith to Faith, a Daily Guide to Victory, by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland" for my daily devotion.. :)

In today’s devotion, Kenneth shared with us the following:

“I don’t care how badly you may have messed things up yesterday or how many mistakes you have made, I want you to begin this day knowing you are righteous!
Not because of anything you’ve done but because you’ve received, by faith in Jesus, the very righteousness of God…..
Don’t let the devil rob you of even one of these blessings by telling you “you’re unworthy of them”.
Run him off. Shout out loud, ‘I am the righteousness of God!’
Then step out in faith and enjoy the privileges God has prepared for you!”

I fully agree with what Kenneth has said as stated above. Some believers are living in such defeat in life that they lost all of God’s blessings for them because they accepted the arguments the devil has cast upon them.

In Romans 3:22, the bible tells us that “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”

Let's Breakout and believe in the promises of God so that we will receive our Victory in Christ.
Let us rise up and shout out LOUD:
“I AM THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD!!!”

We are One Body

Scripture Reference: John 17:9-26

In John 17:22, our Lord Jesus said that He has given us the glory that God has given to Him, and that Glory is that we may be One as the Father and the Son are One.

We do not realize the power and the glory God has given to us, which can be made available through our Unity as the Body of Believers.

In this Year of Victory, I believe the Body of Christ is going to Breakout and rise up in its full Glory as a United Body. I believe too that we as a church can Breakout and rise up in Unity.

But the Unity movement needs to start from us, as individuals. Unity needs to begin in the cell level, in the sub-zone level, in the tribe level, between the Ladies Tribe and the Guys Tribe, etc etc etc....

This is Jesus’ Prayer: “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

Do you struggle when someone has a different opinion from you, or their way of doing things just frustrates you? What good is it to cause a conflict or witness the failure of your brother/ sister?
Today, put your pride aside.
Will you ask God to change your heart & attitude towards that person?
Will you put on the heart of Jesus and be that good brother/ sister to help see the success of one another?

Then indeed, we will experience Victory as we Breakout into God’s Glory through His United Body!!!

We are called to be a Blessing

Scripture Reference: Genesis 12:1-4

The Key Verse of the Vision of G-12 is found in the covenant the Lord made with Abraham where He said: “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Believe it, my dear friends! We inherit the same promise that God gave to Abraham when we believe in our Lord Jesus.

Galatians 3:7-14 says: “Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you."

So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham… He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”

Our Lord God Almighty says He will bless you and make your name great, and YOU will be a blessing… and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

Today, do you truly believe that God will bless you and that He will make you a blessing to all the people around you? Action speaks louder than words.
Don’t just sit back and fold your arms.
Will you breakout of your unbelief and rise up to your destiny and calling?
Take out a piece of paper and start listing down a few names and how you can actually bless them!

You are called to be a Blessing!!!

Look Up to God & Do Not Look Down!!

Scripture Reference: Isaiah 40:21-31

In this year of Victory, we need to constantly look up and focus on God in all circumstances. In Isaiah 40:27, the bible says: “Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God"?”

Sometimes when we face difficult situations in our lives and we feel that God has forsaken us, I want you to know that is a lie and a deception.

The evil one is always trying to cause a spirit of weariness in God’s children through all the pressures and the bad news they face in this world. It is important for us not to look at bad news and be misled to think negatively.

In this year of Victory, we need to Breakout of all negative thoughts and lift up our eyes and look to the heavens. The Lord gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak… Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength… (Isaiah 40:29-31).

Are you experiencing difficulties in looking up? Do you struggle it’s only the 2^nd day of the new year and things are already not going smoothly for you? Take this moment to pray. Ask God to renew your mind and flow upon you a hopeful spirit. Then begin to give thanks to God for all that has happen and proclaim that “in God’s time, he makes all things beautiful”.

When you learn to Look Up instead of look down, you will Breakout and experience Victory in the year 2007.

God Bless!

Breakout into the New Year

Scripture Reference: Romans 10:1-13

“Is Jesus your Lord?”

The bible says that anyone who trust in Him will never be put to shame and He will bless all who call on Him. How are you feeling on this New Year Day? Are you excited and feeling Victorious about this New Year? If not, you need to start confessing in Faith, the victory of Christ in your life and start rejoicing in Him.

I just want you to know that in this New Year, you can have a new beginning regardless of what happened in 2006. Rise up and Breakout!

If you believe that this year will be a Year of Victory for you, you will receive the Lord’s blessings and you will see Victory in your life.

If you trust in Him, you will not be put to shame as you will experience God’s favor in all the works of your hands as you go deep into the presence of God.

If you have a chance to restart, why wait??? Right where you are now, take the next few mins and make that prayer of renewal for yourself.

“For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth you confess and are saved.”

So lift up your heads, Breakout into the year of 2007 with a Victory Shout!!!

God bless you with a Victorious Year! :)

My New Year Gift to you

Today is New Year's Day and I would like to wish all of you in Pastor Debra’s Next Generation and William’s Next Generation a Happy and God Blessed New Year.

My New Year Gift to all of you will be this daily devotion that I intend to put in my blog for at least one month. I will be using a Devotion Guide, entitled: “From Faith to Faith, a Daily Guide to Victory, by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland”.

As you know, this year is a Year of Victory for FCBC and a Year of Breakout for us in YouthNet. In this first quarter of the year, I would like all of us to focus in Going Deep in our daily walk with the Lord. I think we shall start with our daily devotion.