The Word

Theme: Do You Care?  Text: Philippians 4:10&11 10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content Extending helping hands to others is a quality of a matured Christian. It means such individual has learnt from Christ to care for the flock. Christ out of love, compassion and care for the multitude that learned under Him, fed them with just fives loaves of bread and two fishes. We need to support each others ministry both physically and spiritually whenever there is a chance. When opportunities come and others come to our aid, we ought to be grateful. Be grateful even for the little help offered. The words of the Apostle Paul is to us all irrespective of our position in the church, community, at home and wherever we may find ourselves, to be content in all things as well as not wrongly ac...

Father of glory unto You alone be honour and adoration for constantly keeping us in Your divine hedge covering. What would have been of us without You? The enemy would have crushed us badly but Your grace found us. Hallelujah! It is written, where the Spirit of God abides, there's liberty. In the name of Jesus Christ, I break loose from every bondage, barrier, limitation, and hindrance to my rising up. I declare in the liberty of the Holy Spirit, I conquer and subdue every challenge in any area of my life. I declare I am victorious and my week is Spirit filled in the name of Jesus Christ. AMEN! 

Theme: Meditate!  Text: Philippians 4:8&9 8 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. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. Maturity comes by reflecting on issues and giving it a better approach. The best means of reflecting is meditation. To meditate means to plan mentally or consider (ponder over) things by means of focusing in silence. To the Christian, we ought to meditate on God's Word. The Apostle Paul admonished we ponder over things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and things of good report. We ought to meditate on these things because;  * True:  The truth is but one and cannot be altered. Jesus is Lord and it is true He came to die for us so w...

Theme: Be Not Anxious  Text: Philippians 4:6&7 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. One significant virtue of the Christian walk is patience. Patience guards our heart and mind to trust faithfully in the Lord. On the other hand, being anxious denies the Christian the strength to wait on the Lord. We are admonished to be anxious for nothing: not some things but everything. Prayer and supplication with thanksgiving is the antidote to overcoming anxiety. Dear beloved in the Lord, prayer and supplication is a means of communicating with God. Communication is a two way affairs: we tell God what we desire He does for us and He in returns respond by telling us what's best for us. His response is what gives us the inner calmness and peace to know, God is with us (Emmanuel!). God...

Theme: Gentleness  Text: Philippians 4:5 5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. One of the fruit of the Spirit is gentleness which is expected of every Christian to bear. Gentleness means showing care and respect for others in the way that one acts and speaks. It is characterized by humility. A gentle soul can also be said to be meek.  The Kingdom of God does not make provision for arrogant and the prideful rather it is for the gentle soul. The Apostle Paul admonished us to allow others give a true testimony of our conduct of humility in all that we do. Humility cannot be expressed by word of mouth, rather it's expressed in our actions. Live every moment of your days in humility not pride. The Lord will exalt the gentle soul but humble the proud. Prayer: Dear God, Your nature is gentleness and I thank You for giving me such nature through the Holy Spirit. I pray the yoke of pride be broken and taken out of me. I declare I'm bearing the fruit of gentlen...

Theme: Rejoice!  Text: Philippians 4:4 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! To rejoice means to feel or show great joy or delight. As Christians our delight should be in the Lord. We should delight in the Lord's doings in our lives. If we consider what the Lord daily does for us we should be content and honour him. Rejoicing also helps the entire body as the heart is continually healthy. The things of the world gives pleasure but can't give us joy forever. However the joy of the Lord is our strength making us to triumph in all that we do. Becoming a Christian is the best decision to make and so rejoice in the Lord, I will say again, rejoice! Prayer: Thank You dear God for calling me Your own. Let me have joy in knowing that You're there for me. Help me Holy Spirit divine to rejoice in the Lord always in the name of Jesus Christ have I prayed. AMEN! 

Theme: Same Mind in Christ  Text: Philippians 4:2&3 2 I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life. Coexistence is vital in every sphere of life whether in our family, neighborhood, workplaces, schools, fellowships and anywhere humans exist. It is in this regard the Apostle Paul admonished Euodia and Syntyche to be of the same mind. No one is an island, we need each other to survive and to carry on our duties in life. Dear beloved in the Lord, we are called to ensure unity exist in our homes, communities, fellowships, and wherever we find ourselves. Strive to bring others together than to create confusion, bitterness and hatred among people. As the body of Christ whose names are written in the Book of Life, we need to let love lead in all that we do. Prayer: Dear God I ...

Theme: Beloved Brethren!  Text: Philippians 4:1 4 Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved . The ministry of the Apostle Paul has been one accustomed with brotherly affection which he expressed in his writings to his audience. It is a good example for ministry advancement as members know they are loved and cared for. In ministry or even our usual social life, we need to make or subordinates feel loved and welcomed to work with. The expression of longed-for brethren indicates how the Apostle Paul missed his brethren and desire to reunite with them.  Dear beloved in the Lord, how's your relationship with others like? Can you confidently say you've nurtured others rightly? As Apostle Paul indicated, his beloved brethren are his joy and crown so they ought to stand fast in the Lord. Let us emulate this and shape lives to the glory of God. Reach out to a beloved brethren today and express your thoughts and affections of goo...

Thank You Lord for the power of the Blood of Jesus. I'm grateful that by the Blood I'm made anew and I receive divine coverage. Glory be to You O God. I decree the Blood over my life, family, ministry, and all that are connected to me. Our heart is sprinkle and purified by the Blood of Jesus from dead conscience. We no longer walk in dead work for we are stirred up in faith by the Blood. Therefore the yoke of sin is broken completely. By the Blood we are receiving divine intervention in all that we do and in every sphere of our lives in the name of Jesus Christ. AMEN! 

Theme: Faith Matters a Lot  Text: Matthew 21:22 You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.  Faith matter with our prayers than any other thing. As believers, we need to keep up the communication with God well than instructing Him to obeying our demands. Charles H. Surgeon posit, “We do not pray to God to instruct Him as to what He should do; neither for a moment must we presume to dictate the method of the divine working.” Prayer: Teach me how to pray Spirit of the Living God and stir up my faith to believe when I pray that You've done it in the name of Jesus Christ. AMEN! 

Theme: Left Over Text: 2 Kings 4:43&44 43 But his servant said, “What? Shall I set this before one hundred men?” He said again, “Give it to the people, that they may eat; for thus says the Lord: ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’ ” 44 So he set it before them; and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord. In yesterday's devotion, we saw how the man from Baal Shalisha brought his firstfruits to prophet Elisha and he instructed his servant to feed the multitude with the firstfruits. There were hundred hungry men to be served twenty loaves of barley bread, and newly ripened grain in the knapsack of the man from Baal Shalisha. The question will be how possible is this? That's exactly the point of the servant.  However the man of God says, give it out and there will be left over. Dear beloved in the Lord, faith without works is dead. The servant shared the food as instructed and behold, there were left overs as was the word of the man of God. Lea...

Theme: Firstfruits Text: 2 Kings 4:42 42 Then a man came from Baal Shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley bread, and newly ripened grain in his knapsack. And he said, “Give it to the people, that they may eat.” Firstfruits can be expressed literally or figuratively depending on the context it is been used. In this context, it is literal to signify the produce of a harvest. Figuratively, Jesus was referred to as the firstfruit of the dead (his resurrection)~1 Corinthians 15:20. In today's devotion our focus shall be on the former. When the Lord increases your harvest (the work of your hands) you ought to return with the firstfruits. Unfortunately, many have limited themselves to money in giving of their firstfruits to the Lord. The man from Baal Shalisha did not bring money but the actual firstfruits of his harvest; twenty loaves of barley bread, and newly ripened grain in his knapsack. Whatever you have been blessed with, that's w...

Theme: Man of God  Text: 2 Kings 4:40&41  40 Then they served it to the men to eat. Now it happened, as they were eating the stew, that they cried out and said, “Man of God, there is death in the pot!” And they could not eat it. 41 So he said, “Then bring some flour.” And he put it into the pot, and said, “Serve it to the people, that they may eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot. As Christians, we all have been called into the ministry of Jesus Christ. This makes us men/women of God. If we diligently seek the Lord and do what pleases Him, He rewards us greatly. The prophet Elisha trusted the faithfulness of God in all that he does. In our previous devotions we saw how he gave the command for stew to be made in a large pot even though there has been famine on the land. The stew that was served the sons of the prophet was so bitter they exclaimed there's death in the pot. Food is meant to provide energy not death. There are days things we believe could change or t...

Theme: Gather Your Herbs  Text: 2 Kings 4:39 39 So one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered from it a lapful of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, though they did not know what they were. In yesterday's devotion, we saw how the prophet Elisha commanded a large pot be put on fire and stew be made even though there were no ingredients. Today's text tells us what one of them did. He went out to gather herbs; he is very aware of the Lord blessing the herbs that it shall be food to man. What he gathered were wild gourds which was unknown to the others. Do not always be quick to tell others what you have (show off). Definitely, someone will point out the flaws in what you have and you can never reach out to your desired goals.  Dear beloved in the Lord, you can only make use of what you have to reach your goal of making it big. To start that business, begin small and God will increase your yield; that academic grade yo...

Theme: The Large Pot  Text: 2 Kings 4:38 38 And Elisha returned to Gilgal, and there was a famine in the land. Now the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said to his servant, “Put on the large pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.”  There are moments of our lives that seems as though nothing good can come out from our situation. Faith is required to break the limitations. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. The prophet Elisha is welcomed to Gilgal with famine and hunger. The sons of the prophets were in expectation he will provide food for them. In the absence of ingredients, he asked the large pot be put on fire and stew be boiled for the sons of the prophets. Oh mine! Who does that? It's only the man who is filled with faith in the Lord. Dear beloved in the Lord, irrespective of your challenge in life, always look up to God in expectation: Dream big trusting God for a better life. Always call for the large pot and let God be God. Prayer: Fath...

O God be lifted above all other gods for all the gods of the heathens are the works of men. You're the Most High God and there's none like You. In Your Sovereignty You reign and have total control of everything in the existence; You commanded the morning since the days began and caused the dawn to know its place. Hallowed be Thy name from generations unto generations. It is written, "Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water, or a path for the thunderbolt, to cause it to rain on a land where there is no one. A wilderness in which there is no man; To satisfy the desolate waste, and cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass?" Almighty God You alone can do all that at ease. In the name of Jesus Christ, I decree by the power of the Holy Spirit, every form of wilderness in my life (ministry, marriage, finances, education, health, projects, - list your expectations) receive the overflowing stream of grace to bring about revival. I decree I am satisfied and ...

Theme: Prayer Works  Text: 2 Kings 4:32-37 32 When Elisha came into the house, there was the child, lying dead on his bed. 33 He went in therefore, shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the Lord. 34 And he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; and he stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm. 35 He returned and walked back and forth in the house, and again went up and stretched himself out on him; then the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. 36 And he called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite woman.” So he called her. And when she came in to him, he said, “Pick up your son.” 37 So she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; then she picked up her son and went out. Our weapon in life as Christians is prayer. Prayer has done great things to those who employ it faithfully; the prophet Elijah used prayer to bring back to life the...

Theme: The Divine Presence  Text: 2 Kings 4:29-31 29 Then he said to Gehazi, “Get yourself ready, and take my staff in your hand, and be on your way. If you meet anyone, do not greet him; and if anyone greets you, do not answer him; but lay my staff on the face of the child.” 30 And the mother of the child said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” So he arose and followed her. 31 Now Gehazi went on ahead of them, and laid the staff on the face of the child; but there was neither voice nor hearing. Therefore he went back to meet him, and told him, saying, “The child has not awakened.” There are days our instincts through the power of the Holy Spirit communicate to us what to do. The Shunammite woman knew where to find help and when she does found the prophet Elisha, she was not ready to return home unless he comes with her. It's not that the staff of the prophet is powerless, but the woman trusted the divine presence and word of the man of God to chang...

Theme: Hidden Text: 2 Kings 4:24-28  24 Then she saddled a donkey, and said to her servant, “Drive, and go forward; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.” 25 And so she departed, and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel. So it was, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, the Shunammite woman! 26 Please run now to meet her, and say to her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?’ ” And she answered, “It is well.” 27 Now when she came to the man of God at the hill, she caught him by the feet, but Gehazi came near to push her away. But the man of God said, “Let her alone; for her soul is in deep distress, and the Lord has hidden it from me, and has not told me.” 28 So she said, “Did I ask a son of my lord? Did I not say, ‘Do not deceive me’?” In yesterday's devotion the Shunammite woman lost her son yet she kept it a secret on the premise of it is well. Having been granted her request by her ...

Theme: It is Well  Text: 2 Kings 2:21-23 21 And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door upon him, and went out. 22 Then she called to her husband, and said, “Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and come back.” 23 So he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath.” And she said, “It is well.”  In yesterday's devotion we saw how the Shunammite woman's sick son sat on her knees and died by noon. She did an excellent thing afterwards which we will look at today. When her child died, she did not even mention it to her husband but laid him on the every bed of the man of God. As we stated yesterday, you don't need the presence of the wailers in your predicament. They'll only compound your sorrows with their piercing deceitful tongues of comforting you. The Shunammite woman knows the God that made the impossible possible is the only God that can intervene....

Theme: The Child  Text: 2 Kings 4:17-20 17 But the woman conceived, and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her. 18 And the child grew. Now it happened one day that he went out to his father, to the reapers. 19 And he said to his father, “My head, my head!” So he said to a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. In yesterday's devotion we looked at the prophet's reward where Elisha prophesied to the Shunammite woman she will have a son about a year time. At the appointed time she did conceive and bore a son. The Lord's Word comes to pass in our lives at His appointed time and not at our own willful time. The child grew but not in good health. What is it that God has blessed you with but you're unable to nurture it into greatness? The Shunammite woman's child could be your marriage, career, business, ministry, education, leadership roles...

Theme: The Prophet's Reward  Text: 2 Kings 4:14-16 14  So he said, “What then is to be done for her?”  And Gehazi answered, “Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old.”  15  So he said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway.  16  Then he said, “About this time next year you shall embrace a son.”  And she said, “No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant!” In our previous study we saw how both the Shunammite woman and the prophet Elisha were concerned for each other. The prophet Elisha continued to contemplate what can be done for her. Gehazi a disciple of the prophet noticed a great need which he believes is the best thing to do for her; Her husband is old and she has no son. She was called and she stood in the doorway, she had no physical contact with the prophet but heard his voice.  The prophecy needs to be spoken not a touch as some false prophets are practicing in our days ta...

Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me praise His Holy Name for by His mouth He commanded and it has been established. Glory be to God for all His numerous benefits bestowed on us from generations unto generations. Hallelujah! Father in the name of Jesus Christ, we decree an open heavens over our week. Just as the jar of oil filled many vessels and became a means to settle the debts of the wife of Your servant, by the fueling of the Holy Spirit in us, we are come out of every difficult situation. The lines have fallen in pleasant places for us and we triumph in every sphere of our lives even now and forevermore in Jesus' name. AMEN! 

Theme: Genuine Concern Text:2 Kings 4:12&13  12 Then he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite woman.” When he had called her, she stood before him. 13 And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Look, you have been concerned for us with all this care. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?’ ” She answered, “I dwell among my own people.” The Shunammite woman's care for the prophet Elisha and his companions grew better each time they passed by. Elisha therefore wants to know if the woman wants a favour from him. It's often common these days to see people assisting others with the motive of receiving something in return. Are you genuinely concerned about your neighbours' well-being or you're doing so to score a mark or use the opportunity to demand for something? The reply the Shunammite woman gave in response to Elisha's question to speak on her behalf before the king or the commander of the...

Theme: The Upper Room  Text: 2 Kings 4:10&11  10 Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there.” 11 And it happened one day that he came there, and he turned in to the upper room and lay down there.  In yesterday's devotion we looked at the notable Shunammite woman who has been hospitable to the prophet Elisha. In today's devotion we will look at how she has extended the help of feeding the prophet Elisha to providing him with shelter. She humbly requested of her husband to provide an upper room for the prophet's convenience. All that will be required to ease the pressure on the prophet has been made available in the upper room; a bed to sleep on and a study area for him to read and meditate upon God's Word. Dear beloved in the Lord, let us learn from the provision of the upper room how to effectively assist others without t...

Theme: A Notable Woman  Text: 2 Kings 22:8&9 8 Now it happened one day that Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a notable woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. So it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food. 9 And she said to her husband, “Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly.  Having ended the story of the widow yesterday, we will be looking at another woman said to be notable. To be notable means worthy of attention, notice or remarkable. It is not achieved be lip services but by actions beyond reasonable doubts. This notable woman of Shunem (Shunammite) is a married woman and has concerns for the prophet Elisha's wellbeing. She has been noted for her hospitality; she persuaded the prophet Elisha to pass by and eat each time he passes by. Frequent visits often irritate but this woman was able to put up with her regular guest such that it was stated, "So it was, as often as he passed by , he ...

Theme: God of Wonders  Text: 2 Kings 22:5-7 5 So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. 6 Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. 7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.” God has been in the miracle business from the beginning of time. He reveals Himself in amazing ways to frustrate the schemes of the wicked and to bring relief to anyone who trust in Him. The widow carried out all the instructions the prophet Elisha gave to the later. Just a jar of oil could fill more vessels bigger than itself to the brim is not logical or possible to the human capabilities but with God it is very possible. The debt she feared would cause the future of her children, have seen a divine escape through the...

Theme: Borrowed Vessels  Text: 2 Kings 4:3&4 3 Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. 4 And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.” In yesterday's devotion we looked at the theme, "What do you have?" we learned that God uses the ordinary things we have to perform the extraordinary in our lives. The widow said she has nothing except a jar of oil. We will continue today to find out what happened. The prophet Elisha instructed her to borrow more vessels from her neighbors. For us to advance forward, we will also require help from people God has strategically positioned in our lives. We could require vessels such as financial support, counsel, insight, and support of diverse kinds from these individuals. The prophet Elisha required of her to shut the door behind herself and sons; then pour the oil ...