His Voice Devotional

Text :  Isa 64:8.  *But as for you, O LORD, you are our Father; and we are clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hands.*  Imagine the process  gold goes through before it comes out as gold. Now imagine that the gold has a will-power, probably it will simply jump out of the process when too much heat is applied.  For us to come out as a refined product in the hands of God, we have to pass through processes. Unlike inanimate objects however,  *man has the will power to abort the process that should launch him into destiny.*  We shall be looking at some individuals and the processes they went through before they became the icons we know them to be today. The very first case study we will consider today is Joseph.  Joseph had a dream which was given to him by the Lord. Gen. 37. From a tender age he had the understanding that he was to be a ruler. It is important to know why you are here. *You are not a product of mistake, God has a specific plan in mind for you to fulfi

Text: Philippians 4:8  *Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.* Today, we shall be looking at honesty as one of the things we are commended to give our thoughts to. The truth is who you truly are is contained in your thoughts. That's why proverbs 23:7 says as a man thinks in his heart so is he. Matthew 12:34 says from the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.  That is, what you say is also precipitated on what you have stored in your heart. What you have stored however, is based on what you have ruminated on over a period of time. Infact, all of these are  responsible for what you have in your subconscious.  Your subconscious is the realm where you are not really in control, but the stored information takes over and you speak or act accordingly.

Text: Philippians 4:8  *Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.* There are thoughts you should set your mind on for you to stay healthy in every way possible. This is because your thoughts go a long way in framing your life. For as man a think in his heart, so is he... Proverbs  23:7.  Apostle Paul in his admonition to the church in Phillipi, gave us a list of things we need to be thinking on.   Today, we shall be looking at the very first line of thought God would have you set your mind on- *"Whatsoever things are TRUE"  Somethings in your life may be the FACT but not the TRUTH.  *Science talks Fact but God speaks TRUTH.*  At times, you may receive a Doctor's report which based on their findings is the actual fact of what is going on in yo

Text : Heb 13:4 ISV   *Let marriage be kept honorable in every way, and the marriage bed undefiled. For God will judge those who commit sexual sins, especially those who commit adultery.*  Having looked at the need to keep your marriage honorable, today we shall be  looking at the other  important issues raised in the verse. It says that marriage bed must be kept undefiled. Marriage bed is actually beyond the bed you lie on, it does  include the sexual intercourse between married couples. Hence, when a partner joins himself or herself with/to another person in any form of sexual engagements, that means that marriage bed has been defiled.  Marriage bed can be defiled either by a single or married person. When marriage bed is defiled while one is yet to be married, that is called *_fornication_* . When it is defiled in marriage, that is called _*adultery*_  The two are sins not just to God but to oneself and one's partner(in marriage).  *A man who goes after another man's wife is

Text : 1 Corinthians  11:3   *But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.*   *Every part of the body has a distinctive function to play. That is how God has ordained it.*  Hear the logical explanation from the book of Corinthians. For the body does not consist of only one part, but of many.  If the foot says, “Since I’m not a hand, I’m not part of the body,” that does not make it any less a part of the body, does it?  And if the ear says, “Since I’m not an eye, I’m not part of the body,” that does not make it any less a part of the body, does it? If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has arranged the parts, every one of them, in the body according to his plan. Now if all of it were one part, there wouldn’t be a body, would there? So there are many parts, but one body. 1 Cor.12:14-20. So it&#

Text : Heb 13:4 ISV   *Let marriage be kept honorable in every way, and the marriage bed undefiled. For God will judge those who commit sexual sins, especially those who commit adultery.*  Today, we shall be looking at the role of a man as a husband and father. The man is the Head (the leader) in every normal home. *The agitation for equality in our world today is clearly against the program of God.*  God is a God of order.  1 Corinthians 14:40 says *Let all things be done decently and in order.* These all things include your marriage   ```But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.``` 1 Corinthians  11:3. The home organigram is very clear. But the devil knows that once the head is correct,  every other thing will align, that's why he goes about ensuring that men live without direction.  For any man to play his 'headship' role correctly,  he must be a man who knows and have accepted Ch

Text : Heb 13:4 ISV   *Let marriage be kept honorable in every way, and the marriage bed undefiled. For God will judge those who commit sexual sins, especially those who commit adultery.*  If you are yet to marry, this is the right time to prepare for it, if success in marriage is your desire. No soldier worths his onions prepares for battle on the battle front, (that will be suicidal), rather, preparations are made  long before the battle.  Before we proceed, let me make it clear that *marriage is the only institution that predates the fall of man.* Marriage was instituted by God before Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden. Gen. 2:15-25. Let me also make it clear that marriage is one institution the devil  is working tirelessly to destroy. This is because once every man out there gets it right as far as marriage is concerned, then this world will be a heaven on earth and devil will be displaced. We are where we are today because there are many dysfunctionalities in the home front

Text : Genesis 50:20  Genesis 50:20   *But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.*   *Sometimes, God uses your 'enemies'  to push you into your destiny.* Joseph had a deep understanding of this truth. Hence, he finds it very easy to forgive his brothers. He knew very well that his brothers who did evil against him were working for the fulfillment of God's plan for his life.  When you stand in the centre of God's will for your life, love him and stand in the assurance of his calling; you can be rest assured that all things(including your enemies) are working together for your good. Rom 8:23. The brothers of Joseph thought evil against him but God meant their evil for good. God is the all powerful, and He can change evil intended against you to good. When you turn your battle to God, He will put your enemies under your feet. He will cause their evil to work for your good. He will

Text : Genesis 45:5   *Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.*  A common saying has it thus "Let Go and Let God" To let go is to pardon  offences and forgive offenders . To let God  is to take position with God. It is allowing God have His way. It is seeing an offence through God's eyeglasses, and allowing Him to fight for you. Joseph knew this very well. He pardoned his brothers without any reservation. He must have given them forgiveness a long while before he met them again. This is because He understood what the Lord was using the offence for. *Every single offence you receive is actually meant to work out great reward in you and for you.*  Joseph who should be hurting suddenly became the counsellor to his offenders. He could do this because he has allowed God in his life. He told his brothers the reason they did what they did to him.  " *Now therefore be not grieved, nor a

Text : Genesis 45:2  *And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard.*  Joseph gave his brethren an Unconditional forgiveness. He showed them a great act of kindness inspite of the  evil they did to him. He paid them good for the evil they had done to him. He did not allow himself to be overcome by their evil, rather, he overcame their  evil with good. (Romans 12:21). The brothers of Joseph did him so much evil. They later recounted how grievous the evil they did to him was. Genesis  42:21  _"And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear..."_  Has anyone caused your soul to be in anguish(excruciating and agonising pain), I pray that you will receive grace like Joseph to let go in Jesus name. (Amen). Today, we shall be looking at one of the keys to letting go of offences and giving Unconditional forgiveness. *Since we live in a hurting world, the

Text : Matthew  6:15    *But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.*  The story was told about a man who owed the king of the land a huge sum of money ( about $3.48 billion).  According to the Herald News, this amout is estimated to be equivalent of 200,000 years of labour.  As the King began settling his accounts,  the man who owed the huge amount was brought to him. Because he was not able to repay it, his lord ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, children, and whatever he possessed, and repayment to be made. Then the slave threw himself to the ground before him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you everything.’ The lord had compassion on that slave and released him, and forgave him the whole debt. After he went out, that same slave found one of his fellow slaves who owed him about $300 (about 3 days labour).  So he grabbed him by the throat and started to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ Then his f

Text : Mathew 25:24 *Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast no strawed*  Assumption has cheated many from entering into their destiny. Don't assume anything. Don't conclude matters without  clarifications. Assumptions has put  many good homes asunder. Many friendships have been seperated on the basis of assumption, many have lost great opportunities simply because of assumption. From our text, the servant that received one (1) talent lost his place in the kingdom simply because he assumed.  He emphatically said, "I knew thee that thou art an hard man....." The question that readily comes to mind is: where did he get this information from? Who gave him this information about the master? No one, it was Mr. Assumption. He assumed the master was a hard man who likes to reap where he has not sown, and to gather where he has not strawed.  One may th

Text : Acts 13:6 ISV   *They went through the whole island as far as Paphos, where they found a Jewish occult practitioner and false prophet named Bar-jesus.*  We have already established that Bar-jesus represents anyone or anything that comes in the name of Christ with the aim of perverting the Gospel of Christ.  Act 13:8 says "But Elymas the occult practitioner (also known as Bar-jesus) continued to oppose them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith" The devil has positioned different Bar-jesuses at various junctions of your life. You need wisdom to recognise and avoid them.   When Paul saw what Bar-jesus was doing,  the first thing that was recorded about him was that he was filled with the Holy Spirit.  It takes higher authority to deal with lesser ones. No one can deliver himself from the claws of false teachers and prophets except by the Spirit of the Lord. (Acts 13:9 ISV) But Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked him straight in the

Text : Act 13:6   *And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus:*  Today, we shall be looking closely at the operations of Bar-jesus so we are not caught unaware in his schemes.  1. *Affiliation to Jesus* :  *The people that are more liable to derail you in or from  the faith journey, are the wolves in sheep clothing.*  Notice that Bar-jesus was a Jew. The Jews are traditionally known as people of God. And besides, he paraded himself about as "son of Jesus'. Yet he was intricately against Christ. Note that people that have power to deceive and derail others from the faith are those who come in the name of Jesus. 2.  *Reasoning and intelligence :* Have you ever wondered why some well-read individuals are submitting to some so called 'prophets ' ?  Well, it is because *the things of the Spirit cannot be comprehended by logic and reasoning* ,  at  best your reasoning can only be manipul

Text : Acts 13:6 ISV   *They went through the whole island as far as Paphos, where they found a Jewish occult practitioner and false prophet named Bar-jesus.*  We are introduced to a man in our text today named, Bar-Jesus. His name in Hebrews means son of Jesus, but other descriptions of this fellow revealed that he  was an occult practitioner,  and a false prophet  and yet he was called the son of Jesus. He is also known as Elymas the sorcerer. Acts 13:8. Needless to say that the story is still the same today. We live in a world where occultic people are being referred to as men of God,  where false prophets are parading themselves about in different churches,  on television, radio and all social media as the prophet of God and people are indeed regarding them as so. Infact,  the most pathetic is when people rightly know that a particular fellow is a false prophet or an  occult practitioner and yet flock to him simply because they want miracles.  Just few days ago, I was talking with

Text: Exodus 14:14  *The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.*  The International Standard Version(ISV) renders the Exodus 14:14 thus: *The LORD will fight for you while you keep still.”* It is the Lord's obligation to fight for you while you have the duty to hold your peace. This therefore affirms that, it only takes an unwavering faith in God for you to hold your peace in times of troubles.  Once upon a time, Jesus and his disciples were on the boat. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. The disciples lost their Peace and shouted, "Master don't you care that we are going to die?" (Mark 4:38, ISV) This whole saga was going on while Jesus was sleeping. When they woke Him, he told the sea, "Calm down! Be still" (Mark 4:39, ISV). Instantly, the boisterous wind obeyed Jesus and it stopped. Jesus could declare peace on his environment because He is a custodian of peace. Infact, He is

Text: Exodus 14:14  *The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.*   *It will take an unwavering faith in God for anyone to hold his or her peace in times of troubles.*  It is in holding your peace that you come into great victory. So many have lost their blessings and testimonies simply because they could not hold their Peace.  The Israelites were faced with a life threatening situation at the red sea. Pharaoh's army were behind them and the red sea before them. They had two choice. It's either they choose to run into the red sea and get drowned or wait for Pharaoh's army to kill them.  In the midst of this horrible and fearful circumstances, the first reaction of the Israelites was ranting and complaining. In great fear and panick they chided Moses saying,  "Is not this the word that we did tell you in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilde

Text : John 15:5.  *I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.*  Desiring to do things for God is a very good desire, but *no one can actually do anything of eternal significance without Christ abiding in him.*  Jesus said that without Him you can do nothing. John.15:5b. The word "nothing" here can be rather confusing because literally nothing means *no thing,* that is,  a state of no activity at all. In actual facts,  no one can really be in this state humanly speaking except in  death. Even when you are sleeping,  you are not in a state of no activity. Infact, research shows that sleep is a very active state. We reposition our bodies throughout the night — which is both normal and helpful for maintaining good circulation. Our bodies release important hormones during sleep. However, every activity,   efforts and even achievements made without Christ are efforts in futility bec

Text : John 10:5   *And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.*  The Shepherd is not the only voice seeking to gain your attention,  the strangers are equally looking out for you. Just like the good shepherd, the intention of the stranger(s) is to  lead the sheep, albeit to destruction.  However, Jesus our Master, is confident that His true followers will not follow the voice of the strangers.   *One distinguishing factor of a follower of Christ is that, he will not follow the voice of the strangers.*   A stranger in this context is, anyone who gathers the sheep for his personal gains. Jesus refers to them as thieves and robbers.  ```All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.``` John 10:8. Jesus did not say that the strangers (thieves and robbers) will not come to His disciples, rather He said His disciples will not hear them. Note that these thieves and robbers are people with voice

Text : John 10:3.  *To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.*  We established yesterday that one thing you can't joke with as a true follower of Christ is *His Voice.* You must recognise and hearken (obey) His voice. It is in doing this that your safety is assured.  Today, we want to see another responsibility of the Shepherd over His sheep.  To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, *and leadeth them out.* John 10:3.  *The essence of His call in your life is so He can lead you.*  He called you so He can lead you. It is not enough for you to hear or recognise His Voice, you must allow Him to lead you.  Romans 8:14 says *For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.*    *The Spirit leading you determines the family you belong to.*  Basically,  there are only two families in this world - the family of God, and the family of satan. I

Text : John 10:3.  *To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.*   *One thing that differentiates the sheep from the goats is that the sheep hear His  voice. Whose voice are you hearing?* If you are a member of the sheepfold, you will hear His voice.  The truth is everyone is hearing voices.  If you are not hearing the voice of the Shepherd,  you are hearing the voice of strangers. And strangers here could range from your friends to your enemies.  Whose voice are you hearing? Whose voice are you listening to? Man will go in the direction of what he hears. That's why Romans 10:17 says faith comes by hearing and hearing... It is typical of Jesus to liken His disciples (followers) to sheep while those who refused to follow are regarded as goats.  Infact,  even when He was talking about judging the nations at the end of all things, He still used the same analogy .  “` ```When the Son of Man comes in his glory and

Text : Genesis 16:9  *And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.*   *Everyone wants to be the boss, no one wants to stay under another, but there is much safety in staying under authority.*  To discern a leader amongst followers, is to identify a follower who can unconditionally stay under authority.  *A potential leader is a follower who has learnt to stay under authority.* This is God's ordained pattern for His children. Hence, every leader is shouldered with the responsibility of leading according to God's desire. Great responsibility is on every leader, for they will give account for their leadership. From our text, Sarai complained to Abram about her maiden's (Hagar's) misbehaviour. Sarai is being despised by Hagar simply because she had given Abram a Son (Ishmael). Abram's response to Sarai showed a great respect and love for her as a wife. He replied,  "Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her a

Text : Romans 12:2  *And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.*  Yesterday, we looked at a change that brings about transformation. Today, we shall be looking at the other side of the coin. When you are not taking up the challenge for positive change (renewal), you will be left with the option of conformation to the world's system. It's either you are transforming or you are conforming. No middle ground! Conformation comes to man naturally, but transformation is the change you must constantly embrace intentionally. Conforming to the world is what every single being embraces right from birth. The only thing that could halt one's  conformation to this world is embracing Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour. Even after you have received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, you need to constantly be renewed by the word of God for you to keep experiencin

Text : Romans 12:2  *And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.*  Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher has been quoted saying "change is the only constant in life" This quote is in sync with the Scripture. John the Baptist came and built his ministry on "Change (repentance) and Baptism" Mathew 3:2.   When Jesus also came, he started off from the same point of calling the Israelites to change (Repent)- Mathew 4:17.  In a very simple language, change would simply means repentance.  *For you to experience Newness in  Year, you must first of all experience a NEW YOU.* It is the change you make in the year, that makes the year a brand new one. If you continue living the same way you have lived in the past, you will get the same result you have been getting in the past. It is foolishness to keep doing the same thing, the same way and expects a different r

Text : Psalms 90:12  *So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.*  Your age today is the accumulation of the number of minutes, hours, weeks, months and years you've spent here on earth.  In essence, your life is contained in time. *Every minute wasted is tantamount to a portion of your life wasted.* If time is this important,  then it is wisdom to use it wisely. The truth is, your active time here on earth is within the window of your decision-making ages. From whatever age when you can make decisions for yourself concerning different areas of your life, to the age where you are too old to actively carry out your desires, those are your decision making ages. This is usually referred to as youthful age. This explains why Ecclesiastes 12:1 says Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. This also explains why the devil is focusing his attenti