His Voice Devotional

Text :  Luke 9:23.  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. The Christian race is a daily journey. Jesus gave out the prerequisites for anyone who desires to be His disciple. 1. He must deny himself: Self denial is an act of letting go of the self- the willingness to forgo personal pleasures or undergo personal trials in the pursuit of the will of God. *One hard truth about denying self is that it is a personal pursuit, no one will and can do it for you,but you yourself. To follow Jesus,  denying self is A MUST. 2. Take up his cross :The cross is a symbol of death which every follower of Christ must carry. Your cross is customized for you only. Everyone has *his cross* to carry.  It is peculiar to you because the means of death(to the flesh)  to each follower of Christ is purely peculiar to the individual. It's a personal journey. Jesus is dealing with you as an individual. He's so personal with y

Text : Matthew 18:21-22. Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, if my brother keeps on sinning against me, how many times do I have to forgive him? Seven times?No, not seven times,” answered Jesus, “but seventy times seven, There is need for forgiveness because offences are bound to occur.  Jesus gave a vivid illustration in Mathew 18 on why we should always pardon our offenders. Jesus once told a profound parable on forgiveness that one must carefully consider.  A servant owing his master a debt to the tune of 10,000 talent. Note that one talent is equivalent to 6,000 denarii, which means that he is owing his master 60,000,000 (Sixty Million)denarii. As he fell down, and worshipped his master, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you all, his lord was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. One thing you need to note from this parable  is that one denarius is equivalent to one day's wage.  It therefore means that if the servant should de

Text Matthew 18:21-22 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, if my brother keeps on sinning against me, how many times do I have to forgive him? Seven times?No, not seven times,” answered Jesus, “but seventy times seven, Offences are bound to come as long as you relate and interact with people.  Jesus said in Luke  17:1 to His disciples that, it is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!  *Offences are like a grenade (Bomb) that you must neither throw nor receive.* Either way, it causes destruction. You must always receive grace not to be an intentional offender nor a 'nurser' of offence.  From our text, Jesus taught what your response should always be towards offenders.  You must always forgive everyone that offends you no matter the number of times they offend you in a day.  Jesus' recommendation for forgiveness of offence in a day is seventy times seven. Since offence is bound to occur, we shall be looking at how you can hand

Text : John 2:24  But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, The preceeding verse (John 2:23) of our text says  _"...many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did" Jesus knew they had only believed Him for what He did for them. They believed Him for what He gave them and not for who He is. Jesus Christ knew all  men to be undependable and unreliable, hence He chose not to commit Himself to any man.  You also should learn not to commit yourself unto any man.  You see, if Jesus had even committed Himself to His own  disciples, He would have been seriously dissapointed.  A large number of His disciples deserted Him while they felt He was giving them hard teachings (John 6:66). Jesus' three core disciples couldn't support Him in prayer when He needed them most to stand with Him in prayer (Mathew 26:40). One of His disciples- Judas Iscariot  betrayed and sold Him out for 30 pieces of silver.  Peter denied Him three good times

Text : 1 Corinthians 15:19  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. Having known that our hope in Christ is not just in this present life but also in that which is to come; we shall be looking at the hope we have in Him in this present life. While awaiting the hope to come, we also live for the hope Himself-Jesus Christ. Our hope in the now is stated in Romans 8:29 "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren". The expectation(hope) of our calling in this present life is our conformation to the image of  the Son of God. The hope we live for on this side of eternity is to CONFORM. That is, to be conformed to the very image of Jesus. If you don't  have this hope of conformation, you will not do well as a child of God. The Greek word "summorphos" where conform is taken, can also mean having the same form as another or similar. Th

Text : 1 Corinthians 15:19  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. The word "Hope" simply means expectation. It is the expectation  that something will happen in the nearest future. You cannot say that you believe when you don't have hope. *Hope is the very bedrock of faith, when you keep hope alive, you've simply  built a strong foundation for Faith. From our text, we can see that every child of God has a hope both in this world and in that to come. If in this life "only" means that we also have  hope in this present life. Most importantly, God's word assured us that we have hope hereafter. Our hope however is in Christ. Therefore, every child of God has a living  hope.  A living hope is the hope that brings you into the very tangible and  enduring promises of God. A living hope is what we should live for. Christ in you is the hope of Glory (1Timothy 1:1, Colossians 1:27).  Any hope that only brings you perishable

Text :  Philippians 3:2.  Beware of the dogs! Beware of the evil workers! Beware of the mutilators! From our text, we are admonished to be careful of three things : 1.) Dogs 2.) Evil workers  3.) Multilators. Note that one person can play these three hideous roles simultaneously.  It is dangerous to intermingle with dog-like people in the house of God. This is why you are forewarned to beware. However, it is more dangerous to be the "dog" among brethren. Hence, the need to take heed. (1 Cor. 10:12). Habitually, dogs alway go back to  Its vomit. (2 Peter 2:22). If after you have been washed from your past dirty  life by His word and His blood and you later go back to this way of life, you are behaving like a dog and you are dangerous to yourself and the people around you. Those who behave like dogs will eventually graduate into evil workers and then into mutilators.  To mutilate is to destroy beyond recognition. Some people are so skilled in the act of character assassination

.https://hisvoicedevotional.blogspot.com His Voice Devotional TUESDAY 21st FEBRUARY, 2023. Topic: *BEWARE OF DOGS*    Text :  Philippians 3:2.  *Beware of the dogs! Beware of the evil workers! Beware of the mutilators!*  Usually, when you see the inscription "BEWARE OF DOGS", you instantly knew there's a wild or trained dog around the corner, hence, the need to beware.  However, when God says 'Beware of dogs,' He wasn't actually referring to dogs as in 'animals' but to animals in human skin. Note that this caution was given to believers against other so-called  believers.  That is, some people within the church that we refer to as brothers and sisters are actually operating in the capacity of dogs.  *Though they are called brothers or sisters if they behave like wild animals, know that they are dogs in humans skin, BEWARE.*  Matthew  7:6 says *Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them un

Topic: OBEDIENCE Text :  Isaiah 1:19. If you’re willing and obedient, you’ll eat the best that the land produces. One thing God demands from all His children is Obedience, and this is one thing the devil doesn't want you to give. From the very beginning, the devil saw to it that the first man disobeyed God and mankind is still paying for that disobedience.  But thanks be to God who didn't leave us in this sorry state. Hear His mind on this matter -  *For just as through one man’s disobedience many people were made sinners, so also through one man’s obedience many people will be made righteous.* (Romans 5:19). This goes to show that the impact of your obedience or otherwise will outlive you. When Adam decided to disobey God, it led humanity to sin and death. When Abraham decided to obey God, his generation (you and I inclusive) are benefiting from his blessing. For every act of obedience there is a blessing attached to it just as every act of disobedience attracts punishment too

Text :  Isaiah 1:19. If you’re willing and obedient, you’ll eat the best that the land produces.  Willingness is the strength of obedience, if you are willing, obedience will come to you naturally. One thing God has blessed humanity with is the will-power. This can however be either a blessing or a curse.  Your will-power is your power of choice. God didn't create man like robots, He created us and gave us the freedom of choice. But his desire is that we'll willfully choose him. Like Joshua,  I  want to re-echo it in your ears that you should use your will-power to choose the Lord and His way.  _And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD._ Joshua 24:15. Undoubtedly, the choice is yours. But *once your choice is made, you have inevitably chosen the

Text: John 10:4  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  We started looking at  how you can hear from God yesterday, and we considered the first success factor. The very first success factor is simply  becoming a sheep and living your daily life as a sheep under the good and great shepherd. Developing a heart that yields to God's instructions is key to hearing from Him. When you are willing and eager to follow the good shepherd, hearing Him becomes easier. That is, your willingness to obeying the good shepherd is a guarantee to His Voice and guidance.  The Lord will not just keep talking like a parrot to an unyielding heart. So, the disposition of your heart towards obeying God's word is a direct determinant of how much you hear from Him. This is to say that hearing from God is dependent  on your strong desire for obedience. Hearing God becomes difficult when your heart is not  made up to obey Him.   A sheep

Text: John 10:4  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  *For you to follow the Lord Jesus effectively, you must be able to hear His voice clearly and distinctively.* This is because there are other voices out there that are always seeking to deceive and distract you. As a sheep of a good shepherd, you follow Him because you know His voice. That is, you follow the good shepherd wherever He leads.  *Without hearing the voice of the shepherd, the sheep will stray away.* In the same manner, you cannot be on the right course in life and in your faith journey without the voice of the good shepherd(our Lord Jesus Christ). Today, we shall be focusing on how you can start hearing the voice of the good shepherd or how you can grow in your hearing capacity.  *Hearing the voice of the good shepherd is a key success factor to your faith journey in God.*  The very first factor on how you can start  hearing from God is for you to

Text: John 10:4  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  There are many distracting voices in our world today. All these voices are calling from different directions for your attention.  While some voices that are reaching out to you may seem to be legit, they also have the capacity of laying a burden and pressure on your soul. For instance, certain voices bring worries, anxieties, depressions, confusion and fears to your soul.  Every single person on planet earth live under the influence of voices. Accordung to our bible reading, all the voices influencing man can be broadly categorised into two: 1. voice of the good shepherd and 2. voice of the stranger(thief).  The thief here is the cunning devil and many are willingly obeying his voice without any restraints or constraints. He speaks his own type of wisdom to man which is contrary to God's. Many are living by the wisdom that comes from the voice of the devil

Text : Matthew. 12:37. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”  When His words become your word, then your world take a meaningful shape.  Psalms 119:105 says Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my pathway. Without His word, you will lack direction in life and without His word, you will lack vision to navigate through life.  David showed us how this word could be applied, he said In my heart I have hidden your word, that I might not sin against you . This goes to show that whoever  refuses to hide (keep) God's word in his heart will keep sinning against God. As a matter of fact, your real self is revealed by your heart. That is why proverbs 23:7 says as a man thinks in his heart, so is he .  Also, Proverbs 4:23 says Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.  Your words can only be seasoned with salt and grace when your heart is right with God.  Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned

Text : Mathew 12:37. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Words are powerful, but not many are living in the consciousness of its power. Every war starts with words. Proverbs 15:1. Even the heaven and the earth were created by words.  Proverbs 18:21 says Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.  Expressly,  our text says your words (not God's) will be the reason you are either justified or condemned. Invariably, your fate is in your hands. When Jesus was crucified, two thieves were equally nailed alongside our Lord. One on His right the other on the left.  They were both sentenced to death for the crimes they had committed, but by reason of their words, one was eternally condemned while the other received eternal pardon. Luke 23:43. The question is,  what will it cost the other thief to simply say something good so he can be pardoned too? Or let's assum

Text : Luke 22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren .  ONE good proof of genuine conversion is desire to witness. You can't just keep calm. But beyond this euphoria or emotions is the fact that it is a command.  Every one who has been saved is saddled with the responsibility of helping others to be saved.   And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; (2 Corinthians  5:18). God reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciling others. Don't let the chain stop with you, pass it on to others.  You will soon become a stagnant water if all of God's blessings in you are bottled within you, you are meant to be a channel of blessing. You are blessed to bless others.  God allowed you to pass through what you went through, and He kept you alive so you could be a worthy vessel in using your experience to rescue ot

Text :    Galatians  6:8   For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. Most times, when issues of sowing and reaping is raised in Christian parlance,  what readily comes to mind is money. Yes, money is one of the things that  can be sown, but today, we are looking at something with more eternal value than money. Our text talks about two types of sowing you can engage in-; 1.)Sowing to the flesh.  2.)Sowing to the Spirit.  Man (Christian) is capable of these two Sowings. *What you sow determines what you reap. If you want a good harvest, you pay attention to what you are sowing.*  The first question to ask here is, how can one sow to his flesh? Well, the preceeding verse to our text, verse seven says, *Stop being deceived; God is not to be ridiculed. A person harvests whatever he plants:* (Galatians 6:7). Many deceive themselves, thinking that they can sow to the flesh and still reap life

Text : Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,  that you may prove what is that good, perfect and acceptable will of God. From our text,  it's obvious that you can be either of these two things : 1. A Conformist  2. A Transformer. Now,  to be a Conformist is very simple, just do nothing and flow with the trend(that's why majority of people are conformists). However,  we have been forewarned not to be a Conformist. "Do not be conformed to this world." *The system of this world is arranged to make men conform.* We live in a world where sinners and sinful acts are celebrated. However, the standard of the Lord stands sure.  God’s solid foundation still stands. It has this inscription on it: “The Lord knows those who belong to him,” and “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from evil.” 2Timothy 2:19.  To this end,  the word of God is coming to you today that you should be transformed by the re