His Voice Devotional

Text: Matthew 25:1.  Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. You are not a Christian because you go to church,  you are a Christian because God's Spirit is in you, and you are living like Christ. There are many in the church today whose records are not in heaven.  This is why Luk 13:26 says some will knock at the gate of heaven, _then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets._  But he (Jesus) will tell you, ‘I don’t know where you come from. Get away from me, all you who practice evil!’Luke 13:27. That is, some who have taken holy communion on earth, and who have been  church workers or leaders all their lives, will be turned down at the heaven's gate. These are the people that Jesus described as foolish virgins in our bible reading.  They are regarded as virgins because they have declared their intentions to follow Christ and have depr

Text: John 14:6 I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me. Often in life, just one wrong turn, just one wrong decision can take us where we do not want to go or, more importantly, can keep us from going where we do want to go. Just like the prodigal son in Luke 15:13, where the scripture says,"And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living." Often than not, people make  decisions which take them away from God who is the very  source of life. Such decision always lead to wrong path where there is a roadblock. It is worthy to note that it is not all roads that lead to God. There is a certain road which has a roadblock that can hinder one from reaching unto God. This roadblock keeps one from reaching God, no matter how hard one tries.  That roadblock is sin. But glory be to God for making provision for mankind through our Lord Jesus Christ. Je

Text: Proverbs 21:16.  The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead. Some people are living corpse. Anyone void of understanding is dead while living. From our text, it is clear that, to join the company of the dead is to walk away from the path of understanding. To shun understanding is to shun life and embrace death. Understanding is the path to life. Psalms 119:144 says Your righteous decrees are eternal;  give me understanding, and I will live._  While explaining the parable of the sower, Jesus said the evil ones will snatch away eternal seed from anyone who lacks understanding.  *When anyone hears the word about the kingdom yet doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. (Matthew 13:19). If understanding is this important, you should really strive to get it. But the question is, how do I get the God-kind of understanding? Psalms 119:130 says, _The entrance of thy words giveth light;

Text: 1 Timothy 6:10  For the love of money is a root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have been led astray and have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves through with many acute [mental] pangs. In the synoptic gospels, Jesus spoke about money more than He spoke about heaven and hell put together. Jesus Christ related a number of His parables, stories and narratives using money as the main theme. This goes to say that our Lord did not deny the realities of the world we live in and the need for money. He is aware of people's need for money, He is aware of the greed of man as far as money is concerned. He is also aware of how humans are willing to take another's life because of money. *It is both good and important to have money, but it can be very dangerous and destructive when money or the love of it possesses anyone.*  This is the exact message Paul was pointing out in his letter to Timothy. A true child of God must never fall in love with money. It&

Text: Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Faith stands as a cornerstone in the life of every believer. It is the bedrock upon which our relationship with God is built, It enables us to trust in His promises, even when they are yet to manifest in the physical realm. Let us delve into the profound nature of faith and its significance in the believer's journey: 1.*Faith brings us into a relationship with God*   *For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.* (Ephesians 2:8). Our salvation is rooted in faith, marking the beginning of our walk with God. 2.) *Faith is the pathway to miracles.*  And Jesus said to him, 'If you can! All things are possible for one who believes (Mark 9:23). Through faith, the impossible becomes possible, and we witness the miraculous hand of God in our lives.  3.) *Faith strengthens us during trials.*  In all this you greatly rejoice, thou

Text: Philipians 4:9. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. Your ears and your eyes are like windows and doors to your soul and your spirit. When Proverbs  4:23 says, *Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.What it is saying invariably is, pay attention to what you hear or see because it can lead you to death or to life. When Apostle John was discussing matters of eternal life, the first  things he mentioned were the ears and the eyes. He says, _That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;_ 1John 1:1. What you hear and see is important to your growth as a child of God.  There are many junks in our world today in the name of revelation. You may not have control over what people say or do, but you sure have control over what you chose to hear, see

Text: 1 KINGS 22: 30 So it was, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, "Surely it [is] the king of Israel!" Therefore they turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out. And it happened, when the captains of the chariots saw that it [was] not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him. There is a popular saying that says, show me your friend and I will tell you your character. King Jehoshaphat had walked in all the statutes of God as his father King David did and it pleased God. But he did one thing which nearly caused his untimely death if not for the mercies of God. And that was his friendship with king Ahab ( King of Israel).  As children of God, we sometimes associate ourselves with people who naturally can be our (family members , classmates and even old friends) who are not in the light, and mostly that  friendship is not because we want to show them the light but rather to gist and sometimes engage in ungodly

Text: John 15:4  Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. Just as the branch of a tree cannot bear fruit without being connected to the tree, so also, you cannot bear fruit if you are not properly connected to Christ. Jesus told  His disciples to abide in Him and He in them because that is the only thing that guarantees their fruitfulness. *"Without me, you can DO NOTHING", Jesus said.*  You can do absolutely NOTHING when you don't stay connected to Christ. All your activities and efforts will be NOTHING outside of Christ. Hence, your one and only priority should always be " TO STAY CONNECTED" to Christ. Then, fruitful activities and efforts will always flow from your vital connection with Him.  *Jesus is not primarily seeking for those who will work for Him, but for those who will ABIDE in Him.* He knows that if anyone abides, such will be far more productive and

Text:  Matthew 11:29.(NLT). Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. *Christ is both 'teachable and  'learnable'- He can be taught and learnt,* hence Apostle Paul said to the church in Ephesus, _"But you have not so learned Christ"_ Ephesians 4:20. The question we may need to ask now is: what are we teaching and learning in our churches today? Jesus Christ once told His disciples, "let me teach you..." because He knew clearly well that it is by teaching them they will learn of Him, and find rest for their souls.  Many activities are going on in the church today, but what the Lord is really after is disciple-making. Interestingly, disciples are born from sound teachings. And, the core of the great commission as spelt out in Mathew 28 are primarily making disciples and teaching them to observe all that Jesus Christ has commanded.   *Disciples are learners (pupils). So, if we ar

Text:  Matthew 11:29. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. The Lord Jesus Christ is always willing to teach anyone who comes to him. It is by learning Christ that you find rest for your soul. To learn of Christ, you must do two things: 1. Come to Christ:* This is an open invitation to everyone, it is an invitation to all that are weary and  heavy laden. Unless you take heed and attend to this call, you cannot experience true REST for your soul. You must not harden your heart when you hear His voice calling you. It's a call unto rest from all your struggles and  labour. (Heb. 4:6-7). 2.Learn of Him: Having accepted Jesus' invitation, you must go further in accepting His teachings. It is by learning of Christ that you become free from your soulish weariness and heavy burdens. It is important for your to know that true rest for your soul does not come from possession of this earthly things nor from

Text : Luke 22:32  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. The Lord said to Simon, 'Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat(Luke 22:31).This message is not peculiar to Simon only, Satan still desires to have you too today, so he might sift you away.  Infact, *Jesus told us expressly that  what He says unto one ,He says unto all, therefore Watch.* (Mark  13:37). *That you will be tempted by the devil is not a probability, but certainty.* How well you prepare yourself for the day of temptation will determine the outcome.  Proverbs  24:10 says, If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. That is, strength to overcome is garnered before the day of adversity. One sure way of getting this strength is through conversion. To be converted is to turn back to the Lord. Let's read our text again in Easy English Version. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that you will co

Text: 1Timothy 6:11  But you, man of God, must flee from all these things.  Instead, you must pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness. Another thing that has been commanded to follow every disciple of Christ is Signs and wonders.   And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. (Mark 16:17-18). For clarity sake, let's itemise the five things that Jesus Christ said will of certainty follow those who believe: 1.) They shall cast out devils.  2.) They shall speak with new tongues. 3.) Serpent will not harm them. 4.) Deadly poison will not hurt them and 5.) They shall lay hands on the sick, and he shall recover.  If these signs are not present in your life, you have to check again- are you truly a believer? Are you truly followin

Text: Mark 13:33  Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. Yesterday, we saw that the second coming of Christ shall not be a sudden event to believers that are prepared, and looking forward to His return. Today, we shall be looking at the preparations you must make in order to stay alert at Christ's coming. Our study text shows us three things you must do. Jesus said, "¹Take heed, ²watch and ³pray; for you do not know when the time is."  *1. Take Heed:* metaphorically, this means seeing with the mind's eye; to discern; to watch carefully.  The Lord wants every believer to grow in discernment of the time and season we are in. He wants you to pay attention to your daily walk with Him.  *2. Watch:* It means to keep awake, to be circumspect, attentive, and ready. The Lord would have you  always prepared and ready towards His coming because you know not the specific time He would return. Apostle Paul warned the church in Ephesus thus *"See then

Text: Mark 13:33  Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. The matter of Christ's second coming is extremely important to every well meaning believer. You must learn about it, know about it, and you must prepare for it. Our Lord Jesus made it crystal clear that "...of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only."(Matt 24:36)  Hence, He spoke about a number of parables pointing to the need for His disciples to prepare for His sudden second appearance. Though, the second appearance of Christ shall be like a thief in the night to the world, yet, such must not be the experience of genuine believers. Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonical that: "...the day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the night. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief." (1 Thess.  5:2-4). Christ's coming will be like a thief to the world because they will be sleeping as

Text: Mark 10:51.  Then Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man told him, “Rabbouni, I want to see again.” Have you ever wondered why Jesus  asked a blind man what He wants Him to do for him? Well, Jesus Christ doesn't force Himself on anyone. He will only help you to the extent you gave Him access. This is why He said in Revelation 3:20 that, *Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.* As much as He loves to come into your life and situation,  He wouldn't do so except you open up to Him. So, Jesus asked Blind Bartimaeus what he really wanted, because He needed him to say with his mouth what his need was.  Don't assume for people. What seems to you as their obvious need may not actually be what they wanted. There are some blind people that will rather prefer to collect money from both God and man rather than healing and salvation.  When Jesus

Text: Mark 10:47. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. Everything in this world is intended to teach us the real world, which is the spirit world. Every event recorded in the Bible is recorded for us to glean wisdom from, so we could lead a renewed life in Christ Jesus. So, today, we will further glean some lessons from the story of the blind Bartimaeus. *He heard about Jesus.*  Mark 10:47. _When *he heard that Jesus* of Nazareth was there, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”_  Though he was blind, but he was not deaf. *To gain access to the things of the kingdom of God, you need your eyes and your ears. Even if you can't see, let your ears lead you to where you will gain your sight.*  This is why Jesus Himself says in Matthew  13:16 that, *blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.*  *Anyone whose eyes and ears cannot comprehend the things of the Sp

Text: Mark 10:47.  And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. Of all the blind people that Jesus healed in the Bible, only one was recorded with a name, and he's called Bartimaeus, which means the son of Timaeus. Today, we shall be gleaning some lessons from story of this blind Bartimaeus.  *He was a beggar.* Mark 10:46, _And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side *begging* ._  Almost every blind person recorded in the Bible were beggars before Jesus healed them. *Blindness and begging are two sides of a coin, when you are blind, whether physically or spiritually, you are at the mercy of others for obvious reasons.*  Many are beggars in the spirit because they are blind. *When you lack spiritual sight, you will beg others to do for you what you should do for yourself.*  Everyone wh

Text: Mark 10:47.  And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. Of all the blind people that Jesus healed in the Bible, only one was recorded with a name, and he's called Bartimaeus, which means the son of Timaeus. Today, we shall be gleaning some lessons from story of this blind Bartimaeus.  *He was a beggar.* Mark 10:46, _And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side *begging* ._  Almost every blind person recorded in the Bible were beggars before Jesus healed them. *Blindness and begging are two sides of a coin, when you are blind, whether physically or spiritually, you are at the mercy of others for obvious reasons.*  Many are beggars in the spirit because they are blind. *When you lack spiritual sight, you will beg others to do for you what you should do for yourself.*  Everyone wh

Text: Matthew  7:18. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit .  God's word is very clear. A good tree is known by its fruit. If the tree symbolises man, then a good man is known by his fruit, and the fruit is his actions. Very clearly, God instructed us in Hebrews 13:16, He says, *do not neglect to do good and to be generous, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.* It is wisdom to do what the Father is pleased with.  Again, He told us in Matthew 5:16 that we should let our light shine before people in such a way that they will see our good actions and glorify our Father in heaven.” Now, it is the tree that determines the fruit. The kind of person you are will determine the kind of fruit you will produce.   This is why Matthew  12:33 says, Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by its fruit. No one can produce good fruit if he is not rooted in Ch

Text: Matthew  7:18   A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Yes! In Mark 10:18, Jesus said no one is good except God. But this doesn't mean He doesn't want us to do good. As a matter of fact, He told us severally in His words that without  good deeds you can't make it to the Father.   *If the Father is good, and you are of the Father, you must of necessity be good, except you are an illegitimate child.*  Note that no amount of good deeds can take you to heaven if you are not born again,  but after you are born again, you are expected to add good  deeds to your faith. 2 Peter 1:5. On different occasions, Jesus likened us to trees, because He knows we can readily relate with it. Trees don't lie and neither do they deceive. A mango tree will not produce cashew fruits and vice versa. Essentially, trees are known by its fruit. In the same way, man is known by his deeds. (Luke 6:44). Basically, trees are classified into