October 2

Topic: Do not Forget that God is Good

Text: “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him” (Nahum 1:7, NIV).

Sometimes we are tempted to forget how good God has been to us. Sometimes we murmur and complain about what He is yet to do. Each time we complain and murmur, it is an indication that we have forgotten how good God is.

In the text above, Nahum is reminding us of certain characteristics about our God which we may have forgotten because of the cares of this world. Worries and anxiety have a way of making us forget that God has been good and He’s still good. We may have forgotten that He is a refuge in times of trouble, but Nahum is reminding us today that the Lord is good, He is a refuge in times of trouble and He cares for those who trust in him.

What can we make of this reminder from Nahum the Elkoshite? 1. The goodness of God will not allow Him to abandon us in our troubles. 2. The goodness of God will not allow Him to turn a deaf ear to our cries 3. The goodness of God is boundless and it will satisfy all our desires 4. In His goodness we’ll find refuge in times of trouble.

His goodness is seen in His ability to provide refuge for them that are troubled and to care for those who trust in Him. To further explain this text, though God’s goodness is indiscriminate, but He is more committed to those who trust in Him. God is more committed to those who are His, who have given their lives to Jesus, who have been admitted into His family by the blood of Jesus.

If you too want to be admitted into God’s great family today, please say this prayer with me: Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me. I want to me admitted into your family today. Therefore, I give my life wholly to you today. I confess you as my Lord and Saviour. Forgive me all my sins and bless me with your precious Holy Spirit. Thank you Jesus for saving me.

My Declaration of Faith

I declare with my mouth today that God is good and I am a beneficiary of His goodness. He is my refuge, and the lifter of my head. I am secured in Him; my desires shall be satisfied with His goodness and I will have endless joy (amen).

March 26

Topic: Advice to Women

Text: “A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense” (Proverbs 19:11).

Just thinking about how convenient it is for some women to stay home, knowing that they have to stay home with a cranky, unloving and uncaring husband. Getting busy at work has always been an escape route for most women, but they have to stay home under the same roof with the men they’ve always endured living with.

Many women live with abusive husbands and they have been maltreated, emotionally wounded, verbally abused, sexually denied and all they experience in the marriage has been nothing but pains, wound and rejection.

How should they cope staying home with a man who wouldn’t love, cherish and respect them. How will they endure staying with a bully? Here are helping tips:

1. Avoid arguments and situations that may cause you to raise your voice.

2. Be more patient and learn to overlook offense

3. Do not insist on winning an argument

4. Get yourself more busy

5. Pray for his salvation

6. Do not deny him of his marital right

7. Be quick to forgive

8. Make your Bible your companion.

Remember: A successful marriage requires a blind wife and a deaf husband.

If you want to start a personal relationship with Jesus today, please say this prayer with me: Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me. I acknowledge my sins and I ask that you forgive my sins and cleanse me with your precious blood. I believe you are the Son of God and I accept you today as my Lord and Saviour. Come into my heart to stay and bless me with your precious Holy Spirit. Thank you Jesus for saving me. If you have made the decision to start following Jesus, please email me to tell me about it and I promise to include you in my prayer list. Email address: ebenezerafolabi54@gmail.com.

Prayer Points
1. Father, I surrender myself to the leadership of your Holy Spirit today. Help me yield to His leading
2. I receive grace to overcome every challenge today
3. Bless me with wisdom to handle my situation today.
For personal prayer and counsel, you can contact Pastor Ebenezer Afolabi via WhatsApp.
WhatsApp: +2348160525695
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March 25

Topic: Jesus the soon coming King

Text: “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11, NIV)

The world needs the message of hope now than ever before and by the message of hope I mean, giving the world the assurance that evil will not always prevail, pains will not last forever, sor row and everything connected to it shall one day come to a definite and perpetual end.

All of these cannot be brought to an end by new government policies or new style of human government. A new version of democracy will not fix all human problems; no human instituted policy will wipe away all our tears. The only hope we have is in the second coming of our truefully king – King Jesus.

Jesus Himself has assured us that He will come again and when He does, He shall put an absolute end to our sorrows. His second coming shall usher in a new and a golden era – the era of unending joy, peace, and we all shall have our freedom from all that threatens of lives.

No pain, no sickness, no sorrow, no injustice, no unrighteousness, no war or the fear of war, no dying and all tears shall be wiped away from our eyes at the establishment of the Kingdom of Christ when He returns. What a glorious hope.

However, there are many false views concerning the second coming of Jesus. Some said death is the second coming of Jesus. This is a wrong view. Death takes one into the grave while Christ shall take the elects out of the gravery when He returns. Death causes corruption but when Christ comes, we shall be delivered from corruption.

Another erroneous view is the teaching that the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was the second coming of Jesus. This can be refuted by 1Thessalonians 4:16 and Acts 1:10-11. Amother false view is that he second coming of Jesus will not be literal. The phrase, “this same Jesus,” emphatically says His second coming shall be bodily and visibly just as He was taken up from the disciples.

The message of hope for this world plagued with corruption, tainted with evil, injustices, domestic violence, hatred, bloodshed, insurgency, murder, falsehood, bitterness, dishonesty, bigotry, child abuse, human trafficking, sexual molestations, ritual killings, pedophile, and all manners of ungodays acts that saddens our heart is that JESUS is coming again and when He comes, He shall put an absolute end to these menace.

Our Lord and Saviour shall deliver us from the corruption of the world, put an utter end to evil, and totally deliver us from the power and presence of sin. All out tears shall be wiped away and gainfully rewarded with joy. Sunrise will chase all darkness away; night shall be changed to the brightness of day; mourning shall be turned into dancing, weakness into magnificent strength, all sorrows shall change to unending delight, all our struggles shall be over, and corruption shall be swallowed up by incorruption.

What a glorious hope to know that all of these shall happen to us and finally we shall be like Him, enjoying an unimpaired fellowship with Him. Give Jesus praise for that. This is the culmination of His work of redemption. Therefore, everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as He is pure (1 John 3:3).

This is the hope of every believer in Christ. The joy and blessings of Christ’s second coming are only applicable to those who have surrendered their lives to Him. Have you surrendered yourself to Him?

If you want to start a personal relationship with Jesus today, please say this prayer with me: Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me. I acknowledge my sins and I ask that you forgive my sins and cleanse me with your precious blood. I believe you are the Son of God and I accept you today as my Lord and Saviour. Come into my heart to stay and bless me with your precious Holy Spirit. Thank you Jesus for saving me. If you have made the decision to start following Jesus, please email me to tell me about it and I promise to include you in my prayer list. Email address: ebenezerafolabi54@gmail.com.

Prayer Points

1. Thank you Lord for this word of hope

2. Father, I pray for the salvation of my friends and families who are yet to receive Jesus into their hearts (mention them by their names)

3. Help me to live a purified life every day.

If you want Pastor Afolabi to pray specifically for you or you want to schedule a counselling session with him, call or contact him via WhatsApp

Mobile phone number: +2348160525695

WhatsApp: +2348160525695

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March 22

Topic: Come just as you are!

Text: “Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favour to us sinners), that we may receive mercy (for our failures) and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate] help and well-timed, coming just when we need it” (Hebrews 4:16, Amp)

In the Old Testament time, the high priest would go to the Holy of holies (God’s presence) to represent the people, plead for their sins, present their cases before God and offer sacrifices to God to atone for their sins. However, the 14th verse of Hebrews chapter 4 speaks of high priest (Jesus our advocate) who is superior to Aaron the high priest and who is well acquinted with our weakenesses.

This high priest(Jesus) is greater than Aaron the high priest by the virtue of His divinity, His office, His relationship with the Father and His purity. He is well acquinted with our weakenesses and He’s able to synpathize with our weakenesses. He has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet without sin.

The high priests under the lineage of Aaron would first offer up sacrifices for their own sins before they offer sacrifices for the sins of the people. Unfortunately, the sacrifices they offered were not sufficient enough to blurt the sins of the people away. They would still have to come the following year to do the same.

Interestingly, Jesus our high priest offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins once and for all. He was the offering and the offerer. His sacrifice was a perfect sacrifice and sufficient to take care of our sins and failures.

It is also interesting to know that the priesthood of Jesus did not stop at offering the one time atoning sacrifice for our sins and failures. He ascended to heaven to also represent us before the Father as our advocate.

In the light of this understanding that we have an advocate with the Father, a high priest, our attorney who defends us and speaks on our behalf, we are therefore invited to come boldly and confidently (not by our righteousness, but by the righteousness of Christ in us) to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in times of need.

The throne of grace represents the sovereign seat of God who dispenses mercy and pardon for all our sins. He doesn’t judge nor condemn anyone in this throne. He dispenses mercy and grace instead.

The throne suggests the sovereignty of the One we approach and the invitation to come suggests His benevolence. When we come to this throne, we come with the expectation to receive His mercy.

Come! It is an invitation for renewal. In other words, we can start again after interruption. It is an invitation for restoration and reconciliation. Our sins cannot deny us access to this throne. Our failures and flaws cannot deny us admittance to the throne of grace. The only thing that brings denial is doubt.

However, the invitation shows our needs for God’s mercy and grace. It suggests our inadequacies and insufficiencies. On the other hand, it is the expression of God’s willingness to help us. It is the demonstration of His love and long-suffering.

We are asked to come with confidence against critics and adversities, yet with a humble attitude that reflects our dependence on the mercy and righteousness of God.

We are invited to come just as we are. Come with the loads of your sins. No matter how terrible your sins are, Come! Come with your shortcomings; come with your failures; come with your imperfections and moral debility. Come with your struggles. Do not hold anything back. Your sins and failures may be so terrible and disgusting that you cannot even confess it to your pastor or your closest friend, but you are invited to come.

You do not need to be righteousness to come to this throne. You do not need to be a tither to gain admittance to the throne of grace. You not need to have the best vocabularies before you can come because you have an advocate with the Father. Even if the bad outweighs the good in your life, come! You don’t have to be good to come. Come as bad as you are. There is admittance for everyone who comes genuinely.

What do we get when you come? We receive mercy to pardon all our sins; we receive grace to purify our souls. Bring your poverty and you will receive His riches. Come with your sickness and He will give you healing and health. Come with your sins and He will give you total forgiveness. Come with your rejection and He will adopt you and bring you into His family.

Come confessing your sins and failures to Him and trust Him to release grace and mercy when it is needed. Come to draw from His strength. He is extending this solemn invitation to you today. Will you come?

If you want to start a personal relationship with Jesus today, please say this prayer with me: Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me. I acknowledge my sins and I ask that you forgive my sins and cleanse me with your precious blood. I believe you are the Son of God and I accept you today as my Lord and Saviour. Come into my heart to stay and bless me with your precious Holy Spirit. Thank you Jesus for saving me. If you have made the decision to start following Jesus, please email me to tell me about it and I promise to include you in my prayer list. Email address: ebenezerafolabi54@gmail.com.

Prayer Points

1. Unto you I come today, have mercy on me.

2. I receive grace to overcome every challenge today

3. Touch my life in a different way today.

For personal prayer and counsel, you can contact Pastor Ebenezer Afolabi via Whatsapp or Skype

WhatsApp: +2348160525695

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March 20

Topic: The Assurance of His Love

Text: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” ( Romans 8:38-39, NIV)

The world that we live in is full of troubles, perplexities, confusions, bitterness and hatred. Believers especially, have had their fair share of hostility from the world averse to the truth. The devil himself wages war against the children of God every now and then and the love of many are already waxing cold. What forms the popular headlines on National Newspapers are tragic occurrences and the world seems to wallow in disarray and uncertainty. Economic recession had rendered many people poor and the future of many seems somewhat unclear. The world needs the message of hope at this time and believers need to be assured again of the unfailing love of Christ.

The Apostle Paul asked: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” With an unwavering conviction he exclaimed that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. What an assurance! This strong word of assurance should deflate the fears of every believer because the love of Christ will provide for us all that we need and shall ever need to overcome the ordeals of life.

Trouble, persecutions, nakedness, hardship, famine, danger or sword are all incapable of separating us from the love of Christ. This love is eternally rooted in the heart of our Saviour that nothing on earth can threaten it. This love is deeper than the sea, wider than the ocean, stronger than death and eternally glorious. Oh! What an unspeakable love that gives succour to the troubled heart. Its flame is unquenchable. The waters of persecution cannot quench it. The rivers of pains, troubles, sicknesses, failures, nakedness, famine, rejection, dangers and sword cannot wash it away.

The Apostle Paul assures that when you find yourself in the gallows of trouble, He won’t deny you His love. When hardship and persecution overwhelms you and it seems all hell is breaking loose all around you, His love shall see you through it all. When famine is ravaging your entire life, His love will sustain you. Nakedness doesn’t make you detestable to Him.

Your failure doesn’t separate you from Him. In the midst of danger and sword, He assures you of security though His love. Give Him praise for assuring you of His love this morning. Finally, just as He has assured you of His love this morning, tell Him you love Him too by being kind to somebody today. Show some love and ultimately be willing to tell others about His love. This is to tell the Lord you also appreciate Him.

If you’d like to begin a personal relationship with Jesus today, please pray this prayer: Lord Jesus, I invite you into my life today. I believe you died for me and that your blood pays for my sins and provide me with the gift of eternal life. By faith I receive that gift and I acknowledge You as my Lord and Saviour. Thank you for saving me. Amen. Please share your experience with me if you made this commitment to start following Jesus. Email: ebenezerafolabi54@gmail.com.
Prayer Points

1. Thank you Jesus for loving me.

2. I receive your love for me today

3. Help me to love others the way you love them

Feeling the need to pray with someone? Call or text our prayer line: +2349050586045 or +2348160525695. We enjoin you to kindly share this daily devotional with others. Thanks

March 19

Topic: Do not Harden your Heart

Text: ” So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness” (Hebrews 3:7-8, NIV).

Sometimes we wonder why God is silent when everything seems to be falling apart. We wonder why God will not just break this long silence. We wonder why He seems not to show concern at all, but the truth is that God has never been silent.

He has spoken to us through the surest word of prophecy – the Bible and ultimately through His Son Jesus Christ. He is still speaking to us today but if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart.

Perhaps you felt He has some favourites He has chosen to talk to and not you. Perhaps you have some difficulties discerning His voice. I am writing to you as His oracle to you this day and I am glad to share His word with you: In Matthew 11:28-29 He says to you: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls”.

In Rev. 3:20 He says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

In John 3:36 He says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”

In Acts 4:12 the Bible says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Therefore my dear reader, God has spoken to you but do not harden your heart. Will you respond to His voice? Will you say yes to Him? If your answer is yes, please say this prayer with me: Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me. Today, I confess you as my Lord and Saviour forever. Forgive me all my sin and cleanse me from every impurity. Bless me with your Holy Spirit. Thank you Jesus for saving me. If you have made this decision, kindly write to me. I like to hear from you. Email:ebenezerafolabi54@gmail.com

If you want me to pray specifically for you or you want to schedule a counselling session with me, kindly contact me via WhatsApp.
WhatsApp: +2348160525695 or call: +2348159214361.

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If you are willing to partner with the author to put this book in the hands of millions of potential readers across Africa and the world at large, please contact the author for a discussion.

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