Thoughts of Our Fathers (TOF)

1 Corinthians 1:31…“He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

If someone asks you, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” you would probably tell him, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved,” wouldn’t you?

Well, a rich, young ruler asked Jesus the same question, but instead of telling him to believe in Him, Jesus gave him the law. (Mark 10:17–22)

Jesus saw that the young ruler lived his life taking pride in his ability to keep the law to earn salvation and the favor of God. But because of His love for the man, Jesus had to show him that those who live by the law must realize that their self-efforts cannot save them.

He therefore reminded him, “You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery…‘Do not steal...‘Honor your father and your mother.’” The young ruler showed that his trust was in his law-keeping when he replied, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”

So Jesus had to tell him, “One thing you lack…sell whatever you have and give to the poor…and come…and follow Me.” When the young ruler heard that, he walked away sorrowful.

When we boast of having kept the law, it will always point out something we lack or have failed to obey. The law is so holy and perfect that if we don’t keep even one iota of it, it has no choice but to judge and curse us. (Galatians 3:10) That is what the law was designed to do.

God does not want us to boast in our abilities to keep the law. If we are to have confidence in anything at all, if we are to boast in anything at all, it is in the grace of God. Only His grace can completely keep, save, heal, deliver and bless us.

So let’s not boast in what we have done or are able to do, but boast in His grace for us—that He is our strength, health, favor, provision, wisdom, hope, salvation and glory. That is how we will see ourselves enjoying our inheritance of abundant life!

Memorise: For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. Psalm 75:6

Read: Psalm 113:1-9 (KJV)

1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.


2 Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.


3 From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised.


4 The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.



5 Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high,


6 Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!


7 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;


8 That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.


9 He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.








Bible in one year: Luke 22, Isaiah 31:1-32:8, Hymn: Sing hymn 7
MESSAGE:
The promotion that comes from God is worth waiting for; never settle for the promotion of men. Man can promote you today and demote you the next day. When man promotes you, they will expect something in return, but when God promotes you, all your sorrows will turn to joy and you will have absolute peace even in the midst of trouble. God’s promotion usually shuts the mouth of detractors. Your detractors are those who boasted that you would never rise in their presence, and those who threatened that they would use the power of their position to destroy you, because you have refused to bow to their gods. They are those who, because of your uncompromising conviction, have said they will never recommend you for promotion as long as they are on the seat of power. The sure source of promotion. I have good news for you: by this time tomorrow, their promotion will be at your mercy in Jesus’ Name. They will never be able to carry out their mischievous plans against you in Jesus’ Name. Concerning such people, the word of God inPsalm 21:11 says,

“For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform.”


When God promotes you, you will go from success to success. This is why you need to make Him your ally. You need to come to Him, and let Him take over your life. Open Heavens Devotional 2017. The Lord’s decision is always final. If He decides to promote you, no man can demote you. If He says this is your season, no accuser can deny you access. If He decides to bless you, no curse can prevail over you. All you need to do is to ensure His presence never departs from your life. There is someone reading this Devotional: by the time God starts with you, the whole world will be amazed. God promoted Joshua from being a massager to the position of a commander. When God told him to take over the mantle of leadership from Moses and lead the children of Israel to the Promised Land, Joshua thought God was joking. God had to reassure him repeatedly that as He was with Moses, He would be with Him (Joshua 1:5-9, Joshua 3:7). Irrespective of how forceful the opposition confronting you is, when God is promoting you, He will cause you to experience certain blessings that will make all your enemies crumble. You will be able to do things you never thought you could do. However, God will not promote a person who is just folding his hands doing nothing. It is the soul of the diligent that will be made fat (Proverbs 13:4). If you are a hardworking person, God will reward you. God does not bless the lazy. What you sow is what you reap. If you want to soar, you have to go the extra mile and be a benchmark in the lifestyle of holiness and excellence.

Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord.
—Psalm 27:14

When we “wait” on God, we are not being lazy or passive, but we are actually being very active spiritually. We may not be “doing” anything, but we are trusting God to do what needs to be done. In effect, we are saying, “Lord, I will not try to do this in my own strength. I will wait on You to deliver me. And I’m going to enjoy my life while I wait for You.”

Satan wants us to be frustrated from trying to solve our own problems. He hates our joy. He wants to see anything but joy, because the joy of the Lord is our strength (see Nehemiah 8:10). Worry robs us of strength, but joy energizes us.

We are tempted to think we are not doing our part if we don’t worry or try to figure out an answer to our problems, but this will prevent our deliverance rather than aid it. It is not irresponsible to enjoy life while we wait on God and expect Him to do what we don’t know how to do!

Do not fear because the battle is not yours, but the Lord’s.

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Notice that this scripture instructs us to give thanks in all things, not for all things. When tragedy or temptation strikes, we are not to thank God for them. He is not their author. He's the One who provides our way of escape from them. And that's what we're to thank Him for.

If you read the four Gospels, you'll find that Jesus never gave thanks for sickness or death. Instead, when He encountered them, His response was to overcome them by God's power. So give thanks as Jesus gave thanks—not for Satan's activities but for the victory God has given you over them.


Scripture Reading:

John 11:1-48

READ: Ecclesiastes 9:13-18

Wisdom is the principal thing…she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
Proverbs 4:7, 8

One of the reasons why poverty is a curse is because the poor man has few friends or relatives (Proverbs 14:10).

Another reason why poverty must be a curse is that poor people are dominated and ruled by rich people. There is nothing that poor nations dominated by the rich western nations can do, except to complain in futility.

Poverty makes people disregard you. A poor man may have much wisdom, but his wisdom is despised. Although wealth and riches should not be a yardstick for developing relationships, that is often the case. The rich have no real interest in the poor. The world, and even the Church, is truly polarized into the rich and the poor.

You can overcome every curse of poverty through the blood of Jesus. The truth of God's Word is what will liberate you from every curse and frustration. There is a law of reward for hard work that teaches that whatsoever a man sows, that shall he reap. If you work hard, the law will be fulfilled and you will reap the blessings of prosperity.

As you study the Word, God will give you wisdom to escape from the curse of poverty. Wisdom shall promote and establish you in unbeatable blessings! I see the curse of poverty breaking in your life right now!

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.
—Titus 1:2

Life is a glorious opportunity, if it is used to condition us for eternity. If we fail in this, though we succeed in everything else, our life will have been a failure. There is no escape for the man who squanders his opportunity to prepare to meet God. Our lives are also immortal. God made man different from the other creatures. He made him in His own image, a living soul. When this body dies and our earthly existence is terminated, the soul lives on forever. One thousand years from this day, you will be more alive than you are at this moment. The Bible teaches that life does not end at the cemetery. There is a future life with God for those who put their trust in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Memorise: If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:25

Read: Galatians 5:22-26 (KJV)

There is beauty in shadows.

The world if filled with a latent, often hidden, beauty; sometimes it needs to be teased out of the ordinary and mundane. The artwork of Turkish calligraphist Tolga Girgin does just that.

When he posted this video of him sketching faces formed from different shadows cast by a wrinkled piece of paper, it went viral. More than 8 million people have the seen the video.

The artwork reminds us to pursue beauty and meaning even in the shadows of life.

What beauty can you see today that you may have never noticed before? What role can you play in bringing it to life?

Matthew 7:11If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Let me tell you a true story I heard. There was a pastor whose young child was diagnosed with cancer. The day his boy was scheduled for an operation, this father cried out to God, “God, I’m almost 30 years old, but my boy is only about three months old. Why don’t you just take some years off my life and give them to my boy?”

Then, from deep within him, he heard the voice of God say, “I am not like that.” When the man heard that, he realized immediately that his son’s sickness was not from God. He also realized that if he, who has faults, could want his child well, how much more his heavenly Father. So he changed his prayer and said, “Father God, I come against this sickness and I ask you for healing for my child.” That day, on the operating table, the surgeons could find no trace of cancer in the child!

Today, God wants you to know that He is not the kind of Father who wants you sick and defeated, keeps you poor and wanting, refuses to provide for your needs and denies you your blessings.

When my daughter Jessica was younger, I bought a beautiful teddy bear for her. Teddy bears are her favorite toys and I could not wait to see her joy when she saw it. My joy is to see her happy. When she is sick and has difficulty sleeping at night, it hurts me to hear her cry. When she is crying, I cannot ignore her cries. I enter into her discomfort and pain even though I know that her sickness is something that will pass shortly. When she is in pain, I feel the pain too. When she is sad, I am sad too.

I believe that God gives us children to help us understand what His Father-heart is like. His joy is to enter into your joy and see you happy. If you, in spite of your faults, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to you when you ask Him! My prayer today is that you will know just how much your Father loves you!

If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action].
—1 John 1:9

Many years ago when I was first developing my relationship with the Lord, each night I would beg His forgiveness for my past sins. One evening as I knelt beside my bed, I heard the Lord say to me, "Joyce, I forgave you the first time you asked, but you have not received My gift of forgiveness because you have not forgiven yourself."

Have you received God's gift of forgiveness? If you have not, and you are ready to do so, ask the Lord to forgive you for all your sins right now. Then pray this aloud:

Lord, I receive forgiveness for (name the sin), in Christ Jesus. I forgive myself and accept your gift of forgiveness as my own. I believe that you remove the sin from me completely, putting it at a distance where it can never be found again—as far as the east is from the west. And I believe, Lord, that you remember it no more.

You will find that speaking aloud is often helpful to you because by doing so you are declaring your stand upon God's Word. The devil cannot read your mind, but he does understand your words. Declare before all the principalities, powers, and rulers of darkness (see Ephesians 6:12) that Christ has set you free and that you intend to walk in that freedom.

When you speak, sound as though you mean it! If the devil tries to bring that sin to your mind again in the form of guilt and condemnation, repeat your declaration, telling him: "I was forgiven for that sin! It has been taken care of—therefore, I take no care for it."