MAGNIFIED MERCY

Desiring Mercy Devotional

Wednesday, 17th January, 2024.

Read Genesis 19:15-23

Genesis 19:19-20 KJV

Behold now, thy servant hath found GRACE in thy sight, and thou hast MAGNIFIED THY MERCY, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: [20] Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, ( is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.

Mercy is an all- important subject. We are instructed by the Lord to learn and understand the Mercy of God. When the two angels were sent to Lot and his house to save them, Lot responded by noticing and mentioning two things He believed were responsible for the salvation they had brought to him and his house by making them escape the fire that was coming on Sodom and Gomorrah: GRACE and MERCY.

Notice what he said about grace and mercy. He said that he had found grace in God’s sight and that as for God’s Mercy, it was God Himself who had decided to magnify it to him( otherwise He could have easily lost sight of it!). When things are not magnified in our view, we can easily lose sight of them. We can easily conclude that that those things are not important.

Years ago when I was in my final year in medical school, I suffered I toothache of one my molars. I had never felt such excruciating pain- it was terrible. I wondered how that little hidden part of my body could manage to get my whole being so distraught! After benefitting from my dentist's care at the dental school, I began to respect and appreciate dentistry so much more than I ever had before. What am I saying? If that little tooth had not disturbed me and I had not received mercy through the treatment I received for it, I would never have even thanked God for my teeth. I may never have appreciated dentistry. I would have taken them all and my teeth for granted!

Beloved, sometimes God would take you through some things just so you can appreciate His mercies more. Without a good understanding that many good things in life have been granted you as a result of the mercies of God, you would become a child of pride, erroneously thinking that you deserve all the good things of this life on a silver platter. But my dear, may the Lord magnify His mercy in your eyes, so that you will begin to appreciate that salvation has come to you ( or will come to you and your house) just because God has decided to show you a lot of pity.

Prayer: Oh Lord, I love thee. Please magnify your mercy in my eyes as I receive your wonderful gift of salvation in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

Desire Mercy.

Anastasia Bruce

Footstool Colour

DEVIATIONS IN LEADERSHIP

Royalty by Loyalty Footstool Devotional

Tuesday, 16th January, 2024

Read 1 Kings 16:1-6

1 Kings 16:2 KJV - Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel; and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins;

Leadership is key. It’s all that God has got to reach a people. When God raises you up as a leader over His people, He expects so much from you, because you are all He’s got as a clear representative of Himself to a people who cannot see Him clearly.

A leader’s function is to obey God and transmit His words and influence to the people He stands before. God invests a lot in leadership. You can see that when He got disappointed in Israel's King Baasha, he referred to how much He worked hard to raise Baasha from the dust and elevate Him into kingship over His people. It was the same with Jerobaoam too- the Lord regretted how He spent so much of His energy and anointing to elevate Him in the first place. Do not think God has forgotten all the good things He has been doing for you to help give you a lift in life. All those things are costly investments in the eyes of God, so do not take them for granted, grow up and start messing around like someone who has not been properly brought up.

God spends so many hours and days and years speaking to and working on a person’s heart and life right from scratch, from a setting of very humble and dirty beginnings (dust), just like a parent spends so much to raise a child from a tiny thing into graceful adulthood. And when eventually He is convinced that He has a masterpiece in His hand, He sets that person(you) in front of His earthly people to rule and to bring down His heavenly Kingdom to bear in the earth.

Unfortunately, God has been experiencing losses with these lifetime investments of His. Not everyone God faithfully raises out of nothing into something prominent stays faithful to God when they get to the top. These count for big losses in the Kingdom of God. The sad part is that God not only loses His investment in you as a faithful leader but also, He is forced to cut off your children ( posterity) from leadership and nobility altogether.

1 Kings 14:7 KJV - Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Forasmuch as I EXALTED THEE FROM AMONG THE PEOPLE, and made thee prince over my people Israel...

It is therefore very important for us to stay faithful to allowing God to lead His people through us when we become parents, pastors, teachers, or any other kind of leader. Never use any position to exalt yourself instead of God before the people. Otherwise like Baasha and Jeroboam (1 Kings 14: 7-11), you cause God to regret His hardwork in you over the years, and He’ll disfavour you and your generations. Eschew deviations in leadership. Remain faithful and loyal to God’s leadership all through your lifetime, even more especially, when you become older.

Prayer: Dear Lord, I thank You for all your Word spoken to me over the years. Please help me remain faithful to your gift of gentle and generous upbringing in my life. I bind evil spirits that cause me to be offended in you and to therefore choose my own way instead of yours, in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

If you ain’t loyal, then you ain’t royal.

Anastasia Bruce

Footstool Colour

BECOME PARTY-WISE!

Good Friday with Jesus

Friday, 12th January, 2023

Mark 2:14-17 KJVS - 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphæus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.

15 And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.

16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?

17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Does being a Christian preclude you from mingling with unbelievers? What was Jesus doing with the tax collectors and sinners of his day? He attended parties and ate with them in the open. Why did he do this? He did this to reap a following from amongst them. Did he do this a child or as an adult? Of course he did this as an adult.

1 Corinthians 2:6 NLT - Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this, who are soon forgotten.

As a child, Jesus was not found in clubs or parties, eating and drinking with sinners. He was found preaching and teaching in the temple. Mingling with sinners and making friends with unbelievers is not a thing for the spiritually or physically immature. A child who does so will only backside.

Be party- wise! Let the Lord lead you in all the social gatherings you decide or decide not to attend. And whatever your reason is, ensure you are led by the Spirit of God being led by God’s Spirit is the sign that you are mature.

Romans 8:14 AMP - For all who are allowing themselves to be led by the Spirit of God are (mature) sons of God.

Be party- wise!

Anastasia Bruce

Footstool Colour

Psalm 27

Though an army beseige me, MY HEART WILL NOT FEAR!

OPEN DOORS FOR MY HEART DESIRES!

Live Daily Footstool Devotional

Sunday, 22nd October, 2023.

Read Psalm 27

Psalm 27:3

Though an army besiege me, MY HEART WILL NOT FEAR!

Whatever stops your heart from getting opportunities to express its deepest desires of unique ways to serve God, may they be taken away in Jesus name. May nothing succeed in intimidating you so you stop attempting to do God's will for your life and generation. May you win over every attempt of the enemy to throw you out of the church. May you succeed over anything that stops you from going into all the world to shine Christ's light. May your light be from the Lord and may your light bring you salvation in Jesus name. Amen.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thanks for your Word. Please help me. I want to shine your light both in the temple and in the world because You are my light and my salvation. Though an army will come at me from everywhere, kindly grant me the grace so that my heart will not fear. As you grant me this heart desire, I declare victory over every heart attack, arrhythmia, heart failure and any heart disease in Jesus name. Amen.

Live Daily

Anastasia Bruce

Footstool Colour

Whatever stops your heart from getting opportunities to express it deepest desires of ways to serve God, may they be taken away in Jesus name. May nothing succeed in intimidating you so you stop attempting to do God's will for your life and generation. May you win over every attempt of the enemy to throw you out of the church. May you succeed over anything that stops you from going into all the world to shine Christ's light. May your light be from the Lord and may your light bring you salvation in Jesus name. Amen.

Job 3 re-worded to celebrate open doors and mysteries surrounding my beginnings and my birth. Your Victory over the negative circumstances surrounding your conception, birth and existence lies in the faith of your being born gain in Christ.

Ps 119:130

The entrance of thy Word gives light and it gives understanding to the simple.

May the Doors of your own life be opened so that Jesus can enter through and give you light and understanding in Jesus name. Amen.

Gen 14

Jn 11

God does not want you to be bereft of strong and important males for your life and prosperity. God wants you to be surrounded by wealthy men and lots of goods. Discover how you can war for this inheritance.

Genesis 14:14-16 KJV - And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.

15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.

16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

Genesis 14:14-16 KJV - And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.

15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.

16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

# TGenesis 14:14-16 KJV - And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.

15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.

16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

#ThyBrotherShallRiseAgain

#40DaysofPrayer

Ps 93

John 11

DON’T STEAL THE IMAGE- ASK FOR IT

Good Friday with Jesus

Friday, 29th September, 2023.

Genesis 1:26 NIV - Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image...”

Images refer to pictures or ideas that we may see or that may pop up in our minds every now and then. Humans are created in the IMAGE of God and as such love to have a lot to do with images. But God wants us to learn the right way to relate with or handle images, because images are never the real thing and they cannot be trusted 100 per cent all the time. Human as we are, made and crafted as the image of God, we tend to have a predilection for images. If asked what to do with images, we wouldn't mind stealing images ( to satisfy our viewing pleasures). But we are not supposed to steal images. We are never supposed to relate with images like they are lifeless things or nonentities. God wants us to relate very respectfully with images because there is always so much more to them than meets our eye. God wants us to relate with images by asking Him for them. When you see something that you like or that you want to look like, be like or have, don’t just go fit because you think you already know all about because you've seen it before. Take your time with your ideas, images, pictures, wishes and dreams. Dig it out a bit more. Find out a bit more before you decide to go for it. And then when you decide, ask God for it. That step should never be skipped, and you have to wait for Him to give it to you.

We want to have sex when we feel like it even when it's not yet time to do so. We want to travel somewhere just because we wish to, and even when it's not God’s perfect plan for us. We want to get millions of dollars when we don't have any idea about what God’s Kingdom needs right now, and that we can be of help with. We want to be like that movie star, that music star, or the preacher man, just because we’ve seen them do what they love to do over and over again. But we most likely have no idea about the stories behind their shows. We just want to steal images all the time. Adam and Eve were told not to eat the fruit but they listened to the serpent and stole the item. To steal is to go for something without asking or waiting for it. And this is the very nature of human beings.

Matthew 7:7-11 KJV - Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

You don't need to steal anything that God already has plans of giving to you anyway. His Kingdom is all about timing. In His Kingdom, things are given when it's time to be given. Things are received when the right time for receiving comes. It's all about timing if you want to receive this or that in the Kingdom. Why is this so? It’s because God simply wants to temper your spirit with His Spirit. He wants your temperance and patience limits or tolerance levels to coincide with the Holy Spirit’s elasticity and generosity. He wants your steps to be in step with Holy Spirit.( God’s GENEROSITY is his TImely GENEration of RESources for you). These things are more important to God than mere desires to give you this and that for whatever’s sake. God is more interested in resolving your internal homeostasis or spiritual balance so that will be caught dancing in tune with His rhythms. He is more interested in you having His spirit more than He is in you having an outward picture that looks like Him yet with a heart that is far from His nature.

Romans 8:16 NASB

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.

So don’t be in a hurry to have any fun in ...