Welcome to our daily devotional. I recorded this the last time we read through the Bible, the message then is as real as it was then today.

Peter warned us about false teachers and their false teachings, and how we ought to handle them;

‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭2:1‭-‬3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

[1] But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. [2] Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. [3] In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.

The sad part is that Peter warns that many will follow their evil teachings. As we live through these endtime, I pray the Lord himself will keep and preserve you.

Is your faith growing? This is one of the themes in Peter's second letter.

"In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone." 2 Peter 1:5-7 NLT.

Faith by designed is supposed to grow. As a believer, you must be adding something more to your faith constantly. If faith is not growing, it is likely decreasing or dying because the devil is constantly assaulting our faith. So add to your faith; moral excellence, to moral excellence add knowledge, to knowledge add self control, patient endurance, godliness, brotherly affection, etc. What ever you do, keep growing in faith and you are likely to succeed.

In the end, we are temporary residents in this world. We are ambassadors of the kingdom of God. We live by different rules;

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2:11‭-‬12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

[11] Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. [12] Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.

In this world, we.will probably have tribulation and suffering but our duty is to show Christ's love to the world.

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4:12‭-‬13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

[12] Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. [13] Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.

CHOSEN - Called out ones.

"But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light." 1 Peter 2:9 NLT.

The Greek word for chosen is eklektos which means; elects, or the called out ones from amongst a group for a reason. We have been called out of the world.

The reason for our call is obvious; to demonstrate and reflect the love of Christ to this world. Many people will never see Jesus until his second coming, but they can encounter him today through us. Remember that the people that were first called Christians were called so because they were behaving like Christ (Acts 11:26).

Allow the world, allow the community see Jesus through you.

The verse also says you are royalty and priesthood at the same time, what honour! To be a king and a priest at the same time. To be able to wield the authority of kingship and the reverence and spirituality of being a priest, what honour Christians have! But there is more; you are also a holy nation, God's very own possession, wow! I do not belong to myself, I belong to God.

What makes prayer powerful?

"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!" James 5:16-17.

I once received this question and I believe answering today will bless us. We instinctively know that prayers that get results should be powerful prayers. But what makes prayer powerful when the art of prayer itself is an expression of weakness of our inability to achieve the result on our own due to our limitations and humanity? James tells us here that our humanity is not really the problem because the prophet Elijah who prayed some very powerful prayers was as human as anyone of us. When he prayed, his prayers shut out rain for years and it took him praying again for rain to restart. What made Elijah's prayer that powerful?

The lesson here is to realise that the power of prayer comes from the one answering, not the one praying. The fact God answered is why people call your prayer powerful. That seems obvious right, but we all seem to miss this obvious point. Your prayer is powerful when God answers not when you pray.

For those who have learned this secret, they've learned to put their focus on the one they are praying to and not on the powerful words used in prayer.

Secondly, Elijah's prayer was a fallout of his deep relationship with God. This is apparent because when he prayed, he said he was doing so on the behalf of the one he represents. It was God who told Elijah to close the heavens, he didn't do so because he wanted to make waves. Prayer is powerful when it is praying the mind and will of God received through a deep relationship with him.

The book of James was written to admonish believers.

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." James 1:2‭-‬4 NLT.

Troubles and challenges are opportunities. They an opportunity for great joy. Trials can never steal our joy as long as we remain focused on the Lord. How does that even make sense? James says, temptations, trials and challenges are an opportunity for us to grow closer to the Lord. Never forget, in the presence of God, there is fulness of joy.

Next advise, there is a dimension of blessings and opportunity that comes to only those who are or have been tested;

"God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." James 1:12 NLT.

While satan might use situations like this to tempt and discourage us, they can be an opportunity to show us how blessed we are.

Next advise; "Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires." James 1:19‭-‬20 NLT.

This one is loud and I wished someone would hear me; human anger does not and cannot produce what God planned.

Let's take one more; *"What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless."* James 2:14‭-‬17 NLT.

Faith, belief, must show its true nature by the result it produces. Invariably that also means, your faith, however what you claim it to be or how strong it is, is proofed by its results.

The message to conclude the book of Hebrews cannot be clearer, those who have gone ahead of us have set an example for us to follow;

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiated and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honour beside God's throne." Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT.

The looking upto Jesus part in the face of all that we will go through is vital. When trying and difficult times come, the book of Hebrews reminds us to remember the kind of opposition Christ himself faced to win our salvation on the cross.

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12:4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

[4] After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.

Each one of us has a race we can only complete through faith and endurance. Faith looks to God for strength. Faith to keeps our eyes on Jesus, keep our eyes on the price. Keep your eyes on completing the race that is set before us.

Let's pray; "may he (the Lord) equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen."

Hebrews 13:21 NLT

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11:39‭-‬40‬ ‭NLT‬‬

[39] All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. [40] For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.

They, and I am talking about those who have walked with God by faith, despite their unique challenges, earned a good reputation. What would be said about you? Would your testimony be, he/she finished well, or they fought a good fight of faith? Or will your reputation be, he/she gave up when things became hard? We will know when we all stand before the judgement throne.

The line-up of believers in Hebrews 11 represent for us, those who despite the challenges they faced, and some of their situations were so dear, held on to their faith. And so the Bible says;

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11:1‭-‬2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

[1] Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. [2] Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.

If they earned their reputation through faith walking with God, we will have to do the same.

Faith is trusting in the integrity of God. That God exist, and that he keeps His word.

Faith does not mean being certain of the outcome, no, it means trusting in the one that promised the outcome. Today, we will read about Enoch and Noah and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, men who believed God beyond what they could see in the physical. Noah built a boat and waited 100 years for a flood God said was coming even though no one had ever seen it rain before. Abraham left home at 75 years to a destination God was going to show him. He sacrificed the promised child Isaac, after waiting over 20 years to receive him. That is what faith truly is, it stands and rest on the one who promised.

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10:19‭-‬23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

[19] And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. [20] By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. [21] And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, [22] let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. [23] Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.

Under the Old Covenant we had no right to enter the Most Holy Place. Under the New, the Bible says we can boldly enter. What a privilege we have in Christ.

Take advantage of the opportunity, come into God's presence every time you can manage it. Enjoy this abundant Grace to worship Yahweh.