Daily Counsel

With Dag Heward-Mills

COUNT IT ALL JOY

READ: James 1:1-8

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

James 1:2-4

People fail their examinations because they do not have faith. Often, they do not believe that the exam will come on. Often they do not believe that certain questions will be asked. They do not believe that they have to study that much! They do not believe that time is short!

A man of faith passes his exams! Passing your tests is a sign of your faith. A lack of faith is often the reason why people fail their tests and examinations. A child who is failing exams often lacks faith in the importance of examinations. It is when we grow up that we know the importance of schooling. When you are grown up, no one has to tell you that you have to pass your exams.

A man of faith will count it all joy when going through various trials and tribulations. Without faith, you cannot go through trials and tribulations with joy.

Trust in God and you will come out shining. Job went through trials and temptations but he never wavered in his faith in the goodness of God.

Faith is a very important thing. Keep building your faith. Your faith will really help you to pass all exams. Faith is your secret weapon. Faith comes by hearing. The more you listen to preaching, the more your faith is built up! Keep developing your faith by listening even more to preaching and teaching. You will pass all your tests by faith.

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Daily Counsel

With Dag Heward-Mills

GOD-GIVEN DISGUISES

READ: 1 Corinthians 1:18-30

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; ... that no flesh should glory in his presence.

1 Corinthians 1:27-29

God gives His servants disguises. These disguises make the servant of God look weak, humble and powerless.

1. The disguise of being last: “....If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)

2. The disguise of being a servant: “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.” (Matthew 23:11)

3. The disguise of infirmities: “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”(2 Corinthians 12:9)

4. The disguise of earthen vessels: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”(2 Corinthians 4:7)

5. The disguise of afflictions: “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

Do not be disturbed if the world does not recognize you in your disguise. They are not supposed to recognize you. Your disguise will make you look humble and lowly. Do not be misled or do not misread the things that make you humble on this earth. God allows humbling things to happen to you and to be with you. However, when you appear in Heaven you will be shining and glorious.

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Daily Counsel

With Dag Heward-Mills

ESCAPES

READ: Daniel 6:1-9

Then this DANIEL WAS PREFERRED above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.

Daniel 6:3

Prosperity causes people to plot against you. Many people plotted against Daniel. They had meetings to discuss Daniel. They had meetings that excluded Daniel. They murmured and grumbled against him. He was rejected of men. He was an outcast.

Then the presidents and princes SOUGHT TO FIND OCCASION against Daniel concerning the kingdom; ...

Daniel 6:4

In the end, their hatred for Daniel boiled over and they threw him into the lions’ den. By faith, none of the conspiracies of men were successful. The men who hated Daniel were even more wicked than the lions. Their mouths and their hearts conspired against Daniel in a vicious cycle of hatred and murder.

By faith, Daniel escaped being eaten by lions. Through his faith, he stopped the mouth of lions. This is what is going to happen to you. Those who think you are doomed will be surprised to see you coming out untouched and unharmed.

Just as Daniel was preferred, (Daniel 6:3) you will be preferred and chosen over and over again. By faith, you will emerge as a champion in your company, your business and your church. You will soon become a national hero. Everyone in the country will soon know you for good reasons. Daniel was preferred! You will be preferred soon! Daniel prospered! You will prosper soon!

So this DANIEL PROSPERED in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Daniel 6:28.

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Daily Counsel

With Dag Heward-Mills

CONVICTIONS

READ: John 16:1-11

And He, when He comes, will CONVICT the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;

John 16:8 (NASB)

One of the main works of the Holy Spirit is to give convictions. A conviction is a strong belief about something. Notice that when the Holy Spirit comes He will convict the world of various things. The work of the Holy Spirit is to convict human beings. The Holy Spirit gives you strong beliefs, strong attitudes and strong opinions about certain things.

When I was in secondary school I had a strong conviction to serve the Lord. I believed that I was called by God and that I had to work for Him. This conviction was in me as I walked to the examination hall to take my ‘A’ Level examinations.

I remember walking down the road towards the examination hall and thinking about how I was going to serve the Lord. I did not even know what it meant to serve the Lord, but a strong conviction was forming in me.

Sometimes you cannot tell how these strong opinions are formed. For seven years I was in medical school studying all kinds of subjects: anatomy, physiology, surgery, pathology and so on. After seven years, my conviction to be a minister of the gospel was even stronger. Nothing I learnt in the medical school changed my mind. I was thoroughly convinced that I had to work for God and win souls for him. How did such a strong conviction come to me? It must have been the Holy Spirit! I had no idea I would be a pastor of a big church. I could not have imagined what the ministry would be like today. I did not even know anyone who was a medical doctor and left his profession for the ministry. I did not know any pastors, whom I could relate with. I just had a conviction and I needed to serve God badly.

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Daily Counsel

With Dag Heward-Mills

DISGUISED!

READ: Matthew 25:31- 43

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

Matthew 25:42- 43

Jesus Christ came to this world completely disguised and hidden from the wicked men of this earth. The book of Revelation reveals that Jesus Christ was completely disguised when He walked on this earth.

Jesus Christ is revealed in the book of Revelation: His head is white as wool. His eyes are flaming fire. His feet are like burning brass and His voice is like the sound of water. Amazing! In reality, this picture is who and what Jesus Christ is: His glistening face, His piercing eyes, His wonderful voice, His burning feet, His powerful mouth and His glorious hair. Wow! So this is who He really was!

But when He walked amongst us by the Sea of Galilee, He had none of these features. Jesus had put on a remarkable disguise and walked amongst us in humility and weakness, allowing only God-fearing people to recognize Him.

Let us go through some of the disguises that Jesus is using today. Knowing these disguises is important, because it helps us to know when we may be inadvertently dealing with Jesus Christ.

1. The disguise of a hungry and thirsty person

2. The disguise of a homeless person

3. The disguise of a naked person

4. The disguise of a sick person

5. The disguise of a prisoner

Woe unto to you if you miss these disguises and mishandle the Son of God!

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Daily Counsel

With Dag Heward-Mills

ABRAHAMIC FAITH

READ: Genesis 22:1-14

And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

Genesis 22:8

Aman of faith passes his exams! Passing your tests is a sign of your faith. Abraham was put through a test. He passed the test with flying colours. He passed his test because he believed in God. He believed that God was good. He believed that God would keep him. He believed that God would provide for him. Indeed, God provided a lamb just as he believed. God provided all that he needed on the mountain of sacrifice.

People cannot enter ministry because they do not have faith. They are not like Abraham. They do not believe that God is good and that God will provide. Perhaps you are not entering full-time ministry because you believe that God is a bad God. You think that God wants to destroy your life. You suspect that God wants to destroy your career. You think that God wants to take away your prosperity. But that is nonsense!

God does not call people to demote them. If God is calling you, it is only to bless you and help you. If you are like Abraham, you will trust that God is good and that he will provide. If people had this Abrahamic faith there would be more intelligent, educated, qualified and successful people opting for full-time ministry. Unfortunately, many intelligent, educated and successful people think that God is trying to rob them of their earthly possessions. God does not call people to destroy them. Think correctly and have faith in God.

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Daily Counsel

With Dag Heward-Mills

PRAISE AND WORSHIP

READ: Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: COME BEFORE HIS PRESENCE WITH SINGING.

Psalm 100:1-2

Praise and worship is the secret that the modern church has learned. In former times, there was not much praise and worship. Many do not know that praise and worship, as we know it today, was not always practised in church. Many churches were dry and stiff, singing hymns at particular moments in the service. Singing has an amazing way of bringing in the presence of God.

Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee,

Zechariah 2:10-11

There are many promises about how God will answer prayers. But there are not so many promises about how God will answer praises. Because of this, Christians did not know the power and effect of praises. The power of praise and worship has been rediscovered, especially in its ability to bring down the presence of God. Today, praise is offered in churches instead of prayer. The side effect of this is that many churches have become prayerless.

There is no doubt that praise and worship have an almost miraculous way of bringing the presence of God into a church service.

I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. ...

All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord, when they hear the words of thy mouth. Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord for great is the glory of the Lord.

Psalm 138:1-2, 4-5.

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Daily Counsel

With Dag Heward-Mills

DO NOT TRIVIALIZE

READ: John 11:32-44

And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

John 11:43-44

Through John’s effort we are so blessed to know all the things that are found nowhere else in the gospels. John said many things that no one else said No one else wrote these things. No one else remembered the things that John remembered.

Let us see how John did a little bit more and blessed our lives so much. Let us now look at a few of the amazing details that we benefit from because John did a little bit more and bothered to write down some of these things.

1. Through John we learn that Jesus was in the beginning with God. (John 1:1- 4)

2. Through John, we learn that we must be born again. (John 3:3)

3. Through John, we learn that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. (John 3:16)

4. Through John we learn about the comforter. (John 14:26) Four outstanding miracles were mentioned by John:

1. The healing of the nobleman’s son. (John 4:46-53)

2. The healing of the man by the Pool of Bethesda. (John 5:2-9) 3. The healing of the man who was born blind. (John 9:1-7) 4. The raising of Lazarus from the dead. (John 11:32-44)

No one wrote about the miracles that John wrote about. No one else mentioned these miracles in their accounts. Imagine that!

Make sure you do not trivialize what God has given you. Do not set it aside! Fulfil your calling! Obey what the Holy Spirit is telling you!

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Daily Counsel

With Dag Heward-Mills

YOUR RED SEA

READ: Exodus 14:5-29

By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.

Hebrews 11:29

The Red Sea speaks of the greatest obstacle, problem and difficulty of your life. In the journey from Egypt to Israel, the biggest obstacle, problem and challenge was the Red Sea.

The miracle of crossing the Red Sea shows the difference between those who had faith and those who did not have faith. Those who had faith crossed the Red Sea. Those who did not have faith were drowned in the Red Sea. It was not wisdom that made the difference between crossing and drowning. It was not technology that made the difference. It was not education that made the difference. It was not money or riches that made the difference. It was

not their nationality that made the difference. Faith made the difference! Faith brought victory over the greatest obstacle and challenge of their lives.

The Israelites were able to cross through the Red Sea because they had faith. Faith was the secret weapon that God gave His people. The Red Sea destroyed the Egyptians because they had no faith in the God of Israel. You will be able to do certain things because you have faith in God.

I predict that you are going to go through your Red Sea and come out smiling. Your faith is going to work! Because you believe in God, things are going to work out. Your faith in Jesus Christ is going to be your great advantage. Some trust in money. Some trust in chariots. Some trust in education. Some trust in their connections. But as you trust in God and exercise your faith, you will come out shining.

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

Psalms 20:7.

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