Preachify Daily Devotional

Preachify Daily Devotional

GOD USES QUESTIONS

A name change from God is an indication of what is to come. Simon becoming Peter has some important lessons for us

STAY ALERT!
SCRIPTURE: 1 PETER 5.8 “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”
A beautiful morning to anyone listening to this message. I want you to take a few deep breaths. Allow your mind to slow down because God is near, and He is longing to spend some quality time with you today, starting from this morning. Amen!
Have you ever been in a position to secure something precious to you: relationship, properties, life etc. and you let down your guard when you are not supposed to? Probably, you got lazy. Maybe you got distracted. Maybe you cared too much about someone else’s opinions. Maybe you got tired of standing your ground.
When we take a careful look back at history, we have come to see many great men, women, boys and girls who went down, due to one of those reasons listed up there.
Peter, one Jesus’ closest disciples, would understand your situation right now. And he will understand better. He left everything to follow Jesus. He loved, trusted, and believed in Jesus. But when associated with Jesus threatened his own security and reputation, Peter denied his LORD and Christ whom he at one point of his life, confessed to be “the Son of the Living God.” (Matthew 16.16). And this denial went on for three times (Matthew 26.34, 74; Luke 22.34, 55-60).
Thankfully, Jesus forgave him (Luke 22.31-32), restored him, and even empowered and entrusted his gospel and key to His Kingdom to Peter (Matthew 16.18-19) that the Bible says Peter preached with boldness on Pentecost day, the same day we read of 3,000 people were saved through baptism and the church of Christ began (Acts 2.14-47). It was the same Peter who writes:
“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Therefore, stand firm against him and be strong in your faith. Remember that Christians all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are experiencing.” 1 Peter 5.8-9 (NLT)
When we think about what it looks like to follow Jesus, it is important to remember that we have an enemy who doesn’t want us to go closer to God. But when we take it as a priority to live our lives closer to God, though we encounter divers form of darts thrown at us by the devil God is always there to give us victory. However, if we are going to resist the devil, we must stay on both the offensive and defensive.
The offensive: stay focus with the LORD. Stand firm by daily equipping yourself with God’s word. Make friends of God’s dear children (Ephesians 5.1). Fight for time and constant connection with Him. Remind yourself that there are others fighting in prayers with you.
The defensive: if someone is twisting the truth of God’s word, call it out. If you notice an injustice, do something to help with humility. If your enemy the devil is wreaking havoc in someone’s life, marriage, and spiritual journey, have the courage to confront that situation.
We need to stay alert because the devil is not happy seeing God’s people doing well for God. When marriages are peaceful, he always finds a way to distort it. When an addict is struggling to push that lifestyle away, the devil brings new friends and ideas and ten thousand reasons not to discontinue such deadly habit. We must be aware of the wiles, vices, and tactics of our enemy the devil.
The reason why many of us fall prey to the devil’s attack is because of our negligence in studying God’s word.
Dear friends, for the times you have already let your guard down, do not allow yourself to stay stuck in guilt and shame. We have all had moments where we have slipped. What do we do? We simply ask for mercy. Let us be like Peter who despite his mistake never considered taking his life like Judas Iscariot did but genuinely sought for forgiveness.
As a wife, you may have broken your marital vow to defile your bed and the guilt is running down like drops of sweat. As a husband, you may have cheated on your wife and made her look like a fool, and you are not comfortable with your action, don’t think of killing yourself. God understands your weaknesses, and He expect we acknowledge our wrong and seek His mercy.
What about the young unmarried ladies who for one reason or the other got themselves involved in acts that are shameful to speak of among the unbelievers: abortion, prostitution, double-dating, lying, drug and hard substance intake, nudity etc. and you have realized these things are unhealthy, Christ is here to recalibrate you. To wash and cleanse you of your dirt. The invitation? Come, just as you are! Same goes to the young men into fraudulent activities, drug and substance intake, Jesus is calling and waiting for you.
When Jesus came back to life, He found Peter, broke bread with him, He gave him another chance. You also can have another chance today. Come just as you are. Do not stay broken because you were carried away from your guard post. Come, we members of the Church of Christ will help you come back to Christ, where you will find peace, and a new purpose for living.
Let me pray for you:
Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for calling us your own. Thank you for grace you have made sufficient to us. This we will never take for granted. Father, we truly long and desire to live our lives for you. All we ask is your help for us to stay alert throughout today and always. Help us to be aware of the things you want us to pay attention to, both good and bad. Give us the courage to step out in faith when you ask us to. Help us to discern what is holy, so that we can please you in all that we do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

THE WAY OF LIFE
JAMES 4.17 “Therefore, to him that knows how to do good and does not do it, to him is a sin.”

A beautiful morning to anyone listening to this message. I want you to take a few deep breaths. Allow your mind to slow down because God is near, and He is longing to spend some quality time with you today, starting from this morning. Amen!
The letter from James, found in the New Testament, is overflowing with practical wisdom for our daily lives. James was the brother of Jesus, and his writings are full of teachings similar to how Jesus taught in the gospels.
James 4.17 provides us with a very simple definition of sin. James says that sin is when we know what we ought to do and we choose to neglect it, makes it a sin. It is when we have knowledge of what is right, but we deliberately choose not to do it.
There are many ways that we learn what the right thing to do is. When we read Scripture, we are constantly learning how God wants us to live, and what He wants us to do with our lives. we also have the Holy Spirit within us who guides and teaches us on the right path which leave us with no excuse for not knowing the right thing to do in almost every situation – because God has told us how He’s designed things to work and how we should act. So, when we decide not to live according to God’s ways, we are sinning.
To our text this morning, James 4.17; it’s sobering because it reminds us that sin is not just about what we do wrong but also what we failed to do when we know what is right. We often assumed that as long that we are not doing anything evil, we are fine. But what if God makes it clear; when we know the will of God and choose to delay or ignore it that too is a sin. And sometimes the LORD will prompt you to reach out to someone, you know, to forgive, to let go, to give, to speak, and to step forward and those moments obedience is not optional, it is crucial. Because delayed obedience, is disobedience. And when we miss the timing of obedience, we also miss the blessings that comes with it.
Look at King Saul in 1 Samuel 15: God told him to utterly destroy the Amalekites, every man, woman, child and livestock, but Saul thinking he had a better idea spared king Agag and kept the best of the sheep and the cattle which he called sacrifice but God called it rebellion. The single act of partial obedience caused him everything: his anointing, his crown, his legacy. He obeyed 95% but it was 5% disobedience that disqualified him before God.
Dear friends, let that be a warning and a wake-up call that partial obedience is still disobedience. God is not impressed by how much of His word we obeyed. He’s honored when we follow His instructions fully and completely even when it’s hard and difficult, especially when it doesn’t make any sense. The encouragement this morning; if God is prompting you to move, please move. If God is telling you to speak, please speak. If God is calling you to let go, let go. Don’t delay, don’t argue. Don’t reason your way out of obedience because the cost of disobedience is far greater than the sacrifice of disobedience.
If you have been hearing the pure gospel of salvation for your soul, why tarriest thou? Arise and be baptized, for your sin to be washed away, calling on the name of the LORD – Acts 22.16 What has God asked you to do that you have been avoiding to do or intentionally delaying? Remember, delayed obedience is disobedience. But today, you can do what is right! So, I want you to take some time to think about an area where you know you are not following God’s best for your life. Confess that sin holding you captive to Him and experience His loving forgiveness. If you truly want to know more about THE WAY OF LIFE, visit The Church Of Christ nearest to you. It is my earnest prayer for you that God will help you to find the strength in Him to fully obey Him promptly, completely, and joyfully. Let me pray for you:
Dear loving Father, the inhabitant of all eternity, thank you for your faithfulness towards us. We ask that you forgive us of the times when we felt you’re calling and choose not to act. Convict us of areas in our lives where we are not following you. Thank you Daddy for the gift of second chance. Guide us as we strive to live better for you and others in Christ name, amen. SHALOM!

SERMON: JOURNEY WITH GOD
SCRIPTURE: PSALM 84.5 “Blessed are those whose strengths is in You, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.”
A beautiful morning to anyone listening to this message. I want you to take a few deep breaths. Allow your mind to slow down because God is near, and He is longing to spend some quality time with you today, starting from this morning. Amen!
Let me say a word of prayer for us as we journey with God together this morning:
Dear Father, we are so grateful that we can call You, “Father.” You are perfect in all Your way and yet, in our weaknesses, You choose to know us and call us Your children. When we consider what that means, we are truly overwhelmed and humbled. You are so good to us and we hold You dearly in our lives. holy is Your NAME, Father! We love You because You loved us first and we ascribe all praise to You through Christ we pray, amen.
Journeying with God is not a one-time decision. It is a life-long pilgrimage, a day-by-day walk of trust, transformation, and faithfulness. Psalm 84 points a beautiful picture of some travelers whose hearts are set on reaching a particular destination; God’s dwelling place. They’re blessed, not because the road is easy, but because their strength comes from HASHEM.
If our strength came from ourselves, we would not make it very far because life brings challenges; the unexpected moments and seasons: dry seasons, steep climbs, unexpected detours etc. If we are depending only on our own energy, it is easy to get weary and discouraged. But when our strength is in God, the journey changes. We are not walking alone. We are empowered by God’s Holy Spirit. We are supported by His promises. With Him we have a clear destination, and the blessing is not just at the end, but along the way.
So, my dear friend, where do you get your strength? Eating some healthy food, doing some exercises, or reading a book or thinking of spending time with friends might be a possible good way of developing some strength for a while. Psalm 84.5 reminds me of a story from a folk in a Christian community:
Forty years ago, Cephas was in a car accident that caused him to suffer paralysis in both his arm and his legs. His fingers on his left hand no longer works and a limited movement on his right hand. Something as simple as opening his bible became nearly impossible. But Cephas doesn’t let his situation keeps him from spending some quality time with God’s word; he continued to engaging with God’s word on his phone through the bible app. During one of his moment in scripture, he came across today’s verse. Through God’s word, Cephas was reminded of the joy he received when we get our strength from God. Here’s what Cephas shared:
“When we go through rough times, even if we are not sure why these things happened, we should not neglect to read God’s word because God is in every situation. God is my strength because there is no way I could do everything by myself.”
No matter our circumstances or situation, we need to understand that God is the source of our strength. We don’t have to do things alone. God is with us; He will lead us through all our difficult moment as our hearts are on Him. So today, I want us to keep in mind that God is the ultimate source of our strength; not in our healthy meals, sound exercises, skillfulness, smartness, brilliance, and beauty.
When you are feeling tired in your marriage, empty with ideas on how to go about your project or low on energy to continue your studies and spiritual journey, seek God’s strength just like Cephas does.
If today finds you tired or uncertain, remember this: the strength you need is not something you have to muster up. It is something God freely gives. Lean into Him. Set your heart on the journey. He will be faithful every step of the way. Because a heart set on pilgrimage is a hearts that knows this world is not our home. We are pressing on toward something greater and someone greater. SHALOM!

Guiding Text: Matthew 7:13-14, 2 John 9-11

How narrow minded can you get?

We as Christians must be so narrow-minded that only the teachings of Christ can be received. No other teachings is acceptable and evidently no other teachings will be tolerated by God.

Text: 1 Timothy 6:6-10

Godliness is a God-centered life. Godliness is a life characterized by reverence, devotion, and obedience to God. It involves aligning our thoughts, actions, and desires with God's principles.

Contentment is finding joy in what God has given you.