Streamglobe Devotional

Exodus 20:7 (KJV) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Raymond! Raymond! You need to ask God’s forgiveness! Exclaimed Francis. “What have I done wrong?” Raymond responded. Have you forgotten the ten commandments? You just took the name of the Lord in vain, Francis answered. “But you know I’ll never do that on purpose, it was a reflex action. I shouted Jesus because that car almost knocked me down. But I’ll go and ask God’s forgiveness” Raymond said.

What is taking the name of the Lord in vain? For Raymond and Francis, the name of the Lord is so sacred that it shouldn’t be called even in danger, the Lord’s name is to be mentioned only in prayers or in a sacred gathering, such as the Church.

What does the word ’take’ mean? According to the English dictionary, it means to get in one’s hand, possession, or control. Thus taking the name of the Lord in vain is possessing the name of the Lord in vain. Only those who are children of God can possess his name. Consequently, they are the ones who can bear or take his name in vain.

2 Timothy 2:19 (KJV) says “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity”.

So, taking the name of the Lord in vain is claiming to be in Christ or being a Christian and at the same time living in sin. According to today’s passage, this person will not be guiltless.

Go into today knowing that to be a child of God is to bear God’s name and that hallowing this name is by departing from iniquity. If you continue in sin after you have known the Lord, you are taking the name of the Lord in vain.

Prayer: I am a child of God; a bearer of his name. Hallowed is the name of the Lord upon me. I live to bring God glory in Jesus’ name.

—Dr. Emmanuel James

Yearly Plan: Obadiah (In Devotional Audio)

Streamglobe is nondenominational. Kindly share this Devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together.

Send testimonies and prayer requests here(WhatsApp): +2348034420524, +2348138224547

 

To start getting Streamglobe Devotional Text & Audio early every day, join a Streamglobe WhatsApp Group here☞ https://chat.whatsapp.com/EZm9JmseAjiCXXAFANn3bO

Romans 12:2 (NET)Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

We have previously examined the attributes of the will of God as perceived by the renewed mind. We saw that when deciding who to marry, the person must be good (meaning he or she must be born of God), the person should be acceptable to you (meaning he or she should be well-pleasing to you and to your brethren to whom you are accountable).

Today we shall begin examining the third component of the will of God as perceived by the renewed mind:

PERFECT

Most times when you see the word ‘perfect’ in the New Testament, it is referring to spiritual maturity. It is a term that has to do with completeness; attaining the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph 4:13).

When a person is perfect for you, it means the person complements you and makes you complete; one who will help you fulfill your divine purpose and destiny. This means you are to have a vision and a mission in life in order for you to rightly discern who will help you in fulfilling it.

Notice in Acts 2:17 that young men see visions. As a young man, you should know the direction your life is going. You should have a vision for your life, then marry someone whom together you can both fulfill destiny. Having a clear vision for your life will help you chose rightly.

Go into today remembering that life for the believer is about fulfilling God’s kingdom purpose. Marriage is meant to help you do this.

If you are not yet married, ask the Lord to help you marry the person that will help you serve Him better. If you are married, ask the Lord to bless your marriage and make you more fruitful according to His divine purpose.

— Abraham Damilola Arigi

Join the live stream of today’s Streamglobe Word Encounter | Link: http://mixlr.com/streamglobeworld | Time: 11:30AM(GMT +1).

Yearly Plan: Proverbs 26-27 (In Devotional Audio)

Streamglobe is nondenominational. Kindly share this Devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together.

Send testimonies and prayer requests here(WhatsApp): +2348034420524, +2348138224547

Psalms 1:1-2 (NET) How blessed is the one who does not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand in the pathway with sinners, or sit in the assembly of scoffers! Instead he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands; he meditates on his commands day and night.

“It is not that big a deal” said Lola for the umpteenth time that evening, but Eno would have none of it. Lola and Eno are both members of the choir group in their fellowship on campus. Earlier in that evening, Eno had gone to Lola’s room to check on her so they could both walk to rehearsals as it was their weekly day of rehearsal. However, she had met Lola deeply engrossed in the show Cupid’s Arrow Season three. She then commented that how come Lola skipped all of Season two and was now in season three observing that last week, she had met Lola last on Season One of the show. To which Lola stated that she had completed both Season One and Two since then.

Eno tried to point out to Lola that her obsession with these movies (Cupid’s Arrow, Love Triangle, Heart On Fire, etcetera) was unhealthy for her spiritual development especially noting that these were not wholesome entertainment as they glorify the emotions and portray no godly standard with regards to sex and marriage. But Lola was adamant that these were just her means of unwinding and that it wasn’t that much of a big deal. But the Bible says otherwise.

It is instructive that when Jesus summarized the law He quoted Deuteronomy 6 verse 5 which speaks about loving the Lord with all your heart and soul and mind and might (Mark 12:30). Our text today also began by outlining what a blessed man does not do, and the first thing it mentions about what he does is about what he finds pleasure in (God’s words). Apostle Paul writing to the Colossian church also admonished them to set their affections on the things of God. Clearly, what, and even whom, you delight in matters.

In fact, Apostle James warns that we are tempted along the lines of our strong (and inordinate) desires. This is because love is a precursor to service. Jesus speaking about mammon started by stating that you cannot serve two masters at the same time, you will rather love one and hate the other (Matt 6:24). Remember, affection produces actions, therefore guard your heart with all diligence for out of it flows the issues of life.

Go into today determined to set your affections on the things of God knowing that it matters who and what you love.

— Ikechukwu Mpama

Yearly Plan: Psalms 114-116

Streamglobe is nondenominational. Kindly share this Devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together.

Send testimonies and prayer requests here(WhatsApp): +2348034420524, +2348138224547

Romans 12:2 (NET) Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

Uche was interested in marrying Agnes. He really loved her. But it was clear that his parents did not approve. His mother was not particularly excited about her. He also observed that his brethren in the church didn’t seem happy with their relationship.

Because he was determined to marry Agnes, he didn’t want to find out the reason why all the people around him who cared for him did not find Agnes acceptable. He decided to go ahead with the wedding plans, but his mother insisted that she was not going to attend the wedding. Meanwhile, she was making inquiries about Agnes.

Unknown to Uche, his beloved had been married before and even has a son, but she didn’t tell him. She was not a believer, but only pretending to be one. She knew that if she could get Uche to marry her, she would trap him and it would be hard for someone like him to divorce.

Even though Agnes was well-pleasing to Uche, she was not well-pleasing to his brethren and to his God-fearing parents. It is important that we consider our brethren to whom we are accountable when deciding who to marry. Because you are the one involved, and because of emotions, you may not be objective enough in your judgments, but when all the people around you who fear the Lord seem to have issues with a particular decision you want to make, wisdom demands that you put a break to it till the issues are sorted out.

Go into today remembering to seek to walk in the will of God at all times. Remember that the will of God is not only good and perfect, it would be acceptable to you and everyone around you whose mind has been renewed by the word of God.

— Abraham Damilola Arigi

Yearly Plan: II Chronicles 6-10

Streamglobe is nondenominational. Kindly share this Devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together.

Send testimonies and prayer requests here(WhatsApp): +2348034420524, +2348138224547

Romans 12:2 (NET) Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

We saw previously that there are three attributes of the will of God as perceived by the renewed mind. It will be good, it will be acceptable or well-pleasing, and it will be perfect.

We have seen that when it comes to who to marry, only those who are born of God are good.

Today we shall begin to examine the second attribute of the will of God:

ACCEPTABLE OR WELL-PLEASING

Whoever you marry must be well-pleasing to you. This means you should be attracted to that person. There should be ‘butterflies in your stomach’ when you think about that person. This is very important. This is the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with. But be careful you are controlled by your renewed mind.

If you are already married and you notice that that passionate love and attraction has run out, ask the Lord to restore it in your marriage. His first miracle was a sign. He restored the wine at a wedding when the wine ran out. Wine symbolizes joy and excitement. If the wine in your marriage has run out, please ask the Lord to come and restore it, and He will.

Proverbs 5:18 says: Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.

This is God’s will concerning marriage; that a husband and wife be always excited about each other.

Many have asked me: What if the will of God is someone I don’t like?

I say God is not wicked. God will give you somebody that is acceptable to you. And even if that is not the case at the beginning, it will be the case before you eventually marry that person.

Go in today remembering that Christ rejoices over His church. He rejoices over you with singing (Zephaniah 3:17). And He is jealous over you.

— Abraham Damilola Arigi

Yearly Plan: Numbers 25-28

Streamglobe is nondenominational. Kindly share this Devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together.

Send testimonies and prayer requests here(WhatsApp): +2348034420524, +2348138224547

To start getting Streamglobe Devotional Text & Audio early every day, join a Streamglobe WhatsApp Group here☞ https://chat.whatsapp.com/EZm9JmseAjiCXXAFANn3bO

Romans 12:2 (NET) Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God—what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

A renewed mind is the only mind that can discern the will of God. As a believer, your mind is renewed when you allow the word of God change the way you think.These are the three components of the will of God as perceived by the renewed mind:

It is GOOD, it is WELL-PLEASING and it is PERFECTGOOD:

Only God and who/what is born of God is good.

A ruler came to Jesus and said ‘good teacher’ (see Luke 18-19)

Jesus asked him ‘why do you call me good?’ He then said ‘no one is good except God alone’. Jesus implicitly asked the young ruler that ‘are you saying that I’m God?’ Because that’s who Jesus was.The important lesson Jesus was teaching is that you cannot find ‘Good’ outside God. The young ruler came to Jesus and called Him ‘good teacher’, but he did not understand what he was talking about. Jesus was indeed good, but not because of the man’s definition. He was good because He was born of God, and is God.

You cannot define Good outside God.

What does this mean when it comes to who to marry?

A person is only good when he or she is born of God. The first attribute of the will of God is that it must be good.

God warns us not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers (see 2 Cor 6:14)

As a believer, this is the most important consideration in determining the will of God concerning who to marry.

Go into today remembering that being a believer does not just mean the person says he or she is a Christian. The person must believe in God the way you believe in God.

Prayer: Lord, help me walk in your will in all things. Amen.

Want to be saved? Click: streamglobe.org/33

—Pst Abraham Damilola Arigi

Get sermons here: Streamglobe.org/34

Yearly Plan: John 19-21 (In Devotional Audio)

Streamglobe is nondenominational. Kindly share this Devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together.

Send testimonies and prayer requests here(WhatsApp): +2348034420524, +2348138224547

1 Corinthians 9:1-2 (NKJV)Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

After Richard graduated from the University, he went for his country’s mandatory Youth Service Corps. He spent most of that time waiting on the Lord to get clear directions on what exactly he was to do next in life. This was when it became clear to him that it was in accordance with God’s eternal plan for him that he studied medicine and surgery. This was to be used to gain entrance into an open door for apostolic work in an unreached nation. He knew the nation the Lord was sending him to after this period of waiting.

Later on, he met some older ministers of God, and they made it clear to him that he had the call to be an apostle because of the nature of the assignment the Lord had given him. Soon after that, he started having encounters with the Lord Jesus in visions and dreams.

His seal of Apostleship was the disciples who were a direct product of his work in the Lord’s vineyard. Everywhere he went, he made true disciples.

From the scriptural standpoint, one mark of true Apostleship is true disciples. The Apostles of the Lord were to make disciples of nations. And this they did.

Apostles are wise master builders (1 Cor 3:10). And most of the time, they are those the Lord uses to break ground in new territories or lay proper foundations of God’s building(the church) in territories.

From today’s Bible verses, one thing is clear: Apostles are known by their disciples. Show me true disciples of the Lord Jesus, and I will show you that it was directly or indirectly the product of an Apostolic work.

Go into today knowing that false apostles can’t make true disciples of the Lord Jesus.

Prayer: Ask the Lord to help you fulfill your ministry on this side of eternity.

—Abraham Damilola Arigi

Bible in 1 Year: Amos 5-9

Streamglobe is nondenominational. Kindly share this Devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together.

Send testimonies and prayer requests here(WhatsApp): +2348034420524, +2348138224547

Ephesians 5:8-10 (NET) For you were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light – for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth – trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

When MMM(a very popular Ponzi scheme) came into Nigeria, I had the opportunity of being able to observe the outlook of two categories of believers close to me at the time. The first category was the believers who were enticed by its mouth-watering profit promise, but they were also very interested in knowing whether it was pleasing to God for them to join such a scheme. They somehow felt a check in their spirits concerning it so they spoke with people they felt would have more spiritual understanding concerning such matters because they sincerely wanted to know if joining it was pleasing to the Lord. The second category of believers were those who saw MMM as an opportunity to make quick money, and as their long-awaited answer to prayer. They did not want to know whether it was pleasing to God or not if they made money from it. Because of the possibility that it might not be pleasing to God, they were not interested in finding out whether joining such a scheme was pleasing to God. They did not truly love the Lord but they loved money more. God’s opinion was not desired as long as they were going to make lots of money.

I have said time and time again that for me, one of the surest ways I can identify a true believer is how they respond to God’s word when it contradicts their way of life or something they desire to do. In today’s Bible verses, we see a functional definition of truth. It is trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Anyone who is truly saved is born of the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Truth. Because the this, he has an inner desire to walk in the truth – to be ever more pleasing to the Lord. He will be committed to learning because he wants to learn more and more about what is pleasing the Lord (see Colossians 1:10).

Anyone that does not have the truth in him may be filled with religion, but is not particularly committed to pleasing the Lord. Such is primarily committed to pleasing himself. His god is actually his belly, and he minds earthly things(see Philippians 3:19). When you receive eternal life, you [should] also receive an eternal outlook on life. You begin to live and make all your choices with eternity in view, not just time.

Go into today remembering that commitment to pleasing the Lord in all things is the acid test of love for God. This is the way to know whether the truth is in you or you need to repent and give yourself to discipleship (see John 8:31-32).

Prayer: Holy Spirit, please guide me into all truth. Help me live a life that is continually pleasing to you, In Jesus’ name. Amen.

— Abraham Damilola Arigi

Yearly Plan: Proverbs 25 (In Today’s Audio)

Streamglobe is nondenominational. Kindly share this Devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together.

Send testimonies and prayer requests here(WhatsApp): +2348034420524, +2348138224547

I Corinthians 15:58 (KJV) Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord

Evelyn first noticed the change in Frank when she spent some time with him at his office. She noticed how glib and economical with the truth he had become. It was then that she began to look back in retrospect and began to clearly see that for some time now, Frank was beginning to nurse an unhealthy drive for material wealth. The thing was, Frank had changed church some two years ago from the church where he grew up and got saved to a new place where an unscriptural and undue emphasis was made on wealth.

Ephesians 4:14 talks about the effect of the wind of doctrines on the immature believer. False teachings and wrong doctrines provide very slippery slopes that can trip up the undiscerning believer. This is because what a man believes affects his conduct and actions. A believer who has been giving to teaches that make light of walking in righteousness will not find it very difficult to begin to house and harbor a girlfriend in sin and shame and still be very committed to church.

So to stand unmoveable, one of the key things to consider is the doctrine/teaching you are receiving. It was in 2 Timothy 3:16 that it was stated that all scriptures are inspired of God and are profitable for doctrine. A sound doctrine takes into account all the counsel of the scriptures being careful to emphasize what the scriptures emphasize. Whenever we begin to cherry-pick and run off with just a portion of scriptures, we can run into error and drift from the life and call to which we have been called.

False doctrines are dangerous to the health and growth of a believer’s walk with the Lord. The Bible is replete with warnings against false doctrines. Don’t handle with kid gloves what the scriptures treated with seriousness. Pay attention to what you hear, and grow into maturity so you no longer be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. Be unmoveable.

Go into today determined to value and heed sound doctrine and remain steadfast in the Lord.

Prayer: Lord, help me stand steady and unmovable. Give me an aversion to false doctrine, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

— Ikechukwu Mpama

Yearly Plan: Psalms 111-113 (In Today’s Audio)

Streamglobe is nondenominational. Kindly share this Devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together.

Send testimonies and prayer requests here(WhatsApp): +2348034420524, +2348138224547

Ephesians 5:17 (AMP) Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and fully grasping what the will of the Lord is

“Self-love is the best kind of love, before you can love your neighbor you have to first love yourself” so said Timi to Maureen, but even though Maureen couldn’t refute his claim, she knew something was off about the statement and so she sought some help.

The Bible warns that in the last days, many will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils (1 Tim 4:1), it is, therefore, imperative that the believer becomes more discerning in his walk. With the advent of the information age, societal influence is no longer restricted to the persons living within your community but is now also inclusive of your 3,542 friends on Facebook, and the 2,046 persons you follow on Twitter and Instagram. Information is thrown at you at the speed of light and you get to come across all kinds of philosophy and sophistry.

To keep your head above waters in these times, one must be soaked in the word and possess a discerning heart that is able to sift through words to recognize falsehood despite its being garbed in carefully selected phrases, analogies, and anecdotes. The statement made to Maureen, for example, might seem to flow when taken at face value but it is certainly not the position of Scriptures.

The emphasis of love in the scriptures is toward God and then toward fellow men. What about the passage that says to love your neighbor as yourself? You will need to remember that that statement was made in answer to a question, and the full answer states that we must love God with our whole being, and then we can love our fellow man (Mark 12:29-31). Love for man must flow from love for God and not some philosophical self-love. If you love God you will keep His commandment and therefore God’s word becomes your benchmark for loving. Therefore, we can do for others what we have not done for ourselves because we love and obey God.

Go into today knowing that God’s way is higher than the ways of men. In Christ, we have been given the privilege to participate in God’s higher way and life. Be discerning, don’t get sucked in by the wisdom of the world. Walk in the supernatural and divine wisdom of the word.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please give me a discerning heart that hungers for Your word, In Jesus’ name. Amen.

— Ikechukwu Mpama

Yearly Plan: II Chronicles 1-5

Streamglobe is nondenominational. Kindly share this Devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together.

Send testimonies and prayer requests here(WhatsApp): +2348034420524, +2348138224547