Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains. As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” I love this account of Paul’s life. It gives me hope. It tells me that no matter how bad a person is, or how far to the left he has gone, our God has the power to turn them around. Paul was killing the church, here comes Jesus and turns him around, literally drops him off his high horse and makes him the church. Awesome! That is the God we serve. Paul went from breathing out threats to being threatened. He was the accuser of the church, yet he became the victim of abuse once he followed the Lord. Jesus turned his life around. Where he once had hatred and a heart full of accusations, Jesus filled him with his love. He was the most passionate disciple in winning souls to Christ. He had studied the word of God and was filled with the letter of the word. When Jesus came into his life, the Holy Spirit gave him revelation of the word on the inside of him and empowered him by his love to speak this word with power and win many souls to Christ. Paul was a man who listened and obeyed. Once convinced, he convinced others. Family, we are called to do the same. Whatever your thoughts may have been, ask the Holy Spirit to turn you around, to become a lover of God’s people and one who wins souls. You are needed in the kingdom. The love of God has been shed abroad your heart so you can reach out to this dying world and become the hope the world needs. CONFESSION/PRAYER Holy Spirit turn my life around as you turned Paul’s life around. Show me the things you need me to see and help me to hear the things you need me to hear. Show me the opportunities you have set up for me so that I do not miss your voice or the things you have called me to do. I want to be all you have called me to be.
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 2COR1V3-4 Our God is the God of all comfort. No matter what you go through, God will comfort you and strengthen you so that you can make it through the difficulties of life. He will never allow you to go through more than you can handle, actually in all you will go through, he will provide you with the necessary help and comfort you will need to go through it. He says he will never leave you nor forsake you. I cannot say what it is you will go through, each of us will go through different things, but be sure of this very thing, he will only allow the things, he is sure you can handle. In and through it all, Jesus is right there with you. He is growing you and maturing you so you can be all He has called you to be. Lay down fear and do not worry about the questions that have not been answered, in the way of life, as you keep going, God will give you the answers you need. He is an ever-present help in the time of trouble. He has your back. He is your defense and protector. CONFESSION/PRAYER The voice of the Lord is like the sound of many waters, but he is soft enough to whisper comfort to me. In the chaos of life, you are my strength and shield. When I am weary, you make me strong with your strength. I am strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
As a medical doctor, Luke knew the importance of being thorough. He used his skills in observation and analysis to thoroughly investigate the stories about Jesus. Luke 1v3-4 Luke was called of God to be a scribe (writer) for the apostle Paul. Paul received the revelation from God and Luke wrote down everything Paul would speak to him about. God chose Luke as he was a man given to be thorough and researched the stuff he heard. He was a man who studied with Paul and was familiar with Paul. In writing for Paul, God touched this man’s heart in a way that caused his life to turn around. He was not one of the disciples, yet in his research of the master, he found every word to be true, so he became one of the writers of the Gospels, the gospel according to Luke. He had studied to be a doctor, God turned him into a healer of hearts through the word of God. He wrote the accounts of Jesus and the disciples through the eyes of a physician. He spoke about the healings of Jesus because his calling as a physician saw things that no one else would see. Read the gospel of Luke and you will see who Jesus was as our great Healer. You may have studied to be a doctor, a lawyer, a teacher or whatever you felt you were called to do, but God has called you to be a son and daughter of the most high. You can still be in the job you are doing right now or in the business you are running right now but listen for his voice to tell you, what it is you are really called to do. A friend or counsellor to those you come in contact with everyday? He has placed in you a love that can reach out to those who need love and care for those in need of care. I am not sure what he will ask you to do, but I know this, that you will be refreshed and satisfied once you hear his voice and do what he has called you to do. When he tells you to speak, speak to that person he has placed in your life at that moment and you will be fulfilling his call on your life. I know you can do whatever it is he has called you to do. CONFESSION/PRAYER Holy Spirit help me to speak to the people you send into my life to speak to. Help me to hear as you hear so that I can answer accurately and be a blessing to those in need. Give me your wisdom so I can answer a matter wisely. You are the God of all comfort so help me to comfort others through your comfort.
“Please give me a drink.” He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. John 4v4-18 An ordinary woman, about her daily chores, one of them being fetching water from the well. Who would ever think that in her normal daily living, she would meet the master and this meeting would change her life forever. She was so caught up in her religion and way of doing things that when she met the master, it took a little while to realise that the man she was speaking to was not an ordinary man. He knew things about her even when she did not share with him. The father knows everything about you, so stop trying to hide. Son and daughter of God, he knows everything about you. In your everyday life, in your busy life, God is waiting on you to reach out and talk to him, tell him your troubles, share with him your busyness. Share with him your stress. He says come unto me all you that are heavy laden and I will give you rest. He takes the load off. He gives you peace and joy so you can live life to the full, till it overflows. The woman at the well was not the only one saved, her whole town was impacted. CONFESSION/PRAYER Holy Spirit, I give it all to Jesus today. Every burden and every stress I give to you. You said your yoke is easy and your burden is light so Jesus, I come to you, change my life.
Jesus said to him: Zacheus, make haste and come down; for this day I must abide in thy house. And he made haste and came down; and received him with joy. Jesus said to him: This day is salvation come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19v1-10 What an amazing account of a sinner called to salvation. In the eyes of the world, Zaccheus was a man of stature with no needs or wants. However, Zaccheus was the only one who knew nothing he had in the world could ever satisfy the longing in his heart. He had many insecurities and issues that only God could solve and meet. Jesus knew this, so he met him at the point of his need. The first insecurity was the fact that he was of small stature, he did not stand out, so he decided to do something about that. He climbed up a tree to get noticed. The tree provided the height he could not achieve in his natural self. Jesus noticed and called him. When a man or woman reaches out, Jesus responds. What is your issue today? What do you need Jesus to do for you? He is willing and able. Reach out to him, confide in him, tell him what you need him to do and I know for sure he will meet you at the point of your need. Jesus is all you need. CONFESSION/PRAYER Father I need you. I am broken and in great need of help. I am tired of living a defeated life, a life filled with lack and no hope. I come to you today and hand over all my insufficiency to you. You are more than enough for me. Come Lord Jesus, come!
One afternoon about three o’clock, he had a vision in which he saw an angel of God coming toward him. “Cornelius!” the angel said. Cornelius stared at him in terror. “What is it, sir?” he asked the angel. And the angel replied, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering! Now send some men to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He is staying with Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.” As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier, one of his personal attendants. He told them what had happened and sent them off to Joppa. The man Cornelius was not a Jew, but a Roman officer. He loved God, even though he did not know him. His hunger attracted God and God spoke to him, opening a door for him to become a partaker of the covenant of salvation, to know Jesus as Lord. Family, can you see that God speaks, he is speaking all the time. It is those who are hungry and thirsty that hear him. He spoke to Cornelius who was not saved but the passion burning inside of him attracted the attention of God. He gave clear directions on how the salvation would come. Cornelius listened and obeyed. You and I are more privileged. We have the word preached to us every week or daily on a podcast. We have the right of access into the presence of God. I urge you, spend time in the presence of God. You cannot afford not to. He is waiting for you to call out to him and everything you will ever need will be yours. Take the time to read the word and fellowship in the presence of the Father. You time in his presence will prepare you for the people you will meet every day and give you peace with man. CONFESSION/PRAYER Holy Spirit I am a student of the word so I need you to help me to hear the voice of God, teach me how to listen and how to obey. Where I am missing it, help me so I become more aware of the presence of God and the voice of God in my life.
After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” Matthew 2v13 Joseph was Mary’s husband, an ordinary man, called for a great calling, to be father of Jesus whilst he was on this earth. He was asked to marry Mary knowing she was pregnant and he was not the father. As he yielded to God on this request, God continued to talk to him and guide him through his life. God spoke to him in a dream telling him what to do and he listened and obeyed. As a result of his listening and obeying, Jesus, Mary and himself were safe and fulfilled the mission God called him to. God speaks to each and every one of us in many ways, every single day. He speaks through His word, he speaks to us through people and also through dreams. I am not sure how he would speak to you, but I surely know that as you spend time in his presence and get to know him, developing a relationship with him, you will get to know him more and more. You will get to recognize his voice and the way he speaks to you in your life. Just as you know the voice of your loved one, you recognize the voice even if you are far away or if they call you on the phone, as they speak the familiarity of their voice lets you know who it is. Likewise with God, spending time in his presence prepares who for His voice so you can listen and obey. Please take the time to get to know the voice of God and his leading so you have a peaceful and wonderful life. CONFESSION/PRAYER Holy Spirit help me to get to know the voice of the Father as he speaks to me each day. Lead me and guide me in this life so I can live in peace and victory each and every day, fulfilling the call on my life.
Stephen Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke. Stephen was selected by the Disciples to wait on tables, so it looks like there was no voice heard from God in respect of his call to ministry. This may sound like God did not call him but man called him. No, Stephen’s life was decided way before he entered his mother’s womb. He was designated by God to serve the early church and make an impact that no other man could make. He did not consider the role as waiting on tables as insignificant, not at all. He was a man filled with the Holy Spirit and power. He was an evangelist who touched the lives of every man or woman he came in contact with, to such a degree that he got noticed and really annoyed the leaders of the Sanhedrin. Paul who was persecuting the church at the time was a part of his stoning as they left his clothes at his feet. Stephen was passionate about the gospel. He took the call seriously. My dear brother and sister, we too have been called and designated a role to fulfil in our local ministry. We have our jobs or our business, yet the call to serve and share the gospel is a call where can never shy away from as the Holy Spirit is daily loading us with benefits to fulfil this call. God is working in you to will and do his good purpose in your life. Like Stephen we need to allow the passion for the house of God to consume us. We are ministers in our job and in every sphere of influence God has placed us. Heed the call and see the wonders God will do in your life. You can do this, through Christ who strengthens you. CONFESSION/PRAYER Holy Spirit fill me with your love and passion for the things of God. Make me a lover of God and make the things of the kingdom be important in my life. As I fulfil the call in my life, my life gets sweeter and sweeter every day. Each and every day teach me and guide me.
Painful lessons are usually doorways to new opportunities. Even the apostle Paul had much to learn. Shortly after his disappointing experience with John Mark, Paul recruited another eager young man, Timothy, to be his assistant. Paul’s intense personality may have been too much for John Mark to handle. It could easily have created the same problem for Timothy. But Paul seems to have learned a lesson in patience from his old friend Barnabas. As a result, Timothy became a “son” to Paul Beyond the tensions created by his mixed racial background, Timothy seemed to struggle with a naturally timid character and a sensitivity to his youthfulness. Unfortunately, many who share Timothy’s character traits are quickly written off as too great a risk to deserve much responsibility. By God’s grace, Paul saw great potential in Timothy. Paul demonstrated his confidence in Timothy by entrusting him with important responsibilities. Paul sent Timothy as his personal representative to Corinth during a particularly tense time (1 Corinthians 4:14-17). Although Timothy was apparently ineffective in that difficult mission, Paul did not give up on him. Timothy continued to travel with Paul. I pray that as you study the above paragraphs you are being encouraged and beginning to understand that it does not matter to God where you start out in life. The Holy Spirit was sent to help each of us to fulfil the call on our lives by developing our potential and making us into the people that God has called us to be. The secret is in our fellowship with the Father, As we spend time in prayer and in fellowship with the Holy Spirit, the greatness in us will become visible and we will do what we are called to do. I encourage you, look to Jesus, He is the author and finisher of our Faith. CONFESSION/PRAYER Holy Spirit teach me daily, I yield to you. I may not be where I am supposed to be but I will not remain unfruitful. In the presence of the Lord is fulness of joy and pleasures for ever more. Like Timothy, my character is being developed and matured day by day.
Silas was a leader in the Jerusalem church He was a representative to the church in carrying the “acceptance letter” prepared by the Jerusalem council to the Gentile believers in Antioch He was closely associated with Paul from the second missionary journey Sang songs of praise to God while in jail with Paul in Philippi Silas worked alongside Paul and our recollection of him should be of him being locked in stocks in the jail in Phillipians. They were bound in stocks in the muck and mire of the jail and at midnight instead of complaining about their plight, both Silas and Paul began singing and worshipping the Lord. Their praises rang out throughout the jail and all the prisoners could hear them. The praise was so anointed it shook the foundations of the prison and the chains came off (literally) each prisoner and the gates were opened. Imagine that, just their anointed praise and worship was powerful enough to open prison doors and set the captives free. Silas was a man sent to accompany Paul on his missionary trip. He was sold out to the gospel and the message of Jesus. He was willing to pay the price for sharing the gospel. I am not sure if he anticipated the actual events that would take place and the price he would pay but in the midst of the storm Silas proved faithful and stood with Paul. He had a jail break experience, like no other history has ever known. The power of praise in a dire situation. I pray that you too will have an experience with God that will establish your faith. Stand strong, keep fighting the good fight of faith and surely the presence of God in your life will lift you up and take you out of situations that seem impossible. CONFESSION/PRAYER Holy Spirit strengthen me with might on the inner man that I will not be afraid no matter what I face. I know you are able to deliver me and you will never give me more than I can handle in this life. I see the victory in every situation in Jesus name.
This is the apostle Paul. The tireless church planter who has traveled all over the world. The preacher who has liberated people in every port. The servant of God bound only by the will of God is now in chains—stuck in a dingy house—attached to a Roman officer. He is restricted by walls and is “in chains” (Philippians 1:13). He is afflicted by those who want to “stir up trouble” (verse 17). He is conflicted by the dangers he is facing—“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (verse 21). The life of Paul was no easy life. In his calling, God lets the prophet who had to pray for him to be delivered from the blindness which came upon him when he came off his horse to meet the master Jesus. He lets the prophet know that Paul would suffer many things. This Paul does suffer many things, yet in all his suffering He writes most of the New Testatment. Suffering and affliction was so much a part of Paul’s life, that eventually it never bothered him, through it all he had to build and encourage the church, that was what he was called to. Paul had an incredible relationship with God the Father who he knew personally and the Holy Spirit who was his constant companion. Our calling is sure, we are daily established as we fellowship with the Father and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us. Do not give in to fear or crumble under the weight of your present circumstances. Christ in you is the hope of glory. In him you live and move and have your being. Have God confidence and stand strong, nothing can overcome you. You are more than an overcomer. You have Jesus with you and on your side. CONFESSION/PRAYER Holy Spirit as I enter this day, I put my trust in Jesus and I know you will strengthen me with might on the inner man. I am not afraid of anything I face, because I am not alone, The Father, the son and Spirit sustain me and keep me and I am more than a conqueror in this life.
Being loved is the most powerful motivation in the world! Our ability to love is often shaped by our experience of love. We usually love others as we have been loved. Some of the greatest statements about God’s loving nature were written by a man who experienced God’s love in a unique way. John, Jesus’ disciple, expressed his relationship to the Son of God by calling himself “the disciple Jesus loved” (John 21:20). Although Jesus’ love is clearly communicated in all the Gospels, in John’s Gospel it is a central theme. Because his own experience of Jesus’ love was so strong and personal, John was sensitive to those words and actions of Jesus that illustrated how the one who is love loved others. Jesus knew John fully and loved him fully. He gave John and his brother James the nickname “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17), perhaps from an occasion when the brothers asked Jesus for permission to “call down fire from heaven” on a village that had refused to welcome Jesus and the disciples (Luke 9:54). In John’s Gospel and letters, we see the great God of love, while the thunder of God’s justice bursts from the pages of Revelation. Jesus confronts each of us as he confronted John. We cannot know the depth of Jesus’ love unless we are willing to face the fact that he knows us completely. Otherwise we are fooled into believing he must love the people we pretend to be, not the sinners we actually are. John and all the disciples convince us that God is able and willing to accept us as we are. Being aware of God’s love is a great motivator for change. His love is not given in exchange for our efforts; his love frees us to really live. John’s life was completely transformed by his relationship with Jesus, he went on further in his life to have a deep relationship with the Holy Spirit and thereby he was given the honour of writing the Gospel of John. He was called, he heeded the call. He was called to change and he accepted whatever was required of him to make that change, so we today can be changed through the words of John and the expression of God’s love for us. Embrace and enjoy the love of God through your relationship with him. Like John you and I will be changed and transformed from the inside out. CONFESSION/PRAYER Holy Spirit you have shed your love in my heart, this love is my starting point of my love walk. This love casts out all fear and helps me to accept others through the love that you have placed in my heart. I am changed and transformed by this love.
The great man, a spokesman for God, was warning—and condemning. He was called by God. But most were angry, and they began to shout back insults and threats. Such was the life of a prophet. The “office” of prophet was instituted during the days of Samuel, the last of the judges. Prophets stood with the priests as God’s special representatives. The prophet’s role was to speak for God, confronting the people and their leaders with God’s commands and promises. Because of this confrontational stance and the continuing tendency of people to disobey God, true prophets usually were not very popular. Imagine that, Isaiah was called by God to be a prophet to the nation, but he did not enjoy a very pleasant life as he delivered messages to the people that were not very welcoming. His messages judged them and made them reflect on their lives. Isaiah knew what the other prophets had suffered yet he heeded the called. He did what God called him to do. Unfortunately, he was never very popular with people, but he pleased God. His relationship with God was far more important than his relationship with man. We are called of God and in most cases were are a little weary of accepting the call because we know the price that has to be paid to fulfil the call. So, we are hesitant. We become peculiar to people, we stand out, we are not really accepted if we become too radical in our faith and in our belief. Today, make a decision, I choose God and I yield to the call on my life. it may be unpopular but to please God and live in his will is what we are called to do. Choose the God life today. CONFESSION/PRAYER Holy Spirit help me each and every day as I make the unpopular decision to fulfil the call of God on my life. Help me to stay the course even when people criticize me and the way becomes difficult. Greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world. Help me with my relationship with the Father, so, I am effective in my relationships with my fellow man.
It is sad to be remembered for what one might have been. Samson had tremendous potential. Not many people have started life with credentials like his. Born as a result of God’s plan in the lives of Manoah and his wife, Samson was to do a great work for God—to “begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.” To help him accomplish God’s plan, he was given enormous physical strength. Because Samson wasted his strength on practical jokes and getting out of scrapes, and because he eventually gave it up altogether to satisfy the woman he loved, we tend to see him as a failure. We remember him as the judge in Israel who spent his last days grinding grain in an enemy prison, and we say, “What wasted potential!” Yes, Samson wasted his life. He could have strengthened his nation. He could have returned his people to the worship of God. He could have wiped out the Philistines. But even though he did none of those things, Samson still accomplished the purpose announced by the angel who visited his parents before his birth. In his final act, Samson began to rescue Israel from the Philistines. In as much as Samson seemed to have wasted his life when God equipped him with so much potential to fulfil the call of God on his life. We have to understand Samson did not have the indwelling holy Spirit. He lived in a time where the holy spirit was not given to live on the inside of man and empower him. The empowerment was in his hair and the fact that he was a Nazarite from birth. He had no control over his passions and desires. He did what he wanted to, when he wanted to. This then led to his demise. Unlike Samson we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts. He is our helper and standby in our everyday life. He fans the flame of our potential and also equips us daily to do the will of God in our lives. We are equipped and empowered for Victory. Look at Samson’s life and take a lesson out of it. We can never be successful or victorious if we, like Samson are controlled by our passions and feelings. Yield to the Holy Spirit, and he will propel your life. forward and upward. CONFESSION/PRAYER Holy Spirit help me in my everyday life. I do not want to waste my life. Help me Holy Spirit to take advantage of every opportunity presented to me by God. Help me fulfil the call you have on my life so that I am successful in all that I do, to glorify your name.
Healed Naaman’s leprosy (2Ki 5). Elisha saw more in life than most people because he recognized that with God there was more to life. He knew that all we are and have comes to us from God. The miracles that occurred during Elisha’s ministry put people in touch with the personal and all-powerful God. Elijah would have been proud of his replacement’s work. We, too, have great examples to follow—both people in Scripture and those who have positively influenced our lives. We must resist the tendency to think about the limitations that our family background or environment create for us. Instead, we should ask God to use us for his purposes—perhaps, like Elijah, to take a stand against great wrongs or, like Elisha, to show compassion for the daily needs of those around us. Ask him to use you as only he can. In the ministry of Elisha, even though Jesus had not come yet in the form of flesh and died and rose again, God still placed in Elisha the power of Jehovah Rapha, God our healer. Yes, the anointing to heal. This healing anointing was powerful enough to heal Naman of his leprosy. Family of God let God fill you with his anointing of healing, so you can lay hands on the sick and they can recover and see the power of God to heal. Spend time in his presence and this anointing will start to flow, its powerful. This healing anointing heals your relationships with others as you bring healing wherever you go. CONFESSION/PRAYER Holy Spirit anoint me to heal the sick, the sick in heart and mind and body. Work through me so the power of God can touch and draw people to Jesus. The world is in need of healing, use me Lord, I am willing to be used to heal this broken world.
