Rhapsody Of Realities Daily Devotional
05 ноября 2024 05:17
Mark 16:17-18; And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
[18] they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Hebrews 4:14-5:1-10 & Jeremiah 44-47
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
1 Peter 3:1-12 & Ezekiel 36
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Rhapsody Of Realities Daily Devotional
04 ноября 2024 06:19
Ɍɦαρsσdy Dαílíҽs
RHAPSODY OF REALITIES
MONDAY 4
WORKS OF LOVE THROUGH US
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📖 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it (John 14:12-14).
Pastor Chris Says
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What a profound statement the Lord Jesus made in the verses above! He said, "...He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do...." He meant the works of love He continues to do by the Spirit through us because we're the extension of His ministry. As the prophet Isaiah said, "...he shall see His seed, he shall prolong his days..." (Isaiah 53:10). He's prolonging His days and continuing His ministry through us. This is so amazing.
Always remember that you're not alone; Christ is at work in you. Look closely at verse 14 of the opening verse: "If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it." Did you notice there's no special clause here? There're no conditions or exceptions; He said anything. Most people have never truly understood this enough to take advantage of it. The Lord Jesus said exactly what He meant and meant exactly what He said. Anything you ask in His Name is yours. Glory be to God!
In John 16:23, He tells us more about the day of the Church: "And in that day ye shall ask me nothing...." At first glance, this may seem like a contradiction of what we read earlier in chapter 14. But if you go back to chapter 14 and read from verse 12, you'll notice what He's talking about. He said, "...He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father."
The “greater works” are possible because Jesus has ascended to the Father and sent the Holy Spirit to empower us and impact the world with His love, power, and presence. We’re not limited. He has equipped us to do the same works that He did. This isn’t just about performing miracles; it’s about revealing the love and glory of God through our lives, just as Jesus did.
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P R A Y E R━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Dear Father, thank you for the privilege of doing the works of Jesus and even greater works through the power of your Spirit in me. I declare that I am a vessel of your love, power and glory, manifesting your presence in every situation. Thank you for the confidence and boldness to ask anything in the Name of Jesus, knowing that you will do it. I rejoice and rest in the assurance of your Word, in Jesus' Name. Amen. 📖
FURTHER STUDY:
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Mark 16:17-18; And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
[18] they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
John 14:12-14 NIV; Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
[13] And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
[14] You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Acts 1:8 AMPC; But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Hebrews 4:1-13 & Jeremiah 41-43
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
1 Peter 2:13-25 & Ezekiel 35
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Rhapsody Of Realities Daily Devotional
02 ноября 2024 03:07
Ɍɦαρsσdy Dαílíҽs
RHAPSODY OF REALITIES
SATURDAY 2
THE DIVINE PERSPECTIVE
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📖 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).
Pastor Chris Says
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"This is an extraordinary statement! God, who spoke light into existence at the very beginning has now shined in our hearts. Why did He do this? What is the purpose of His light in our hearts? The answer is in the latter part of that same verse: "... to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." This is so powerful! If you're a Christian, Christ lives in you, and His purpose is to reveal and radiate the glory of God through your life. Your life should be a daily manifestation of God's glory.
Many people live their lives according to their feelings, circumstances, or how others perceive them. But as a child of God, you're called to live according to the knowledge of God. This knowledge is the divine perspective: seeing life as God sees it and understanding situations as God understands them. This is called "the Truth."
What does God think about your situation? What does He know? What does He say? His words are the ultimate truths. So, live by the knowledge given to us by God; align yourself with His truth and see life from His perspective and you'll experience the outworking of His glory in your life. He has given us His Word and His Spirit to know His thoughts and understand His ways.
Therefore, you're to live by this higher knowledge- the knowledge of God. When you truly grasp that God has shined His light in your heart to give you this divine perspective, you'll understand that you carry an extraordinary power within you-the power to manifest His glory in every situation. This divine knowledge transforms you and causes you to live victoriously, displaying His glory to the world.
🙏
P R A Y E R ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Dear Father, thank you for shining your light in our hearts and giving us the knowledge of your glory in the face of Jesus Christ. I live by this divine knowledge, seeing life from your perspective, walking in your truth and speaking your Word regardless of circumstances, opinions, or external conditions. I continually manifest your glory in all that I do, in Jesus' Name. Amen. 📖
FURTHER STUDY :
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Colossians 1:27; to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
2 Peter 1:3; according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
Ephesians 1:17-18; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
[18] the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Hebrews 2 & Jeremiah 36-37
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
1 Peter 1:13-25 & Ezekiel 33
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31 октября 2024 05:12
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RHAPSODY OF REALITIES
THURSDAY 31
COVENANT CONFESSIONS
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📖 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10).
Pastor Chris Says
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In these verses of scripture, the word “Confession” was translated from the Greek word ‘homologeo’ and it means “to speak the same thing in consent.” ‘Homologeo’ is actually a covenant confession, that is, a confession that is based on agreement. Glory to God! Thus, with respect to the above verses, ‘confession’ means to speak in agreement with God. There are those who only associate the word “confession” with wrong actions or sins. So, they go before the priest to “confess” their sins: “I stole last week; please I want God to forgive me.” But this isn’t what the Bible teaches here about salvation.
Romans 10:9-10 enlightens us that the God-ordained way to be saved is based on covenant confession, not the confession of sins or wrongdoings. Every time you make the right confessions, God responds because your words are based on agreement with His Word. Remember that God made a covenant with Abraham, and the Bible says, “…if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29). That means, even though we’re essentially not in covenant with God, we’re heirs or the beneficiaries of that covenant.
Here’s another scripture where the same Greek word (homologeo) was used. It’s Hebrews 13:15 and it says, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”’ A better rendering of the latter part of this scripture would be “the fruit of our lips, making confessions to His name.” The term “the fruit of your lips” refers to words coming out of your lips. Here, the Spirit of God is referring to confessions that are of praise, confessions that carry thanksgiving. Your confession must be based on what’s in the document, which is the Word of God.
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P R A Y E R ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Dear Father, I rejoice in the reality that my words, in agreement with your Word, bring about salvation, healing, deliverance, prosperity, abundance and wholeness. I continually offer the sacrifice of praise, making confessions to your Name, knowing that my life is anchored on your truth. I acknowledge and declare that Jesus is Lord over all; He’s the God of all flesh with whom nothing is impossible. Hallelujah!
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FURTHER STUDY :
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Hebrews 4:14 NKJV; Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
2 Corinthians 4:13; We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
Hebrews 13:5-6; Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
[6] So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear What man shall do unto me.
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Philemon 1:1-25 & Jeremiah 33
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
James 5:1-20 & Ezekiel 31
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29 октября 2024 04:46
Ɍɦαρsσdy Dαílíҽs
RHAPSODY OF REALITIES
TUESDAY 29
OUR NEEDS HAVE ALREADY BEEN MET
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📖 He who did not withhold or spare [even] His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all [other] things (Romans 8:32 AMPC).
Pastor Chris Says
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Did you know that as a Christian, it’s pointless for you to keep praying for your needs? The privilege and blessing of prayer in the New Testament is that it gives us the opportunity to establish the will of the Father in the earth, not to pray for our needs; our needs have already been met.
Whatever you desire or would ever desire in this world has already been provided for. What you need to learn is how to use the Word of God to appropriate for yourself whatever you require because ALL things are yours: “Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours” (1 Corinthians 3:21). That’s a present-hour reality; it’s not a promise. All things are yours now!
Furthermore, Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Notice that it says you’re already blessed with ALL spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ; it includes material blessings too because the spiritual gave birth to the physical. The lesser is included in the greater.
The foregoing verses were from the Apostle Paul. What was Peter’s mindset on the same subject? Read 2 Peter 1:3 and see the consistency of truth. It says, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness….” Think about it; that covers everything! Can you see why your life should be one of unending praise and thanksgiving to the Lord?
Someone might say, “Well, these are beautiful scriptures, but I don't experience life that way.” That's because you have chosen to look at life from your experience instead of getting your experience to conform to the Word. That's why you need to learn God's Word, understand it and put it to work, and its blessings will manifest in your life. Hallelujah!
🙏
P R A Y E R ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Dear Father, thank you for the provisions of the Gospel; I’m confident in all that you’ve done, and I take my place of dominion, reigning and ruling with you, for I know you’ve made all things mine. I’m what you say I am; I have all you say I have; and I can do all things in the Name of the Lord Jesus. I’m rich in all things because I’m a joint-heir with Christ. Praise God! 📖
FURTHER STUDY:
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1 Corinthians 3:21-22; Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are your's;
[22] whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are your's;
Ephesians 1:3; Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
2 Peter 1:3; according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Titus 1-2 & Jeremiah 29-30
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
James 3:1-18 & Ezekiel 29
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27 октября 2024 04:21
[7] And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
[8] I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
[9] And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
[10] For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Isaiah 41:21 NIV; “Present your case,” says the Lord. “Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
2 Timothy 3:1-17 & Jeremiah 23-25
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
James 1:1-27 & Ezekiel 27
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26 октября 2024 03:35
[17] then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52; Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
[52] in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
2 Timothy 2:1-26 & Jeremiah 19-22
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Hebrews 13:1-25 & Ezekiel 25-26
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25 октября 2024 07:05
Romans 5:12-17; Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
[13] (for until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
[14] Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
[15] But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
[16] And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
[17] For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
Luke 10:19; Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
2 Timothy 1:1-18 & Jeremiah 17-18
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Hebrews 12:14-29 & Ezekiel 24
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24 октября 2024 02:54
Ɍɦαρsσdy Dαílíҽs
RHAPSODY OF REALITIES
THURSDAY 24
WE PRODUCE FRUITS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
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📖 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Pastor Chris Says
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We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. This statement is so powerful, and it’s absolutely important that every child of God understands it. This verse clearly states that you’re called to produce fruits of righteousness (Philippians 1:9-11) and manifest works of righteousness. You display the virtues and perfections of Him that called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.
The Lord Jesus, in John 15:1-5, reveals that He is the Vine, and we are His branches. That means we’re the fruit-bearing part of the Vine. Christ is the head, and we are members of His Body, with the same quality of life as the Lord Himself. Hallelujah! What does that make you? A solution package, a problem-solver. Think about Jesus: everywhere He went in Bible days, multitudes thronged Him. They came to Him with their catalogue of problems, and He solved their problems and met their needs. He was the solution they needed.
The Bible says as He is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17). Therefore, when you come into a place, it makes no difference what trouble may have been there prior to your arrival, you come in as the righteousness of God and there’re answers and solutions. You produce fruits and works of righteousness. You bring God’s truth into every situation.
So, whether on the street corner, or in your office, at home, school, or place of business, you’re the expression of the righteousness of God. Your ministry is to produce the righteousness of God everywhere and bring the rightness of God into every matter.
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C O N F E S S I O N ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
I’m called to produce fruits of righteousness, displaying the virtues and perfections of Christ in every situation. I’m a problem solver. I bring the truth and rightness of God into every matter. I walk confidently in God’s preordained path for me, the path of glory and righteousness, showing forth His virtues and perfections, in Jesus’ Name. Amen. 📖
FURTHER STUDY:
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John 15:1-5; I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
[2] Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
[3] Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
[4] Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
[5] I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Philippians 1:9-11; And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
[10] that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
[11] being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
1 Peter 2:9 AMPC; But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, [God's] own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
[10] Once you were not a people [at all], but now you are God's people; once you were unpitied, but now you are pitied and have received mercy.
[11] Beloved, I implore you as aliens and strangers and exiles [in this world] to abstain from the sensual urges (the evil desires, the passions of the flesh, your lower nature) that wage war against the soul.
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
1 Timothy 6:1-21 & Jeremiah 15-16
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Hebrews 12:1-13 & Ezekiel 23
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22 октября 2024 03:38
[24] For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
[25] Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
[26] A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
[27] And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
1 Timothy 4:1-16 & Jeremiah 11-12
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Hebrews 11:1-16 & Ezekiel 21
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21 октября 2024 03:38
Ɍɦαρsσdy Dαílíҽs
RHAPSODY OF REALITIES
MONDAY 21
BELIEVE AND ACT
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By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned (Hebrews 11:29).
Pastor Chris Says
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When Moses and the children of Israel were in front of the Red Sea, Moses began to pray to God for help. But God interrupted him with a command: "Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground" (Exodus 14:15-16 NIV).
God instructed Moses to act; it was a moment of action for Moses. It wasn’t time to “wait” for God to do something but for Moses to stretch out his hand over the sea and divide it, which he did, leading to the miraculous parting of the Red Sea. Imagine if Moses had started questioning, "Lord, where will the water go? It’s water; it has to flow somewhere."
But the Bible shows us what happened to the water in a song of praise sung by Moses and the Israelites after their miraculous deliverance from the Egyptians at the Red Sea. The waters piled up; it stood up like a wall: "By the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up. The surging waters stood up like a wall; the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea" (Exodus 15:8 NIV).
When you believe, don’t ask too many questions; act! Act on the Word. When doubts arise, shake them off and declare, "All things are possible to me because I believe." Speak God’s truths. Utter words of faith—words inspired in you by the Holy Spirit—and watch God move. Faith is a leap on the Word; you take your step on the basis of what God has said and refuse to be moved by contrary and opposing circumstances. Hallelujah!
🙏 P R A Y E R
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Dear Father, I thank you for your Word that builds my faith and strengthens my spirit. I refuse to be moved by circumstances, for I walk by faith, not by sight. With the power of the Holy Spirit, I subdue the forces and elements of this world; I’m triumphant always and in every place, impacting my world with the blessings of the Gospel of Christ, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
📖 FURTHER STUDY:
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Mark 11:23; For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Hebrews 11:29 AMPC; [Urged on] by faith the people crossed the Red Sea as [though] on dry land, but when the Egyptians tried to do the same thing they were swallowed up [by the sea].
James 1:22-25; But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
[23] For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
[24] for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
[25] But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
1 Timothy 3:1-16 & Jeremiah 9-10
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Hebrews 10:19-39 & Ezekiel 20
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19 октября 2024 03:55
Ɍɦαρsσdy Dαílíҽs
RHAPSODY OF REALITIES
SATURDAY 19
THE INGATHERING OF THE GENTILES
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📖For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in (Romans 11:25).
Pastor Chris Says
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In Romans 11:22-25, Paul speaks about the Jews and Gentiles in a broad sense and how God's plan of salvation unfolds for both groups. In verse 24 (NKJV), he uses the metaphor of an olive tree to describe this process: “For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?”
Israel, as a nation, is currently experiencing "blindness in part" concerning salvation. This doesn’t mean that every individual Jew is blind to the Gospel. In fact, many Jews have believed in Jesus Christ since the day of Pentecost, including all the apostles, who were Jews themselves. The book of Acts records that multitudes of Jews—multitudes of men and women—accepted Jesus as their Saviour but not yet as a nation. That, however, will eventually happen.
Back to what we read in our opening verse; observe that it says “...blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” What does this mean? The Amplified Classic provides further clarity: "Lest you be self-opinionated [wise in your own conceits], I do not want you to miss this hidden truth and mystery, brethren: a hardening [insensibility] has [temporarily] befallen a part of Israel [to last] until the full number of the ingathering of the Gentiles has come in."
Sequel to our study yesterday, again we see that there’s a full, definite number of sinners all over the world that God is waiting for us to reach with the Gospel—those who must believe and come to Jesus Christ. That's what He's waiting for. Once that full number is attained, the Trumpet will sound; the Rapture will take place.
This understanding should get you excited and to be diligent in winning souls, knowing that every soul that comes to Christ brings us closer to the fulfilment of God's plan and the Rapture of the Church.
🙏
P R A Y E R ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Dear Father, thank you for your grace for salvation that’s been poured out all over the world. Souls are being won to Christ in large numbers as your children preach the Gospel in their world and in regions beyond. The veil of darkness is removed, and a full number of the ingathering of the Gentiles is coming in, in Jesus' Name. Amen. 📖
FURTHER STUDY :
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1 Timothy 2:1-4; I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
[2] for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
[3] For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
[4] who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
Matthew 24:14; And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Romans 11:24-25 AMPC; For if you have been cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and against nature grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much easier will it be to graft these natural [branches] back on [the original parent stock of] their own olive tree.
[25] Lest you be self-opinionated (wise in your own conceits), I do not want you to miss this hidden truth and mystery, brethren: a hardening (insensibility) has [temporarily] befallen a part of Israel [to last] until the full number of the ingathering of the Gentiles has come in,
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
1 Timothy 1:1-20 & Jeremiah 5-6
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Hebrews 9:11-28 & Ezekiel 17
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17 октября 2024 03:35
Ɍɦαρsσdy Dαílíҽs
RHAPSODY OF REALITIES
THURSDAY 17
THE SUFFERINGS ENDED WITH CHRIST
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📖Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow (1 Peter 1:10-11).
Pastor Chris Says
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The prophets of old, inspired by the Holy Spirit, testified of the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. Christ already suffered, which means we’re now in the days of His glory. You don’t need to suffer or think that suffering should be a part of your life. The suffering ended with Jesus. He suffered for you to have the transcendent life.
2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 2 Corinthians 8:9 says, “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” No Christian needs to suffer any more in sickness, disease, penury and defeat. You don’t need to “pay” any additional price outside what Christ already paid for you to enjoy an extraordinary life and be all that God ordained you to be.
God loves you, and He has qualified you to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light. It’s your heritage in Christ to live your best to the glory of God. He didn’t create you to suffer. When Jesus hung on the Cross, He said, “...It is finished...” (John 19:30). He announced the end to suffering for all humanity. Today, anyone who believes in Him and accepts His vicarious sacrifice is automatically ushered into the life of glory. No wonder Peter, by the Spirit, said in 2 Peter 1:3 that we’ve been called to glory and virtue. Hallelujah!
His sacrifice was enough. He came, lived and died; He was buried and raised back to life, and He ascended. Now He’s seated in the place of dominion, power and great glory; and we’re seated together with Him. All He wants now is for you to enjoy the glory that resulted from His suffering. There’s nothing more you need to do beyond what He already did. Hallelujah!
🙏
P R A Y E R ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Dear Father, thank you for the glorious life you have brought me into in Christ. I rejoice that I now live in the glory that followed the sufferings of Christ. I walk in health, prosperity, victory, and manifest your power, love and the fullness of your grace, in Jesus' Name. Amen. 📖
FURTHER STUDY :
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Romans 8:30; Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
2 Peter 1:3-4; ; according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
[4] whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
2 Thessalonians 2:1-17 & Jeremiah 1-2
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Hebrews 8:1-13 & Ezekiel 14-15
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15 октября 2024 07:35
Ɍɦαρsσdy Dαílíҽs
RHAPSODY OF REALITIES
TUESDAY 15
BORN WITH THE DIVINE LIFE
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📖 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever (1 Peter 1:23).
Pastor Chris Says
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Many haven't fully grasped who a Christian is; they think a Christian is a mere follower of Jesus Christ; no! A Christian is someone who’s born of the Word and has the life of the Word. James 1:18 NKJV says, "Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures." Recall what the Bible says concerning Jesus, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” (John 1:14 NKJV); we were also born in the realm of the Spirit of the same Word.
When you received the Word of God—the Gospel of Jesus Christ—into your spirit, the life that He promised was imparted to your spirit. From that moment, you were awakened to the fatherhood of God. The nature of death ceased, and the life of God took on its operation in your spirit. You became one nature with God. This helps you understand why the Bible says we’re partakers of the divine nature—associates of the Godkind: “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4).
1 John 5:11-12 says, “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” Life here is the divine life, the God-life; it supplanted your human life when you were born again. The life inside you isn’t the same as the one inside your next-door neighbour who isn’t a Christian. Outwardly, you may look the same, but the life in you is divine, impregnable, indestructible and indomitable.
1 John 4:4, “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” The phrase “Ye are of God” means you hail from God, your origin is divine and so is your life. Blessed be God!
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C O N F E S S I O N ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
I’m born of God’s incorruptible seed—the Word— therefore, I have the life of the Word and walk in the consciousness of my divine nature. The divine life in me has made me indomitable, indestructible and superior to Satan, circumstances and the elements of this world. I am victorious, and I fully manifest the glory of God every day and in every place, in Jesus' Name. Amen.
📖
FURTHER STUDY:
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Romans 6:4; Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
John 1:12-13; But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
[13] which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
1 John 5:11-13 NIV; And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
[12] Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
[13] I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
1 Thessalonians 5:1-28 & Isaiah 61-63
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Hebrews 7:1-10 & Ezekiel 10-11
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14 октября 2024 04:17
Ɍɦαρsσdy Dαílíҽs
RHAPSODY OF REALITIES
MONDAY 14
HE PAID IN FULL FOR EVERYBODY
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📖 Therefore let it be known to you, brethren that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins (Acts 13:38 NKJV).
Pastor Chris Says
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The word "forgiveness" in the verse above is more accurately translated "remission," meaning the removal of sins. The ensuing verse 39 NKJV says, "and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the Law of Moses." What does it mean to be justified?
It means to be declared righteous, to be declared not guilty. Through Jesus Christ, we’ve been acquitted of all accusations. You’ve been absolved of all guilt; no charges against you. It’s for the same reason that the Bible says there’s therefore now no judgement or condemnation for the one who’s in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
Consider this: if you owed me some money, and someone else came and paid the debt for you, I would cancel the debt because it was paid on your behalf. The person who paid didn’t owe me anything; you were the one who owed me, but he came and settled your debt. Now, would it be right for me to claim that you still owe me? Of course not! Even though you didn’t pay by yourself, someone else came and paid for you.
The moment he paid, you became free. In the same way, when Jesus paid for our sins, God cancelled the debt and said, "You’re justified!" What does that mean? It means you’ve been discharged and acquitted; no charges against you. So, when we preach the Gospel, we tell the world, “You don’t have to struggle to be righteous; you don’t have to struggle to qualify for God’s blessings; all you need is to embrace what Jesus has done.
Accept His redemptive sacrifice in your behalf and stay in Him. Everything He did was for you. He was wounded for you; He died for you; He was buried for you. He went to hell for you so that you don’t have to go to hell. He was raised from the dead for you, with a new life. Now that you’re born again, you have the same life with which He was raised from the dead. Walk in the consciousness of this new life: “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).
🙏
P R A Y E R ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Righteous Father, I thank you for the sacrifice of Jesus in my behalf by which I’ve been made righteous. I walk in and manifest your righteousness. I’m washed, sanctified, glorified and justified, walking in newness of life and in the light of my righteousness in Christ. Hallelujah! 📖
FURTHER STUDY :
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Romans 3:21-28; But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
[22] even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
[23] for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
[24] being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
[25] whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
[26] to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
[27] Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
[28] Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
Romans 5:12-17; Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
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Rhapsody Of Realities Daily Devotional
05 ноября 2024 05:17
Ɍɦαρsσdy Dαílíҽs
RHAPSODY OF REALITIES
TUESDAY 5
THE AUTHORITY OF HIS NAME
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📖 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it (John 14:13-14).
Pastor Chris Says
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Notice carefully that the Lord Jesus didn't say, "Whatsoever you shall ask me in my name, that will I do." Rather, He said, "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name"; there's a crucial difference here. You can't ask Jesus something in the Name of Jesus.
Often, people pray without thinking about their words. Many pray to the Lord Jesus and end the prayer with "In the Name of Jesus." This is not correct. This is a prayer without understanding, and some pray this way without seeing results because they approach prayer with a religious mindset, not with the understanding of what Jesus taught.
When Jesus said, "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name," He meant that whenever you make a demand or declare something in His Name, He will make it happen. It's about exercising the authority that His Name represents. In Acts 3, we see a practical demonstration of this by Peter and John when they encountered a beggar who had been lame from birth. In verse 6, Peter said to him, "...Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk."
Peter didn't pray to Jesus. He spoke to the man in the authority of the Name of Jesus. Peter then took the man by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately, the man's feet and ankle bones received strength. He jumped up, stood, and began walking, leaping, and praising God. Hallelujah! Afterwards, Peter explained and said to the people: "And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all" (Acts 3:16). Peter and John were demonstrating exactly what Jesus taught in John 14:13-14. They used the authority of Jesus' Name to perform miracles, signs, and wonders.
When you speak in His Name, Heaven responds; miracles happen. His Name carries the same power and authority of His person. So, when you use it, you invoke His presence and direct His glory to the situation you're dealing with. We'll learn more about this in our next study.
🙏
P R A Y E R━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Dear Father, I thank you for the power of attorney to use the Name of Jesus to effect changes. I exercise that authority to establish your will in the earth and in the lives of men. I pray today, that people everywhere will experience the goodness of God, for indeed the whole earth is filled with your goodness, in Jesus' Name. Amen. 📖
FURTHER STUDY :
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Acts 3:12-16; And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?
[13] The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
[14] But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
[15] and killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.
[16] And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
Philippians 2:9-11; Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
[10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
[11] and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
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Rhapsody Of Realities Daily Devotional
03 ноября 2024 05:09
Ɍɦαρsσdy Dαílíҽs
RHAPSODY OF REALITIES
SUNDAY 3
WATER BAPTISM AND THE HOLY COMMUNION
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📖 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come (1 Corinthians 11:26).
Pastor Chris Says
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There are those who ask if it is right to partake of the Holy Communion when you're not water-baptized. First, in Christianity, we have sacraments like the Holy Communion and Water Baptism. In Mark 16:15-16, the Lord Jesus charged the disciples to spread the Gospel to every corner of the earth and to every person, emphasizing the importance of Water Baptism: "He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16). In Matthew 28:19, He said, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
Then, in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, Paul shares an important revelation he received from the Lord. He recounts the events of the night the Lord Jesus was betrayed, highlighting the profound significance of the Holy Communion. In consequence, Water Baptism and the Holy Communion are not dependent on each other; you can partake in the Holy Communion even if you've not been baptized in water. The Bible doesn't stipulate that you can only take the Holy Communion if you've been baptized in water.
However, in many churches, the Communion is often reserved for those who are baptized members. There's nothing wrong with this practice. The reason many follow this guideline is that baptism is viewed as a sign of one's full belief and commitment to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It signifies a complete acceptance of the Gospel.
In the Early Church, during the great persecution, if individuals were asked about their faith and they denied it, their baptism was used as evidence of their true commitment to Christ, often leading to their persecution.
Churches typically do not baptize non-believers. This is why many churches believe that true Christians should be baptized and therefore may only serve Communion to those who have been baptized. The practice is commendable and aligns with the church's desire to honour the significance of baptism in the Christian faith.
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C O N F E S S I O N━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Dear Father, I recognize the significance of the Holy Communion and Water Baptism as symbols of my faith and commitment to you. Every opportunity to partake in the Holy Communion is my declaration of my victory over Satan, the world and its elements; a declaration that the Lord Jesus bequeathed His wealth, rights, and privileges to me, a will which is now in force. I have eternal victory and dominion over sin, sickness, disease, death and the devil, in Jesus' Name. Amen. Amen. 📖
FURTHER STUDY:
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Matthew 28:19-20; Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
[20] teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Acts 2:41-42; Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
[42] And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
1 Corinthians 11:23-25; For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
[24] and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
[25] After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Hebrews 3 & Jeremiah 38-40
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
1 Peter 2:1-12 & Ezekiel 34
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01 ноября 2024 04:49
Ɍɦαρsσdy Dαílíҽs
RHAPSODY OF REALITIES
FRIDAY 1
A SET-APART BREED
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📖 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people…(1 Peter 2:9).
Pastor Chris Says
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The term “chosen generation” comes from the Greek "Genos Eklekton," meaning an elect or chosen race, breed, or stock. The word "chosen," implies being separated or set apart. It’s the same root word from which we get "sanctified" or "sanctification." So, 1 Peter 2:9 isn’t merely telling us that we’re a choice amongst many; rather, it emphasizes our unique, distinct lineage. You’re of a peculiar lineage; it's got something to do with your birth, your nature!
It’s like someone trying to select a particular stock of chickens; his aim isn’t just to select the best-looking chickens but a specific breed, a chosen breed. There’s something inherent in their nature that he wants. In the same way, you're not like everyone else who was born naturally; you’ve been born again—born of the Spirit and born of the Word. This makes you a different stock, a different race, a set-apart breed.
That’s what our opening scripture accentuates: your inherent peculiar nature. It's about the breed—how you were born. Your ancestry is divine. Everywhere you go in this world, keep in mind that you’re one of a kind. You're not like everybody else. You’re God’s choice. The Bible says He gave Himself for you, cleansed and purified you unto Himself to be His peculiar treasure, zealous of good works (Titus 2:14). Then James 1:18 says, “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” “Firstfruits” means the first and the best, the cream of the crop. That’s who you are. Blessed be God!
🙏
P R A Y E R ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Dear Father, I thank you for setting me apart as your peculiar treasure, unique and special, born of the Spirit and the Word. Everywhere I go, I manifest your virtues and perfection, living out my divine purpose, in Jesus' Name. Amen. 📖
FURTHER STUDY :
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John 15:16; Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
Ephesians 1:4; according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Deuteronomy 14:2; For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.
1 Peter 2:9 AMPC; But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, [God's] own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Hebrews 1; Jeremiah 34-35
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
1 Peter 1:1-12; Ezekiel 32
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30 октября 2024 03:14
Ɍɦαρsσdy Dαílíҽs
RHAPSODY OF REALITIES
WEDNESDAY 30
LOVE NOT THE WORLD
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📖 And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice (1 Kings 11:9).
Pastor Chris Says
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Though Solomon was a great king and the wisest man that ever lived before Jesus, he didn’t quite live His entire life pleasing the Lord. The Bible says he loved many “strange women” and followed their gods. He brought them from nations where God already forbade the children of Israel to marry from.
In 1 Kings 11:2, God said, “...Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods....” But the concluding part of that verse says, “...Solomon clave unto these in love.” As a result, the Lord wasn’t pleased with him. Some Christians are that way today. Their closest friends and associates are people of the world. Like Solomon, they cleave to the wrong people and to the wrong associations for the wrong reasons.
Some of them keep these friendships because they help to make them become socially famous or popular. But the Bible says, “…know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4). 1 John 2:15 says, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
Solomon chose to become a socially famous king. Read about him; after God’s second appearance to him, there’s no record of him praying anywhere in the Scriptures. Instead, everything associated with him was social. He was in one meeting or the other, receiving visitors, and attending parties, but no meetings with the Lord.
You have to understand that the people you associate with will become the standard for the things that take your time. These include your interests and the things you love. God said to the children of Israel, “…for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods...” (1 Kings 11:2). Don’t say, “I know myself; they can’t influence me”; rather, simply heed God’s admonition. He already said concerning unwholesome associations, “…come out from among them, and be ye separate…” (2 Corinthians 6:17). God knows better than you do. If He tells you the result of taking an action, trust that He’s right and follow His Word.
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C O N F E S S I O N ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
I’m discerning in my relationships and guided by the wisdom of God to fraternize only with those who honour the Lord and His Word and have reverence for the things of the Spirit. I prioritize fellowship with the Lord above everything else and set my heart on the glory and realities of the Kingdom. Amen. 📖
FURTHER STUDY:
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1 John 2:15 NIV; Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.
1 Corinthians 15:33; Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
[15] And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
[16] And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
[17] Wherefore Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And touch not the unclean thing; And I will receive you,
[18] And will be a Father unto you, And ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Titus 3:1-15 & Jeremiah 31-32
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
James 4:1-17 & Ezekiel 30
Rhapsody of Realities Daily Devotional
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Rhapsody Of Realities Daily Devotional
28 октября 2024 04:51
Ɍɦαρsσdy Dαílíҽs
RHAPSODY OF REALITIES
MONDAY 28
PRESENT YOUR STRONG REASONS PREACH HIS LOVE AND GOODNESS
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📖 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance (Romans 2:4).
Pastor Chris Says
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When we preach the Gospel, what exactly are we preaching? The Gospel is good news—the availability of the righteousness of God. Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world. The Bible says, "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved" (John 3:17). So what did Jesus tell us to do? He said, “Preach the Gospel!”
We’re to tell the world how good, gracious and kind God is; He’s not the God of judgement but the God of love. So, preach His love. I remember when I used to go for crusades with the movie titled “Burning Hell.” It scared people to repentance, but only for a while. The fear didn’t last because it was based on emotion, not true repentance. It’s the goodness of God that leads men to repentance, not the judgement of God.
When people hear about the goodness of God, they’re moved to come out of their darkness. Think about Noah; he preached about the coming judgement for years, but how many people repented and entered the Ark with him? It was only his family. The same happened with Lot. But when the Apostles preached the Gospel, the good news, nations were changed. Hallelujah!
The Gospel is the message of hope, love, life and victory in Christ. Of course, there’s a hell and not just hell, there’s also the lake of fire where hell itself will be cast into with Satan and all who reject salvation. But blessed be God; no one who believes in Jesus should be afraid of going to hell because Jesus already went to hell in our behalf. He paid the price and gave us eternal life so we can live eternally in victory and success. He brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. Hallelujah!
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P R A Y E R ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Dear Father, I thank you for the Gospel—the good news of your righteousness, love and grace. I declare that I am a carrier of this message, spreading the light of your goodness wherever I go. Thank you, Lord, for delivering me from the power of darkness and translating me into the Kingdom of your dear Son. I rejoice in the victory and eternal life you have given me in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah! 📖
FURTHER STUDY:
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2 Peter 3:9; The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Titus 2:11; For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
1 Thessalonians 5:9; For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
Romans 2:4; Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
2 Timothy 4:1-22 & Jeremiah 26-28
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
James 2:1-26 & Ezekiel 28
Rhapsody of Realities Daily Devotional
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Rhapsody Of Realities Daily Devotional
27 октября 2024 04:21
Ɍɦαρsσdy Dαílíҽs
RHAPSODY OF REALITIES
SUNDAY 27
PRESENT YOUR STRONG REASONS
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📖 Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob (Isaiah 41:21).
Pastor Chris Says
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Luke 7:1-7 tells a remarkable story about a centurion and his servant. Jesus had just finished teaching the people and entered Capernaum where a centurion's servant was gravely ill, almost at the point of death. The centurion, deeply concerned for his servant, sent Jewish elders to beseech the Master to come and heal his servant.
When the elders approached the Master, He didn’t immediately go with them until they gave Him compelling reasons why the centurion was worthy of His attention: “And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. Then Jesus went with them..." (Luke 7:4-6).
Notice the underlined part; the Lord only agreed to go with them to heal the centurion’s servant after they presented their strong reasons. This further illustrates the principle found in Isaiah 41:21, where God challenges the children of Israel to bring forth their strong reasons. This is something we take advantage of when interceding for others: we present our requests with strong, heartfelt reasons. We take God’s Word back to Him as the basis for our arguments, why what we’re asking for has to be done, because it’s in line with His Word.
Remember what the prophet said, “Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips” (Hosea 14:2). So in prayer, you go with compelling words, God’s Word concerning the situation you’re dealing with. The elders we referenced earlier presented their strong reasons effectively; their arguments were based on the centurion’s genuine love and significant acts of kindness, showing that with compelling reasons you can influence divine actions. Write down your arguments; present your reasons thoughtfully with strong convictions and you’ll always prevail. Hallelujah!
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P R A Y E R ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Dear Father, you want all peoples to be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth. Therefore, I pray for those who haven’t yet received Jesus as Lord, that today, as your children preach your Word all over the world, the light of the glorious Gospel will shine brightly without restrictions, dispelling darkness, and ushering many into the glorious liberty of the sons of God, in Jesus’ Name. Amen. 📖
FURTHER STUDY:
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Luke 7:1-7; Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum.
[2] And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.
[3] And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant.
[4] And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this:
[5] for he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.
[6] Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:
[7] wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.
Luke 11:5-10; And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
[6] for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
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Rhapsody Of Realities Daily Devotional
26 октября 2024 03:35
Ɍɦαρsσdy Dαílíҽs
RHAPSODY OF REALITIES
SATURDAY 26
OLD TESTAMENT REFLECTIONS ON THE RAPTURE
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📖 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead (Isaiah 26:19).
Pastor Chris Says
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The opening verse offers us a profound glimpse of what will happen at the Rapture. To gain further clarity, let’s refer to the Septuagint: “The dead shall rise, and they that are in the tombs shall be raised, and there in the earth shall rejoice: for the dew from thee is healing to them: but the land of the ungodly shall perish.” In verse 20, the instruction is given: “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.”
The "indignation" refers to God's wrath, a period of judgment that the Bible says would be for three and a half years as mentioned in the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation. This period is part of a seven-year timeframe when God resumes His dealings with the children of Israel, known as the 70th week of Daniel's prophecy. These are weeks of years, meaning that each week is seven years. We’re currently in the interval between the 69th week and the 70th week. Between the 69th week, which includes the death of the Messiah, and the 70th week, the Church comes in.
During the tribulation period, the children of Israel will flee to Edom and Moab. However, these regions are not the "chambers" referred to in the prophecy. Edom and Moab will provide refuge, but they do not represent a place of rest or safety. Instead, this period will be a time of Jacob's trouble, not a time of rest.
The phrase "enter thou into thy chambers" in Isaiah 26:20 refers to the Rapture of the Church to heaven, a concept that was a mystery and thus not easily understood in the Old Testament. But these prophetic mysteries were revealed by Paul, who was given this special ministry to the Church and clarified aspects of prophecy that had been previously unknown. Praise God!
🙏
P R A Y E R ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Dear Father, thank you for the revelation of the Rapture and the mysteries of your Word. I rejoice in the assurance that I’ll be caught up to meet Jesus in the air, escaping the wrath to come. I’m strengthened to live in the light of this truth. Thank you for including us in your glorious and eternal plan of salvation for mankind, in Jesus' Name. Amen. 📖
FURTHER STUDY:
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Daniel 9:24-27; Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
[25] Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
[26] And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
[27] And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
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Rhapsody Of Realities Daily Devotional
25 октября 2024 07:05
Ɍɦαρsσdy Dαílíҽs
RHAPSODY OF REALITIES
FRIDAY 25
AUTHORITY RESTORED
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📖 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous (Romans 5:19).
Pastor Chris Says
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In Matthew 4:8-9, we read the account where the devil tempted Jesus by offering Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory on the condition that Jesus would bow down and worship him. The devil was not merely offering wealth or power, he was calling for worship, demanding that Jesus acknowledge his authority over the world.
To understand this, let’s examine the same account in Luke 4:5-7, where the devil shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time and says, “...All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it” (Luke 4:6). The devil claimed that all the power and glory of the world were delivered to him, but how did he get them? Certainly, God didn’t give them to him!
To answer this, let’s read Paul’s apologia in 1 Timothy 2:14: “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” Eve was deceived by the devil, but Adam wasn’t. Adam wilfully chose to disobey God and obey Satan. This act of treason against God is what led to the fall of man. Adam’s wilful disobedience resulted in the loss of the dominion God had given him over the earth. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12).
By yielding to Satan, Adam effectively handed over his God-given authority to the devil, making Satan the "god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4). Satan became the ruler of the world systems, taking dominion over the earth, a role intended for Adam. But thanks be unto God! Jesus, through His death, burial and resurrection, reclaimed the dominion and delivered it back to us. His vicarious sacrifice and resurrection in our behalf was the ultimate victory through which the power of Satan was broken and the authority of Christ was established forever in and through His Church. Hallelujah!
🙏
P R A Y E R ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Dear Father, thank you for the victory I have in Christ Jesus. I rejoice in the knowledge that through His sacrifice, the authority lost by Adam has been restored to us in Christ. I walk in this victory every day, knowing that I’ve been translated into the Kingdom of your Love-Son, enjoying the glorious liberty of the saints in light, in Jesus' Name. Amen. 📖
FURTHER STUDY :
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Matthew 4:8-10; Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
[9] and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
[10] Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Colossians 2:11-15; in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
[12] buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
[13] And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
[14] blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
[15] and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
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Rhapsody Of Realities Daily Devotional
23 октября 2024 07:26
Ɍɦαρsσdy Dαílíҽs
RHAPSODY OF REALITIES
WEDNESDAY 23
YOU DON’T NEED TESTIMONY FROM DEMONS
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📖And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us…The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour (Acts 16:16-18).
Pastor Chris Says
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From what we just read, someone might wonder, why was Paul grieved; wasn’t the girl telling the truth? Paul and his companions were indeed servants of the most high God, and that’s what the girl was chanting. Well, Paul perceived that she was speaking by an evil spirit; that’s why he was grieved, turned to the girl and commanded the evil spirit to come out of her in the Name of Jesus, and she was instantly free.
The girl’s words might have been factual, but we don’t need the testimony from demons to tell us who we are. It brings to mind the words of Jesus in John 5:34, "But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved" (John 5:34). The Lord didn’t need human approval, let alone the testimony of demons. Mark 1:23-25 says, “And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.” The Father had already testified of Jesus, and His works also bore witness to His divine mission (John 5:36-37).
Likewise, Paul understood that no testimony from demons, even if factual, was acceptable. Some people might feel a sense of pride or validation if a demon were to recognize their spiritual authority. However, we must understand that our validation comes from Christ, not from the acknowledgement of men or demons.
When the girl declared, "These men are the servants of the most high God," it was not a godly declaration but a deceptive act of the devil hiding behind her voice. Paul’s anger wasn’t from a human point of view; rather, he was spiritually grieved. This is why he commanded the spirit to come out of her. You must also reject any voice of the devil that pretends to speak for God and cast them out when they manifest themselves.
🙏
P R A Y E R ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Dear Father, thank you for the authority we have in Christ Jesus. I stand firm in the truth of your Word, led by your Spirit always to discern every deceptive voice and reject anything that is not from you. My validation is from Christ alone, and I exercise his authority with boldness and wisdom, in Jesus' Name. Amen. 📖
FURTHER STUDY:
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Mark 1:23-25 NIV; Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out,
[24] “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
[25] “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!”
Luke 4:41; And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.
1 John 4:1: Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
1 Timothy 5:1-25 & Jeremiah 13-14
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Hebrews 11:17-40 & Ezekiel 22
Rhapsody of Realities Daily Devotional
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Rhapsody Of Realities Daily Devotional
22 октября 2024 03:38
Ɍɦαρsσdy Dαílíҽs
RHAPSODY OF REALITIES
TUESDAY 22
THE PRINCIPLE IS TO ASK AND RECEIVE
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📖Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear (Isaiah 65:24 NIV).
Pastor Chris Says
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God already knows what’s in your heart. He knows your thoughts and knows the future. He knows everything before you pray. Jesus said, "...for your Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Matthew 6:8 NIV). So why then do we pray? We pray because God established prayer as a means of fellowship between man and God. It’s spiritual.
There’re spiritual principles that’ll never be broken. For example, why don’t we walk in the air? It’s because God established that we walk on the ground by the law of gravity. That’s God’s choice, and it’ll be unwise to question it. So, if God says prayer is necessary, then we must pray.
He said men ought always to pray and not to give up (Luke 18:1). He told us to study the Word, so we do. He told us to walk in the light of His Word; therefore, we must do that. There’re things God has determined, and they’re fixed. Our blessing comes from walking in the light that He has given us.
Since He told us to pray, we’re not supposed to say, “Lord, since you know my mind, I’ll just stay quiet.” The principle is, "…Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Luke 11:9). It didn’t stop there; it says in the 10th verse, "For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."
He didn’t say everyone who “thinks in his mind” shall receive; no. The principle is, “Ask and receive;” we have to operate within its ambits. Consider in the Old Testament; after all the beautiful blessings God promised and had in store for the children of Israel (read Ezekiel 36:21-36), He ended by telling them they’d have to pray: “…I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock (Ezekiel 36:37).
Thank God for the privilege and opportunity of prayer through which we cause the will of the Father to be established in our lives, in the earth, and in the lives of men. Glory to God!
🙏
P R A Y E R ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Dear Father, I thank you for the privilege of prayer that allows me to partner with you in establishing your will in the earth. As I walk in the light of your Word, your glory is manifested in my life, and I rejoice in the assurance that my prayers are effective, in Jesus' Name. Amen.
📖
FURTHER STUDY :
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Matthew 7:7-11; Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
[8] for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
[9] Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
[10] Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
[11] If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
Jeremiah 33:3; Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
Ezekiel 36:21-37; But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.
[22] Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.
[23] And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.
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Rhapsody Of Realities Daily Devotional
20 октября 2024 04:04
Ɍɦαρsσdy Dαílíҽs
RHAPSODY OF REALITIES
SUNDAY 20
A GLOBAL HARVEST
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📖 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15).
Pastor Chris Says
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We’ve learnt in our last two studies that God has a definite number of souls that must be won before the return of the Master. There’s a divine urgency in the Spirit to gather the harvest. Who knows when that last person will believe? The time is drawing near, and we must preach the Gospel around the world with greater fervency and conviction than ever before.
We must reach every soul; the mandate is to reach them all. Romans 11:25 AMPC talks about “...the full number of the ingathering of the Gentiles...”; this is more than people merely hearing the Gospel; it’s about bringing in the harvest, leading people to a personal decision to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior.
We’re in the season of the greatest harvest the world has ever seen. The most exciting time for a farmer is harvest time, and spiritually, this is our harvest time. Souls are being won all over the world and it’s happening fast; the Holy Spirit is moving mightily.
If you’ve not been passionately involved in soul winning, it’s time to realign your priorities; get busy with soul winning. You’d discover now, more than ever, it’s easy to win souls. The Holy Spirit is doing the work. All you need to do is open your mouth, and He will fill it with the right words. The power of God will flow through you to your listeners, and they will hear the Word, believe and be saved. These are exciting times!
The fields are ripe for harvest, and as the labourers, we must be diligent. It’s part of the reasons we’re taking active and daring steps to make sure everyone on earth receives God’s Word during the upcoming ReachOut World Day on December 2nd 2024. Make sure to join us in spreading the transformative message of God's love to every corner of the globe through the distribution of Rhapsody of Realities.
The time is now; reach out to those around you and be bold in sharing the Gospel with them. The ingathering is happening, and we must be part of this divine mandate to cover the earth with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Let’s reach them all and bring them into the Kingdom.
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P R A Y E R ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Dear Father, thank you for the privilege of being colabourers with you in this great harvest as Christians all over the world are filled with the urgency, boldness and wisdom to reach out to the lost and bring them into the Kingdom. The Holy Spirit grants us the strategies to share the Gospel effectively for them to know the truth and be saved, in Jesus’ Name. Amen. 📖
FURTHER STUDY:
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Matthew 9:37-38; Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
[38] Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
John 4:35; Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
Acts 1:8; But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
1 Timothy 2:1-15 & Jeremiah 7-8
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Hebrews 10:1-18 & Ezekiel 18-19
Rhapsody of Realities Daily Devotional
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Rhapsody Of Realities Daily Devotional
18 октября 2024 07:32
Ɍɦαρsσdy Dαílíҽs
RHAPSODY OF REALITIES
FRIDAY 18
HIS TIMING IS PERFECT
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📖 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
Pastor Chris Says
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The Bible talks about some who scoff and mock at the truth: "…in the last days there will come scoffers who will do every wrong they can think of and laugh at the truth” (2 Peter 3:3 TLB). For example, they mockingly ask, "Jesus promised to come back; we’ve been hearing that for generations; where is He? He'll never come!"
They fail to realize that God's sense of time is not like ours. Take 2 Peter 3:8 as an example; Peter reminds us not to be ignorant of one crucial truth: "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." When God communicates a message to you in a certain way and then repeats it in reverse, He’s emphasizing that these are not exaggerations or generic statements. What He’s indicating is that, in prophetic language, a day can represent a thousand years, and a thousand years can be like one day.
The reason Jesus hasn’t come isn’t that God is “delaying” or that He forgot He said Jesus would come. Rather, He’s being patient. He’s not willing that anyone should perish but wants everyone to come to repentance. How gracious the Lord is! 2 Peter 3:15 further emphasizes this; it says for us to account, reckon that the longsuffering (patience) of our Lord is for the salvation of men.
The seeming delay is directly tied to God's desire for salvation. Every moment He waits is another opportunity for someone to turn to Him and be saved. This understanding should stir your heart to share the Gospel with urgency, knowing that God's timing is perfect, and His patience is an extension of His love.
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P R A Y E R ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Dear Father, thank you for your patience, giving people all over the world the opportunity to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth as it’s in the Gospel. May the message of the Gospel, like never before, have free course, and salvation spread into every corner of the earth, unhindered, until the full numbers of the Gentiles come in, in Jesus’ Name. Amen. 📖
FURTHER STUDY:
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2 Peter 3:8-9 NIV; But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
[9] The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Hebrews 10:37; For yet a little while, And he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
Matthew 24:14; And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
2 Thessalonians 3:1-18 & Jeremiah 3-4
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Hebrews 9:1-10 & Ezekiel 16
Rhapsody of Realities Daily Devotional
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Rhapsody Of Realities Daily Devotional
16 октября 2024 07:39
Ɍɦαρsσdy Dαílíҽs
RHAPSODY OF REALITIES
WEDNESDAY 16
THE RESURRECTION BROUGHT US JUSTIFICATION
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📖 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Pastor Chris Says
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The Bible says in Romans 4:25 that Jesus Christ was delivered for our offences, that is, He died on account of our sins and was raised back to life for our justification. 1 Timothy 3:16 says He was justified in the Spirit. Why did He have to be justified in the Spirit? The reason is that He was made sin for us, as read in our opening scripture. He became the very embodiment of sin.
This is truly astounding because the Bible doesn’t merely say that Jesus was made a sinner or a sin offering but that He was made sin. This means the very character and nature of sin were placed on Jesus. He became the very embodiment of what we were; our nature of sin was what He became.
Until you understand this, you won’t understand the life of the new creation and how, indeed, we became the righteousness of God in Christ. Think about it: The one who knew no sin, who was never involved in sin—He never spoke an unkind word or said the wrong thing—that sinless one was made sin for us so that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Wow!
After taking on our nature and the punishment for our sin, He was raised from the dead with a new life. And according to the Bible, we were raised together with Him (Ephesians 2:6). When He was raised back to life, God said, "...Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee" (Psalm 2:7, Acts 13:33). This is crucial because it marked when Jesus was born again; He was born again when God raised Him from the dead.
By His resurrection, therefore, we were also resurrected, because we were in Him. His was a vital resurrection, and ours was a legal one. But the moment you received Jesus Christ as Lord, this legal resurrection became a vital experience in your spirit. You were immediately brought out of the domain of darkness and catapulted into the Kingdom of God's Love-Son with legal righteousness; you were justified. His resurrection brought us justification: “Who was betrayed and put to death because of our misdeeds and was raised to secure our justification (our acquittal), [making our account balance and absolving us from all guilt before God]” (Romans 4:25 AMPC). Hallelujah!
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P R A Y E R ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Blessed Father, I rejoice, knowing that the Lord Jesus was raised for my justification—my acquittal. Now, I’ve been declared not guilty and made righteous in Christ Jesus. I live with the consciousness of my divine nature, celebrating my sin-free life in Christ, in Jesus’ Name. Amen. 📖
FURTHER STUDY: ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Romans 4:23-25; Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
[24] but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
[25] who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
Romans 5:1; Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Acts 13:38-39; Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
[39] and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 & Isaiah 64-66
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Hebrews 7:11-28 & Ezekiel 12-13
Rhapsody of Realities Daily Devotional
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Rhapsody Of Realities Daily Devotional
14 октября 2024 04:17
[13] (for until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
[14] Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
[15] But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
[16] And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
[17] For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
1 Thessalonians 4:1-18 & Isaiah 59-60
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Hebrews 6:11-20 & Ezekiel 8-9
Rhapsody of Realities Daily Devotional
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Rhapsody Of Realities Daily Devotional
13 октября 2024 04:52
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:1-13 & Isaiah 57-58
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Hebrews 6:1-10 & Ezekiel 7
Rhapsody of Realities Daily Devotional
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