DCLM Daily Manna 25 April 2024 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — How Not To Use His Name

TOPIC: How Not To Use His Name (DCLM Daily Manna 25 April 2024)

KEY VERSE: “Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied” (1 Samuel 17:45).

TEXT: 1 Samuel 17:41-54 (KJV)

41 And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him.

42 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.

43 And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.

45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

46 This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

47 And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.

48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.

49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.

50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.

51 Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

52 And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron.

53 And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their tents.

54 And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent.

MESSAGE:

Having the right kind of weapons in warfare and being able to use them effectively produces confidence in the soldiers, making them to dare any foe. The Tsar Bomba is said to be the world’s most powerful and deadliest weapon of mass destruction. It was created by the then Soviet Union as a response to the United States’ nuclear programme. The very massive bomb was intended to destroy everything. Russia’s possession of deadly weapons like this makes her to dare powerful nations.

Goliath also considered himself unconquerable owing to his intimidating stature and years of experience at war. However, David had a far more potent weapon: his confidence and faith in the name of the Lord. He was sure that no one could stand against God in battle. So, when Goliath charged towards him, instead of shrinking and retreating in fear, David ran towards him with unshaken confidence and the giant was brought down with a single sling of his stone.

When we truly understand the power that is in the Lord, we will not be afraid of any enemy or battle. The name of Jesus prevails over every situation and all circumstances; be they physical or spiritual. The Name of Jesus gives victory and triumph over temptations and causes satanic and demonic powers to bow and flee. The name heals all forms of diseases and sicknesses and provides abundantly in times of need.

If we will prevail with the name of the Lord like David, we must learn how to use it effectively. God’s name is only potent on the lips of a righteous believer. You must be a child of God before you can use His name effectively. You must also have unwavering faith and confidence in Him.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The name of Jesus can never lose its potency

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Psalms 131-138

Deeper Life Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.

DCLM Daily Manna 24 April 2024 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — We Shall Be Like Him!

TOPIC: We Shall Be Like Him! (DCLM Daily Manna 24 April 2024)

KEY VERSE: “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).

TEXT: 1 John 3:1-4 (KJV)

1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

MESSAGE:

We are all familiar with the kind of feeling we have when we are expecting something new and special. It may be the prospect of a dream job, a relocation to a new and desired place or the meeting of a very special person – spouse, long time friend or a celebrity. Our excitement and anticipation cannot be hidden. As we look forward to that special thing, we cannot hide our wonder as to how we will feel when it finally comes. Actually, this kind of joyful expectation keeps us upbeat. Every day, we look forward with a lively hope.

It is this kind of feeling of joyful expectation that the Apostle John expresses in our reading today. He is astonished at the manner of love God shows towards us as Christians. It is so amazing for men to be called the sons of God. Much more exciting is the fact that we will see Jesus when He comes again. And not just seeing Him; we will be just like Him! This is indeed amazing!

When we share this same hope with the Apostle John, we will not be too bothered with our present state or lot in life. We will not be worried if the world recognises and accepts us or not. The mere fact that we are the sons and daughters of the Almighty God who is the Possessor of all things on earth and in heaven is far more sufficient for us. But far beyond who we are and what we have now is this exciting hope of who we shall be when Christ returns at the rapture! Nothing present in this world can compare with our future hope.

This exciting hope puts springs in our feet and causes us to gallop through life with the joy of the Lord, not minding our present deprivations. This hope makes us to endure all trials and temptations so that we can keep alive and be in readiness when He comes.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Great expectation requires great preparation.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Psalms 120-130

Deeper Life Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.

DCLM Daily Manna 23 April 2024 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Courage To Do The Right

TOPIC: Courage To Do The Right (DCLM Daily Manna 23 April 2024)

KEY VERSE: “And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD” (2 Chronicles 15:8).

TEXT: 2 Chronicles 15:1-13 (KJV)

1 And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:

2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.

3 Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.

4 But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.

5 And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries.

6 And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity.

7 Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.

8 And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the Lord, that was before the porch of the Lord.

9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

10 So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

11 And they offered unto the Lord the same time, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.

12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;

13 That whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

MESSAGE:

Martin Spoelstra narrates part of the inspiring and intriguing story of the courageous missionary to Africa, Mary Slessor (1848-1915). “…Mary saved the lives of hundreds of mothers and their twins. One evening, Mary heard the screams of an Okoyong woman tied to stakes on the ground. A man was preparing to scald her with boiling oil because the woman had given food to a starving slave man while her husband was away. The Okoyong laws demanded that the woman be punished for her offence. Mary ran to the screaming woman and put herself between the woman and the man holding the oil. The man danced around Mary, threatening to pour the oil. Despite the boiling oil and the size of the man, Mary stood her ground. The man back down and the woman was saved! Mary saved countless other lives, worked to end fighting between tribes and spread the message of Christ throughout Africa. By showing the courage to face her fears, Mary brought real and lasting change to African society and spirituality. What a great way to spend one’s life!”

Asa had just ascended the throne of Judah. He came up at a time the whole land appeared to have been sold to corruption. They had forgotten the true God and for a very long time, they had not had any priest or prophet to teach them the word of God. But Asa was encouraged by the words and prophecy of Azariah to stand with God and carry out the necessary reforms because God would surely reward his efforts. Asa took courage, put away all the abominable things in his kingdom and brought the people back to serve the true God.

If our families, churches and societies will be transformed and enjoy the blessings and favour of God, then we must be ready to demonstrate courage like Asa and root out all the sinful and abominable practices we find around us.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Will you be counted among those who stand for the right?

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Psalms 119:57-176

Deeper Life Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.