DCLM Daily Manna 30 December 2020 Devotional By Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi

Topic: The Word Is The Armour

Text: Psalm 119:137-144 (KJV)

137 TZADDI. Righteous art thou, O LORD, and upright are thy judgments.

138 Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful.

139 My zeal hath consumed me, because mine enemies have forgotten thy words.

140 Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.

141 I am small and despised: yet do not I forget thy precepts.

142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.

143 Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments are my delights.

144 The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting: give me understanding, and I shall live.

Key Verse: “Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments are my delights.” – (Psalm 119:143)

MESSAGE:

An article appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle in the United States of America years ago which spoke about the trouble and anguish animals face in the jungles of Africa. “Every morning in Africa,” the writer said, “a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the … gazelle or it will starve to death. It does not matter whether you’re a lion or a gazelle; when the sun is up, you’d better be running.”

The inspired psalmist in our test is wiser. He knows where to flee to when harassed by the ferocious enemy, unlike the beasts of the woods scampering for safety in mortal fear of starvation and death. Instead of anxiety that robs him of joy and peace, the redeemed Psalmist plunges himself in God’s commandments which are “my delights”. He is not among so-termed believers who run from pillar to post at the onset of challenges.

The days of crises are moments to remember the precepts of the Lord. The Psalmist says although he is “small and despised”, he will not forget the laws of the Lord, which are able to make up for his spiritual shortcomings or physical deficiencies. We are not to bemoan our inadequacies when faithfully serving the Master. We operate on His Strength, not on ours or the world’s. As Apostle Paul acknowledged, Jesus is our Sufficiency.

The respected British preacher, Charles Spurgeon, wrote: “If you are not seeking the Lord, the devil is seeking you.” And his aim is destruction of the soul. The chief way to seek the Lord and prevent the devil from seeking to ruin you is to surround yourself with His laws day and night. It is the way to survive, according to the psalmist.

Thought For The Day: Keeping God’s word outwits the devil.

The Bible In One Year: Revelation 18-20

DCLM Daily Manna 30 December 2020 was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.

Topic: What Makes The Difference [DCLM Daily Manna 29 December 2020 Devotional By Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]

Text: Psalm 119:129-136 (KJV)

129 PE. Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them.

130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

131 I opened my mouth, and panted: for I longed for thy commandments.

132 Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.

133 Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.

134 Deliver me from the oppression of man: so will I keep thy precepts.

135 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes.

136 Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law.

Key Verse: “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130).

MESSAGE:

In the sight of heaven, there is no difference between the highly regarded person in the community who is not born again and the most materially destitute of human beings who also has not received Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Both are spiritually dead, awaiting the second death on Judgment Day. Neither the sophistication and wealth of the former nor the ignorant bliss of the later can deliver them. Heaven will judge each by the canon of the word of God, if they do not repent.

So, what is the measuring rod? It is the word of God, revealed as Jesus Christ, whose appearance dispelled the darkness that had enveloped humanity after the fall of man in Eden and prevented him from enjoying life to the brim. Until Christ’s entry into the world, man groped in doctrines that did not deliver from sin, satanic servitude and selfish tendencies that led to perdition.

Christ has manifested Himself as the Word. He is also the Light. His coming is responsible for the bright future the redeemed person joyfully looks forward to as he receives Him into his life. It is allowing Him into our lives that make the real difference. That is the spiritual distinction God recognises, not class discriminations across gender, academic, racial, professional or social lines. These divisive diversities that represent darkness give way to light that the Lord’s coming ushered into the world.

Man needs to understand that his current preoccupation with seeking mere material contentment through worldly honours, wealth, drugs, immorality, religion, education, etc., cannot satisfy him or defeat the powerful forces of darkness ensnaring him. It is only when we admit the Son of God into our lives that we can have the Light that subdues darkness and liberates us from ungodly ambitions and desires.

Thought For The Day: Allowing Jesus into your life makes the real difference.

The Bible In One Year: Revelation 15-17

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

Topic: Don’t Believe It! [DCLM Daily Manna 28 December 2020 Devotional By Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]

Text: Psalm 119:121-128 (KJV)

121 AIN. I have done judgment and justice: leave me not to mine oppressors.

122 Be surety for thy servant for good: let not the proud oppress me.

123 Mine eyes fail for thy salvation, and for the word of thy righteousness.

124 Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercy, and teach me thy statutes.

125 I am thy servant; give me understanding, that I may know thy testimonies.

126 It is time for thee, LORD, to work: for they have made void thy law.

127 Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.

128 Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.

Key Verse: “I have done judgment and justice: leave me not to mine oppressors” (Psalm 119:121).

MESSAGE:

Most people erroneously believe that we have a Creator who has made up His mind to judge us only on account of our shortcomings; hardly looking at where we have tried to please Him according to the grace He gives us. There is no record of this stance of the Lord in the Bible. What we have is the opposite: a faithful God who consistently leaves ample room for godly repentance and for us to present our case before Him for mercy and pardon.

We find this validated in the petition of the psalmist. Surrounded by “proud oppressors” who were no doubt out to destroy him, he runs to the Lord for help. He is familiar with the ways of his God, for he describes himself as His “servant”, unlike others who are alien to Him. Indeed, he reminds the Lord that others have “made void” His law. But he exalts the Lord and “…love [His] commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold…”

With this, the writer has met the condition for a walk with the Lord and for him to present his case before Him. Has not our Father Himself said, “produce your cause…bring forth your strong reasons”? When King Jehoshaphat and Judah were faced with a battle they knew they could not win on their own, they produced reasons why heaven should intervene. God accepted their plea and secured them a miraculous victory.

God will always rescue His faithful children from the hands of oppressors. The Lord receives such persons with open arms. He does not only deliver them from those hunting them for a kill; He also turns them into mighty personalities He uses to convert their enemies into Kingdom children.

Thought For The Day: Be Word-friendly to be the friend of God.

The Bible In One Year: Revelation 12-14

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