DCLM Daily Manna 7 September 2022 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Hope In God’s Word

TOPIC: Hope In God’s Word (DCLM Daily Manna 7 September 2022)

TEXT: Psalm 119:49-56 (KJV)

KEY VERSE: “Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope” (Psalm 119:49).

MESSAGE:

German pastor Paul Gerhardt and his family were forced to flee from their home during the Thirty Years’ War in the 17th Century. One night as they were lodged in a small village inn, homeless and afraid, his wife broke down and cried openly in despair. To comfort her, Gerhardt reminded her of Scripture promises about God’s provision and safety. Then going out to the garden to be alone, he too broke down and wept. He felt he had come to the darkest hour. Soon afterwards, Gerhardt felt the burden lifted and sensed anew the Lord’s presence. Taking his pen, he wrote a hymn that has brought comfort to many:

“Give to the winds thy fears;
Hope, and be undismayed;
God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears;
God shall lift up thy head.”

“Through waves and clouds and storms,
He gently clears the way;
Wait thou His time, so shall this night,
Soon end in joyous day.”

The psalmist, in our text, was in great affliction because the proud had him in derision. Horror took hold of him because of the wicked that had forsaken God’s law. Fortunately, the statutes of the Lord were his song in the house of his pilgrimage and he sought fulfilment of the promises of His word on which he had placed his hope.

Like the psalmist, people often become hopeless because of hardship, illness, lack, unanswered prayer, unemployment, fear of the unknown, marital challenges, financial crisis, unfulfilled dreams or desires, disappointment, family problems among other life challenges. Despite these challenges, it is still not good to lose hope.

Our hope must be rooted in the word of God and specifically, in the promises contained in His infallible word. God’s promises in the Scripture will surely be fulfilled, irrespective of prevailing circumstances. Therefore, encourage yourself in the Lord and His words.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
The word of God has solution to all life challenges.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Leviticus 21-24

DCLM 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 6 September 2022 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Fate Of The Sinning Soul

TOPIC: Fate Of The Sinning Soul (DCLM Daily Manna 6 September 2022)

TEXT: Ezekiel 18:1-18 (KJV)

1 The word of the Lord came unto me again, saying,

2 What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge?

3 As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.

4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

5 But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right,

6 And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour’s wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman,

7 And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment;

8 He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man,

9 Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God.

10 If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things,

11 And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour’s wife,

12 Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination,

13 Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.

14 Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father’s sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like,

15 That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbour’s wife,

16 Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment,

17 That hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.

18 As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity.

KEY VERSE: “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” – (Ezekiel 18:4).

MESSAGE:

While in captivity in Babylon, the Israelites assembled for themselves traditional sayings and proverbs that were contrary to the precepts of Jehovah. Seeking to exonerate their generation from the guilt of sin and its consequent punishment, they hid in the proverb that “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” In other words, the judgment of exile which the Jews were experiencing, was the result of the sins of their fathers.

This has no basis in Scriptures. And the Lord did not hesitate to send His servant, Ezekiel, to let them know His mind. He said everyone would account for his actions. The guilt of sin was never handed down from father to son. The Lord declared, “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” The just who faithfully kept His statutes would live while those who were violence-prone and idolatrous would be damned if they failed to abandon their sinful ways.

Today, there is a new breed of churchgoers who rationalise their sins the same way Israel did in the days of Ezekiel. They dig deep into transgressions with all the accompanying punishment and claim that the fault is not theirs but their forebears. This is an unscriptural disposition the devil uses to deny the carnal man the responsibility of sincerely acknowledging his wrongdoings and asking God to forgive him.

Christ came to redeem humanity from eternity in hell. Having borne the sin of the world by proxy, He has made a way to escape eternal damnation for all who accept Him as Saviour.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
“The soul that sinneth, it shall die.”

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Leviticus 18-20

DCLM 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 5 September 2022 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Divine Justice System

TOPIC: Divine Justice System (DCLM Daily Manna 5 September 2022)

TEXT: Deuteronomy 19:1-10 (KJV)

1 When the Lord thy God hath cut off the nations, whose land the Lord thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses;

2 Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it.

3 Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither.

4 And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past;

5 As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live:

6 Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.

7 Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.

8 And if the Lord thy God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers;

9 If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love the Lord thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three:

10 That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.

KEY VERSE: “That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.” – (Deuteronomy 19:10).

MESSAGE:

Prior to their redemption and full settlement in Canaan, the Israelites ran a primitive justice system. For instance, their laws allowed the next of kin of a slain person to wreak vengeance. He or she was permitted to go after the murderer and carry out any judgment they desired. But the Lord rolled out a better judicial arrangement that would protect the unintentional killer and prevent the shedding of innocent blood.

As the land in Canaan was allocated to the various tribes, God commanded the children of Israel to separate cities where “every slayer may flee thither.” The idea was that in their new environment, murder cases must be thoroughly investigated so as not to lead to arbitrary punishment. If a person died in the field while another wielded his axe in the course of felling a tree, the unintentional killer could flee to one of the cities of refuge. He would not be “worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.”

This provision prevented unjust revenge and miscarriage of justice, which might lead to spiraling acts of fatal crimes. It is the prevalence of the pursuit of retaliatory deeds that has made the world unsafe today. The absence of an acceptable system of justice that would bring redress to the aggrieved has been pushing everyone to adopt his or her way of seeking justice, even if it is an illegitimate means. This has brought more sorrow to a world in search of peace and joy.

God, the Author of peace, has proclaimed that man must seek His infallible concept of justice to be secured in the world. Without adhering to heaven’s law of equity that respects the rights of others to live and enjoy the abundance of life given by God through faith in Jesus, the Prince of peace, man would continue to function in bewilderment.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Man cannot have peace without seeking divine justice.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Leviticus 15-17

DCLM 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 4 September 2022 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Responding To The Prophet

TOPIC: Responding To The Prophet (DCLM Daily Manna 4 September 2022)

TEXT: Deuteronomy 18:14-22 (KJV)

14 For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.

15 The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

16 According to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.

17 And the Lord said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.

18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.

21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken?

22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

KEY VERSE: “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him” (Deuteronomy 18:18).

MESSAGE:

Man’s response to God’s servants over the centuries points to the depth of their obedience to Him. Receiving them and obeying all the commandments He gives His messengers to deliver to man would indicate respect and honour for Him. On the other hand, rejecting those who bring His word amounts to rejecting Him, an action that would not go without commensurate punishment.

While the children of Israel approached the Promised Land, the Lord reminded them that although Moses, their leader would not be with them in their new country, a greater Shepherd would be provided, who would not only be available for Israel, but for humanity throughout all generations. The Lord promised a Prophet greater than all the previous ones and those to come. He said He would “put [His] words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that [He] shall command him.”

Jesus Christ is that Prophet. No other one before or after Him has matched the description in our passage. He acted with the authority of the Father in heaven. He spoke as no man ever spoke. He performed astonishing miracles that broke all records. He told the world He could forgive sins here on earth, thus proving that He possessed divine powers. He predicted He would die for sinful man and rise again the third day, and it was fulfilled.

Since Christ met all these conditions needed to believe in Him as the true Prophet of God, our reaction to Him is to submit, believe and obey His words. One of His declarations shortly before He left the world was that He would go to prepare mansions in heaven for those who believe in Him and then return to take them to live there forever. As believers, we are to “occupy till [He] come[s]”.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Believe in Jesus Christ, the final Prophet.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Leviticus 12-14

DCLM 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 2 September 2022 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Priesthood Of Peace

TOPIC: Priesthood Of Peace (DCLM Daily Manna 2 September 2022)

TEXT: Deuteronomy 17:8-13 (KJV)

8 If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the Lord thy God shall choose;

9 And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and enquire; and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgment:

10 And thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place which the Lord shall choose shall shew thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee:

11 According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall shew thee, to the right hand, nor to the left.

12 And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the Lord thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel.

13 And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.

KEY VERSE: “And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and enquire; and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgment” (Deuteronomy 17:9)

MESSAGE:

No leader in society who desires to succeed can do without a large dose of God’s wisdom. At workplaces, they must be prudent to take decisions on recruitment and deployment of personnel that would improve productivity and bring in profits. At the political level, leaders must get connected to God to be able to respond judiciously to local and global events that threaten man and his environment. No king was more conscious of this need than Solomon who did not prevaricate about wisdom as his utmost wish as king of Israel.

When the Lord proclaimed His covenant of peace on the Levitical priesthood as the Israelites made their way to the land God chose for them, He also planted in them the spirit to adjudicate over matters of controversy “too hard for [them] in judgment”. The Lord envisaged that His people, after settling in their new land, would address conflicts “between blood and blood (murder cases), between plea and plea (civil actions), and between stroke and stroke (personal injury).” God directed such cases to the Levites, with whom He had established a covenant of peace. No one was expected to take law into his own hands.

Leaders at every level in society are peacemakers if they allow the Spirit of God to control them. The policies they enunciate and execute must have peace, security, justice and welfare of the people as the main objectives. These will help bind the constituent groups and prevent disharmony, division and strife. The world would be torn apart if these guidelines of the Author of peace are missing.

Believers with insightful understanding of the teaching that we are the salt and light of the world should get fully kitted with the wisdom of God and let the Spirit guide them when controversial matters are brought before them. Every one redeemed by Christ has a great priestly measure of His wisdom to help the men and women of this age untie the knot of sin entangling them.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Believers are today’s Levites bringing peace to a troubled generation.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Leviticus 5-7

DCLM 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 1 September 2022 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Conditional Security

TOPIC: Conditional Security (DCLM Daily Manna 1 September 2022)

TEXT: Genesis 35:1-5 (KJV)

1 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.

2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:

3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.

4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

5 And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

KEY VERSE: “Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments” (GENESIS 35:2).

MESSAGE:

There are countless events recorded in the Holy Bible to disprove the so-called doctrine of unconditional eternal security. The theory holds that once you are saved from sin, you remain justified forever, regardless of your unguarded post-salvation lifestyle. It advocates that you may live a carefree life after salvation.

From the text, the Lord had restrained the children of Shechem from wreaking vengeful fury on Jacob and his household. Though He had delivered them once, He now asked him to head for Bethel, “and make there an altar unto God.” But Jacob was not ignorant of the ways of the God of his fathers. For him and his family to continue to enjoy divine protection, they must be in a constant state of holiness. As they heeded Jacob’s directive to “Put away the strange gods… and be clean”, the Lord also retained His presence with them.

Unless we discard the “strange gods” in our lives, we would not be able to enjoy the full security Christ brought through His death and resurrection. We must do away with anything that drives away God’s presence in our lives.

Strange gods give man a false sense of joy and destroys our relationship with God. To continue to enjoy His presence, we must remain with Him every moment after being born again. Jesus makes it clear that only those who endure to the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13).

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Believers’ security is conditional.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Leviticus 1-4

DCLM 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.