DCLM Daily Manna 17 February 2022 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — God Defends His Own

TOPIC: God Defends His Own

TEXT: Exodus: 18:16-24

KEY VERSE: “And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.” – (Exodus 8:22)

MESSAGE:

The Bible is replete with ordinary folks who got elevated to positions of authority and who ironically arrogated such pre-eminence to themselves. One of such is Pharaoh of Egypt in the days of Moses. He became so deluded that he thought he was superior to the Almighty. It is always amusing to witness the way God demystifies arrogant and stubborn men, and proves to all that He is the Lord without an equal.

The passage today describes the release of the third and fourth plagues over the land of Egypt. The third plague turned dust into lice, which attacked both man and beast. Pharaoh’s magicians attempted to enchant something similar but they could not. This confirmed to Pharaoh that it was the handiwork of God. Yet Pharaoh hardened his heart, which prompted the fourth plague – the release of grievous swarm of flies all over Egypt. But in Goshen where the Israelites dwelt, God made a demarcation that not one single fly was found there. This was to prove to Pharaoh and Egypt that God defends His own.

We should not doubt the ability of the Almighty to save to the uttermost and to frustrate those who rise against us. God truly has the capacity to give light in a particular place and darkness in another. He can do anything to protect and defend His chosen ones.

God still defends His people today. Even when it seems the devil and his cohorts are gaining the upper hand and the children of God are losing out, our heavenly Father will move swiftly to crush the enemy and reverse the trend.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
If God be for us, who can be against us?

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Joshua 22-24

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 16 February 2022 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Incomparable God!

TOPIC: Incomparable God!

TEXT: Exodus 8:1-15 (KJV)

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

2 And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs:

3 And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneadingtroughs:

4 And the frogs shall come up both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants.

5 And the Lord spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt.

6 And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt.

7 And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.

8 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat the Lord, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the Lord.

9 And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only?

10 And he said, To morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the Lord our God.

11 And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only.

12 And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried unto the Lord because of the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh.

13 And the Lord did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages, and out of the fields.

14 And they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank.

15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said.

KEY VERSE: “And he said, To morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the LORD our God.” – (Exodus 8:10)

MESSAGE:

Bishop Beveridge gave a wonderful illustration of one of the names by which God chose to call Himself, “I AM”. He does not say, I am their light, their guide, their strength or tower, but only “I AM”. “He sets, as it were, His hands to a blank, that His people may write under it what they pleased that is good to them. As if He should say, Are they weak? I am strength. Are they poor? I am riches. Are they sick? I am health. Are they dying? I am life…”

In the passage under review, Egypt experienced a plague of frogs after Pharaoh refused to release Israel from bondage. In desperation, Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron and requested prayers to take the frogs away. Moses informed him that his request was granted according to his word that he might know that there was none like unto the Lord our God.

Sadly, many Christians handle God’s word and promises exactly like Pharaoh. They delay their blessings and answers to prayers because they never appropriate the word of God in their lives or situations.

Faithfulness is one of God’s distinguishing attributes. His nature is to keep His covenant with His children. This is what makes Him an incomparable God. He is faithful in all generations. His faithfulness, therefore, ought to strengthen our faith in Him. He is faithful to save, heal, deliver, give abundant life, break every yoke and keep us until the end. The more we exhibit faith in this incomparable God, the more we will experience His faithfulness in our lives.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Faith in God’s faithfulness always prevails.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Joshua 19-21

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 15 February 2022 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Heart First

TOPIC: Heart First

TEXT: Exodus 7:14-25 (KJV)

14 And the Lord said unto Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go.

15 Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river’s brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand.

16 And thou shalt say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.

17 Thus saith the Lord, In this thou shalt know that I am the Lord: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.

18 And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river.

19 And the Lord spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone.

20 And Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.

21 And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.

22 And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the Lord had said.

23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also.

24 And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.

25 And seven days were fulfilled, after that the Lord had smitten the river.

KEY VERSE: “And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go.” – (Exodus 7:14)

MESSAGE:

“The farthest place on earth”, so goes an adage, “is the heart of man”. If it were possible to dissect the heart so that everyone can see what is hidden therein, they will be shocked to see unimaginable things. The heart is the most vital part of the human body. As several commentators have noted, “When we go to heaven, we will go heart-first and not head-first”. This saying underscores the importance of the heart in our relationship with God.

Today’s passage illustrates that God knows all hearts. Before the Lord sent Moses to request that Pharaoh let Israel go, He knew the state of Pharaoh’s heart; that it was hardened. The first plague of turning the waters of Egypt into blood did not soften his heart; instead, he turned and went into his house and refused to let Israel go (Exodus 7:23).

These days, people seem to engage more in outward show of religion, but their hearts are far from God than ever. A heart set on a multiplicity of pursuit and goals, drawn apart by diverse issues of earthly cares cannot find the peace to offer a consecrated and committed service to God. Neither will that heart be able to find the needed time for the old time religion that leads to real salvation.

God desires that our hearts be filled with sacred affection and love. Our emotions, purposes, thoughts and mind should unite in surrendered devotion to God. He will reward those who sincerely seek Him with all their hearts. However, He is far from mere professors of religion who keep their hearts away from Him.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
A hardened heart attracts affliction.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Joshua 15-18

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.