Quote of the day (30th November, 2015)

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” – Lucille Ball

Your daily devotional by Dag Heward-Mills (30th November, 2015)

November 30, 2015

GIFTS

Dag Heward-Mills

READ: Luke 19:12-27

And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.

Luke 19:24

Paul was someone who felt he would get into all sorts of trouble if he did not preach the Gospel “…yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:16). He was not wrong! Indeed, I think I can say those words with Paul.

Every minister who does not take the leading of the Spirit seriously will open himself to all sorts of dangerous attacks. He will be in danger of losing the anointing! A minister must obey the voice of God to avoid having the gift taken away. “And he said unto them that stood by, TAKE FROM HIM THE POUND, and give it to him that hath ten pounds” (Luke 19:24). Dear man of God, do not think that you are indispensable. If you do not do what God wants you to do, your ministry will be taken away from you and given to another. Read it for yourself ! Take from him the pound! If God gave you a pound, He can take it back when He wants to.

Pastors seem to enjoy hiding behind Romans 11:29: “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. They think that God will never take away His anointing. What this Scripture means is that God does not change His mind about you. He never changes His decision to call you or use you. He never changes His decision to anoint you.

Keep the gift of God by obeying His call! Be sensitive to His voice! Do what He tells you to do and you will succeed in ministry! Do what is hard and difficult rather than what is nice and easy!
Credit: Dag Heward-Mills

Quote of the day (29th November, 2015)

“Your attitude is nothing but an outward reflection of what resides on the inside. To change your attitude, you must change your heart.” – Keith Harrell (Ext. from the book ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING)

Your daily devotional by Dag Heward-Mills (29th November, 2015)

November 29, 2015

ENTICEMENT

Dag Heward-Mills

READ: James 1:1-15

But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

James 1:14

Jesus said, “Pray lest you fall into temptation.” Anybody you spend time talking to becomes close to you. In the same way, any Christian who spends time talking to God will become close to Him. It follows that if you do not spend time praying to God, you will be far from Him. Prayer keeps us from falling away from God.

When a Christian spends less time praying, he is unknowingly moving away from God. When you pray, God gives you strength to overcome temptations. He will strengthen you to do His will and you will not fall away.

Many years ago, God knew I was going to experience a serious testing of my Christian faith so He woke me up early in the morning to pray. Tongues were flowing out of my spirit like a river and I knew something was amiss, so I prayed the more. I lay down on the floor and continued in prayer. As a young Christian I was normally doing an hour a day in prayer,but this time I prayed for over three hours. And that day I met a strange woman.

The Bible tells us about a young man in Proverbs who met a strange woman (Proverbs 7:10). I had a similar experience. I had no idea what this Christian lady had in mind. But that day, I tell you my friend, God delivered me! I believe my deliverance was very much related to the prayer time I had in the morning. I was very strong. Where did that strength come from? Jesus told His disciples to pray because they might fall into temptation.
Dag Heward-Mills

Quote of the day (28th November, 2015)

Knowing is not enough we must apply. Willing is not enough we must do.

Your daily devotional by Dag Heward-Mills (28th November, 2015)

November 28, 2015

READINESS

Dag Heward-Mills

READ: Matthew 24:36-51

Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Matthew 24:44

The Bible warns us that because we don’t know the day or the hour Christ will come, we must be ready all the time. The key word here is preparation and readiness.”…thus will I do unto thee,…because I will do this unto thee, PREPARE to meet thy God…” (Amos 4:12).

In Luke 12, there is the story of a man who had a successful business. He decided to build bigger barns to store his goods. In our time this would be equivalent to opening new bank accounts. When he completed his projects, he said to himself, “Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years. Take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry.” God reacted immediately from Heaven and said, “…This night thy soul shall be required of thee.”God is showing us here that there is just a step between life and death.

I was once in a hospital ward with one of my assistant pastors when we happened to see the body of a little baby who had just died. Although it was a tiny baby who had just began to live, it died. That baby was not too young to die.

Dear Christian friend, do not put off your godly obligations because you think you are still young and there is more time.You never know when God will summon you to account for your life. “…thus will I do unto thee…Because I will do this unto thee…PREPARE to meet thy God” (Amos 4:12).
Credit: Dag Heward-Mills

Quote of the day (27th November, 2015)

If you desire to make a difference in the world, you must be different from the world.

Your daily devotional by Dag Heward-Mills (27th November, 2015)

November 27, 2015

NO AGREEMENT

Dag Heward-Mills

READ: Genesis 3:1-19

And Jesus answered…man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. – Luke 4:3,4

Many people are held in bondage because their thinking pattern agrees with demonic deceptions. People are kept in bondage as long as their minds fully agree with the ideas that come from Satan. Unfortunately, the thoughts of many believers are in agreement with Satan because we do not study or believe the Word.
When a person is full of thoughts of discontentment, criticism, and hatred, the demon of divorce can easily control affairs. It will not be long before the demon leads them out to the divorce courts.

Our natural thoughts for revenge, unforgiveness, despair, depression and fear are very much in consonance with the spirit of sickness, disease and even death. This is why the Word of God is so important. It keeps us in full disagreement with the devil’s sly and vague suggestion.
It is very easy to agree with satanic delusions. Many times, we are caught unawares as we drift along and agree with unbiblical suggestions.

This is where steadfastness comes in. Steadfastness is actually derived from a navy term which means to stay on course. It also means to come back to course after you have made a deviation. We all tend to go on excursions from time to time but the spirit of steadfastness must bring us back on course after any deflection. Put your foot down and disagree with any thing that is demonic.
Credit: Dag Heward-Mills

Quote of the day (26th November, 2015)

Life is about breaking our personal limits and outgrowing ourselves to live our best lives.

Your daily devotional by Dag Heward-Mills (26th November, 2015)

November 26, 2015

AGING

Dag Heward-Mills

READ: Ecclesiastes 12:1-8

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

Ecclesiastes 12:1

The kingdom of God needs energetic people for the ministry. In the first part of your life you are full of faith, hope and love. Older people have seen pain, bitterness and death. Bad experiences have made them weary and suspicious of everything. They trust no one and are unwilling to try new things. The spirit of adventure is gone. Tiredness and weariness have set in.

Yes, they believe in God but it is a little different from a younger person’s faith. In this first part of your life, you are not yet broken-hearted. It is this first part that God badly wants. Ecclesiastes 12, aptly describes this. It is said that King Solomon wrote Songs of Solomon in his youth, Proverbs in his middle age and Ecclesiastes in his older years. You will notice that the mood of each of these books is different. In the Songs of Solomon, he is in love and he is excited. In the Book of Proverbs, he expresses practical wisdom for regular life. But in the Book of Ecclesiastes, his mood is quite different. He describes many of life’s experiences as useless, fruitless and vain.

This drop in mood greatly affects the work of God. It takes faith and hope on earth to take up your cross and sacrifice for an unseen God. In the first part of your life you are very teachable. As you get older, you seem to be stuck in your own ways. As the saying goes, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” There seems to be a teachable and humble spirit in the first part of our lives.
Credit: Dag Heward-Mills