Your daily devotional by Dag Heward-Mills (26th April, 2016)

April 26th, 2016

INNOVATION

Dag Heward-Mills

READ: Isaiah 43:18-21

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Genesis 1:27

You need to “innovate and create” in order to manufacture something. It takes much more creativity to manufacture a Mercedes Benz than it does to harvest oranges. The inventors of the iPod and iPhone in California have innovated and created much more than the man harvesting yam and corn on a farm in Africa. Obviously , the incomes of people in California will be higher than the incomes of the people in that African village.

What is an innovation?

i. An innovation is a new way of doing old things

ii. An innovation is the introduction of new processes and new methods

iii. An innovation is the introduction of a new invention

iv . An innovation is the provision of something new

v . An innovation is something improved and better than what exists

vi. An innovation improves the efficiency of an existing process

vii. An innovation usually lowers the cost of doing certain things.

Anytime someone innovates and creates he actually walks in the image of God in which he was created. He elevates himself above the life of an ordinary man. Anybody who innovates and creates, lifts himself above the curse and the poverty that afflicts most of the planet earth.

Credit: Dag Heward-Mills

Your daily devotional by Dag Heward-Mills (21st April, 2016)

April 21, 2016

THE OMNISCIENT

Dag Heward-Mills

READ: Acts 21:10-36

…Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Colossians 2:3-4, NASB
 

Most ministers today would consider going to prison as a kind of curse. In our society, it would be the lowest place to fall to. In fact, it would be almost impossible to direct any of us to prison. We would do anything to avoid prison.

But not so with Paul. He declared, “I am ready to go to prison in Jerusalem.” He knew that when he got to Jerusalem, he would not be staying at the Sheraton Hotel but he would be in prison. Even though prison is an evil thing, he went towards it and embraced it because that is what God wanted. God may want you to do something that hitherto you have labelled evil, bad or wrong!

It would interest you to know that Paul wrote most of his letters while in prison. Two thousand years after the death of Paul, the churches he planted no longer exist. But the letters he wrote from prison are being used over and over again. It is quite clear that it was when he was finally in prison that he began to bear eternal fruit. Going around preaching and planting churches is a good thing. We would choose it above going to prison. But God wanted Paul to stop planting churches and go to prison to testify of Jesus from there.

Brothers, the wisdom of God cannot be compared to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. All knowledge is found in God – “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). All knowledge is not found in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

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Your daily devotional by Dag Heward-Mills (20th April, 2016)

April 20, 2016

MOCKERY

Dag Heward-Mills

READ: Nehemiah 4:1-7

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Psalm 1:1
 

Mockery is a painful, difficult thing to experience. To insulate ourselves from mockery, we build a cocoon around our lives. Mockers and scoffers are part of the community which God has sent us to. Mockery comes from a spirit that tries to shut us up and keep us silent.

Satan knows you fear embarrassment. ‘When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble — burned as they are?” Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building — if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!”’ (Nehemiah 4:1-3, NIV). We unconsciously keep away from anything that ridicules us. The devil loves to ridicule us. If I had allowed intimidation to work on me, I would not be in the ministry today.

Satan keeps you away from new things through the fear of ridicule. Ridicule is a barrier you must cross. The devil is a bully and he knows your weak areas. Anytime you attempt to go into an area of ministry, he reminds you of your own weakness in that area. When it is time for you to become a pastor, he’ll remind you about all your deficiencies and why you do not qualify.

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Your daily devotional by Dag Heward-Mills (19th April, 2016)

April 19, 2016

COMMON FEAR

Dag Heward-Mills

READ: 1 John 4:16-19

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7
 

People do not pay tithes because they are afraid.

Many people do not pay tithes because they are afraid of poverty. They fear: “Will I be able to go through the month. Will I survive if I pay my tithes? This is a common fear, but you must remember that fear is an evil spirit.

If you follow fear, you are following a demon. God has not given us the spirit of fear. Can you imagine where a demon will lead you? If you love God, you must cast out your fears and decide to obey Him.

A quick analysis will reveal that people do things even though they have deep fears within. People get married in spite of their many fears. There are many things that could go wrong in a marriage! There could be unfaithfulness! There could be divorce! There could childlessness! There could be tragedy! There could be poverty! There could be death! In spite of these fears, people continue to marry and do what they really want to do.

Why then are you unable to overcome your fears and pay your tithes? It is time to walk by faith and pay tithes. A person who does not pay tithes is living by the spirit of fear.

“God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7, New Century Version).

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Your daily devotional by Dag Heward-Mills (12th April, 2016)

April 12, 2016

SALT

Dag Heward-Mills

READ: Matthew 5:13-16

That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Matthew 5:13
 

Good salt and bad salt look exactly the same. There is no way to tell that salt has lost its taste.

The salt of Christians is supposed to make people thirsty for God. Unfortunately, the church has lost much of its flavour and is making people thirst after money and success rather than God.

We have become a wrong kind of salt but we look exactly like good salt. It is not easy to tell when the church is in the imperfect will of God. The salt (gospel ministers) that has lost its flavour is huffing and puffing about grasping worldly things instead of living for God. But it is not easy to see the difference between salt that has lost its flavour and salt that is still salty. Those in the perfect will of God and those in the imperfect will of God look exactly the same.

Good light and bad light: As the light of the world we are supposed to show the world the path to God, but we rather show them the paths to the world’s wealth and glory.

The light that shows the path to God and the light that shows the path to the world are both light and therefore have many similarities. It is difficult to see the difference between these close and parallel lights and yet they point to very different destinations.

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Your daily devotional by Dag Heward-Mills (10th April, 2016)

April 10, 2016

DO YOU SEE?

Dag Heward-Mills

READ: Zechariah 4:1-14

And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold…
Zechariah 4:2
 

The ability to point at important things and understand what is being pointed at is one of the processes of learning. Pointing shows what my attention is on and what I want your attention to be on. A mother is constantly trying to show things to the child. Pointing silently is giving direction, guidance and teaching.

The human child begins to point at things and to notice things that are pointed to. If your attention cannot be drawn to an important thing, how can you develop properly? Differences between human beings become more obvious when their attention cannot be drawn to the important things. A boss points out to his employees the important things that need to be done. He points out why it must be done by a certain time. And yet many employees do not get it. No matter how many hours he points to the key and critical issues, they do not seem to do what he says. Surely, these are employees who will not be promoted. This causes employees to remain in darkness.

Because of this inability to see what is being pointed at, huge differences emerge between different groups of people. Extremely poor groups of people live in a world which has extremely rich people. Yet we wonder what is making the big differences between groups of people on the same planet. Things are being pointed out and yet groups of people are unable to understand what is being pointed at. The huge differences between human beings are caused by failing to work on things that are pointed at!

Credit: Dag Heward-Mills

Quote of the day (2nd April, 2016)

“Imagine having a host of people who are not medical doctors but pose as medical doctors. Imagine having unqualified pharmacists dispensing wrong drugs to innocent people. You would not be wrong to call these people thieves, robbers or murderers. Imagine having someone to be your president who did not really win the election. Everyone would call him a thief and a robber and that is what he is because he “stole” the election.” – Dag Heward-Mills (Ext. from Quiet Time Daily Devotional 01.04.16)

Your daily devotional by Dag Heward-Mills (2nd April, 2016)

April 2, 2016

ENTRY

Dag Heward-Mills

READ: Numbers 16:1-35

…and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?
Numbers 16:3
 
Identify people who enter the ministry because they are prominent in secular society.

The fact that you are an important person in society does not mean that you must be important in the church. Your secular importance does not mean that you can exercise authority or leadership in a church setting. Also, the fact that your parents were pastors does not mean that you have authority in the church. Leadership in the church is by having the call of God.

“Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men:

And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:” (Numbers 16:1-2).
You must also identify people who enter the ministry because they are urged on by the people.

Saul came on the scene because the people wanted a king (1 Samuel 8:5-7). You must not come into ministry because people want you to. You must come into the ministry because God has called you. The voice of the people is not the voice of God! The voice of the majority is not the voice of God! Don’t make the mistake of transposing secular values into the church world.

Quote of the day (31st March, 2016)

No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was.
Hebrews 5:4, NIV

Your daily devotional by Dag Heward-Mills (31st March, 2016)

March 31, 2016

CALLED

Dag Heward-Mills

READ: Hebrews 5:1-10

No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was.
Hebrews 5:4, NIV
 
Entrance to ministry must be through the call of God. The door to ministry is the call of God.

“And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron” (Hebrews 5:4).

If you do not have a divine call, you are not supposed to be in the ministry. You must have a personal conviction of a call which sets you apart for the ministry.

Your call to ministry is the foundation of your ministry. It defines everything that you will ever do in the ministry.

The door to ministry is different from the door to other professions. Your entrance to the medical profession is by graduating from a medical school. The entrance to the legal profession is by graduating from a law school. The entrance to the accounting profession is by obtaining an accountancy certificate. However, the entrance to ministry is not by acquiring a certificate from any school, including a Bible school. The entrance to ministry is by receiving and obeying a divine call.

“Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count your worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12).