Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

March 20 Forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God. – Phil 3:13-14 Whoever is not with me in the essential things of life, him I no longer know—I owe him no consideration. — Henrik Ibsen. Only he who lives in truth finds it. The deepest truth is not born of conscious striving, but comes in the quiet hour when a noble nature gives itself into the keeping of life, to suffer, to feel, to think, and to act as it is moved by a wisdom not its own. — Hamilton Mabie. Prayer Lord God, I thank thee for the silent ways of revelation which bring hopeful communion with thee. Help me to be composed, that my life may not create a noise and my soul miss the messages that come from the depths of truth and love. Amen.

Our Daily Bread March 20, 2016 Sunday WHEN THE WATER BLUSHED John 1:1-14 In the beginning was the Word . . . . Through him all things were made. John 1:1, 3 Why did Jesus come to Earth before the invention of photography and video? Couldn’t He have reached more people if everyone could see Him? After all, a picture is worth a thousand words. “No,” says Ravi Zacharias, who asserts that a word can be worth “a thousand pictures.” As evidence, he quotes poet Richard Crashaw’s magnificent line, “The conscious water saw its Master and blushed.” In one simple line, Crashaw captures the essence of Jesus’ first miracle (John 2:1-11). Creation itself recognizes Jesus as the Creator. No mere carpenter could turn water to wine. Another time, when Christ calmed a storm with the words, “Quiet! Be still,” His stunned disciples asked, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” (Mark 4:39, 41). Later, Jesus t...

March 19 For himself hath said, I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any wise forsake thee. So that with good courage we say, The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. – Heb 13:5-6 Isn’t it interesting to get blamed for everything? But I must be thankful in feeling that I would rather perish than blame another for my misdeeds and deficiencies. — David Livingstone. Criticism is helpful. If a man makes a mistake, criticism enables him to correct it; if he is unjustly criticized, the criticism helps him. I have had my share of criticism since I have been in public life, but it has not prevented me from doing what I thought proper to do. — William Jennings Bryan. Prayer Loving Father, I thank thee that thou art the same yesterday, to-day, and forever; and I am glad I cannot receive from thee the slights and wounds that I may give or receive from my friends. May I be considerate and more forgiving, and by my sincerity be worthy of the purpose which I p...

March 19, 2016 Saturday IGNORE NO MORE Philippians 1:27-30 The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. Psalm 19:8 I don’t know how these people find me, but I keep getting more and more flyers in the mail from folks asking me to show up at their events so they can teach me about retirement benefits. It started several years ago when I began getting invitations to join an organization that works on behalf of retirees. These reminders all serve to say: “You’re getting older. Get ready!” I have ignored them all along, but soon enough I’m going to have to break down and go to one of their meetings. I really should be taking action on their suggestions. Sometimes I hear a similar reminder in the wisdom of Scripture. We know that what the passage says is true about us, but we are just not ready to respond. Maybe it’s a passage like Romans 14:13 that says, “Let us stop passing judgment on one another.” Or the reminder ...

March 18 But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? And what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. – Job 23:13 My minde to me a kingdom is: Such perfect joy therein I finde As far exceeds all earthly blisse That God or nature hath assignede. — William Byrd. Teach your proud will to make those nobler choices Which bring to soul and heart enduring health. Deafen your ears to those contending voices, Look in your heart, learn your own being’s wealth. Its resources vast, its undiscovered treasure Waiting for these same idle hands to mine. Learn that the grandest of Nature’s creations May not be bounded by man’s limitations. — Rose E. Cleveland. Prayer Almighty God, grant that I may never succumb to the controlling influences of the body, and lose the power of my mind. May I guard the dictates of my heart and keep my mind in command to obey thy will. Amen.

March 18, 2016 Friday WHEN TO WALK AWAY Genesis 39:1-12 God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. 1 Corinthians 10:13 When my father became a Christian in his old age, he fascinated me with his plan for overcoming temptation. Sometimes he just walked away! For example, whenever a disagreement between him and a neighbor began to degenerate into a quarrel, my father just walked away for a time rather than be tempted to advance the quarrel. One day he met with some friends who ordered pito (a locally brewed alcoholic beer). My father had formerly struggled with alcohol and had decided he was better off without it. So he simply stood up, said his goodbyes, and left the gathering of old friends for another day. In Genesis, we read how Potiphar’s wife tempted Joseph. He immediately recognized that giving in would cause him to “sin against God,” so he fled (Gen. 39:9-12). Temptation knocks often at our door. Sometimes it comes from our...

March 17 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. – Deut 6:6-7 What is really wanted is to light up the spirit that is within a child. In some sense and in some effectual degree there is in every child the material of good work in the world; and in every child, not only in those who are brilliant, not only in those who are quick, but in those who are stolid, and even in those who are dull. — William Gladstone. If you make children happy now, you will make them happy twenty years hence by the memory of it. — Kate Douglas Wiggin. Prayer Lord God, may I be diligent for the progress of little children. Show me how I may minister unto them; and grant that I may be able to see the necessity of giving, more than I do the pleasure of rec...

March 17, 2016 Wednesday POSITIVE REPETITION Poh Fang Chia Deuteronomy 30:11-20 I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him. Deuteronomy 30:16 A journalist had a quirky habit of not using blue pens. So when his colleague asked him if he needed anything from the store, he asked for some pens. “But not blue pens,” he said. “I don’t want blue pens. I don’t like blue. Blue is too heavy. So please purchase 12 ballpoint pens for me—anything but blue!” The next day his colleague passed him the pens—and they were all blue. When asked to explain, he said, “You kept saying ‘blue, blue.’ That’s the word that left the deepest impression!” The journalist’s use of repetition had an effect, but not the one he desired. Moses, the lawgiver of Israel, also used repetition in his requests to his people. More than 30 times he urged his people to remain true to the law of their God. Yet...

March 16 , 2016.  Wednesday Now when they beheld the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. – Acts 4:13 If we live truly we shall see truly. It is as easy for the strong man to be strong as it is for the weak to be weak. When we have new perception we shall gladly disburthen the memory of the hoarded treasures as old rubbish. When a man lives with God his voice shall be as sweet as the murmur of the brook and the rustle of the corn. — Ralph Waldo Emerson. The tissue of the life to be, We weave with colors all our own, And in the field of Destiny We reap as we have sown. — Raphael. Prayer Lord God, quiet me if I am not calm, that my soul may be able to contemplate and have an opportunity to grow. Help me, that I may be able even in discouragements to have the true perception of life. Amen.

March 16, 2016 Wednesday DEEPLY LOVED Randy Kilgore Matthew 6:25-34 Your heavenly Father feeds [the birds of the air]. Are you not much more valuable than they? Matthew 6:26 There may be times when we feel as if we are like those unmarked residents of the Granary, unknown and unseen. Loneliness can make us feel unseen by others—and maybe even by God. But we must remind ourselves that even though we may feel forgotten by our Creator God, we are not. God not only made us in His image (Gen. 1:26-27), but He also values each of us individually and sent His Son to save us (John 3:16). Even in our darkest hours, we can rest in the knowledge we are never alone, for our loving God is with us. Thank You, Lord, that You never leave me alone and that You know all about me. Make me aware of Your presence so I may share that comfort with others who are feeling alone too. We are important because God loves us. The Sermon on the Mount is all about the life of those who are part of God...

March 15, 2016 Tuesday LOOKING UP David McCasland Psalm 146:1-10 The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down. Psalm 146:8 An article in the Surgical Technology International journal says that looking down at a smart phone with your head bent forward is the equivalent of having a 60-pound weight on your neck. When we consider that millions of people around the world spend an average of 2-4 hours daily reading and texting, the resulting damage to neck and spine becomes a growing health concern. It is also easy to become spiritually bowed down by the burdens of life. How often we find ourselves discouraged by the problems we face and the needs of those we love. The psalmist understood this weight of concern yet saw hope as he wrote about “the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—[who] remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, ...

March 14 ,  2016 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, So panteth my soul after thee, O God. – Ps 42:1 Rivers to the ocean run, Nor stay in all their course; Fire ascending seeks the sun; Both speed them to their source; So a soul that’s born of God, Pants to view his glorious face, Upward tends to his abode, To rest in his embrace. — Robert Seagrave. As the bird trims her to the gale I trim myself to the storm of time; I man the rudder, reef the sail, Obey the voice at eve obeyed at prime; Lowly faithful, banish fear, The port well worth the cruise is near And every wave is charmed. — Ralph Waldo Emerson. Prayer My Father, I pray that if I meet with difficulty, I may not go backward, nor stand still, and fear to go forward. Unfold to me the depth and breadth of the ideal and beautiful, that I may not be content to succeed in the shallowness of life: but may I aspire to the height of the soul, even if I fail to acquire great things...

March 14, 2016 Monday MY PERSONAL SPACE C. P. Hia Luke 8:40-48 We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses.  Hebrews 4:15 An industrial design graduate from a Singapore university was challenged in a workshop to come up with a novel solution to a common problem using only ordinary objects. She created a vest to protect one’s personal space from being invaded while traveling in the crush of crowded public trains and buses. The vest was covered with long, flexible plastic spikes normally used to keep birds and cats away from plants. Jesus knew what it was like to lose His personal space in the commotion of crowds desperate to see and touch Him. A woman who had suffered from constant bleeding for 12 years and could find no cure touched the fringe of His robe. Immediately, her bleeding stopped (Luke 8:43-44). Jesus’ question, “Who touched me?” (v. 45) isn’t as strange as it sounds. He felt power come out of Him (v. 46...

REV JOSEPH LAMIDI

TOPIC: VICTORY STARTS FROM THE MIND Beloved people of God, as we march on in this month of “Marching on to Victory”, I have this burning message to share with you. Life is a battle field. For you to win battles of life, your mind must be soundly prepared. Battles of life range from battle over sin, battle over household wickedness (principalities and powers), battle to succeed in career and business, to mention but a few. God has not designed you to lose in all these battles; rather, He has made adequate provisions for your victory which starts from the mind. Proverbs 4:23 says “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life”. The first battle every believer must win is battle over sin. At salvation when you give your life to Christ, God gives you victory by translating you from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of His dear Son (Col.1:13). Romans 10:9-10 says “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and beli...