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CELEBRATE HIS GOODNESS EVERY DAY

For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened (Mark 6:52).

In Mark 6, the Bible tells us how the disciples of Jesus were gripped with fear when they saw Him
walking on the water. Why were they afraid? We find the answer in our theme verse: “…they considered
not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.”

They had seen several miracles with Jesus and the latest of such miracles was that of multiplying bread
and fish to feed thousands of people (Read Matthew 14:13-21). Yet, it didn’t seem to mean anything to
them; they were still hardened in their hearts. Some are like that in the Church today; not considering as
they should, the miracles of Christ, performed through the Spirit today.

It reminds me of an inspiring experience I had in 1981. I was attending a crusade where the Archbishop
Benson Idahosa had invited R.W Schambach who was the guest speaker on that particular night. After
he had preached and prayed, there were several miracles. The first testifier to come up the platform was
a young lady who had been deaf in both ears. R.W Schambach and the Archbishop Benson Idahosa
tested her and confirmed she was indeed healed.

However, I observed something else that inspired me greatly: the reaction of those two great men of
God to the young lady’s testimony. They both jumped and skipped like children, in celebration of that
miracle. These were men of God who had seen so many mighty miracles, but it was so inspiring to see
them celebrate as though that was the first or only miracle they had ever witnessed.

That’s the way it should be. Be excited always at the seemingly simple things that God does in your life
and in the lives of others. Joyfully celebrate His goodness every day. There’s no such thing as a “small
miracle”; every blessing from God is something to shout about, something worth praising Him for. Your
heart should always go out to Him in worship, praise and gratitude for His great love, mercies and grace.
The Bible says He daily loads us with blessings—benefits: “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us
with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah” (Psalm 68:19). Hallelujah!

PRAYER

Blessed Father, I thank you for your blessings in my life, every day. I celebrate your life that’s in me,
your Word that’s working mightily in me, the prosperity, health, peace, joy, victories and life of glory
that I have in Christ. All glory, dominion and praise are yours, now and forever, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY:

Exodus 18:9; Psalm 31:19; Matthew 15:30-31

TRAIN YOURSELF TO PRAY

And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in
prayer to God (Luke 6:12).

Prayer is a spiritual exercise that you must train for. If you don’t train yourself to pray, you’ll never know
how to pray effectively. If all you knew to do was mumble a few words in two minutes and you’re done,
it’s time to get some training and discipline.

We see the example of the Master in our opening scripture. As long as your body is calling for food, or
itching to go do some other things while you ought to be praying, that’s the more reason you must
remain there and subject your body to the discipline of the Spirit.

However, the purpose of prayer isn’t merely to control or discipline your body, as good as that is. The
main purpose of prayer is the conditioning of your spirit, and this is far more important. Prayer brings
your spirit to a certain condition that makes your relationship and fellowship with God’s Spirit more real
and synchronized with His will and purpose.

Then you find that His thoughts become your thoughts and His words become your words. That’s when
He puts a word in your mouth which you speak forth and it produces results. It reminds of induced
magnetism. If you keep an object beside a magnet long enough, the magnet will induce it to become
magnetic itself.

It’s the same thing with the Holy Spirit and you; the more you spend time in fellowship with Him, the
more His person, glory, character, wisdom and grace are revealed in your walk and in your talk! But if all
you do is a few minutes of prayer occasionally, that’s not sufficient time for Him to condition your spirit
and have Himself expressed in and through you in a remarkable way.

You need to give the Lord time and attention in the place of prayer and become so influenced by Him
that you acquire His character and mannerisms. Then you find that your way of thinking and talking
(your choice of words) have become so refined by Him. Train yourself for that conditioning to take place.
Follow @ --- and join me and millions around the world as we take out time daily to pray.

PRAYER

Dear Father, thank you for the blessed opportunity to fellowship and commune with you in prayer. I
rejoice at the glorious impact and changes that take place in my spirit each time I pray! Thank you for
the opportunity to effect positive and lasting changes through prayer, knowing that your ears are ever
attentive to my voice to answer my prayers, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 CEV; Luke 18:1; Ephesians 6:18

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Perfectly Certain

Another great way to start a new year is to have assurance of salvation. When you are saved, you should
know it. Otherwise, how can you be a witness for Christ? The Bible speaks clearly and positively…it does
not stammer. When you read it, you become certain. Martin Luther once said, “The Holy Spirit is no
skeptic.” He writes no doubts. The promises of God are yes and amen, not no and maybe. The gospel
trumpet sounds no faltering note.

When an earthquake shook the Philippian jail and all who were in it, the jailor cried out, “What must I do
to be saved?” Paul did not reply, “Well, what do you think? Do you have any ideas?” He made a firm
statement of fact: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household”
(Acts 16:30–31). The gospel is God’s message, not Christian opinion…and it is yours today!

What are the two greatest things God ever did? The Bible tells us that He created the heavens and the
earth. Could anything possibly equal that—making our wonderful world, with its oceans, mountains, and
rivers, and filling the heavens with stars? In fact, God did do something else that was far more difficult.
We call it the work of redemption. Creation cost God nothing—but that next task cost Him everything.

At creation, God blessed us with the energies of life. Then He blessed us with the gift of redemption,
adding new life to ordinary life. Millions of people around the world enjoy it. They are jubilant. They
exclaim and sing, “I am redeemed!” They cannot keep quiet about this wonderful gift that God has given
them. Therefore, my friend, today I encourage you: rejoice in your salvation!
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Salvation Is Not Speculation

The genius who made the first electric dynamo, Michael Faraday, was not only a master of all the
sciences, but also a Christian. In 1867, when he was dying, his friends asked him what his speculations
about life after death were. “Speculations?” he asked in surprise. “Speculations? I have none. I am
resting on certainties!” Faraday’s favorite Bible verse was: “I know whom I have believed and am
persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day” (2 Timothy 1:12). He
had no reservations about biblical truth.

Some people argue that it is presumptuous to declare that we are saved, but that is false modesty in the
light of so much scriptural evidence. When Christ confronts you with the question of your need, you
should not respond, “I want to have my questions answered, and to give my view of salvation.” Instead,
you must repent and believe! Being saved is not a casual experience, something that you would hardly
notice. When you repent and believe, and come to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, He receives you and
you are cleansed in His precious blood!

Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and
you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who
are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call. (Acts 2:38–39) Take these two statements made by
Jesus Himself: “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no
means cast out….For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (John 6:37; Luke
19:10), which means, that when you trust in Christ for His gift of salvation, He honors it.
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Spiritual Need

People need the gospel, and their need creates a need in the heart of God. He needs to send us with the
gospel! He knows that we must be born again, and He cannot just sit down on His throne, and do
nothing about it. That would be completely contrary to all He has ever done.

“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” How then shall they call on Him in whom they
have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they
hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?…So then faith comes by
hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:13–15, 17) God knows our need, and is under
compulsion to meet it. Likewise, if we, who are made in His image, know about the hunger of this world,
we need to do something about it. Their need creates in us a need to help. If you and I have plenty, then
we cannot merely stand by, and watch our neighbors die of starvation. The same is true of spiritual food.
Our spiritual need lays a compulsion on the heart of God. Our attitude towards others should be the
same.

What should we be doing to fulfill that need in God’s heart? The same things that Jesus did, which were
also a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy: The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has
anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim
liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the
acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console
those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of
praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the
Lord, that He may be glorified. (Isaiah 61:1–3).
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The World’s Need

Imagine if Abraham or Moses suddenly arrived back from the past, or perhaps Mohammed or Buddha—
what would that do for the world? Well, none of them will come, so it is idle to speculate. We are now in
the third millennium, yet millions of people are still looking for a great global leader. They consult the
stars, looking hopefully for a new age under a super-personality, who would bring accord between the
races, peace among the nations, and the rich caring for the poor. Is it only sentimental fantasy?

The wish seems so common: “Oh, for a great cosmic king, an all-powerful leader to rule the rulers when
they are unruly!” There is always a war somewhere, or injustice, or people being oppressed and
slaughtered. The feeling that there should be a single mind guiding the nations in the ways of wisdom
and prosperity is like an instinct for something that we have lost.

Age after age, we have seen great men rise to power, exerting their philosophical influence through
political maneuvering and military strength…only to fall again, leaving a legacy of bloodshed, economic
ruin, corruption, and tyranny. Humanists think that they have the answers to mankind’s needs, but they
are overlooking the essential element of the “God-shaped space” that resides in the heart of man. Fill
that space with alternatives—wealth, fame, pleasure, or power, and man is still left empty and
unfulfilled.

All of life’s great experiences are pinpointed in the Bible. It is not read for nothing. The book of Judges
describes a nation without a leader. After Israel settled in the Promised Land, there were two centuries
of turmoil, anarchy, and civil war. The book explains why: “In those days, there was no king in Israel, and
everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). This sounds so familiar, doesn’t it? Today,
we stand in peril of repeating the same mistakes made by the children of Israel those thousands of years
ago. Let us always endeavor to promote Jesus Christ the true King on the throne!