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Word for the Day 19 of May 2012

Joshua 7:19-21

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and honor him. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”

²⁰Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: ²¹When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia,^[^a^] two hundred shekels^[^b^] of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels,^[^c^] I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

For Meditation

Have you suffered a terrible defeat in life lately, or have things been going wrong in your life that you cannot understand? Have you taken it to the Lord in prayer? Do you really want to hear Him on the issue? (Joshua 7:6-13)
Do you know that your sin(s) could have community effect – that the consequences of your sin(s) could influence the affairs of your family and other loved ones around you? (Joshua 7:4-5)
Do you want to give God glory today? (1Cor. 10:31) Do you want to give Him honor? Are you then prepared to listen to Joshua and confess your sin(s) and not hide it? (19)
Are you aware of the dangers of covetousness? “I saw… I coveted… [I] took” (Joshua 7:21). Do you know why advertisers are aggressively bombarding you and your children everywhere with their trade? Be honest with yourself today and give God glory, have you given in to them? Do you know then, that you are guilty of the sin of covetousness (greed)?
“It is true! I have sinned”, is one of the most difficult admissions to make to a loved one, but do you know that there is healing in confession (Ps. 32:1-5; James 5::16)? So, are you willing to be healed today, confessing and giving glory and honor to God?

May you boldly spend time in confession today before the Lord and those you have offended, and may forgiveness and healing flow like a river to flood your body, soul, and spirit as you take that step;

May joy fill your home as you confess to your spouse today and your relationship is restored!

May you be delivered from the sin of covetousness today!

Above all, may the Father be glorified and honored by your confession, in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen!

Shalom

Pastor Baafi

Word for the Day 18 of May 2012

Psalms 107:1-3

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

²Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
³those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south”.

For Meditation

Why should you give thanks to the Lord? Is it because things are going well for you, or principally because of who God is? Have you taken time to know His attributes? Do they incite praise and thanksgiving in your heart?
Have you really tasted of the goodness of God? Have you been a beneficiary of His enduring love – His unconditional and unfailing love?
Are you His redeemed? If so, are you telling your story – the great redemption work of Jesus in your life (Col. 1:13-14) and how much it has transformed your life; or, has it really? How are you telling your redemption story? Does your life tell it very well as that of Peter and John before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:13) and the believers in Antioch (11:23-26)?
Have you been intimidated so much by the enemy that you cannot boldly tell your Christian story and publicly declare your faith? Yes, you cannot ignore the enemy’s power, but have you given him too much recognition than he deserves? Have you forgotten that you have been delivered from the hand of Satan, your ancient foe (Ps. 107:2), and have been given authority to trample upon all his agents and overcome all his works (Lk. 10:19)?
Are you aware that to exercise this authority you have to be sober and vigilant? Are you resisting your enemy fearlessly and boldly as a gallant soldier of the cross or you have given him the idea that you are fearful, and an easy prey (1Pt. 5:8-9)?

Wherever you are today, let your heart rise in recognition of your Redeemer and King, Jesus Christ, and let your mouth declare His praises and thanksgiving. Thank Him when you rise up; thank Him as you work all day; thank Him when you sit down; and thank Him when you lie down to sleep. Thank Him all the days of your life, because God is good; and His love endures forever, Amen!

Shalom

Pastor Baafi

Word for the Day 16 of May 2012

Ruth 1:16-18

“But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.” When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.”

For Meditation

What is your commitment level to Jesus? Are you committed to go all the way with Him?
Are you committed to go wherever He asks you to go and to stay wherever He asks you to stay? If so, do you do whatever He asks you to do, or you find excuses, comforting yourself with the thought that, “God understands”?
Have you truly come out of your country, people, family, and friends for the sake of Christ? (Gen. 12:1; Luke 14:26) Have you embraced your new family, the Church, with all her imperfections? If so, how involved and functional are you in her life? (Eph.4:12-13; 2Cor. 8, 9; Matt. 28: 18-20)
Just as Orpah turned back when confronted with a reality check of her chances with Naomi in Judah, many people have turned back from Jesus when the going got tough and some of His demands on their lives became too much for them (John 6:60, 66). Are you sure your commitment to Christ is genuine and that nothing can separate you from Him (67-69)?
Are you so determined to follow Jesus and to obey Him so completely that Satan has lost the ability and pleasure of trying to entice you away from Him? (Ruth 1:18; Job 1:1-11). How secure are you in Christ? (John 10:27-29; Rom. 8:31-39)

May your love and commitment to Christ be like that of Ruth to Naomi; and, as Ruth was blessed and nourished in her new country and became an ancestor of Christ Jesus, may you be blessed and completely nourished because you have committed your life completely to Jesus!

Shalom

Pastor Baafi

Word for the Day 17 of May 2012

Luke 8:49-50

⁴⁹While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”

⁵⁰Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”

For Meditation

Is there any pressing situation in your life that you have taken to Jesus on your knees? Does it seem like eternity since you started praying? Are you wondering if He will ever answer you?
What report or comments have you heard from people around you lately? Are they calling your situation, a lost cause – that nothing can be done about it; that it is over for you; that your Jesus has failed you one more time?
How are you feeling right now? Are you disappointed to the point of giving up all hope? Are you disappointed in Jesus and angry somehow that he has not been good to you; that before your very eyes he has done it for others and neglected you? Are you asking, ‘why not me’? Where is Jesus when you need Him the most?
Do you see His warm smile right by your side now, urging you to look into His face that He may speak a word of encouragement to you? Does His calm posture irritate you because you think He doesn’t care, as the disciples thought when he was in the storm with them? (Mk. 4:38). What happened then? Do you remember? Does it mean anything to you as you go through your ‘storm’?
Can you hear His gentle voice to Jairus in his worst situation, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed”? Does it speak to your situation? Are you walking with the same Jesus? (Heb. 13:8). Where then is your faith? (Lk. 8:25)

I don’t know your ‘storm’ at this moment, but I pray that you will look away from your circumstance(s) and fix your eyes on Jesus (Heb. 12:2); that you will not listen to the report and commentary of the world that sees only the physical but cannot see into the supernatural realm where your Almighty and able God rules. May you draw strength and courage from this to support your faith in Christ at this moment of your trial; and may you feel the Lord your God take your right hand and gently say to you, “Do not fear; I will help you” (Is. 41:13). It is well!

Shalom

Pastor Baafi

Word for the Day 15 of May 2012

Psalms 46:10

“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”

For Meditation

Have you slowed down and taken time to be quiet before the Lord lately? Has it become a practice for you?
Are those times really quiet? Are they in solitude or they are in some crowded areas? Do you think through the sacred scriptures, relating them to situations in your life and around you in order to see the hand of God at work and what His Spirit is saying to you? In other words, do you meditate upon the word of God and engage in much soul searching in the mirror of His word?
Do you take time to pray much through issues and seek His face? Do you take time to hear Him when you pray, or you rush through it? Has prayer become ‘an item’ on your checklist?
Do you know how much grace you are missing without that quiet time with God? I mean, like not knowing how insignificant all those petty issues could become, how big God could become in those issues, how small all those troubles could become, and how fast fear will flee, being replaced by His peace and security?
Can you hear God challenging you today to try Him and see how powerful He is and how able He is to calm the storms in your life? (vv. 2, 3; Matt.8:23-27). Can you trust Him when he says, "I will be exalted among the nations... [and] in the earth"? Does it mean anything to you?

I pray that you take this challenge today and allow the mighty hand of God to hold you through the storm(s) in your life, and that you will experience a peace that surpasses all understanding, released from heaven, to guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:7). May you see Jesus exalted in your situation today, and may His joy fill your heart like a river (vs. 4), in His matchless name!

Shalom

Pastor Baafi

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