Rhapsody Of Realities

Transcription

Rhapsodyof Realities. . . A DAILY DEVOTIONALChris Oyakhilome

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King JamesVersion of the Bible.A KEY FOR OTHER BIBLE VERSIONS USED:NKJV-New King James VersionAMP-The Amplified BibleAMPC-The Amplified Classic BibleTANT-The Amplified New TranslationTLB-The Living BibleCEV-Contemporary English VersionNASB-New American Standard BibleISV-International Standard VersionNIV-New International VersionMSG-The Message TranslationWEB-The World English BibleTNLT-The New Living TranslationASV-American Standard VersionTEV-Today’s English VersionRSV-Revised Standard VersionGNB-Good News BibleWNT-Weymouth New TestamentNRSV-New Revised Standard VersionMOFFAT -Moffatt New TranslationWESNT-Wesley New TestamentEBR-Rotherham’s Emphasized BibleDRB-Douay-Rheims BibleTPT-The Passion TranslationCJB-Complete Jewish BibleRhapsody Of Realities.a daily devotionalISSN 1596-6984March 2021 editionCopyright 2021 by LoveWorld PublishingFOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO PLACE ORDERS:UNITED KINGDOM:Unit C2, Thames View BusinessCentre, Barlow Way Rainham-Essex,RM13 8BT.Tel.: 44 (0)1708 556 604 44 (0)08001310604USA:Christ Embassy Houston,8623 Hemlock Hill DriveHouston, Texas. 77083Tel.: 1(800) 620-8522NIGERIA:Plot 97, Durumi District, Abuja, Nigeria.Plot 22/23 Billingsway Road, Oregun,Ikeja, Lagos.P.O. Box 13563 Ikeja, LagosTel.: 234 1 8888186SOUTH AFRICA:303 Pretoria AvenueCnr. Harley and Braam Fischer,Randburg, Gauteng 2194South Africa.Tel.: 27 11 326 0971CANADA:LoveWorld Publishing Canada4101 Steeles Ave W, Suite 204Toronto, OntarioCanada M3N 1V7Tel.: 1 416-667-9191www.rhapsodyofrealities.orgemail: rorcustomercare@loveworld360.comAll rights reserved under International Copyright Law. Contents and/or covermay not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without the expresswritten permission of LoveWorld Publishing.

IntroductionHurray! Your favourite daily devotional, Rhapsody ofRealities, is now available in over 3,000 languagesand still counting. The 2021 edition of the devotional hasbeen packaged to enhance your spiritual growth anddevelopment and position you for resounding successthroughout the year.The life-changing truths in this edition will refresh,transform and prepare you for a very fulfilling, fruitful, andrewarding experience with God’s Word.- HOW TO USE THIS DEVOTIONAL FOR MAXIMUM IMPACT -Read and carefully meditate on each article. Saying theprayers and confessions aloud to yourself daily will ensurethe results of God’s Word that you’re speaking come topass in your life.Go through the entire Bible in one year with the one-yearreading plan, or in two years with the two-year reading plan.You can also split the daily Bible reading portions into twoparts—morning and evening reading.Use the devotional to prayerfully write out your goals foreach month, and measure your success as you accomplishone goal after another.Enjoy God’s glorious presence and victory, as you takea daily dose of His Word! God bless you!-Pastor Chris Oyakhilome

River JordanThe Bible makes ample reference to thissignificant river both in the Old and NewTestaments. Joshua led the children of Israelacross it in Joshua 3:15–17. He asked thepriests to step into the water, and when theydid, the river split up, and everyone wentthrough on dry ground. Elijah and Elisha alsosplit it and crossed it on dry ground. Elishahealed Naaman’s leprosy by having himbathe in its waters, and he made a lost axehead float by throwing a piece of wood intothe water. In the New Testament, Jesus wasbaptized at the River Jordan by John.

Rhapsody of Realities. . . A DAILY DEVOTIONALwww.rhapsodyofrealities.org

monday 1SPEAK WORDS FROM THE FATHERFor I have not spoken of myself; butthe Father which sent me, he gaveme a commandment, what I shouldsay, and what I should speak(John 12:49).Have you ever wondered why some of thewords you speak produce the wrong results?Perhaps you’re not speaking words from the Father.Jesus spoke the Father’s words. He knew exactly theright words to say in every situation, to everyone, andconcerning everything. The secret is what He told usin our theme verse.Imagine what transpired in Luke 7:11-17. He wason a journey to the city of Nain, and as He arrived atthe gate of the city, He saw a funeral procession of ayoung man who was the only son of a widow. Movedwith compassion, He touched the casket and said, “ Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that wasdead sat up, and began to speak. And he deliveredhim to his mother” (Luke 7:14-15). He raised thelifeless body of that young man back to life with words!Over a raging tempest, the Bible says, “ hearose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea,6

Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there wasa great calm” (Mark 4:39). It made no difference howturbulent the weather was, Jesus hushed them withwords. The words He spoke came from the Father. Hesaid in John 12:50, “ whatsoever I speak therefore,even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.”We’re to have His kind of results, because theFather has given us words to speak. Don’t speak wordsthat you learnt from the world; speak the Word of God.Get your language from the Word of God. That’s whyyou have to keep studying the Scriptures (2 Timothy2:15). Think and talk like Jesus, and you’ll have Hisextraordinary results.CONFESSIONBlessed be God! My words are divine, infused withpower to change circumstances. The Father’s wordsdwell in me richly, and I speak them forth in wisdom.Hallelujah!FURTHER STUDY:Colossians 3:16; John 6:631-YEAR BIBLE READING PLANMark 9:14-32 & Numbers 7-82-YEAR BIBLE READING PLANMatthew 19:1-12 & Exodus 10Leave comments on today’s devotional atwww.rhapsodyofrealities.org7

tuesday 2BE VIGILANT IN THE SPIRITThey which builded on the wall, andthey that bare burdens, with thosethat laded, every one with one ofhis hands wrought in the work, andwith the other hand held a weapon(Nehemiah 4:17).Nehemiah was faced with an intense oppositionwhen he decided to build the wall ofJerusalem. The Jews’ enemies were determined to stopthe building by slaying the builders. But Nehemiahwasn’t ignorant of their evil plans and intentions.As he led God’s people to build the wall, theyprepared to ward off any form of attack. Each one helda weapon with the other hand, taking every necessaryprecaution against any onslaught from the enemy. Thiswas written for our learning.We’re partners and co-labourers with the Lordin building His Church—His body—winning soulsand carrying out the work of the ministry. While atit, we must be ready to fight against the decrees ofdarkness to force us to live in a world, an atmosphereor governmental system that’s hostile to the Gospel.Satan, knowing that his time is short, is trying tomove ahead to create the environment of the anti christbefore his time. So, we must be on the alert and on the8

offensive. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant .” Bevigilant in the spirit, listening in, and with, your spirit asyou speak in tongues and meditate on the Scriptures.The Lord will give you strategies and guidance on howto effectively dismantle the structures of the adversary.Refuse to be moved by some of the happeningsin the world today—the confusion, fear and deception.By the power of God’s Spirit, we (the Church) areexercising our authority in Christ, bringing in the neworder of things. Get vitally involved in this. Pray likeyou’ve never done! When we call for days of globalprayer and fasting, be a part of it. We’re setting in placea new world order in the Spirit, where the Gospel hasfree course, and in preparation for our soon comingLord. Amen.CONFESSIONI’m strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.He opens my eyes to spiritual realities and unveilsHis thoughts to my spirit. And today, I take charge ofsituations from the realm of the Spirit. I pray againstany attempt of the devil to force the Church of JesusChrist to live in a world of the beast before his time.Until the rapture of the Church, the Name of JesusChrist shall be glorified in all nations. Amen.FURTHER STUDY:1 Thessalonians 5:17; 2 Corinthians 10:3; Ephesians 6:181-YEAR BIBLE READING PLANMark 9:33-50 & Numbers 9-102-YEAR BIBLE READING PLANMatthew 19:13-22 & Exodus 11Leave comments on today’s devotional atwww.rhapsodyofrealities.org9

wednesday 3HAVE NO FEAR OF MAN Be not ye afraid of them:remember the Lord, which is greatand terrible, and fight for yourbrethren, your sons, and yourdaughters, your wives, and yourhouses (Nehemiah 4:14).Many years ago, while I was in the university,the government of the day, a militarygovernment, banned all religious activities on campus.Some of the members of our fellowship came toconvince me to comply, but I had heard from God;He told me to remain on campus.Some of them weren’t ready to stand with me,perhaps, because they were afraid. But if God hadtold me to continue, why should I stop because ofwhat someone said? Always, God’s Word or counselto you is what counts. He made the Vice-Chancellor,Governor, President, Prime Minister, etc.The Bible says the powers that be are ordained ofHim; He put them in office. If they go rogue againstHim by coming up with laws and policies that don’tfavour His righteous cause, you’re not obliged tocomply. No authority supersedes God’s authority. So,I went ahead with the programme I had scheduled oncampus, because I’d rather obey God; and it was aremarkable success.Subsequently, we were never stopped from10

holding services on campus till I graduated. Was Idefying the government? No! I was only obeying theorders of a higher government. It was the same withthe apostles. Peter and the other apostles confrontedthe authorities in their day. Once, they said, “.Youyourselves judge which is right in God’s sight---to obeyyou or to obey God” (Acts 4:19 GNB). As a man orwoman of God, as a Christian, as one who walks withGod, have no fear of men! Have no fear of their lawsor decrees; have no fear of anything. The Bible saysthere’s no wisdom against the Lord (Proverbs 21:30).Human beings can never come together andcome up with enough wisdom or strategy against God.It’s impossible. When you’re walking in sync with Hisplan and purpose for your life, it makes no differencewhat anyone thinks or does; it doesn’t matter thethreats; you’ll win. The opposition may come fromyour family, your city, country, or government; haveno fear, “.because greater is he that is in you, thanhe that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).CONFESSIONI’m confident in the power of God’s Word to putme over always, irrespective of the circumstances oropposition. I stand in faith against any law, decree,government or individuals who have set themselvesagainst the Church of Jesus Christ, and I declare thattheir defence is gone from them! Glory to God!FURTHER STUDY:Psalm 27:1-3; Acts 5:25-29; 1 John 4:41-YEAR BIBLE READING PLANMark 10:1-31 & Numbers 11-132-YEAR BIBLE READING PLANMatthew 19:23-30 & Exodus 12Leave comments on today’s devotional atwww.rhapsodyofrealities.org11

thursday 4KEEP “PUSHING” IN PRAYERConfess your faults one to another, andpray one for another, that ye may behealed. The effectual fervent prayer of arighteous man availeth much(James 5:16).When the Bible says there was no rain inthe land of Israel according to the word ofElijah, it wasn’t that Elijah suddenly woke up and said,“There’ll be no rain in Israel for the next three and halfyears.” No, the Bible says he prayed earnestly. 1 Kings18:42 shows how he prayed; it says Elijah “boweddeeply in prayer, his face between his knees” (MSG).The Amplified Classic version of our theme verseaptly describes this kind of prayer: “.The earnest(heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous manmakes tremendous power available [dynamic in itsworking].” It says the prayer is earnest, and there’s apersistence about it. In other words, it’s a sustainedkind of prayer that’s marked by a deep feeling ofconviction.This isn’t the kind of prayer you pray at the diningtable or when you’re hurrying off to work. There’recertain times and situations where you don’t justspeak the word and go away; you persist in prayer.You keep pushing. You may be saying the same thing,12

but you’re pushing.Jesus did that too in the Garden of Gethsemane.He said the same things in prayer, and He prayed thatway for an hour. It wasn’t a two-minute prayer. Hepersisted, because he understood the stakes of themoment. We’re in a similar moment today. The stakesare high. You’ve got to take your personal prayer lifemore seriously.Always stir yourself and respond to the call andurgency of prayer from your spirit, declaring the Wordand crushing the forces of darkness, in the spirit. It maylook like nothing is changing, but you keep pushing.You might ask, “But when do I stop?” You stop whenyou “know that you know” in your spirit that it’s done!Glory to God! You’ll surely get the note of victory.PRAYERBlessed Father, thank you for the privilege andopportunity of prayer by which I exercise my authorityin Christ, to activate and walk in the consciousnessof the divine presence, and enforce your will in theearth. I’m an effective intercessor through the Wordof faith and earnest, heartfelt, continued prayer. Ideclare that the nations and leaders of the world areunder the divine influence of your mighty power, inJesus’ Name. Amen.FURTHER STUDY:Colossians 4:2 AMPC; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Ephesians 6:181-YEAR BIBLE READING PLANMark 10:32-52 & Numbers 14-152-YEAR BIBLE READING PLANMatthew 20:1-16 & Exodus 13Leave comments on today’s devotional atwww.rhapsodyofrealities.org13

5STAND OUT AND BE COURAGEOUSfridayThere shall not any man be able tostand before thee all the days of thylife: as I was with Moses, so I willbe with thee: I will not fail thee, norforsake thee (Joshua 1:5).Ioften recall how, many years ago, cult activitiesin tertiary institutions were on the rise. SomeChristian groups were threatened and intimidated fromtime to time by these noc

free course, and in preparation for our soon coming Lord. Amen. I’m strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. He opens my eyes to spiritual realities and unveils His thoughts to my spirit. And today, I take charge of situations from the realm of the Spirit. I pray