Divine Encounters

Day 272 Reading: Acts 9:1 - Acts 13:52 God is a God of details. Information in the Bible is not given to fill space. There is always a reason for something. While Stephen was being stoned to death a young man was receiving the clothes of others who took part in the stoning. That young man is named Saul. Saul soon is a terror to the church and is given permission by the High Priest to round up the Christians and persecute them. Many of the new believers were of the Jewish heritage and thus this new found faith was threatening Judaism. Saul's mandate was to eradicate these people and ensure the faith he believed in remained intact. On this journey to Damascus, Saul has an encounter that changes his life. God will meet you in the most unlikely of places. No case is too hard for God. Every time I read the story of Saul's conversion am encouraged to know that Jesus cares so much for the soul of everyone. It doesn't matter who you are wherever you are God will reach

Day 271 Reading: Acts 5:1 - Acts 8:40 Only 120 disciples encountered the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Day. By the time Peter had preached the Word of God 3000 souls were added to them. The Bible records that daily the church saw an increase. As I read this statement my heart was stirred to ask what does God use to increase a church? The Holy Spirit. Without the aid of the Holy Spirit, we cannot see growth in church or personally. The power of God is released by the Holy Spirit and this draws people to God. The Holy Spirit is not pointing people to the vessels being used. His role is to point people to Jesus and no one else. When we take the glory the move of God stops. Many believers have seen the power of God. Even more, can tell you of how it used to be but now cannot see the power of God. The main reason being that the fire needed to maintain the move of God is lost because we give the honour due to God to a man. Simon thought he could buy the gift of the Holy Spirit and dis

Day 270 Reading: Acts 1:1 – Acts 4:37 Welcome to the Book of Acts. Every believer living today continues this book. Luke the writer of the Gospel of Luke also writes the Book of Acts. Luke being a medical doctor writes with detail. Each miracle or story told is filled with detail. I can almost imagine him interviewing the participants to get a picture to present to the reader. Jesus while walking on earth kept speaking about the Holy Spirit. In the Book of John Jesus reveals the purpose of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist while announcing Jesus had stated that Jesus would baptise people in the Holy Spirit. The word baptise in the Bible reveals an immersion and not a sprinkling. Jesus is the Baptiser in the Holy Spirit and fire Luke 3:16 .  Why do we as believers need the Holy Spirit? ·       Power for our witness . Jesus directed the disciples to remain in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high. This power would enable them to do exploits. ·   

Day 269 Reading: John 18:1 - John 21:25 God sent His Son on a mission. From the Garden of Eden God had announced His plan for man's redemption. In Egypt, the children of Israel had enacted the Passover meal which led to their freedom. Jesus in dying on the Cross became our Passover. In the law of Moses, the Passover was prescribed as one of the most important feasts during which the children of Israel remembered the Lord's deliverance when the angel of death passed over the houses of the children of Israel.  Matthew in His gospel pointed out that the prophecy of Isaiah that the Messiah would take on our sins, sicknesses, guilt and punishment Matthew 8:17 . Jesus become our Passover and thus He is the Lamb of God slain for you and I. Sickness has no right over you. Jesus took it all. I love what one bishop says, ‘I shouldn’t take back what Jesus has already taken away from me.’ When this reality dawned on me, I said goodbye to sickness. Earlier this year I kept figh

Day 268 Reading: John 16:1 - John 17:26 Your sorrow will be turned into joy! John while writing his gospel only recounts 7 miracles that Jesus did. John reveals to us the most of the instructions and teachings that Jesus gave after the Last Supper. As I have read the gospels I have become more convinced that Jesus came to turn sorrow into joy. Each encounter with Jesus was one where He changed lives. Jesus told the disciples that He would be sending the Holy Spirit to help, guide, teach, and comfort them. As I read today's passage I began to meditate on the miracles of Jesus. I pray the Holy Spirit will breathe on each miracle and bring joy into your life as you read. Jesus turning the water into wine John 2:1-11 . In life, we find ourselves at junctions where everything has run out. Jesus demonstrated that He was bringing a new taste to life and that the latter would be greater than the former. Jesus has the answers to man's disappointments.  The healing of a sic

Day 267 Reading: John 13:1 - John 15:27 The gospels record very many different sayings of Jesus. From the parables to truth declarations He made, Jesus introduces the Kingdom of God in a very personal way. He not only teaches us about the Kingdom but also exemplified life in the Kingdom. The gospel of John records 7 miracles of Jesus and 7 times where Jesus said I am. Today I just want to focus on the 7 I am statements. I am the Bread of Life John 6:35 . Jesus had fed 5000 men and the crowd went looking for Him the following day. Remember that the children of Israel in walking from Egypt to Canaan were fed with manna. Jesus in declaring that He is the Bread of Life was announcing that we should hunger for Him more than manna or the miraculous supply that they had encountered the day before. I am the Light of this world John 8:12 . We live in dark times where many are turning to anything in seeking for direction. Jesus announced that He is the Light of the world. In every

Day 266 Reading: John 10:1 - John 12:50 While growing up my brother and I enjoyed going to visit my grandparents. One of my grandparents kept sheep. My brother and I loved running towards the sheep and playing with the fur. Sheep are obedient animals. My grandfather also kept goats. The goats would be a nuisance going to the tea plantation while the sheep maintained course. Many times Jesus while speaking refers to believers who follow Him as sheep. In Matthew 25 Jesus when speaking of the last days mentioned that there are sheep and goat nations which will be separated. A day is coming where the Shepherd will separate the sheep from the goats. Jesus introduced Himself as the Good Shepherd who cares for His sheep.  Lazarus was a friend of Jesus who definitely understood and saw Jesus as the Good Shepherd. His sisters had entertained Jesus, the Good Shepherd many a time. When Lazarus fell ill the sisters notified Jesus expecting Him to come over and heal His friend. Jesus

Day 265 Reading: John 8:1 - John 9:41 Jesus faced a legal exam. We all face exams in life. Exams are not fun unless its a simple walkthrough with no consequences. I remember sitting for my end of primary school exams and the nightmare of being the first students to sit for an exam no one else had sat for. Yes, students had sat for Maths exams but we now had a language exam and I was never a fan of languages.  Exams require one to know what the answer is. As I grew up I discovered different kind of exams though at the root of every exam is that it seeks to find out if you the examinee are knowledgeable in that area.  One of the most difficult exams is what is called an open book exam. This is the kind of exam where you are allowed to check the books and in some cases even the internet to discover answers to the problem at hand. Now I discovered that this kind of exam is the hardest exam because the question is never straightforward.  The legal exam Jesus faced was open

Day 264 Reading: John 6: 1 - John 7:53 The Word is able to reveal to us our failings and weaknesses. The Word also reveals our hope and the promises we have in God. I don't read the Word because I'm bored or have nothing. I prioritise to read the Word daily because it is Life. I need the Word of God in every arena of my life. Whilst reading through the gospels I have been struck by how much the people sought for Jesus.  One particular occasion the people sought for Jesus after the miracle where He supernaturally fed 5000 men. When they found him after going to great lengths to look for Him they were rebuked. I was a startled because these people really looked for Jesus. he wasn't where they were fed or nearby. He was across the seas. They got on boats and crossed to where He was. That showed initiative and drive to be near Jesus. They were determined to be near Him yet they didn't receive a welcome but a rebuke. As I meditated on this I began to ask mys

Day 263 Reading: John 4:1 - John 5:47 Imagine Jesus walking up to you and asking you to give Him a drink? Stunned am sure you would be. The Samaritan woman responds back to Him asking why He was speaking to her seeing that Jews didn't talk to the Samaritans. Jesus was a barrier breaker. He didn't look at someone's background, beliefs, sexuality to talk to them. He didn't entertain sin but He related to them and gave them life. In the course of the conversation, Jesus tells the lady to go call her husband. Before He could give her the Living Water Jesus needed to deal with a particular issue. You see Jesus and the Samaritan Woman were talking about life for water is a life-giving source. 70% of the human body is water. Who or what gives you life is the crux of this conversation. Many today may look at this lady and be in shock at her turnover of spouses, however, may I suggest to you that in life many of us are suffering from the same plague. As I thought ab

Day 262 Reading: John 1:1 - John 3:36 God has a great plan for you and me. Your circumstances may not appear so, however, let me assure you that God is still on the throne and has not given up. The days we are living in are dark days with sin abounding more than ever. We find today many are challenging the accepted biblical views that have characterised behaviour for generations. As I write this blog, on the news today I heard of a gentleman whose gone to court to request that his date of birth be changed by 20 years.  This world is changing! The Book of John begins in a manner very similar to Genesis. John declares that the Word was in the beginning and makes it clear that there can be no beginning without the Word of God. Any beginning you desire must begin with the Word. When the Word speaks the heavens and the earth move to accomplish the spoken Word. John reveals that the Word of God became flesh. May I encourage you to know that even today God desires that you see th

Day 261 Reading: Luke 21:1 - Luke 24:53 We live a world today full of disparity. The biggest divide we have is between the rich and the poor. Jesus while on earth tackled the issue of wealth many times. Do you know Jesus spoke more about wealth than anything else while here on earth? I know money is a touchy issue, however, we need to deal with it. Jesus observed as people gave offerings in the Temple. Child of God why wouldn't He be watching today? If anything the statement Jesus made about the woman who gave her all reveals what God is looking at in our giving.  A young man approached Jesus asking what he needed to do to obtain eternal life. Jesus replied to the young man and advised that He needed to obey the commandments. The young man replied that He did obey them and at this point asked what more should he do. The young man was obviously hungry for God why else would he be so obedient. Jesus then replies that the young man should sell his belongings and follow Hi

Day 260 Reading: Luke 17:1 - Luke 20:47 Do you feel frustrated? Do you feel like life is passing you and God seems to be far? I know many people who are at the place of giving up. Many today are fighting inner thoughts of failure and have a mental battle to just stay alive. As I was preparing to write this blog after having spent time in the Word I began to feel the need to just encourage myself. Just because it seems that your life and the promises of God are parallel lines don't assume that will be your state forever.  While reading today's passages I was struck by the phrase Jesus used to warn the disciples of the days ahead, 'Remember Lot's wife.' Lot was Abraham's nephew who after seeing his wealth increase and to avoid strife between their herdsmen opted to move to Sodom. He chose where to stay without consulting God. The Bible says he saw the land looked good and decided to settle there, however, Sodom which was where he settled was full of d

Day 259 Reading: Luke 14:1 - Luke 16:31 The thoughts that God has for you are too many to be counted. Jesus while speaking asked the disciples if they knew the number of hairs that fall off their head? Jesus told them that God is so interested in the minute details about us that He knows when one hair falls down. God is so detailed about our lives because He is good. When you embrace the goodness of God by understanding that God's love towards us is immeasurable. Whilst reading today's passages my heart was refreshed as I read a very famous parable featuring the prodigal son.   Jesus tells us of two sons and a father. The younger son asked for his inheritance and left home leaving the elder son and his father.  The younger went to a faraway land and wasted his life. He soon was dead broke, deserted by his new found friends and looking for a job. He soon was working for a farmer feeding his pigs. His job must have been so mundane with low pay as he ate the food the

Day 258 Reading: Luke 12:1 - Luke 13:35 The Law of Moses was about works. You had to do something to attain rightness with God. Jesus whilst walking on earth begins to point out the mistakes of the religious folk. Religion is concerned with actions or works whereas God is interested in a relationship stemming from the heart, a clean heart. As I read today's passages I was struck by how Jesus spoke against hypocrisy especially Matthew 13 .  The word hypocrisy in the bible is from the Greek word hypokrites. This word was from the theatre where an actor in Greek and Roman plays used masks to augment the voice. From this general meaning, the word was applied to people who pretended to be something yet they were not in real life. Jesus warned that we be careful of the leaven of hypocrisy. Yeast is mixed in the dough when baking bread and left to affect the dough. Hypocrisy has a way of affecting every area of life.  Why would Jesus warn the believer of hypocrisy? The followin

Day 257 Reading: Luke 8: 1 - Luke 11:54 We are living in days that are perplexing and yet monumental. Many today are perplexed by the complexities of the world today. Food is so much more expensive all over the world and if food is expensive how much more other necessities of life. At the same time, the world is seeing new inventions and innovation that are changing the landscape. Certain jobs will soon disappear, for example, in the Amazon supermarket, there are no cashiers and even packers. You can't operate today with yesterday's mindset. In the midst of all the challenges, we are facing a faith fight. Our faith is being tested severely.  Everyone has to face storms and no one is exempt. Even Jesus dealt with life storms, for example, He faced no food for a party of 5000 men and uncounted women and children; no place to stay when He was born; He had to flee and lived His first 7 years in a foreign land, and faced stormy weather many times. Yet in the midst of th