Divine Encounters

Day 256 Reading: Luke 4:1 - Luke 7:50 Ever been to a launch of a product? I have been to a few launches especially music launches. The glitz, glamour and just the whole atmosphere and auspicious occasion of a launch leaves a person feeling elated and in awe. I have also been to a few church launches. I actually have one I'm attending in a few weeks. The atmosphere of a church launch is very different from a product launch. The atmosphere of a church launch is one full of awe and it leaves a sense of purpose heavy on one's mind and heart. One thing I have learnt about a launch it is the beginning of pursuing purpose.  Jesus while busy with His ministry gets to minister from Peter's boat. He taught the multitudes and then turns to Peter and asks him to launch into deeper waters to catch fish. The timing was not fishing time. They had toiled all night and Peter let Jesus know that they hadn't caught anything. Jesus was not followed by lazy disciples. They fish...

Day 255 Reading: Luke 1:1 - Luke 3:38 Luke the author of the third gospel writes diligently seeking to show the reader of the validity of the accounts surrounding Jesus. The accounts are well researched by an inquisitive mind and thus when one reads the Gospel of Luke we find it contains details that give life to the accounts being told. With this in mind, we see that Luke writes the account of the birth of John the Baptist and that of Jesus differently from Matthew and Mark.  Both Elizabeth and Mary carried children that were of a divine mandate. Mary on hearing the message of the angel Gabriel submits willingly to be used of God. Elizabeth had to deal with the fact that her hubby couldn't talk because he didn't believe the word of God and was thus struck with dumbness until the day he named his son as heaven desired. Elizabeth encourages Mary to believe God because He performs or fulfils His Word. The more I thought on this scripture the more I became convinced...

Day 254 Reading: Mark 14:1 - Mark 16:20 Before Jesus endured the agony of the Cross, He told the disciples of the things that would happen. One of the things He mentioned was that Peter would deny Him 3 times. In fact, when Jesus spoke to the disciples that they would be scattered because of the sifting about to take place Peter vehemently tells Jesus he wouldn't deny Him. From the Upper Room where they celebrated and rejoiced at the feast before God, they went to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus invited the disciples to pray with Him. He knelt and travailed about what was coming. Jesus submitted to the will of God. Meanwhile, His prayer partners were sound asleep. Jesus exhorts Peter to pray because of the temptation coming and spending time in prayer would generate strength not to fail. However, after each hour of prayer that Jesus prayed, He found Peter and the others asleep. Sleep may be depriving you of the strength to prevail over temptation. When Jesus w...

Day 253 Reading: Mark 10:1 - Mark 13:37 Words are powerful. Words are loaded with either life or death Proverbs 18:21 . Many today are suffering from a words-said problem. For example, some people have never become what God designed them to be because someone ridiculed them. Words by an authority carry weight. When a ruler or a person of authority speaks the spoken word it releases or binds the hearers. This is what the Centurion understood when he approached Jesus about his sick servant. He understood that Jesus only needed to speak the Word and his servant would be healed. The Centurion also understood that his part was to believe the word spoken carried authority. The Centurion honoured Jesus as he understood that Jesus operated with an authority that mere men didn't have Matthew 8:5-13 .  Creation reveals to us the power of the spoken word. Look up and see the sky, and remember that God spoke a word calling for a separation of the heavens and the earth. God before ...

Day 252 Reading: Mark 5:1 - Mark 9:50 What are you thinking right now? Do you know that your mind is always having conversations? Actually, science has enabled us to learn that we talk with ourselves mostly. We may not verbalise all the conversations we have internally, however, it's important to understand the implications of what is happening internally. Science has discovered that up to 90% of medical ailments are rooted in our thinking. Truly as Solomon said, as a person thinks so are they Proverbs 23:7 . It's not how you talk or walk but how you think that affects who you are. Our thoughts are important to God not just ourselves. Our thoughts have a big say in our lives. Jesus said that we speak out of the abundance of our hearts, that is we speak aloud from the inner conversations that condition our being Matthew 12:34-35 . Jeremiah declared that God gives us the fruit of our thoughts Jeremiah 6:19 . Your life is the fruit of your thoughts. Your life is not t...

Day 251 Reading: Mark 1:1 - Mark 4:41 The gospel of Mark is a short narrative that displays the power and principles of the Kingdom of God. As you read through the Book of Mark you will discover that Mark's desire was to provide the reader with faith building miracles that remove any doubt of the authenticity of Jesus. While reading today's passages I felt a need to dwell on one of the parables Jesus taught. The parable of the Sower reveals to us the relationship between the heart, the external and internal factors that affect us as we study the Word. I have read the parable many times however after reading the Word, this parable kept playing on my mind. I began to ask myself what is it that God desires I learn about this parable? What is God saying to me?  Jesus in the parable mentioned 4 types of ground that receives the Word. As I meditated on this I realised that many times I have always looked and seen them as four different grounds however God had something d...

Day 250 Reading: Matthew 25:1 - Matthew 28:20 Words are powerful. Ever been to a court of law? When the judge gives a ruling its given in verbatim and written format. When one is marrying vows consisting of words are made. Sign language is an expression of words using signs to convey the words being spoken. Science tells us that women speak more words than men.  Solomon declared that one is satisfied by the fruit of their mouth Proverbs 18:20.   Jesus understood the power of words. He understood that words have an impact. Words are what either make you or condemn you. Jesus  declared that by your words you will be justified or condemned Matthew 12:37 .  Thrice Jesus declared the process of His death and resurrection. I find it interesting that Matthew in writing this gospel noted this. Matthew wanted to convey to us the importance and power of words. He desired that we understood the power of words in shaping our lives. Here was the Messiah provoking th...

Day 249 Reading: Matthew 21:1 - Matthew Matthew 24:51 Hurricanes, storms, tsunamis, floods, droughts, rising sea water levels, heatwaves, forest fires, wars and rumours of wars are all examples of headlines we are seeing. Recently in the news, we saw Asia flooded, USA fighting a hurricane while Africa was also deluged with rainfall that exceeded what had been seen in years. Today no one likes this topic, the end of the world. We are living in the day and age that we need to be aware of the happenings of the last days.  Jesus whilst speaking gave indicators of the last days. Apart from climate change, disasters that we are experiencing, Jesus also mentioned that deception would be high. We are living in a world that is so deceived. Listening to the manner in which many believers relate with others of the faith and even those of the world will show you how much deception is in the world. We pick and choose what to obey of God and think we are walking in truth however God...

Day 248 Reading: Matthew 14:1 - Matthew 20:34 Followers of Christ are to model their lives like that of Jesus. We have a responsibility to not live life aimlessly but with the understanding that when we say we are followers people want to see if we exhibit the characteristics of the person we follow. Jesus while walking here on earth displayed the qualities that God desired we exemplify. One such trait that Jesus displayed was that He is generous. At the root of His life here was a generosity that defied logic. And those who came across Him also were struck by His generosity and sought to partake of it. You may wonder why I say Jesus was generous and this quality drove His ministry. Time and again we read of the compassion of Jesus. This compassion made Him generous to meet the needs of many. Let me share a few examples.  A leper cried to Jesus asking for healing. The response from Jesus was 'I am willing'. As I read the Book of Matthew I find that this was what ma...

Day 247 Reading: Matthew 10:1 - Matthew 14:36 Dear Charles, I sat down and looked at what you are doing for the Kingdom and decided to talk to you. As you read about me in the Book of Matthew I could see your questions about me: ministry, life, well-being and the end. I had the best life growing up. Can you imagine growing up playing with my cousin Jesus as He grew up? We would constantly hear the stories of our births which constantly reminded us of our prophetic destinies.  When the time came I began to preach. I was wholly given to God. I lived a hermits life secluded from society. My dressing really was to preach to all that God didn't use you because you wore the long expensive robes of the Pharisees or Sadducees. My food was a contradiction to everyone's diet. I just wanted to live for God and to fulfil the purpose. I was born to herald the coming of God's Son. I had the privilege of preparing the way before He came. It was my responsibility to announ...

Day 246 Reading: Matthew 5:1 - Matthew 9:38 Ever wondered what exactly the Kingdom of God is about? The children of God were expecting a Messiah who would bring God's Kingdom on earth. Jesus when He began preaching declared that the Kingdom was at hand or nearby. Matthew the writer doesn't waste time revealing to us aspects of the Kingdom. As I read and meditated God stirred my heart to pray for sensitivity and willingness to learn. As human beings we have our ways that we think are the way however while reading the teachings of Jesus one thing I am sure to learn is how much I need to learn to conform to the Kingdom of God. Kingdom Blessings Jesus is the best preacher who ever lived. Many say His best sermon was titled the Sermon on the Mount. In this sermon, called by many The Beatitudes, Jesus declared 9 blessings. Each blessing recorded in Matthew 5:3-12 is not just a blessing that is received by faith. Jesus was declaring blessings for demonstrating qualities...

Day 245 Reading: Matthew 1:1 - Matthew 4:25 A new beginning is here. A new day; the new season is upon us. As we begin this part of this journey may I encourage you to know that your heart will be refreshed as we study the Word. May hope come alive in you. The Book of Matthew was written primarily to the Jews who were expecting a Messiah. The Old Testament contained promises of a Messiah who would save the people from their enemies and set a Kingdom that would be without end. Matthew in writing this gospel sought to show the reader how some of those prophecies aligned with Jesus.  As I read the portion of scripture today a thought struck my mind about Jesus, the temptations and the tempter. Satan wasn't tempting Jesus just using His needs but the enemy was using the same tactic he used in Eden. The devil doesn't have new tricks. In the Garden of Eden, he made Eve to question the Word and thereby her identity. When she conversed with the serpent the question of ...

Day 244 Reading: Malachi 1:1 - Malachi 4:6 The Book of Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament. May I say thanks be to God for helping us get this far. I appreciate your taking the time to read this blog as we journey together through the Bible in one year.  Malachi was prophesying to the children of God at the same time as Nehemiah was rebuilding Jerusalem. Malachi deals with the corruption that is evident in the nation. The priests have become wicked and have no fear of God. The people have violated the law and as Nehemiah and Ezra, both found the priests had married outside of the remit as per the Law of Moses. The priests had married foreigners and the tithe was no longer revered. The priests seem to be living under a false sense of security because they were priests. This false sense of security empowered a deception to take hold of their souls. Reading the Book of Malachi and hearing the many questions God's children have against giving in a church; we also...

Day 243 Reading: Zechariah 11:1 - Zechariah 14:21 Do you wonder what the timeline is in God's eyes? The headlines, the happenings, all the crime, corruption, poor economic news, the debt levels, everything seems to be heading in one direction: bad news. In the midst of the doom and gloom that we seem to live in, there is a story that the world is not paying attention to. Zechariah calls the children of God to attention. Zechariah issues a clarion call that God is coming into the scene and this will have a dramatic effect. My dear reader a day is coming when we shall see God. A day is coming where we shall see Him in all of His glory. It shall be a day of great awe as humanity meets its Maker. This will be a moment where the created meets the Creator. The day of the Lord will be a day where the enemy will be devastated as he will know that his life is over. All those who refused to worship God will worship Him. It will be a day where those who have survived the onslaugh...

Day 242 Reading: Zechariah 7:1 - Zechariah 10:12 I don't know whether you have been a place where it was so dry that you cried for rain. I remember once we had a drought which led to a famine. No rain led to no food for an entire region of the world. It got so bad that the whole world turned to see how to aid the people who lived in that region. The world came together and raised loads of money to feed the hungry. Just recently we had one of the driest summers ever in the West. I don't take for granted that I have been privileged to visit and live in different continents of the world. However, I have come to realise that a drought is no respecter of geography. When a drought hits there is only one thing to cry for. It is Rain. If ever there was a time to cry for the Lord's rain on the earth it is now. The day and age we are living in is one where hearts are battling issues that a mind-boggling. Goal posts are being moved today. We have believers who believe onl...

Day 241 Reading: Zechariah 1:1 - Zechariah 6:15 God's word is powerful. It is backed by Heaven. God backs His Word. Angels perform God's word Psalms 103:20 . God created the world by His Word Genesis 1:3. We live in a day and age where many don't believe in God. The world is in need of men and women who will believe God at His word to see its power released here on earth. A recent survey by the BBC in the UK revealed that 3 in 5 people believe in miracles. People are hungry for miracles.  The Bible gives us clues to seeing miracles in our lives. Zechariah was raised to encourage the people during a time where they were struggling to rebuild the Temple. Zechariah was addressing the children of God who had returned from captivity under the direction of Darius to return home and rebuild their land. God's word will overtake you. If I use the narrative of a car on a highway, the promise may be behind you or far from the view of your mirrors. However, understand ...