Divine Encounters

Day 227 Reading: Daniel 9:1 - Daniel 12:13 We are living in perilous times. If in doubt just listen to the news. Hurricanes, storms, earthquakes, heatwaves are all abnormalities we see on earth. Planes disappearing, the crime that is at unprecedented levels in some parts of our world, drug abuse are just a few examples of the depravity we are facing. Many today are dealing with mental health issues partly because of the pressures many are facing. I write this not to mock anyone but the pressures today are unreal sometimes and when one is not grounded they can easily lose focus in life.  Daniel was captured from Judah and taken to live in Babylon. While there he kept studying the prophecies of God. He not only studied the education provided by the government but also privately studied the Word of God. We see he studied the books implying he was a student of the Word of God. In the process of studying, he came to the place of understanding. Daniel had encounters with hea...

Day 207 Reading: Jeremiah 42:1 - Jeremiah 45:5 When life's blows strike us our response matters more than we realise. Many believers today are in a place of bewilderment because life has dealt blows that have knocked the wind out of them. As a result, many are questioning whether God is still God. Reading the Book of Jeremiah I have been encouraged to trust in God at all times.  The remnant children of Israel upon seeing the King of Babylon conquer them asked Jeremiah to seek the mind of God regarding their desire to go to Egypt. The same pattern of thinking that their forefathers had in saying let's go back to Egypt was on display generations after. Many people don't realise the importance of right thinking. God delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt, to desire to go there for safety is a smack to God in the face! When faced with trouble don't allow the thinking of God helps those who help themselves send you to Egypt. It's a death trap! Man...

Day 205 Reading: Jeremiah 35:1 - Jeremiah 37:21 Whether you know it or not; agree to or not, there is a voice that is leading you. There is a voice that directs you. It doesn't have to be audible. It can be written of instructions given to you by another. Many believers today aren't sure whose voice is leading them. You find many seeking a prophet to hear God for them whereas God desires that they hear him personally.  This matter of whose voice are you heeding to is illustrated by Jeremiah when he asks the Rechabites to drink wine in the House of God. Their response is clear that they have nothing to do with wine on the strength of an instruction given to them by their father. Reading this I was amazed at how they followed the instructions of their father to the letter. Many generations passed and they still held to the instruction of their father. I guess another question is where are the fathers to lead by giving life giving instructions. The world today is crea...

Day 128 Reading: 2 Chronicles 30:1 - 2 Chronicles 32:33 Certain things are constant in life. One of them is that as long as you live on earth you will need to learn the art of warfare. Life as a friend told me is not fanfare but warfare. Life is a battle and the enemy will do anything to ensure you are not winning. The Bible has many testimonies of victory in warfare when the children of God have encountered the enemy.  Hezekiah not only restored worship in the temple by opening the doors he also had the people celebrate Passover. The Passover was instituted to be celebrated yearly, yet this had not happened as commanded. The nation had not celebrated Passover from the reign of Solomon a timeline of about 200 years had passed. The children of Israel had not enjoyed the blessings of celebrating the Passover one of them being that the nation would be reminded of the power of God in delivering them from captivity.  Sennacherib arrives in the land of Judah with on...

Day 115 Reading: 1 Chron. 6:1 - 1 Chron. 10:14 Reading through the first ten chapters of 1st Chronicles can be tedious if one is not keen to understand why the genealogy is listed. Why would God's Word have the genealogies of many written out? As I pondered on this I realised a few things. Firstly, the world today is filled with doubters, agnostics, apologists, atheists and every kind of person who has some belief or none existence of belief in God. The genealogy is written to show that God is a God of plan, order and continuity. God is not haphazard in His ways. The book begins with a listing from Adam to the sons of Abraham. From the Creator's first man to the Creator's new man for a new beginning of a nation. We see God listing the genealogy from Adam to Abraham. Adam was created first by God. Abraham would be used to create God's nation. God desires to show us in these first chapters that He is a God of process and order.  Secondly, within the genea...

Day 114 Reading: 1 Chronicles 1:1 - 1 Chronicles 5:26 God is a God of order. Chaos is not His idea. The Bible begins with God introducing Himself as the Creator and the Beginning who brings order to chaos. If God is in every beginning as the Beginner in everything of our lives then we would fight different battles. Many times we are fighting battles that we shouldn't be fighting because we strayed from the place of God. Let God order your steps and begin all that He has planned for your life. The two books of Chronicles are a different summary of the history of Israel from what we have read so far. We shall see more in-depth information about those kings who walked after God. It completely ignores the Kingdom of Israel because of the false worship. The beginning of the book of the first book of Chronicles lists the genealogy of the tribes of Israel from Adam. We learn some insights into the tribes especially the effects of the prophecy of Jacob to his sons. To Reuben Ja...

Day 67 Reading: Josh. 19:1 - Josh. 21:45 I used to wonder whether it's possible for all of God's promises to come to pass. You may say its doubt or unbelief. You might be in shock that I can say that of myself. However, life throws curve balls that leave you wondering whether God's promise will actually come through. Many times when this happens we say all things will work together for good, however, in reality, we are covering up our disappointment for not seeing the promise we held onto fulfilled. There are many reasons why the promises don't come to pass. Unbelief, doubt, fear, are just some of the reasons. Impatience is another reason. God is not a drive by a fast food solution for life. You must learn to understand the power of patience. God's word cannot fail. If a promise has not come to pass don't blame God. Ask why?  Another reason I believe is a question of whether the promise is alive to us. Many times I realised I took a promise and ...

Day 38 Reading: Num. 1:1 - Num. 2:34 Welcome to the fourth book of the Bible, Numbers. It's my prayer that you are staying focused and are learning bit by bit. I am also having fun jotting down these notes. May we have encounters with the Word that are life changing. God instructs Moses to number the people. This was in the second year after leaving Egypt. You may wonder why? We are in the desert why take a census of males aged 20 and above of all tribes minus the Levites? Learn to count your blessings even when in transition. Learn to take stock of what you have before the next season. Be prepared for the next season and that will mean taking account of what you have where you are. A census would also help the children of Israel to see how they have grown from the time they left Egypt. One must learn to recognise growth even in the desert place. Transition doesn't mean you stop growing. The next instruction they receive was how the children of Israel would...

Day 12 Reading: Gen. 37:1-Gen. 39:23 We all have dreams. Whether its the beginning of the year or start of a business, we all have a dream. I dream of making an impact to change generations, to repeal darkness from our lives that our lights may shine ever brighter. Joseph was loved by his dad, Jacob. Jacob loved his mum more than Leah so not surprised that he was cherished more than the other sons. However, I also think that the father saw something special in Joseph that made him recognise him with a special tunic. The father's special attention brought discord. Learn to love your children alike. Be careful who you share your dreams with. I have failed this article of life many a time. Joseph and I suffer from the same disease, verbiosis- made up for telling too much. It's never too late to learn to be quiet and not announce every dream to everyone. Learn to keep quiet. Let me hear of what is happening from the news. Any construction will have a wall around it...