Being Like Jesus

  30 DAYS DEVOTIONALS WITH PREACHER SAM THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2022. TOPIC: SONGS OF PRAISE II BIBLE READING: PSALMS 89:24-37 VERSE FOR MEDITATION: PSALMS 36:5 NKJV Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. We come to the end of this journey of exploring on the faithfulness of God. And we are sure that you can judge God faithful and rely on His faithfulness. Songs of praise is not just an attempt to explore God’s faithfulness in the book of Psalms, but it is also an attempt to stir up a heart of thanksgiving and rejoicing. The Samaritan who was also among the ten lepers that Jesus instructed to go show themselves to the priests, came back to thank Jesus after noticing that he was cleansed. And what was Jesus’ response? “Your faith has made you well.” (Lk. 17:11-19). Could it mean that those other nine lepers were not completely made well or cleansed? In Acts 16, after Paul and Silas were being thrown and locked up in prison, t

  30 DAYS DEVOTIONALS WITH PREACHER SAM THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY SEPTEMBER 29, 2022. TOPIC: SONGS OF PRAISE I BIBLE READING: PSALMS 89:1-18 VERSE FOR MEDITATION: PSALMS 40:10 NKJV I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your loving-kindness and Your truth form the great assembly. Last year we said something about songs, that Apostle Paul admonished us to speak to ourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, and that we should sing with grace in our hearts to the Lord. You know, it is after the word of Christ has dwelt in us richly in all wisdom and the Spirit of God has filled our heart that that’s when the former can happen (Col. 3:16; Eph. 5:18, 19). We dwelt on the word of Christ that has produced in our heart the faithfulness of our God, and we can say assuredly that His Spirit has filled and saturated our hearts. And so, we shall be concluding this journey by speaking to ourselves in

  30 DAYS DEVOTIONALS WITH PREACHER SAM THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY SEPTEMBER 28, 2022. TOPIC: THE WORKINGS OF GOD V (THE NAME OF JESUS) BIBLE READING: PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11 VERSE FOR MEDITATION: ACTS 4:30 GW Show your power by healing, performing miracles, and doing amazing things through the power and the name of your holy servant Jesus. Today we will be concluding on this topic; the workings of God. From the New Testament to this present dispensation, all that God is doing is in Christ Jesus. In Hebrews 4, Jesus Christ is the promise of God’s rest (Ref. Matt. 11:28, 29). So God has ceased working (Heb. 4:10), but all His present workings are in Christ Jesus. We see that in Elohim, all things came into being. Now in Jesus, He makes all things new (Rev. 21:5). In El-Shaddai, we have our sufficiency. Now in Jesus, His grace is ever sufficient for us (2 Cor. 12:9). In Yahweh, we have our dependency. Now in Jesus, we can lean on Him (Jn. 13:23) and fully depend on Him too (2 Cor. 1:1

  30 DAYS DEVOTIONALS WITH PREACHER SAM THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2022. TOPIC: THE WORKINGS OF GOD IV (JEHOVAH RAPHA) BIBLE READING: EXODUS 15:22-27 VERSE FOR MEDITATION: EXODUS 15:26 NKJV And said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals.” There are hundreds of names used for God, and each of these names reveals to us the workings of God or how God operates. The name Yahweh, which is God’s eternal name has been expressed in various ways by God Himself. “I am who I am,” is His eternal name to be called what you want Him to be in every of our present situation, that’s why He is “I am.” “God is our… very present help in trouble.” (Ps. 46:1). Yesterday He was, today He is and tomorrow He will be, because “I am” is ever present (Heb. 13:8). Jehovah was latinised

  30 DAYS DEVOTIONALS WITH PREACHER SAM THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2022. TOPIC: THE WORKINGS OF GOD III (YAHWEH) BIBLE READING: EXODUS 3:1-15 VERSE FOR MEDITATION: EXODUS 6:3 NLT I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El-Sahddai- ‘God Almighty’- but I did not reveal my name, Yahweh, to them. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the El-Shaddai (Gen. 17:1; 28:3; 35:11; 43:14; 48:3). But to the Hebrews, He is the Yahweh (Ex. 3:15; 6:3), and this is the name eternally known to them. At the time God was revealing this name to Moses, God was introducing another dimension of Himself which were not known to his ancestors- Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Hebrews have been in slavery for 390 years at the time Moses encountered God, so El-Shaddai had been sustaining them throughout their journey, but their cry showed that they needed a deliverer, and so Yahweh had to be revealed (Ex. 14:14; 15:3). In verse 13 of our Bible reading, Moses asked God that if he would say t

30 DAYS DEVOTIONALS WITH PREACHER SAM THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2022. TOPIC: THE WORKINGS OF GOD II (EL-SHADDAI) BIBLE READING: GENESIS 17:1-8 VERSE FOR MEDITATION: GENESIS 35:11 NLT T hen God said, “I am El-Shaddai- ‘God Almighty.’ Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants! The workings of God reveal who God truly is. The name “Elohim” reveals God as the mighty One, which is also used to refer to other dead gods. But we saw yesterday that the workings of Elohim do not just reveal God as Elohim, but as Jehovah Elohim; this reveals His self-existent nature as the Creator. The name El-Shaddai simply refers to “God Almighty” or “The all-power God.” This name reveals more than “Elohim” as “the mighty One,” it reveals God’s sovereignty as the God Almighty. The name “El-Shaddai” is a Hebrew name for God. “El” refers to “Elohim,” which means “the strong One.” “Shad” is a Hebrew word for “breast”, and “D

  30 DAYS DEVOTIONALS WITH PREACHER SAM THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY SEPTEMBER 24, 2022. TOPIC: THE WORKINGS OF GOD I (JEHOVAH ELOHIM) BIBLE READING: GENESIS 1:1-31 VERSE FOR MEDITATION: GENESIS 2:4 ESV These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.  Our Father has so many names; these names reveal His power, authority and holiness. He reveals Himself to us so we can come to understand the many personal characteristics of Himself. The better we understand and know the names of God, the more personal He becomes to us and as we pray, we can call on His name that corresponds with our need. The names of God were revealed to men based on their relationship or encounter with Him; His workings reveal His identity and His name. For example, the first person to give God a name was Hagar, Sarah’s maid after her encounter with the presence of God, she called Him, “El Roi”, which means, “You are the God wh

  30 DAYS DEVOTIONALS WITH PREACHER SAM THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2022. TOPIC: CHARACTER AND CHARISMA VI- SPIRITUAL GIFTS C (THE MINISTRY GIFTS) BIBLE READING: 1 CORINTHIANS 12:27-31 VERSE FOR MEDITATION: EPHESIANS 4:11 NASB And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers. The last group of the spiritual gifts is the ministry gift. This gift is different from the gift of men, as it helps in the church growth and development while the ministry gift is an office gift for administration and equipping (Eph. 4:11-16). In the gifts of men, there is a place for prophecy and in the ministry gift, there is an office of the prophet. These two are different as we have shared two years ago. But just to add to it, the gift of prophecy can be manifested by all believers (1 Cor. 14:31), but the office of a prophet is a calling from God, and appointed and sent by Jesus (Eph. 4:11; Mk. 3:14). Not everyone is called to be a prophet. An

  30 DAYS DEVOTIONALS WITH PREACHER SAM THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY SEPTEMBER 22, 2022. TOPIC: CHARACTER AND CHARISMA V- SPIRITUAL GIFTS B (THE GIFTS OF MEN) BIBLE READING: 1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-26 VERSE FOR MEDITATION: ROMANS 12:5 NLT So it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. Yesterday we shared that the spiritual gifts are meant to profit the body of Christ. So you see why character must be built primarily, because God’s gift will be abused. Even in the manifestation of the gifts of men, we need to walk in love and remain humbled to bless the body of Christ. The gifts of men are the believers’ services to the development and growth of the church. The character of love and humility is what keeps the believers in unity. The gifts of men have been summarised into seven: prophecy, service, teaching, encouragement, giving, leadership and hospitality (Rom. 12:6-8). The Bible says, “For you can all prophesy…” (1 Cor. 14:31). And also, “So

  30 DAYS DEVOTIONALS WITH PREACHER SAM THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY SEPTEMBER 21, 2022. TOPIC: CHARACTER AND CHARISMA IV- SPIRITUAL GIFTS A (THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT) BIBLE READING: 1 CORINTHIANS 12:1-11 VERSE FOR MEDITATION: 1 CORINTHIANS 12:1 NKJV Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant. Jesus Christ when leaving the earth, told his disciples, “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues.” (Mk. 16:17). The first sign of a believer in Christ Jesus is not the ability to speak with new tongues but to cast out demons. The casting out of demons in its basic form is to resist the devil (Jam. 4:7), and to resist the devil is to refuse the temptations of the devil, refuse to give him a foothold in your life, and subjecting the flesh not to sin against God. This is character! Then after that, you can now talk about the manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit- Charisma. The sign that

  30 DAYS DEVOTIONALS WITH PREACHER SAM THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY SEPTEMBER 20, 2022. TOPIC: CHARACTER AND CHARISMA III- BEWARE OF PRIDE BIBLE READING: 1 CORINTHIANS 8:1-13 VERSE FOR MEDITATION: 1 CORINTHIANS 8:1B-2 NKJV We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. I took a careful study on our Bible reading on the word ‘knowledge’, and I discovered that none meant ‘epignosis’. Anyone who has an experiential knowledge of God will be humbled and his testimony will be, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements and His ways past finding out!” (Rom. 11:33). Our verse of meditation is an admonition to us to stay humbled. There is a kind of knowledge we ought to know, the kind of knowledge that will lead us to know God experientially. The knowledge of God does not puff, but the kind of knowledge that puff is the

  30 DAYS DEVOTIONALS WITH PREACHER SAM THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2022. TOPIC: CHARACTER AND CHARISMA II- GROWING IN GRACE BIBLE READING: 2 PETER 1:2-11 VERSE FOR MEDITATION: 2 PETER 3:18 NKJV But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen. Before you talk about manifesting power, you need to walk in love, and not only that, you need to grow in grace. In fact, without you growing in grace your walk in love won’t be effective. And you grow in grace through the knowledge of God and of Jesus. There are two Greek word for knowledge used in our Bible reading, “epignosis” (vv. 2, 3 & 8) and “gnosis” (vv. 5&6). In verse 12 and 14 of 2 Peter 1, the Greek word there is “eido”. “Eido” is the lowest form of knowledge which means, “to become aware.” “Gnosis” is the next form of knowledge which refers to a general form knowledge. And “epignosis”, the highest form of knowledge refers to intimacy, like

30 DAYS DEVOTIONALS WITH PREACHER SAM THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY SEPTEMBER 18, 2022. TOPIC: CHARACTER AND CHARISMA I- GROWING IN CHARACTER (THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT) BIBLE READING: 1 CORINTHIANS 13:1-13 VERSE FOR MEDITATION: GALATIANS 5:22, 23 NASB But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. The present-day Christianity that we have now is an imbalance Christianity. It is either that they are after power yet godless or they are godly but denying the power of God; a Christian ought to be godly and also powerful. It was Apostle Michael Orokpo that said that Jesus modelled character for 30 years but power for 3½ years. A man of power without character is a man not representing God well. And also, a man of character without power is a man not representing God well. What God desires primarily is character than He desires that every believer must manifest His power. Our Bible rea

  30 DAYS DEVOTIONALS WITH PREACHER SAM THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY SEPTEMBER 17, 2022. TOPIC: THE TRYING OF THE FAITH IV (JOB) BIBLE READING: JOB 1:1-22 VERSE FOR MEDITATION: JOB 23:10 AMP But He knows the way that I take [and He pays attention to it]. When He has tried me, I will come forth as [refined] gold [pure and luminous]. Jesus Christ claims to be the truth (Jn. 14:6). He is the Word of God (Rev. 19:13). So when the Word of God is rightly divided, it sets one free (2 Tim. 2:15; Jn. 8:32). But there are some scriptures that hold many in bondage; one example is the book of Job. Truth, when not guided by the Spirit of truth can lead to error, thus keeping some in bondage (Jn. 16:13). Error is when truth is taking out of context and proportion. God commanded the man, “… you shall not eat…” (Gen. 2:17), but what man told the woman was, “… You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it…” (Gen. 3:3). But Eve must have seen Adam tending every tree in the garden of Eden- that’s touchi

 30 DAYS DEVOTIONALS WITH PREACHER SAM THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2022. TOPIC: THE TRYING OF THE FAITH III (JOSEPH) BIBLE READING: PSALMS 105:16-25 VERSE FOR MEDITATION: PSALMS 105:19 KJV Until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him. Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” (Rom. 15:4). And the writer of the book of Hebrews wrote, “That you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Heb. 6:12). Both books mentioned “patience”. Patience could also be referred to as “longsuffering”. And two days ago, we saw how longsuffering is a way in which our faith is being tried. And like Abraham, the trying revealed faith in him. So what has been written in scriptures were written for us to learn and be encouraged to remain steadfast in God. And we are told to

  30 DAYS DEVOTIONALS WITH PREACHER SAM THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2022. TOPIC: THE TRYING OF THE FAITH II (ABRAHAM) BIBLE READING: GENESIS 22:1-19 VERSE FOR MEDITATION: HEBREWS 11:17 NKJV By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son. Yesterday we started a topic; the trying of the faith. And we will be continuing this journey from today, in the next two days. We will be looking at three Bible characters of whose faith were tried. The test of Abraham was not to produce faith, but to reveal faith. God built Abraham slowly, piece by piece, year by year, into a man of faith. This test would reveal some of the faith God had built into Abraham. And in remembering Abraham’s faith, we should never forget Isaac’s faith. To Abraham, the test reveals his faith in God. To Isaac, the test produces faith in God. The Bible says, “By faith Abraham obeyed…” (Heb. 11:8). Meaning to Abraham, faith is an ac

  30 DAYS DEVOTIONALS WITH PREACHER SAM THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY SEPTEMBER 14, 2022. TOPIC: THE TRYING OF THE FAITH I (LONGSUFFERING) BIBLE READING: 1 PETER 4:12-19 VERSE FOR MEDITATION: 2 TIMOTHY 3:12 NKJV Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. The word, ‘longsuffering’ could literally mean ‘to suffer for a long time.’ But the Bible said of our Lord God that He is longsuffering (Ex. 34:6; Ps. 86:15; 2 Pet. 3:9). How then can we define longsuffering? The word ‘suffer’ as used in ‘longsuffering’ refers to ‘forbearance’ or ‘endurance’. Thus, we can define longsuffering as being slow to anger, to persevere patiently and not to lose heart. It can also be regarded as ‘patience’. For example, ‘longsuffering’ was used in Galatians 5:22, but some Bible versions replaced it with ‘patience’. Apostle Peter in our Bible reading compels us to partake in Christ’s sufferings. What were Christ’s sufferings and how can we partake in it? Earlier in his writi

  30 DAYS DEVOTIONALS WITH PREACHER SAM THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY SEPTEMBER 13, 2022. TOPIC: PEACE BIBLE READING: JOHN 16:31-33 VERSE FOR MEDITATION: JOHN 14:27 NKJV Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Jesus Christ makes us to know that there are two kinds of peace; the one He offers, and the one that the world offers. The world’s peace is external and so it depends on feelings and it must be something that must be seen. But God’s peace is internal and so it depends on faith and so, there is no need to see it before believing in it.  The world’s peace deceives people to think that life is manageable, yet it ultimately fails. But God’s peace is controlled by God Himself and it always endures. Apostle Paul wrote, “And the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Rom. 3:17, 18). Because the world have not known the way of peace, there wi

  30 DAYS DEVOTIONALS WITH PREACHER SAM THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2022. TOPIC: JOY IV (THE WELLS OF SALVATION) BIBLE READING: ISAIAH 12:1-6 VERSE FOR MEDITATION: ISAIAH 12:3 NKJV Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. Isaiah 12 is one of a number of hymns found outside the book of Psalms in the Old Testament. In it, Prophet Isaiah speaks to the Lord (vv. 1-3) and declares the greatness of God to everyone (vv. 4-6). In his worship to the Lord, he praised Him after His anger has passed (vs. 1), he made a declaration of thanks and confidence in the Lord (vs. 2), and the result of the salvation of the Lord (vs. 3). And in his declaration of God’s greatness to everyone, he exalted God among the peoples (vs. 4) and sang praises to the Lord before the inhabitant of Zion (vv. 5, 6). In all, the central focus of this chapter is upon God.  He started his praise by saying, “And in that day…” Meaning he was continuing what he started in Isaiah 11,