Being Like Jesus

THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY (A DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH PREACHER SAM) TOPIC: CAVE OF ADULLAM DATE: 30 SEPTEMBER, 2019 BIBLE READING: 1 SAMUEL 22:1-5 MEDITATION/MEMORY VERSE: PSALM 91:1, 2 (NKJV) He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.” Caves were frequently used as dwelling places (Num. 24:21) or as a place for retreats (2 Sam. 23:13). Sometimes those who had niches in their sides were occupied as burying-places (Jn. 11:38). The Bible is very meticulous about information. Why did the Bible mention the place where that cave was? Because Adullam; though a Canaanite city, was where the glory of Israel had come. Micah 1:15 I will yet bring an heir to you, O inhabitant of Mareshah; the glory of Israel shall come to Adullam. David escaped for the fear of his life from King Saul and retreated in the cave of Adullam, which the Bible also meti...

THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY (A DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH PREACHER SAM) TOPIC: MARANTHA III DATE: 29 SEPTEMBER, 2019 BIBLE READING: 2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5 MEDITATION/MEMORY VERSE: 1 THESSALONIANS 5:2, 4, 5 (THE MESSAGE) You know as well as I that the day of the Master’s coming can’t be posted on our calendars. He won’t call ahead and make an appointment any more than a burglar would… But friends, you’re not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this? You’re sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under open skies and know where we stand. We were not able to exhaust yesterday’s. We were studying the times and seasons of Christ’s return, using Noah’s time as a case-study. And we were buttressing on the increase of wickedness, which we were unable to consummate. When wickedness increase, the love of most believers will grow cold (Matt. 24:12). This had happened in Noah’s time. 2 Peter 3:3-7 Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will co...

THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY (A DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH PREACHER SAM) TOPIC: MARANTHA II DATE: 28 SEPTEMBER, 2019 BIBLE READING: MATTHEW 24:36-44 MEDITATION/MEMORY VERSE: 1 THESSALONIANS 5:2, 4, 5 (THE MESSAGE) You know as well as I that the day of the Master’s coming can’t be posted on our calendars. He won’t call ahead and make an appointment any more than a burglar would… But friends, you’re not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this? You’re sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under open skies and know where we stand. From our Bible reading, Eugene Peterson puts verse 36 in The Message Bible this way: “But the exact day and hour? No one knows that…” So from this, it is clear that the actual time of Christ’s return is unknown. No one can give the exact date of His return. But Apostle Paul, through his first letter to the church in Thessalonica, has made us to know that the day of His return won’t take us by surprise, because we can know when He wou...

THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY (A DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH PREACHER SAM) TOPIC: MARANTHA I DATE: 27 SEPTEMBER, 2019 BIBLE READING: MATTHEW 24:30-35 MEDITATION/MEMORY VERSE: 1 CORINTHIANS 16:22 (THE VOICE) May those who have no love for the Lord be cursed. Maranatha, “Our Lord, come!” Maranatha is an Aramaic phrase used by the early Christians as an invitation for the Lord’s speedy reappearance (cf. Rev. 22:20). Maranatha thus, means “Our Lord, come!” or “Our Lord will come;” according to some, “Our Lord has come.” There’s this ten year old girl who had the privilege to see how the coming of the Lord will look like last year. What she saw is biblical, and so I will cite chapter and verse to support her prophesy. Let us not forget God’s promise for these last days. Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. From her writing...

THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY (A DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH PREACHER SAM) TOPIC: WHEN PERSECUTION ARISES III DATE: 26 SEPTEMBER, 2019 BIBLE READING: ROMANS 8:35-39 MEDITATION/MEMORY VERSE: ISAIAH 40:31 (NKJV) But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. From our Bible reading, Paul had written that persecution and hardship cannot separate us from Christ's love. Before he wrote, “we are more than conquerors.” And from our verse for meditation, Prophet Isaiah started with, “wait on the Lord”, and waiting on the Lord involves bearing the cross (Matt. 10:38; Luke 9:23), then he went on by saying that they shall never be tired of running and walking. Persecution looks terrifying but God says we should take heart, because there's always a prize for enduring hardship (Matt. 5:10-12). Psalm 27:14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lor...

THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY (A DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH PREACHER SAM) TOPIC: WHEN PERSECUTION ARISES II DATE: 25 SEPTEMBER, 2019 BIBLE READING: JOHN 15:18-22 MEDITATION/MEMORY VERSE: 2 TIMOTHY 3:12 (AMP) Indeed, all who delight in pursuing righteousness and are determined to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be hunted and persecuted [because of their faith]. The question is not ARE WE ALL GOING TO FACE THE PERSECUTION? Because we all will face persecution. But the question should be WHY ARE WE GOING TO FACE THE PERSECUTION? Our verse for meditation explains that if we desire to live a godly live, we must be persecuted. Because if Christ the Messiah was persecuted, then we are in for it too. Persecution does not only mean to eliminate a certain group of people, but it means to afflict, harass or punish someone for his/her belief. And yes, there are people like that that loves to frustrate your efforts in serving God. But Jesus said that we should love them (Matt. 5:43-48)....

THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY (A DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH PREACHER SAM) TOPIC: WHEN PERSECUTION ARISES I DATE: 24 SEPTEMBER, 2019 BIBLE READING: MATTHEW 24:9-22 MEDITATION/MEMORY VERSE: LUKE 18:8 (NLT) I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith? Persecution is going to arise before the Son of Man returns (Matt. 24:9, 30, 31). And it is already happening. Some Christians in the Northern part of Nigeria and some other parts of the world are being persecuted for their faith in Jesus. Now why will God allow us to pass through persecution before the Son of Man returns? I believe it's because He wants to probe our hearts and test our faith. 1 John 2:19 These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us. This is an excerpt of a revelation I got while praying in the Spiri...