DIVINE WORD MINISTRIES

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 30th NOVEMBER 2024 HELP AGAINST THE ENEMY Psalms 108:12-13 Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless. With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies. (NIV) The Psalmist prayed a great prayer here having recognized that man need God's help to be victorious over the enemy and to be successful in life. He prayed "Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless." The help of a man is limited and it's for a very short time.  And then he declared "With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies." The God who tramples down our enemies is not the God in heaven but the God in us and with us. That's the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God's answer to David's prayer for an aid against the enemy. The Holy Spirit is our aid today against the enemy. If we would walk in our victory over satan and his works we must rely on the Holy ...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 29th NOVEMBER 2024 DESTROY THE DEVIL'S WORK 1 John 3:8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. (NIV) This scripture implies that sin is the devil's work. And says that the Son of God appeared to destroy the devil's work. It's abundantly clear in the scripture that the reason Jesus came was to take away sin; through His death He destroyed sin and its consequences. Hebrews 9:28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many;... 1 Timothy 1:15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners —of whom I am the worst. The Lord Jesus has destroyed the work of the devil; sin and its consequences. Yet we still find people who are in bondage to sin and its consequences. The reason is that it's only through the knowledge...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 28th NOVEMBER 2024 INSEPARABLE ONENESS 1 Corinthians 6:17 But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit. (NIV) When we received Jesus as Lord and got born again we were united with Him; we received His life and Spirit and became one with Him.  We have received the Spirit of Christ; that is what made Him who He is. The Spirit of Christ is the nature of Christ, and it simply mean the being of Christ. Romans 8:9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. We have the Spirit of Christ, we belong to Christ and we belong in Christ. We are not in the realm of the flesh but in the realm of the Spirit, and one Spirit with the Lord. Everyone of us who is born again is joined to the Lord and is one Spirit being with the Lord, in an inseparable oneness. Having rece...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 27th NOVEMBER 2024 HOPE COMES WHEN YOU PRAY Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (NIV) Life's circumstances could be overwhelming. God knows that, that's why He said do not be anxious about anything. Because there is the possibility to be anxious.  One might find himself in a situation that seems hopeless. He looks to the right and left and there seems to be no hope. If you ever find yourself in such a situation, pray. Hope comes alive when you pray. That's one of the blessings of prayer. The Spirit brings you hope and help you see a way forward where there seems to be none.  When you pray hope comes but not a baseless hope. The hope the Spirit brings you in time of prayer is hope of a solution or change to the circumstance at hand. When you pray He shows you what to do or tell you what He will do. So the Bible ...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 26th NOVEMBER 2024 HE WATCHES OVER YOU Psalms 121:3-4 He will not let your foot slip — he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. (NIV) Living in a world full of evil and wickedness only God can protect us. And He does exactly so. Don't live in fear as though you are not safe. No! God watches over you. He will not let your foot slip. You may not have done everything right but God will not let your foot slip. He upholds your foot in life, ministry, marriage, business, finances etc. He has the responsibility to protect you, your responsibility is to yield to Him. Come to think of it, could you protect yourself? Could you watch over yourself while asleep, traveling in a vehicle, in an airplane? Could you protect yourself from your enemy, the devil whom you do not see with your optical eyes? It is God's responsibility to watch over you. He does not sleep nor slum...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 25th NOVEMBER 2024 IF THE LORD DOES NOT HELP YOU 2 Kings 6:26-27 As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him, "Help me, my lord the king!" The king replied, "If the LORD does not help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor? From the winepress?" (NIV) Often when we find ourselves in trouble and in need of help we turn to men. That was the case with a certain woman in the Bible who cried out to the King of Israel for help. The King was the highest personality and in the highest position of authority. The woman believed that he could help her. But the king's response was profound. 2 Kings 6:26-27 As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him, "Help me, my lord the king!" The king replied, "If the LORD does not help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor? From the winepress?" Simply put, it is only t...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 24th NOVEMBER 2024 TURN IT INTO PRAISE Habakkuk 3:17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, (NIV) It's not what happened to you, with you or around you that matters the most but what you make of it. You can turn your challenges into praises. That's exactly what Prophet Habakkuk did in the Bible. He did not deny the facts of the problems that befell him and the whole Israelites, but chose to turn it into praises to God.  Habakkuk 3:17-18 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. Amidst the troubles, challenges and uncertainty you can say 'yet I wil...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 23rd NOVEMBER 2024 IT IS NOT BY STRENGTH 1 Samuel 2:9 He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. "It is not by strength that one prevails; (NIV) If what is required to be a success is mental, physical, financial or political strength then most of the people who failed would have succeeded. But it takes much more than any earthly or natural strength to succeed.  Our theme scripture says it is not by strength that one prevails. Your natural strength would fail you. Your political, academical, mental and financial strength would fail you.  Have you ever said "I have done enough to be a success yet nothing is working." Stop doing what you think is enough, and start leaning on what He has done that is enough. One of the main reasons people fail is their trust in their own ability. Let us read Psalms 20:7-8, Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we tr...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 22nd NOVEMBER 2024 THE GLORY OF CHRIST 2 Corinthians 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (NIV) The god of this age (satan) doesn't mean the god of everyone or the one in charge of this age, rather it means the god of the darkness of this age. That's very important to note. Satan is not the god of this world or the one in charge of things. He is the god of those in his darkness; he is in charge of those in darkness. That's why we preach the Gospel to them to bring them out of that darkness. In our theme verse the Bible says "...the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ."  What is the light of the Gospel? What is the glory of Christ? The light of the Gospel is the truth of the Gospel. And that truth says Christ took our life with its sins and consequences, and gave...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 21st NOVEMBER 2024 SABBATH-REST IN CHRIST Mark 2:27-28 Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." (NIV) Like every of the law of Moses the Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath. The law asked man to rest (sabbath) but sabbath shouldn't be master over him; he shouldn't become a slave to Sabbath. The Lord Jesus said that the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath, and that He Himself is the Lord of the sabbath. Being the Lord of the sabbath doesn't mean He is the maker of the Sabbath. Let us get something from His statement "So the Son of Man is Lord EVEN of the Sabbath." He is Lord even of the sabbath as He is Lord over all else. The Lord Jesus was not subject to anything or the law during His time on earth. He was Lord over all. He didn't have to be subject to a particular day for rest, whethe...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 20th NOVEMBER 2024 THE REALITY IS FOUND IN CHRIST Colossians 2:16-17 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. (NIV) Think about all the things the old testament believers practiced, the Bible tells us that they were all shadow of what was to come; the reality is found in Christ.  In Christ we found the reality of the sacrifices they offered ceaselessly. Their sacrifices couldn't accomplished what they were offered for, because only the reality of such (the real deal) could accomplish that.  Let us read Hebrews 10:1,3-4,10 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming —not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw ne...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 19th NOVEMBER 2024 DECLARED VICTORIOUS 1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (NIV) We have a given victory not an earned victory. We couldn't be victorious over satan, the world and its evils through our effort and strength. But Christ won for us and gave us the victory. And our victory over satan, the world and its evil is legal.  God didn't just declare us victorious over satan, the world and its evil, the Lord Jesus earned it for us. He took up our sins, He went to hell, He fought satan and his cohorts and defeated them completely, and we were in Him, He rose back to life and we were in Him and He gave us the victory.  Colossians 2:15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Jesus defeated and disarmed satan and his demons, triumphed over them by the cross, and gave us the victory. Joh...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 18th NOVEMBER 2024 HE NEVER LEAVES Matthew 28:20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (NIV) The Lord Jesus Christ made the above statement assuring us that He is with us to the very end of this age. He is with us always whether or not we feel so. Don't find yourself asking if the Lord is with you just because things are not going well.  Good times and good things are not a determinant of His presence, but His Word. Only His Word guarantees His presence. And He says I am with you to the very end of the age. He never leaves! He didn't say I shall be with you, but that I am with you.  Hold onto His Word. What He says is the reality. He says never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. Live in this reality. Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 17th NOVEMBER 2024 ALWAYS GIVE THANKS Ephesians 5:20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NIV) Giving thanks to God should be the lifestyle of every Christian. God wants you to always give Him thanks. It is His will and desire for you.  We don't give thanks only for the good times or good things. We don't give thanks to God only for what we can see. In fact, the main reason to give thanks is what we cannot see. The things you don't see are most important. Most importantly give thanks to God for the things you cannot see or do not know.  True thanks giving doesn't have earthly bearing or reason. You don't give thanks to God for a reason you can hold or see. You thank God for who He is. You thank Him because He says you should. Giving thanks to God is an act of obedience and every Christian should. You can notice in our theme verse that it says "always ...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 16th NOVEMBER 2024 HE BRINGS YOU FRUITFULNESS Hosea 14:8 Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? I will answer him and care for him. I am like a flourishing juniper; your fruitfulness comes from me." (NIV) Everyone wants to be fruitful in their endeavour. To be fruitful is to add upon continually. You are fruitful when you add upon your business, finances, marriage etc. But where does fruitfulness come from? No one wants his life or endeavour to be stagnant but to continually increase upon. And true fruitfulness comes only from God. God says "I am like a flourishing juniper; your fruitfulness comes from me." It is God who makes you fruitful. You might think it's your efforts but some people put in more effort than you did. You might think it's your knowledge but some people have more than you. Fruitfulness comes God.  We are agree that fruitfulness comes God. But why then is everyone Christian not fruitfu...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 15th NOVEMBER 2024 HE BRINGS YOU PROSPERITY Psalms 4:6 Many, LORD, are asking, "Who will bring us prosperity?" Let the light of your face shine on us. (NIV) Prosperity is total wellbeing; that includes financial, mental, spiritual, emotional and physical wellbeing. Prosperity is more than riches; riches is included in prosperity.  The Psalmist in Psalms 4:6 says "Many, LORD, are asking, "Who will bring us prosperity?" And he also provided the answer. He said "Let the light of your face shine on us."  The light of God's face is the glory of God. When that glory shines on you it brings you prosperity and enables you to live in it.  When God taught the Priests how to bless the people the main thing was God's face shining on or turned toward them. Numbers 6:22-26 The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons, ’This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: "’"The L...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 14th NOVEMBER 2024 HE SURROUNDS YOU WITH FAVOR Psalms 5:12 Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. (NIV) One of the ways God blesses a righteous person is with favor. He surrounds him with His favor.  God's favor is God's acceptance. His favored one is His accepted one into a special class of special kind of treatment.  Every Christian is favored by God but every Christian doesn't experience the same level of favor. How one experience favor has to do with one's knowledge and recognition of favor. Some Christians never thought that to be a Christian is to be special and to be positioned for special things. And favor works by recognition.  To be favored is to be positioned in a position of advantage. No matter where you are, what you do and with whom you do them you enjoy favor with God and men. Only the one favored of God enjoy true favor with man. The Bible says ...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 13th NOVEMBER 2024 THE NAME OF JESUS Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (NIV) In the above scripture the Lord Jesus instructed His disciples to baptize in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. But throughout the new testament we do not find any record that they actually baptized in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. We only find several records where they baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ. That's very instructive. Acts 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 8:16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS. Acts 10:48 So he ordered that they be baptized IN...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 11th NOVEMBER 2024 RECEIVE MERCY Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (NIV) Mercy is God's tenderhearted love turn towards you absorbing of your wrongs and its consequences, and granting you grace, favour and blessings that you do not deserve. This simply means if you did something wrong or something go wrong in your life go to Him and receive mercy. If you need grace, favour and blessings to be ministered to you go to Him and receive mercy. And you can actually go with confidence. Our theme scripture, Hebrews 4:16 says "Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Receive mercy! Search within mercy the kind of grace you need for the situation at hand and be helped.  It is mercy that preserves you from destruction. It...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 10th NOVEMBER 2024 YOUR LIGHT, SALVATION AND STRONGHOLD Psalms 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid? (NIV) David said with boldness 'the Lord is my light and salvation, the Lord is the stronghold of my life.' That shows he knows the Lord for himself; that tells he had a relationship with the Lord. We too can say the same thing and even more because in Christ we have a greater relationship with God.  The Lord is your light and your salvation, the Lord is the stronghold of your life. Let this truth be your meditation.  The Lord is your light means He is your truth revealer, your illumination, direction and reality. Walking in His light is walking in His truth, illumination, direction and reality.  The Lord is your salvation means that He is your deliverer. He delivers or saves you from trouble and destruction. It also means ridd...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 9th NOVEMBER 2024 HE WORKS IN YOU Philippians 2:13 [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight. (AMP) God does not intend for you to live life on your own strength. The Christian life is lived in the strength of God. For example, the things that we are required to do as Christians are not humanly possible. Let's look at Matthew 10:7-8, it says "As you go, proclaim this message: ’The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give." We can't proclaim the Kingdom, heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the leprous and drive out demons on our own strength. It has to be God working in and through us. And that's exactly what our theme scri...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 8th NOVEMBER 2024 TAKE ADVANTAGE OF GRACE 1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them —yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. (NIV) In our previous article we said that "Grace is the working of the divine essence through a Christian, and that one can grow in it." Another important aspect is to take advantage of grace. It's one thing for grace to be available is another to take advantage of it. Every Christian has grace but not every Christian use grace. For example the Apostle Paul talked about the Israelites whom though God's righteousness was freely available and accessible chose to establish their righteousness. Romans 10:1,3 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 7th NOVEMBER 2024 GROW IN GRACE 2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. (NIV) Grace is the working of the divine essence through a Christian, and one can grow in it. All of the divine essence is resident in every Christian but how much of it works in and through a person is dependent on one's growth.  Though you have received grace there are things that grace can't accomplish for you unless you grow in it. Interestingly grace does not grow in you, rather you grow in grace. And our theme scriptures says to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. And this means that your growth in grace is solely dependent on you. So take action! Growing in grace is growing in knowledge. The more you know Him the more of His grace works in and through you, and for you. Give yourself to studying the Word and applying it in you...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 6th NOVEMBER 2024 GOD'S POWER TO SAVE Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. (NIV) The Gospel is good news. Good news to the poor that in Christ they have been made rich. Good news to the sick that in Christ they have been made well. Good news to the weak and hopeless that in Christ they have strength and hope. This is so because Christ took man's place of sin and its consequences and gave man His life and its blessings.  When you preach to people preach the Gospel. Don't preach your experience, your knowledge or some story. Preach the Gospel! It is the only power by which God saves. When it says power it means right. Simply put "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God's right to save everyone who believes..."  God doesn't have the legal right to save anyone outsi...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 5th NOVEMBER 2024 IT WAS BAKED 1 Kings 19:5-6 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. (NIV) It was supernatural that an Angel of God served Elijah some bread. One could think that the bread came from nowhere or from heaven, but it was not so. It was baked. It passed through a natural process. Some supernatural takes a natural process.  The Angel of the Lord baked the bread Elijah ate. He did not bring it from heaven. The Bible says Elijah look around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals. 1 Kings 19:6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. There was hot coals on which the Angel baked the bread. And...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 4th NOVEMBER 2024 TIME AND EFFORT Ephesians 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. (NIV) You probably have heard someone said "it will change with time" but that's not true. Nothing changes with time without effort. It is the effort you put in that bring about change in the course of time. Time produces result through effort. Time doesn't produce results on it own. Our theme scripture says "redeeming the time", to redeem means to exchange. Simply put "exchanging the time." Exchange your time for value. Everyone has the same allotted time each day and each year yet not everyone exchange their time for something valuable. Some play games with their time, some plan against others with their time, some criticize with their time, some complain, some hate, some plan, some invest, so on and on.  Time only give back to you what you put in. And it takes effort to put in. Time is like a plai...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 3rd NOVEMBER 2024 DO SOMETHING WITH GRACE 2 Corinthians 6:1 As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. (NIV) Grace is the essence of the Divine within you. And it is for expression. People talk about the grace of God in their lives, and confess how much grace they have. Even though there are diverse manifestations of grace yet every grace is a responsibility because grace is an empowerment to do something. You are expected to do something with grace. Apostle Paul urged the church in Corinth not to receive God's grace in vain. There was an expectation on their part to do something with it.  There is no grace for idleness; there is no passive grace. Every grace is active. And there is no receiving only grace, every grace is for giving or serving. Grace makes you responsible and accountable. Apostle Paul tells us something beautiful, that grace is for work. 1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am ...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 2nd NOVEMBER 2024 SPIRITUAL EXERCISE 1 Timothy 4:7-8 Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives' tales. Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness. Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next. (NLT) We engage our body in physical exercises by walking, running, jumping, swimming etc but not many of us give time to spiritual exercise. Yet it is of utmost importance. Physical exercise makes one physically fit, without which there is no other way to get fit physically. In the same way spiritual exercise makes one spiritual fit, without which there is no other way to get fit spiritually.  Man is a spirit and lives in a body. Physical exercise is for the body, spiritual exercise is for the spirit. You exercise your spirit unto Godly expression. If your spirit is not exercised or trained you cannot ex...

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS A daily devotional Pastor Stanley 1st NOVEMBER 2024 FINISH WELL 1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. (NIV) When we started the year it was like starting a marathon race. Some of us started really fast while others started slowly, but what matters is how we finish. And I encourage you to finish well. Our theme scripture implies that if you were actually running a race in the course of this year you would have to really run well in order to win. Maybe you did not start out the year well enough. Maybe things didn't go fast as you planned, but you can still finish well. Maximize the remaining months and days. With the Word and the Holy Spirit you can still achieve much. Your focus should be on how well you can round up the year. What and what can you do more? Don't take your focus too forward into January next year, no! There is more you could do in the remaini...