Sing unto the Lord

An Emoji Devotions for Sat 8th May, 2021

Topic: Sing unto the Lord

Highlights: I will sing to the LORD as long as I live. I will praise. Psalm 104:33

Singing is known to fill us with intense feelings of pleasure. When you sing unto God with intention to please him is a great thing to do. You don't need to be an artist or musically inclined to sing unto the Lord. All you need is to just sing words pleasing unto him. 

God loves doing a new thing and renewing our body, soul, and spirit. When we sing Him a new song we are worshiping and praising Him but at the same time we are renewing our minds and souls by remembering the great things He has done.

The Bible never says, let those who have beautiful voices sing, as if natural talent were required to praise God. The Bible just says “Sing!” Over and over, dozens of times, we are commanded to sing: sing to the Lord, sing praises, sing joyfully, sing a new song. Come into God's presence with singing.

The takeaway. Research has shown that singing can be good for you on many levels. It may help lower stress, boost immunity and lung function, enhance memory, improve mental health, and help you cope with physical and emotional pain. Singing unto God is definitely great thing to do.

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 4:24

Hint: Sing a song unto the Lord today.

Prayer: Dear Lord please fill me with the Spirit of Praise to you. Thank you Lord for what you have done for me. Help me to sing new songs to you. Amen.

How do I center my focus on God

 An Emoji Devotions for Thu 6th May 2021

Topic: How do I center my focus on God? Highlight: Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws. Psalm 119:164 Happy new month to you from where you are! I wish all readers of Emoji Devotions glorious manifestations in spiritual awakenings this month. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. When Jesus said "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness". He is pointing to honourable worship and reverence to God. It is Most honourable way to live;- Let me show you something; when you have plans, who do you tell first? The most honourable way is to tell God first about it. By telling God first about your plans in secret shows you have refevence for Him. Note that I do not talk about the things you need*. I say it's most honourable to tell your plans to God first! "Seek ye first the kingdom..." means seek God's approval first before you *do* it. Have you ever prayed like this? "Dear heavenly father, these are my plans for today." As a child of God, our maker is our father and he deserves to truly know what is going on in our lives. Some will say, "is He not God who knows all things?" But If God says " is she not my daughter who has sharp eyes to see, she does not need my help" . Which is more justified? Remember, When God left Job for Satan to handle?, see what happened to him within an hour: Job 1:14b-18 "....They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you (Job)!” If what you are planning is really important then you need to tell God first so you can be justified when you are enjoying the reward. If you do not learn from Job, you can learn from Jesus. Matthew 6:33 That is how to center focus on God. Ecclesiastes 5:2 Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. Prayer Exercise: Give thanks to God for his support and protection. Tell Him about your plans for today, repeat same exercise each day. Write down the transformation you observe at the end of each week?

Travail

 

An Emoji Devotions for Wed 5th May 2021

Emoji Devotional for Friday 20th November

Topic: Travail

Highlights: About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" (which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?". Matthew 27:46

Women engage in painful and laborious effort during childbirth that is why we need to remember all travailing women in our prayers. Psalms 48:6 "Fear took hold upon them there, [and] pain, as of a woman in travail."

With travail there is pain and there are struggles, there is trial and there maybe tribulation. But travail is a positive thing that happens to people in pursuit of righteousness, freedom and Justice because after travail, good things happen and it's a child birth. "And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins [were] in her womb." Genesis 36:27

Are you currently facing a travailing situation in your spiritual life, business, health or even psychologically? In Exodus 18:8 "And Moses told his father in law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, [and] all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and [how] the LORD delivered them."

If you are travailing right now, do not give up, your child (reward) is on its way.

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all." Psalms 34:19

Remember that "Creation may travail in pain but it cannot escape its destiny."

My advise for you is this; when you Travail in life, make sure you travail in righteousness and not for vain conceit. I will leave you with these two Bible verses to ponder on then we'll pray.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:10

And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:17

Let us Pray: Father Lord change my story to your glory. Strengthen me when I pass through difficult times and stay with me in good times. Please Lord, Do not forsake me in Jesus name. Amen.

What Transpired on The Cross

An Emoji Devotions for Mon 3rd May, 2021

Topic: What Transpired on the Cross 

Highlight:

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Cor 1:18

Jesus knows how to do the right thing and why the whole of heaven trust him to go on His mission. The papyrus fragment includes a quote from Matthew 3:16-17, and was the earliest witness to the text of the New Testament when it was discovered. What was found in Matthew 3:16-17  was - "As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” This shows confidence in heaven on what Jesus could do. Like a football fans chanting "This is the best team in the world."

Jesus indeed delivered up to expectations as he did not disappoint heavens by accepting to die. Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” John 7:42 so what transpired on the Cross? Jesus and Archangel Michael went to the realm of the dead in hell to take away Moses's body from the devil as a sign of salvation to humanity. Zechariah 3:1-3 confirmed it :  "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him.  The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. This was later confirmed in Jude 1:9 and 23 "But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 23 save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

Why was redemption for Moses body important. At the Mount of Transfiguration according to Luke 9:29-32 Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus in glory. Likewise in Matthew 17:12  Jesus said "But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Hebrews 9:22.

Jesus on the Cross, and the angels held their peace till his blood was spilled. The Armies of heaven were not allowed to fight. "About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" (which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?").  Matthew 27:46,. Jesus the Messiah was taken as sacrificial lamb to bring salvation to humanity and afterwards the angels began to rejoice.

And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
    and with your blood you purchased for God
    persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
    and they will reign on the earth.” Revelations 5:9-10

It is very important for a Christian to remember that on the same Cross a thief was saved in the physical and a Moses body was redeemed in the Spiritual to show the power in the blood of Jesus as a reminder to the Devil that their sins have been forgiven and hell is not people's home. If you are not born again, You must go to Jesus for the Cleansing power in His blood. All is empowered by Grace of God.

Prayer: Thank You Lord Jesus for your Grace and for healing blood on the Cross. I plea your blood in confirmation that I am redeemed by grace and hell is not my home. Amen.

The place called Succoth

An Emoji Devotions for Sat, 1st May, 2021

Topic: The Place called Succoth

Highlight:

And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth. Genesis 33:17 KJV

Succoth is the area of self realization and maturity. The first place Jacob built himself a house and made booths for his cattles. By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; Esau forgave Jacob's offense of stealing his birthright and invited him to make his home nearby (Genesis 33:12). Jacob chose instead to go in another direction: “But Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built himself a house...Gen 33:17a

There will be a time in your life when you will take a step of maturity. At that time you would have visualized your life, and determined the direction of how and where you want your life to be and then you would have journeyed towards the "Succoth" of life. Do not worry, there may be some unpleasant aspect of life trapped by dark forces following. This is how people were made in the system of life. The dark forces of fear of "if success will continue or fail". The demon is in every family. But as you journeyed to your place called "Succoth" be determined to build yourself confidence on God's word. Do you remember what Jesus said about the wise and foolish builders?

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.  And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27

You need to read and phantom Jesus's words daily from the Bible to build on a good foundation for your Succoth of life. Even in the face of tribulation there is hope for you because Christ in you is the Hope of glory.  Do not worry about things that does not matter anymore, Let Jesus Christ continue to be the Lord over your life. 

Succoth of life is only given by God's grace because it is apportioned only by God and the wise will build on it. Psalm 60:6 says God has spoken from His sanctuary: “I will triumph! I will parcel out Shechem and apportion the Valley of Succoth.

His (Jesus) mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." John 2:5

Prayer: God please take me to the place where you have apportioned for me to build like the Valley of Succoth and give me the grace and wisdom to build mansion on solid Rock. In Jesus mighty name. Amen

Falling Short of Glory

 

An Emoji Devotions for Fri 30th April, 2021

Topic: Falling Short of Glory 

Highlight: 

Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?" John 11:40

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23

If the Gospel has not been preached to you before today you might not be aware of the possibility of obtaining salvation from God; We all need to understand that salvation through Jesus Christ leads us to glory, deliverance and redemption from God. In John 20:29b Our Lord Jesus said .... blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." because believing in God is to be blessed to see his glory. The approval and blessing of God is on the one who have faith in His Son, trusts His Word of truth, and believes the Holy Scriptures.

How have we then fell short of the great beauty, prestige and glory of God? If you have been missing in action of God's glory its because we have not believe in Jesus His son  by trusting in His word. Our Lord Jesus Christ said "if you love me, you will keep my commands And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever. John 14:15-16. You can not obey someone you don't trust. And once you act in your own way somehow you will miss the the glory of God. There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 14:12

It is promised that those who believe and rely on Him will see his glory. Keep your Trust and obedience in Him alone for there's no other way. To be happy in the completeness of life, you need trust and obey the word of God. This is the truth, 1 Samuel 15:22b says "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." 

It is a blessing to anyone who wish to see the glory of God who believe in the son of God that they will have everlasting life. John 3:16 As you keep believing, the glory will become bigger like the day gets clearer. Your unshakable faith in Jesus is your way up to glory. Keep having it. 

Prayer: Almighty God, I beg you for grace and mercy to believe and trust in you for the rest of my life. Give me grace of total obedience to your words and make me dwell in your glory forever. In Jesus name. Amen

Flip your trust to God in Prayer

An Emoji Devotions for This, 29 Apr 2021

Topic: Flip your trust to God in Prayer

Highlight: And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people. Ephesians 6:18

To flip or turn over your trust to the other side through prayer means you are calling for help. That's God's telephone number. Connect with Praise and tell God that He mean a lot to you. When you call someone on the phone for assistance how do you do it? You first greet  and ask about their welfare and afterwards make a request to them if they have time to listen to story surrounding the circumstance of the assistance you need. What is the idea?  God made us in His own image and we have to reach out to him in reverence and awareness that we are talking to the Almighty God. Then we need to cherish and regard him more in our conversation. It is a rare opportunity, yet God have not given us the spirit of fear and timidity. It is important that we should not be afraid to speak our mind intelligibly in the front of our maker. Hebrews 4:16 says "So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." 

When you are flipping your trust to God in prayer it is very important first you close your inner eyes to distractons and you are not making your requests for selfish reasons. The last part of our Bible Highlight told us to always pray for God's people. When you do so - This will prove to God that you are after the wellness of His Kingdom and righteousness. Matthew 6:33 and that you do not worry too much about your basic needs as you trust that God will take care of them. You would have successfully flipped your trust if you let the Spirit of God to lead you. It is very important to pray in the spirit always with all kinds of prayer request. 

As for me I think we should praise God more and make our request little because Psalms 147:5 says Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit. 

Prayer: Lord I am flipping my trust over to you in prayers please accept me by your mercy and do great and wonderful things for me in Jesus name. Amen.