More than Friends

An Emoji Devotions for Mon 30th November, 2020.

Highlights

Love and faithfulness meet together;
    righteousness and peace kiss each other. Psalm 85:10

Adding someone to your contact or friends-list doesn't make them a true friend. Yeah? A friend is someone we spend good time with, a boon companion (can't do without).

In the highlight verse, we'll see the degree of friendship between Love and faithfulness - they meet together (that's great!). While Righteousness and Peace would kiss (they are married to each other right?) See it's right there in Psalm 85:10.

It's all good. Wherever you see Love you'll find Faithfulness and Wherever you see righteousness you'll find Peace. They both go hand in hand. So, In whatever you do and wherever you go, just be more than just a friend to someone. (By their fruits you shall recognise them Matthew 7:16a) and that settles it. 

Prayer: Good Lord show me favour. Please, Make me more than just friends to someone you chose for me. For you will indeed give what is good to those you love. Amen

Sing Unto the Lord

 Emoji Devotions for Sunday 29, Nov, 2020

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 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.

Time

 An Emoji Devotions for Sat, 28th November, 2020

Highlights

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise Philippians 4:8 NLT


For everything there is a season,
    a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
    A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
    A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
    A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
    A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
    A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
    A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
    A time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NLT

In conclusion: When you are a child, speak and think and reason as a child. But when you grow up, put away childish things. 1 Cor 13:11

Prayer: Thank you father for my time. For I am grateful for yesterday, today and future. Amen

LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE

Emoji Devotions for Friday, 27 Nov 2020

By C.C. Thompson

Highlights

There will be signs.... People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world. Luke 21:25, 26, NRSV. 

John also was a witness of the terrible scenes that will take place as signs of Christ’s coming. He saw armies mustering for battle, and people’s hearts failing them for fear. He saw the earth moved out of its place, the mountains carried into the midst of the sea, the waves thereof roaring and troubled. He saw the vials of wrath opened, and pestilence, famine, and death come upon the inhabitants of the earth. 

Already the restraining Spirit of God is being withdrawn from the world. Hurricanes, storms, tempests, fire and flood, disasters by sea and land, follow each other in quick succession. Science seeks to explain all these. The signs thickening around us, telling of the near approach of the Son of God, are attributed to any other than the true cause. People cannot discern the sentinel angels restraining the four winds, that they shall not blow until the servants of God are sealed. But when God shall bid His angels loose the winds, there will be such a scene of strife as no pen can picture. CTr 316.3

We are standing on the threshold of great and solemn events. Prophecy is fast fulfilling. The Lord is at the door. There is soon to open before us a period of overwhelming interest to all who are living. The controversies of the past are to be revived. New controversies will arise. The scenes to be enacted in our world are not even dreamed of. Satan is at work through human agencies. 

But God’s servants are not to trust to themselves in this great emergency. The program of coming events is in the hands of the Lord. The world is not without a ruler; the Majesty of heaven has the destiny of nations, as well as the concerns of His church, in His own hands...

The important future is before us. To meet its trials and temptations, and to perform its duties, will require great faith and perseverance. But we may triumph gloriously, for not one watching, praying, believing soul will be ensnared by the devices of the enemy. All heaven is interested in our welfare and waits our demand upon its wisdom and strength. In the time of trial just before us, God’s pledge of security will be placed upon those who have kept the word of His patience.

Music vs Mental Disorder

Emoji Devotions for Thu, 26 November, 2020

Highlights: And whenever the tormenting spirit from God troubled Saul, David would play the harp. Then Saul would feel better, and the tormenting spirit would go away. 1 Samuel 16:23

Mental disorder also known as mental illness or nervous breakdown which is described as a period of intense mental distress affects people and render them unable to function in their everyday life.

1 Samuel 16:14 says that "Now the Spirit of the LORD had left Saul, and the LORD sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear."

King Saul the first official King of Israel was having to deal with mental issues which is depression and fear. But somehow King Saul was temporarily able to escape his mental issues through music played by little David.

We can deduce from our highlighted Verse in 1Samuel 16:23 that the music David played with the harp instruments are worship songs. Example of these worship songs can be found in 2 Samuel 22 (also in Psalms 18). Let me show you verses 1-3NLV

David sang this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul. 2 He sang:

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
3     my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
    and my place of safety.
He is my refuge, my savior,
    the one who saves me from violence.

We can learn that if those songs can save King Saul from mental health issues they can save anyone too. These are songs of worship sang to God and songs to testify of God's goodness. Any other type of song apart from these songs may complicate issues.

You too can overcome Mental health issues by

 - learning to play the harp or any musical instruments and sing songs of worship and testimony to God.

Or

- Listening to worship music from anointed worshippers. David was an anointed worshipper who had great faith in God to help in all situations.


Like David we too can love God and trust in His supernatural sufficiency to help us overcome our anxiety and also sing songs of worship to our maker. Suicide, drug abuse, sex, smoking or alcohol are not the solution to mental health breakdown. Anything and any kind of music that does not sing worship and testify of God will not solve mental issues but will rather worsen it.

You may be asking how will you get these things done. Well You cannot get things done just by immediately tuning in to worship songs or learning how to play harp without giving your life to the Lords of worship music. The main first step is Jesus Christ (best choice that work perfectly)

Jesus Christ sent by God from heaven to show us the way is the ultimate solution to our decline in health issues. You must force yourself to learn to trust Him because Jesus is a cornerstone. Anyone who wants to build their life back perfectly must learn to trust Jesus and not reject the cornerstone that will build them.

In Psams 118:22 it's written that "the stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone."

"As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” 1 Peter 2:6

BELIEVE in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved along with everyone in your household. Act 16:31


Prayer: God of miracles who sent Jesus to help save the world. I know you are all  sufficient and powerful. You are greater than all my distress and illness. I trust you can help me with my life. Please help me today as I begin to build back my life through Jesus my cornerstone. I confess I truly believe in Jesus from the bottom of my heart. Come Lord Jesus come now and take over my spirit, soul and body. I'm Offering them to you right now as a peace offering. Please accept it and restore me back. I promise not to forget you all my life. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Grateful for little

Highlights:

Please don’t kill my son,” the baby’s mother screamed. “Your Majesty, I love him very much, but give him to her. Just don’t kill him.”

The other woman shouted, “Go ahead and cut him in half. Then neither of us will have the baby.”

27 Solomon said, “Don’t kill the baby.” Then he pointed to the first woman, “She is his real mother. Give the baby to her.”
2 Kings 3:26-27

Being grateful for little might seems nothing until the following happens.

- until you escape a fierce gun battle that left many dead
- until you escape a fatal accident
- until your life is spared after emergency health issues
- until you escape fire, hunger, thirst, rape, bully, nakedness, famine or sword or distressing mental issues.

You don't have to witness all those things before you appreciate God little things.

Sometimes back I was complaining that a toilet was too dirty and can't magine myself using such things until one moment I was so pressed and someone else was using it then I had to force to understand how little things matter in life.

Like the woman in the highlighted Bible passage, we need to appreciate the fact that we are entitled to be alive. The other careless woman was insensitive little things God had done for her while showing her mischief in public. A disgrace to humanity.

From now on be thankful for shelter, for walking, sitting, eating, seeing, talking, sleeping and waking, fot everything you could and could not imagine. They are great things to be thankful for.

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT

Prayer: God, I am thankful for all circumstances. Life without you is empty. Thank you Lord for standing by me. I trust you will never let me down.

A Emoji Devotions for Wednesday 25th November, 2020

Fear of Defeat

Highlight:

"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat" - Napoleon

Napoleon Bonaparte was a French statesman and military leader who led many successful campaigns during the French Revolution and the French Revolutionary Wars.

According to Napoleon's quote, who is a defeated person?

A defeated person is someone who goes to hide because of fear. The first sign Adam displayed after being defeated by the devil was to hide himself.

Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” Genesis 3:9-10 NLT

Adam had no clue of what to do about his nakedness until God clothed him. That another sign of defeat.

The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. Genesis 3:21 NIV

A defeated person is outdated, worn out and cut off from the working system. Just like outdated cars, worn out engines and a phone without network. A defeated person is the one who is afraid of being defeat. Their mind is already grounded.

"I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back Matthew 25:25 NLT

Jesus is the first solution to defeat syndrome. Trusting Him will force all our fears to bow.

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, Philipian 2:10

You must believe in the Lordship of Jesus over your heart with boldness call His name to force out defeat in your life.

Do not give up, Jesus in you is greater than fear, paranoia, and defeat.

Pray this Prayer: I have Jesus, there is no fear. I will succeed, I will be brave, my life is beautiful. Amen thank you Jesus.

Source: emojidevotions.blogspot.com