Arise and Shine

Daily devotional – Sharing God’s Word..

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  • Lamb of God

    Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He stepped in to be the final and ultimate atonement sacrifice. Once and for all, your sin is forgiven!

    “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.” (1 Peter 1:18-21 NIVUK)

    “They triumphed over him (the enemy) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony;….” (Revelation 12:11 NIVUK)

    Jesus’s blood was shed for you and me and what remains is to accept His sacrifice in faith. Understand the magnitude of what He did for you on the cross and be a living testimony of His finished work!

    “In a loud voice they were saying: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!’” (Revelation 5:12 NIVUK)

  • A journey..

    What journey are you on at this time of your life?

    Do you think and talk and pray about your spiritual journey?

    It is necessary to be intentional in growing deeper in knowledge and wisdom of who God is and who He created you to be.

    “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the LORD is good.” (1 Peter 2:2-3 NIVUK)

    It is possible to find your identity in the greatest journey of all… Jesus’ journey from the Father into this world and back to the glory of the Father.

    “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6 NIVUK)

    In light of the great journey of Christ, your life can be a journey into God. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you. Allow Him to transform and renew your mind. Take that intentional step and discover your true identity in Christ.

    “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25 NIVUK

    “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus…

    ..And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,” (Philippians 1:6, 9-10 NIVUK)

  • Be intentional

    There are some days that you might wake up and feel life’s demands press heavy on your heart. When anxiety grab hold of you and you struggle to see any solutions to your current circumstances, whether it be financial, emotional, relational or any mountain that blocks your vision.

    This is the moment when you have to be intentional, for God gave you EVERYTHING we need to overcome fear and anxiety. He gave you EVERYTHING you need to overcome any circumstance that you might face.

    “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3 NIVUK)

    “Now is the time to explore the adventure of faith!.. Study the full content of faith; discover in faith how elevated you are, and from within this position (of your co-seatedness in Christ), enlightened perspective will dawn within you… Here you will realize your inner strength and how fully competent you are to prevail in patient perseverance in the midst of any contradiction. It is from within this place of enlightened perspective that meaningful devotion and worship ignite!” (II Peter 1:5-6, Mirror Bible)

    This is the time to access all that God freely gave you.. Read His Word and completely trust in what He promise you

    “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19 NIVUK)

    “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10 NIVUK)

    Put all your trust in His ability, not your own.

    But even though God is fully able to protect you and provide for you, you have an intentional choice to make in the midst of everyday life. Intentionally choose to listen and follow His guidance. Listen to the Holy Spirit’s whispers within you. Allow Him to guide you through it with enlightened perspective so that you will realise His powerful strength within you!

    Anxiety and fear is real, but God is greater and He is with you to face the giants. The moment you intentionally shift your focus to His ability to give you wisdom, discernment, strength, and capacity, is when you start accessing His peace.

  • In His faith

    Everything God does for you is accessed through faith. It is not just your own attempt to believe, but a reflection of His faith in you.

    Faith is not something that you need to try and get more of, or try to believe more. Because God created you to be a true reflection of who He is, already have the same quality and quantity of faith that Jesus had.

    “…Even the gift to believe simply reflects his faith! By grace you are! Saved by the gift of faith; grace reveals who we are, and the faith of God persuades us of it! You did not invent faith; it was God’s faith to begin with! It is from faith to faith, He is both the source and conclusion of faith. (Ephesians 2:8, Mirror Bible)

    Therefore, when you take a step of faith, it is in HIS faith that you put all your trust. You can trust God completely, because He had faith in you first. He was so convinced about you that He was willing to let His Son die for you on the cross!

    In all things God is faithful and worthy of your trust. His Word is truth. Faith brings the things God has provided for you from the spiritual realm into the physical realm.

    “Your word, LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures.” (Psalm 119:89-90 NIVUK)

    Trust in His faith-fullness.

  • Allow God full access

    “It’s not about our doing more for God; it’s about giving God more access so He can do more in us.” (Christine Caine)

    “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose.”(Philippians 2:13 NIVUK)

    Invite God into your innermost thoughts and emotions, listen to His prompting and guidance and allow Him to renew your mind to His will.

    It is not by your own effort that you will experience fullness of life or everlasting inner joy, or complete freedom. You will experience it by allowing God full access to every part of your life and by listening to the gentle whispers of His Spirit within you. Stop protesting against Him, but rather allow God to reveal His truth to you!

    “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2 NIVUK)

    The world tries to put pressure on your ability to perform, but when you give yourself wholeheartedly to God, you allow His Spirit to release His power from within..

  • Your heart’s desire

    “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose.”(Philippians 2:13 NIVUK)

    It is God who puts the desire in your heart to align with His purpose and His will..

    The very essence of who you are is a reflection of God’s likeness in you and therefore, the desires of your heart should also be a reflection of what He desire for you.

    And yes..there is an enemy that will try to convince you with lies that your hearts desire is a quick fix to fame and riches, temporary things that never satisfy. The enemy promotes worldly desires of the flesh and when these desires are not met, he whispers lies that God’s not listening and don’t care about you.

    All lies.

    “But those who crave to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish (useless, godless) and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction and miserable perishing.” (1 Timothy 6:9 AMP)

    “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives for ever.” (1 John 2:17 NIVUK)

    The key to receiving your heart’s desire, is for your desires to be in line with God’s desire for you. The desire of your heart should first and foremost be to delight in the Lord. Taking delight in the Lord means that your heart truly find peace and fulfillment in Him. You find your satisfaction and worth in Him and reflect His glory.

    All of the other desires of your heart will be submitted to Him with a renewed mind and then confidently pray, ‘Not my will, but Your will be done.’ Your desires aligned with His will..

    “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.” (Psalm 37:4-5 AMP)

    “[And it is, indeed, a source of immense profit], for godliness accompanied with contentment (that contentment which is a sense of inward sufficiency) is great and abundant gain.” (1 Timothy 6:6 AMP)

    If you truly place priority on God, chances are your heart’s greatest desire will not be worldly riches, but eternal treasures in Christ.

  • Reflecting God’s glory

    “He (Jesus) is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God’s] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power….,” (Hebrews 1:3 AMP)

    As you were created in His image and likeness, and Jesus came to earth as the perfect example of you, you can accurately reflect His glory to the world around you. The Holy Spirit within you gives you all the capability and competence you need to reflect the character of Jesus Christ.

    “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18 NIVUK)

    “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6 NIVUK)

    You radiate with the spiritual presence of God.

    “…be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,” (Ephesians 5:18-19 NIVUK)

    May your heart burst with spontaneous worship this morning. May you start to sing new songs. May God’s glory be visibly reflected in every moment of today. May you be fully aware of God’s tangible presence within you.

    “‘Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.”(Isaiah 60:1 NIVUK)

  • A new song

    “Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvellous deeds among all peoples. For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;..” (Psalm 96:1-4 NIVUK)

    Singing and praising God with new songs.. but why “new” songs? I don’t think there is anything wrong with old and familiar songs, but maybe there is something that God wants you to grasp. A new song is a new revelation of God’s grace and mercies.

    God will never cease to inspire awe in you about the breadth and depth and height of who He is and of His complete love for you in Christ. You get to experience the joy of creating and singing new songs of praise to Him.

    “It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23 NIVUK)

    “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God…” (Psalm 40:3 NIVUK)

    What an awesome way to start this morning.. Singing a new song of praise to God Almighty and to be expectant of what God will accomplish on your behalf today. Be expectant of the miracle that God is well able to do in your life today. God will always meet you at your level of expectation.. Start singing a new song!

  • A healthy self-esteem

    God desire for you to have a healthy self-esteem that accurately reflect your dependence in Him.

    When you live your life according to your own opinion about yourself, you will feel as if you have nothing to offer. You will then act that way. Self-respect is like a self-fulfilling prophecy… If you believe you have what it takes to win at life, you will most likely confirm your own prediction.

    Every time you say or think: “I’m not pretty or smart enough.. I’m not skinny or funny enough… I’m not successful enough,” you are denying that you are fearfully and wonderfully made..

    “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewellery or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” (1 Peter 3:3-4 NIVUK)

    Let your self-worth be depended on your character, attitude, generosity, faithfulness, and most importantly.. on God’s opinion about you.

    “No one has more potential for self-respect and dignity
    than those who learn to see themselves from heaven’s (God’s) point of view. No one has a more healthy and realistic opinion of themselves than those who believe they can do anything God enables them to do. ” Martin R. De Haan II

    “…The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’” (1 Samuel 16:7 NIVUK)

  • Grasp it..

    “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,” (Ephesians 3:16-18 NIVUK)

    To grasp something is more than just understanding it.. It is about making it a tangible part of your everyday life so that you may comprehend the effect and consequences it will have.

    You have full access to an abundant life.. Every day! You can live each day with the knowledge and power of God’s presence that dwells within you, guides you, loves you and protects you. It is in His presence that you experience peace that transcends all your understanding.

    If you can just fully grasp how intimately and completely God loves you..

    “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!…” (1 John 3:1 NIVUK)

    “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe…” (Ephesians 1:17-19 NIVUK)

    If you read this you might understand God’s love for you, but if you grasp it, you will intentionally approach and live each day with a renewed mind. With every step you take, every decision you make, every conversation you have, may you fully grasp how deeply loved, highly favoured and deeply loved you are!