The Children of Ephraim got dressed for battle.
They got dressed, probably to appear impressive to unlookers.
They had all they needed to fight & take territories, but, they bailed out at d last minute...at d critical time.

Psalms 78:9 MSG says;
d Ephraimites, armed to d teeth,

#Shouldn't you rather thank God first, than start with Prayer Points?

God frowns at ingratitude.

Make no mistakes, no one makes progress with ingratitude

The passage below is proof that God frowns at it👇🏼

2.
Luke 17:16 MSG
He kneeled at Jesus' feet, so grateful. He couldn't thank him enough - and he was a Samaritan.
Luke 17:17 Jesus said, "Were not 10 healed? Where are d 9?

V17 is the PUNCHLINE.
Yes, to many, d New Year is just like any other day & to others, it's a special time.

3.
Be that as it may, it would be a great deed to start with Thanksgiving and then follow-up with directions for the year.

*Let me tell you what I do daily.

When I wake up each morning, I am deliberate about Thanksgiving. I thank God for at least One Hour without interrupting

4.
the session with Prayer Points. After the One Hour Thanksgiving Session, I can then switch to prayer points etc.

God has never stopped being good, we've just stopped being grateful.

Thanksgiving never cease because, blessings never cease

You must realize that Ingratitude

5.
stinks and It is easily noticed & conspicuous. It makes the one who is behind your smile to withdraw.

It's been God through the years and Apostle Paul wrote in
Acts 26v22a GNB
But to this very day I have been helped by God.

Satan & his demons are better organized.

We should have been the one taking credit for this.
1.
When Jesus asked , what is your name in Mark 5:9 KJV
And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.

2.
They responded, we are a Regiment, we match together, we are orderly.

Satan has a highly organized and effective army and this is because, his agents or demons are not disorganized as we erroneously think when they come against you and I.

3.
When Satan matches with his demons they all match with a "spirit" of unity.
they accused Jesus of casting out Satan in Satan's name..Luke 11:17-18 KJV
But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house

4.
divided against a house falleth. [18] If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.

Jesus was saying that Satan's kingdom is not divided against itself.

I will also like to remind you that from

5.
Genesis-Revelations you will never find demons fighting demons, principalities fighting principalities, witches fighting witches, its only when we take a look inside d church that we see so much of royal rumble. Ministers of d Gospel fighting each other, churches antagonizing

🔰 *WORD4TODAY* 🔰

**God will lead you out in grand style -Part 5*

*Acts 13:17 MSG*
God took a special interest in our ancestors, pulled our people who were beaten down in Egyptian exile to their feet, *and led them out of there in grand style*
👇🏼
As we draw the curtains on

this verse today, it will make a huge impact and difference in your life.
👇🏼
*Still on David.*
And after the entire paparazzi of his eventually Anointing in his house and even before his brothers, a few things began to play out.

*Firstly* ,
After his grand exit from the

wilderness, *he was sent for.*
👇🏼
1 *Samuel 16:19 MSG*
So Saul sent messengers to Jesse requesting, "Send your son David to me, the one who tends the sheep."

👉🏼Saul was specific with his request. *Inspite of David's background* , a king sent for him.
*Men and women in high

places will need you and send for you* .

*1 Samuel 16:22 MSG*
Saul sent word back to Jesse: "Thank you. David will stay here. He's just the one I was looking for. I'm very impressed by him."
👉🏼You will be the one that will be needed in the palace.

👉🏼You will impress your

A SHORT EXHORTATION, this 1st Day of August.

Theme -A FRESH START.

Today can mark the day God gave you a fresh start..

It can mark the day you had a new beginning and have you celebrating this 1st day of August as a memorial for the rest of your life.

For sure, everyone desires a break from 1 thing or d other, a respite from disappointments, setbacks. That break is called a FRESH START.

We all desire a fresh lease of life from all that has been unpleasant.

1 Sam 7:12b MSG
saying,"This marks d place where God helped us."

This day too can mark d day God Indeed MARVELOUSLY HELPED you

1st STEP

1. Psalms 18:20 God made my life complete WHEN I PLACED ALL d PIECES b4 HIM.WHEN I GOT MY ACT TOGETHER,He gave me a fresh start

A. Place all d pieces b4 Him
B. Get your acts 2geda & quit sulking & whinning

2.
Psalms 32:1 MSG
Count yourself lucky, how happy you must be - you get a fresh start, your slate's wiped clean.

A. After a fresh start, your slate is automatically wiped clean. Nothing to bring you bad memories again. If it's God, then, it is indeed a fresh start, no scars.

3.
Psalms 51:10 MSG
God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis wk from d chaos of my life.

A. Bc, u have a fresh start,it's a GENESIS WK from d past chaos of your life

Hosea 14:5a MSG
I will make a fresh start with Israel. He'll burst into bloom like a crocus in d spring

There is something SINISTER about this picture...

I have often found this pix very intriguing.

Trust me, I am 150% in agreement, but, somehow, I have some reservations with d 1st statement... "It doesn't matter what she did"

I feel this isn't balanced in the real sense of it.

2.
I have witnessed a woman slap her husband while trying to mediate in a domestic issue, yet, the man kept his cool and honoured those of us there by not matching the slap with a corresponding slap or blow...not all men are this patient...

I have witnessed a woman break the

3.
windscreen of her husbands car because he came home late from work the previous night.

I once mediated in domestic violence where the wife hit her mother inlaw because, she (wife) could not stand the attention her hubby was giving his mum...

I have also seen several extreme

4.
cases too. While some kept their cool, others matched it "fire for fire"

#I believe women too should be patient and encouraged to have self control just like we all expect the same from men.

Take it or leave it, it takes grace & a full dose of selfcontrol to b patient

5.
with a violent spouse

Men and women both need to be reminded of the importance of patience, longsuffering, self-control and most importantly, how to bridle the tongue which is the major culprit in most domestic violence..

How balanced it would have been if that 1st statement

WHY SHOOT OUR WOUNDED? - Ps. 109:21-31

A Detroit newspaper reportd that a patient in a local hospital was shot and killed as he lay in his bed recovering from a previous gunshot wound. The victim had been listed in fair condition prior to the shooting and was looking forward to

going home. Hospital patients and employees were stunned. A spokesperson said that nothing like this had happened in the 50yrs of the hospital's existence.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could say the same for our churches and relationships?

Wouldn't it be encouraging if we

were able to say that in 50yrs of meeting together for worship, fellowship and spiritual healing, we had not had a single instance of a wounded member being cut down by the unkindness of a fellow Christian?

Many among us have experienced the pain that David expressed in

Psalm 109. When he was hurt and vulnerable, insensitive people took advantage of him. Certainly, if he had sinned, he needed their loving correction. what he didn't need was their scorn, gossip, and selfish neglect.

Who shoots his foot after stubbing his toe?
No one in his

right mind and neither should anyone with the mind of Christ act unmercifully toward a wounded brother or sister in the body of Christ. Rather, we must "show mercy" (v.16).

Give me, Lord, a lot of mercy
For my fellow men each day,
Mercy in their many failures
As they struggle on

One thing we are all agreed on, is that insecurity does not favour a mass majority of the populace, save for those benefitting from it.

As part of the majority, we MUST all be concerned about peace in our land. Nothing thrives, flourishes or blossoms in times of crises...

If

only we can all spare at least 5mins to pray for our nation...

To those benefitting from insecurity; God says..

Nahum 2:13 MSG
"Assyria, I'm your enemy," says God-of-the-Angel-Armies. "I'll torch your chariots. They'll go up in smoke. 'Lion Country' will be strewn with

carcasses. The war business is over - you're out of work: You'll have no more wars to report, No more victories to announce. You're out of war work forever."

And for our nation, we pray;
Psalms 107:7 MSG
He put your feet on a wonderful road that took you straight to a good

🔰 *WORD4TODAY* 🔰
" *DIVINE ROAD MAP AT DAWN* "

*Acts 16:9 MSG*
That night Paul had a dream: A Macedonian stood on the far shore and called across the sea, "Come over to Macedonia and help us!"
*Acts 16:10*
*The dream gave Paul his map* . We went to work at once getting

things ready to cross over to Macedonia. *All the pieces had come together* . We knew now for sure that God had called us to preach the good news to the Europeans.
👇🏼
Everyone needs a " *ROAD-MAP* " to chart his/her course in life.

It gives direction & a sense of purpose.✔️
👇🏼

God gave Paul his via a dream or what some translation refer to as vision/trance.

👉🏼When God gave him, he went to work at once *(V10)* . No time to waste. It was what he had been waiting for..
👇🏼
Surely, you need a "MAP" for that Project, Mission, Marriage, Business, Ministry,

Academic Pursuit.

👉🏼With this divine map, one thing is sure....You have accurate direction.✔️
👇🏼
There would be challenges on the way, but, because, you know the source of the *"MAP* ", you are convinced His grace is sufficient to take you through.
🙏🏼

📖 *WORD4TODAY* 📖

*Hab 1:5 MSG*
" Look long and hard. Brace yourself for a shock. Something's about to take place and you're going to find it hard to believe.
☝
The last statement i find very intriguing...

👉🏽It strikes one as a statement of CERTAINTY.

"...Something's

about to take place and you're going to find it hard to believe."😱

Brethren, there are things God will do that you will find hard to believe..☑

When Jesus had this strange encounter with Peter by the lake in Luke 5, the resultant effect was unbelievable.😱.. Peter found it

very hard to believe because, the result of the encounter was against all odds.

✔Against the run of circumstances playing out in your life, God will do the unthinkable that will defy human comprehension.
👇🏼
Your testimony will be.. "it could only have been God.. "💃🏼💃🏼

JUDAS -Part 1

Mark 14:10-11
Our text today deals with a man named Judas Iscariot.

He is, without a doubt, d most notorious & most vilified of all d disciples.

His name appears last in every list of d disciples, except in Acts 1, where his name does not appear at all.

2. Every time he is mentioned in the Bible, the Word of God reminds us that he betrayed Jesus .

Judas was a failure as a disciple, and this why...
- He was exposed to the same teaching d others heard.
- He saw d same miracles & was involved in the same ministries.

3. Yet, Judas never came to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
Judas spent 3 years with d Jesus & he died lost.
- The others were converted during their time with d Lord; Judas only became spiritually hard, calloused & hateful.

4.
1. The other eleven disciples were used of God in amazing ways.
2. Their lives demonstrate the truth that common, ordinary people can be used of the Lord in extraordinary ways.
3. Judas, on the other hand, stands as a stark warning about the dangers of wasted opportunities,

5. hardness of heart, wicked lusts, and spiritual carelessness.
While Judas could be considered a failure as a disciple, he was the most successful hypocrite of all time.
1. He played his part so well that no one but Jesus Himself knew that Judas was a fraud and a pretender.