✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL

Date: 2020-05-24 (Sunday After Ascension)

✝�TOPIC: MINISTRY GIFTS FOR CHRISTIANS


✝�TEXT: EPHESIANS 4:1-13(NKJV)
1. I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2. with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3. endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4. [There is] one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5. one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6. one God and Father of all, who [is] above all, and through all, and in you all. 7. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8. Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men." 9. (Now this, "He ascended" -- what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10. He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) 11. And He Himself gave some [to be] apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12. for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13. till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

✝�STUDY Our reading today deals with some vital characteristics of a true child of God and some ministry gifts he/she should have. A real Christian must understand that first, he/she is a prisoner for Christ and so must be ready to suffer for the cause of Christ (v.1). Christians should be humble, gentle, patient, tolerate othersand love and work for the unity and peace of the Church (vs. 2-3). We discover that Jesus Christ gave ministerial gifts to the Church. These spiritual gifts enable Christians to serve as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. The main purpose of these gifts is to prepare the people of God for service that would edify the body of Christ (vs. 11-12). These gifts are to be relevant until Christians attain unity in the faith and knowledge of Christ and also become spiritually mature. My good friend, do you have the credentials of a true Christian? Let us aspire to use the gifts that God has given to His church for the purpose for which they have been given. Other spiritual gifts can be seen In Corinthians 12:1-10. Pursue the Christian virtues that were evident in Apostle Paul’s life and it will be well with your soul.

✝� PRAYER: Father, please grant us grace to be humble and to strive for the unity of the church. Amen.

Credits: Daily Fountain Devotional

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL
Date: 2020-05-25

✝�TOPIC: LEARNING THE HARD WAY


✝�TEXT: EXODUS 12:23-32(NKJV)
23. "For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike [you.] 24. "And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever. 25. "It will come to pass when you come to the land which the LORD will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service. 26. "And it shall be, when your children say to you, 'What do you mean by this service?' 27. "that you shall say, 'It [is] the Passover sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.' " So the people bowed their heads and worshiped. 28. Then the children of Israel went away and did [so;] just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. 29. And it came to pass at midnight that the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who [was] in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. 30. So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for [there was] not a house where [there was] not one dead. 31. Then he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, "Rise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel. And go, serve the LORD as you have said. 32. "Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also."

✝�STUDY It is a terrible thing for anyone to learn the hard way. Pharaoh and the Egyptians experienced this. When Moses first asked Pharaoh to let the Israelites go from Egypt, Pharaoh replied that he did not know the Lord and would not oblige (Exo. 5:1-2). It took ten plagues sent by God in Egypt before king Pharaoh finally succumbed to the power of God. The people of Israel had the sign of the blood on their door frames and so were safe (v.23). God struck the first born of Pharaoh, the Egyptians and their animals at midnight and they all died. There was great wailing and mourning throughout Egypt that night (v.30). King Pharaoh that night, released the Israelites to go after suffering a powerful death blow in his land. He learnt the hard way! Beloved, is there anything the Lord has asked you to do but you have not done it? Maybe it concerns your life, family, business or the church. Delay not but rise to the occasion and obey the Lord. Learn from what happened to Pharaoh. Do not let your disobedience bring trouble to others around you. May God bless you today as you always decide to obey Him.

✝� PRAYER: : My heavenly Father, do not allow me to learn the hard way in Jesus name. Amen.

Credits: Daily Fountain Devotional

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL
Date: 2020-05-26

✝�TOPIC: GUIDE FOR GOOD FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS



✝�TEXT: EPHESIANS 6:1-9(NKJV)
1. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2. "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise: 3. "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth." 4. And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. 5. Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; 6. not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7. with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8. knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether [he is] a slave or free. 9. And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

✝�STUDY When good relationships exist in a family, every member is happy. In our text, very good instructions are given to four categories of people found in the family namely: children, fathers and by extension mothers, slaves (workers or house-helps) and masters.Children are advised to obey their parents because it is right and also attracts the blessing of long life on earth (vs. 1-3). Fathers are directed not to make their children very unhappy, rather they should give them godly training (vs.4). Slaves (workers, employees or house-helps) are advised to obey and respect those that have authority over them. They should serve wholeheartedly as unto the Lord since God will reward them some day (vs. 5-. Masters (employers or those who have authority over people) should treat their workers or those under them well, without using threats. They were reminded to bear in mind that God is the master of all men and is no respecter of persons (vs.9). Friend, do good relationships exist between members of your family? Do you have anything against any member of your family? Settle that issue today and establish cordiality between you and that person. Strive to build good relationships. It pays to do so.

✝� PRAYER: Father, please intervene in my family and restore cordial relationships in Jesus name. Amen.

Credits: Daily Fountain Devotional

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL
Date: 2020-05-27 (Children’s Day)

✝�TOPIC: DESIRE CHRISTIAN VIRTUES



✝�TEXT: PROVERBS 22:1-15(NKJV)
1. A [good] name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold. 2. The rich and the poor have this in common, The LORD [is] the maker of them all. 3. A prudent [man] foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished. 4. By humility [and] the fear of the LORD [Are] riches and honor and life. 5. Thorns [and] snares [are] in the way of the perverse; He who guards his soul will be far from them. 6. Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. 7. The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower [is] servant to the lender. 8. He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow, And the rod of his anger will fail. 9. He who has a generous eye will be blessed, For he gives of his bread to the poor. 10. Cast out the scoffer, and contention will leave; Yes, strife and reproach will cease. 11. He who loves purity of heart [And has] grace on his lips, The king [will be] his friend. 12. The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, But He overthrows the words of the faithless. 13. The lazy [man] says, "[There is] a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!" 14. The mouth of an immoral woman [is] a deep pit; He who is abhorred by the LORD will fall there. 15. Foolishness [is] bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of correction will drive it far from him.

✝�STUDY Our text contains many desirable Christian virtues. We shall identify ten of them which are important to a Christian: (1) A good name is very vital (v.1a). (2) To be esteemed is priceless (v.1b). (3) A prudent life avoids problems (v.3a). (4) Humility and the fear of God lead to lasting prosperity (v.4). (5) Train up a child in the fear of God and he will have a good future (v.6). (6) Being generous is a prelude to being blessed (v.9). (7) Avoid mockers and you will avoid quarrels and insults (v.10). ( Have a pure heart and speak graciously and you will be favoured (v.11). (9) Be faithful to God to avoid being frustrated (v.12). (10) Discipline a child in love to mould his character (v.15). Beloved, do you have these virtues in your life? How is your relationship with your spouse? Your Christian walk with God and your relationship with your neighbours will greatly improve if you imbibe the 10 virtues listed above. May the Holy Spirit bring us to the point of desiring these virtues and possessing them in Jesus name! Show your children that you love them.

✝�PRAYER: O God, cause me to desire these Christian virtues and manifest them in my life in Jesus name. Amen.

Credits: Daily Fountain Devotional

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL
Date: 2020-05-29

✝�TOPIC: DIVINE RESTORATION


✝�TEXT: JOEL 2:23-32(NKJV) 23. Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the LORD your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you -- The former rain, And the latter rain in the first [month.] 24. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. 25. "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. 26. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame. 27. Then you shall know that I [am] in the midst of Israel: I [am] the LORD your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame. 28. " And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. 29. And also on [My] menservants and on [My] maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. 30. "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. 31. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. 32. And it shall come to pass [That] whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.

✝�STUDY God’s response when His people repent of their sins and return to Him is captured in today’s text. God wants His people to be glad and to rejoice because of the things He will do for them (vs. 23-24).He promises divine restoration of what was lost by locust invasions. He vowed to bless them with plenty of food and cause them to know that He is God. He will also pour out His Spirit on all people, both young and old. He will show wonders in the earth, Sun and moon (vs. 30-31). Salvation and deliverance are promised to anyone who calls on the name of the Lord (v.32;Rom. 10:13). We have a God who can restore broken lives, unhappy marriages, shattered dreams and whatever that may have been lost or destroyed. Our God gives spiritual gifts to those who serve Him. Has something been lost or destroyed in your life, study, marriage, work or business? If so, take it to the Lord in prayer and expect His divine intervention and restoration. Do you need salvation from sin or deliverance from a demonic attack? Just call on the Name of the Lord and He will surely answer you.

✝�PRAYER: Dear Lord, please restore my fortunes in Jesus name. Amen.

Credits: Daily fountain Devotional

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL
Date: 2020-05-30

✝�TOPIC: POWER TO BE A WITNESS


✝�TEXT: ACTS 1:1-8(NKJV)
1. The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2. until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, 3. to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. 4. And being assembled together with [them,] He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," [He said,] "you have heard from Me; 5. "for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." 6. Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7. And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8. "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

✝�STUDY For one to be a credible witness, one needs to have the power to convincingly say what one has seen, heard, touched or handled (1John 1:1). The passage we read today testifies that Jesus Christ suffered for man, rose from the dead and appeared to His disciples for 40 days, speaking about the kingdom of God (v.3). One important thing He told them was to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit. However, the disciples were more interested in knowing the time for the restoration of the kingdom back to Israel. Jesus quickly told them that it was God who had the absolute authority over such matters and he further told them that they would receive power to witness from Jerusalem to all over the world. Why is it very hard for some Christians to be witnesses for Christ? It is because of their lack of the power of the Holy Spirit. Beloved, do you witness for Christ? Have you been filled with the Holy Spirit of God? If not, please go on your knees and cry unto God to fill you with His Holy Spirit and empower you to be a witness. Trust God for He never fails.

✝� PRAYER: Send down your power, we pray thee O God, send down your Holy Ghost, we say Amen.

Credits: Daily fountain Devotional

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL
Date: 2020-05-31 (Pentecost Day or Whit Sunday)

✝�TOPIC: A GLORIOUS EXPERIENCE


✝�TEXT: ACTS 2:1-21(NKJV) 1. When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and [one] sat upon each of them. 4. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, "Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? 8. "And how [is it that] we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? 9. "Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10. "Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11. "Cretans and Arabs -- we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God." 12. So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "Whatever could this mean?" 13. Others mocking said, "They are full of new wine." 14. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15. "For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is [only] the third hour of the day. 16. "But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17. 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. 18. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. 19. I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 20. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. 21. And it shall come to pass [That] whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.'

✝�STUDY On that first Pentecost day, the disciples were together in one place in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit fell on them and they were all filled (vs. 1-3). The disciples spoke in other tongues as they were enabled by the Spirit (v.4). The evidence of the Holy Spirit outpouring was also noticed by the foreign God-fearing Jews who were in Jerusalem. They heard many people speaking aloud in diverse languages which attracted a crowd (vs. 5-6). The foreign visitors wondered how they could hear the disciples speaking in their various native languages and declaring the acts of God (vs. 7-11). While some out of ignorance marvelled at what actually happened, others mockingly said that the disciples were drunk with wine (vs. 12-13). Peter addressed the crowd and informed them that the disciples were not drunk but had experienced the promised Holy Spirit prophesied by Joel (Joel 2:28-32). Being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues are very essential experiences for every Christian. He gives power for evangelism and to live a spirit-led life. Have you been filled with the Holy Spirit? If not, ask Jesus Christ to fill you now and He will do so (Mt. 7:7-11)

✝� PRAYER: Father, please fill me with the Holy Spirit everyday in Jesus name. Amen.

Credits: Daily fountain Devotional

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL
Date: 2020-06-01

✝�TOPIC: THERE SHALL BE A PERFORMANCE


✝�TEXT: LUKE 1:39-49(NKJV) 39. Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40. and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41. And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed [are] you among women, and blessed [is] the fruit of your womb! 43. "But why [is] this [granted] to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44. "For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45. "Blessed [is] she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord." 46. And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47. And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 48. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. 49. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy [is] His name.

✝�STUDY The text for today is on the visitation of Mary to her cousin, Elizabeth. As at the time of the visit, both were pregnant - Mary was pregnant with Jesus; Elizabeth was pregnant with John the Baptist. As soon as Elizabeth sighted Mary, the baby in the womb of Elizabeth (John) leaped in his mother’s womb.Then Elizabeth, full of the Holy Spirit, began to speak to Mary:“…Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb…and blessed is she that believed for there shall be a performance of those things that were told her from the Lord…” (vs. 42, vs45). Whether by divine favour or by a definite word of God to us, as unto Mary, in order to activate the purpose of God for speaking to us in a particular way, we need at least one thing - believe God. When we do, we engage the integrity of God to fulfil His word to us. Has God spoken to you particularly on an issue? Believe Him for there shall be a performance.

✝� PRAYER: Lord, let it be unto me according to Your word.

*WELCOME TO THE MONTH OF JUNE.*

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL
Date: 2020-06-02

✝�TOPIC: GUARD YOUR CONSECRATION


✝�TEXT: Judges 14:1-11(NKJV)
1. Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. 2. So he went up and told his father and mother, saying, "I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife." 3. Then his father and mother said to him, "[Is there] no woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" And Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, for she pleases me well." 4. But his father and mother did not know that it was of the LORD -- that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines. For at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel. 5. So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Now [to his] surprise, a young lion [came] roaring against him. 6. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though [he had] nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. 7. Then he went down and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well. 8. After some time, when he returned to get her, he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion. And behold, a swarm of bees and honey [were] in the carcass of the lion. 9. He took some of it in his hands and went along, eating. When he came to his father and mother, he gave [some] to them, and they also ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion. 10. So his father went down to the woman. And Samson gave a feast there, for young men used to do so. 11. And it happened, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.

✝�STUDY Here, we see the steps taken by Samson towards his marriage. He saw a Philistine woman in Timnath and the major reason he sought to marry her was her appearance. Samson was not just an Israelite, he was a Nazarite – a consecrated one (Judges 13:5; Numb.6:1-4). It is a strict law of the Old Testament that an Israelite shall not marry a non-Israelite (Deut.7:1-3). So, for an Israelite Nazarite, the standard of consecration and expected holy living is very high; and Samson being such a one, whom he was in God(an Israelite Nazarite), ought to be the primary drive in all his actions – including marriage. However, due to Samson’s determinate lust, God permitted the marriage and used it to destroy some of the Philistines (Judges 14:4). When we consecrate ourselves to live for God, we should walk in tune with that consecration. We should consciously take steps in grace, by faith, to remain within the circle of our consecration to God. We should walk worthy of our devotion.

✝�PRAYER: LORD, help me to guard my life and my consecration.

Credits: Daily fountain Devotional

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL
Date: 2020-06-04

✝�TOPIC: TRANSFERRED AGGRESSION


✝�TEXT: JUDGES 15:1-20(NKJV) 1. After a while, in the time of wheat harvest, it happened that Samson visited his wife with a young goat. And he said, "Let me go in to my wife, into [her] room." But her father would not permit him to go in. 2. Her father said, "I really thought that you thoroughly hated her; therefore I gave her to your companion. [Is] not her younger sister better than she? Please, take her instead." 3. And Samson said to them, "This time I shall be blameless regarding the Philistines if I harm them!" 4. Then Samson went and caught three hundred foxes; and he took torches, turned [the foxes] tail to tail, and put a torch between each pair of tails. 5. When he had set the torches on fire, he let [the foxes] go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burned up both the shocks and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards [and] olive groves. 6. Then the Philistines said, "Who has done this?" And they answered, "Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion." So the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire. 7. Samson said to them, "Since you would do a thing like this, I will surely take revenge on you, and after that I will cease." 8. So he attacked them hip and thigh with a great slaughter; then he went down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock of Etam. 9. Now the Philistines went up, encamped in Judah, and deployed themselves against Lehi. 10. And the men of Judah said, "Why have you come up against us?" So they answered, "We have come up to arrest Samson, to do to him as he has done to us." 11. Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, "Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? What [is] this you have done to us?" And he said to them, "As they did to me, so I have done to them." 12. But they said to him, "We have come down to arrest you, that we may deliver you into the hand of the Philistines." Then Samson said to them, "Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves." 13. So they spoke to him, saying, "No, but we will tie you securely and deliver you into their hand; but we will surely not kill you." And they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock. 14. When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting against him. Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him; and the ropes that [were] on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands. 15. He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and killed a thousand men with it. 16. Then Samson said: "With the jawbone of a donkey, Heaps upon heaps, With the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand men!" 17. And so it was, when he had finished speaking, that he threw the jawbone from his hand, and called that place Ramath Lehi. 18. Then he became very thirsty; so he cried out to the LORD and said, "You have given this great deliverance by the hand of Your servant; and now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?" 19. So God split the hollow place that [is] in Lehi, and water came out, and he drank; and his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore he called its name En Hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day. 20. And he judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

✝�STUDY Samson, believing that he was legally married to the Philistine woman that he abandoned in our yesterday lesson, took a gift and went to visit her in her father's house. He was shocked to learn that the woman he loved and saw as his wife was now married to his best-man! He was angry, and even the offer of a younger, prettier bride didn't appease him. Instead of repenting of his rash decision and like Jacob, seek to resolve his marriage issue with his in-law, Samson decided to revenge on the Philistines – this was a transfer of aggression.
In retaliation, he said "As they(Philistines) did unto me, so have I done unto them(vs11). Transfer of aggression and personal vengeance characterized Samson insincerity to himself and ill decision.
As Christians we need to be sincere to ourselves and take responsibility for our decisions. We do not need to look for whom to blame when faced with the consequences of our rash decisions. Instead we should confess our weaknesses and mistakes to God so he will help right our wrongs. Jesus makes old things to pass away; invite him into your life now!

PRAYER: Lord, teach me to take responsibility for my decisions, forgive me and right my wrongs.

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL
Date: 2020-06-05

✝�TOPIC: DANGEROUS INTIMACY


✝�TEXT: JUDGES 16:1-14(NKJV) 1. Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her. 2. [When] the Gazites [were told,] "Samson has come here!" they surrounded [the place] and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. They were quiet all night, saying, "In the morning, when it is daylight, we will kill him." 3. And Samson lay [low] till midnight; then he arose at midnight, took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two gateposts, pulled them up, bar and all, put [them] on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron. 4. Afterward it happened that he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name [was] Delilah. 5. And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, "Entice him, and find out where his great strength [lies,] and by what [means] we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred [pieces] of silver." 6. So Delilah said to Samson, "Please tell me where your great strength [lies,] and with what you may be bound to afflict you." 7. And Samson said to her, "If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings, not yet dried, then I shall become weak, and be like any [other] man." 8. So the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings, not yet dried, and she bound him with them. 9. Now [men were] lying in wait, staying with her in the room. And she said to him, "The Philistines [are] upon you, Samson!" But he broke the bowstrings as a strand of yarn breaks when it touches fire. So the secret of his strength was not known. 10. Then Delilah said to Samson, "Look, you have mocked me and told me lies. Now, please tell me what you may be bound with." 11. So he said to her, "If they bind me securely with new ropes that have never been used, then I shall become weak, and be like any [other] man." 12. Therefore Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them, and said to him, "The Philistines [are] upon you, Samson!" And [men were] lying in wait, staying in the room. But he broke them off his arms like a thread. 13. Delilah said to Samson, "Until now you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me what you may be bound with." And he said to her, "If you weave the seven locks of my head into the web of the loom" -- 14. So she wove [it] tightly with the batten of the loom, and said to him, "The Philistines [are] upon you, Samson!" But he awoke from his sleep, and pulled out the batten and the web from the loom.

✝�STUDY In our text today, we see Samson being entangled with the opposite sex;this time, with a harlot and another woman named Delilah. He had problem with lust: He saw a harlot and went in to her. This time again, without divine guidance, he saw Delilah and loved her. The choices of the three women that he went after werenot based on his consecration as a Nazarene Israelite or the desire to please God. The flesh governed his relationship with women; he gambled with his anointing and the secret of his uncommon strength. The result was dangerous:He lost his anointing and even his life. It is one thing to be anointed, it is quite another to sustain the anointing. Concerning taking for granted relationships with the opposite sex, the Bible notes: “Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned?” (Prov.6:27). We are being charged to flee from all appearances of evil (1 Thess.5:22) and our relationship with the opposite sex should be with all purity (ITimothy.5:2). To sustain divine anointing, we must be deliberate about holiness and avoid dangerous intimacy with the opposite sex.

✝� PRAYER: Lord, deliver me from unwholesome entanglements.

Credits: Daily fountain Devotional

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL
Date: 2020-06-06

✝�TOPIC: A TRAGIC END


✝�TEXT: JUDGES 16:15-31(NKJV)
15. Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when your heart [is] not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where your great strength [lies."] 16. And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed him, [so] that his soul was vexed to death, 17. that he told her all his heart, and said to her, "No razor has ever come upon my head, for I [have been] a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any [other] man." 18. When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, "Come up once more, for he has told me all his heart." So the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand. 19. Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. 20. And she said, "The Philistines [are] upon you, Samson!" So he awoke from his sleep, and said, "I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!" But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him. 21. Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison. 22. However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaven. 23. Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice. And they said: "Our god has delivered into our hands Samson our enemy!" 24. When the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said: "Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy, The destroyer of our land, And the one who multiplied our dead." 25. So it happened, when their hearts were merry, that they said, "Call for Samson, that he may perform for us." So they called for Samson from the prison, and he performed for them. And they stationed him between the pillars. 26. Then Samson said to the lad who held him by the hand, "Let me feel the pillars which support the temple, so that I can lean on them." 27. Now the temple was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines [were] there -- about three thousand men and women on the roof watching while Samson performed. 28. Then Samson called to the LORD, saying, "O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one [blow] take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!" 29. And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple, and he braced himself against them, one on his right and the other on his left. 30. Then Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" And he pushed with [all his] might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who [were] in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life. 31. And his brothers and all his father's household came down and took him, and brought [him] up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. He had judged Israel twenty years.

✝�STUDY In our text today, we see the unfortunate end of the anointed Samson. After four times of the avoidable error of discussing the source and secret of his strength, Samson, to his destruction, told Delilah the secret of his strength: “Locked hairs as a Nazarene unto God!” In each of the four occasions, Delilah staged the Philistines for Samson’s destruction. Sadly, they eventually captured him, removed his eyes and turned him to a subject of ridicule! At the end, he died with people he was called to conquer! Let us beware: For any inroad we create for the devil into our lives, Satan has set up the enemies to celebrate our downfall. The first target of the enemy is your "locked hairs" of consecreation and age long walk with the Lord, once the "locked hairs" are shaved off by the devil we become weak and mere entertainers to the world. Who or what is your Delilah? detach from that, seek the lord for grace and walk in holiness- that is how to avoid a tragic end.

PRAYER:
Lord help me to end well.

Credits: Daily fountain Devotional

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL Date: 2020-06-07 (Trinity Sunday)

✝�TOPIC: COMPLETE IN CHRIST


✝�TEXT: EPHESIANS 1:3-14(NKJV)
3. Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly [places] in Christ, 4. just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5. having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6. to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. 7. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8. which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9. having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10. that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth -- in Him. 11. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12. that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. 13. In Him you also [trusted,] after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14. who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

✝�STUDY In our Bible passage for today, we see the manifestation of the Trinity- God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit- (vs. 3, vs13) showingthe believer’s position in Christ. God has chosen us in Christand adoptedus into His family through Jesus. In Christ, we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins, making God’s graceabound towards us in all wisdom and prudence. We are therefore sealed with Holy Spirit as a guarantee that He is in us and for us. The implications of these spiritual blessings include thanksgiving and duty. In verse 3, we see thanksgiving: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” The blessings are all-inclusive; we should give Him all the thanks for that. Again, the blessings imply to us the duty of “…walking worthy…” of the position in Christ (Eph.4:1). We are complete in Him.

✝� PRAYER: Lord, help me see clearly my position in Christ

Credits: Daily fountain Devotional

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL Date: 2020-06-08

✝�TOPIC: BELOW EXPECTATION


✝�TEXT: JOHN 14:8-17(NKJV)
8. Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." 9. Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10. "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own [authority;] but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11. "Believe Me that I [am] in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. 12. " Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater [works] than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13. "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14. "If you ask anything in My name, I will do [it.] 15. " If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16. "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- 17. "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

✝�STUDY Jesus had just assured His disciples of eternal rest in heaven and had shown them Himself as the Way to the Father (vs. 2, vs3, vs6). Based on the length of time and the depth of teaching the disciples had enjoyed with Christ, he reasonably believed they knew where and how He was going (heaven). However, they did not know. Again, Philip requested Jesus to show them the Father. Jesus was surprised at the request, and said to him: “Have I been so long time with you, and yet have you not known me, Philip…?” (v. In our walk with God, He expects that after some time with Him, based on His consistent investment into our lives, we should know certain basic spiritual truths and also some foundational revelation of His person. But sometimes,we fall below His expectations. Jesus had been with His disciples for about three whole years of consistent teaching, yet they did not know Him.We need to always ask God to reveal Himself to us; that way, we will follow Him meaningfully.

✝� PRAYER: Help me to know You more, Oh Lord.

Credits: Daily fountain Devotional

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL Date: 2020-06-09

✝�TOPIC: THE VOICE OF THE LORD


✝�TEXT: PSALM 29(NKJV) 1. A Psalm of David. Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones, Give unto the LORD glory and strength. 2. Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. 3. The voice of the LORD [is] over the waters; The God of glory thunders; The LORD [is] over many waters. 4. The voice of the LORD [is] powerful; The voice of the LORD [is] full of majesty. 5. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars, Yes, the LORD splinters the cedars of Lebanon. 6. He makes them also skip like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox. 7. The voice of the LORD divides the flames of fire. 8. The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; The LORD shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh. 9. The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth, And strips the forests bare; And in His temple everyone says, "Glory!" 10. The LORD sat [enthroned] at the Flood, And the LORD sits as King forever. 11. The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace.

✝�STUDY In Psalms, we see the power of God in diverse ways. From our text, we see that this divine power is usually manifest through a definite means: The voice of the Lord. In 5 verses (vs. 4, vs5, vs7, vs8 & vs9), there are many dimensions of the work of the voice of the Lord: It is powerful, it is full of majesty, it breaks cedars, it divides the flames of fire, it shakes the wilderness, it makes animals to reproduce, it clears the forests, etc. There is no limit to what the voice of the Lord can do in any given situation- it can perform any miracle. How do you engage the power of the word of God? You must “…worship Him in the beauty of holiness” (v.2)and also believe Him according to His word to you. As you do that, you will discover that “…the voice of the Lord is powerful…and full of majesty” (v.4). As you face the day in faith and holiness, may the voice of the Lord go ahead of you today!

✝� PRAYER: Lord, let Your voice speak for me today.

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL Date: 2020-06-10

✝�TOPIC: DIVINE WISDOM


✝�TEXT: Proverbs 8:22-29(NKJV)
22. " The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. 23. I have been established from everlasting, From the beginning, before there was ever an earth. 24. When [there were] no depths I was brought forth, When [there were] no fountains abounding with water. 25. Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills, I was brought forth; 26. While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields, Or the primeval dust of the world. 27. When He prepared the heavens, I [was] there, When He drew a circle on the face of the deep, 28. When He established the clouds above, When He strengthened the fountains of the deep, 29. When He assigned to the sea its limit, So that the waters would not transgress His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth,

✝�STUDY Today’s passage revealsthe excellent wisdom of God.It contains the wisdom of Godbefore the creation (vs. 22-26)and the creative power of the wisdom of God (vs. 27-29). This wisdom of God foreshadows Christ as the creative Word that brought everything into being (John 1:1-4; Col. 2:3). Christ is the Wisdom of God. One of the lessons from our reading today is that the power and splendour of God, seen all around us in creation, are evidence of what God's wisdom can do. When we belong to Jesus Christ and walk in His wisdom, all of creation works for us; if we rebel against His wisdom and will, things start to work against us. Jonah discovered this when he tried to run away from the Lord. As we see the wisdom of God around us in all created things (both visible and invisible), we owe God genuine worship and sincere reverence.

✝� PRAYER: Give me more of Your wisdom, Oh Lord.

DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL Date: 2020-06-11 (St. Barnabas Day)

TOPIC: THE SON OF ENCOURAGEMENT


✝�TEXT: ACTS 11:19-30(NKJV) 19. Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. 20. But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. 22. Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. 23. When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. 24. For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. 25. Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. 26. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. 27. And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28. Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. 29. Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. 30. This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.

✝�STUDY When the saints were scattered abroad during Saul's persecution of the church (Acts 8:1), some of them ended up in Antioch, the capital of Syria, 300 miles north of Jerusalem. The church saw Antioch as a missionary opportunity, so the elders of the church commissioned Barnabas to go there to find out what was going on among the Gentiles. Barnabas was a righteous man and filled with the Spirit. Worshiping with Gentiles was a new experience for him, but he approached it positively and did not look for things to criticise. He gave thanks to God for His grace and taught them to “...cleave to the Lord…”and by his ministry,"many people were added to the Lord" (Acts 11:24). When a child of God is grounded in the Word, he/she will have a strong witness to the lost, and there will be a balance in the church between edification and evangelism, worship and witnessing.Like Barnabas, may God give you the grace to be a "son (or a daughter) of encouragement" (Acts 4:36).

✝� PRAYER: Lord, please send labourers intoYour vineyard!

Credits: Daily fountain Devotional

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL Date: 2020-06-12

✝�TOPIC: DANIEL INTERPRETS A DREAM


✝�TEXT: Daniel 4:19-30(NKJV) 19. Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for a time, and his thoughts troubled him. [So] the king spoke, and said, "Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation trouble you." Belteshazzar answered and said, "My lord, [may] the dream concern those who hate you, and its interpretation concern your enemies! 20. The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which [could be seen] by all the earth, 21. whose leaves [were] lovely and its fruit abundant, in which [was] food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home -- 22. it [is] you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the end of the earth. 23. And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, 'Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump and roots in the earth, [bound] with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field; let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him'; 24. this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: 25. They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses. 26. And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump [and] roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know that Heaven rules. 27. Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by [being] righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to [the] poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity." 28. All [this] came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29. At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. 30. The king spoke, saying, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?"

✝�STUDY King Nebuchadnezzar had a terrifying dream. He was disturbed and needed an interpretation of the dream, so Daniel was called to interpret it. After hearing the description of the dream, Daniel was visibly troubled because he saw what lay ahead of the king. He tactfully prepared the king for the bad news by saying that he wished the dream applied to the king’s enemies and not to the king. Daniel had a great personal concern for the king and wanted him to know the true and living God. From the passage, we learn that God alone is sovereign and will not permit mortals to usurp His throne or take credit for His works. We are but creatures, and God is the Creator; we are only subjects, but He is the King of kings. When human beings refuse to submit themselves to God as creatures made in His image, they put themselves in grave danger of descending to the level of animals. Again, we need people like Daniel in our nation that will tell the ‘kings’ the truth as it is.

✝� PRAYER: Help us to know the truth, say it and stand by it, Oh Lord!

Credits: Daily fountain Devotional

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL Date: 2020-06-13

✝�TOPIC: A TIMELY CONCERN


✝�TEXT: Judges 17:1-13(NKJV) 1. Now there was a man from the mountains of Ephraim, whose name [was] Micah. 2. And he said to his mother, "The eleven hundred [shekels] of silver that were taken from you, and on which you put a curse, even saying it in my ears -- here [is] the silver with me; I took it." And his mother said, "[May you be] blessed by the LORD, my son!" 3. So when he had returned the eleven hundred [shekels] of silver to his mother, his mother said, "I had wholly dedicated the silver from my hand to the LORD for my son, to make a carved image and a molded image; now therefore, I will return it to you." 4. Thus he returned the silver to his mother. Then his mother took two hundred [shekels] of silver and gave them to the silversmith, and he made it into a carved image and a molded image; and they were in the house of Micah. 5. The man Micah had a shrine, and made an ephod and household idols; and he consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. 6. In those days [there was] no king in Israel; everyone did [what was] right in his own eyes. 7. Now there was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah; he [was] a Levite, and was staying there. 8. The man departed from the city of Bethlehem in Judah to stay wherever he could find [a place.] Then he came to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. 9. And Micah said to him, "Where do you come from?" So he said to him, "I [am] a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am on my way to find [a place] to stay." 10. Micah said to him, "Dwell with me, and be a father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten [shekels] of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your sustenance." So the Levite went in. 11. Then the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man became like one of his sons to him. 12. So Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and lived in the house of Micah. 13. Then Micah said, "Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, since I have a Levite as priest!"

✝�STUDY: Our text speaks of a man whostole 1,100 shekels of silver from his mother, and she pronounced a curse on him, not knowing that she was cursing her own son. Possibly, the fear of the curse, not the fear of the Lord, motivated the son to confess his crime and restore the money. Then his mother joyfully neutralised the curse by blessing him. In gratitude for the return of her money, she dedicated part of the silver to the Lord and made an idol out of it. Her son added another dimension to the new idol by hiring a priest whom Micah installed and paid as a family priest. Family idol and hireling ministry were major challengesfor Israel in those days. Today, for some families, their idol is money, fame, worldliness, etc. Whatever it is, we need to urgently take it away. Again, ‘hireling ministry’ – ministering for money and survival reasons also destroy the effectiveness of such ministry. The two issues are matters of timely concern for the church to address immediately

✝� PRAYER: Lord, deliver me from idols and every wrong motive in serving You!

Credits: Daily fountain Devotional

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL Date: 2020-06-14 (Trinity 1)

✝�TOPIC: NOURISHED AND BUILT UP


✝�TEXT: 1Peter 2:1-10(NKJV) 1. Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2. as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3. if indeed you have tasted that the Lord [is] gracious. 4. Coming to Him [as to] a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God [and] precious, 5. you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." 7. Therefore, to you who believe, [He is] precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone," 8. and "A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense." They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. 9. But you [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10. who once [were] not a people but [are] now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

✝�STUDY The word of God is described in our text as spiritual milk that could make young believers grow in the Lord. As we grow, we discover that the Word is also strong meat for the mature (Heb. 5:11-14). Sometimes, children have no appetite because they have been eating the wrong things. Peter warns that we "lay aside" certain wrong attitudes of heart that would hinder our appetite and spiritual growth. Again, we must remember that we are a spiritual house, Jesus Himself being the Chief Cornerstone – Eph. 2:20. We must eat the healthy word of God in balanced proportions so that we grow properly in the faith. Again, as a spiritual house, we must allow God build us according to His pattern in order to serve His purpose. Too often, Christians hinder the building of the church because they are following the wrong plans. When Solomon built the temple, his workmen followed the plan so carefully that everything fit together (1 Kings 6:7). If all of us would follow God's blueprints given in His Word, we would build His church for His glory.

✝� PRAYER: Lord, please nourish and build me up in Your word.

Credits: Daily fountain Devotional

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL Date: 2020-06-15

✝�TOPIC: CONFUSION THROUGH COVETEOUSNESS


✝�TEXT: Judges 18:1-10(NKJV) 1. In those days [there was] no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for itself to dwell in; for until that day [their] inheritance among the tribes of Israel had not fallen to them. 2. So the children of Dan sent five men of their family from their territory, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and search it. They said to them, "Go, search the land." So they went to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there. 3. While they [were] at the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite. They turned aside and said to him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this [place?] What do you have here?" 4. He said to them, "Thus and so Micah did for me. He has hired me, and I have become his priest." 5. So they said to him, "Please inquire of God, that we may know whether the journey on which we go will be prosperous." 6. And the priest said to them, "Go in peace. The presence of the LORD [be] with you on your way." 7. So the five men departed and went to Laish. They saw the people who [were] there, how they dwelt safely, in the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure. [There were] no rulers in the land who might put [them] to shame for anything. They [were] far from the Sidonians, and they had no ties with anyone. 8. Then [the spies] came back to their brethren at Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brethren said to them, "What [is] your [report?"] 9. So they said, "Arise, let us go up against them. For we have seen the land, and indeed it [is] very good. [Would] you [do] nothing? Do not hesitate to go, [and] enter to possess the land. 10. "When you go, you will come to a secure people and a large land. For God has given it into your hands, a place where [there is] no lack of anything that [is] on the earth."

✝�STUDY The tribe of Dan descended from Jacob's fifth son, born of Rachel's handmaid, Bilhah (Gen 30:1-6). Though not a large tribe, it was given choice territory when the tribal boundaries were assigned (Josh. 19:40-48). The Danites, however, weren't able to defeat and dispossess the enemy, thus they decided to go north and relocate. Most of the other tribes were able to conquer the enemy, dispossess them and claim their land, but the Danites coveted somebody else's land instead and took it in a violent manner - yet they seemed religious by consulting a hired priest. The elders of Israel should have put a stop to the men of Dan as they abandoned God's assigned place and headed north to kill innocent people and steal their land. Covetousness is strong and once people get an appetite for it, it will be difficult for them to control.You are therefore warned to desist from every form of covetousness. It ruins one’s life and creates confusion. Let us, by God’s word and Spirit, guard our hearts and desires. Godliness with contentment is great gain.

✝� PRAYER: Lord, deliver me from the spirit of covetousness.

Credits: Daily fountain Devotional

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL Date: 2020-06-16

✝�TOPIC: CONVICTION FOR SALE


✝�TEXT: Judges 18:11-21(NKJV) 11. And six hundred men of the family of the Danites went from there, from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war. 12. Then they went up and encamped in Kirjath Jearim in Judah. (Therefore they call that place Mahaneh Dan to this day. There [it is,] west of Kirjath Jearim.) 13. And they passed from there to the mountains of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah. 14. Then the five men who had gone to spy out the country of Laish answered and said to their brethren, "Do you know that there are in these houses an ephod, household idols, a carved image, and a molded image? Now therefore, consider what you should do." 15. So they turned aside there, and came to the house of the young Levite man -- to the house of Micah -- and greeted him. 16. The six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who [were] of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate. 17. Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land went up. Entering there, they took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image. The priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men [who were] armed with weapons of war. 18. When these went into Micah's house and took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image, the priest said to them, "What are you doing?" 19. And they said to him, "Be quiet, put your hand over your mouth, and come with us; be a father and a priest to us. [Is it] better for you to be a priest to the household of one man, or that you be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?" 20. So the priest's heart was glad; and he took the ephod, the household idols, and the carved image, and took his place among the people. 21. Then they turned and departed, and put the little ones, the livestock, and the goods in front of them.

✝�STUDY On their way to capture Laish, the people of Dan stopped at Micah's house in Ephraim. The spies told the men that Micah had a collection of godsand they felt that the collection would be valuable to them as they travelled, warred, and established their new home. While the armed men stood at the gate of the city, the five spies invaded the shrine and stole the gods. The Danites silenced the priest by hiring him and since he was a hireling, he was ready for a better offer. The Danites not only broke into Micah's shrine and stole his gods, but they also stole his chaplain. Many Christians’ conviction, like that of the hired priest, is for the highest bidder: For sale! He was employed by Micah (an individual), now a whole tribe has offered to employ him with a higher pay! He accepted the latter offer. Once your drive in kingdom service is money, your conviction will be for sale. Let us live and serve sincerely, knowing that we are accountable to God.

✝� PRAYER: Lord, help me serve you acceptably, Amen!

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL Date: 2020-06-17

✝�TOPIC: DECADENCE THROUGH IDOLATORY


✝�TEXT: Judges 18:22-31(NKJV)
22. When they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men who [were] in the houses near Micah's house gathered together and overtook the children of Dan. 23. And they called out to the children of Dan. So they turned around and said to Micah, "What ails you, that you have gathered such a company?" 24. So he said, "You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and you have gone away. Now what more do I have? How can you say to me, 'What ails you?' " 25. And the children of Dan said to him, "Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry men fall upon you, and you lose your life, with the lives of your household!" 26. Then the children of Dan went their way. And when Micah saw that they [were] too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house. 27. So they took [the things] Micah had made, and the priest who had belonged to him, and went to Laish, to a people quiet and secure; and they struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire. 28. [There was] no deliverer, because it [was] far from Sidon, and they had no ties with anyone. It was in the valley that belongs to Beth Rehob. So they rebuilt the city and dwelt there. 29. And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel. However, the name of the city formerly [was] Laish. 30. Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. 31. So they set up for themselves Micah's carved image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

✝�STUDY As soon as the tribe of Dan conquered Laish, they institutionalised idol worship. The tribe of Dan was the first tribe in Israel to officially adopt an idolatrous system of religion. Even though there was a house of God in Shiloh, they preferred their images and idols. Years later, when the kingdom divided, Jeroboam 1 of Israel set up golden calves in Dan and Beersheba and encouraged the whole nation to turn away from the true and living God (1 Kings 12:25-33). The account of Micah- the hired priest- and the Danites is a revelation of the wickedness of the human heart and the hopelessness of human society without God. Except we worship Him with our whole heart, every other god we turn to is a sinking sand. Idolatry and religious hypocrisy are the reasons for the decay in our society today. Let us therefore worship God in Spirit and truth – that way, we will save both our hearts and the society at large.

✝� PRAYER: Lord, please deliver me from every form of idolatry.

Credits: Daily fountain Devotional

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL
Date: 2020-06-18

✝�TOPIC: RIGHT BUT WRONG!


✝�TEXT: JUDGES 19:1-9(NKJV) 1. And it came to pass in those days, when [there was] no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote mountains of Ephraim. He took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. 2. But his concubine played the harlot against him, and went away from him to her father's house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there four whole months. 3. Then her husband arose and went after her, to speak kindly to her [and] bring her back, having his servant and a couple of donkeys with him. So she brought him into her father's house; and when the father of the young woman saw him, he was glad to meet him. 4. Now his father-in-law, the young woman's father, detained him; and he stayed with him three days. So they ate and drank and lodged there. 5. Then it came to pass on the fourth day that they arose early in the morning, and he stood to depart; but the young woman's father said to his son-in-law, "Refresh your heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way." 6. So they sat down, and the two of them ate and drank together. Then the young woman's father said to the man, "Please be content to stay all night, and let your heart be merry." 7. And when the man stood to depart, his father-in-law urged him; so he lodged there again. 8. Then he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart, but the young woman's father said, "Please refresh your heart." So they delayed until afternoon; and both of them ate. 9. And when the man stood to depart -- he and his concubine and his servant -- his father-in-law, the young woman's father, said to him, "Look, the day is now drawing toward evening; please spend the night. See, the day is coming to an end; lodge here, that your heart may be merry. Tomorrow go your way early, so that you may get home."

✝�STUDY A concubine was unfaithful to her husband and fled to Bethlehem to continue in her prostitution. While she was missing, her husband went afterher and found her in Bethlehem, forgave her, and they reconciled. We did not see any record of this man calling his wife to repentance but he took her to her father’s house. He and his father-in-law enjoyed each other's company and spent five days eating, drinking, and making merry. Throughout the 5-day party, we have no record that the father in-law rebuked her daughter for her marital unfaithfulness. It was only eating and drinking – making light the heavy issue of adultery. There is nothing wrong with having love that holds no record of sin or showing sincere hospitality. However, to exchange moral values for pleasure is a serious error! The attitude of the man and his in-law is a reflection of our society today: Pleasure is fast taking over morality. This is a wake-up call for us. Let us look within and around us, and using the word of God and holy living, seek to restore moral values currently being eroded by pleasure.

✝� PRAYER: Lord, help me live as the light of the world today and henceforth, Amen!

Credits: Daily fountain Devotional

DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL OF JUNE 19, 2020 - THE VEN. TUNDE OYESINA

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL Date: 2020-06-19

✝�TOPIC: HOW HOSPITABLE ARE YOU?


✝�TEXT: JUDGES 19:10-21(NKJV)
10. However, the man was not willing to spend that night; so he rose and departed, and came to opposite Jebus (that [is,] Jerusalem). With him were the two saddled donkeys; his concubine [was] also with him. 11. They [were] near Jebus, and the day was far spent; and the servant said to his master, "Come, please, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites and lodge in it." 12. But his master said to him, "We will not turn aside here into a city of foreigners, who [are] not of the children of Israel; we will go on to Gibeah." 13. So he said to his servant, "Come, let us draw near to one of these places, and spend the night in Gibeah or in Ramah." 14. And they passed by and went their way; and the sun went down on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. 15. They turned aside there to go in to lodge in Gibeah. And when he went in, he sat down in the open square of the city, for no one would take them into [his] house to spend the night. 16. Just then an old man came in from his work in the field at evening, who also [was] from the mountains of Ephraim; he was staying in Gibeah, whereas the men of the place [were] Benjamites. 17. And when he raised his eyes, he saw the traveler in the open square of the city; and the old man said, "Where are you going, and where do you come from?" 18. So he said to him, "We [are] passing from Bethlehem in Judah toward the remote mountains of Ephraim; I [am] from there. I went to Bethlehem in Judah; [now] I am going to the house of the LORD. But there [is] no one who will take me into his house, 19. "although we have both straw and fodder for our donkeys, and bread and wine for myself, for your female servant, and for the young man [who is] with your servant; [there is] no lack of anything." 20. And the old man said, "Peace [be] with you! However, [let] all your needs [be] my responsibility; only do not spend the night in the open square." 21. So he brought him into his house, and gave fodder to the donkeys. And they washed their feet, and ate and drank.

✝�STUDY Gibeah was a suburb of Jerusalem belonging to the tribe of Benjamin. The man on a journey with his servant and concubine was a Jew, an Israelite. Since the day was far spent, he decided not to lodge with the Gentiles but to take the extra risk of continuing on his journey until he arrived a Jewish city. He felt he would be better treated by fellow Jews though not of the same tribe. Surprisingly, no one took him in for lodging. It was late to continue travelling so he, his servant and his concubine, lay on the street. It was an Ephramite, an old man that now showed them hospitality. So, the Benjamites (owners of Gibeah) lackedhospitality. Hospitality is a Christian virtue which God appreciates so much. It brought blessings to Abraham and to the Shunamite woman. The scarcity of it today among brethren is very alarming. If you are deficient in hospitality, then you are deficient of Christ because the Christ life is built on hospitality. How do you feel when you do not get care from fellow Christians?

✝� PRAYER: Dear Lord, pleaseHelp me to imbibe hospitality.

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL Date: 2020-06-20

✝�TOPIC: SIN OF IMMORALITY


✝�TEXT: JUDGES 19:22-30(NKJV) 22. As they were enjoying themselves, suddenly certain men of the city, perverted men, surrounded the house [and] beat on the door. They spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, "Bring out the man who came to your house, that we may know him [carnally!"] 23. But the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, "No, my brethren! I beg you, do not act [so] wickedly! Seeing this man has come into my house, do not commit this outrage. 24. "Look, [here is] my virgin daughter and [the man's] concubine; let me bring them out now. Humble them, and do with them as you please; but to this man do not do such a vile thing!" 25. But the men would not heed him. So the man took his concubine and brought [her] out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until morning; and when the day began to break, they let her go. 26. Then the woman came as the day was dawning, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her master [was,] till it was light. 27. When her master arose in the morning, and opened the doors of the house and went out to go his way, there was his concubine, fallen [at] the door of the house with her hands on the threshold. 28. And he said to her, "Get up and let us be going." But there was no answer. So the man lifted her onto the donkey; and the man got up and went to his place. 29. When he entered his house he took a knife, laid hold of his concubine, and divided her into twelve pieces, limb by limb, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel. 30. And so it was that all who saw it said, "No such deed has been done or seen from the day that the children of Israel came up from the land of Egypt until this day. Consider it, confer, and speak up!"

✝�STUDY Gibeah was inhabited by the Benjamites. They were a tribe in Israeland were supposed to be people of God with Godly character but they failed in this regard. Yesterday, we saw their deficiency in hospitality. Today, we read about their sexual perversion. Their sexual rottenness portrays them as Sodomites not Israelites. They were involved in rape, fornication, homosexuality, etc. In fact, the best way to put it is that they claimed the form of Israelites but deniedthe life thereof. We have the same situation in Christianity today. There are those who claim to be of the Church but are not Christians. They are involved in all forms of sexual pervasiveness. We hear of legalisation of gay-marriage, bestiality, lesbian couples, etc. You may not be guilty of the above listed perversions but what about fornication, adultery, masturbation, pornography, phone intimacy, etc. Take a decision to change your life style today!

✝� PRAYER: Lord, save me from every form of immorality.

Credits: Daily fountain Devotional

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL
Date: 2020-06-21

✝�TOPIC: DEAD BUT ALIVE


✝�TEXT: Romans 6:3-11(NKJV) 3. Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4. Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be [in the likeness] of [His] resurrection, 6. knowing this, that our old man was crucified with [Him,] that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7. For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9. knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10. For [the death] that He died, He died to sin once for all; but [the life] that He lives, He lives to God. 11. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

✝�STUDY Jim attended the burial service of a colleague and narrated his experience thus: As the service went on, the young man remained silent and unmovable in the coffin. He was a lover of music but he could not join us as we sang; he loved making people laugh but he could not even make people happy when everyone was sad. Immediately, the following words rang in mymind: “Death is an end to every human appetite and attitude!” In our text, Paul summarised being a Christian as being dead but alive. By conversion, we are baptised into Jesus Christ, thus into His death. This implies that we died with Him. We reached the end of human appetites and attitudes. This is why verse 7 of our text emphasises; “for he that is dead is freed from sin.” It is therefore a contradiction for a Christian to continue sinning. It means the person never died but probably went into coma (You may take some time to differentiate the actions of a dead person from someone in coma). After Jesus’ death, He resurrected into a new manifestation with us. So we are alive unto a new life–life of holiness, hence, the need for you to check if truly human appetites and attitudes no longer exist in you. Christianity is deadness to human appetites and attitudes and being alive to Jesus’ lifestyle.

✝� PRAYER: Lord Jesus, please bring me to the end of human appetites and attitudes, Amen!

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL
Date: 2020-06-22

✝�TOPIC: BEYOND COMPREHENSION


✝�TEXT: JOHN 1:1-5(NKJV)
1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2. He was in the beginning with God. 3. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

✝�STUDY The gospel according to St. John opens with these verses of deeper revelation about Jesus Christ. First, Jesus is beyond existence for He was before the world began. Secondly, He is part of the Trinity. Thirdly, He is the first cause of all creation. Fourthly, He alone is the Life Source of Light, without Him is total darkness. Fifthly, He incarnated into the world and by the light of His life,He drives out darkness. Lastly, the devil could not comprehend or apprehend His light –Satan could not stop the light! God’s plan to illuminate the world through Jesus has its continuity in the ministry of the church. If the church is wiped out of existence, then that plan of would God end! This is impossible! Darkness cannot apprehend the light of Christ. No satanic agenda can end the existence of the church -we should embrace this truth. What should trouble us as Christians is whether actually we are driving darkness away in our society by the light of our lives. Let this engage our whole being rather than being worried about satanic agenda against the church.

✝� PRAYER: Oh Lord, grant unto me the life of Christ that I may drive darkness away by the light of my life.

Credits: Daily fountain Devotional

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL
Date: 2020-06-23

✝�TOPIC: WITNESS OF THE LIGHT


✝�TEXT: John 1:6-18(NKJV)
6. There was a man sent from God, whose name [was] John. 7. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8. He was not that Light, but [was sent] to bear witness of that Light. 9. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. 10. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13. who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 15. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.' " 16. And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17. For the law was given through Moses, [but] grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared [Him.]

✝�STUDY In verse 18 of our text, Jesus is said to reveal God to man;he made man to have an idea of the personality of God. This He did by His teaching and life. John the Baptist also introduced Jesus to the Jews- this he did by his preaching and life. Both Jesus and John helped the people out of the darkness of understanding by bringing to them the light of recognition of truth and holiness. This qualified John as a witness of the light. Every Christian is meant to be a witness of the light to the world. Witnessing in this sense is both by preaching and living. Most Christianstoday labour to show Christ by their livesbut ignore preaching.Some others try to preach but without a matching lifestyle. Some others preach and live the life but in a way that presents a distorted nature of Jesus to the people. We need to search ourselves: Are you truly a witness of the light both in preaching and life?

✝� PRAYER: God, please make me a true witness of the light, which is Jesus Christ.

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL Date: 2020-06-24 (St. John the Baptist)

✝�TOPIC: WHO ARE YOU?


✝�TEXT: John 1:19-28(NKJV)
19. Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" 20. He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." 21. And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." 22. Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?" 23. He said: "I [am] 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD," ' as the prophet Isaiah said." 24. Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. 25. And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" 26. John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. 27. "It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose." 28. These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

✝�STUDY John the Baptist was faced with the great question: Who are you? He was not given a pre-information about the interview. The examination was impromptu, thus there was no room for pretence. He was only required to declare the true picture he had of himself in his mind. Surprisingly, John said and I paraphrase: “I am not Jesus, not the Saviour, not a prophet but the voice of one crying in the wilderness… calling men unto salvation.” John teaches us humility and right ministerial heart. He did not need any office or title to be attached to his name because he was only a voice. He refused to take Jesus’ glory as he was of no significance in the issue of the salvation of men. Contrary to this, every Christian today is a prophet, pastor, evangelistor apostle. If you dare address them without such attachments,you are in trouble! Many take the glory that is meant for Jesus. This is expressed in statements like “I converted this person”, “I delivered her from demonic oppression”, “I healed his sickness”, etc. By these, we assume the position of the master instead of a servant. I think we need to imitate Brother John.

✝� PRAYER: Lord, teach us humility and grant us right a heart for the ministry.

Credits: Daily fountain Devotional

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL Date: 2020-06-25

✝�TOPIC: HUNGER FOR JESUS


✝�TEXT: John 1:29-39 (NKJV)
29. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30. "This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.' 31. "I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water." 32. And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33. "I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' 34. "And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God." 35. Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" 37. The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38. Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?" 39. He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).

✝�STUDY In verses 31 and 33, John the Baptist emphasised this phrase: “and I knew him not.” Somehow, this appears contradictory because he has already identified Jesus, describing his person and mission with the statement: “behold the lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world!” The worry then is, why the emphasis on “and I knew him not?” Like Paul’s “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection”, John thinks that what he knows of Christ is insufficient. He desired a deeper encounter and a deeper relationship. So he yearned for more of Jesus by the seconds. This poses a question to us: Are you satisfied with your present knowledge about Jesus and your relationship with Him? If you stop at this point, you will expire immediately. You need an extra hunger for Jesus; you need more of Him daily.

✝� PRAYER: Lord, please create in me a never-quenching thirst for you in Jesus name.

✝�DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL
Date: 2020-06-26

✝�TOPIC: YOU STILL NEED JESUS


✝�TEXT: JOHN 1:40-51(NKJV)
40. One of the two who heard John [speak,] and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ). 42. And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone). 43. The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me." 44. Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." 46. And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." 47. Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" 48. Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." 49. Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" 50. Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these." 51. And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

✝�STUDY Philip introduced Jesus to Nathanael. From Nathanael’s response in verse 46, one could say he was in doubt that such great manifestation could come from Nazareth. He doubted the possibility of the incarnation of Jesus via Nazareth. Yet, Jesus said of Nathanael that in him was no guile, meaning that he was righteous. However, the meeting granted Nathanael an encounter that revealed Jesus’ personality to him and he quickly surrendered. To be a “good” person is different from knowing Jesus. To be nice and well-behaved is different from being a Christian. You could be all of that but still not know Jesus. Do not be deceived even by being born a “Christian” or by your being a church person indeed, like Nathanael was an Israelite indeed. You still need Jesus in your life. Seek an encounter with him and you will find out the difference.

✝� PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I need more You in my life today and ever; Amen.