✝️📗DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL

Date: 2023-Sept- 11

🎯TOPIC: TYRE, A NATION THAT HAD RICHES BUT ABANDONED GOD


✝️ Ezekiel27:1-26(NKJV)
27:1. The word of the LORD came again to me, saying,
27:2. "Now, son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyre,
27:3. "and say to Tyre, 'You who are situated at the entrance of the sea, merchant of the peoples on many coastlands, thus says the Lord GOD: "O Tyre, you have said, 'I [am] perfect in beauty.'
27:4. Your borders [are] in the midst of the seas. Your builders have perfected your beauty.
27:5. They made all [your] planks of fir trees from Senir; They took a cedar from Lebanon to make you a mast.
27:6. [Of] oaks from Bashan they made your oars; The company of Ashurites have inlaid your planks [With] ivory from the coasts of Cyprus.
27:7. Fine embroidered linen from Egypt was what you spread for your sail; Blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah was what covered you.
27:8. "Inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen; Your wise men, O Tyre, were in you; They became your pilots.
27:9. Elders of Gebal and its wise men Were in you to caulk your seams; All the ships of the sea And their oarsmen were in you To market your merchandise.
27:10. " Those from Persia, Lydia, and Libya Were in your army as men of war; They hung shield and helmet in you; They gave splendor to you.
27:11. Men of Arvad with your army [were] on your walls [all] around, And the men of Gammad were in your towers; They hung their shields on your walls [all] around; They made your beauty perfect.
27:12. " Tarshish [was] your merchant because of your many luxury goods. They gave you silver, iron, tin, and lead for your goods.
27:13. "Javan, Tubal, and Meshech [were] your traders. They bartered human lives and vessels of bronze for your merchandise.
27:14. "Those from the house of Togarmah traded for your wares with horses, steeds, and mules.
27:15. "The men of Dedan [were] your traders; many isles [were] the market of your hand. They brought you ivory tusks and ebony as payment.
27:16. "Syria [was] your merchant because of the abundance of goods you made. They gave you for your wares emeralds, purple, embroidery, fine linen, corals, and rubies.
27:17. "Judah and the land of Israel [were] your traders. They traded for your merchandise wheat of Minnith, millet, honey, oil, and balm.
27:18. "Damascus [was] your merchant because of the abundance of goods you made, because of your many luxury items, with the wine of Helbon and with white wool.
27:19. "Dan and Javan paid for your wares, traversing back and forth. Wrought iron, cassia, and cane were among your merchandise.
27:20. "Dedan [was] your merchant in saddlecloths for riding.
27:21. "Arabia and all the princes of Kedar [were] your regular merchants. They traded with you in lambs, rams, and goats.
27:22. "The merchants of Sheba and Raamah [were] your merchants. They traded for your wares the choicest spices, all kinds of precious stones, and gold.
27:23. "Haran, Canneh, Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Assyria, [and] Chilmad [were] your merchants.
27:24. "These [were] your merchants in choice items -- in purple clothes, in embroidered garments, in chests of multicolored apparel, in sturdy woven cords, which were in your marketplace.
27:25. "The ships of Tarshish were carriers of your merchandise. You were filled and very glorious in the midst of the seas.
27:26. Your oarsmen brought you into many waters, But the east wind broke you in the midst of the seas.

✝️🗒️STUDY: Our reading today focusses on a one-time great city called Tyre. It was in the height of its prosperity that God ordered prophet Ezekiel to take up a Lamentation for Tyre. Tyre was located on a promontory, that is, a place extending out into the sea. This city stood at the east end of the Mediterranean, convenient for trade by land into all the Levant, so that she became a merchant of the people for many isles. Her borders were in the heart of the sea (v.4). In our text today, about thirty-four nations traded with Tyre in thirty-five kinds of merchandise including silver, iron, ivory, gold, precious stones, etc. Tyre was in the then world the centre for business.

However, the city, despite God-given wealth and riches had no regard for God; instead the inhabitants worshipped their heathenish idols, practiced witchcraft, were corrupt and trusted in lies and falsehood, and also became proud for her beauty, location and great buildings. They forgot that the earth and fullness therein are God’s. By God’s standard, righteousness exalts a nation, not wealth and riches. Their refusal to retain God in their knowledge earned them reprobate minds. God decided to make Tyre a desolate city and predicted through Ezekiel that great waters shall cover her (v.19). God gives one power to get wealth; when riches increase, never put your trust in them but in God. In Tyre, we see the vanity and uncertainty of the riches and pleasures of the world. All is surely vanity! First seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.

✝️🙏 Prayer: God help us put our trust in you and not in the uncertainty of riches in Jesus’ name. Amen.

✝️📗DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL

Date: 2023-Sept- 12

🎯TOPIC: THE DESTRUCTION OF TYRE

✝️ TEXT: Ezekiel 27:27-36(NKJV)
27:27. " Your riches, wares, and merchandise, Your mariners and pilots, Your caulkers and merchandisers, All your men of war who [are] in you, And the entire company which [is] in your midst, Will fall into the midst of the seas on the day of your ruin.
27:28. The common-land will shake at the sound of the cry of your pilots.
27:29. "All who handle the oar, The mariners, All the pilots of the sea Will come down from their ships [and] stand on the shore.
27:30. They will make their voice heard because of you; They will cry bitterly and cast dust on their heads; They will roll about in ashes;
27:31. They will shave themselves completely bald because of you, Gird themselves with sackcloth, And weep for you With bitterness of heart [and] bitter wailing.
27:32. In their wailing for you They will take up a lamentation, And lament for you: 'What [city is] like Tyre, Destroyed in the midst of the sea?
27:33. 'When your wares went out by sea, You satisfied many people; You enriched the kings of the earth With your many luxury goods and your merchandise.
27:34. But you are broken by the seas in the depths of the waters; Your merchandise and the entire company will fall in your midst.
27:35. All the inhabitants of the isles will be astonished at you; Their kings will be greatly afraid, And [their] countenance will be troubled.
27:36. The merchants among the peoples will hiss at you; You will become a horror, and [be] no more forever.' " ' "

✝️🗒️STUDY: The destruction of wicked people and wicked nations has no limitation. The wicked shall depart to sheol, all the nations that forget God(Psa.9:17). The destructive doom predicted against Tyre came to pass! What a disaster! In a twinkling of an eye, the riches of Tyre, wares, merchandise, mariners, pilots and men of war sank into the heart of the seas on her day of ruin. Let the living souls fear the Lord by departing from iniquity. It is dangerous to pursue earthly riches at the detriment of one's soul.
The same sea that enriched the kings of the earth and satisfied many people with wares; the same sea from which Tyre got her wealth and riches, was also the same sea that wrecked Tyre in the depth of the waters. The city came to a dreadful end and shall be no more. Listen, the same word of God that predicted the fall of Tyre has also announced the doom and destruction of now wicked people and nations. By the same word, the heavens and earth that now exist have been stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men (2 Pet.3:7) Repent and turn back to God now because today is the day of Salvation. Escape for your life now - there is fire and destruction ahead. Jesus is the answer and the only way out. Salvation and deliverance are only in Jesus Christ.

✝️🙏 PRAYER: Save us now o God and mercifully deliver us from the destruction ahead in Jesus' name. Amen.

*THE DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL.* CHURCH OF NIGERIA
_(ANGLICAN COMMUNION)_

*DATE:* WEDNESDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER, 2023 *THEME:* PRIDE IS A GREAT DESTROYER

*TEXT:* EZEKIEL 28: 1-20

*BIBLE READING* (NKJV)

28:1. The word of the LORD came to me again, saying,
28:2. "Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Because your heart [is] lifted up, And you say, 'I [am] a god, I sit [in] the seat of gods, In the midst of the seas,' Yet you [are] a man, and not a god, Though you set your heart as the heart of a god
28:3. (Behold, you [are] wiser than Daniel! There is no secret that can be hidden from you!
28:4. With your wisdom and your understanding You have gained riches for yourself, And gathered gold and silver into your treasuries;
28:5. By your great wisdom in trade you have increased your riches, And your heart is lifted up because of your riches),"
28:6. 'Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Because you have set your heart as the heart of a god,
28:7. Behold, therefore, I will bring strangers against you, The most terrible of the nations; And they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, And defile your splendor.
28:8. They shall throw you down into the Pit, And you shall die the death of the slain In the midst of the seas.
28:9. "Will you still say before him who slays you, 'I [am] a god'? But you [shall be] a man, and not a god, In the hand of him who slays you.
28:10. You shall die the death of the uncircumcised By the hand of aliens; For I have spoken," says the Lord GOD.' "
28:11. Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
28:12. "Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "You [were] the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
28:13. You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone [was] your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created.
28:14. "You [were] the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
28:15. You [were] perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you.
28:16. "By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones.
28:17. "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you.
28:18. "You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you.
28:19. All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror, And [shall be] no more forever." ' "
28:20. Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

*MESSAGE:*

Our reading today is a text with double references, first to the Prince or King of Tyre and secondly to Lucifer. Pride means inordinate self-esteem, disdainful behaviour and insolent exultation. The king of Tyre in his pride, had his heart lifted up; he called himself God and claimed to sit in the seat ofGod, yet he was a man! His heart was lifted up because of his riches got by wisdom and understanding. The wrath of God was poured out against him - he was brought down to the pit; his wisdom and brightness were defiled, he perished and died the death of the uncircumcised! Pride is dangerous!

Before Lucifer failed, he was full of wisdom, perfect in beauty and was made with refined precious stones (vv. 13-14). He was the anointed cherub that covered and walked in the midst of the stones of fire. Note that he was and is still a created being, was perfect in his ways till iniquity was found in him. The five “I5” that destroyed Lucifer in his pride were: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars ofGod, I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds and I will be like the Most High” (Isa. 14: 13-14). God's judgment descended on him to be brought down to hell; to the sides of the pit. His heart was lifted up because of his beauty. We must beware of whatever makes us proud because if God didn't spare Satan, He will not spare us. Pride goes before a downfall. Humble yourself before God and He shall lift you up.

*PRAYER:*
Lord make us humble Servants so that we will never lift our hearts against You in Jesus' name. _*Amen.*_

*QUOTE OF THE DAY:*
God says

_"Your old life has ended and now everything is new in Christ."_ *2 Corinthians 5:17*

✝️📗DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL

Date: 2023-Sept- 15

🎯TOPIC: LET ANY ONE WHO THINKS HE STANDS, TAKE HEED!


✝️ TEXT: TEXT: Ezekiel 31:1-18(NKJV)
31:1. Now it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third [month,] on the first [day] of the month, [that] the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
31:2. "Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude: 'Whom are you like in your greatness?
31:3. Indeed Assyria [was] a cedar in Lebanon, With fine branches that shaded the forest, And of high stature; And its top was among the thick boughs.
31:4. The waters made it grow; Underground waters gave it height, With their rivers running around the place where it was planted, And sent out rivulets to all the trees of the field.
31:5. 'Therefore its height was exalted above all the trees of the field; Its boughs were multiplied, And its branches became long because of the abundance of water, As it sent them out.
31:6. All the birds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs; Under its branches all the beasts of the field brought forth their young; And in its shadow all great nations made their home.
31:7. 'Thus it was beautiful in greatness and in the length of its branches, Because its roots reached to abundant waters.
31:8. The cedars in the garden of God could not hide it; The fir trees were not like its boughs, And the chestnut trees were not like its branches; No tree in the garden of God was like it in beauty.
31:9. I made it beautiful with a multitude of branches, So that all the trees of Eden envied it, That [were] in the garden of God.'
31:10. " Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 'Because you have increased in height, and it set its top among the thick boughs, and its heart was lifted up in its height,
31:11. 'therefore I will deliver it into the hand of the mighty one of the nations, and he shall surely deal with it; I have driven it out for its wickedness.
31:12. 'And aliens, the most terrible of the nations, have cut it down and left it; its branches have fallen on the mountains and in all the valleys; its boughs lie broken by all the rivers of the land; and all the peoples of the earth have gone from under its shadow and left it.
31:13. 'On its ruin will remain all the birds of the heavens, And all the beasts of the field will come to its branches --
31:14. 'So that no trees by the waters may ever again exalt themselves for their height, nor set their tops among the thick boughs, that no tree which drinks water may ever be high enough to reach up to them. 'For they have all been delivered to death, To the depths of the earth, Among the children of men who go down to the Pit.'
31:15. " Thus says the Lord GOD: 'In the day when it went down to hell, I caused mourning. I covered the deep because of it. I restrained its rivers, and the great waters were held back. I caused Lebanon to mourn for it, and all the trees of the field wilted because of it.
31:16. 'I made the nations shake at the sound of its fall, when I cast it down to hell together with those who descend into the Pit; and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the depths of the earth.
31:17. 'They also went down to hell with it, with those [slain] by the sword; and [those who were] its [strong] arm dwelt in its shadows among the nations.
31:18. 'To which of the trees in Eden will you then be likened in glory and greatness? Yet you shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the depths of the earth; you shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with [those] slain by the sword. This [is] Pharaoh and all his multitude,' says the Lord GOD."


✝️🗒️STUDY: In our today’s text, the prophecy is against Egypt, and is designed to humble Pharaoh. Pharaoh stood indicted for his pride and haughtiness and the injuries he inflicted on God’s people. He paid no attention to God’s warning that said, touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm. He thought of himself so highly as not to be accountable. God directed prophet Ezekiel to report to him as case study the king of Assyria whose head city was Nineveh.

He showed him how great a monarch the king of Assyria was and the vast empire he had (vv. 3-9). He also showed him how he was like the king of Assyria in pride (v.10). He made it explicit to him the history of the fall and ruin of the king of Assyria (vv. 11-17). He thereby left the king of Egypt to apply all these to himself to beware of the sins of the king of Assyria lest he should meet his own doom and fall. We must fear and tremble before God, the consuming fire. We have nothing to boast of, every good gift comes from the Father of light. We cannot rebel against God and go free. Sheol is real and falling into it is sure if we don’t repent. Anyone who thinks he stands should take heed lest he falls.

✝️🙏 PRAYER: Father God, in your mercy, keep us from falling in Jesus’ name. Amen.

*THE DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL.* CHURCH OF NIGERIA
_(ANGLICAN COMMUNION)_

*DATE:* SATURDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER, 2023 *THEME:* PHARAOH'S DOOM

*TEXT:* EZEKIEL 32: 1-17

*BIBLE READING* (NKJV)

32:1. And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth [month,] on the first [day] of the month, [that] the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
32:2. "Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him: 'You are like a young lion among the nations, And you [are] like a monster in the seas, Bursting forth in your rivers, Troubling the waters with your feet, And fouling their rivers.'
32:3. "Thus says the Lord GOD: 'I will therefore spread My net over you with a company of many people, And they will draw you up in My net.
32:4. Then I will leave you on the land; I will cast you out on the open fields, And cause to settle on you all the birds of the heavens. And with you I will fill the beasts of the whole earth.
32:5. I will lay your flesh on the mountains, And fill the valleys with your carcass.
32:6. 'I will also water the land with the flow of your blood, [Even] to the mountains; And the riverbeds will be full of you.
32:7. When [I] put out your light, I will cover the heavens, and make its stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, And the moon shall not give her light.
32:8. All the bright lights of the heavens I will make dark over you, And bring darkness upon your land,' Says the Lord GOD.
32:9. 'I will also trouble the hearts of many peoples, when I bring your destruction among the nations, into the countries which you have not known.
32:10. 'Yes, I will make many peoples astonished at you, and their kings shall be horribly afraid of you when I brandish My sword before them; and they shall tremble [every] moment, every man for his own life, in the day of your fall.'
32:11. " For thus says the Lord GOD: 'The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon you.
32:12. 'By the swords of the mighty warriors, all of them the most terrible of the nations, I will cause your multitude to fall. 'They shall plunder the pomp of Egypt, And all its multitude shall be destroyed.
32:13. Also I will destroy all its animals From beside its great waters; The foot of man shall muddy them no more, Nor shall the hooves of animals muddy them.
32:14. Then I will make their waters clear, And make their rivers run like oil,' Says the Lord GOD.
32:15. 'When I make the land of Egypt desolate, And the country is destitute of all that once filled it, When I strike all who dwell in it, Then they shall know that I [am] the LORD.
32:16. 'This [is] the lamentation With which they shall lament her; The daughters of the nations shall lament her; They shall lament for her, for Egypt, And for all her multitude,' Says the Lord GOD."
32:17. It came to pass also in the twelfth year, on the fifteenth [day] of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying:

*MESSAGE:*

Pharaoh was a troubler of the nations, as well as his own nation. He was like a young lion of the nations: He threatened as a lion when he roared. He was like a whale, like a crocodile in the seas and like the Leviathan that makes the deep to boil like a pot. However, he that troubled others was himself troubled, for the Lord is righteous. Things predicted against him and the nation of Egypt were fulfilled.

Pharaoh's soldiers were slain and their dead bodies scattered upon the hill and piled up in the valleys. God fulfilled His word and Egypt was then destroyed; even all the gods of Egypt were not able to relieve it. Suddenly the pomp ofEgypt, great riches and power came to nothing. The sword of the king of Babylon came upon it and devastated it (v.11). When others were ruined by their sins, we have reason to quake for fear knowing ourselves are guilty and obnoxious. Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help but do not look to God or consult the Lord (Isaiah 31: 1). Nigerian leaders should learn from Pharaoh and Egypt - there is weeping in the nation today due to the attitude of corrupt leaders. Our leaders should beware - the day of doom is near (Zeph. 1: 14-18). When the righteous is on the throne, the people rejoice. Righteousness exalts a nation, not wickedness or corruption. Leaders of all categories should know this-sin is a reproach to any nation!

*PRAYER:*
God, give us righteous leaders to lead us to bring peace in our land in Jesus. _*Amen.*_

*QUOTE OF THE DAY:*
God says

_"I will be the voice behind you, guiding you in the way you should go."_ *Isaiah 30:21*

✝️📗DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL

Date: 2023-Sept- 17
(Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity)

🎯TOPIC: HELL IS REAL


✝️ TEXT: Luke 16:19-31(NKJV)
16:19. " There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.
16:20. "But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate,
16:21. "desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
16:22. "So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.
16:23. "And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
16:24. "Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.'
16:25. "But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.
16:26. 'And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.'
16:27. "Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house,
16:28. 'for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.'
16:29. "Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.'
16:30. "And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'
16:31. "But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.' "


✝️🗒️STUDY: The text today showed a heartless rich fool who feasted sumptuously but neglected without pity, poor Lazarus, who was of full of sores and desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table, to no avail. His dogs licked his sores. At death, angels took Lazarus to Abraham's bosom; the rich man died and found himself in hell with great torment and in terrible anguish. There he cried for mercy but got none-the opportunity to repent wasn't there. He was even denied water to cool his tongue. The chance to go back to earth and warn his brothers was not there. Now is the day of Salvation!
Hell fire is real - a place of eternal punishment. It is a place of unquenchable literal fire kindled in God's wrath. It is a place for sorrow, regret, torment, cruelty, pain, weeping, groaning and crying. In hell, the worms will never die. Isaiah said, “Therefore, hell hath enlarged herself and opened her mouth without measure.. .” (Isa. 5:14). Come to Jesus now, repent and turn away from evil deeds and be saved. Absolute obedience to God's word will help you escape the torments made for Satan and his angels in hell (Matt. 25:41). Surely, only a fool says in his heart, there is no hell.

✝️🙏PRAYER: Save us now oh God and grant us grace to obey you absolutely in Jesus' name. Amen.

✝️📗DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL

Date: 2023-Sept- 18

🎯TOPIC: HARD PRESSED BUT NOT CRUSHED


✝️ TEXT: 2 Corinthians 4:1-18(NKJV)
4:1. Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.
4:2. But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
4:3. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
4:4. whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
4:5. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake.
4:6. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
4:7. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
4:8. [We are] hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; [we are] perplexed, but not in despair;
4:9. persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed --
4:10. always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
4:11. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
4:12. So then death is working in us, but life in you.
4:13. And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke," we also believe and therefore speak,
4:14. knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present [us] with you.
4:15. For all things [are] for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.
4:16. Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward [man] is being renewed day by day.
4:17. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding [and] eternal weight of glory,
4:18. while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen [are] temporary, but the things which are not seen [are] eternal.


✝️🗒️STUDY: In our text Paul shared his personal experiences in the midst of opposition to his ministry. Despite the opposition to Paul's ministry, he rejected shameful deeds, refused to manipulate the word of God to suit himself or exploit the church of God. The truth were carefully presented to the people with a clear conscience before God and men so that no man can use the life of the messenger as an excuse to reject the gospel. The message of the Apostle is not about himself but on Jesus Christ (vs5-6). He was so determined to preach this gospel despite constant threat to his life, despair, and perplexity. The focus was on the things not seen which are eternal but not on the challenges and difficulties of the time.
We must all strive to have a life behind our ministry. Our life must not contradict our message even in the midst of anguish or persecutions. There will be opposition to the truth but this must never drag us to live a deceitful life or engage in shameful deeds that could destroy our faith. In the midst of the challenges, our focus must be on Christ, knowing that He will never leave or forsake us. Every trial has an expiry date so do not allow temporary thing to take away eternal glory.

✝️🙏PRAYER: God help us to do your works faithfully in Jesus' name. Amen

✝️📗DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL

Date: 2023-Sept- 19

🎯TOPIC: IF ANY MAN BE IN CHRIST...


✝️ TEXT: : 2 Corinthians 5:1-21(NKJV)
5:1. For we know that if our earthly house, [this] tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
5:2. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven,
5:3. if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked.
5:4. For we who are in [this] tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life.
5:5. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing [is] God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
5:6. So [we are] always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.
5:7. For we walk by faith, not by sight.
5:8. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
5:9. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.
5:10. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things [done] in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
5:11. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.
5:12. For we do not commend ourselves again to you, but give you opportunity to boast on our behalf, that you may have [an answer] for those who boast in appearance and not in heart.
5:13. For if we are beside ourselves, [it is] for God; or if we are of sound mind, [it is] for you.
5:14. For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;
5:15. and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
5:16. Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know [Him thus] no longer.
5:17. Therefore, if anyone [is] in Christ, [he is] a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
5:18. Now all things [are] of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
5:19. that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
5:20. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore [you] on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
5:21. For He made Him who knew no sin [to be] sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.


✝️🗒️STUDY:Jesus died and resurrected to deliver us from sin and condemnation so that we become reconciled to God. Two things necessary for one to be in Christ are regeneration and reconciliation. The soul that sins shall die. A person must receive Jesus as his Lord and Saviour to be given the power to become God's child. For one to be in Christ, both outward and inward sins must pass away. These old things include the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, and the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19), as well as vile affections, lusts of the mind and the law of sin and death.
A person in Christ must produce the fruits that befit one's repentance. Christians should be well known everywhere through their good character and conduct. There must be change of attitude and lifestyle. Such a person must model the word of God by becoming a written epistle. God made Christ a sin offering that man will become righteous. We must live the Christ-like life. When we do this, the ministry of reconciliation will become obvious through life-transforming messages.

✝️🙏PRAYER: God please help me put on the Lord Jesus Christ in all I do daily. Amen.

✝️📗DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL

Date: 2023-Sept- 20

🎯TOPIC: GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER


✝️ TEXT:2 Corinthians 8:1-24(NKJV)
8:1. Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia:
8:2. that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality.
8:3. For I bear witness that according to [their] ability, yes, and beyond [their] ability, [they were] freely willing,
8:4. imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.
8:5. And not [only] as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and [then] to us by the will of God.
8:6. So we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well.
8:7. But as you abound in everything -- in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us -- [see] that you abound in this grace also.
8:8. I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others.
8:9. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
8:10. And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago;
8:11. but now you also must complete the doing [of it;] that as [there was] a readiness to desire [it,] so [there] also [may be] a completion out of what [you] have.
8:12. For if there is first a willing mind, [it is] accepted according to what one has, [and] not according to what he does not have.
8:13. For [I do] not [mean] that others should be eased and you burdened;
8:14. but by an equality, [that] now at this time your abundance [may supply] their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack -- that there may be equality.
8:15. As it is written, "He who [gathered] much had nothing left over, and he who [gathered] little had no lack."
8:16. But thanks [be] to God who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus.
8:17. For he not only accepted the exhortation, but being more diligent, he went to you of his own accord.
8:18. And we have sent with him the brother whose praise [is] in the gospel throughout all the churches,
8:19. and not only [that,] but who was also chosen by the churches to travel with us with this gift, which is administered by us to the glory of the Lord Himself and [to show] your ready mind,
8:20. avoiding this: that anyone should blame us in this lavish gift which is administered by us --
8:21. providing honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.
8:22. And we have sent with them our brother whom we have often proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, because of the great confidence which [we have] in you.
8:23. If [anyone inquires] about Titus, [he is] my partner and fellow worker concerning you. Or if our brethren [are inquired about, they are] messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ.
8:24. Therefore show to them, and before the churches the proof of your love and of our boasting on your behalf.


✝️🗒️STUDY:The Macedonian Churches though poor and persecuted, rejoiced at the opportunity of doing good to their more impoverished and persecuted brethren in Judea. The Macedonian Churches, though in severe test of affliction and extreme poverty, overflowed in the wealth of kindness. They gave according to their means and beyond their means - of their own free will. They even begged to be allowed to take part in the relief of the saints. Above all, they first gave themselves to the Lord. This is practical Christian living with actions.

We must repent of stinginess. There are great needs in our today’s Churches. We have the orphans and the widows, the less privileged and needy ones. There are many financial needs in our Churches - assessments must be paid, and workers stipends must be paid (not by the government but by the churches). There are also buildings going on in our Churches. Let sons of encouragement arise. It is time to improve greatly in offerings, tithe payment, as well as fulfilment of pledges and donations made in the years past. The righteousness that cannot touch our pockets and bank accounts “is hanging and deceptive.” God loved the world that He gave His own son to save us. We must give to prove our love for God and humanity. Give and it shall be given to you is God’s command. It is more blessed to give than to receive. God loves a cheerful giver.


✝️🙏PRAYER: Dear Lord, deliver us from stinginess and grant us liberal hearts in Jesus’ name. Amen.

*THE DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL.* CHURCH OF NIGERIA
_(ANGLICAN COMMUNION)_

*DATE:* THURSDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER, 2023 _*{St. Matthew's Day}*_ *THEME:* GOD HAS NOT GIVEN UP ON YOU

*TEXT:* MATTHEW 9: 9-13

*BIBLE READING* (NKJV)

9:9. As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." So he arose and followed Him.
9:10. Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, [that] behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.
9:11. And when the Pharisees saw [it,] they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
9:12. When Jesus heard [that,] He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
9:13. "But go and learn what [this] means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

*MESSAGE:*

Note that Jesus' mission on earth was to save sinners and He will go to any length to do this. He waited under the heat of the sun to convert the Samaritan woman. God has the ability to turn a sinner to a saint. This was the case of Matthew. Matthew, before he was called by Jesus, had an occupation, which was to collect taxes for the government. The business of tax-collecting wasn't a sin, but the manner in which the tax collectors exerted much force and usury made them hated and designated 'sinners.' God will not give up on anyone!

In our text, Matthew was converted and later made an apostle by Jesus Christ. Despite his past dubious trade, Jesus did not reject him but accepted him. God is reminding us that we need to return to the call to fish for lost souls and in doing this, resist the temptation of tagging some people 'too lost' to be saved. In fact, it seems that those who were 'too lost' become 'too saved' and show much love to the Master. Now, if you are 'too lost', definitely you can be 'too saved' by Jesus Christ. Hear His call as He called Matthew. Leave all and follow Him as Matthew did and you will never regret it.

*PRAYER:*
Merciful Father, please save my soul and restore my heart to seek the lost. _*Amen.*_

*QUOTE OF THE DAY:*
God says

_"I carry your burdens every day."_ *Psalm 68:19*

✝️📗DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL

Date: 2023-Sept- 22

🎯TOPIC: UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE OF GIVING IN MINISTRY


✝️ TEXT: 2 Corinthians 9(NKJV)
9:1. Now concerning the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you;
9:2. for I know your willingness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal has stirred up the majority.
9:3. Yet I have sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect, that, as I said, you may be ready;
9:4. lest if [some] Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we (not to mention you!) should be ashamed of this confident boasting.
9:5. Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which [you had] previously promised, that it may be ready as [a matter of] generosity and not as a grudging obligation.
9:6. But this [I say:] He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
9:7. [So let] each one [give] as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
9:8. And God [is] able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all [things,] may have an abundance for every good work.
9:9. As it is written: "He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever."
9:10. Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have [sown] and increase the fruits of your righteousness,
9:11. while [you are] enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.
9:12. For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God,
9:13. while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for [your] liberal sharing with them and all [men,]
9:14. and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you.
9:15. Thanks [be] to God for His indescribable gift!

✝️🗒️STUDY: A brother who served as a missionary once was in a difficult financial situation. The mission field had a crisis and this affected every aspect of life of the community. There was no food in the house and there was no money to buy. Brother Ken, with the wife, took their petitions to God in prayers and sat back in their home and waited. He confirmed that he didn't know how they would feed. But sometime in the afternoon of that fateful day, there was a knock at their door. The visitor came with all that they needed and more. The visitor testified that she was led to give.
When we withhold what we can freely give for another's use, we do wrong. Thus, Brother Paul, in chapter 9 encourages the Christians in the Corinthian Churches to be more committed in their work with God, especially in giving to the work of the ministry and to the saints. Paul appealed for their voluntary acceptance to participate in raising funds for the brethren who were suffering lack in Jerusalem. We are encouraged therein to be more proactive in giving, owing to the fact that there are certain individuals and congregations that would be helped greatly by our gifts of love. God rewards cheerful givers and good work.

✝️🙏PRAYER: Father, may you touch us to understand the need to give as it concerns your work in Jesus name Amen.

✝️📗DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL
Date: 2023-Sept- 24

🎯TOPIC: THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT


✝️ TEXT: Matthew 22:34-40(NKJV)
22:34. But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.
22:35. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked [Him a question,] testing Him, and saying,
22:36. "Teacher, which [is] the great commandment in the law?"
22:37. Jesus said to him, " 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
22:38. "This is [the] first and great commandment.
22:39. "And [the] second [is] like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
22:40. "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."


✝️🗒️STUDY: One would wonder how the entire laws of God and all that the prophets spoke about will be so simply summarised by Jesus Christ our Lord and Master in: “Love the Lord... with all... and your neighbour as yourself. Serving GOD without your 'ALL' is worthless and loving your neighbour less of yourself is no love at all. When our hearts, souls, and mind are given to GOD, everything will fall into place; so also when we learn to treat our neighbour as much as we would want to be treated, hardly would there be strife.
Our inability to give GOD 'ALL' is reflected in our attitudes to the work of GOD. GOD's work should be done decently, passionately and in uprightness. Anyone who has given GOD 'All' has nothing more to keep back. He becomes a vessel that is fit for the Master's use unto every good work. On the other hand, when we love our neighbours indeed, we can be said to have fulfilled the Lord's command. Ultimately, to love GOD is to have Jesus in our hearts and to love our neighbours as ourselves is to let the Jesus inside us be seen in our outward action. Love God and love your neighbour as yourself, and you have fulfilled all ofGod's command.

✝️🙏PRAYER: May we be taught to be like you, O Christ and help us to fulfil your demands. Amen!

*THE DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL.* CHURCH OF NIGERIA
_(ANGLICAN COMMUNION)_

*DATE:* MONDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER, 2023 *THEME:* GOD'S PROMISED RESTORATION OF HIS PEOPLE

*TEXT:* HOSEA 2: 14-23

*BIBLE READING* (NKJV)

2:14. " Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Will bring her into the wilderness, And speak comfort to her.
2:15. I will give her her vineyards from there, And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; She shall sing there, As in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.
2:16. "And it shall be, in that day," Says the LORD, "[That] you will call Me 'My Husband,' And no longer call Me 'My Master,'
2:17. For I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals, And they shall be remembered by their name no more.
2:18. In that day I will make a covenant for them With the beasts of the field, With the birds of the air, And [with] the creeping things of the ground. Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, To make them lie down safely.
2:19. "I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy;
2:20. I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the LORD.
2:21. " It shall come to pass in that day [That] I will answer," says the LORD; "I will answer the heavens, And they shall answer the earth.
2:22. The earth shall answer With grain, With new wine, And with oil; They shall answer Jezreel.
2:23. Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, And I will have mercy on [her who had] not obtained mercy; Then I will say to [those who were] not My people, 'You [are] My people!' And they shall say, '[You are] my God!' "

*MESSAGE:*

Just as it happened with the children ofIsrael in the past, many children of God today have veered off course into idol worship. Some have in the pursuit of power, fame and wealth, deviated from the faith while others have mortgaged their conscience to secure jobs, get promoted or pass courses at all costs. This was the case of God's own elect - Israel - as we read in our passage today. However, God in His infinite mercy promised to bring her into the wilderness, and to speak comfortably unto her. God also promised them a change of name (vv. 16&17) and a covenant of safety in the latter part (v.18).

Today, the lovingkindness and mercies of God are available to as many that have wondered far away from God into sinful lifestyle, idolatrous worship, and syncretism at the expense of their souls. Beloved, God's love is unfathomable; His mercies are inexplicable and His grace is available if you can turn to him today with a penitent heart. He promised to betroth you to Himself forever in faithfulness (vv. 19 & 20) and to have mercy upon his own (v.23). It does not matter your background, gender or religious affiliation, His promise is to all who will yield unto him with all sincerity of heart. For He promised, _“I will say to them which were not my people, thou art my people; and they shall say, thou art my God.”_ Come and be blessed.

*PRAYER:*
Lord, You are my God; Restore me back to Your love and Grace as You have promised. _*Amen.*_

*QUOTE OF THE DAY:*
God says

_"If you wait for Me, I will renew your strength."_ *Isaiah 40:31*

*THE DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL.* CHURCH OF NIGERIA
_(ANGLICAN COMMUNION)_

*DATE:* TUESDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER, 2023 *THEME:* DANGER OF NEGLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD

*TEXT:* HOSEA 4: 1-13

*BIBLE READING* (NKJV)

4:1. Hear the word of the LORD, You children of Israel, For the LORD [brings] a charge against the inhabitants of the land: "There is no truth or mercy Or knowledge of God in the land.
4:2. [By] swearing and lying, Killing and stealing and committing adultery, They break all restraint, With bloodshed upon bloodshed.
4:3. Therefore the land will mourn; And everyone who dwells there will waste away With the beasts of the field And the birds of the air; Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.
4:4. "Now let no man contend, or rebuke another; For your people [are] like those who contend with the priest.
4:5. Therefore you shall stumble in the day; The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night; And I will destroy your mother.
4:6. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
4:7. " The more they increased, The more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame.
4:8. They eat up the sin of My people; They set their heart on their iniquity.
4:9. And it shall be: like people, like priest. So I will punish them for their ways, And reward them for their deeds.
4:10. For they shall eat, but not have enough; They shall commit harlotry, but not increase; Because they have ceased obeying the LORD.
4:11. " Harlotry, wine, and new wine enslave the heart.
4:12. My people ask counsel from their wooden [idols,] And their staff informs them. For the spirit of harlotry has caused [them] to stray, And they have played the harlot against their God.
4:13. They offer sacrifices on the mountaintops, And burn incense on the hills, Under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, Because their shade [is] good. Therefore your daughters commit harlotry, And your brides commit adultery.

*MESSAGE:*

Our text this morning centres on God's warning to the nation of Israel to amend their ways and to imbibe His fear - which is the beginning of wisdom - in order to avoid the impending judgment on the land and the inhabitants thereof. In verse three of our text, the bible says that the land shall mourn and every one that dwells therein shall languish, both the prophets and men and women of status, because they neglected the knowledge of God (v.6).

This warning applies to us and our nation today. Our glory as a people is changed into shame. The immoral and abnormal has become the new normal. Is it not surprising how people live their lives in deceit, pleasures of sin and corruption of the highest order? Killings and wasting of innocent lives have almost become a daily routine in Nigeria. Stealing of government money without sympathy on the suffering masses is rife in governance. One hardly gets encouraging news from the media. Some churches have been converted to business enterprises. People have neglected the word of God and live not by the commandments of God. Beloved, God is not happy with these happenings in our nation. Our glory is changed into shame by greed and pervasion. The time to turn and cry unto God is now.

*PRAYER:*
Have mercy on us, O Lord and rain Your righteousness on us. Save us from our sins and bless Your people. _*Amen.*_

*QUOTE OF THE DAY:*
God says

_"I will give you a peaceful sleep surrounded by safety."_ *Psalm 4: 8*

✝️📗DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL

Date: 2023-Sept- 27

🎯TOPIC: THE URGENT CALL TO SEEK THE LORD


✝️ TEXT: Hosea 5:8-6:7(NKJV)
5:8 " Blow the ram's horn in Gibeah, The trumpet in Ramah! Cry aloud [at] Beth Aven, '[Look] behind you, O Benjamin!'
5:9 Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke; Among the tribes of Israel I make known what is sure.
5:10 "The princes of Judah are like those who remove a landmark; I will pour out my wrath on them like water.
5:11 Ephraim is oppressed [and] broken in judgment, Because he willingly walked by [human] precept.
5:12 Therefore I [will be] to Ephraim like a moth, And to the house of Judah like rottenness.
5:13 "When Ephraim saw his sickness, And Judah [saw] his wound, Then Ephraim went to Assyria And sent to King Jareb; Yet he cannot cure you, Nor heal you of your wound.
5:14 For I [will be] like a lion to Ephraim, And like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, [even] I, will tear [them] and go away; I will take [them] away, and no one shall rescue.
5:15 I will return again to My place Till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me."
6:1 Come, and let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up.
6:2 After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight.
6:3 Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter [and] former rain to the earth.
6:4 " O Ephraim, what shall I do to you? O Judah, what shall I do to you? For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud, And like the early dew it goes away.
6:5 Therefore I have hewn [them] by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of My mouth; And your judgments [are like] light [that] goes forth.
6:6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
6:7 "But like men they transgressed the covenant; There they dealt treacherously with Me.


✝️🗒️STUDY: In the preceding verses to our text, Ephraim had committed whoredom, and Israel was defiled. Consequently, God's judgment was impending. Then the word of the Lord came in verse 8 of our text to blow the horn in Gibeah and the trumpet in Ramah to save Ephraim from desolation and destruction.
Like in the Bible days, we live in a time when sin and abomination is common. Fornication, adultery, lesbianism, gay marriages, corruption, perversion, kidnapping and shedding of innocent blood have taken over society. People and live as though there is no God, forgetting there are consequences of sin and the actions of men. Many, though in the Church, have backslidden and given in to the things of the world. But God in His love and mercy, who would not want his children to be destroyed, is calling us today to renew our consecration to him. We are to quickly turn away from rebellion, iniquity and sinful lifestyle and be revived. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. The time to seek and return completely to the Lord is now.

✝️🙏PRAYER: Father; let your mercy prevail over judgment in my life, in my family and in our Church. We turn to seek you. Amen.

*THE DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL.* CHURCH OF NIGERIA
_(ANGLICAN COMMUNION)_

*DATE:* THURSDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER, 2023 *THEME:* GOD WILL NOT SPARE A SINNER

*TEXT:* HOSEA 7: 8-16

*BIBLE READING* (NKJV)

7:8. " Ephraim has mixed himself among the peoples; Ephraim is a cake unturned.
7:9. Aliens have devoured his strength, But he does not know [it;] Yes, gray hairs are here and there on him, Yet he does not know [it.]
7:10. And the pride of Israel testifies to his face, But they do not return to the LORD their God, Nor seek Him for all this.
7:11. " Ephraim also is like a silly dove, without sense -- They call to Egypt, They go to Assyria.
7:12. Wherever they go, I will spread My net on them; I will bring them down like birds of the air; I will chastise them According to what their congregation has heard.
7:13. " Woe to them, for they have fled from Me! Destruction to them, Because they have transgressed against Me! Though I redeemed them, Yet they have spoken lies against Me.
7:14. They did not cry out to Me with their heart When they wailed upon their beds. "They assemble together for grain and new wine, They rebel against Me;
7:15. Though I disciplined [and] strengthened their arms, Yet they devise evil against Me;
7:16. They return, [but] not to the Most High; They are like a treacherous bow. Their princes shall fall by the sword For the cursings of their tongue. This [shall be] their derision in the land of Egypt.

*MESSAGE:*

In our text, GOD is fed up with Ephraim. He will no longer tolerate his pride and arrogance. Unfortunately, one of the greatest tragedies of our time is hardness of heart against GOD and His call to us for repentance. When we become obstinate in our sins, we incur the wrath of GOD: Destruction, chastisement, and pain come upon anyone who moves away from GOD into the world. Brethren, we serve a loving and forgiving Father who shows mercy; who pardons sins and iniquities when we repent with sincerity of heart. His door of mercy, pardon and forgiveness through Christ is open to all irrespective of race or colour, tribe or greed. Yet, He will not condone sin and unrepentant children.

We must seek God and ask Him to forgive us our sins, the sins of the Church and the country. We are hopeless without His mercies and therefore must seek Him genuinely. Are there certain sins in your life? Are you stubborn in your heart, refusing the prompting of the Holy Spirit to forsake your evil ways? We must return now to Him or face a dreadful consequence of our sins. We must repent or perish.

*PRAYER:*
Father, please forgive my sins and sanctify me with Your word. Save me from destruction, O Lord. _*Amen.*_

*QUOTE OF THE DAY:*
God says

_"I will not reject the sacrifice of a broken spirit and a contrite heart."_ *Psalm 51: 17*

Ephraim was a sheep that had abandoned it sheepherd. Nowadays, we see men who choose to live a sinful lifestyle.
They hurt God deeply, They don't realize it's God who keeps them alive. but God still love them.

*THE DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL.* CHURCH OF NIGERIA
_(ANGLICAN COMMUNION)_

*DATE:* FRIDAY 29TH SEPTEMBER, 2023 _*{ St Michael and All Angel's}*_ *THEME:* THE DEFEAT OF SATAN

*TEXT:* REVELATION 12: 7-12

*BIBLE READING* (NKJV)

12:7. And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,
12:8. but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.
12:9. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
12:10. Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
12:11. "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
12:12. "Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time."

*MESSAGE:*

The scripture says, “And there was war in heaven.” This war was between the Angels and Satan. Satan is a rebellious being and the accuser of the brethren. When he wanted to rebel against God in heaven, Angel Michael and the host of Angels fought him and defeated him and he was cast out from heaven with all his cohorts into earth and waters. The Angels defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony (v.11). You can defeat satan anytime.

However, Christians should know that we are still in war with Satan. As in any war, it is important to know the strategy of the enemy. If we do not know the plan of attack, we will be vulnerable to Satan's war on our souls. The devil today deceives people into sin but we should know that our Saviour Jesus Christ has defeated him and therefore, we should not be deceived by his misrepresentations. Jesus Christ our defence attorney makes an appeal for us in the courts of heaven. He also gives us authority to overcome the plot of Satan. Therefore, we can overcome, by the blood of the lamb and the words of our testimony. Fight and you will never be ashamed.

*PRAYER:*
O Lord, grant me victory in all my fights against the devil in my life in Jesus' name. _*Amen.*_

*QUOTE OF THE DAY:*
God says

_"I will always be close when you need My comfort."_ *2 Corinthians 1:3-4*

✝️📗DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL

Date: 2023-Sept- 30

🎯TOPIC: GOD'S JUDGMENT IS IMMINENT


✝️ TEXT: Hosea 8(NKJV)
8:1. "Set the trumpet to your mouth! [He shall come] like an eagle against the house of the LORD, Because they have transgressed My covenant And rebelled against My law.
8:2. Israel will cry to Me, 'My God, we know You!'
8:3. Israel has rejected the good; The enemy will pursue him.
8:4. "They set up kings, but not by Me; They made princes, but I did not acknowledge [them.] From their silver and gold They made idols for themselves -- That they might be cut off.
8:5. Your calf is rejected, O Samaria! My anger is aroused against them -- How long until they attain to innocence?
8:6. For from Israel [is] even this: A workman made it, and it [is] not God; But the calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces.
8:7. " They sow the wind, And reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no bud; It shall never produce meal. If it should produce, Aliens would swallow it up.
8:8. Israel is swallowed up; Now they are among the Gentiles Like a vessel in which [is] no pleasure.
8:9. For they have gone up to Assyria, [Like] a wild donkey alone by itself; Ephraim has hired lovers.
8:10. Yes, though they have hired among the nations, Now I will gather them; And they shall sorrow a little, Because of the burden of the king of princes.
8:11. " Because Ephraim has made many altars for sin, They have become for him altars for sinning.
8:12. I have written for him the great things of My law, [But] they were considered a strange thing.
8:13. [For] the sacrifices of My offerings they sacrifice flesh and eat [it,] [But] the LORD does not accept them. Now He will remember their iniquity and punish their sins. They shall return to Egypt.
8:14. "For Israel has forgotten his Maker, And has built temples; Judah also has multiplied fortified cities; But I will send fire upon his cities, And it shall devour his palaces."

✝️🗒️STUDY: While growing up I realised that there are times we may not receive mercy and forgiveness until we serve out our punishments. This happens when we have been warned severally and counselled to no avail. Israel had forgotten his maker and Ephraim had made many altars to sin, therefore, GOD would send fire to devour. God's anger had been kindled and there wouldn't be any mercy left.
Is the above scenario, in most cases, not our situation as a nation and families? More so, is this not the situation of the Church? The Church seems to be asleep in her duties. The world seems to be swallowing us up gradually. We have profaned the name of the LORD and have done wickedness in the land. We must not hide our sins because the LORD is coming as an eagle and nothing can be hidden from Him. We must gather to pray and seek the forgiveness of our God. He will hear and heal our land.

✝️🙏PRAYER: O Lord, forgive us and heal our land.

✝️📗DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL

Date: 2023-OCT- 01
(Seventeenth Sunday After Trinity)

🎯TOPIC: BE PROFITABLE WITH THEM


✝️ TEXT: Matthew 25:14-30(NKJV)
25:14. " For [the kingdom of heaven is] like a man traveling to a far country, [who] called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.
25:15. "And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.
25:16. "Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.
25:17. "And likewise he who [had received] two gained two more also.
25:18. "But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money.
25:19. "After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
25:20. "So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'
25:21. "His lord said to him, 'Well [done,] good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'
25:22. "He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'
25:23. "His lord said to him 'Well [done,] good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'
25:24. "Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.
25:25. 'And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, [there] you have [what is] yours.'
25:26. "But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.
25:27. 'So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.
25:28. 'Therefore take the talent from him, and give [it] to him who has ten talents.
25:29. 'For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.
25:30. 'And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

✝️🗒️STUDY: Jesus shared this earthly story with his disciples at a time his earthly ministry was gradually coming to an end. This parable speaks of the vital call of men in God's kingdom and the expectations of God the Father from men in the Kingdom. God knows the importance of the body- though the body has diverse parts, these parts work towards a singular course, which is bringing increase into the Kingdom. However, the volume of your gift, talent or treasures in the Kingdom of God is not the end of the matter, but “how profitable are you?' Have you ever wondered why you are endowed with wisdom, knowledge and understanding in the things of the Kingdom? Do you think God has blessed you this much for yourself alone? (1 Cor.12).
As we prepare our hearts, minds and bodies to fellowship with the brethren today, be reminded again that as one body in Christ, you have a part to play in the prosperity of God's purpose for man. You have something to give; you have something to receive. Do not look down on that call to serve; do not deny the brother or sister the spiritual and physical blessings God has given you to profit with (1 Cor. 12:7). Let's be reminded that any gift of God you fail to put to use or you refuse to bless men with shall be taken from you and given to men ready to labour for the Lord. God does not waste His gifts on wasteful men when He has men willing to prosper His Kingdom without fear to fail.

✝️🙏PRAYER: Lord, help me to be profitable in the gifts you gave me and not to be a wasteful servant.

*THE DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL.* CHURCH OF NIGERIA
_(ANGLICAN COMMUNION)_

*DATE:* MONDAY 2ND OCTOBER, 2023 *THEME:* CALLED TO LIBERTY

*TEXT:* GALATIANS 4:21-5:13

*BIBLE READING* (NKJV)

4:21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?
4:22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman.
4:23 But he [who was] of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise,
4:24 which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar --
4:25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children --
4:26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.
4:27 For it is written: "Rejoice, O barren, [You] who do not bear! Break forth and shout, You who are not in labor! For the desolate has many more children Than she who has a husband."
4:28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac [was,] are children of promise.
4:29 But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him [who was born] according to the Spirit, even so [it is] now.
4:30 Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman."
4:31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.

_*Galatians 5: 1-13*_
5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
5:2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.
5:3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.
5:4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who [attempt to] be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
5:5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
5:7 You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
5:8 This persuasion does not [come] from Him who calls you.
5:9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump.
5:10 I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.
5:11 And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased.
5:12 I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off!
5:13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not [use] liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

*MESSAGE:*

Since we are still in the mood of Independence Day celebration of our great nation, we cannot but continue to bring to our awareness what we are in Christ Jesus. When an animal stays on a leash for so long and is eventually loosed, it takes the animal some time to realise the leash is gone. Paul the apostle, in our text today gives a clear and explicit explanation about the bondmaid and the free woman. In verses 21-24 of our text, he terms the expression an allegory, in other words, the bondwoman is the law from Sinai, born of the flesh and gendered to bondage while the free woman is Jerusalem which is above and is free (Gen. 16:15). He therefore calls us to live a life of freedom by standing fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free (Gal. 5:1). This we can do by embracing the grace released upon us by virtue of Christ death and resurrection.

As a nation, we must go beyond counting the calendar year of independence and rather go ahead to live our freedom through developmental and infrastructural projects that validate our freedom and ensure that we don't live as slaves in our own land. Let us pray for our leaders that they may champion our reality as free citizens. As Christians, we must realise that we have been called to liberty in Christ. Therefore, we should live accordingly.

*PRAYER:*
O Lord, be merciful to our nation and grant us grace to enjoy the reality of our freedom and independence; that we may serve You in quietness and peace, in Jesus name, _*Amen.*_


*QUOTE OF THE DAY:*
God says

_"I will soon crush the evil one under your feet."_ *Romans 16:20*

What does liberty in Christ means?

✝️📗DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL

Date: 2023-OCT- 03
(BishopSamuel Ajayi Crowther's Day)

🎯TOPIC: Acts 20:28-38(NKJV)


✝️ TEXT: Acts 20:28-38(NKJV)
20:28. "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
20:29. "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.
20:30. "Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.
20:31. "Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.
20:32. "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
20:33. "I have coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel.
20:34. "Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me.
20:35. "I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "
20:36. And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.
20:37. Then they all wept freely, and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him,
20:38. sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship.

✝️🗒️STUDY: Christians generally, whether in a leadership or followership position, should emulate the characteristics of Christ in service: In humility, He left His glory to come and die a shameful death for humankind. This is the mind that should be in us all (Phil. 2:5--to obey the Great Commission of 'Go ye' (Matt. 28:19-20). This was the attitude found in Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther (the first black Bishop). He is a bishop, evangelist and missionary. He sacrificed his life, comfort and all to see to the spread of the gospel of Christ in West Africa and particularly in Nigeria, even in the face of opposition and challenges. This is serious example for us as leaders in various spheres of life(v.28).
We should be conscious of our responsibility to heed to God's instruction in feeding, tending and taking care of the sheep of God purchased with the blood ofJesus (vv. 28,33-35;John 21:15-21;1Pet.5:2-
3). We are to ensure that none gets missing, either by their own ignorance and carelessness or as prey to the enemy. We are in perilous time (vv. 29-30) where false teachers who distort the word of God are everywhere (Matt. 7:15; 2Pet. 2:1; 1 Tim. 4:1-2). There is therefore the need for stability in the word of God and maintenance of a balanced gospel. Again, we should be good examples and imitators of Christ (1 Cor. 11:1; 4:16; Phil. 3:17) like Apostle Paul and Bishop Ajayi Crowther. We must examine our attitudes towards wealth and comfort (Luke 12:15)and learn to care for brethren. When we do this, we attract others to Christ and fulfil the ministry of reconciliation given to us, just like Bishop Ajayi Crowther.

✝️🙏PRAYER: Lord, give me the strength and grace to be an effective witness in advancing your kingdom.

*THE DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL.* CHURCH OF NIGERIA
_(ANGLICAN COMMUNION)_

*DATE:* THURSDAY 5TH OCTOBER, 2023 *THEME:* SOW TO THE SPIRIT

*TEXT:* GALATIANS 6: 1-8

*BIBLE READING* (NKJV)

6:1. Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who [are] spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
6:2. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
6:3. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
6:4. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
6:5. For each one shall bear his own load.
6:6. Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.
6:7. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
6:8. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

*MESSAGE:*

Life is full of choices. The scripture enjoins us to _“ponder the path of your feet, and ... remove your foot from evil”_ (Prov. 4:26-27). We need to think about our choices and what the consequences of our choices are -corruption, or eternal life! There are those who delude themselves into thinking that God does not know the carnal desires of their hearts or the ungodly imaginations that lurk in the shadows of their minds. But Paul makes it very clear that God is not mocked by our ungodly ways and secret sins. All sins begin in the thought life. When a temptation comes up as a thought and is accepted, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown (practised), it brings forth death (James 1:14-15). This death is reaping the wages of sin- a spiritual death, where one's conscience becomes hardened and one cannot discern between good and evil. Hence, one lives in sin.

The rewards for sin come in the form of marital difficulties and divorce, financial difficulties, a mind filled with images of past sinful behaviour, thoughts of regret, anxiety, suspicion, bitterness and discontent. Only Jesus can set us free from all of this and make us free indeed! (John 8: 34-36). Why not choose life and avoid suffering and misery? Sow to the Spirit and reap eternal life! Paul tells us that to be spiritually minded is life and peace (Rom. 8:6) If we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfil the lusts of the flesh (Gal. 5:16-17). May we learn the lesson of sowing and reaping in our lives and avoid walking into trouble by our actions and choices.

*PRAYER:*
Lord, make me a spirit man, that I may walk with You till the end. _*Amen.*_

*QUOTE OF THE DAY:*
God says

_"I am the everlasting God."_ *Psalm 90: 2*

*THE DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL.* CHURCH OF NIGERIA
_(ANGLICAN COMMUNION)_

*DATE:* FRIDAY 6TH OCTOBER, 2023 *THEME:* THE MINISTRY OF JESUS

*TEXT:* LUKE 4: 16-30

*BIBLE READING* (NKJV)

4:16. So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.
4:17. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
4:18. "The Spirit of the LORD [is] upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to [the] poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to [the] captives And recovery of sight to [the] blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
4:19. To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."
4:20. Then He closed the book, and gave [it] back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
4:21. And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
4:22. So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"
4:23. He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.' "
4:24. Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.
4:25. "But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land;
4:26. "but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, [in the region] of Sidon, to a woman [who was] a widow.
4:27. "And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."
4:28. So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
4:29. and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.
4:30. Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

*MESSAGE:*

Jesus is the fulfilment of God's love for humankind; He gives us the words that can satisfy our needs. He came _“to preach the gospel to the poor; and the recovery of sight to the blind.”_ Jesus preaches the gospel to those who are poor in spirit and faith. Recovering the sight of the blind means helping them to see right. Jesus also came to heal those who are weak and wounded. Despite all these, Jesus was rejected in Nazareth, his hometown! No matter how you feel about rejection, remember that every time you encounter rejections, it is not your loss, but theirs. Jesus offers the bread of life and the water that comes from within- the words - that can save us, yet he was rejected. You are not alone!

We may condemn Nazareth for rejecting Jesus but in our actions today, we continue to reject Him. For example, what do we do while in church? Most times, don't we talk with others, sleep, text, surf the internet (social media) and play while service is on. Sometimes, we let our Sunday sickness eat us; we reject Jesus once again by not giving Him time. Now let us ask ourselves: Do we accept or reject Jesus in our lives?

*PRAYER:*
Dear Lord, help me not to act in ways that reject You in my life, _*Amen.*_

*QUOTE OF THE DAY:*
God says

_"I am righteous in all My ways and kind in all that I do."_ *Psalm 145:17*

✝️📗DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL

Date: 2023-OCT- 07

🎯TOPIC: DIVINE ENCOUNTER


✝️ TEXT: Luke 5:4-7(NKJV)
5:4. When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."
5:5. But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net."
5:6. And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.
5:7. So they signaled to [their] partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.

✝️🗒️STUDY: Effort without result or success is regarded as fruitless effort. In Luke 5:4-7, we read the account of the miraculous catch of fish by Peter, a professional fisherman, who had toiled fruitlessly all night. He was in a hopeless situation and was already washing up to go home empty-handed. However, Jesus who later sat in the same boat to teach the people asked him to cast his net into the sea. He was confused because he wondered how a carpenter who taught like a prophet could teach a professional fisherman, fishing. However, he never knew that Jesus came to restore his hope-when he obeyed, he saw a miracle!
Jesus is the God of all circumstances and time; He has everything in his care! Are you in hopeless situation? Have you toiled all the years and are tired of your situation? Do not lose hope; all you have to do is to surrender that situation to Him. Remember God's word in Jeremiah 32:27 that nothing is too hard for him to do. Remember Psalm 30:5 which says that that sorrow does not last forever; surely, there is joy after! God is still in the business of turning hopeless situations around.

✝️🙏PRAYER: O Lord, please put an end to every fruitless effort in my life in Jesus' name, Amen.

✝️📗DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL

Date: 2023-OCT- 08

🎯TOPIC: THE POWER OF FAITH



✝️ TEXT: Mark2:1-12(NKJV)
2:1. And again He entered Capernaum after [some] days, and it was heard that He was in the house.
2:2. Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive [them,] not even near the door. And He preached the word to them.
2:3. Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four [men.]
2:4. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.
2:5. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."
2:6. And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,
2:7. "Why does this [Man] speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
2:8. But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?
2:9. "Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, '[Your] sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'?
2:10. "But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the paralytic,
2:11. "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."
2:12. Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw [anything] like this!"

✝️🗒️STUDY: Faith, according to the Letter to the Hebrews Chapter 11 and verse 1 says, “is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” In another way, we can define faith as “acting on what God said.” Faith is not only fundamental to the Christian life; it is also the totality of the Christian faith. As a matter of fact, at a particular time, Christians were referred to as “the people of faith.” This is so because it is by faith that we are saved (Eph. 2:8; Rom 5:1). We receive healing by faith (Matt. 9:28-30;Mark 5:34). We live by faith (Rom. 1:16-17;Gal. 3:11; 2:20). We walk by faith(2 Cor. 5:7) and above all we can only please God by faith (Heb. 11:6). Faith is a spiritual force that is capable of changing whatever situation a person may be going through. This is the focus of our text today.
The four friends in our story went an extra mile for their sick friend. However, it was their faith and not their efforts that brought healing to their friend. Beloved, if you will believe God for that situation today, you will experience a great turnaround in your life!

✝️🙏PRAYER:Father, strengthen my faith in you for a great turnaround in my situation, in Jesus name.

*THE DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL.* CHURCH OF NIGERIA
_(ANGLICAN COMMUNION)_

*DATE:* MONDAY 9TH OCTOBER, 2023 *THEME:* ARISE TODAY!

*TEXT:* JONAH 1: 1-17

*BIBLE READING* (NKJV)

1:1. Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
1:2. "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me."
1:3. But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
1:4. But the LORD sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up.
1:5. Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that [was] in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep.
1:6. So the captain came to him, and said to him, "What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish."
1:7. And they said to one another, "Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble [has come] upon us." So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.
1:8. Then they said to him, "Please tell us! For whose cause [is] this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?"
1:9. So he said to them, "I [am] a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry [land."]
1:10. Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, "Why have you done this?" For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.
1:11. Then they said to him, "What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?" -- for the sea was growing more tempestuous.
1:12. And he said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest [is] because of me."
1:13. Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them.
1:14. Therefore they cried out to the LORD and said, "We pray, O LORD, please do not let us perish for this man's life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O LORD, have done as it pleased You."
1:15. So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.
1:16. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the LORD and took vows.
1:17. Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

*MESSAGE:*

The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying: _"Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before me."_ This is what every prophet is always waiting for, but the direction to go has been an issue in the Christian race- Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord! This was to Jonah a task from the Lord that he did not want to carry out so he set off to try and do the impossible by escaping from the presence of the Lord. God wanted him to go to Nineveh, 500 odd miles to North East of Palestine but instead of going East, Jonah set off on a 2000-miles journey down to Tarshish. Well, at the start of Jonah's attempted escape from God, everything seemed to be going well; he made it safely to Joppa, got the tickets, boarded a ship, and set off to the Spanish resort. To him, he had escaped the presence of the Lord by going where the Lord would not notice or think of looking for him.

The question now is: Have you ever tried to run from that which the Lord is asking of you? Have you been living in disobedience or a known rebellion and sin, thinking there are no consequences for your actions? Note that sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay and cost you more than what you want to pay!

*PRAYER:*
Lord help me to remain obedient to Your calling and directions through Christ our LORD. _*Amen*_

*QUOTE OF THE DAY:*
God says

_"You are My workmanship, created in Christ to do My good works."_ *Ephesians 2:10*

*THE DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL.* CHURCH OF NIGERIA
_(ANGLICAN COMMUNION)_

*DATE:* TUESDAY 10TH OCTOBER, 2023 *THEME:* GOD OF SECOND A CHANCE

*TEXT:* JONAH 2: 1-10

*BIBLE READING* (NKJV)

2:1. Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish's belly.
2:2. And he said: "I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction, And He answered me. "Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, [And] You heard my voice.
2:3. For You cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the floods surrounded me; All Your billows and Your waves passed over me.
2:4. Then I said, 'I have been cast out of Your sight; Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.'
2:5. The waters surrounded me, [even] to my soul; The deep closed around me; Weeds were wrapped around my head.
2:6. I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars [closed] behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD, my God.
2:7. "When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD; And my prayer went [up] to You, Into Your holy temple.
2:8. "Those who regard worthless idols Forsake their own Mercy.
2:9. But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation [is] of the LORD."
2:10. So the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry [land.]

*MESSAGE:*

Oh how merciful and gracious our God is! Of a truth, He is slow to anger and plenteous in mercy. Although men see Him as too slow in executing judgment upon evil doers, He has no interest in the death of a sinner but that all men through His son, Jesus Christ, will cross from death to life eternal1. Jonah the prophet received an assignment from the Lord to go proclaim God's judgment on a nation. He turned down the assignment and fled but God caught up with him through a storm that attacked the ship and caused the sailors to throw him overboard into the sea. This should have meant the end of Jonah but God never gave up on Him; He did the miraculous to give the prophet a second chance to fulfil His will. God could have rescued Jonah through different means but He chose the method that would affect the heart of Jonah the most.

Although God hates disobedience and rebellion, yet He is the God of a second chance. The event that would have ended the life of Jonah was used by God to drive the prophet to a point of another opportunity to get the work done. Is there any assignment given to you by God which you are reluctant to do? Have you failed God many times and think you stand no chance of making amends anymore? The God of a second chance is preserving of your life despite your failures, unfaithfulness and unfruitfulness. Jonah prayed and God answered! Arise from where you are and do not allow this second chance to slip off your hands.

*FOOD FOR THOUGHT:*
God will always give a second chance but there is a second chance that will be the last chance, make no further delay.

*QUOTE OF THE DAY:*
God says

_"I have chosen you to be a royal priesthood and a holy nation."_ *1 Peter 2:9*

God will always give a second chance but there is a second chance that will be the last chance, make no further delay.

DEEP

*THE DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL.* CHURCH OF NIGERIA
_(ANGLICAN COMMUNION)_

*DATE:* THURSDAY 12TH OCTOBER, 2023 *THEME:* GOD IS EVER MERCIFUL

*TEXT:* JONAH 4: 1-11

*BIBLE READING* (NKJV)

4:1. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry.
4:2. So he prayed to the LORD, and said, "Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You [are] a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.
4:3. "Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for [it is] better for me to die than to live!"
4:4. Then the LORD said, "[Is it] right for you to be angry?"
4:5. So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city.
4:6. And the LORD God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant.
4:7. But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it [so] damaged the plant that it withered.
4:8. And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah's head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, "[It is] better for me to die than to live."
4:9. Then God said to Jonah, "[Is it] right for you to be angry about the plant?" And he said, "[It is] right for me to be angry, even to death!"
4:10. But the LORD said, "You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night.
4:11. "And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left -- and much livestock?"

*MESSAGE:*

The story of Jonah and his experiences with God concerning the city of Nineveh teaches us as Christians that despite our unfaithfulness, God is ever faithful to His Word and whatever He says concerning any matter must surely come to pass (Isa. 55:11). Jonah exhibited human sinful thoughts by his disobedience to God, which was signs of wickedness because Jonah did not want God to forgive the gentle nation-Nineveh. He maintained that they deserved to be punished by God for their sins (vs 1; Isa. 55:7-.

On the contrary, our God is compassionate over the plight of sinners and readily forgives those repent of their sins, just as the people of Nineveh did when they heard the message of God. Jonah was very happy when God saved him, but angry when Nineveh was saved. This is a lesson for all Christians about God's mercy and forgiveness. If we obey God's Word, He will gently lead us. His harsh judgment is reserved for those who persist in rebellion (1 Sam. 15: 22-23). What is your attitude towards the wicked? Do you want them destroyed, as Jonah wanted the people of Nineveh destroyed by God? Or do you wish they could experience God's mercy and forgiveness? God will always work His Will, and He desires that all come to Him, trust in Him and be saved.

*PRAYER:*
God of all mercy and grace, look mercifully unto us Your children when we call on You for the forgiveness of our sins in Jesus name. *_Amen._*

*QUOTE OF THE DAY:*
God says

_"I have blessed you in Christ with one outpouring of grace after another."_ *John 1:16*

*THE DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL.* CHURCH OF NIGERIA
_(ANGLICAN COMMUNION)_

*DATE:* FRIDAY 13TH OCTOBER, 2023 *THEME:* GOD'S RIGHTEOUS JUDGEMENT

*TEXT:* MICAH 1: 1-10

*BIBLE READING* (NKJV)

1:1. The word of the LORD that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, [and] Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
1:2. Hear, all you peoples! Listen, O earth, and all that is in it! Let the Lord GOD be a witness against you, The Lord from His holy temple.
1:3. For behold, the LORD is coming out of His place; He will come down And tread on the high places of the earth.
1:4. The mountains will melt under Him, And the valleys will split Like wax before the fire, Like waters poured down a steep place.
1:5. All this is for the transgression of Jacob And for the sins of the house of Israel. What [is] the transgression of Jacob? [Is it] not Samaria? And what [are] the high places of Judah? [Are they] not Jerusalem?
1:6. "Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the field, Places for planting a vineyard; I will pour down her stones into the valley, And I will uncover her foundations.
1:7. All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces, And all her pay as a harlot shall be burned with the fire; All her idols I will lay desolate, For she gathered [it] from the pay of a harlot, And they shall return to the pay of a harlot."
1:8. Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked; I will make a wailing like the jackals And a mourning like the ostriches,
1:9. For her wounds [are] incurable. For it has come to Judah; It has come to the gate of My people -- To Jerusalem.
1:10. Tell [it] not in Gath, Weep not at all; In Beth Aphrah Roll yourself in the dust.

*MESSAGE:*

Micah's prophecy spanned the reigns of three kings in Judah: King Jotham -739-731 BC; King Ahaz-731-715 BC and King Hezekiah-715-686 BC. In our text today, we see the prophets prophesied against Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. God would come to execute His righteous judgment on Israel because of “the rebellion of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel” (v.5). Israel's sins of idolatry and immorality were making them lose their identity as the people of God, and thus God had to purify them through captivity in order to restore them to faith in Him.

Are we any different from the situation prevalent during Micah's time? Have those of us named after the Lord not jumped ship and followed after the ways of the world? Today's idolatry has moved upscale; it has improved upon the ancient carvings of woods and stones, to bowing down to the world's possessions and lusts, and of course the “lusts" take the place of God! God's righteous judgment is set to come upon this world and recent events point rather dangerously to the fact that we are closer to the doomsday than we can imagine. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31). The only escape route is to confess and repent of your sins. Believe the Lord Jesus as your saviour. Samaria and Jerusalem were destroyed in their sins because they failed to repent; why should you be destroyed in your sins?

*PRAYER:*
Father Lord, look mercifully upon this generation, bring us to total submission to Your will, in the mighty name of Jesus. _*Amen.*_

*QUOTE OF THE DAY:*
God says

_"If you confess your sins, I will be faithful to forgive and cleanse you."_ *1 John 1:9*