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VISION AND DIRECTION

“1. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea...there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2. Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star...”
(Matthew 2: 1-2)

That is the Focal Scripture of Streams of Joy Devotional today.

When the wise men saw the star that heralded Jesus’ birth, they came to Jerusalem in search of the new king. Their eyes were opened to see Jesus’ star; they had insight into divine information. They had a vision about Jesus’ birth, and that vision drove them into going to Jerusalem.

Though the wise men saw correctly concerning Jesus’ star, they were not correct about His location. They came to Jerusalem to search for Him when He was in Bethlehem of Judah. They saw the star but couldn’t tell of the location of the new king; they had a vision about Jesus’ birth but had no direction.

Friend, for every vision God gives you, ask for direction. When God gives you a vision of where you should go, ask for directions on how to get there. When God shows you the greatness you should attain, ask Him to show you how to get there. Ask God to show you how to accomplish the visions you've conceived; ask God to show you the way to your desired accomplishments.

A vision without direction is an illusion that will cause a disillusion. If you are ignorant about the right direction that leads to the fulfillment of your vision, you may end up in a rigmarole movement that will confuse you and waste your time. No matter what God has planted in your heart, you need to know how to get there, otherwise you may never even get there.

Vision may be the starting point of your race, but direction is the track that will take you to the finishing line. Ask God to open your eyes to see both the right visions and right directions.

Prayer: Lord, for every vision You have planted or will plant in my heart, I ask for direction, in Jesus’ name!Amen
Enjoy A Fantastic Christmas Day.

SHINE BEFORE ENEMIES

“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,”
(Matthew 2: 1)

That is the Focal Scripture of Streams of Joy Devotional today.

When Jesus was born, wise men came from the east to Jerusalem because they saw His star and wanted to pay Him homage. So Jesus’ star was seen beyond Jerusalem. Jesus’ star was seen in the ‘east’. The 'east' referred to the area where you have Babylon and Palestine. Those nations were considered as enemies of God in Bible times. Jesus’ star shone in the territory of God’s enemies.

Friend, hear God’s prophetic word: you will shine in the midst of your enemies. You will shine in the midst of those who hate you. You will shine in the midst of those whose stock in trade is to gossip about you; you will shine in the midst of those who don’t like you and your face; you will shine in the midst of those who work against you; you will shine despite the presence of enemies.

People in the east were enemies, but the star didn't take permission from them to shine. God says, your stardom does not depend on those who hate you. Those who hate you can keep hating, but their hate won't stop your shining. Your shining doesn't need their permission; your greatness doesn't need their approval; your next level is not at their discretion.

Any hater who wants to stop you from shining will have to wait forever; the more they wait, the more your shining increases. The more they gossip against you, the more God continues to lift you higher and higher. The more they hate to see your star, the more your star will shine brighter and brighter in their faces.

Don’t be afraid enemies who don’t like to see you shine. You will keep shining despite their presence. Your shining will not stop because of haters.

Prayer : Lord, I will shine and reign in the midst of my enemies, in Jesus’ name!Amen
Enjoy A Wonderful Wednesday.

YOU HAVE A PLACE

“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,”
(Matthew 2: 1)

That is the Focal Scripture of Streams of Joy Devotional today.

When Jesus was born, Herod was frightened and troubled. Herod probably thought that Jesus came to contest for his physical throne; he thought that Jesus’ kingship was by the order of men; he saw Jesus as a rival; he saw Jesus as one who came to take his place. He thought that Jesus had no place.

Herod did not realize that Jesus was the King of Kings who did not come for a local throne in Israel. He thought that Jesus came for what he (Herod) could see; but he didn’t know that Jesus came for a throne that is not made with hands. Jesus had a bigger throne and a bigger assignment on earth.

Friend, there people who fight you because they think you are their rival and have come to take their place and occupy their throne. Some people estimate you based on what their eyes can see and what their minds can perceive. They erroneously think their throne is your hope and target.

God says, Herod’s throne is not your throne. You have your own throne and your own space in destiny; you have your own opportunity, your own spouse, your own greatness, your own relevance, etc; you have your own place in life; you have a throne that God made specially for you, and you don’t need any other person’s throne. Your God-given purpose and assignment in life transcends the thrones that eyes can see.

Don’t break your head on account of earthly thrones; you have a heavenly throne, you are seated with Christ, you are a child of destiny, you are bigger than whatever people around you are struggling for. What is yours is yours, and no man can take your place.

Prayer : Lord, my throne is reserved, I have my own place and space, in Jesus’ name!Amen
Enjoy A Blessed Monday And An Awesome Christmas Week.

FROM WARFARE TO PRAISE

“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,” (Matthew 2: 1)

That is the Focal Scripture of Streams of Joy Devotional today.

Our Focal Scripture announces Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem of Judah. Among other things, Bethlehem means ‘house of war’; so Jesus was born in an environment of ‘war’. Jesus was born in a place of battles; Jesus was born in an environment that was synonymous with warfare.

Bethlehem was in Judah. Judah means praise. So the ‘house of war’ was in a location called ‘praise’. The ‘warfare’ was connected and had a direct relationship with ‘praise’. What looked like a place of battle was connected to a bigger locale of ‘praise’. No matter how big the house of war was, it was still located in the environment of praise.

Friend, God says, every warfare that comes your way will be a platform for praise. Every battle that comes your way will end in praise. Every battle that has lasted in your life is just God’s way of making your praise and thanksgiving more interesting and more appealing. When men think they have done their worst by setting up wars against you, just rejoice, your praise is coming.

Whatever you warred about, you will soon praise about it. When your bitter tears flow, just remember that tears of joy are on the way. When the battles of life leave you with scars, always remember that the scars will add to your praise. Your warfare is tied to your praise; your battles are tied to your praise; the battles against you are raw materials for your praise.

No matter how big Bethlehem was, it was just a part of Judah. So even if the ‘warfare’ seems big, the ‘praise’ is definitely bigger. No matter how big your battles are, your praise will definitely be bigger.

Prayer : Lord, my warfare is tied to my praise; my praise shall exceed my warfare, in Jesus’ name!Amen
Enjoy A Super Sunday.

Driving into a fuel station for a refill. The car has a fuel tank capacity of about 60 liters. While the pump attendant filled the tank, a motorcyclist also rode in to the second pump. Before I knew it, the motorcycle was full and the rider rode off while the car was still at the pump.
I got there before the motorcyclist but he left before me. It suddenly occurred to me that it would be absolutely silly of me to think "I got here before him. How come he is leaving before me?" Why? Our capacity is not the same.
The truth is there are times in life when we are stuck at the pump of divinity. Those who came in behind us have gone ahead of us; those who learnt from you seem to have outran you; those who graduated years after you are now the ones calling the shot and it seems as though you are stuck.
Could it just be that your capacity is bigger than theirs? Could it be that your own assignment needs longer preparation? Could it be that your character is being formed for the task ahead?
You do not know what you need. Only the One who designed the journey knows what is important. Why don't you hold on?
People will often say my mates are doing this.....
my mates have done that .....
my mates have this...
My mates are now....
But I'm still here doing, having, nothing
It is important to know that you spent nine months of formation in your mother's womb alone and you were given birth to alone even if you're a twin. Therefore never classify anyone as your mate.
God's dealings with/in your life is never an estimation of what is happening in the life of your friend or colleagues. God's dealing in your life is VERY PERSONAL and unique and should never be an estimation of physical and tangible things.
Take your gaze off other people's path and concentrate on the race, speedometers are different. You WILL earn your own medal. Good morning

CARRIED BY GRACE

“30. ...beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 31. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him...”
(Matthew 14: 30, 31)

That is the Focal Scripture of Streams of Joy Devotional today.

Jesus had invited Peter to walk on water; Peter had enough faith to take that step, but in a matter of time, his faith was mixed with doubt, and he began to sink. His faith helped him begin the journey of walking on water, but it wasn’t enough to see him through.

When Peter doubted and faltered in his faith, Jesus reached out and caught him. Peter’s faith may have been too small to carry him, but Jesus stretched forth His hand to save Peter. When Peter’s faith failed, grace flowed from Jesus to stop him from sinking.

Friend, hear God’s prophetic word: you shall be carried by grace. When your faith is not enough to carry you, grace will carry you. When your ability is not sufficient to help you succeed, God's grace will come through for you. When you can't please God enough with your faith and when your faith is not enough to attract God, grace will speak for you and cause God to please you even when you can’t please Him enough.

Faith is when man decides to please God; grace is when God takes it upon Himself to please man. When grace speaks on your matter, protocols will be broken, God Himself will qualify you and shut up the naysayers, the things you can't work for will come to you because of grace, and even things that should disqualify you may be swept aside by God.

Grace will stop your family, career, finances, etc from sinking; grace will stop your haters from sinking you; grace will make your journey to greatness easier and simpler; grace will do for you what you cannot do for yourself. Grace will speak for you.

Prayer : Lord, let grace speak for me, please me with Your grace, in Jesus’ name!Amen
Enjoy A Fantastic Friday.

FOCUS ON JESUS

“29. ...when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 30. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink...”
(Matthew 14: 29, 30)

That is the Focal Scripture of Streams of Joy Devotional today.

When Jesus invited Peter to walk on the water, Peter stepped out and walked towards Jesus. The waves in the sea were still on, the wind was boisterous, the turbulence was yet to abate, but Peter had enough faith in Jesus and walked on the water. He heard Jesus' instruction and it drove him into action.

Peter later paid attention to the boisterous wind, and he became afraid and began to sink. He paid attention to what wasn't working in his environment, and failure beckoned on him. His success came when he listened to Jesus, but the moment he focused on the wind, he feared and failed.

Friend, when you pay attention to God’s word and God’s promises, you will succeed, but when you focus on the negativity in your environment, it will usher you into failure. If you pay too much attention to what is wrong in your environment, you might miss the chance to fulfill your potentials. If you don’t focus on Jesus, the negativity around you may distract you from success.

Peter had negativity in his environment, and fear came into him and took his eyes off the mark. Be careful when the enemy makes you pay too much attention on negativity. He would take your eyes off the mark, and possibly instill fear into you to stop you from achieving what God has empowered you to achieve.

Remember, the wind eventually bowed to Jesus. Focus on Jesus and stop giving too much recognition to the negativity around you. If Jehovah is involved, no negativity will stop you.

Psalm 34 vs. 5 says: “They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.”

Prayer : Lord, I choose to focus on You; no negativity will stop me, in Jesus’ name!Amen
Enjoy A Blessed Thursday.