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Only may the Lord give you wisdom and understanding…that you may keep the law of the Lord your God. - 1 Chronicles 22:12

We are back to our series on the benefits of wisdom. As the passage above suggests, wisdom helps us to keep the law of God. Since violating the commands of God is regarded as folly, keeping His instructions thus becomes a function of wisdom. It is a smart man who seeks to know what the counsel of God is concerning any matter, and it is a wise man who keeps such counsel. Knowing what the Bible says alone does not benefit anyone, until such knowledge is transformed into action and reflects in the life of s/he who knows.

Keeping the instructions of God is one of the sure ways of being in His good book as well as attracting His favour. And wisdom is a prerequisite in achieving this; therefore, we can infer that it takes wisdom to become a God-favoured person.

Anyone who wants to benefit from the benevolence of God must be committed to adhering to His commands. Wisdom is the requisite tool that will provide the impetus for anyone to actively seek the counsel of God and to keep them. If you are ignorant of the will of God or you struggle with keeping His commands, then you need wisdom. Wisdom is the missing link that transmutes ignorance to knowledge and connects knowledge to application, with fruitful results.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com.

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The seeds that were planted on good ground are people who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience. - Luke 8:15

Faith without patience is like planting a seed and then uprooting the seedling before it has time to produce fruits.

If we want to live fruitful lives, we must learn patience (Luke 8:15, James 5:7-. Even God is patient, and He has made patience one of the built-in features of our universe. For instance, you cannot force a tree to produce fruits before its time. You cannot force the day to break before dawn. You cannot harvest immediately after you plant.

It takes time for a seed to become a tree. Just like it takes a process of time for the germinal vesicle to become an ovum, the ovum to be fertilised by the sperm to give a zygote, and for the zygote to become a foetus and finally a complete human being (a new creation that did not exist before), it takes a similar process of time for the seed of God's Word to become implanted/engrafted in our hearts and create new realities that did not exist before.

The importance of patience cannot be overemphasised. Every Christian should do a personal Bible Study on this crucial factor without which our faith becomes ineffective and unproductive. In the meantime, you’ll do well to remember this: “There is no conception without faith; no delivery without patience. It takes faith to conceive and patience to deliver.”

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com.

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There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. (Romans 5:3-4 MSG)

As we continue our discussion on faith and patience, we’ll do well to note that patience is not passive resignation to fate. It is not accepting anything and everything the devil throws at us. Rather, patience is resisting the devil by actively standing on the Word.

While waiting for the manifestation of God’s promise, we must continue to declare the truth of God’s Word with conviction. This is how we still the raging storms of doubt and fear that the devil brings our way as we await the physical reality of God’s Word. We must hold on to our confession of faith – and we must be willing to hold on forever. That willingness to hold on to our confession until we see our manifestation is what the Bible calls patience.

Patience is the womb of faith. There is a gestation period between your confession of faith and the manifestation of your desires. It is patience that nurtures faith through that gestation period. Patience provides a conditioned environment that shields faith from the harsh realities of external circumstances until the delivery day.

By faith, we confess the reality of things that are not, as though they were. By patience, we wait for the physical manifestation of what we are confessing. May the Lord infuse you with strength to wait patiently for the fulfilment of His promises to you.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com.

You can now download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device. Please click here: http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

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- Author Unknown

But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. - Psalm 73:2-3

An old missionary couple had been working in Africa for years and was returning to New York to retire. They had no pension; their health was broken; they were defeated, discouraged and afraid. They discovered they were booked on the same ship as the President, who was returning from one of his big-game hunting expeditions.

No one paid any attention to them. They watched the fanfare that accompanied the President's entourage, with passengers trying to catch a glimpse of the great man. As the ship moved across the ocean, the old missionary said to his wife, "Something is wrong. Why should we have given our lives in faithful service for God in Africa all these many years and have no one care a thing about us? Here this man comes back from a hunting trip and everybody makes much fuss over him, but nobody gives two hoots about us."

"Dear, you shouldn't feel that way" his wife said. "I can't help it; it doesn't seem right." The husband insisted. When the ship docked in New York, a band was waiting to greet the President. The mayor and other dignitaries were there. The press were agog with the President's arrival.

No one noticed this missionary couple. They slipped off the ship and found a cheap flat on the East Side, hoping the next day to see what they could do to make a living in the city.

That night the man's spirit broke. He said to his wife, "I can't take this; God is not treating us fairly." His wife replied, "Why don't you go in the bedroom and tell that to the Lord?"

A short time later, he came out from the bedroom, but now his face was completely different. His wife asked, "Dear, what happened?"

"The Lord settled it with me," he said. "I told him how bitter I was that the President should receive this tremendous homecoming, when no one met us as we returned home. And when I finished, it seemed as though the Lord put his hand on my shoulder and simply said, 'But you're not home yet."

Oftentimes, we get worked up by comparing ourselves with other people. But, instead of getting bitter, maybe you can find solace in the knowledge that God is probably telling you that He has something better in store for you when you get home.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com.

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- Author Unknown

And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. - Jeremiah 18:4

There was a couple who took a trip to England to shop in a beautiful antique store to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. They both liked antiques and pottery, and especially teacups. Spotting an exceptional cup, they asked "May we see that? We've never seen a cup quite so beautiful!"

As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke, "You don't understand. I have not always been a teacup. There was a time when I was just a lump of red clay. My master took me and rolled me pounded and patted me over and over and I yelled out, 'Don't do that. I don't like it! Let me alone.' But he only smiled, and gently said; 'Not yet!'"

"Then. WHAM! I was placed on a spinning wheel and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. 'Stop it! I'm getting so dizzy! I'm going to be sick,' I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, quietly; 'Not yet.'

"He spun me and poked and prodded and bent me out of shape to suit himself and then… Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I yelled and knocked and pounded at the door. Help! Get me out of here! I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head from side to side, 'Not yet'."

"When I thought I couldn't bear it another minute, the door opened. He carefully took me out and put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. Oh, that felt so good! Ah, this is much better, I thought. But, after I cooled he picked me up and he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. 'Oh, please; Stop it, Stop it!' I cried. He only shook his head and said. 'Not yet!'."

"Then suddenly he put me back in to the oven. Only it was not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I just knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. I was convinced I would never make it. I was ready to give up. Just then the door opened and he took me out and again placed me on the shelf, where I cooled and waited…and waited, wondering "What's he going to do to me next?

An hour later he handed me a mirror and said 'Look at yourself.'" "And I did. I said, 'That's not me; that couldn't be me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful!'

Quietly he spoke: 'I want you to remember, then,' he said, 'I know it hurt to be rolled and pounded and patted, but had I just left you alone, you'd have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it hurt and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened. You would not have had any colour in your life. If I hadn't put you back in that second oven, you wouldn't have survived for long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. Now you are what I had in mind when I first began with you."

The moral of this story is this: God knows what He's doing for each of us. He is the potter, and we are His clay. He will mould us and make us, and expose us to just enough pressures of just the right kinds that we may be made into a flawless piece of work to fulfil His good, pleasing and perfect will.

So when life seems hard, and you are being pounded and patted and pushed almost beyond endurance; when your world seems to be spinning out of control; when you feel like you are in a fiery furnace of trials; when life seems to "stink", try this....

Brew a cup of your favourite tea in your prettiest teacup, sit down and think on this story and then, have a little talk with the Potter.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com.

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Our great desire is that each of you keep up your eagerness to the end, so that the things you hope for will come true. We do not want you to become lazy, but to be like those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. - Hebrews 6:11-12

When talking about faith, Abraham is one person that readily comes to mind. In spite of contrary circumstances, he believed God. He agreed with God that he was Abraham – father of many nations – when he did not even have a child. Now, that’s faith. And he continued in faith for decades, even when it seemed that nothing was happening. That’s patience.

In the process of waiting, Abraham kept meditating on the faith pictures that God had given him. He did not change his mind and revert to his old name. Rather, he continued to call himself and his wife by the names the Lord had called them, even when the physical circumstances were obviously contrary.

Abraham is popularly known as Father of Faith. But really, he is Father of faith and patience. The fact is, he became Father of Faith because he was Father of Patience. His faith would have been unproductive if he had not added patience.

God has your life all planned out. He has prepared all that you will ever need long before you were born. He has made provision for every need in advance. However, like Abraham and the other patriarchs, you need to exercise patient faith to lay hold of this provision. That is how you can join the elite league of “those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com.

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My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into different kinds of temptations, knowing that the trying of your faith works patience. But let patience have its perfect work, so that you may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing. - James 1:2-4

Over the years, and especially in recent times, the Church has placed a lot of emphasis on faith – and rightly so – because the Christian walk is essentially a walk of faith (See Romans 1:17, Romans 10:9, Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 2:8, Hebrews 11:6). We are saved through faith, we live by faith and we maintain our relationship with God by faith. Nonetheless, the Bible is clear about the need to supplement our diet of faith with other important ingredients which I like to call “core vitamins.” Patience is one of these core vitamins (See II Peter 1:4-.

In today’s fast-paced world of jet travels, instant photography, fast food restaurants, high speed internet and what have you; it is not unlikely that patience has become alien to quite a number of us. Well, what exactly is patience? Patience is endurance. It is holding on to the Word of God without wavering, regardless of circumstances.

Patience is that quiet confidence that awaits the manifestation of what God has promised. It is holding on to the confession of our faith without faltering, knowing that He who called us is faithful (I Thessalonians 5:24).

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com.

You can now download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device. Please click here: http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

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How happy your people must be! What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day, listening to your wisdom! - 1 Kings 10:8 (New Living Translation)

Another benefit of wisdom is crystallised in this passage: wisdom makes a happy and fortunate companion. The relatives, friends, colleagues, associates, mates and acquaintances of a wise man are blessed – at least those that interact constantly with him – because his wisdom rubs off them, making them wise also. That is why the Bible says “He who walks with the wise will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed” (Proverbs 13:20).

Apart from the magnetic aura of Solomon, the Queen of Sheba must have been equally overwhelmed by the dignified comportments of his people that she could not help gushing out in excitement, eulogising Solomon and congratulating his attendants. While it is pleasant to be related to or acquainted with a really wise fellow, it is a great privilege to have direct access to him.

As we know, wisdom does not broadcast itself; but it cannot go unnoticed either in the general bearing of someone possessed of it. Solomon was the centre of attraction in the context of this passage, but his chiefs and servants could not but be noticed because they too exuded wisdom effortlessly in their words and conducts. Having been with Solomon for a length of time, it was only natural that they too would think, talk, act, and reason like him wherever they found themselves.

And that is one of the benefits of wisdom; it rubs off on your companions and avails them some of the privileges of wisdom. That was why Solomon’s courtiers were described as privileged and blessed to have been exposed to his intelligence firsthand at regular intervals. It is pleasant to be acquainted with a really wise person, but it is a great privilege to have direct access to him.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com.

You can now download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device. Please click here: http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

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In just 16 days of Daily Dew Devotional debuting on Blackberry, about a thousand people in various countries of the world have downloaded the app on their Blackberry devices. Check out the stats:

Aruba – 2
Benin – 5
Brazil - 3
Canada - 43
Cayman Islands - 2
Colombia - 3
Dominican Republic - 2
Ecuador - 3
Egypt - 2
El Salvador - 4
Fiji Islands - 2
Ghana - 28
Guyana - 4
Honduras - 3
India - 11
Indonesia - 36
Italy - 3
Jamaica - 15
Kenya - 3
Malawi - 2
Malaysia - 3
Namibia - 2
Nigeria - 482
Philippines - 26
Qatar - 3
Saudi Arabia - 6
Singapore - 5
South Africa - 106
Sri Lanka - 2
Suriname - 5
Thailand - 3
United Arab Emirates - 6
United Kingdom - 10
United States - 99
Venezuela - 10
Virgin Islands, U.S. - 3
Zambia – 3

ALL OF THESE IN JUST 16 DAYS!

All glory to the LORD for this landmark. We also specially thank the Online Team of TRW CONSULT for making the Blackberry App project a reality as well as using their virtual marketing expertise to blast the message to the world.

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“So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.” - Acts 19:20

When the people of Israel heard about King Solomon’s decision, they respected him very much. They saw he had wisdom from God to make the right decisions. - 1 Kings 3:28 (NCV)

As seen in this passage, wisdom also confers prestige on you, thus making people to be in awe of you.

Solomon couldn’t have imagined the kind of reverence he commanded universally on account of his God-given wisdom when he prayed for an understanding heart to enable him administer apt justice to God’s people. And that is the point; wisdom brings with it numerous values to the table than you can ever bargain for. That is why it is the most important possession.

Wisdom confers esteem on you, making you a much respected person in the society. Wisdom doesn’t need to make noise to proclaim its presence. Rather, it is evidenced in the little routines of life – in your words, deeds, conducts, carriage, attitudes, comportment, and general way of doing things, among others. Solomon did not have to broadcast to anyone that he had been endowed with wisdom by God. But, people realised this in his words and disposition and they trooped from the uttermost parts of the earth in pilgrimage to sample his wisdom and pay him homage.

The Bible says people saw that he “had wisdom from God to make the right decisions.” It is hard enough to make decisions concerning daily routines; therefore anyone who is seen as always making the right call and hitting it right in little and major issues of life will naturally attract the attention of others and command their respect. Such a person will be presented with a platform to lead and influence, with the benefits that accrue from such in tow.

Therefore, instead of pursuing prestige, seek wisdom; it is all you need to earn esteem and dignity.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com.

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“And…I have put wisdom in the hearts of all the gifted artisans, that they may make all that I have commanded you. - Exodus 31:6

Another benefit accruable from wisdom is the genius to create items of great value. The entrance of wisdom in the mix enhances your natural or acquired skills, thereby facilitating the creation of value in terms of product or service.

Wisdom offers you the ability to make witty inventions (Proverbs 8:12) and crafts that will solve specific human problems, foster better living, productivity or optimal performance. Most inventors have had to recourse to wisdom to create the inventions they are notable for today. The Wright brothers, Thomas Edison and George Washington Carver were renowned among historical figures whose scientific skills were accelerated by divine wisdom. Worthy of note was George Washington Carver, a humble slave who ended up becoming one of God's great scientists. He was famous for discovering 500 agricultural inventions working from his laboratory which he called, "God's Little Workshop."

Apart from the creation of things, wisdom also enhances your performance in whatever you set out to do, such that you come out with excellent output and stand out from the pack. It was wisdom that God imparted to Bezalel, Aholiab and a number of other artisans who were asked to produce the intricate Tabernacle of Meeting as well as the Ark of Covenant. The results of their efforts were simply spectacular.

Wisdom is not peculiar to certain vocation; it is applicable in all fields of human endeavour. Therefore, rather than envying the person who is making wave in her career, or thinking about how to ditch your present line for a seemingly lucrative one, perhaps what you need to thrive is wisdom. In whatever you do, wisdom mixed with skills and concentrated hard work will always guarantee success.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com.

You can now download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device. Please click here: http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

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- Author Unknown

But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. - 2 Thessalonians 3:13

Bob Richards, the former pole-vault champion, shares a moving story about a skinny young boy who loved football with all his heart. Practice after practice, he eagerly gave everything he had. But being half the size of the other boys, he got absolutely nowhere. At all the games, this hopeful athlete sat on the bench and hardly ever played.

This teenager lived alone with his father, and the two of them had a very special relationship. Even though the son was always on the bench, his father was always in the stands cheering. He never missed a game.

This young man was still the smallest of the class when he entered high school. But his father continued to encourage him, but also made it very clear that he did not have to play football if he didn't want to. But the young man loved football and decided to hang in there. He was determined to try his best at every practice, and perhaps he'd get to play when he became a senior. All through high school he never missed a practice, neither did he miss a game, but remained a bench warmer all four years. His faithful father was always in the stands, always with words of encouragement for him.

When the young man went to college, he decided to try out for the football team as a "walk-on". Everyone was sure he could never make the cut, but he did. The coach admitted that he kept him on the roster because he always puts his heart and soul in every practice and, at the same time, provided the other members with the spirit and hustle they badly needed. The news that he had survived the cut thrilled him so much that he rushed to the nearest phone and called his father. His father shared his excitement and was sent season tickets for all the college games. This persistent young athlete never missed practice during his four years at college, but he never got to play in the game.

It was the end of his senior football season, and as he trotted onto the practice field shortly before the big playoff game, the coach met him with a telegram. The young man read the telegram and he became deathly silent. Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, "My father died this morning. Is it all right if I miss practice today?"

The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and said, "Take the rest of the week off, son. And don't even plan to come back to the game on Saturday.”

Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In the third quarter, when the team was ten points behind, a silent young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear. As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were astounded to see their faithful teammate back so soon. "Coach, please let me play. I've just got to play today." said the young man. The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted his worst player in this close playoff game.

But the young man persisted, and finally feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in. "All right," he said. "You can go in".

Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in the stands could not believe their eyes. This little unknown, who had never played before was doing everything right. The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, he passed, looked and tackled like a star. His team began to triumph. The score was soon tied. In the closing seconds of the game, this kid intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown. The fans broke loose. His teammates hoisted him onto their shoulders. Such cheering you never heard!

Finally, after the stands had emptied and the team had showered and left the locker room, the coach noticed that the young man was sitting quietly in the corner all alone. The coach came to him and said, "Kid, I can't believe it. You were fantastic! Tell me what got into you? How did you do it?"

He looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know that my dad was blind?” The young man swallowed hard and forced a smile, "Dad came to all my games. But today was the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it!"

Like the athlete's father, God is always there cheering for us. He's always reminding us to go on. He is even offering us His hand for He knows what is best and is willing to give us what we need, and not simply what we want. God has never missed a single game.

What a joy to know that life is meaningful when lived for the Highest. Live for HIM, for He is watching you in the game of life.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com.

You can now download the Daily Dew app on your Blackberry device. Please click here: http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/29262893

Please share with your loved ones. God bless You!

Author Unknown

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. - Philippians 2:3

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window.

The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke about their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And, every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his room-mate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man on the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all these in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene. One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Then unexpectedly, a sinister thought entered his mind. Why should the other man alone experience all the pleasures of seeing everything while he himself never got to see anything? It didn't seem fair.

At first thought, the man felt ashamed. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to brood and he found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window - that thought, and only that thought now controlled his life.

Late one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room, he did not move nor push his own button, which would have brought the nurse running in. In less than five minutes the coughing and choking stopped, along with that the sound of breathing. Now there was only silence - dead silence.

The following morning, the nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take it away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall. He was puzzled.

he later asked the nurse what could have made his deceased roommate described such wonderful things outside this window to him. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She then said, "Perhaps, he just wanted to encourage you."

You can interpret the story in any way you like. But one moral stands out: There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com.

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Please share with your loved ones. God bless You!

And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. Each man brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year. - 2 Chronicles 9:23-24

Another benefit of wisdom is that it makes you a hotcake. From our reference passage, we see that Solomon became a widely sought after person – a hotcake – overnight, as kings and prominent figures all over the world came in tow to seek his audience. Note that they did not come to see his face just for the fun of it, nor did they travel through lands, seas and deserts merely to see his palace, they came with deliberate intent from their different nations to seek his counsel on various matters and be acquainted firsthand with his famed wisdom.

Imagine what the sight must have looked like; all these rulers of empires and kingdoms collecting tallies and taking turns just to be with Solomon and rub mind with him. And they did not come empty-handed. The Bible says they brought presents, silver, gold, garments, armour, spices, horses, and mules year by year.

That is one of the benefits wisdom bestows on those who possess it. It makes you an authority and gives you a voice. It gives you a savvy that people queue to sample and a product that everyone craves to buy. Wisdom distinguishes you from the pack and launches you to unimaginable heights. Solomon probably did not bargain for all the fuss the world was making all over him on account of his wisdom, but it must have been quite pleasing to be the recipient of such effusive attention.

The interesting thing is that it was God who put wisdom in Solomon’s heart which made Him the desire of everyone. It is also gladdening to know that God doesn’t hoard wisdom; He gives it freely to anyone who asks Him (James 1:5). It will be wise to ask Him earnestly for yours after reading this.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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Now all the work of Solomon was well ordered from the day of the foundation of the house of the LORD until it was finished. – 2 Chronicles 8:16

Wisdom is one of the common prayer points of discerning people, because they realise that it is the ultimate possession. The Bibles describes it as “the most important thing” (Proverbs 4:7, EXB). Wisdom answers a lot of things and virtually all the problems of the world can be traced to the absence of the specific wisdom required to solve them, otherwise they would have ceased to exist.

Wisdom is more important than money and other material possession. With wisdom, it is a matter of time before you amassed wealth and material things; without wisdom, it is a matter of time before you lose them all. That is why God urges us to first get wisdom before any other thing, because it is the foundation and sustaining factor of all accomplishments.

Wisdom has a lot of benefits which few, if anything else, in the world can match. Some of these benefits will be the focus of our meditation for the next few days.

From the passage above, we see that wisdom helps one to become orderly and organised. These are two important attributes of great minds. It takes a lot of mental energy to be organised in space and bearing. Wisdom gives you that discipline which enables you to do things in an orderly and organised manner. Our reference passage says that all the works of Solomon were well ordered from the beginning to the end. That means there was no omission or lapse whatsoever, everything was well thought out, well laid out and well executed.

We know that Solomon was an embodiment of wisdom. So, to drive home our point, we can replace Solomon with wisdom and say “all the work of wisdom was well ordered from…the foundation…until it was finished.”

Another instance of this benefit of wisdom is seen in 2 Chronicles 9:3-4, “And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers and their apparel, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her.”

Now wisdom is not a tangible thing that we can touch or smell. The evidence of the presence of wisdom is in our words, our way of life and our manner of doing things. Without making noise, the queen of Sheba only needed to see the ambience of Solomon to make her conclusion that he was indeed a wise man. Wisdom needs not say much before it is acknowledged.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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“For I am the Lord. I speak, and the word which I speak will come to pass; it will no more be postponed; for in your days… I will say the word and perform it,” says the Lord God. - Ezekiel 12:25

Even as we need information from different sources to make informed decisions and take guided steps, the information we work by may not be foolproof as to prevent us from making mistakes or running into a hitch along the way. Many people have sincerely taken steps based on experts’ advice or natural course, but which resulted in grievous consequences. That tells us that even the best resourced information does not absolutely guarantee success.

There is however a resource that is time-tested to always provide you accurate information on any matter of life. It is called the Holy Bible; it contains the words, counsel, instructions, commandments, charges, opinions and thoughts of God. The Bible is an old resource, yet it is ever current and accurate in its direction about past or present issue as well as future developments. It is current because the information you will cull from a passage today may not be what you will get tomorrow from the same passage. It is ever dynamic in the insights it offers and it is relevant in all situations. It is the best tool available to us for research before taking a decision on matters of life.

Therefore, even when economic forecasts or experts from other fields are predicting gloom and recess, but the word of God says there is going to be abundance, it is in your interest to align your decision and action with the word of God. If the experts or circumstances are pointing that there is no hope, but God says there are possibilities, you will be sinning to ignore God’s counsel for the verdict of His creatures. This is because heaven and earth may pass away, as the experts predict, but the word of God will never pass away or fall to the ground until it has accomplished the situation for which it was released.

So, if you want to be current in the fundamental matters of life as to ensure that your actions are on point, you need to make reading the Bible and talking to God your second nature. the word of God will always prevail over physical evidence or what the experts say, and it will prove the most accurate and up-to-date information you can get. When circumstances and experts’ advice are conflicting with what God says, your position should be “Let God be true and every man a liar.”

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. - Proverbs 4:5

We are all products of our environments. And environment is not limited to physical location alone; much more than that, it includes our mental (the places we get the information we feed our mind), spiritual (the place(s) we go to for spiritual nourishment), career (factors affecting our discipline), business (industry and location of our commercial activities), as well as emotional (relationships) factors. All of these constitute our environment.

Being current about happenings and developments in your environments can be very beneficial. Apart from the fact that it portrays you as a smart person who is on top of his game, the information you garner will equally help you to take informed decisions or actions about aspects of your life that the information you have is relevant to, which will, hopefully, yield you good results.

To operate in the more popular environments, we rely on the mass media and informal sources for the information we need to plan our day, week, month, year and future. We source for information on the weather, stock market, investment opportunities, job openings, etc. and we launch into action based on our gleaning. When meteorologists say the weather is going to be foul, we plan to stay indoor; when stock analysts’ predictions are negative, we hold on to our money; when we learn that government is focusing on a particular sector of the economy, bankers and business people invest there; and so on. These tell us the importance of information in keeping us current and helping us to take appropriate steps.

But, our quest for information should not be restricted to functioning in our physical and economic environment alone. Equal attention should be devoted to our mental, emotional and spiritual environments. As our reference scripture charges, you must consciously seek wisdom and understanding. It is to the extent that we are informed in these other areas of life that we will perform as individuals as well as attain balance.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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A Line-By-Line Exposition

The Lord is my Shepherd [Who purchased me at a very high price – the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son. As a sheep, I know nothing of myself, nor can take any independent action on my own that will do me much good (Psalm 95:7, 100:3). Therefore, as my Shepherd, He is the One responsible for my feeding, guidance, protection and general wellbeing.];

I shall not want [Because my Shepherd, Who is the Owner of the heavens, the earth and all its fullness, ‘supplies all my needs, as they arise from time to time, according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:13)].

He makes me to lie down in green pastures [He locates and establishes me in conducive environments - in my house, my business, my school, my company, my church, my ministry, and my world in general);

He leads me beside the still waters [He gives me restful means of sustenance that are without stress, pain or any trouble to draw from].

He restores my soul [He renews and refreshes my spirit, soul and body with all the good things they need for health and maximum performance).

He leads me in the paths of righteousness [(Psalm 78:52) So that I do not stray from the right course in my exuberance or ignorance, not because I merit it, but]

For His name’s sake [Because He has the reputation of being The Good Shepherd, who can never abscond His responsibilities nor change His nature from good to bad (John 14:1). That is the reason I am assured that I am in a good hand and that…]

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death [Even when I find myself in dangerous or life-threatening situations that portend evil or great calamity] I will fear no evil [Why?]

For You are with me [Since I am not leading myself anyway, but I am a protégé of The Good Shepherd].

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me [Instead of beating and intimidating me, even when I get presumptuous and behave wrongly as I tend to do from time to time, You only use Your shepherd’s rod to gently guide me back to the right course, without any mark of harm or injury on my body].

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies [Without them being able to do anything to stop me from enjoying the delicacies. Why? Because you are right there watching over me to ensure that I’m safe. While my enemies are only confined to a distance, glaring at me morosely without their being able to do anything to harm me. And they dare not move near, otherwise they will have to contend with You, the Mighty Man in battle].

You anoint my head with oil [of gladness and ability to do all that you have nurtured me to do],

My cup runs over [Because you simply did not stop pouring on me until I am overflowed with the abundance of your goodness].

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me [Not sorrow, not sadness, not disaster, not mourning, not fear, not evil, not grief, not poverty, not frustration, not failure, nor pain, but goodness and mercy shall be my experience]

All the days of my life [that is all the Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays that I live!],

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord [Since that is where He will always lead me to for rest. For He will never leave me in the house of a stranger. Therefore, I am certain of always being in His pleasurable presence during the day (Psalm 16:11) and the secret place of His fortress in the night (Psalm 31:20)]

Forever [and ever. That is as long as I am here on earth, and even when I transit to heaven above. Amen].

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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- Author Unknown

“It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear.” - Isaiah 65:24

Helen Roseveare, a missionary doctor from England to Zaire Africa, told this as it happened to her in Africa.

"One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labour ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died leaving us with a tiny premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive, as we had no incubator. We had no electricity to run an incubator. We also had no special feeding facilities.

Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst. Rubber perishes easily in tropical climates. "And it is our last hot water bottle!" the midwife exclaimed.

As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk; so, in Central Africa, it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.

"All right," I said, "Put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm."

The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle. The baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died. During the prayer time, one ten-year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. "Please, God," she prayed, "send us a water bottle. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon."

While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added by way of a corollary, "And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl, so she'll know You really love her?"

As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say, "Amen?" I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything. The Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator, where the weather is hot. So it makes no sense for someone to send me a hot water bottle!

Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the veranda, was a large twenty-two pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some 30 or 40 pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly coloured, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out.

Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas – that would make a nice batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the.....could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out--yes, a brand-new, rubber hot water bottle!

I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly too!"

Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted. Looking up at me, she asked: "Can I go over with you, Mummy, and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?"

That parcel had been on the way for five whole months! Packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child – five months before – and both delivered that day in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it "that afternoon."

What a mighty God we serve! He can reverse or fast-forward time and events in order to favour those who serve Him and call upon Him in truth. Be rest assured, your own situation is not beyond His power. You only to trust Him and He will do it.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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Author Unknown

‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ - Jeremiah 33:3

A young man had been to Wednesday night Bible Study. The Pastor had shared about listening to God and obeying the Lord's voice. The young man couldn't help but wonder, "Does God still speak to people these days?"

After service he went out for coffee and pie with some friends and they discussed the message. Some of them talked about how God had led them in different ways. It was about 10 o'clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he
prayed, "God, if you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. And I will do my best to obey."

As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out loud, "God is that you?" He didn't get a reply and started on toward home. But again, the thought came, buy a gallon of milk. The young man thought about little Samuel and how he didn't recognize the voice of God and had to run to Eli. "Okay, God, in case that is you, I will buy the milk."

It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward home. As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, "Turn Down that street."

This is crazy, he thought, and drove on past the intersection. Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street. At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh. Half jokingly, he said out loud, "Okay, God, I will". He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in semi commercial area of town. It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst of neighborhoods either. The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already in bed.

Again, he sensed something, "Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street." The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked like the people inside were either gone or they were already asleep. He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat.

"Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid." Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk. Finally, he opened the door, "Okay God, if this is you, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk. If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient; I guess that will count for something. But if they don't answer right away, I am out of here."

He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, "Who is it? What do you want?" Then the door opened before the young man could get away.

The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to have some stranger standing on his doorstep. "What is it?"

The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, "Here, I brought this to you." The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway. Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face.

The man began speaking and half crying, "We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk."

His wife in the kitchen yelled out, "I ask him to send an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?"

The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put in the man's hand. He turned and walked back toward his car and the tears were streaming down his face.

He knew then that God still answers prayers.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. - Romans 14:9

In continuation of our series on the purpose and mission of our Lord, Jesus Christ, this passage provides us yet another mandate that He came to fulfil on earth; to be the Lord of the living and the dead.

One of the major agenda of Jesus was to offer His life in replacement for the lives of humankind. After the fall in the Garden of Eden, death became the end of all humans by default, as it would be unbearable to live forever as originally planned by God in such fallen state. With sin also came disengagement from God, labour, misery, pain, hurts and all manners of woes. So, death was introduced to cut short the miseries associated with living in the flesh.

But God, being ever considerate, also created a window for humans to reconnect with Him after death. But that would be a matter of individual choice, based on personal disposition to His laws and how they choose to live in relation to Him and their fellow humans. These would largely determine where each person ends up, with God or in the Lake of fire which is prepared for the devil, his followers and other children of disobedience.

But, still not satisfied with the regime of laws, which was majorly marked with dos and don’ts, God decided to send His Son in the form of man to come and bear all the miseries of living – sickness, pain, rejection, criticism, sorrow, transgression, lack, failing, etc – and likewise pay the ultimate price for sin by laying down His life for sinners so that they don’t have to die the second death and end up in the lake of fire.

By choosing to die in lieu of humans, Jesus thus became the Lord of all that He died for, both the living and the dead. Therefore, everyone is expected to submit to Him and live on His terms, since He had died the death we could have died by default on account of our sins, and has instead offered us the precious opportunity to be restored to God as well as live for eternity. It is His life we now live; and we are expected to live it the way He would have lived it Himself, not our own way. “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:7-.

It seems we have little say in this matter; Jesus has come to die for everyone of us, and by so doing He became the Lord of us all. As our Lord and the owner of our lives, He expects us to live in certain ways and conduct ourselves in certain manners. It will be in our best interest to find out what His terms are. They are not far-fetched; you can read them up in your Bible. Why not pick yours and commit yourself to reading a chapter per day? You will definitely be the better for it.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation. - Habakkuk 3:17-18

Challenges and vicissitudes of life may just be a test of your faith and commitment to God. They may not be because of your sins, but are meant to see what your disposition to God would be when the going gets tough. This was the case of Job who suffered much ruinous afflictions, not because he was the worst sinner of his time, but because there was a need to place him in term of his loyalty to God in the face of adversity.

It is easy to worship God and be committed to His works when things are going smoothly. But when situation becomes rough and everything seems to be going downhill, that is when the real devout are known. Adversity reveals the true nature of any man – just like money and power.

When Job was at the lowest ebb of his life, even his wife who must have been so sweet and supportive in his previous devotion to God could not contain the hardship any longer and had to blurt out, “Curse God and die!”

What is your own attitude when you are beset with trials? Are you the type who starts to wag his finger toward heaven, daring the existence of God and demanding His immediate intervention? Or you are the type who maintains an attitude of worship affirming the sovereignty and goodness of God despite your own conditions? What do you say when you are tossed by the storms of life? Do your words glorify God or cast aspersion on His ability? Do you still thank Him for what you have or you are preoccupied with what you don’t have and thus become ungrateful and critical?

As our reference scripture suggests, adversity and lack should not rob us of our sense of gratitude to God. We owe all to Him. For all you know, your present situation may just be a test of your worship. Will you still praise Him or continue to whine about what is not or what should have been?

Do you think you have a reason to hang on?

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons… But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. - Luke 21:12-13

Here is yet another reason to remain optimistic in the face of trials and challenges. Jesus Himself said those trying situations are going to turn out for you as occasions for testimony. That means their purpose is sure; they are not meant to undo, but to announce you. They are contrived to make you testify and glorify God.

This knowledge will help you adopt a new perspective in the way you view your challenges and a new approach in the way you deal with them. Your perspective will change to the extent that you realise each trying condition will not determine your end, but is a platform for you to showcase the goodness of God to the world. This will also boost your confidence to take it on. Knowing the problem will not spell your doom, but will make you bloom, will add springs to your steps as you confront it. Now you know that you can pray and hope to get a favourable answer, and you can take guided steps and expect positive results.

This sums up God’s expectation from us in term of how we perceive and respond to unfavourable circumstances. He doesn’t want us to become downcast and moody, carrying a long face everywhere and infecting/offending others with our sour mood. He expects us to look beyond the problem and be joyful in our comportment (James 1:2). He wants us to see Him at work in our challenge and trust Him as He guides us to the end of it, when we will get to testify and let the world know how good He is. He has assured you that each challenge “will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony.” And He doesn’t just say things for the fun of it.

Now, that is a good reason to cheer up.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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Dear Friends on Nairaland,

We are pleased to inform you that you can now download Daily Dew as an application on your Blackberry device.

Please download it by searching for "Daily Dew Devotional" in BlackBerry World. Alternatively, you may click on the link below or copy and paste it into your browser.

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You will succeed in Jesus Name!

I would have been without hope if I had not believed that I would see the loving-kindness of the Lord in the land of the living. - Psalm 27:13 (NLV)

This passage gives you another reason to be optimistic in the face of a critical challenge that is threatening to tear your world apart or destroy all you have laboured for. If any man knew what it meant to be afflicted with myriads of problems, it was David. Declared an enemy of state when the reigning king, Saul, turned against him and launched a massive manhunt for his head, David took to the wilderness and became a fugitive. Harassed, pursued and severally betrayed, he was always on the move without a permanent base. He suffered all these for no offence, except that he was favoured by God to become king.

Nevertheless, he maintained an upbeat attitude about his predicament. He made the most of the negative situation, fostering goodwill among the people he mingled with in the course of his flight as well as building a followership of loyalists and a formidable army whose exploits later saw to it that he had successful war campaigns and was never defeated in battle.

David was able to do all these because he adopted a long-term perspective, as seen in the reference passage; at the height of his problems, he did not give up hoping because he was convinced that he would still experience God’s goodness, not as a dead man but while he was still alive!

David’s example is a good reference for us that the best is yet to come. No matter the situation you find yourself at the moment, it is important to note that tough times indeed never last. So your present challenge does not have the capacity to get the better of you, unless you allow it to. It will not outlast you; you will be the one to outlive it and even see through many more challenges beside in the process of your becoming a better person on all fronts.

Don’t lose hope, because you will soon see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. And that is a good enough reason to cheer up and hang on.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. - James 1:2-4

When beleaguered with troubles, another reason to keep keeping on, rather than call it quit, is by drawing encouragement from the knowledge that every trial is a refining process to produce a better you. Just like there is no promotion from one class to a higher one in schools without passing some tests or examination, so also is there no sustainable upgrade in life unless one has successfully transited from a mental, emotional and spiritual realm to a higher one.

And it is adverse circumstances, most often than pleasant experiences, that help to facilitate the transition process: refining our character, improving our perspectives and grooming us for future exploits. That is why, according to the passage above, challenges are necessary regimen for development and should not be viewed as fatal.

It will be nice to read how different translations of the Bible render this wisdom:

The Message
Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

Common English Bible
My brothers and sisters, think of the various tests you encounter as occasions for joy. After all, you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. Let this endurance complete its work so that you may be fully mature, complete, and lacking in nothing.

Easy-to-Read Version
My brothers and sisters, you will have many kinds of trouble. But this gives you a reason to be very happy. You know that when your faith is tested, you learn to be patient in suffering. If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all that God wants you to be.

Now, isn’t this a good reason to hang on?

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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- Author Unknown

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. - Proverbs 3:5-6

The story is told of a mountain climber who, desperate to conquer the Aconcagua initiated his climb after years of preparation. But he wanted the glory to himself; therefore, he went up alone. He started climbing and it was becoming later and later. He did not prepare for camping, so he decided to keep on going. Soon it became really dark.

Night fell with heaviness at a very high altitude. Visibility was zero. Everything was black. There was no moon, and the stars were covered by clouds. As he was climbing a ridge at about 100 meters from the top, he slipped and fell. Falling rapidly he could only see blotches of darkness that passed. He felt a terrible sensation of being sucked in by gravity.

He kept falling, and in those anguish moments good and bad memories passed through his mind. He thought certainly he would die. But then he felt a jolt that almost tore him in half. Like any good mountain climber he had staked himself with a long rope tied to his waist.

In those moments of stillness, suspended in the air he had no other choice but to shout, “Help! Help me God! Help me!"

All of a sudden he heard a deep voice, "Jack, Jack. Can you hear me? What do you want me to do?"

"Yes, yes! I can hear you. I'm down here!"

"I can see you, Jack. Are you alright?"

"Yes, but who are you, and where are you?

"I am the Lord, Jack. I'm everywhere."

"The Lord? You mean, God?"

"That's Me."

"God, please help me! I promise if, you'll get me down from here, I'll stop sinning. I'll be a really good person. I'll serve You for the rest of my life."

“Easy on the promises, Jack. Let's get you off from there first. Now, here's what I want you to do. Listen carefully."

"I'll do anything, Lord. Just tell me what to do."

"Okay. Cut the rope."

"What?"

"I said, cut the rope that is holding you." Just trust Me. Cut it."

There was a long silence. Finally, Jack yelled, "Help! Help! Is anyone else up there?"

The next day, the rescue team said they found a frozen mountain climber hanging strongly to a rope… HE WAS JUST TWO FEET OFF THE GROUND.

Have you ever felt like Jack? We say that we want to know the will of God, but when we find out what it is, we can't handle it. It sounds too scary, too difficult. We decide to look elsewhere. When He says, "Let go of the things that stand between you and Me, and trust Me with your life;" it sounds pretty scary. But when we let go, we find freedom and safety in His hands.

You need to cut the rope and simply trust in Him.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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- Author Unknown

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. - 1 John 1:9

A little boy was visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods; but he could never hit the target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back home for dinner. As he was walking back, he saw Grandma's pet duck. Out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, it hit the duck square in the head and killed it.

He was shocked and grieved!

In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile, only to see his sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing. After lunch the next day Grandma said, 'Sally, let's wash the dishes.'

But Sally said, 'Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen.'

Then she whispered to him, 'Remember the duck?'

So Johnny did the dishes.

Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing, and Grandma said, 'I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper.'

Sally just smiled and said, 'Well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help.'

She whispered again, 'Remember the duck?'

So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's, he finally couldn't stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck. Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug and said, 'Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you.'

Thought for the day and every day Hereafter . . .

Whatever is in your past, or that you have done that the devil keeps throwing up in your face, you need to know that God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing. He has seen your whole life. He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven. He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you.

The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness, He not only forgives you, but He forgets. It is by God's grace and mercy that we are saved.


You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. - 1 Corinthians 10:13

The passage above gives us some more reasons to hang on and remain hopeful in the face of challenges. It may seem harsh, but the Bible says there is hardly a situation that you are facing now that no other person has encountered before. So don’t succumb to devil’s wile to keep you despondent, asking why is your own case different. You have not been singled out for hardship. The Bible stresses that people all over the world are in your same shoe right now (1 Peter 5:9). Some have passed through it before, some are experiencing it presently and many more would experience it after you.

A bigger consolation is also derived from the insight that, firstly, God will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can endure. He will not allow a challenge that is bigger than you into your life; otherwise, He will cease to be a just God. That you are in this situation suggests that you are up to it. If you don’t think so, at least God thinks so; and He should know better than you. You should therefore take heart in the knowledge that the problem, no matter how big it is, is not equal to you.

Secondly, God considers you stronger than the person whom you are envying for not experiencing the same turbulence. That is why He would allow it to happen to you in the first place and spare the other person, as he/she may not survive it.

The third learning point for our meditation is that, God has also made a way of escape for you to be rid of the challenge. Every problem has its solution inherent in it, so also is that pressure you are battling right now. God has factored a solution with it the very moment it dawned on you. But, oftentimes, we dwell so much on the problem, analysing its enormity and intricacies that we forget to seek the solution to it.

Therefore, you need to take solace in the knowledge that you are not alone in this kind of issue, so you are not worse off than everyone else. Secondly, the situation is not beyond you, otherwise God would not have allowed it to come your way. And thirdly, there is a solution to the problem that is waiting for you to discover it; so that you can become a deliverer to other people who may find themselves enmeshed in the same kind of issue (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

Now aren’t these some good reasons to keep keeping on?

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

Please share this with your loved ones. God bless you.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. - Romans 8:28

While under pressure, one other reason to hang on and not adopt a capitulatory attitude is because of the fact that God makes all things to work together for the good of His children – and yes, it is ALL THINGS He contrives to turn out for good, not some of them. So, rather than get bogged down with the weight of your circumstance, you should rather focus on the goodness of God in the past, then look out for the inherent good in the present situation, and the likely good that will come out of it.

By nature, God is benevolent; He is always seeking ways to bless; He is not all out to judge and to exact. He is a God of justice, yes; but He is more inclined to show compassion first before meting out judgement. Even in the midst of punishment, He is always looking out for a repentant heart, so He could have a ground to stop. His mercy prevails over judgement (James 2:13). In the word of the Psalmist, ‘He is good, and everything He does is good’ (Psalm 119:68).

Meditating on this nature of God should give you an assurance that He’s got your back. He is watching out for you. Even in the thick of your challenges when all you could see are woes and nothing else, He has not abandoned you and He is not going to do that anyway. The fact that you don’t see Him doesn’t mean that He is not with you; and His silence does not mean that He is not hearing your prayers either. But you need to ensure you are really praying, not whining and throwing tantrums. He is up to something; and it is something good. He is about to turn your test to a testimony and your tears to cheer.

Now, that’s a good reason for you to keep hanging on.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

Please share this with your loved ones. God bless you.

I say this because I know what I am planning for you,” says the Lord. “I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future. - Jeremiah 29:11 (New Century Version)

The pressures of life can be overwhelming at times that you wonder if you will ever get out of this, or will it ever end. You might even have considered calling it quit on life altogether so as to be relieved of all the stress. It can be that bad; but it does not have to get to that point.

Perhaps the vicissitudes of life have boxed you into such a state that you are discouraged from doing anything or taking any further step for fear of aggravating an already bad situation or being misinterpreted. It can be that tough; but you don’t have to let it get the better of you. You cannot afford to stop praying and trying, taking guided steps and making calculated attempts.

Whatever your own issue may be at the moment, be it finance, marriage, family, business, career, health, or other forms of social pressure, it is always good to adopt a long term perspective and see yourself vis-à-vis the challenge in a couple of years time; will it become bigger than you or you would have outgrown it? You can also borrow a leaf from Robert Schuller’s classic that “tough times don’t last; only tough people do.”

Another perspective that can help you to cope with the storms of life is the fact that challenges are part of living; they are not peculiar to you alone. The fact that you are in the midst of storm does not mean that God does not reckon with you or that He loves you lesser than someone who seems to be enjoying all the fortunes of life. God cares for all His children, even the recalcitrant ones. He is a loving Father. He does scheme and He is not driven by the thoughts of how He might undo you. He says that the thoughts (note the plural) He has toward you are for peace, not evil; to give you a hope and a future.’ Amplified Bible says His plan is “to give you hope in your final outcome.”

This is God Himself assuring you that of all the thoughts He thinks about you, none is to hurt, undo or afflict you. On the contrary, even with your present issues in mind, His thoughts are to give you hope in your final outcome. Now that is one good reason for you to hang on.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

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…through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood… because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed. - Romans 3:24-25

Here is another mission of Jesus on earth; He was sent by God as a propitiation for our sins, so that we can be rid of the dark blot of guilt and we can enjoy right standing with God. Because of the great love God has for humankind, He had to part with something most precious to Him – His Son, Jesus Christ – Whom He offered as a sacrifice in order to regain man and restored fellowship with him (John 3:16).

Jesus paid the price for our redemption by offering Himself to be crucified so that we might be without guilt. He offered His blood as atonement for the collective sins of mankind; thus paying the ultimate price as ransom for the souls of men from the grasp of the devil; for ‘without shedding of blood there is no remission’ (Hebrews 9:22).

The self-sacrifice that Jesus did was a one-off thing. He had died and rose from the dead to break the power of sin and devil’s yoke on anyone who cares to accept as a matter of fact the good works He had come to execute on earth.

Knowing thus the import of the assignment of Jesus - the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), it is pertinent that we free ourselves of the weight of sin by living a holy life that is pleasing in the eyes of God. It is also important that we comport ourselves conscious of the sacrifice He had made for us. He has cancelled the record of our sin by dying on the cross, and for as long as the earth remains, the ultimate price He had paid will forever be in force, and His shed blood will forever speak better things for us.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Daily Dew is published by Sons of Issachar Concepts. To subscribe by email or read previous editions, visit www.daily-dew.com

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