Day: October 25, 2020

Watch for Divine Encounter

Two years after the Commission, only
Jerusalem had heard the good news.
Then persecution hits, scattering
disciples into Judea and Samaria.
Phillip extends his witness to Africa
thro conversion of visiting dignitary.
And Saul encounters the risen
Lord on the road to Damascus,
transforming him from Saul the
Antagonist to Paul the Missionary.

Lord, we seek to Encounter You:
The Lord told (Ananias): Go to house
of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul
for he is Praying. And in a vision he
has seen you putting your hand on
him… Go for he is a chosen vessel
of Mine to bear My name before
Gentiles… Immediately he preached
Christ in the synagogues that He
is the Son of God (Acts 9:11-20).
When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he
tried to meet with the believers, but
they were all afraid… Then Barnabas
brought him to the apostles & told
them how Saul had seen the Lord
on the way to Damascus (v26-27).
Then the Churches throughout
Judea, Galilee and Samaria…were
edified. And walking in the fear of
the Lord and in the comfort of the
Holy Spirit, they… multiplied (v34).

Lord, You gave Paul a dramatic
Encounter on the road to Damascus.
Throughout history many have told
of encounters and the fruit of their
lives validated their testimonies.
An Encounter with You can turn
anyone into a passionate believer
who will earnestly give You glory.
So step into our experiences in
powerful and life-altering ways
and show us Your glory. Amen.

Lord, You appeared to Saul, blinded
him to get his attention and then
turnaround his life. Likewise, You
may allow me to get to a dark place
where I can’t see without Your help.
At those times, help me to do as
Paul did and Pray fervently so that
my spiritual sight can be restored
and Your Will Be Done. Amen.

Lord, help me to see others with
Your eyes; and make me to be
an encourager like Barnabas.
Give me the vision to see the
potential U have deposited in them.
Fill me with courage to stand with
those in trouble and need my help.
Make me an encouragement from Your heart to the hearts of others.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Glowing Faith in Trying Times

Perhaps when you think of Daniel,
you may think of a young man. But
the book of Daniel covers at least
70 years in this colourful prophet
of God. According to best estimates,
Daniel was 76 years old in chapter 4 when he was with Nebuchadnezzar
86 years old in c5 with Belshazzar &
93 years old in chap 6 with the lions.
Throughout his days, Daniel’s faith
shines brightly, whether interpreting
a king’s dream, reading handwriting
on the wall or taking a stand for God.

Each of the 3 rulers you encounter
in today’s reading felt the hand
of God in his life. For Belshazzar,
it meant the end of his kingdom;
for Darius and Nebuchadnezzar,
the end of their self-worship as
God’s equals. When confronted
by Daniel’s God, all three quickly
learned how puny they were by
comparison. There is perhaps no
more potent power on earth than
a Christian in the midst of a crisis.
Both Nebuchadnezzar and Darius
gave public praise to Daniel’s
God when they saw Daniel’s
stability in the midst of adversity.
Lord, we’ll Humble before You.
Lord, we’ll Submit to Your Reign.
Lord, we’ll Devote in Prayer. Amen.

Lord, we Humble before You:
All this came to pass upon King
Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of the
12 months he was walking about
the royal palace of Babylon. The king
spoke: Is not this great Babylon that
I have built… While the word was
still In the king’s mouth, a voice fell
from heaven: King Nebuchadnezzar
the kingdom has departed from you!
You will live in the fields with the
wild animals, and you will eat grass
like a cow… until you learn that the
Most High rules over the kingdoms
of the world and gives them to
anyone He chooses (Dan 4:28-32).
Lord King of heaven, Your rule is
everlasting and Your kingdom is
eternal. Your reign and acts are
just and true; and You are able
to humble the proud. In Your mercy
Lord, make me humble, lead me and
restore me. In Jesus mighty name.

Lord, we Submit to Your Reign:
This is the message that was written:
Mene, Mene, Tekel and Parsin.
This is the interpretation of each word: Mene: God has numbered
your kingdom and finished it.
Tekel: You have been weighed
in the balance and found wanting.
Peres: Your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes
and Persians (Daniel 5:25-28).
Lord, we can never measure up
to all we should be; and cannot
measure up to Your holy standard.
We need Lord Your grace made
possible by the only one who
has measured up. Write Your
grace to each of our life. Amen.

Lord, we’ll be Devoted in Prayer:
When Daniel learned that the law
had been signed, he went home
and knelt down as usual in his
upstairs room, with its windows
open toward Jerusalem. He
prayed three times a day, just
as he had always done, giving
thanks to his God (Daniel 6:10).
Lord, help me to trust in You
and to recognise Your intimate
presence with me and in me.
Grant me devotion and tenacity
in prayer, the kind Daniel had.
May I abide in constant communion
with You, even while I am doing all
that is before me with excellence.
And may I ever heed your call
to come and abide with You. Amen.