MFM Mountain Top Life Daily Devotional 4 April 2019 By Dr. D.K Olukoya – Keep the Flag Flying Higher
TOPIC: Keep the Flag Flying Higher (Mountain Of Fire and Miracle Ministries, MFM Daily Devotional 4 April 2019)
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ruth 1-4; Luke 8:1-25
FIRE SCRIPTURE: Revelation 3:7-13
MEMORY VERSE: “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” – 2 Corinthians 4:1-2
The MESSAGE:
The Christian race is full of challenges and many unanswered questions. Why is it that a church denomination would start with high level of fervency, doctrines, deep brotherly love, aggressive evangelism, and strong focus on pleasing the Lord rather than the church founder(s) and family members, but within a period of the years of successful growth, all these great attributes begin to disappear gradually? Why is it that a new believer has a deeper hunger and thirst for the word and work of God than those who had been in church for many years? What are the factors responsible for our inability to keep the flag flying in the ministry and our personal relationship with Christ? Our study today is not an attempt to answer these questions, but to encourage us to remain steadfast and keep the flag flying, if we are presently doing the right things.
Jesus told us that the only way we can show our love for Him is to keep His commandments (John 14:15) and by extending the same love to one another (John 13:34). Certainly, brotherly love is an important mark of the Christian. We are “taught of God to love one another” (1 Thessalonians 4:9): by God the Father (1 John 4:19), God the Son (John 13:34), and God the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). But it is not enough to love God and our fellow believers; we must also love a lost world and seek to reach unbelievers with the Good News of the Cross. The Philadelphian church indeed demonstrated a commendable love in that it had a vision to reach the lost world, and for this reason, God set before them an open door.
In the New Testament, an “open door” speaks of opportunity for ministry (Acts 14:27; 1 Corinthians 16:9; 2 Corinthians 2:12; Colossians 4:3). Christ is the Lord of the harvest and the Head of the Church, and it is He who determines where and when His people shall serve (see Acts 16:6-10). He gave the Church at Philadelphia a great opportunity for ministry. But could they take advantage of it? There were at least two obstacles to overcome, the first being their own lack of strength (Revelation 3:8). Apparently, this was not a large or strong church; however, it was a faithful one. They were true to God’s word and unafraid to bear His name. Revelation 3:10 suggests that they had endured some special testing and had proved faithful. It is not the size or strength of a church that determines its ministry, but faith in the call and command of the Lord. God’s commandments are God’s enabling. If Jesus Christ gave them an open door, then He would see to it that they were able to walk through it!
The second obstacle was the opposition of the Jews in the city (Revelation 3:9). This can be likened to the opposition we face from people of other religions. This should not in any way deter us from doing the work of the Lord. Unbelief sees the obstacles, but faith sees the opportunities. And since the Lord holds the keys, He is in control of the outcome. So what do we have to fear? Nobody can close the doors as long as He keeps them open. Fear, unbelief, and delay have caused the church to miss many God-given opportunities while the quest for high population has shifted them from the sound doctrines of the faith which they once professed.
The Lord gave three wonderful and encouraging promises to any church that is able to withstand negative pressures of the society and other churches. First, He would take care of their enemies (Revelation 3:9) which means the Lord shall fight for His church. If we take care of God’s work, He will take care of our battles. Second, He would keep them from tribulation both in the present and future context by increasing His grace upon the Church. The third promise is that God would honour them (Revelation 3:12).
In a very real sense, the church today is like the Philadelphian church, for God has set before us many open doors of opportunity. If He opens the doors, we must work; if He shuts the doors, we must wait. Above all, we must be faithful to Him and see the opportunities, not the obstacles. If we miss our opportunities, we lose our rewards (crowns), and this means being ashamed before Him when He comes (1 John 2:28). The Church must depart from pursuing her selfish agenda which does not fit into the plans of the Master. May we have the wisdom to keep the flag of righteousness, holiness, vigorous evangelism, and brotherly love flying higher daily, in Jesus’ name.
MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE:
THE CHURCH THAT IS DOING GOD’S WILL AND WORK IN GOD’S WAY AND TIME CAN NEVER FAIL.
PROPHETIC WORD:
As you take care of God’s work, He will take care of your enemies and battles.
PRAYER POINTS:
MORNING
- O Lord, empower me to sustain my love and dedication to You, in the name of Jesus.
- My spiritual antenna, be receptive to the transmission signals of the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus.
- O Lord, help me to subdue all the works of the flesh challenging my ministry, in the name of Jesus.
EVENING - Blood of Jesus, flush out the spirit of pride in me and give me a teachable spirit, in the name of Jesus.
- Spiritual blockages in my ministry and calling, scatter unto desolation, in the name of Jesus.
- Powers that want to weary my hands in the ministry, fall down and die, in the name of Jesus.
- I mount up with wings as eagles in my ministry and calling, in the name of Jesus.
“If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read MFM Mountain Top Life Daily Devotional HERE
MOUNTAIN TOP LIFE is a daily devotional by Dr. D.K Olukoya (General Overseer, Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries, Worldwide)
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