Category: Daily Devotionals

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Psalm 3:1-6 “Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.” – NIV

David wrote this Psalm when he fled from his son Absalom who forcefully wanted to overthrow him. He conspired with many people and set up a huge army to fight his father David. His subjects, now turned enemies pursued him believing that God would not protect David. But David acknowledges that God is his shield, glory and the lifter of his head from shame and defeat. He was sure God would deliver him when he calls on him in prayer. And God did.

That was the reason he could lie down and sleep and wake up safe – because he was sure beyond doubt that God was sustaining him. He had no fear even if tens of thousands of his enemies surrounded him. Such is the confidence we can have amidst so many forces of the evil one attacking us from every side. Naturally, panic and fear, hopelessness and despair follow such scenarios. But with Christ in us, we can have peaceful rest even amidst so much turmoil, uncertainty and troubles of this world.

Jesus is our peace in the midst of the storms that surround us. It’s only in Him that we are safe and secure, peacefully resting in His finished work and unfailing promises. Our victory is from Him who conquered the devil and his mercinations. Every attempt of the enemy will be destroyed by the God Who holds us safe and securely in His mighty arms. In Him is our victory and sustenance always. Trust in Him.

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Acts 1:8 “But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – NIV_ The disciples asked whether on Jesus’ return He would restore the kingdom of Israel. But Jesus told them it wasn’t their business to follow that up, but they would become His witnesses through the power of the Holy Spirit to the ends of the earth. They would witness through their transformed lives and the preaching of the gospel. This power is for His glory, not for our fame.The Holy Spirit empowers us to live the God kind of life. None of us in our human abilities can, even for a moment, overcome sin, defeat the devil, practice righteousness and holiness, manifest the fruit of the Spirit and live victorious in Christ. It’s all by His grace and the enabling work of the Holy Spirit. By the Holy Spirit, Jesus did all He did. He went everywhere doing good, because God was Him. After the disciples were filled with the Spirit, they became powerful witnesses for God wherever they went.The Spirit empowers by bringing us to decision to follow Christ, bringing others to Him, overcoming the lusts of the flesh and the demonic influences, guiding us to do God’s will and leading us to intimate communion in our relationship with God. He drives out fear, guilt and negative forces that want to pull us back, giving us confidence to walk with God. He makes this walk so real, revealing the treasure, assuring of His continual presence so sweet that we would desire nothing more. With this, we can surmount any challenge as we serve Him. Others will see it want to experience the same. _Luke 24:49 “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.””__John 14:12 “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”_Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

1 John 1:1-4 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.” – NIV

We all want to be sure that what we believe or proclaim for others to believe is truth we are convinced about. John starts his letter by affirming that the gospel message about Jesus they are preaching is not hear say. They saw Jesus, talked with Him, sat with and touched Him. They were therefore first hand witnesses that truly Jesus is real, and is the light, Who gives eternal life. On the basis of this credible witness, we too can believe.

This letter was written to counter many false teachings that sought to deny the deity of Jesus and His physical appearance. Over the years, this deception would get worse and heretics would use it to water down the authenticity of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ as a myth. But the gospel is not a myth, but real.

To date we proclaim the same gospel that Jesus is the light, the Word of life, and Savior. Because He lives, He still saves, gives eternal life to those who believe in Him. Because He lives, each of us can have first hand experience with Him today through forgiveness of sin, healing touch and saving experience. The gospel we proclaim is authentic, because Jesus is still alive.

Romans 1:16-17 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

John 16:8-11 “When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.”_ – NIV To the none believer in Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit is to convict about sin, their need to find the righteousness that comes by faith in Jesus, and the fact that judgement will follow for those who reject this offer of salvation from sin through Jesus Christ. Conviction is that deep inner voice within a person, showing them what is right or wrong and what they need to do about it. Every human being gets this conviction within them, especially as they hear the gospel preached. What they do about it is dependent on them in exercise of the freedom of will and choice God gave man.Those who obey that conviction of the Holy Spirit feel remorseful about their sins and come to God in repentance. The Spirit does not convict to condemn, but to correct our ways and bring us to God. This is what leads to conversion of the sinner, enabling them come to Christ to recieve salvation. Those who reject this conviction only harden their hearts more and more. Every preaching of the gospel is used by the Holy Spirit to bring people to that point of decision for Christ or rejecting Him.To the believer, the Holy Spirit uses the word to correct, rebuke, teach and train (2 Tim 3:16). When we make mistakes, He brings us back to the right way through repentance. Again, the conviction is not to condemn, but to correct, to discipline so that we are fully walking by the way pleasing to God. Some still disobey and harden their hearts to this work of the Spirit. But we are urged not to harden our hearts when He convicts us. To those who continuously and outrightly reject Him, judgment will be inevitable. _Hebrews 3:7-8,15 “So then, as the Holy Spirit says: “If you hear God’s voice today, do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were when they rebelled against God, as they were that day in the desert when they put him to the test… This is what the scripture says: “If you hear God’s voice today, do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were     when they rebelled against God.”_Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” – NIV

The Bible severally teaches that those who want to follow Christ come out of the world, desist from the worldly ways and live for God. John in the above text speaks against loving the world and all in it. What then is the ‘world’ we are warned against, and to flee from.

The world is a system, a way of doing things, governed by certain principles and beliefs which are usually contrary to God’s will and principles. This is different from the world as creation which we are to love and protect. Characteristic of the world system we are not to love is the lusts of the body, lust of the eyes and pride of life. These are sensual feelings which drive people to plan and do evil, get whatever their eyes admire without self control and boast about what they have achieved while despising others. Such a worldly system is driven by the devil. That’s not how God the Father and His kingdom works.

Anyone who loves and enjoys such a wicked worldly system clearly doesn’t have God’s love which hates evil. The temporary worldly pleasures will pass away with those who love it. But doing God’s will by resisting the world, has assurance that one will live forever in peace. The devil is behind the worldly evil system. He encourages indulgence without limit in the name of freedom, and yet enslaving people and driving them away from God. Choose Christ, resist the devil and the world and live for God’s will.

John 7:7 “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil.”
John 12:31 “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Romans 8:13-16 “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”_- NIV Paul brought another aspect of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He helps us to subdue the flesh and put to death its misdeeds. After that, we are led by the Spirit and no longer by the bodily desires contrary to God’s ways. The Spirit also gives us the assurance that we are God’s children after one is born again. Because salvation is a spiritual matter, it can be difficult to understand it logically with the human mind just as Nichodemus was totally perplexed when Jesus told him to be born again. The Holy Spirit helps us to understand and actualize it.The Holy Spirit enables our new birth into God’s kingdom and our adoption as sons of God. And if sons, we enjoy the liberty, authority and privileges of sonship. This includes the closeness with God whom we can now address as ‘Abba, Father.’ In Christ, God is our Father, and we have access to Him at any one time of day or night. We should have no more fear to approach God. He dearly loves us as His own. He invites us into His presence for communion without restrictions whatsoever. Hallelujah!Sonship also entitles us to God’s blessings and inheritance as heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. In the same way, we are a reflection of our Father to the world. We carry His nature, manifest His character by the fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and exercise His authority and power to execute His will and purposes on earth. These are the rights and privileges God Almighty has given those called by His name! What a wonder! What a mystery!_Matthew 6:9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…”__John 1:12 “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—”_Shalom children of God.