Category: Daily Devotionals

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

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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

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John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” – NIV

A story is told of some artists who were asked to paint a picture of peace. One painted an animal comfortably resting in its hide out atop very calm, secure and quiet snow capped mountains, apparently free from all harm. Another painted a little bird resting in its nest, built on a tree branch which extended over a roaring waterfalls. The later won the contest. The idea was that peace is not the absence of trouble, but within it.

We all want peace. Whether we are conscious or not, all the things we do and pursue, are intended to ultimately bring us peace of mind. But many times even after doing and acquiring them, we realize peace has eluded us, and yet those who don’t have even a fraction of them, look peaceful. Each one of us has a picture of what we call peace. There are things in our environment that we wish to work out in a certain way so that we have peace. But the fact is, our world may never settle from all the troubles and turmoil to give us that tranquility necessary for peace of mind.

True peace is primarily in the mind, not in the external environment. Even if the waterfalls and storms of life roar day and night, we can have peace of mind. Only Jesus, the Prince of Peace, can give such peace which defies the ever present troubles of this life, to those who seek Him. He gives it not as the world gives. You can rest in God amidst the troubles of this broken evil world, feeding us with bad news every day. Put your hope in Him. He will rest your heart and mind in Himself.

Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Psalm 46:1-3 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam  and the mountains quake with their surging.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

James 1:22-24 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirrorand, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”_ – NIV Apostle James was emphasizing the importance of being doers of God’s word. A lot of people throng places of worship or tune to preaching programs every week to, among other things, listen to God’s word taught. But the irony is that most of them manifest a different lifestyle not in agreement with the teachings they recieved. Such are the people James says are deceiving themselves. The word of God is powerful enough to cause transformation in a person’s life and in any situation whatsoever. But it only works when it is obeyed and acted upon in faith. Hebrews 4:2 says, _”For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.”_So how does one decieve himself? By listening/reading God’s word (the mirror), expecting it to bring results in their lives and situations, and yet they are not willing to do what the word says! They have other interests, desires and priorities competing against the word. The word of God should take precedence over anything else if it is to work. The biggest challenge in the church today is unbelieving Christians who partially believe God’s word to the extent of their convenience. They want the word to coexist with other things they are not willing to surrender and forsake. They confess Christ, but bear no fruit worthy of repentance and their profession of faith.Deception is elusive. Its important to examine oneself.  Are you a victim of self deception? Can you hear Jesus say, ‘Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do what I say?’ The remedy is simple: choose to believe and act on the word. Align all other things to obey the word. _Luke 6:46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”_Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

1 Samuel 14:6 "Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.”_ - NIV 

Israel was in an awkward situation. The philistines in their thousands had come to attack. King Saul wasn’t prepared. They had no weapons except Saul and Jonathan. His army greatly panicked and went into hiding. It was a sure defeat in waiting for them. But Jonathan and his armor bearer decided to take a huge risk by showing themselves up to their enemies and trusting God to save Israel through them. Just the two of them with God against multitudes! And great victory came.

Sometimes we have to step out in faith and venture into what we believe is in God’s will against the odds. If Jonathan had not trusted God and taken that step without the knowledge of his father Saul, the whole nation would have suffered defeat. If we are to wait for all factors to be favorable before we launch out, we might wait indefinitely. Afew with God is unmatched. As Jonathan noted, God can safe with a few or with many. Nothing can hinder Him.

But for this to happen, one has to take a step and act. Peter could not have walked on water until he stepped out. The Red sea and Jordan river parted when Israel stepped on them. The lepers couldnt have seen a miraculous provision if they didnt risk their lives. We may never know what God can accomplish in and through us until we overcome fear, take the steps and then see God act. So many are frozen and paralyzed with fear. Dreams and projects have died as a result. If you know what needs to be done is in God’s will and time, take a step. You lose nothing by trying it out._

Luke 1:37 "For with God nothing shall be impossible."_

Shalom children of God