Daily Devotionals

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Proverbs 17:27-28 "A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered. Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue." - NIV

We respond to situations of life by the words we speak and the actions we take. The wise man notes that knowledge guides our choice of words. It’s our understanding that enables control of temper so that we don’t just burst out and do more harm. It takes discernment and wisdom to sometimes keep silent instead of speak and make things worse.

We need this wisdom everyday in life because of the many things that come our way as we interact with people and circumstances of life. Some are false accusations that push us to the limits. It is one of the devil’s schemes to provoke us to anger so as to speak what he can use as a loophole against us. The Pharisees and teachers of the law provoked Jesus to speak in attempt to trap Him using His own words. But Jesus kept quiet or wisely chose His words in reply.

May God give us knowledge, wisdom, understanding and discernment at all times to know when and what to speak, how to say it, and when to be silent. May we be quick to hear and slow to speak in anger. Such an approach will save us alot more trouble, give us peace and disarm the enemy. If our words will add no value or cause more trouble, we rather be silent.

Mark 12:13 "Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words…"

James 1:19-20 "My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires."

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Psalm 93:1-2 "The Lord is king. He is clothed with majesty and strength. The earth is set firmly in place  and cannot be moved. Your throne, O Lord, has been firm from the beginning, and you existed before time began." - GNB

God the Almighty, is King over all His creation. His throne is high, all powerful and glorious, greater than any throne that could be established and is firm forever. When Isaiah saw Him at His throne, he was overwhelmed. The earth is only a small portion of His entire domain. He fills and controls the universe.

A king has a kingdom, the authority and power, the throne, and subjects who execute his will as they reign on his behalf. Every earthly kingship is an imitation and a physical manifestation of the spiritual kingdoms they subscribe to, and from whom their authority is derived.

God is King over His kingdom. The believers are the extension of His reign and derive power and authority from God. Jesus said all authority in heaven and on earth was given to Him, and He in turn gave it to the disciples to go and make disciples and reign on God’s behalf. In Christ, we reign in God’s kingdom, as His ambassadors to the world. Let’s truly be a reflection and extension of His reign in truth, justice and righteousness in an evil dark world. We have the rights and power to.

Psalm 89:13-14 "Your arm is endowed with power;  your hand is strong, your right hand exalted. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you."

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Genesis 37:9 "Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me." - NIV

Joseph had had great dreams as a boy. They pointed to his elder brothers and his parents bowing down to him in honour. But the attempts by his brothers to kill him, selling him to the Ismaelites, being resold in Egypt, falsely accused by Portiphar’s wife, dumped and forgotten in prison – shattered his dreams. It was as if they would never come to pass again as he struggled to be free. Over twenty years later, they were fulfilled when his brothers bowed down before him as prime minister in Egypt.

Life situations can sometimes hit so hard and seem to completely shatter the dreams we had. When this happens, all hope of ever seeing our dreams fulfilled vanishes. But what God created us to be cannot just be erased. Dreams from God never die despite all the fights as long as we remain in His will. Joseph forgot his dreams, but God was working all things to align them to the fulfillment of the dream.

The devil knows the potential effect of our God given dreams and fights to destroy them. Dreams are very powerful. When they die, people lose direction in life and die. That’s why Joseph’s brothers, under satan’s influence, said they would kill him and see what would become of his dreams (Gen 37:20). The devil was after killing his dreams. Don’t give up your dreams. In case they appear to have died, God is able to raise them again and bring them to pass.

Luke 22:31-32 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Hebrews 10:35-36 "So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." - NIV

The writer relates the trials of the faith that those in Christ undergo. They suffered, were publicly insulted, persecuted, imprisoned and willingly gave up their possessions and their lives for what they confidently believed. They knew they had lasting possessions in God that far surpassed the temporary things of this life.

We were never promised a smooth ride in the journey of faith, and indeed in all life endeavors. But we were assured of victory(John 16:33). Perseverance involves patience and endurance in the face of pain, delays and seeming uncertainty. It takes a decision to remain steadfast. The knowledge of Whom and what we have believed, gives us confidence to continue moving amidst opposition, pain and tears.

The promised reward is given to those who endure to the end. Many give up along the way and look for an easy way out. But just as all those who went ahead of us in this journey endured and recieved their crowns, so can we. Cheer up precious child of God. Hang in there, doing God’s will. You will overcome and eventually inherit the promise.

Matthew 24:12-13 "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved."

Revelation 2:10b "…Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life."

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

1 Tim 2:3-4 "This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."

Apostle Paul was encouraging prayer for all people, including those in leadership so that we live peaceful and quiet lives which happened when leaders fear God. He then brings out God’s will and desire for the salvation of all men, and to come to the knowledge of the truth through Jesus Christ.

Whatever we do and live for in this life, God desires that we are all saved from our sins, to know Jesus our Saviour and to live life guided by this knowledge. He created us for Himself to serve His purposes. Our lives can only become worthwhile if we come to the knowledge of this truth. Jesus is the truth.

Let’s also make it a point to pray for all people to come to this knowledge through personal relationship with Jesus, resisting the forces of Satan which hinder people from coming to God. This prayer pleases God our Saviour. He calls all people to come to Him and to abandon their evil ways.

Isaiah 55:7 "Let the wicked forsake their ways  and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon."

Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

1 John 4:20-21 "If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister."

Apostle John’s main theme of his writings was love, for God and for others. God is love. Our relationship with Him and with others should therefore be defined by love.
It’s only love that proves whether we are truly in Him or not, whatever our other claims. Love is a command, not an option.

We see many today who claim to love God and hate people. It is true there are very difficult people to live with. God too sees His rebellious people, some of whom have expressed their hate, cursing Him and are serving Satan. They are enemies of God, but He still loves them! God’s love is unconditional and can only be practiced with the help of the Holy Spirit. In our human abilities, we cannot love everyone as God wants us to.

In practicing God’s love, we fulfill all His commandments. Let’s humbly submit to Him, and out of the working of the Holy Spirit in us, we shall bear love as a fruit. And we shall be able to love others as God loves them, despite all differences and weaknesses. Then shall we truly be children of God our Father.

Matthew 5:44-45 "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Judges 16:28 "Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” - NIV

Samson had been arrested in humiliation, his eyes gorged out. And now as a prisoner in the hands of his enemies, he was called to entertain them as they made fun and praised their gods. Samson’s uncontrolled lusts had driven him to painful shame. In that state, he asks the gracious Lord to remember him one more time and to strengthen him again. The Lord heard his cry and strengthened him. He had left Samson, but was gracious to him again.

What do you do when you have made mistakes and messed yourself up? The best is to come back to God just as you are. He promises to forgive, restore, heal and bind up the wounds. He does not cease to be compassionate to us. He longs to bring us back to Himself. He is God of another chance, except that some don’t use those chances to return. David sinned and returned in repentance. Peter betrayed his Lord and he was restored.

If you are in that messed up state, call on God as Samson did. Come to Him with a humble broken and repentant heart. His blood is sufficient to wash away any filth. His heart longs for you again as the heart of the prodigal son’s father longed for his lost son. His anger doesn’t last forever, but His mercies do. Come as you are before your loving Father. Once more He will recieve and heal you. Do not write yourself off. There is still room in His heart for you.

Psalms 51:17 "My sacrifice is a humble spirit, O God; you will not reject a humble and repentant heart." - GNB

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

John 10:3-4 "The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice." - NIV

Jesus taught about being a good Shepherd. We are symbolically the sheep. Key among the qualities that make Him a good Shepherd to the sheep, is the sheep’s ability to listen to His voice and leading. The Shepherd calls each sheep by name and leads them out in safety and to find pasture. The sheep should follow, having listened to Him.

This figure of speech contains deep lessons for us. God speaks. He wants to speak to each one of us. He does this in several ways; through the written word, the ordinary life situations, or through other people. The challenge is that most people either don’t recognize His voice, ignore or outrightly disobey it. This explains why they mess up, follow the stranger and don’t benefit from the cousel and safety of the good Shepherd.

Hearing God requires a listening and obedient attitude. It also needs a willingness to follow wherever He may lead, trusting that He never misleads. In following His is safety, solid counsel, meeting of all our needs, and an assurance of walking in His will. Let’s train ourselves to listen to God speaking to us all the time. Anyone of us can hear Him. You too can hear Him. And He speaks peace.

Psalm 23:2-3 "He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake."

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Romans 8:37-39 "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - NIV

Paul laboured to give proper context to the many things the enemy uses to attempt to separate us from God’s love. Some of these are extreme life situations of death and life, battles between good and evil. And some give up in battle and fall into temptation.

But key to walking in this victory over all power of the enemy, is a proper understanding of what God has already done. He loved us to the end, and didn’t spare His only Son from dying for us. In Christ, no one can condemn if He, the final Judge, has justified us. We are His beloved, valuable to Him. He overcame the devil and we too will overcome.

These are very strong foundations to enable us stand against any trial of faith. Paul the asks, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?”(V.35). And he answers, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us…”(V.37). He was then completely convinced that nothing would separate us from His love. This is the same view we ought to have in all these things that face us. We are victorious through Him Who loved.

Revelation 21:7 "Those who win the victory will receive this from me: I will be their God, and they will be my children."

Luke 10:19 "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you."

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Numbers 6:24-26 "The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." - NIV

This priestly mode of blessing God instructed Aaron to use while blessing Israel reveals God’s heart towards His people. He desires to bless and keep us. This speaks of having sufficiency and protection from all harm and alarm. He desires to make His face shine upon us. He wants us to reflect His glory and nature as His light shines in and through us.

He is gracious to us, bearing our weaknesses, restoring us to Himself. When His face is turned towards us, we obtain and walk in favour and things fall into place for us. And He wants to give us peace, first with Himself and then for us to be channels of His peace to our world.

Because God wanted this to happen for His people all the time, He instructed Aaron to bless them that way. He added,  “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” (Vs. 27). As Aaron would pronounce this blessings, indeed the people would be blessed.

I pray this blessing be true to you and your loved ones, and in your various endeavors today and always.

The LORD bless you.

Shalom children of God.