SING “DOXOLOGY”
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow
Praise Him, all creatures here below
Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost
Rodney Fry said, “Devotions provide communication with God. They are the easiest, best way for your family to get together and talk to God. When we have family devotions, we’re communicating with God. Communication in business today is so important that 90% of US. companies provide communication skills training in the workplace. Subscribers to the Harvard Business Review rated the ability to communicate as more important than ambition, education, and the capacity for hard work. We teach our children how to communicate with their playmates. When do you teach them how to communicate with God?”
GENERAL PRAYER
PRAY “THE COMMON PRAYER”
Almighty and most merciful Father; We have sinned, and strayed from Thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against Thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no peace and joy in us. But Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare Thou us, O God, who confess our sins, our faults, and our failures. Restore those of us who confess our sins and repent; According to Thy promises declared unto us in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for His sake; That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life,
To the glory of Thy holy Name.
In Jesus Christ Name we pray and for His sake. Amen.
———
These are things that I have said and emphasized in our family devotions over the past 30 years that I want to share with you: Regarding the verses in Ephesians 6 5 and 6 relating to husbands, wives, and children: God expects us to obey these words whether we feel like it or not, so by the grace of God we need to choose to obey God’s Word whether we feel like it or not.
EPHESIANS 5:22-33
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
EPHESIANS 6:1-3
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;
3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
EPHESIANS 6:10-20
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
———
DEVOTIONAL PASSAGE: PSALM 16
1 Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.
2 O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee;
3 But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.
4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.
5 The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.
6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.
7 I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
8 I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
———
C.H. Spurgeon writes in his commentary, “This then may serve for a ground of comfort to every soul distressed with the tedious bitterness of this life; for short sorrow here, we shall have eternal joy; for a little hunger, an eternal banquet; for light sickness and affliction, everlasting health and salvation; for a little imprisonment, endless liberty; for disgrace, glory. Instead of the wicked who oppress and afflict them, they shall have the angels and saints to comfort and solace them, instead of Satan to torment and tempt them, they shall have Jesus to ravish and affect them. Joseph’s prison shall be turned into a palace; Daniel’s lions’ den into the presence of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah; the three children’s hot fiery furnace, into the new Jerusalem of pure gold; David’s Gath, into the tabernacle of the living God.”
PRAYER FOR GOVERNMENT LEADERS
President Donald Trump
Vice President Mike Pence
First Lady Melania Trump
Second Lady Karen Pence
Presidential aides: Trade Czar Peter Navarro
Leaders of federal agencies: Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue
State governors: Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant
City mayors: Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed
U.S. Senators and Representatives: Florida Senator Marco Rubio
Police Chiefs: Chicago Police Chief Eddie T. Johnson
All law enforcement officials
Leaders of nations around the world: Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe
PRAYER FOR CHURCH LEADERSHIP
Leaders of National Baptist Convention: SE Region VP Clarence Moore
PRAYER FOR CURRENT EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD
Families of 5 employees killed in Orlando workplace shooting
Families of 7 people killed and 48 people injured in London terror attack
Thousands of people affected by cholera outbreak in Yemen
Families of over 90 people killed in Kabul, Afghanistan, suicide blast
Families of 36 people killed in Manila, Philippines, casino fire
Provision of food and clean water to 20 million starving in South Sudan famine
The peace of Jerusalem
Persecuted Christians around the world
PRAYER REQUESTS
Ricardo
deliver him and his elderly father from demonic attacks
Candice in Chicago
provide her with a job and help her to get her life back on track
bring unity back to her family
bless her kids with good health and give them safety
Adeniyi in Lagos, Nigeria
provide him with divine intervention and help him to get married
give him a house of his own and ministerial breakthrough
Doreen in Malawi
be with her and her family
Lanitra in Kentucky
help her as a single mom to raise her 3 children; provide financially for their bills and other household needs
Edmund in Zielonka, Poland
bring religious freedom to Poland
help Edmund, his wife, and their children to serve You
give wisdom for learning in school to Daniel
provide work for Edmund and Dorothy
help Peter to find and follow Your direction for his life
bless Ann with a husband
Freddie in Fairbanks, Alaska
help him to deal with his totally rebellious children
Jimmie in Jacksonville, Florida
strengthen him and his family, help them to do right
Charagh in Lahore, Pakistan
bless their work in rural areas of Pakistan, including these ministries: children’s education, youth, Sunday school, and evangelism outreach
Anne
help her to study Your Word well
Anonymous
completely heal their sister
Adele in Detroit, Michigan
bless her with a financial miracle
PEOPLE WHO HAVE ACCEPTED JESUS CHRIST
Ruusa
Elvis
Tammy
Gjon
Boraquit
Kobe
Jeanette
PEOPLE WHO HAVE RECOMMITTED THEIR LIVES TO JESUS CHRIST
Marena
Billy
Maggie
Hipoltus
Sharon
Yakubu
Samantha
DEVOTIONAL READING: “It All Starts With God (Part 3)” from “The Purpose Driven Life,” by Rick Warren
I have read many books that suggest ways to discover the purpose of my life. All of them could be classified as “self-help” books because they approach the subject from a self-centered viewpoint. Self-help books, even Christian ones, usually offer the same predictable steps to finding your life’s purpose: Consider your dreams. Clarify your values. Set some goals. Figure out what you are good at. Aim high. Go for it! Be disciplined. Believe you can achieve your goals. Involve others. Never give up.
Of course, these recommendations often lead to great success. You can usually succeed in reaching a goal if you put your mind to it. But being successful and fulfilling your life’s purpose are not at all the same issue! You could reach all your personal goals, becoming a raving success by the world’s standard, and still miss the purposes for which God created you. You need more than self-help advice. The Bible says, “Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self.”
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Saviour, John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
The Bible also says in Romans 10:9 and 13: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved…. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and I want to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! I want to congratulate you on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
Until next time, May the Lord Bless You!
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry.
He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree.
He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.
BCNN1 WP 