Haritha

Light Up Your Altar

₁₂The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. 

Our hearts are God’s altar today. And we are His priests and kings.

The fire in God’s altar – our hearts – must be kept burning continually with the abundance of the fellowship offering. The fire must not go out, for therein is the presence of God assured.

Today, our most acceptable fellowship offering is our personal prayer life and devotion. It is an offering that must be offered every morning for the fire in the altar never to go out.

“Without a daily fellowship offering, the fire in our hearts will extinguish ”

You may go to church and shout hallelujah seven times every Sunday, and do all of the other Pentecostal acrobatics, but if your personal prayer life is weak, then the fire in your altar is dim, or even off.

You are staying far away from His presence, and may never experience all of His best; you may never experience all of His best; you may never witness His miracles and supernatural interventions in your life as often as your needs would demand them.

While teaching on Prayer and Favor some time ago, I made two statements that I believe were dropped into my heart by the Holy Spirit. I said:

• Whatever fights your prayer life is the greatest enemy of your destiny.
• A consistent prayer life is a mystery that empowers a believer to convert everything God has released from the spiritual to the physical.

No matter what else is working in your life, if your prayer life is dead, then you are dead. Rearrange your prayer altar and everything will fall into place

It is at the altar of consistent personal prayer and devotion that God gets to talk to you and show you great and mighty things which thou knowest not. It is there that He will reveal the plans of the wicked to you and instruct you on the way you should follow. It is there He will correct you of the ways that deem fit to you but which are the ways of death.

It is at your personal prayer altar that You develop the ability to recognize and submit to God’s presence.

You cannot live on the prayer life of someone else. No external man or woman of God’s prayer life will replace the efficacy of your personal prayer altar.

No matter how mighty a prophet is, and no matter how many prophecies you receive from others every day, they cannot take the place of a personal encounter with God every day.

“If you shift your prayer life to others and depend on them to manage your spiritual life, you will never become what God wants you to be”

You must learn to spend time with God and hear Him yourself. It is better to be too busy in prayer to attend to other things than to be too busy with other things to attend to your personal prayer.

David had an enviable personal prayer life. Hear him:

He wakes up early to wait on God for a word. Then he uses the Words God gives him to run the business of the day. That’s how to have a great day, every day.

Even though Jesus was God, while on earth, He maintained a very fruitful, consistent personal prayer life, teaching us by example how we must live if we want to have victory in our daily affairs.

Nowadays, we spend more time on social media than we do on introspection and prayer. It makes sense that we don’t have the right words or experience to handle the problems we face on a daily basis.

Social media is OK in any case, but if you spend too much time on it—especially arguing, leaving comments, admiring pictures, and other such activities—while neglecting your personal devotions, I would want to tell you that you are wasting God’s invaluable gift of time. More than your faith, you are fostering your doubts and anxieties.

Read the Bible for more than just ideas for sermons or points of contention. Read it to develop. Every night, say a prayer and read it consistently.

If Jesus Christ is our ideal, then He has provided us with the best example to follow. You need to get serious about your prayer and devotion life if you want to be in God’s presence and dwell in His shadow.

It’s excellent to quote Psalm 91, but it works even better if we apply it. God’s promises come to pass if we follow His instructions and enter the Most High’s secret chamber.

Lighting Fire on the Family Altar Prayer

Father in heaven, I am grateful that I have the opportunity to pray and get to know You more and better.

I’m grateful for the chance to connect with You and grow into the person You intended me to be.

How many times have I neglected prayer in favour of other pursuits? I used to live off of other people’s predictions and outsource my prayer life to them.

Oh God, I apologise for straying from my prayer shrine and concentrating on so many unimportant things. I apologise for using the activity as an excuse for my inconsistent devotion to Thee in quiet prayer.

O Lord, I beg your pardon now. In the name of Jesus, reconcile me to You via Your everlasting kindness and empower me, via the Holy Spirit, to answer the call to personal regeneration in my life.

From this day on, I will have the ability to continually wait on the Lord and pray.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I ask that every spiritual limitation and weakness that has been placed into my spirit, soul, and body and that keeps me from praying and participating in the place of prayer, be removed today.

Jesus Christ, my Lord and Saviour, fill my prayer life with new vigour and might. I want to revive my spiritual life today.

I arrest all of the demonic angels ordered to utilise evil tools to make me fall asleep during prayer times, and I send them all back down the abyss.

From now on, I shall destroy any kind of diversion that is aimed at my prayer life.

Your demonic forces are impeding my ability to pray, thus in the name of Jesus, I declare you all to be void going forward.

Give me the ability, zeal, and strong desire to pray starting today, O Lord. Send an anointing through prayer into my life. In the name of Jesus, teach me how to create a constant prayer atmosphere in my home.

I am given the Spirit of prayer and intercession as of right now.

I am given the grace to wait in prayer until I am filled with joy and have a clear understanding of what is going on in the world and in my life.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I receive grace to be a watchman—to live in God’s presence, to hear from Him, and to change the world.

Amen.

The Ministry Of The Spirit

“₁₆And I will pray for the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – ₁₇the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

The secret place of the Most High where we are asked to dwell so as to abide under the shadow of the Almighty is God’s presence. And today, the summation of God’s presence is the Holy Spirit.

Thankfully, as Christians, we have access to the Holy Spirit – the very presence of God – unlike the old Israelites. We do not need to go to Mount Sinai or the Tabernacle in the wilderness to enter into the covering cloud. But we still have a responsibility to walk into the cloud.

“While the Israelites were required by an instruction to stay away from the covering cloud, we are enjoined to come into it.”

Walking into the cloud of God’s presence today simply means appreciating the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He is what you would call today, “the Secret Place of the Most High”.

An Easy to Read presentation of Psalm 91 verse 1 today would be: “If you appreciate and surrender to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in your everyday living, you will be covered under the shadow of the Almighty.

A Christian who does not know and appreciate the ministry of the Holy Spirit is not dwelling in the secret place of the Most High. This Christian, though a child of God, is like the observing Israelites who looked on while Moses entered into the cloud. He may know the promises and even chant them, but He may not fully access them.

My Point Is This:

“It is not enough to recite Psalm 91. While we are quoting the Psalm, let us take heed to dwell in the secret place of the Most High.”

The Holy Spirit is the covering cloud. He is the Secret Place of the Most High where we must dwell in order to access God’s promises.

I believe that one of the most important prayers to pray from Psalm 91 is a prayer of fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Why? Because it is this fellowship that guarantees access to the precious promises.

Jesus said,

“₈For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, it will be opened.

₉Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

₁₀Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?

If you read this Scripture here in the Gospel of Matthew without looking it up elsewhere, you’d think that Jesus was talking about giving us every earthly thing that we’d ever ask. You’d think He meant that if we ask for rice and beans, houses and clothes, positions, and money, God would hurriedly release those things for us since He’s not a bad Father.

In other words, even though you need fish and bread, focus on receiving the Holy Spirit. That is, welcome Him, know Him, and build a relationship with Him. Once you know Him, all other things you need will come on their own.

The Holy Spirit is the door to accessing everything we’ll ever need from God – protection, money, food, houses, influence, anything we desire.

Jesus Is Saying In That Sermon:

• “Hey! I know that you need bread and fish (daily foods)
• “I know you need houses, jobs, clothes, cars, and money…
• “I know that you need protection, favor, and divine supplies…
• “But focus on the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He is the Gift that manifests every other gift. He is the Promise that manifests every other promise of God for us.”

But the Holy Spirit is the key to accessing all of them.

Getting Started With The Holy Spirit

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion (fellowship) of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. – 2 Cor.13:14

If the Holy Spirit is the summation of the presence of God today, how do I know Him better and surrender more to Him every day?

The answer is simple: Fellowship.

The Apostle Paul calls us to maintain fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Fellowship involves friendly association, communication, and partnership.

Fellowship with the Holy Spirit is the only way to learn more about God make room for His gifts and fruits in our lives, and live in the presence of God.

The Holy Spirit is our Mentor – he teaches, guides, and instructs us. He is All¬knowing. He knows everything about everything.

The Holy Spirit is a reliable friend. He can keep us company in isolation. He is not only residing in us. He is also walking side by side with us.

The Holy Spirit is our defender. He is a gentle dove, but also a mighty rushing wind and the Spirit of judgment. He will help us overcome the wicked traps of men and defend us from sudden attacks.

The Holy Spirit gives us ideas designed to make us succeed in life. He inspires us on the kind of work we should do to stand out in our world. He encourages us to be outstanding in our fields of endeavor.

If you are a singer, writer, preacher, teacher, businessman, civil servant, student, whatever you are, the Holy Spirit will inspire you on how to become the best

The key is to learn to fellowship with Him. How?

Be Conscious Of His Presence

Whether you feel He is with you or not does not make any difference; He is always there. Learn to acknowledge Him from time to time. He is a sensitive person. If you recognize Him and give Him attention, He will guide you in the most amazing ways.

Commune With Him

The Holy Spirit is not a force; He is a person. He wants you to talk to Him about everything. You can tell Him, “Holy Spirit, I’m off to work. Guide me to make a difference today. Instruct me on how to get through that difficult boss. Thanks.”

There have been times when my wife serves me a very different, really nice, and unique meal. I would enjoy it and ask, “How did you do this?” She would say, “Wow! So you like it?” When I responded, she would say, “I cooked it with the help of the Holy Spirit.” We would laugh over it, but then the message sinks.

It may sound stupid, but I believe this is what the Bible means when it says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths”.

This does not mean that you don’t have your plans, you certainly should. But you make Him the Lord of those plans by acknowledging Him and seeking His help. As a friend you can trust, He will not only help you, He will also touch the hearts of people to stand for you.

Spiritual Worship

The Holy Spirit resides in the praise and worship of God’s people. When you are praising and worshipping God, you are creating a comfortable atmosphere for His manifestation.

Learn to worship God in the spirit. This is not the kind of worship where we clap our hands in Church and shout, “O hallelujah! Praise God!” No. It is the type of worship where we find ourselves in tears, in deep wonder, and in absolute amazement of God’s love and power.

You wake up at midnight or find yourself in a secluded place and say, “Holy Spirit, I want to worship in truth and in spirit this moment” Then you begin to sing and praise God. As new songs flow from your heart, you sing them back to God and just adore Him in reverence.

Make this type of worship a regular, consistent practice. It will bring you closer to God and stir a release of His power in your life like never before.

The Bible Says:

You know how to sing with your understanding. Now learn to sing in the spirit.

There are times I go into the place of prayer, and every prayer point in my list is turned into a song in my heart. I just allow myself to sing and worship, singing those points, both in words and in other languages.

Never try to be a stereotype in God’s presence. Just because you have a list of prayer points to say does not mean you must read them out and say them as you have pre-planned them. When you come before God, start from the physical, but quickly continue in the spirit.

The Holy Spirit will inspire your worship, but you must create the time. As you sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord, He will inspire, instruct, and empower you in many other areas. And you will find yourself walking in victory every day.

The Word

The Word is the food of the Holy Spirit. When you are reading and meditating on the Word, you are giving the Holy Spirit room in your life, empowering your spirit to connect with Him.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

In the name of Jesus Christ, I ask You to stir up within me the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Help me to grow in my relationship with the Third Person of the Holy Trinity and to live in His power and use of His gifts.

Lord Jesus, You promised that “the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in Your name, will teach me all things and will remind me of everything You have said to me.”

I pray today, Jesus, help me always to remember that the Holy Spirit knows and sees everything. Help me to trust Him to teach me, to guide me, and to keep me in God’s presence all the days of my life.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I declare that I believe everything the Bible says about the Holy Spirit. He is the Comforter, the power of God here on earth, and the ever-presence of God today.

I willfully surrender to the ministry of the Holy Spirit from this day forward. I commit myself to learn more of Him, to surrender to His mentorship, and to be His faithful partner.

Dear Holy Spirit, there seems to be a whole lot of confusion about God, about Christ, about who You are, who You represent in the world, and about so many things concerning our existence on earth, man’s salvation, and eternity. Today, Holy Spirit, I’m asking You to be my teacher, guide, and counselor.

Guide me daily in the path of truth that saves and sets me free. Teach me secrets about everything that is happening in my life and establish me in God’s purpose, in Jesus’ name.

Holy Spirit, help me to recognize Your voice, both outside and in the scriptures. Open my mind to understand Your truths, and open my heart to accept them in faith.

I want to bear fruits that abound into righteousness and flourish into eternity.

Be the gardener of my life, Holy Spirit. Nourish the seeds of heaven that You have already placed within me and make them grow so that Your love, Your ways, and Your kingdom will always grow within me and produce much good fruit for others, in the name of Jesus Christ.

Holy Spirit, help me to trust in You always. Help me to remember that with You, nothing is impossible and that You work everything according to what is good and right and timely, even if it doesn’t seem so to me.

Help me to recognize many things that I am attached to that are not of You, and then hold my hand as I walk away from them. Give me the determination and the strength to let go of the things of the world that create separation between me and Your presence.

Open my eyes to recognize everything that represents false gods in my life and help me to do away with them so that I have no other gods before me, in Jesus name

Holy Spirit, by the cross of Jesus Christ, we are healed! By His resurrection, we live in a new life of total, unconditional love. Help me to share that healing love with all those around me so that I fulfill Jesus’ command to “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.

Help me to declare with power the Good News of Jesus Christ. Send me to where You can use my gifts and talents to make a difference, in Jesus’ name.

Holy Spirit, You revealed Yourself to the Apostles, and they said “yes” to becoming the ambassadors of the Faith. I want to serve the Father and make Jesus’ love more evident in the world around me. Help me to say “yes!” to whatever it is You are calling me to do, in Jesus’ name.

Holy Spirit, I have my own expectations about what I should and should not do. I now surrender to You my ideas, my limitations, my preferences, and my goals. Remove every human-made idea that is not of You and fill me with only Your goals and pursuits.

Holy Spirit, I want to know You more intimately and be useful to the kingdom of God here on earth. Empower me to accept and grow in the supernatural life as much as the early disciples did.

I want to go where You lead me and do what You want me to do. Holy Spirit, send me forth gifted and empowered to make a difference, spreading the Good News of God’s love to others, in Jesus’ name.

Amen

Say Of The Lord

In the last four days, we’ve talked extensively about the secret place and how to access it. I have shown you that God’s secret place – the covering cloud of His protection – is another term for God’s presence. If we want to abide under the shadow of the Almighty, then we must learn to dwell in God’s secret place.

To dwell in the secret place of God, we must:

Understand and develop a consciousness of God’s presence every day of our lives.

Wake up our personal prayer lives and devotion, and Recognize the ministry and fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

Today, let’s deal with the second command from Psalm 91 designed to invoke promises into reality. It is found in verse two, which says:

“I will say of the Lord…”

That is, I will declare, I will confess, I will speak, I will proclaim, I will broadcast, I will announce, I will publicize…

One of the most powerful ways to activate the presence and power of God is

₃According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

There is a method used by witches and the occult world to command evil powers to do their bidding. It is called incantations. They chant recommended or learned words over a long period, in addition to some rituals, and use that to command evil spirits to carry out specific assignments.

The sad thing about this practice is that it works. Unfortunately, this is simply a copy and abuse of the true power of declarations.

“Any method of influence that the devil uses in his agents is simply a copied and abused the scriptural principle of power and control”

You can activate God’s divine presence, power, and nature by reading out loud and declaring His promises. If you like, you can call this a positive incantation. The good thing is that this is a powerful way of commanding the presence of God to protect against evil.

Moses openly declared Psalm 91 and invoked God’s protection over death, plagues, and destruction. We do the same thing when we read and proclaim the Psalm (and other of God’s promises). We invoke His presence and power to activate the promises.

When we make scriptural declarations of faith, we do not deny the facts on the ground; instead, we are confronting the facts with God’s Words.

Read It, Believe It, Then Declare It

“.. .He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

While declaring the Word and promises, however, we must trust God to make His promises come to pass. Your confessions and declarations become more effective when you truly believe in the things you are saying. People sometimes declare scriptures but don’t believe them deep down in their hearts.

If you want the Word to activate the presence of God for you, then you must come to a point where you believe it wholeheartedly. You may not understand the dynamics, but you believe it, nonetheless.

Yes, we live in an uncertain world. Every day, you will see bad things happen. You may even see nice Christians suffer untold hardships. These things have a way of trying to challenge what you believe, especially what you believe about God and His promises.

The devil has no problem with you reading God’s promises; He reads and knows them too. What he doesn’t want is for you to believe them and declare them boldly in faith. So he will show you every reason to think that the promises are nothing serious to rely on.

There’s hardly a day that passes that I don’t read someone say something like, “But if God is good, why didn’t He protect that brother? Why did He allow that evil to happen to that Christian sister? If that scripture is working, why was that Church attacked and those fine Christians killed?”

“You have to make up your mind upfront to believe God’s promises irrespective of what you see in the world; otherwise, you will find yourself jostling between unbelief and fear.”

There are many things I don’t understand about life and its events. I do not also have answers to everything, but one thing is sure: God’s Words are true, and they are working and will continue to work.

“You must choose whether to go the way of faith in God and in His promises or go the way of questioning the promises.”

Don’t be carried away with the bad things that you read and see that you stop seeing and believing in the goodness of God.

Yes, we’re bombarded with so many negative stories in our world. But God is still a good God. He cares for us and preserves us amid the evil. Our faith must be strong in His promises, and we must boldly declare it to get it working for us.

“But Brother Daniel,” you say, “I’ve been declaring scriptures upon scriptures over my life and family, and I don’t see them working.”

“Really? You think they’re not working?”

Just because you are not seeing some physical manifestations right now does not mean that the promises you are declaring in faith are not working. They are, indeed, creating and recreating your world. Sometimes the Word first works in you before He works for you. Continue believing, continue declaring, and continue trusting.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

I declare today that I believe in Your Word and precious promises for my life and family.

I believe the entire promises in Psalm 91 and every other of Your promises in the scriptures.

I believe that Your Words are Yeah and Amen.

1 believe that heaven and earth will pass away, but Your Words will never pass away.

O Lord, there are times I struggle with my feelings and my senses; those times when I look at things the way they are, and Ym pressured to question and doubt Your Word.

Please, Lord, when I struggle with believing, help my unbelief Remind me always when I need to stand firm in Your Word irrespective of physical symptoms and situations, in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

Say No To Fear

This verse contains the next important instruction for commanding the promises to work for you…

“You will not fear.. ”

Why?

Because fear is always more dangerous than the danger itself, fear will always hinder the whole promise from coming to pass. That’s why God always adds fear not to His word and promises to anyone He speaks to and gives special instructions to carry out.

Whenever God speaks to someone and gives them a promise, He also tells them not to be afraid because fear prevents the promise from happening if it is permitted to.

Excel, our 1-year-and-ten-month-old daughter, had a high fever a few weeks ago. We drove her to a local hospital. Regretfully, my wife and I had to leave the hospital and go somewhere else because of the awful remarks made by the doctor seated there.

She informed us that the infant was turning unconscious after examining him. She then requested that we send in a quick N25,000 deposit so that she could admit us and start our therapy. Her voice was so terrifying that anyone could not help but be scared.

However, for some reason, I was unable to accept what she was saying on the inside. A time back, I tried to tell her that the baby was okay. that she was only napping and that she had even been playing with us while we were travelling.

I informed her that I didn’t care about the money as long as she agreed with us. She became upset and threatened to sue us if the infant suffered any harm. She also remarked that we were wasting our time.

After glancing in the mirror, my spouse and I requested a short period of time to talk outside. Although we were grateful for her enthusiasm and want to assist us, we did not agree with what she was saying. She gave the impression that our child was already dying.

I asked my wife out there what she thought. Fortunately, she was not falling for the doctor’s rhetoric. We told ourselves that we would not allow this doctor to instill fear in us since we had prayed and trusted God’s word for our child.

My spouse contacted a friend, inviting us to bring the infant to her personal hospital. The infant was fine, the doctor there informed us when we arrived. that she wouldn’t require admission.

We may go home and return for each treatment session during her three-day treatment period. They ultimately charged us N6,500, which is more than 200% less than the initial doctor’s bill.

And what do you know? Our daughter was back to her usual self before the three days of treatment ended, playing and fighting with Daddy.

We don’t know why the first doctor handled us that way, but it made me realise that the devil just uses fear as payment to keep us in his mess and to steal our trust. She tried to sell us fear, and I’m sure that if we had fallen for it, our kid and we would have experienced similar suffering that would have supported her snap judgements.

Between prudence and dread, there is a fine line. While measures are necessary, we shouldn’t act fearfully.

Our hearts must be firm in the Lord and in His Word for our lives when we see our doctors and seek advice from specialists. We must maintain our faith despite their observations or diagnoses.

God’s word and promises won’t come to pass because of fear.

 Things To Not Fear – Prayer

In the name of Jesus, Father, I renounce all fear because You have given me strength, love, and good judgement instead of a spirit of fear.

I will seek the advice of specialists and professionals when necessary, but I refuse to let fear control me in any way.

I am aware that occasionally the opinions of specialists do not accurately reflect God’s word, but God nonetheless uses professionals and experts to establish His plan in our life. In Jesus’ name, I will heed professional counsel while keeping in mind that God has the last say over my life and the lives of my family.

In the name of Jesus, I bind and hurl all fears and worries from my life into the abyss right now.

I renounce any evil covenant that has caused me to experience anxiety and terror going forward.

I give the order for all human agents that frighten me at night by channelling the spirits of fear to trip and fall.

In the name of Jesus, I declare over every bondage I have put myself under out of fear and concern that it will be broken.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I declare that any bad doors that the spirit of fear and anxiety has opened in my life and the lives of my family will immediately be closed.

This was the moment when every sickness, oppression, and hopelessness that had entered my life because of fear and anxiety vanished.

In the name of Jesus, I decree that every bad seed that has been sown in my family’s life as a result of anxiety and fear will be uprooted today.

I will not back down from a diabolical nightmare of today. In the name of Jesus, let all the agents of darkness that torment me in my dream vanish from this moment on.

I refuse to sleep peacefully again today and to wake up to happiness and tranquilly all around.

My life is concealed in God with Christ. Consequently, no one can injure or kill me. In the name of Jesus, no weapon that Satan and his operatives have devised against me will succeed.

In my neighbourhood, I bind the spirits of death, armed robbery, burglary, horror, and assassination.

In the name of Jesus, I declare the effects and activities of evil forces surrounding my home to be nullified by his blood.

O Lord, remove all dread from my heart today and give me Your strength, love, and clarity of thought.

In the name of Jesus, strengthen my inner man and restore my faith in You.

Indeed.

Dwelling In The Secret Place

“God is not someone who exists somewhere in heaven. Imagine Him sitting there, listening, and participating in whatever it is you are doing.

You now understand that another name for God’s presence is the “secret place of the Most High.” As you are aware, the scripture invites us to come and live in His presence. That’s the secret to living up to the promises made in Psalm 91.

The question now is, ‘How do I live in God’s presence?’

Be Conscious Of His Presence

To be conscious of God’s presence is to be aware that God is with you wherever you are – even in the darkest valleys. God is with you even if you are in a horrible situation right now.

I know. From experience, one hardly feels God’s presence in difficult times. All we see is the night, the darkness, the bad things, and all the discouragements. But the truth is that God is with us, even when it seems otherwise.

Many times you won’t feel the presence of God, so to speak. Our feelings are not a good judge of whether God is with us or not. That means you may feel horrible; you may feel unsaved; you may feel unloved; you may even feel unloved; you may even feel despondent.

However, God is with you. He says,

After reading these passages, one could think, “Well, Brother Daniel, those are Bible verses, without a doubt.” However, don’t accept them at face value.

That’s the issue right now. “Well, that’s too easy,” we think when we read the word of God. Can I put my trust in that?

You can take the Bible at face value, sister. As I previously stated, even though you might have emotional difficulties, persuade yourself that God’s words are accurate. They speak with sincerity.

“But Daniel,” you protest, “I recently lost a very close person.” I recently lost my job. My finances are dire right now—I’m behind on my mortgage, to be exact. How do I convince myself that God is on my side?”

To start with, sweetheart, I apologise for your suffering. To be quite honest, I don’t know all the specific reasons behind your issues.

But look at this:

The Bible states when, not if, as you may have noticed. This implies that we are not in a position to decide whether or not to cross rivers, deep waters, or fires. It’s something we shall encounter as long as we live. When is the question.

However, God promises He will be with us, which is excellent news. Thus, it is true that God is with you even in your deepest moments. Furthermore, he promises that you won’t drown.

I agree that acknowledging God’s presence in our lives won’t always be simple, but the Bible says as much. And in order to ensure that we keep His promises, it is what we need to work towards.

Do you believe God means it when He promises He will never abandon you or forsake you? Do you think He is kidding when He says He is with you through the good times and the bad?

Kindly repeat this a few times before moving forward:

“God is with me. I may not feel it, but I know it.”

You must live in this consciousness to activate God’s protection over your life.

Always Imagine That God Is Watching You

Where is Your Spirit leading me? Or where can I run away from You? – Psalm 139:7

Allow me to briefly recapitulate. I mentioned that you have to be aware of God’s presence in order to dwell in His presence. Let’s elaborate on that topic.

Now, how would you approach your husband if you genuinely knew that God is there right now where you are? To your wife, how would you speak? In what manner would you talk to your kids? In what way would you respond to someone who has offended you?

You will never live the same again if you always think that God is looking over you.

God is not someone who exists somewhere in heaven. Imagine Him sitting there, listening to you, and helping you with whatever it is you are doing. Consider Him as an invisible board member.

You should not be concerned about your indifferent neighbour. Say this aloud while closing your eyes for a little while: “God, I know You’re watching me. I am aware that You are with me right now.”

For the next seven days, repeat this numerous times each day. Your life will change in many ways.

A sense of God’s presence within you will arouse feelings of love, kindness, and mercy within you. It will spur you on to pursue morality.

If you practise the consciousness of God’s presence, you will not enjoy having extramarital affairs or feel at ease lying to your spouse.

If you are certain that God is watching you and calling you to boldness and confidence, saying, “Don’t be afraid, I am here, I will protect you, I will help you,” then you won’t fear anyone and you won’t allow people to coerce you into doing immoral things.

Develop the mental habit of thinking that God is continuously observing you. Should you choose to do so, you will not only summon His protection during difficult times but also unleash His ability to detest sin, embrace righteousness, and share His love.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

I declare today that You are with me. You will strengthen me and help me. You will uphold me with Your righteous right hand.

O Lord, I declare that I believe Your Word. I declare that You will never leave me nor forsake me. You are always with me even when I don’t feel it.

There are times that I feel terrible, and times that I feel lost, broken, and fearful. There are tunes I am overwhelmed by the situations I am in that I begin to feel that You are far from me.

Today, O Lord, I confess that I let my feelings judge Your presence with me many times. Forgive me, Lord.

I now know and confess today that God is with me always. He is my ever-present help in times of need. He quiets my soul with His Love and keeps me safe and secure in His presence.

God is with me always, even to the end of this age. I will not let fear rule my heart from this day forward, in Jesus’ name.

O Lord, keep me conscious of Your presence with me every day. Empower my mind and understanding to accept the reality of Your presence with me. May the knowledge that You will never leave me nor forsake me swallow every doubt, unbelief, sin, and fear in and around my life.

Thank You, LORD, for I am dwelling in Your secret place always. Your eyes are ever with me continually. Be glorified forever and ever, in Jesus’ name.

Set Your Love

This is the next fundamental message in Psalm 91 required to be understood and lived to enjoy the benefits of the Psalm:

Set your love upon the Lord

The Lord declares in the New International Version of the Bible, “I will rescue him because he loves me.” While the New Living Translation states, “…I will rescue those who love me…”

The verb in question is “love” God. Refrain from becoming a church member or planting seedlings. Although it is essential to plant seedlings and become a church member, these are not the prerequisites for the promises to be fulfilled.

It is possible to attend church and plant seeds without a deep love for God, but it is impossible to love God without attending church and planting seeds. Primarily, the issue is which occurs first.

Jesus Said:

We don’t love God by just saying, “I love God, Brother Daniel. He knows I do.” We prove we love God by desiring to obey His Words. We show we love Him by making Him the first in everything we do and plan on doing.

If you haven’t joyfully accepted the model of lifestyle that says, God first in all things, then you’re still struggling with loving God. Pray that His love will be shed abroad in your heart.

God first in all things should be the most important rule of your life. No alternatives and nothing else. And you’re not ashamed or afraid to declare that everywhere and every time. That is your standard, day or night.

Love God By Loving Others

Notice also in that scripture that loving God is followed by loving others as you love yourself. The Apostle John sums it up by saying.

That is to say that loving God is also proven by our relationship with others. To love God is, therefore, to treat others the way we would want to be treated.

If you’re wondering what this means, then here is how it works: Love is more interested in others than in itself. Love considers others’ welfare first. Love forgives without waiting to be begged. Love exercises patience with people. Love gives.

It is by the way we respond to and deal with others that we can say whether we love God or not. Not by just claiming it or confessing it.

• Forgive others their offenses
• Do to others what you want others to do to you.
• Respect the feelings and opinions of others
• Pray for others
• Inspire others and be an encouragement to them
• Don’t unjustly take other people’s rights because you can

Love is demonstrated by actions, not just words.

Prayer

Dear Father in Heaven, Today, I acknowledge that Your affection for me is eternal. I acknowledge that Your intentions for me are to provide me with a peaceful and honourable future.

I recognise that I am not consumed because You are with me.

Father, I pray today that Your Spirit will empower my spirit, mind, and body to the extent that my love for You will be apparent in all that I do in the future.

In the name of Jesus, instruct me on how to love You with all my heart, soul, and strength.

I willfully submit to You today and prioritise You in all of my endeavours, O LORD. I acknowledge that I am nothing without You.

O Father, please remind me to express my reverence and support for You, the kingdom, and Thy Word as needed. In the name of Jesus Christ, grant me the courage and conviction to acknowledge and assert my identity at all times and in all places.

May the Love of God be poured out in my heart, Holy Spirit. In the name of Jesus, may this Love extend to my generation through me.

Please assist me in forgiving those who have caused me harm. Heal the wounds in my emotions and instruct me on the art of unconditional love.

May I be able to forget the past in order to progress towards the future as I strive to reach the mark of my higher vocation in Christ Jesus, in the name of Jesus.

I will continue to live and walk in love until the return of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

What Is The Secret Place?

All of the promises of Psalm 91 are reserved for those who reside in the concealed place of God. Not those who attend church or exclusively recite the Psalm.

You may attend church regularly, but you are not residing in God’s confidential place. Psalm 91 may be more familiar to you than it is to the majority of your peers; however, are you living in a concealed location?

The verb in question is “dwell.” It denotes the following verbs: to reside, lodge, domicile, remain, stay, and abide. It is a straightforward statement that in order to dwell under the shadow of the Almighty and, of course, to obtain all the other promises that follow in the other verses, one must reside in the Secret Place of the Most High.

“Living in the secret place of the Most High is, therefore, the key to abiding in the shadow of the Almighty”

Let us delve deeper into the matter.

If you choose to rent or purchase a residence in the desired location, you will reside there, conduct business from it, and develop from it.

As time progresses, you will become acquainted with every corner of your residence. For what reason? This is due to the existence of an unseen relationship between you and the residence. Remember, that is your residence.

Therefore, we should revisit verse 1 of Psalm 91. It is written: “He who resides in the Secret Place of the Most High shall remain under the shadow of the Almighty.”

According to the New Living Translation, the following is the case:

In the shadow of the Almighty, those who reside in the shelter of the Most High will discover tranquilly.

Here is what the Bible is stating:

“Observe, there is a shelter known as God’s Secret Place.” That is the location in which you should reside. If you comply, you will be protected by God. You will be shielded by His protection.

Therefore, despite the fact that Psalm 91 is a confessional prayer and a potent promise, there is a lesson that we must comprehend. It is imperative that we ascertain the location of God’s confidential place and determine the appropriate method of habitation. If we do, we will remain under the Almighty’s shadow, regardless of whether we confess the Psalm.

In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the secret sanctuary of God as depicted in this scripture, it is necessary to examine the origin of this Psalm.

Background Of Psalm 91

Psalm 91 is attributed to Moses in the Jewish tradition, and David compiled it in his Book of Psalms. According to certain original texts, the Psalm was composed on the day that Moses finished constructing the Tabernacle in the wilderness. The verse “secret place of the Most High” recounts Moses’ personal experience of being encircled by the Heavenly cloud upon entering the Tabernacle.

Moses composed it while ascending into the cloud that hovered over Mount Sinai, according to certain texts. During this time, he recited these words as a form of protection from the angels of devastation.

One thing is certain: Moses declared the Psalm as He entered the concealing clouds, which were the cloud of God’s presence, whether it was recited at Mount Sinai or in the Tabernacle in the wilderness.

Therefore, the presence of God is the concealed place of the Most High. Consequently, the author of the Psalm is asserting that those who reside in the presence of God are guarded from the angels of devastation because they are under His shadow.

To bring the connection of the Secret Place to God’s presence closer, let’s read the following scriptures:

Obviously, God’s secret place is His presence. To abide under the shadow of the Almighty, therefore, we must discover how to remain in God’s presence every day. That’s the first key to claiming the promises.

For Further Reading

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your Word. I acknowledge that the secret place of the Most High stated in Psalm 91 is Your presence.

I acknowledge that You desire for us to live in Your presence and find rest in Your shadow.

For this, I say thank You, Abba, Father.

Today, Father, I ask for Your help to respond to Your call to dwell in Your presence. I know that this may not be easy. I know that my flesh will resist and fight over this, but Lord, I am trusting You to help and empower me to obey You.

In Your presence are protection, guidance, and joy evermore. This is where I long to dwell, Father. And I know You will show me how to dwell in Your presence, in Jesus’ name.

Amen