Today, I woke up remembering the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. I was just moved to acknowledge His presence in my life. The word Koinonia came deep into my Spirit today.
”Koinoina” is a Greek word that means fellowship/communion. As believers in Christ, having this daily Koinoina moment with the Holy Spirit is essential.
In the hustle and bustle of life, we tend to put the Holy Spirit last in our lives. We want to get to our jobs on time; we are just busy working, and sometimes, we overlook the time we are supposed to spend with the Holy Spirit. Commitments, challenges, and disappointments in life may have stopped us from having this fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
I believe Jesus himself had his Konoina moment.
Mark chap 1 35:” Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went to a solitary place, where he prayed.”
If we continue reading this chapter, Jesus continues doing his ministry after his quiet time: preaching, healing the sick, and casting out demons. I believe Jesus needed to have his Konoina moment with the Holy Spirit. He needs to carry his ministry here on earth.
What are the results of Koinonia? What actually happens when we have this fellowship with the Holy Spirit?
Like what Jesus did, early in the morning, he took the time to commune and pray, and as a result, he could do his ministry. Many of us run rushing down, doing many things on our own. We want to get certain things done in life. We seek the expert and find practical ways of solving issues in life, but we tend to forgo this Koinoina moment with the Holy Spirit.
I would like to encourage my readers here today. If you face a particular uncertainty in life today, I want us to set aside time for this Koinonia moment with the Holy Spirit. We have to take the time to pause, reflect on our lives, and acknowledge His presence in everything we do.
John chap 15: 5; ‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.
If you have not been bearing fruit in your life or have been struggling for some time now, the verse above is an explicit instruction to all of us, reminding us that we cannot do anything without Him. We may be churchgoers or serve in Church, but if we don’t set aside time for this Koinonia moment with the Holy Spirit, it will be the same cycle of struggle and brokenness. I also firmly believe that when we come before the Lord, we must be able to empty our own mindsets and belief systems that we have built in ourselves for years. We must be ready to empty ourselves and let His will be done in our lives.
Most of the time, the biggest hurdles to our breakthroughs or miracles in life are our own mindsets and wrong belief systems that we built in our minds and selves all the years. Most of us have framed God the way we want Him to be. But that is not supposed to be the way. We are to surrender unto Him and let His will take place.
It is the last week before Christians worldwide celebrate Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Let this one week be where we set apart this week, to seek Him like never before in our Christian walk.
My mum always tells me,” All the answers are in the Bible.”Let us all take time to seriously read the Bible.
Let us meditate on the Word of God and spend time with the Holy Spirit. Let us specifically dedicate this week to the Lord. Let us thank God for His will to be done in our lives.
Say this today: ”I thank you, Holy Spirit, for this fellowship I have with you.”-R.J.JOHN.
Prayer for today: ”Abba Father, I thank you, Lord, for you are good in my life. I thank you, Lord, for all my readers today. I pray, Lord, as they take time to seek You, You will speak to them in dreams and visions. I pray this week will be a life-changing experience for them. All I ask and pray.Amen
Application: Set aside time early in the morning to read the Bible and spend time with the Holy Spirit. Start with worship songs and praising God. Choose one book of the bible. Maybe you can start with the book of John. Empty your mind and just surrender unto the will of God. If you speak in tongues, spend time speaking in tongues at least a minimum of 15 minutes a day. After praying, take some time to just quiet down and listen to the Holy Spirit. Fellowship is both ways. We talk to the Lord, and He will talk to us back.
Today, I was moved to write a note to the Lord to thank Him. The word gratitude came close to my heart.
The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness (depending on the context). With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. Researchers have established an overwhelming connection between gratitude and good health in the past few decades. Keeping a gratitude journal causes less stress, improves sleep quality, and builds emotional awareness (Seligman, Steen, Park, & Peterson, 2005).
Some research is related to gratitude. In one study, they asked all participants to write a few sentences each week, focusing on particular topics.
One group wrote about things they were grateful for that had occurred during the week. A second group wrote about daily irritations or things that had displeased them, and the third wrote about events that had affected them (with no emphasis on them being positive or negative). After 10 weeks, those who wrote about gratitude were more optimistic and felt better about their lives. Surprisingly, they also exercised more and had fewer visits to physicians than those who focused on sources of aggravation.
Most studies on this topic support an association between gratitude and an individual’s well-being. Interesting right?
What does the Bible say about gratitude?
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus
Scriptures have reminded us to always give thanks in all circumstances. I remember reading this verse growing up, and I used to wonder. How do we give thanks in all circumstances? How should I react when things don’t go according to my plan? The Holy Spirit reminded me today to have this heart of gratitude.
Researchers are trying to find the association between gratitude and personal well-being, but scriptures have been written centuries ago to always have the heart of gratitude. The answer was always in the Bible.
When we look at the parables of 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes, Jesus gave thanks, and it multiplied. Instead of grumbling, he didn’t have, and he gave thanks.
Matthew 14:17-19; “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.“Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.
There should be a reason why Jesus gave thanks first. This passage of the Scripture reminds us of the power of giving thanks. Jesus was reminding us to give thanks. Miracles manifest when we give thanks.
Our eyes are often blinded to see God’s goodness in our lives. Do you know why? We are so focused on what we don’t have. The devil doesn’t want us to have a heart of gratitude. As a result, we are unhappy and frustrated in life. This is not God’s original plan for you and me.
If you are someone here struggling to provide for your family, instead of being frustrated with what you don’t have, maybe be grateful for the little you have.
If you are someone here who is struggling with relationship issues, instead of grumbling, take a step aside and thank God for the relationship. Start looking at your partner as how God sees him or her.
If you are having a health challenge, do not fret. Thank God for the gift called life. You may have a health challenge that has limited your walking ability. Do not fret. Give thanks. Give thanks for your health. Do not see incomplete healing. The devil always wants us to see what we don’t have. Remember, Healing comes from the Lord. It is a gift. It is not treated. It is healed. Doctors treat. Jesus heals. That is the difference. It is a gift.
No matter what your challenges are, take time to give thanks daily. Thank God for the gift of life.Thank God for family.Thank God for the right church.Thank God for health. Have this heart of thanking God. Ask the Lord to open our eyes to see the goodness of God.
As I was writing this note, my colleague sent me this image from an author named Craig Dorfman. It is a classic that has been written since 1930s.
You may be someone in a dark tunnel today. Today, I want to encourage my readers that your track must also go out. Just keep going. Give thanks for the track. Before you know it, some light will be showing.
Say this today: ”I thank you, Lord, for this gift called Life.”-R.J.JOHN.
Prayer for today: ”Abba Father, I thank you, Lord, you are the Lord of my readers and myself. Thank you, Lord, for reminding us of the power of gratitude. Help us to have a heart of gratitude. I pray, Lord, we remove murmuring from our lives as it is toxins in our lives. Enough is enough! I pray we learn to give thanks in all circumstances in our life.”Amen.
Application: Have a gratitude journal. Learn to give thanks. At least 5 things to thank God daily.
Salvation Prayer: If you want to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, please do repeat after me.
TO ACCEPT JESUS, PRAY THIS PRAYER
Dear Jesus,
I acknowledge that I have made mistakes and made choices that have fallen short of Your best for my life. I have sinned, and I need a Saviour. Jesus, I believe You are God’s own Son, and You died to pay the price for my sin and gave me eternal life. I believe You rose to life again three days later to give me victory. I receive Your forgiveness for my sin and ask You to come into my heart. Wash me clean of all I have done wrong, and help me, Lord, to begin to live for You. Holy Spirit, come into my life and help me to get to know You as my Lord and Saviour.
Thank you, Jesus. Amen
If you have confessed and repeated this prayer of Salvation, welcome to the family.
Romans chap 10:9 -10 ( Good News); That if you confess with your mouth,” Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
This is your first step to knowing this Personal Savior called Jesus. I wish to guide you to the next step. Which is to connect you to a church nearby your area. You can be from any country. Please email me at r.j.john25@gmail.com, and I will channel you to a Spirit-Filled local church that can guide you through this new journey.
Partnership: If you have been blessed with this note, I encourage my readers to share it with their loved ones, subscribe, and keep me in prayer as I continue writing for the Lord. It is my desire to fulfill God’s call in my life. It is a journey of a dream. A journey dependent unto the Lord alone. If you wish to partner with me in bringing these writings to translate, publish, or edit them, feel free to contact me. Please contact me if you are a publisher, marketer, IT savvy , animator or a designer and believe in this dream.
If you have been moved to partner financially, feel free to invest in this journey of writing for the Kingdom. Not my writings.His writings. He is using me as a vessel to bring His writings to Judea, Samaria, and the earth’s ends. The finance received would be used to take these notes to be published and translated into books , to market these books, and to upgrade the current website to a friendlier version. I want to bring these notes to a platform that reaches out to many more.
I am a simple girl from a small town with simple faith, wanting to do big for the Lord. I know with God on my side, nothing is impossible. Allow me to move to bring these notes to another level of reading for the benefit of my readers. If you believe in this dream, I invite you to partner financially with me – R.J. John.
Ephesians chap 3: 20-21 ( GW); Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in us. By this power, he can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory belongs to God in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time and eternity! Amen.
I was just moved by the Holy Spirit to write on the Glory of God today. When I was meditating upon the scripture above, the Holy Spirit convinced me, that the Glory belongs to God. By the power at work in us, The Lord can do infinitely more than we can ask for.
When we talk about the glory of God, we expect some supernatural manifestations. Don’t you? I do. Something like clouds moving. Or something white moving, or we just want to see the glory of God manifested in different ways. We may want to experience the weight or warmth feeling upon us. Well, I do not deny all these are manifestations of the Glory of God. But the Holy Spirit reminded me today that there is more to it.
Let me take you back to encounters of the Glory of God in the Bible.
Luke chap 1: 9-10 ( NIV); An angel from the Lord suddenly appeared to them. The glory of the Lord filled the area with light, and they were terrified. 10 The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, a message that will fill everyone with joy.
This scripture passage clearly shows that the word Glory filled the area with light when the angel of the Lord appeared. This was definitely supernatural. The assigned angel brought together the Glory of God with them. The shepherds there saw light and perceived it as the Glory of God. It was something visible. Did the Glory stop there? It didn’t.
It didn’t just stop at a one-night encounter. It followed through. If you read the scripture passage, this is the passage that shows the Lord’s angels appearing to the group of shepherds, promising them good news. What is the Good news? The Good News is the Annunciation of the Birth of Jesus Christ.
Did this Glory stop there? No, it didn’t. This Glory of God followed through Jesus Christ since he was born on earth, grew up, and started his ministry. The Bible records he was working as a carpenter. At the age of 30, He began his ministry. He started performing miracles, signs, and wonders. The biggest miracle is He defeated death, came back resurrected, and is seated at the Right Hand of the Father. Did the Glory stop there?
No, it didn’t. He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. I believe in this generation that we are living in right now, the key to moving to the next level of faith is recognising this power of the Holy Spirit in us. The Glory will continue, and we are the proof of the manifestations of the Glory.
Let us look back to our opening Scripture again. Let us reread it with a deeper understanding of the power in us, the Holy Spirit. And the best gift is -the Glory of God continues.
Ephesians chap 3: 20-21 ( GW); Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in us. By this power, he can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory belongs to God in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time and eternity! Amen.
Who does the power refer to? Is it our own strength? Wisdom and capabilities?
The Bible clearly records the location of the power. The location of the power is in us. When we acknowledge this power, we do things more than we can ask or imagine. How glorious is this?
Dear readers, you may be in a situation where you don’t see the glory. This means you may be in a situation of depression, financial burden, health challenges, or some health issue that has limited your daily activity. You may also be in a situation where you are under pressure. You may have commitments of work that are beyond your physical capability. You may have payments that are due. You have no clue how to solve the payments. You are just not at peace. You are searching for the glory of God. You want a solution. If you are having financial insecurity, you are searching for money. If you have a health issue, you are searching for the best team of doctors or spiritual leaders who can pray and perform miracles for you. If you are having relationship issues, you search for counselors. But you realise there is no solution. The solution that has come is temporary. What went wrong in this process? You may even ask God, is this the life of a Christian? You are searching for the Glory of God. You may be searching for one year, two years, or more than a decade already.
If you have been doing this, stop searching outside you. If you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Personal Saviour, this Glory is in you. The Holy Spirit is in you. Acknowledge the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. Do not push him away based on circumstances in life. He wants to talk to you. He wants to have a fellowship with you. The devil doesn’t want you to recognise the power of the Holy Spirit. He plants all kinds of lies and religious beliefs in you, and without you realising, you may be attending church, doing all kinds of prayer sessions, or even serving religiously as a Christian behavior. Still, you have missed the most crucial key. You are searching for the Glory of God outside you!
NO! It is in You.
The Key is recognising the power that is at work in us. The more we acknowledge and recognise the Holy Spirit, we can’t help it, but there will be an acceleration in our life. The Glory of God follows through. You can’t stop it. The Glory follows. When we come above the Lord this time, acknowledge the Holy Spirit. When you go for prayers or even serve in Church, remember you are conscious of the power in you. When you do this constantly, your perception of life will be different. You would no longer have a mindset of trying to reach God. You are not trying to get God! You are not trying ways to make him answer your prayers.No, it doesn’t work that way! Then why did God send Jesus down to earth? The only religion that preaches God has come down to humankind is Christianity. He sent Jesus Christ to earth.
Yesterday was my birthday. I give God all glory and praise for His faithfulness in my life. I realise I have always been searching for the Glory of God outside me. I made up my mind during this birthday; I am no longer doing the search. I am acknowledging the Glory of God in me.
”Abba, I just want to thank you, Lord, for all the years of Your love and faithfulness in my life. I celebrate my birthday today. Thank you, Lord, for this gift called life. I thank you, Lord, I carry the Glory of God in me. And this Glory overflows to anyone I come in contact with. I dedicated this note to you, Lord. I thank you, Lord, for the Glory that is upon me,Amen ”-R.J.JOHN
This verse came to me when I made a short prayer above.
Isaiah chap 60: 2 (NIV); “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
My prayer partner prayed for my birthday, and she told me ”I see the color blue for you, R.J”-My close prayer partner.
I was moved to study the color. What does Scripture speak on Blue?
The English word “blue” appears 51 times in 50 King James translation verses. It is written the most in the book of Exodus (34 times), followed by Numbers (6), and then a three-way tie with 2 Chronicles, Esther and Ezekiel (three each). The Hebrew word usually translated as this color is tekeleth , a reference to the animal from which the dye is obtained.
God commanded Moses to tell the Isrealites that when they journed through the wildnerness the Ark is to be covered with a blue cloth and carried by sons of Aaron.When they came to the border of Jordan River,the waters parted before the Ark of the Covenant.Anyone watching would have seen the ark blue.This is one of the mysterious ways of the Ark of the CovenantArk of the Covenant -The revelation of Gods plan of redemption through Jesus
This color can represent God or something dedicated to a holy purpose. It can also symbolize royalty or riches.
Numbers chap 4: 5-6 (KJV); And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering vail, and cover the ark of testimony (ark of the covenant) with it: And shall put thereon the covering of badgers’ skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves there of (see also Exodus 24:10, 25:3, 38:18, 2Chronicles 2:7 and Ezekiel 1:26).
I was blessed with this revelation, and I thank God for it. I dedicated my whole life once again unto the Lord.
”Abba, I pray the decades of my life will be for your Glory alone. Let your will be done. I submit unto you, O Lord.Amen ”-R.J.JOHN.
I want to encourage my readers today not to be disheartened if you don’t see immediate changes in your lives. Trust me, this Glory follows through every season of your life. You will see visible changes in your life this season. Trust me in this.
Say this today: ”I am no more searching outside me.”-R.J.JOHN
Prayer for today: ”Abba Father, I thank you, Lord, you are the Lord of my readers and myself. I thank you, Lord. At this moment, I surrender my readers unto your hands. If there is anyone who has not known you, Jesus Christ, as the Personal Savior, to know you as their Personal Saviour of their life. I thank you, Lord, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ; there will be a move of encounters in my reader’s life today. I thank you, Lord, for angels that have been sent forth to help in any task they are involved in. I thank you, Lord. They are no longer searching outside them. I thank you, Lord. The Glory of God follows in them.
Application: Study the Holy Spirit. Find scriptures related to Holy Spirit from the Bible.
Salvation Prayer: If you want to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, please do repeat after me.
TO ACCEPT JESUS, PRAY THIS PRAYER
Dear Jesus,
I acknowledge that I have made mistakes and made choices that have fallen short of Your best for my life. I have sinned, and I need a Saviour. Jesus, I believe You are God’s own Son, and You died to pay the price for my sin and gave me eternal life. I believe You rose to life again three days later to give me victory. I receive Your forgiveness for my sin and ask You to come into my heart. Wash me clean of all I have done wrong, and help me, Lord, to begin to live for You. Holy Spirit, come into my life and help me to get to know You as my Lord and Saviour.
Thank you, Jesus. Amen
If you have confessed and repeated this prayer of Salvation, welcome to the family.
Romans chap 10:9 -10 ( Good News); That if you confess with your mouth,” Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
This is your first step to knowing this Personal Savior called Jesus. I wish to guide you to the next step. Which is to connect you to a church nearby your area. You can be from any country. Please email me at r.j.john25@gmail.com, and I will channel you to a Spirit-Filled local church that can guide you through this new journey.
Partnership: If you have been blessed with this note, I encourage my readers to share it with their loved ones, subscribe, and keep me in prayer as I continue writing for the Lord. It is my desire to fulfill God’s call in my life. It is a journey of a dream. A journey dependent unto the Lord alone. If you wish to partner with me in bringing these writings to translate, publish, or edit them, feel free to contact me. Please contact me if you are a publisher, marketer, IT savvy , animator or a designer and believe in this dream.
If you have been moved to partner financially, feel free to invest in this journey of writing for the Kingdom. Not my writings.His writings. He is using me as a vessel to bring His writings to Judea, Samaria, and the earth’s ends. The finance received would be used to take these notes to be published and translated into books , to market these books, and to upgrade the current website to a friendlier version. I want to bring these notes to a platform that reaches out to many more.
I am a simple girl from a small town with simple faith, wanting to do big for the Lord. I know with God on my side, nothing is impossible. Allow me to move to bring these notes to another level of reading for the benefit of my readers. If you believe in this dream, I invite you to partner financially with me – R.J. John.
Ezekiel 34:26 NKJV ; I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing.
The Holy Spirit has reminded me,” R.J., this is your season of showers of blessing.”
I believe everyone wants to be blessed. This is the Birthright of a Child of God. Blessing is from God. Are you a child of God today? Are you believing that you are a child of God?
It may be years you have been trapped in bondage. Bondage of slavery, suffering, and, you just know, it is a stronghold that has shaped your thought process all the years of growing up. But I believe we are in a season where God wants to redeem us and give us the birthright as a child of God.
To know our birthright, we must first understand who our Father in Heaven is. We must acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives. We don’t live a beggarly life anymore. We don’t live a life from a victim mindset, but a victor mindset. This can only take place when we know we belong to whom.
Imagine a princess. The princess knows she has a King who can care for everything she needs. She has a palace, and the King takes care of everything she needs. She doesn’t need to worry. This is the classic fairytale princess story that most of us know. The princess doesn’t need to worry, as she knows the birthright goes back to her King.
This is a classic illustration that I want to encourage my readers to know who the king of our life is. Are we tracing our birthright to our earthly generations or the Lord God himself? If we trace our birthright to our earthly generations, there will be struggles and challenges. Adam and Eve toil through life to make a living. Sin came in then, and humankind has been struggling to live life. Everyone wants to reach God to solve their issues in life, but in Christianity, God sent Jesus down to earth to save humankind. This is the most significant gift to humanity.
If you are someone here who has been struggling to know your inheritance, be sure your inheritance is from the Lord. If you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as the Lord of your life, your birthright is from the Father in Heaven itself. The DNA you are carrying is the Lord Jesus Christ in you. In this life in God, bondage and strongholds from the past are automatically canceled.
Let 2024 be a year where we know who we belong to.
Let 2024 be a year where we turn our eyes unto the Father Himself.
When we truly know our inheritance is from the Lord, there will be a season of acceleration. We can’t stop the acceleration because alignment has taken place.
Galatians chap 3: 26-29 (NIV); So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.
Say this today: ” I thank you, Lord, this is my season of showers of blessing”-R.J.JOHN
Prayer for today: ”Abba Father, I thank you, Lord, you are the Lord of my readers and myself. I thank you, Lord. We are in a season of knowing you as our inheritance comes from the Lord. Forgive us, Lord, for all the wrong thought systems that we had. We want to know you, Lord. I thank you, Lord, for this gift of inheritance by grace.”Amen
Application: Be expectant for a massive shift in your lives today. Open your hearts to receive. Acceleration in the Lord will take place.
Partnership: If you have been blessed with this note, I encourage my readers to share it with their loved ones, subscribe, and keep me in prayer as I continue writing for the Lord. It is my desire to fulfill God’s call in my life. It is a journey of a dream. A journey dependent unto the Lord alone. If you wish to partner with me in bringing these writings to translate, publish, or edit them, feel free to contact me.
If you have been moved to partner financially, feel free to invest in this journey of writing for the Kingdom. Not my writings.His writings. He is using me as a vessel to bring His writings to Judea, Samaria, and the earth’s ends.
I am a simple girl from a small town with simple faith, wanting to do big for the Lord. I know with God on my side, nothing is impossible. Allow me to move to my next level of faith. If you believe in this dream, I invite you to partner financially with me – R.J. John.
Luke chap 21: 26-28 (NIV); During Elizabeth’s sixth month of pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin. She was engaged to marry a man named Joseph from the family of David. Her name was Mary. The angel came to her and said, “Greetings! The Lord has blessed you and is with you.”
I believe every Christian is brought up knowing this bible story. An angel appeared to a virgin named Mary, and today, we all celebrate the goodness of this visitation. I was reflecting on this passage this morning, and I realized this was a divine visitation from the Lord. It is not normal for someone to see angels always or have an encounter. It is something supernatural, and only God can do it.
Mary was a girl who was a virgin. She had a divine visitation from the Lord with a message that she was blessed and would conceive a son and be called the Son of the Most High.
Luke chap 1: 30-32 (NIV); The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary; God has shown you his grace. Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of King David, his ancestor.
But Mary being a normal human being, was afraid. She was trying to comprehend how this could happen since she was a virgin. Mary was looking at her weakness at that moment in time. She was a virgin, and how could she bear a son without having gone through the normal life cycle of reproduction for human beings. But if we follow through the passage, the Holy Spirit is the answer to overcome this everyday life.
Luke chap 1: 35-36 ( NIV); ”The angel said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you. For this reason, the baby will be holy and called the Son of God.”
I realize the key to this divine visitation from the Lord is the power of the Holy Spirit upon Mary. When Mary acknowledged the power of the Holy Spirit upon her life, the rest is history. We celebrate Jesus today.
Luke chap 1: 38 ( NIV) ; Mary said, “I am the servant of the Lord. Let this happen to me as you say!” Then the angel went away.
I believe divine visitation from the Lord is personal to us today. You may have had an encounter ten years ago, one year ago, or even one week ago. I wish to just remind you that these divine visitations were real. I believe I’m speaking to a group of people here who are looking at their insecurities and weaknesses. I want to encourage my readers today to look to Jesus. If you had an experience of this divine visitation from the Lord, hold on unto it. It may not be sensible to the people outside, but it was real for u.
The key is to humble ourselves, put aside our logical thinking, and submit to the Lord. He is the Lord God of the Most High. I recalled myself having a divine visitation from the Lord a decade ago. It was something real, and it is still alive in my Spirit today. But challenges in life, may make me doubt myself so much, if it was a real divine visitation until the Lord spoke to me clearly today.
Habakkuk 2 : 3 (KJV) ; For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
Recently, I had an opportunity to hear a dear loved one in my family struggling with a health issue share his testimony of God’s goodness in his life. I knew it was a divine visitation from the Lord upon His life. I knew His Spirit in Him was alive. ”
”Abba, I just want to thank you for this divine visitation upon my loved one. I give you glory and praise.”Amen.
Dear readers, let 2024 be a year where we receive divine visitations from the Lord. It is personal and supernatural, and I am assured we will be fulfilled from within. The Lord God is real. He is the Alpha and Omega of our lives. When we have tried all our ways to get things done in our logical ways, it is time to surrender to the Lord. Be a servant like how Mary was. Humble ourselves and Let His will take place in our lives.
The Key to moving along the vision of these divine visitations is the outpouring of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Say this today: ”I thank you, Lord, for this gift of divine visitations.”-R.J.JOHN.
Prayer for today: ”Abba Father, I surrender each of my readers unto you today, O Lord. I thank you, Lord, that this year will be a year of divine visitations from you, O Lord. The Life of God will be so real in their lives, and they will experience a supernatural touch from you, Lord.”Amen
Application: Recall back the divine visitation you had years ago.Pen it down in your journal once again. The Lord is faithful.
Partnership: If you have been blessed with this note, I encourage my readers to share it with their loved ones, subscribe, and keep me in prayer as I continue writing for the Lord. It is my desire to fulfill God’s call in my life. It is a journey of a dream. A journey dependent unto the Lord alone. If you wish to partner with me in bringing these writings to translate, publish, or edit them, feel free to contact me.
If you have been moved to partner financially, feel free to invest in this journey of writing for the Kingdom. Not my writings.His writings. He is using me as a vessel to bring His writings to Judea, Samaria, and the earth’s ends.
I am a simple girl from a small town with simple faith, wanting to do big for the Lord. I know with God on my side, nothing is impossible. Allow me to move to my next level of faith. If you believe in this dream, I invite you all to partner financially with me – R.J. John.
James chap 4: 7-8; Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
This phrase kept coming to me as I wrote my note today.”Resist the devil, and He will flee.”
Many times I ask myself how I resist the devil. Why do we need to resist the devil?
As I meditated upon the verse above, I realized the importance of resisting the devil and submitting to God. How do we actually submit to God?
Submit means we are to surrender our whole self unto the Lord. We acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ upon our life. Have you been in a situation where you have been crying daily and struggling? You are trying to pray and pray, and still, you don’t see any positive results. What does the Bible ask us to do?
He is asking us to Submit unto the Lord. Hence when we talk about submission, it is no longer about our plans. It is the Lord’s plan.
Proverbs chap 3: 5-6 ;
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight
How do we submit to him? We have to not lean on our understanding. We cannot perceive situations based on logical situations. Sometimes it is essential to grow closer to the Lord and submit unto him, and He will direct u.
The key to resisting the devil is to submit unto the Lord. Until we submit a situation to the Lord, we cannot resist the devil victoriously. If we look back at James chap 4: 8, the Lord is asking us to purify our hearts of double-minded sinners.
Who are double-minded people?
The same person who claims to submit to God but next time, you see themselves making the same mistake over and over again.
For example, you may have an anger management issue. This Sunday, you are in Church trying to submit to God. The next three days, you were upset over a situation, and you start cursing God. Isn’t this a double-minded person? How can this particular person submit unto the Lord and resist the devil?
The Lord has reminded me that 2024 is my year of perfect timing. When things do not go according to our own way, we tend to be angry, frustrated, or maybe disappointed. Hence we go back to the same cycle again. Not coming out of the circle of disappointments.
Cheer up readers. In 2024, let us take the stand to continue praising God with our lips no matter what. Trust God and believe Him in whatever situation, as His plans are more significant than ours.
You may be someone in a deep valley right now. You may not see any logical situations to emerge from the particular situation. It can be health-related issues, finance, or even strongholds and bondage that have followed you through the years of your growing up. Put it off this 2024. Don’t carry this baggage with you in 2024.
Make up your mind; you are never going to be a double-minded person. Trust God.
If you are in a mess, cheer up, This mess will be a huge miracle. There has to be a mess for God to undo the mess.
If you are in a desert, he will prepare streams of water for you.
If you are in the Deep Valley, it is totally okay because this year will be where you will see victorious seasons every year of your life. This is simply because the Lord says this is your year of Perfect Timing.
I was personally struggling with delays in many areas of my life. I thought I was submitting unto the Lord, but then I realized I did not learn how to resist the devil. Which is simply becoming a double-minded person. One minute I am praising God. Another minute, I am taking the battle with me. The Holy Spirit has to remind me over and over again that ”Thebattle belongs to the Lord R.J. Stop trying to solve the struggle yourself.”
This 2024 let this year be one where we take giant strides and make decisions in life. Trust God like never before. And watch yourself fly like an eagle like never before. This time, stop flying alone. The Lord God, who created you for a purpose, leads the way. Stop being double-minded. Resist the devil today! Enough is enough!
Say this today: ”I submit my life unto you, Lord. Thank you, Lord, that I resist the devil today.”-R.J.JOHN
Prayers for today: ”Abba Father, I thank you, Lord, for 2024. This year will be celebrating your goodness in my readers’ lives.I pray, Lord for each of them, that they would be able to submit, resist the devil and refuse to be a double minded person by grace of God. Amen.
Application
1) Declare faith-filled proclamations upon your life daily.
Partnership: If you have been blessed with this note, I encourage my readers to share it with their loved ones, subscribe, and keep me in prayer as I continue writing for the Lord. It is my desire to fulfill God’s call in my life. It is a journey of a dream. A journey dependent unto the Lord alone.If you wish to partner with me in bringing these writings either to translate, publish, or edit them, feel free to contact me.
If you have been moved to partner financially, feel free to invest in this journey of writing for the Kingdom. Not my writings.His writings. He is using me as a vessel to bring His writings to Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
I am a simple girl from a small town with simple faith, wanting to do big for the Lord. I know with God on my side, nothing is impossible. Give me an opportunity to move to my next level of faith. If you believe in this dream, I invite you all to partner with me – R.J.JOHN
Ecclesiastes 3:11 ( NIV) He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart, yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Today, I was moved to write on time. I believe one of the critical assets in life is timing. There is a time to sow. And time for harvest.Have you all experienced delays in life? It can be any form of delay, but in 2024, the Lord reminded me that this year will be the year of perfect timing.
It can be a delay in health conditions.
Delay in studies or carrier progression.
Delay in financial provision.
Delay in marriage or being a parent.
Delay in dreams materializing.
Delay in ministry.
It can be any form of delay. But the Holy Spirit reminded me that 2024 is the year of perfect timing. We must remember that the Lord is a Lord of generations.
Psalm 135: 13; Your name, Lord, endures forever, your renown, Lord, through all generations
As I meditated upon this verse, I realized that the Lord we serve is the Lord of generations. He is the Lord of Abraham and Isaac. He is the Lord of our fathers, grandparents, and great-grandparents. He has been faithful yesterday. He will remain faithful today and continue remaining faithful in generations to come.
Below are a few verses I have taken from the Bible to help us understand the Lord of Perfect timing. Do not be disheartened if we don’t see certain things not being accomplished. But instead, rejoice in the Lord, knowing 2024 is your best year yet!
Habakkuk 2 : 3 (KJV); For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
Genesis chap 18: 14 (ESV); Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time, I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”
Acts chap 1: 7 (KJV); And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
Romans chap 8: 28 ( NIV); And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Lamentations 3: 25( ESV); The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
Jeremiah chap 29: 11 ( NIV); For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Dear readers, let this year be the year we trust God more. Let us acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ upon us surrendering our timing unto His hands. When we try to control so much based on our goals and visions we have in life, we will come to a stage in life where we know we need to let go. It is best to surrender them unto the Lord. It is still early 2024. Let go of our timing into God’s hands. It was never according to our timings. The Lord is the Lord of perfect timing. He even brought you to the world based on His timing. It was never your timing. He is faithful throughout all generations. Be hopeful. We have the Lord of Perfect timing. Rejoice!
It is a new year again, and I asked the Lord what I should write unto Him today. The Lord reminded me to start the year right. That is to Praise God.
Psalm 150:6 Let every thing that hath breath Praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD
I encourage my readers today to position ourselves right in 2024. Start the year by praising the Lord.
What does Praise actually mean?
Cambridge Dictionary defines praise as honor, worship, and expression of admiration.
I believe the word praise means something different to each of us. Some may take praise for dancing and singing out aloud. Some may take praise as pure worship. Some may even take praise through their music and art.
I asked the Lord, how can I praise you this New Year?
The Holy Spirit spoke deep within me,” You just need to write R.J.As you write, you praise Me. Your notes are your weapon.”
I was taken aback when I suddenly realized all these notes penned down were actually praising the Lord. Admiring the Lord.Worshipping the Lord through these R.J. Inspirational Notes.
The Holy Spirit reminded me that the notes will be elevated to another level this year. The Holy Spirit reminded me to continue writing as the weapon of praise.
What does the Bible actually say? When do we truly praise? In my devotion today, I realized the Lord has many instances in the Bible where he has called his beloved to praise. It is either done personally or corporately. It is either for adoration, worship, or saving us from enemies.
Psalm 21: 13 (NIV); Be exalted in your strength, Lord; we will sing and praise your might
Psalm 18:3 (KJV); I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: So shall I besaved from mine enemies.
Psalm 134: 1-2 (NIV); Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who minister by night in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.
Today I am writing this note knowing these notes are my Weapon of praise.
” I thank you, Lord, for who You are. I praise you, Lord. You are so magnificent. I thank you, Lord. You are the Lord of Generations. I praise you, Lord, You are a miracle-working God. I praise you, Lord, for You are everlasting. I praise you, Lord, for you so magnificent. I praise you, Lord. You are the Lord that heals. I praise you, Lord. You are the Lord that restores. I praise you, Lord. You are the Lord who resurrects dreams. I praise you, Lord; You are my everything. I praise you, Lord. You are the Alpha and Omega of my life.”
Dear readers, take time to Praise God in 2024. Position ourselves to know our everlasting Father. Praising the Lord is our most powerful weapon.
Happy New Year to all my beloved readers.Have the most life-changing experience in 2024 as you praise your way into 2024.The Lord is Good.
Today the word Favour came deep into my spirit. I opened my Bible and searched for verses related to favor of God.
I would like to just share a few verses that I came across.
Proverbs chap 3:4 (NIV); And so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.
Psalm 30: 5 (ESV); For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
This favor of God is a gift from God. We don’t earn for it. We don’t struggle for it. Nor do we pray hard for blessing. It is a gift from the Lord. This favor is a blessing. It is a gift for us who know Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.
Psalm 3: 8 From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.
Today is still the Christmas season, and we are approaching the end of 2023. Why don’t we look back and thank God for all the divine favor the Lord has given us. Many times we don’t realize it. This is because we focus too much on our life challenges that we cannot see the favor of God. My prayer is, as my readers read my note today, that your spiritual eyes are opened to see the blessing of God upon your life.
The devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy. We often think he wants to take the health, finances, or relationships from humans. But the reality is that the devil wants to destroy the little faith the Lord has given us. He wants to take away the Word in Your Spirit. He wants to destroy the Lord’s destiny in your life. This is so real, and I believe many Christians go through various different challenges in life. Remember, the real culprit.
I just want to share an experience of a real-life experience I had. It was one night, as I was asleep in a hotel, I felt a substantial, heavy lifted hand trying to take out something from my heart. The hands felt so real, and I just couldn’t explain it. It was as if it was stealing something from the heart. The feeling was natural, and I woke up and rebuked the spirit. I declared Psalm 91, and later on, I slept. But the sense was real, and I asked the Lord why this happened and its significance.
A few weeks later, I realized I had started losing faith in the Lord. It was as if I lost hope in the Lord. It was a stone feeling. Then I realized it was something spiritual; it was a demonic spirit trying to take away the faith I had in the Lord. It was trying to steal the hope I had in the Lord.
Today the Lord reminded me that nobody can do it. Because I belong to the Lord. What a lie that I have given room to the devil. I have an inheritance from the Lord. This is the truth. The moment we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, this gift of favor follows us through. Refuse to give any room to the devil to steal it. Do not allow it.
If you are going through particular challenges in your life, find like-minded Christians to pray together. This is so important in our Christian growth. One of the fundamentals of our journey in Christ is we cannot walk alone.
Praying together and intercessing together are essential. Do not allow the Devil to make you think you do not have the favor of God. Shift from the challenges in life and focus on the Lord. His favor upon us.
The devil wants us to believe we do not have an inheritance from the Lord. He will try to steal as much from the deepest part of your being. The moment we acknowledge it, whether we like it or not, we would see things slowly crumbling down. Rebuke it in the name of Jesus. Pick ourselves up again.
The truth is, the moment we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, the favor of God follows us through. This flavor is special. It is a gift. Do not frustrate the blessing of God.
Be excited for this favor of God.
I speak blessing and favor upon each of my readers today. I pray this is a gift for each of us this Christmas season.
Remember this, despite whatever you are personally going through, rejoice as this battle will give God all glory, and remember this favor of God. This favor will bring you to places. We can’t stop it because this is how the favor of God works.
Acts chap 1: 8; But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
This is simply because we are called to be a blessing. Acknowledge this gift. Rejoice for this gift. Move forward as we end 2023 strong and move into 2024 with the favor of God.
Say this today: I have the favor of God, R.J.JOHN.
Prayer for today: ”Abba, I thank you, Lord, for your divine favor upon me all these years. I give you glory for 2023. Thank you, Lord, for this gift of freedom upon me that you are so real in my life. I surrender my life into your hands, that you use me for your Kingdom. I pray, Lord, that these testimonies give you back the glory. I also surrender my readers into your Hands. They walk in divine favor. Help us meditate on the favor of God as we end 2023 strong.
Application
Find like-minded Christians to pray together this week.
Spend time in fasting
Be away from social media and give the Lord your best as you end 2023.
A new song was released by Nataniel Bassey, a famous Nigerian Gospel Artist, a few weeks ago. This song is filled with the spirit, and I believe, like how it blessed me, would change my readers too. I encourage my readers to listen to this song as you read my note today.
As I was listening to the song, my spirit was very moved by the presence of God, reminding me how powerful is the Lord God. This song reminds me of how we fight our battles. I listened to this song a few times, and I felt the Lord was reminding me to take my posture of worship right.
When things don’t go according to our plans, we often get discouraged and disappointed, forgetting that the Lord is God. Yahweh Sabaoth is a name for God that emphasizes His power and might. It is a power that cannot be comprehended by human understanding. It combines God’s personal name, Jehovah (Yahweh), with the Hebrew word Sabaoth, meaning “host” or “multitude.” The Old Testament records this name more than 270 times, and it often has a military connotation. It denotes God’s universal sovereignty over every spiritual and earthly army. So Jehovah Sabaoth means “The Lord of Hosts.”
Have you all been in a situation where you realize it is the same cycle of events around you? You try something. Then, it doesn’t work out. You fail. Then you try again, and once again, you fail. From months, it moves to years and probably through generations. Why does this happen? Are our lives meant to be such, or should we break the cycle? How do we break this cycle?
This is when the Lord reminded me of who He is. He is our Yahweh Sabaoth. One of the scriptures that records Yahweh Sabaoth is in 1st Samuel chap 1:3.
Ist Samuel 1 : 3 Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord.
The Lord Almighty here refers to how magnificent our Lord is. So, if we follow through to read this passage of scripture, it records that Elkanah went yearly to worship the Lord Almighty. He had two wives. Hannah and Peninnah. Hannah had no children. She was told to be barren and unable to conceive. The people around her teased and irritated her, making her sad and disappointed. Scripture records that she wept.
However, one day, she cried out unto the Lord as she made a vow unto the Lord.
1st Samuel 1: 11 ” And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.
Hannah cried out to the Lord Almighty in her misery and disappointment. The Lord is in all power and understanding; only he can open Hannah’s womb. True enough, if we read the following verses, Hannah did conceive.
Ist Samuel 1: 20 ” So Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son over time. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.”
In this Bible Story of Hannah, we see that Hannah was barren, and there was no possible solution that could be made possible for her. I realize that Hannah took her posture of worship right. She knew medical science couldn’t help her at that time. She knew the people around her couldn’t help her. She knew nothing else could help her except the Lord God himself. Despite people teasing her and making fun of her barrenness, she didn’t choose to fret; instead, she cried out to the Lord. She took the correct posture of worship. She went to the Lord and nobody else.
Yahweh Sabaoth reminds me of how an army is getting ready to face its battles. When they get ready, they are only focussed to win the situation. They don’t back off knowing the enemies are stronger.They engage in the training with one focus of winning over the situation.They do their daily workouts. They plan their strategies to defeat the enemies. They take practical steps in defeating the enemies. They focus on their strengths and not their weakness. They wake up early in the morning to prepare for their battles.
So, as Christians going through a particular situation in life, what should we do? I encourage us to take the right posture, just as Hannah did.Just as how the armies get ready for their battles.Hannah was in a battle.But she took the right posture.She knew her Yahweh Sabaoth.
We must continue to build our fort strong. We must remember we must be able to fight our enemies through the grace of God. The biggest mistake most of us make is to assume we are fighting battles alone. We remove God from the picture. This is when we become disappointed and frustrated in life.We sometimes forget that the Lord is there to protect, heal, and provide for us.
The Holy Spirit reminded me that the Lord I worship is Yahweh Sabaoth. Why are we fearful or feel timid over situations in life?
As we read the Word of God and get to know God more profoundly, the Lord will give us the right strategies to break whatever cycle we are going through. The people around you may tease you. The people around you may irritate you. But remember this: The Lord is with you. With this right mindset, we can go very far in life.
We must come to the Lord,knowing He is the Lord Almighty.We must come to the Lord knowing he is our Yahweh Sabaoth. We must come to the Lord knowing Jesus Christ is the Lord of our lives. Do not come to the Lord assuming,he cannot solve our situations in life. We must approach the Lord knowing He is the Supernatural God.
Joy of the Lord is my Strength Note Series 