All posts by Tunde Soniregun

January 2010 Issue

Monthly Newsletter

“According to your mercy remember me, for your goodness sake, O Lord.” (Psalm 25:7)

GOD REMEMBERS
Among the characters of God is the fact that He is a God who remembers. Since the time of the Genesis, God has always had a reason to remember His children to favor or to deliver them from all of their destructions. In the time of Noah, after the rain of destruction, God had to remember Noah before the water subsided. Genesis 8:1 testifies, “God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.” God is not a God who forgets because remembering is a character of the good God. As a believer in God, have you been stagnated in any area of life that calls for you to get in motion? There is absolutely nothing wrong with calling on God and asking for Him to remember you. King David stated in one of his psalm, “According to your mercy remember me, for your goodness sake, O Lord.” (Psalm 25:7)Call on our good God to remember you today and He will not fail.
WHEN GOD REMEMBERS
When God remembers, He favors and restoration becomes evident. Inside God’s remembering His children, barrenness gave up for open womb to have its rightful place. The Bible testifies, “Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.” (Genesis 30:22) Rachel, the sister of Leah and the wife of Jacob, did all to have a child, but could not until God remembered her. Also, it was God’s remembering the children of Israel that delivered them out of the bondage of over four hundred years, “And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant.” (Exodus 6:5) The glaring point about God remembering Rachel and the children of Israel is that they called on God and God listened and heard them. The Word of God specifically commands us to ask and it shall be given unto us. Are you actually asking? It does not matter how long you have been grounded, but it is clear that being grounded can be interrupted by lifting up your voice and calling on Him like Rachel and the children of Israel.
MAKE A VOW
Calling on God to remember us is not a deterioration of faith, but rather is a demonstration of faith. Calling on God to remember us is evident to the fact that we have a Father who we can call on even when we have caused a self-destruction to have taken place. Samson, after having exposed himself to self-destruction, called to the LORD saying, “O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!” (Judges 16:28) Indeed, God remembered Samson and He granted him his wish. Hannah, by virtue of her bareness, made a vow during her call for God to remember her and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.” (1 Samuel 1:10-11) Does your situation call for desperation due to mockery? God honors vows and it could be that a vow of what you are capable of delivering is what you need. God is not a joker and He takes a vow serious. The Bible also warns about vow, “If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.” (Numbers 30:2) Do not make a vow without being able to back it up. God did remembered Hannah as the Bible testifies, “And Elkhanah knew Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her.” (1 Samuel 1:19) ACCOUNT PROVOKES REMEMBRANCE
God is a God who never forgets but always remember. In the book of Acts, a man called Cornelius testified, “So Cornelius said, ‘Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God.’” (Acts 10:30-31) Cornelius needed to be remembered in the sight of God and his alms giving caught the eyes of God after he had prayed. Have you been praying and do you have an account that is worth enough to get the sight of God? Know this day that God is a faithful God. Take a conscious and deliberate step to call for Him to remember you. As you proceed by His grace into a new day, meditate in prayer. “Remember me, O LORD, with the favor You have toward Your people. Oh, visit me with Your salvation, That I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones, That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, That I may glory with Your inheritance.” (Psalm 106:4-5) God, for His goodness sake, will restore all that He has for you in Jesus name.

Calling on God to remember us is not a deterioration of faith, but rather is a demonstration of faith.
When God remembers, He favors and restoration becomes evident.
Tunde

Blindly Blinded?

Devotions

BLINDLY BLINDED
Mark 8:22-26

“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’” (John 8:12) Indeed and in truth, Jesus is the light of the world that no darkness will ever be able to comprehend. Jesus is also identified as the Word of God that came to us. John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” A blind man in Bethsaida encountered Jesus, the Light and the Word of God. Jesus came to where the blind man was to be found, but the blind man needed sight to see the Light that came to his presence. The blind man had the Light of God, but there was no sight for him to see. How long have you been carrying the Word of God that will enable you to see? In attempt to give the blind man another sight, Jesus took him out of the town away from every kind of distraction. Jesus spit on his eyes yet he could not see. How often have you been out of distraction unto separation and yet nothing happened? The blind man was blindly blinded. How blind you are is what will determine what it takes for you to gain the sight that will enable you to see the light. Jesus spit on the blind man of Bethsaida’s eyes yet there was no clarity of sight. Eyes without clear sight are like half knowledge in the Word of God. The presence of Jesus, the Light of God, around the blind man was not enough for him to gain and begin to see clearly. Instead of seeing clearly, he could only see men walking like trees. He was blindly blinded. Are you experiencing the same situation like the blind man? Jesus knew that the blind man of Bethsaida needed to see clearly, so He could not release him on his own. As a result, there was an extension of Jesus’ hand for the blind man of Bethsaida. “Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made Him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.” (Mark 8:25) The blind man of Bethsaida eventually gained the sight that enabled him to see the light. There should be no pretending of having sight where there is no sight to see the light. Attending to prayer for an extension of God’s hand in our life in every area of physical or spiritual blindness is what is best. Jesus moved the blind man of Bethsaida out of town to his healing ground before he could gain sight for light.

Prayer for today: Ask God to move you to your healing ground of deliverance where you will encounter healing and gain sight that can see in His light.

Say It Is Well

Devotions

SAY IT IS WELL
2 Kings 4:8-37

Whatever you give yourself to the most, will have the most of you. Whatever you hear the most will make the most of you. Also, whatever you say the most will bring forth the most to you. Without any doubt, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:21) A gracious, barren Shunammite woman and her husband were of old age. The Shunammite woman’s graciousness to Elisha prompted a blessing of the fruit of the womb from him. Elisha prayed for the woman and she conceived and had a son. The child grew and one day he had a headache while he was with his father and the father sent him to his mother. 2 Kings 4:20, “When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.” The child died and it was not recorded of the mother any crying or groaning, but she decided to seek the source at which God blessed her with the child. The Shunammite woman decided to go and look for Elisha and her husband said,”’ Why are you going to him today? It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath.’ And she said, ’It is well.’” (2 Kings 4:23). Knowing fully well that the child was dead, she still did not give a negative response. When she approached Elisha, he sent his servant by saying, “’Please run now to meet her, and say to her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?’ And she answered, ‘It is well.’”(2Kings 4:26) The Shunammite woman repeatedly confessed positive. She had the right word at the rough time; she refused to allow her situation to take over her. Jesus responded to the same kind of situation in the same manner of the Shunammite woman. Jairus’ daughter was sick to death and Jesus was approached for healing and responded in Luke 8:50, “But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.’” Jesus’ response was a teaching on staying positive when all is down. Jesus then spoke to the child and the child rose from dead just like the Shunammite woman’s son regained life at the visitation of Elisha. As you go from day to day, permit no fear but rather persist on faith. Take a stand in the Word of God. Speak out as you want it to be not only as the situation presents itself. Take note: the woman never said it shall be well neither did Jesus say it. What the woman and Jesus said was “It is well”. It is well, is different from it shall be well. Both statements have different meanings. Make your choice. Confess positive most and positive will make the most of you.

Prayer for today: Help me Lord and let no negative word proceed out of my mouth.

Daily Devoton: Word Of Breakthrough

Devotions

WORD OF BREAKTHROUGH
Luke 5:1-11

With some professional fishermen at the right place and right time, it was over. To them there was no way out when there was nothing to account for. It was certain that time had gone and when it was time to clean instruments and let go because of no result and emptiness, Jesus showed up. He will show up in your own situations of no hope. He showed up despite the multitudes that were pressing Him at the Lake of Gennesaret. Multitude is an agent of delay; multitude will slow down miracles if you flow too long with them. Multitude is a crowd that will not allow you to see Jesus when He is passing by. Despite the multitude’s pressing, Jesus was able to find a place in Simon’s vessel to sit. The multitudes at the Lake of Gennesaret were not able to stop Him from showing up concerning the empty situation that Peter and his fellow professional fishermen were facing after toiling all night in vain. Have you been toiling all year or have you been toiling for so many years? Wait and watch out for Him! Jesus will soon show up concerning all of your concerns. It is written, “When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ But Simon answered and said to Him, ‘Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.’” (Luke 5: 4-5)At the time the fishermen were to be launching away from the deep, Jesus asked them to launch into the deep. It was the wrong time for launching into deep because the time of launching deep was past and it produced no result. However, with Jesus there is no wrong timing and all of His timing is set to meet the plan and purpose of God. Has He been asking you to move when it is time to stay or has He been telling you to stay when it is time to move? If you will listen by the grace of God, your story will change for good. Despite Simon’s fishing skill, he had no reason not to obey Jesus. Peter and his fellow professional fishermen responded to the word that called for a catch. Just a catch…Jesus did not speak into many catches but just a word for a catch. Just a word to catch filled up all the emptiness. Just a word caused a breakthrough that was enough for others to partake. Just a word from Him is enough to terminate every struggle. It was a word of astonishment.

Prayer for today: Ask the Lord God to allow His word sound in your direction for breakthrough and for making you to fall down at His knees and become His follower all the days of your life.

Accept His Gift

Devotions

ACCEPT HIS GIFT
Luke 14:16-22

Jesus came to a synagogue in Nazareth where He was brought up, “And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.’” (Luke 4:17-19)Jesus identified Himself by pointing out the gifts that He had brought to every man and none could relate with all that He was reading, as recorded by the prophet Isaiah long before the birth of Jesus. Today many know His name and many celebrate His birth, but greater numbers are yet to accept His gift. Jesus came to give Himself as a present; a gift for all who will accept Him. Jesus declared, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20)How can you not hear His knock of gift? Jesus, the Anointed One, is here to heal every broken heart but the brokenhearted are not opening their doors and He will not force Himself to enter someone’s heart that is broken and needs to be fixed. The Spirit of the Lord that He, Jesus, was carrying is a gentle Spirit; not a forceful or competitive spirit. The captives remain captive because they have yet to capitalize in on the privilege of grace that came for their freedom. The blind remain blind because they refuse to look up to Jesus. Many are attempting to see through other gods instead of theOne and Only God. Also, many are putting man in the place of Jesus and by that virtue, the vision is not clear enough for them to move in the right direction. Jesus is the Lord and Savior and that demands looking up to God through Jesus. The birth of Jesus made salvation available and that cannot be manipulated nor monopolized by any man because it is not from man, but rather is from God to every man. Jesus came for the poor so that He can make them rich in the things of the Lord. Knowing about Jesus is half knowledge and to know Jesus is not enough when your behavior does not comprehend with Him. Jesus wants us to be like Him and to be like Him is to behave like Him. Do you believe in Him? If you believe in Jesus, then behave like Jesus. Behaving like Jesus is being known in Him. Behaving like Jesus is not of determination, but it is by the grace of God.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be known in Him today.