Word Alive Devotional February 2

F E B R U A R Y E D I T I O N
YO U R DA I LY G R O W T H C O M PA N I O N ,
D RAW I N G YO U D EEP ER I N TO T H E H E A RT O F J ES U S .
EBELE LIGHT
1
WORD ALIVE
© 2022 by Ebele Light
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2
AUTHOR’S NOTE
O
ne of the most, if not the most, constant lamentations
I hear from siblings-in-the-Faith, who confide in me,
are frustrations arising from inconsistencies in their
Faith-walk, and, particularly, their daily devotional
lives. Up today, down tomorrow; praying today, not
praying tomorrow; studying the Bible today, not studying the Bible
tomorrow; on a high today, on a low tomorrow—and the cycle
goes on and on.
There are thousands of devotional materials out there; fantastic

Christian resources that have blessed, and are still blessing,
millions of lives. So, when the Lord moved my heart to author
one, I knew that I had big shoes to fill. A few things that I have
attempted to do, through the help and inspiration of the Holy
Spirit, with this devotional, is to make it simple, practical, and
personal. I want you, my sibling, to feel like this material is
communicating to, and with, you. I want you to see this material
as a companion and as a friend. I want the words to come alive
to you, and to kindle a righteous fire in your heart. I want you to
actively engage with the “Reflection/Intercession” section of this
material, to mindfully and fervently partake in the “Pause and
Pray” section at the end of each topic, to do your best to be up-to-
date with the Bible reading plan, and, ultimately, to have tangible
evidence of spiritual growth.
I want you to understand that the purpose for which this material
was created—your spiritual growth and stability—will not work
fire! you do. And so, I hope that you do everything you can, as
the Holy Spirit multiplies grace, to contend for your growth. This
material will be of no help to you if you do not use it. The Bible
will be of no use to you if you do not study it.
3
Prayer only works when it is engaged. So fight, soldier, fight for
your fire! Jesus is interceding on your behalf, and Heaven is on
your side.
SOME OTHER THINGS TO NOTE:
1. Although this material was created with personal use in

mind, it can also be used for family worship, small groups,
and in a Sunday-school setting.
2. It is important that you deliberately set out some time every

day to use this devotional. I would personally recommend
some time before you have to resume your daily activities,
as it gives you the opportunity to be better anchored in the
word of God, and better ready to face the day. However, it is
also important for you to do what works for you.
3. I would encourage you, if you did not previously have

anything like this, to get a notepad—we will call it the Track
Note—to record the things you will learn, the things the Lord
will communicate to you in various ways, the tasks that will
be contained in some of the Reflections, etc. It is important
for you to have something like this to track your spiritual
progress and to have a properly documented history of your
dealings with God, which will come in very handy as a way
to stir up faith in your heart on the days when you are too
weary to believe.
4. The Reflection/Intercession section was generally intended

to be an end-of-the-day, before-bed activity. And so, in several
places in the material, you will observe the word being used
in that section.
5. You are always in my prayers. I love you dearly.
- Ebele Light
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TOPIC
February 1st ------------------The Man God Uses (The Consecrated Man)

February 2nd ----------------The Man God Uses (The Love-Driven Man)
February 3rd -------The Man God Uses (The Diligent/Disciplined Man)
February 4th ------------------The Man God Uses (The Courageous Man)
February 5th -------------------Christ, The Author of Faith
February 6th -------------------The Reward and The Rewarder
February 7th -------------------Members of Christ
February 8th -------------------In the Hollow of His Hands
February 9th -------------------Losing Count (1)
February 10th-------------------Losing Count (2)
February 11th -------------------Almond Blossoms
February 12th -------------------“Yes, Lord”
February 13th -------------------So, God Created Man
February 14th------------------- Love Is
February 15th -------------------The Eagle on The Chicken Farm
February 16th------------------- Loving the Bible (1)
February 17th -------------------Loving the Bible (2)
February 18th -------------------The Man in Christ (1)
February 19th -------------------The Man in Christ (2)
February 20th -------------------Abiding Seed
February 21st -------------------More Than a Song
February 22nd -------------------Give No Room
February 23rd-------------------In Rest
February 24th -------------------Dwellers in The Secret Place
February 25th-------------------Through the Valley
February 26th-------------------“I, Too, Am A Prophet”
February 27th -------------------For the Glory
February 28th-------------------Finding Salam
5
FEB.
01
THE MAN GOD USES
(THE CONSECRATED MAN)
A
very important characteristic
“Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be of the man that God uses is
holy, for I am the LORD your God.” that he is a consecrated man.
- Leviticus 20:7 {NKJV} This is not a strange fact. If you
have been anywhere near a Bible-
“So you shall put them on Aaron your believing church, you must have
heard this word at least once. But
brother and on his sons with him. You
what exactly does “consecrated”
shall anoint them, consecrate them, and
mean? I shall use a familiar
sanctify them, that they may minister to illustration to explain it.
Me as priests.”
- Exodus 28:41 {NKJV} In some African households,
there is a special set of chinaware
“Therefore if anyone cleanses himself that is only brought out on special
from the latter, he will be a vessel for occasions: on Christmas day,
honor, sanctified and useful for the when important guests come to
Master, prepared for every good work. visit, or when an especially happy
Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue occasion is being celebrated. Such
righteousness, faith, love, peace with wares are not for everyday use.
those who call on the Lord out of a pure They are usually kept in a place
heart.” separate from where the everyday
- 2 Timothy 2:21-22 {NKJV} wares are kept, and might only
be brought out once or twice a
year. They are separated from the
ordinary, everyday wares because they have special use. Those wares
are consecrated. They are separate and set-apart; peculiar in use.
6
The consecrated man is the man who has separated and set
himself apart for the Master’s use. He is an ordinary man who
has sanctified himself to be meet for use by an extraordinary
God. He is the man who has made a firm decision to be hal-
lowed unto God. He takes care to keep himself from becoming
entangled with anything that will bring dishonor to his Master;
he knows that he is a vessel of special use. He is the man who
has surrendered his bodily vessels—and I do not just mean the
sexual organs, but also the mouth, the hands, the legs; his heart
and mind—to be meet for the Master’s use. Such is the kind
of man that God can use. Such a man is God’s man. They say
to him, “you do not have to be so rigid all the time, everyone is
doing it, even God will understand, times are changing,” but he
stands firmly on his resolve to not compromise on the standards
of God for momentary pleasure; even if it costs him the affection
of men. Such is the kind of man that God can use. Such a man
is God’s man.
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor
stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but
his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates
day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not
wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.
- Psalms 1:1-3
Pause and Pray:

King of all kings, I am Your man! May my vessels be meet for Your
use.
1
Eat spiritual bread (Bible reading plan):
• Exodus 15-17 • Proverbs 1
Reflection:
When was the last time you told a stranger about Jesus? Make a
definite plan to do so this week
1
This Bible reading plan is a resource material made available by disciple journal.com. The author of this
devotional appreciates the practicality of the material, and the room it gives for catch-up in the occasion
where some days have been missed.
7
FEB.
02
THE MAN GOD USES
(THE LOVE-DRIVEN MAN)
T
he man that God will use
“Though I speak with the tongues of to wrought wondrous
men and of angels, but have not love, things in his time, must be
a man who is propelled by love,
I have become sounding brass or a
rooted in love, and given to love.
clanging cymbal. And though I have
We may speak the tongue of
the gift of prophecy, and understand
archangels, fast a hundred days,
all mysteries and all knowledge, and
cross high seas and deep oceans
though I have all faith, so that I could
‘for Kingdom’s sake’; we may
remove mountains, but have not love,
empty our entire life savings into
I am nothing. And though I bestow all
the church’s treasury, prophesy
my goods to feed the poor, and though
in the most accurate sense of
I give my body to be burned, but have
the word, speak with the highest
not love, it profits me nothing.”
wisdom and do the most awe-
- 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 {NKJV}
inspiring miracles; but if love
is lacking, we are merely empty
vessels, making meaningless noise.
Love—for God and for the people that He sends you to—is the
Force that keeps you going, without grudge or bitterness, when
you encounter difficulties in the way of obedience. Love is the
energy that compels you to pick up the cross and journey to
Calvary because of the souls of men. Love is the antidote to fear,
to discouragement, to despair and feelings of hopelessness—
because you will surely have days when you feel these things.
Love will climb mountains, kick down walls, and leave the ninety-
nine to find the one lost sheep. Where fear makes excuses, love
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finds reasons.
No man who is lacking genuine love in his heart can do much

for God. None. John 3:16 says that because God loved, He gave.
It is not enough to be eloquent or ‘anointed’. It is not enough to
give accurate prophecies and have the Bible memorized cover-
to-cover. Do you have love in your heart? Do you have genuine,
unadulterated love in your heart for God, for His Kingdom, and
for mankind? Can you feel sincere empathy and compassion for
the plight of your fellow-man? Do you see people as a burden? Or
are you more than willing to stop for the one?
For some people, God is just a means to an end. The Name of

Jesus, for them, is just a way to build a name and garner some
fame. They are willing to do just enough as is required for them
to satisfy the selfish ambitions in their hearts, but will never move
an inch further for love’s sake. Their so-called “good works” are
only done to be seen and applauded by men. They speak weighty
words and lack substance, because at the core of it, the only thing
they really care about is themselves and what makes them look
good. Such people, the Bible says, are tinkling cymbals. They do
not understand that your words cannot reach a heart that your
love has not first reached.
It is difficult for people like this to look past themselves and their
ambitions, and bend to the will of God, and so God cannot do
much with them.
Pause and Pray:

Heavenly Father, baptize me with the fire of love. Set my heart
aglow with the flame of genuine love.
2
Reflection:
Did the people who work with you, live with you, talk to you,
associate with you, feel the love of Jesus through you today?
2
9
FEB.
03
THE MAN GOD USES
THE DILIGENT/DISCIPLINED MAN)
M
any erroneously assume
“But by the grace of God I am what I that “spiritual” means
am, and His grace toward me was not “mediocre”; “spiritual”
in vain; but I labored more abundantly means “anyhow”. That it does not
than they all, yet not I, but the grace of matter how it is done as long as it is
God which was with me.” done. There are ministers who have
- 1 Corinthians 15:10 {NKJV} to preach on Sunday morning, but
do not start preparing or praying
“Be diligent to present yourself over their sermons until Saturday
approved to God as a worker who evening (many times, getting
does not need to be ashamed, accurately that sudden ‘gush of inspiration’
handling the word of truth.” after sitting in front of the TV or
- 2 Timothy 2:15 {NASB} scrolling through social media for
hours), with no reasonable excuse
to support such irresponsibility.
A man who has no fear or regard for God wakes up very early in the
morning and sets out in time to open his business. But the Christian
crawls out of bed at 10AM, then observes a 2-hour devotion, and
finally ambles to open his business at 1PM, and then is surprised
by the poor turnouts he gets at the end of the day. There is this
unspoken societal impression that a Christian doing it means that it
will be poorly done, but how far from the truth this is!
Everything about God speaks of diligence, excellence, discipline,

and order. Nothing about God is careless. Nothing about God is
reckless. Nothing about God is mediocre. Everything we know about
10
the early disciples who walked closely with the Lord tells us of how
much devotion these men and women had to their holy occupation.
They were not shabby with their duties. They did not sleep when it
was time to work. They gave heart, mind, and soul to their [divine]
calling, and many times, even their lives.
No work demands our earnest, devoted and energetic labor like

God’s work. No one is more worthy of our diligence, discipline, and
excellence than God Himself, and God cannot do much with a man
who is given to sluggishness, idle chatter, time-wasting ventures,
unfruitful associations, silliness, frivolities, dilly dallying, and excuses.
God’s man must be principled and disciplined. He must be willing

to put in the [painstaking] effort required to make sure that God’s
assignment is done well. God’s man continues to better himself to
be a more efficient and effective handyman in the sphere or industry
that God has called him to. He takes his consecration seriously,
and he does not mess around with God’s work. He knows that: the
anointing is not a substitute for diligence/discipline; it cannot be one
or the other. He knows that God does not applaud laziness.
Pause and Pray:

Dear God, forgive me for any way I may have neglected discipline
or diligence in the duties that You have given me. I ask for Your help
today in rightly stewarding the minutes and hours of my day. I ask for
grace and strength to give myself to due diligence; presenting myself
before You as a faithful worker who is not ashamed of withholding
the best of my labors from You.
3
Intercession:
Say a prayer tonight for anyone you know who is going through
emotional and/or mental distress. Pray healing over them, ask the
Lord to guard their hearts and minds, and cover them with peace.
Even if you know no one personally, pray anyway.
3
11
FEB.
04
THE MAN GOD USES
(THE COURAGEOUS MAN)
I
t was evangelist Reinhard
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter Bonnke who said that
and John, and perceived that they were “armchair Christians never
uneducated and untrained men, they receive fire. There is no such
marveled. And they realized that they had thing as an anointed couch
been with Jesus. And seeing the man who potato…”
had been healed standing with them, they
could say nothing against it… So, they
Many of the mind-blowing,
called them and commanded them not to
speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. heart-skipping things that God
But Peter and John answered and said to will do through you, will be
them, “Whether it is right in the sight of done in moments when you did
God to listen to you more than to God, you not feel as bold but continued
judge. For we cannot but speak the things to forge ahead in faith, anyway.
which we have seen and heard.” Courage is necessary to walk
Acts 4:13-14, 18-20 {NKJV} with God. Courage provokes the
power of God.
“…and when they had called for the
apostles and beaten them, they commanded One thing I have observed in
that they should not speak in the name of
the way that God deals with
Jesus and let them go. So, they departed
from the presence of the council, rejoicing His men, is that He never plays
that they were counted worthy to suffer it safe by our definition. He
shame for His name. And daily in the orchestrates situations where
temple, and in every house, they did not we have to deliberately choose to
cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the ignore the tug of fear, and walk
Christ.” the path of courage, so that His
- Acts 5:40-42 {NKJV} manifest power may be expressly
seen through us. Time and time
12
again, throughout scripture, we see the words “be courageous,”
“fear not,” “do not be afraid,” spoken to our fathers and heroes of
faith, in various forms and manners, as they went about fulfilling
the purposes of God for their lives in their generations.
Daniel chose courage when he insisted that no decree would

stop his devotion to God, even if it meant being thrown into the
lion’s den (Daniel 6:1-17). The three Hebrews boys—Shadrach,
Meshach and Abed-Nego—chose courage when they picked being
cast into a fiery furnace over worshipping King Nebuchadnezzar’s
gold image (Daniel 3:1-23).
The Apostles chose courage; amidst various distresses, beatings,

imprisonments, tribulations, even death (2 Corinthians 6:3-10).
Jesus chose courage when He offered up Himself for you and me
despite having deep sorrow in His heart about dying (Matthew
26:36-39).
The one who will walk with God must walk with the eyes of faith.
You have to be willing to do it scared, afraid, uncertain—for the
sake of God’s glory—making the decision to be unfazed even in
the face of fear; for the righteous will be as bold as lions.
Pause and Pray:

My Pillar of strength, help me to courageously walk the path laid
out before me. When I can choose fear, Lord, please help me to
choose faith instead.
4
Reflection:
Is there an area of your life where you find that you are lacking
courage and faith to live out God’s will? Is there an area of your
life where you are letting fear win?
4
13
FEB.
05
CHRIST, THE AUTHOR
OF FAITH
F
aith, for a lot of us, is this
“…looking unto Jesus, the author and abstract concept that we
finisher of our faith…” are not exactly sure how to
- Hebrews 12:2 {NKJV} define. When the preacher
says, “have faith”, what exactly is he
“I will lift up my eyes to the hills— saying? How do I know that I have
from whence comes my help? My help faith?
comes from the LORD, who made
I think that defining or identifying
heaven and earth.” faith is simple enough. I think that it
- Psalms 121:1-2 {NKJV} is easy for us to discern when we are
with faith and when we are without
it. Because much more than being a
thing or an idea, faith is a Person. Matthew 14 tells us the story of an
encounter that Peter had with Jesus that paints a vivid picture for us of
what faith looks like.
The disciples saw their Lord walking on water, and they trembled in fear
because they thought that He was a ghost. Jesus immediately assuaged
their fears by saying, “it is I; do not be afraid.” Now Peter needed
something much more than that. He said to Jesus, “Lord, if it is You, then
command me to come to You on the water,” and Jesus bade him come.
And so, Peter got off the boat and started to walk towards Jesus. I can just
imagine the thrill he felt in that moment, walking on that body of water,
and yet not sinking. His eyes were on the One who bade him come, and
he was surely going to get to Him. But…something happened.
“But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and
beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!””
14
- Matthew 14:30 {NKJV}
For a moment there, Peter took his eyes off the One who called, and he
saw the turbulence of the wind, and right there and then, began to sink.
Jesus immediately reached out and caught him, and He said to him; “O
you of little faith, why did you doubt?” In that short moment when
Peter was no longer looking at Jesus, he started to drown.
Faith is the natural consequence of eyes that are concentrated on

Jesus. The Bible calls Him the Author (Beginning, Source, Origin) and
Finisher (End, Perfecter, Performer) of faith. It means that faith is sure to
flow when we have our eyes on Jesus, and faith is sure to be missing when
we have our eyes on anywhere else but Him. Abraham, who is regarded
by Christians as the father of faith, is so regarded because, until the very
end, his eyes were on the Lord who called him out of his father’s house to
the place which he would receive as an inheritance. Not knowing where
he was going or when the promise would be given, Abraham continued to
move at the word of the Lord. He believed until the end.
Lacking faith? Redirect your eyes to Jesus, away from yourself and your
circumstances. Fix your eyes upon Jesus, upon His word, upon His
promises, upon His goodness—He is the Starter and Performer of faith.
Pause and Pray:

O Source of faith, when the ferociousness of the wind threatens to shake
and drown me, help me to remember that You are standing right there, in
front of me, bidding me to walk on water.
5
Reflection:
Is there something that God has promised to give or do for you that sounds
impossible or unbelievable? Make a resolve in your heart tonight to not
doubt anymore. Hand it to Him in prayer, here and now, recognizing
that if He made the promise, He can surely bring it to pass. In your Track
Note, write down today’s date, and mark it as the day you chose to begin
to believe God’s promise to you wholeheartedly. And ask Him to help you
stay in faith until the very end.
5
15
FEB.
06
THE REWARD AND
REWARDER
T
here are some of us
“After these things the word of the whom the Lord will
Lord came to Abram in a vision, single out for fame and
saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I prominence in our
am your shield, your exceedingly great generation, to propel the work
reward.” of His kingdom. There are some
- Genesis 15:1 {NKJV} whom the Lord will place in the
limelight so that they can be His
“…and your Father who sees in secret mouthpieces on a global stage.
will Himself reward you openly.”
There are yet some of us who will
- Matthew 6:4 {NKJV}
live our earthly lives in obscurity,
as the world defines it. We will
“…and let us not grow weary while have normal jobs, live simple lives,
doing good, for in due season we shall will never really have thousands
reap if we do not lose heart…” or millions of social media
- Galatians 6:9 {NKJV} followers, will never receive any
distinguished or honorary titles,
and will faithfully serve the Lord
in our little corners—as God has so purposed it.
But listen—and I really need you to hear this in your spirit—

whether it is one or the other, the reward is not given by who is
at the center stage and who is not. For those in the limelight, the
reward is not the limelight; and for those in obscurity, the reward
is not the obscurity. The Reward, and Rewarder, is God Himself.
God places each one where they need to be, in agreement with
His perfect counsel. Let the one in the spotlight, standing amidst
16
the cheers of men not think that he is better than the one who is
in obscurity. And let the one in obscurity not think that no one sees
or values his service. God sees every effort, vets every motive, and
takes note of all who serve Him faithfully—prominent or not. Each
one is significant to God, and God is the Rewarder of both.
God said to Abraham; “I am your exceedingly great reward.” This

was God saying to him, “I know that you are a wealthy man.
I have blessed you with sheep and oxen and donkeys and
camels, and male and female servants, but those things
are not the reward; I AM.”
Some of us get discouraged because we are doing the best we can

for the Lord, with what we have, and it looks like no one appreciates
or even acknowledges it. You work at church, showing up early and
diligently to fulfill your duties, and it feels like no one really sees
how much heart you put into the work. Well, guess what? The One
you work for sees you. And He is saying to you today that He is your
Reward and Rewarder.
So do not be weary. Do not get tired. Let your zeal not wane. Your
reward is with God who judges fairly and faithfully.
Pause and Pray:

My God, help me to not be fazed by men’s applause or the absence
of it. Help me to contentedly wait upon You who is the Reward and
Rewarder of all who faithfully serve You.
6
Reflection:
Are you content with the season of life you are currently in?
Honestly reflect on it.
6
17
FEB.
07
MEMBERS OF CHRIST
R
emember the hallowed
“For this is the will of God, your chinaware we talked
sanctification: that you should abstain about on the first day of
from sexual immorality; that each of this month? The believer
you should know how to possess his own is, and should be, as such unto
vessel in sanctification and honor, not in God. The believer’s body is to be
passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do an altogether hallowed vessel unto
not know God…”
God; given wholly to His righteous
- 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 {NKJV}
“Do you not know that your bodies are requirements of purity.
members of Christ? Shall I then take
the members of Christ and make them You see, the word of God is very
members of a prostitute? Never! Or do clear about God’s attitude towards
you not know that he who is joined to sexual purity—our sanctification
a prostitute becomes one body with her? is His will; that we can possess
For, as it is written, “The two will become our own bodies and bring it under
one flesh.” But he who is joined to the subjection, is His will. There are
Lord becomes one spirit with Him. Flee people who say, “but there are other
from sexual immorality. Every other sin sins talked about in the Bible. How
a person commits is outside the body, but
come everyone talks about sexual
the sexually immoral person sins against
his own body. Or do you not know that sins as though they were the worst?
your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit Lying, jealousy, and greed are just
within you, whom you have from God? as bad as sexual immorality!”
You are not your own, for you were To that I would respond: true.
bought with a price. So glorify God in The original Greek word for sin
your body.” is hamartia. It is a literary term
- 1 Corinthians 6:15-20 {NKJV} which, in simple terms, means to
miss the mark; to commit deeds
18
that are unworthy of a hero. In the sense that all sins mean that we
have missed the mark, I agree that one is just as bad as the other;
for all of sin proves that we have come short of God’s demands of
righteousness. And whether we come short by an inch or a million
miles, the point remains that we have come short. However, we hear
of no other case where it is written in the Bible that a person sins
against his own body, except in the case of sexual immorality. The
Bible clearly says that the sexually immoral person sins against his own
body. The evidence of the transgression is immediately authenticated
in, and by, the flesh.
The Lord, who originated the idea of sex, did so for it to be enjoyed and
explored in the confines of matrimony. God, in His wisdom, knowing
that sex can be a very dangerous tool, orchestrated it so, so that we
would not hurt ourselves. In marriage, sex can be a very pleasant and
enjoyable thing, strengthening intimacy between husband and wife, as
they are two souls who have made a to be one, and to love each other
in their worst and in their best. It is a safe space. Outside of marriage,
it is just an accident waiting to happen. Apart from the fact that it
separates you from enjoying close fellowship with God, the mental and
emotional strain it leaves you with, sometimes for a very long time, is
not worth the temporary moment of pleasure it pays. Keep your vessel
pure.
Pause and Pray:

Lord, my body belongs to You. This is Your temple. Help me to not
dishonor Your temple.
7
• Catch up on any chapters you [may] have missed in your Bible
reading plan so far.
Intercession:
Intercede on behalf of your brothers and sisters in the Faith, who
are seriously battling with sexual sins. Pray that the strength of the
Lord will be made more real to them in their weakness, and that they
experience victory over the influence of sin.
7
19
FEB.
08
IN THE HOLLOW OF
HIS HANDS
T
here will never come a
“Trust in the Lord with all your point in a man’s life where
heart, and lean not on your own he will need God less than
understanding; in all your ways he did before. There will
acknowledge Him, and He shallnever come a point in a man’s life
direct your paths.” where he will need to depend on
Proverbs 3:5-6 {NKJV} God less than he did before. The
need for God’s help, for God’s
wisdom, for God’s direction, for
God’s mercy…increases with each passing day. We do not need
God less on the good days than we do on the bad days. The ever-
increasing need for grace continues until we put off this body of
mortality.
We have brilliant ideas for the different turns and directions we

want our lives to take. Many of us have mental pictures in our head
of our “dream life”—we have an ideal image in our mind for where
we want to work, where we want to live, the kind of spouse we
want to be married to, how many kids we want to have—and there
is nothing wrong or ‘ungodly’ about having these images or desires
in your mind (as long as they do not become idols). But wisdom
counsels you to, “acknowledge Him in all your ways.”
What this looks like is saying, “Lord, I desire to work at Company X.

As far as my human eyes can see, it looks like a very good prospect,
and I think that this may be good for my future, but Lord, I am a
man under authority—Your authority—so what would You have
me do? What is Your will for my life? What way do You want me
20
to go?”
For some of us, God is ‘too slow.’ Our minds are brimming with so
many ‘bright ideas’ that it is impossible for us to sit still and wait
for God’s instruction. We go ahead of Him to construct plans, and
then present them before Him to ask for His blessings. But the
blessing of the Lord is in His will. God will not sponsor what He
did not command.
God is not asking us to not have a will; He did not create robots.
God is asking us to be willing to bring our will under subjection if
it conflicts with His own will for our lives. God is asking us to be
willing to fold up our own blueprints to follow His own.
We are all living our first lives. We are all here for the first time. We
have not walked this path before. We are so limited in vision and in
understanding as humans that we need something—Someone—
greater than ourselves to help us navigate through this thing called
life. We are clueless about what will happen in two months or in
ten years from now, but there is a God who is already at the end,
at the same time that He is at the beginning. Wisdom counsels
us to, “trust in Him with all our hearts and to lean not on our
understanding, to acknowledge Him in all of our ways so that He
can direct our paths.”
Pause and Pray:

God, I trust You with my life. I trust You with my future. I am
persuaded that Your plans for me are better than anything I could
ever come up with on my own. I submit to Your leadership, Abba.
Lead me in the way that should go.
8
Reflection:
What is your heart posture towards waiting on God? Do you find
that you are mostly in a hurry to run ahead of God? Is it difficult
for you to trust God with your future?
8
21
FEB.
09
LOSING COUNT (1)
W
e live in a world with
“Then Peter came to Him and said, imperfect, flawed
“Lord, how often shall my brother sin humans - just like
against me, and I forgive him? Up to us—and many times
seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I dohave to deal with hurt and offense.
not say to you, up to seven times, butPeople will disappoint you, people will
up to seventy times seven.”” let you down; it is human nature to
be flawed and even the best of men
Matthew 18:21-22 {NKJV}
is still a man. But despite all of these,
the Lord requires of us to go about
life without grudge, bitterness, or unforgiveness in our hearts. To withhold
forgiveness from a person who has hurt you is, in fact, a sin.
Take a look at this parable told by Jesus:
“Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle
accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one
was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he
was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife
and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant,
therefore, fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me,
and I will pay you all.’ Then the master of that servant was moved
with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. “But that
servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a
hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat,
saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ So his fellow servant fell down at his feet
and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’
And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay
22
the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were
very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then
his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I
forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not
also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity
on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers
until he should pay all that was due to him.”
NKJV{ 34-18:23 Matthew -}
The compassionate king who showed mercy to his servant, released him
and forgave his debt, is God. The servant who was the recipient of the
kindness of that king is us. We were the vilest offenders, guilty of the
wrath that was to come upon us, and yet, the Master extended mercy
to us, released us, and forgave our debt. But many times, we forget, just
like this servant. Many times we forget that we were deep in debt that we
could never have paid, and God saw us in that wretched state and chose
mercy over justice, taking up in His own being the consequence of our
corruption. When men transgress against us, we cry, “justice!” But when
we transgress against God, we cry “mercy!” We want to be forgiven of our
own sins, but we hang people’s mistakes and shortcomings above their
heads, withholding and grace, despite us being daily beneficiaries of the
grace and mercy of God.
The Master calls this sin. He calls it wicked. How can we expect to receive
grace from God when we withhold grace from those who hurt us?
Pause and Pray:

Dear God, search my heart and test me. If there be any pebble of unforgiveness
in me, today, help me to let it go. You have been gracious in not withholding
mercy from me. Help me to not withhold it from my fellow-man.
9
Reflection:
Are you carrying any grudge or hurt in your heart from something that
someone did to, or said to/about you, in the past? Call them by name right
here, and say, “I let you go in the Name of Jesus. I release you from my heart
for my own good, in the Name of Jesus.”
9
23
FEB.
10
LOSING COUNT (2)
I
want you to know, today, that
“And they stoned Stephen as he was acknowledgement of and/or
calling on God and saying, “Lord remorse for the wrong done
to you is not a requisite for
Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt
forgiveness. People may not realize
down and cried out with a loud voice,
how deeply they have hurt you, or
“Lord, do not charge them with this
even be in the least bit sorry for it,
sin.” And when he had said this, he
but you are commanded to forgive
fell asleep.”
anyway. Stephen was at the very
Acts 7:59-60 {NKJV} point of martyrdom, his life being
poured out like a drink offering,
and what he said, right before he drew his last breath was, “Lord,
do not charge them with this sin.” I am convinced that Stephen had
heard about the Man Jesus, and had been told of His heart posture
when He was hanging on that cross.
“And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they
crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the
other on the left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do
not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast
lots.”
Luke 34-23:33{NKJV}
Listen to me: neither of these groups of men was sorry. Not the group
that stoned Stephen, and certainly not the group that crucified Jesus.
None of them were sorry for what they had done. But Stephen,
following in the example of Jesus, extended forgiveness to them
anyway.
24
When Peter asked Jesus in yesterday’s opening scripture: “Lord, how
often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven
times?” Jesus’ response of “…seventy times seven” was not about
keeping score, it was about losing count. It was about forgiving as
many times as the transgression is committed.
Forgiveness can many times be hard, this is true. But God will not
require of us something that He has not given us the grace to give.
It might not be easy to let go of something that someone has done to
you, and God understands this—God understands what it feels like
to be hurt, betrayed, and deeply wounded—but holding on to that
hurt and refusing to let it go—or let them go—is not only unhealthy,
it is sin.
Forgiveness does not mean that it will never hurt anymore.

Forgiveness does not mean that remembering the experience will no
longer be painful. Forgiveness is not necessarily healing but it is the
first step to getting there. Forgiveness is choosing to remind yourself
every time you feel the pain of the hurt, that you have released
the offender of their debt, not necessarily because they deserve it,
not necessarily because they asked for it or are even sorry about it,
but because honoring God is more important to you than holding
grudges or licking wounds. You choose forgiveness because God has
required it of you. And as for healing, Adonai is an expert at putting
broken pieces back together. And the way He does it, it never looks
like it was even broken before.
Pause and Pray:

Adonai, thank You for peace in my heart, and joy in my soul. Thank
You for, today, anointing me with the oil of gladness. Thank You for
taking the burden and taking the weight. Thank You.
10
• Acts 1-3 • Proverbs 9
Intercession:
Pray comfort over broken and suffering people tonight.
10
25
FEB.
11
ALMOND BLOSSOMS
I
n Exodus 25, the Lord gives
“Your word is a lamp to my feet Moses details for the menorah—
and a light to my path.” the golden lampstand set up in
Psalms - 119:105 {NKJV} the Holy Place. He instructed
that this piece was to be made of
pure gold, was to have six branches,
and was to be of one piece.
“And six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the
lampstand out of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out
of the other side. Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms
on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three
bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an
ornamental knob and a flower—and so for the six branches that
come out of the lampstand…you shall make seven lamps for it, and
they shall arrange its lamps so that they give light in front of it.”
- Exodus 25:32-33, 37 {NKJV}
This lampstand was to serve the functional purpose of supplying

light to the priests in performing their priestly duties, since there
were no windows in the tabernacle by which light could pass
through. But there is a very special detail on this architectural work
that we cannot possibly overlook. The almond blossoms. God does
nothing by coincidence. Scripture is littered with prefigures and
symbolisms, and we find one at play here too.
Almond blossoms announce the arrival of spring and in the ancient
Mediterranean world, it was a symbol of hope, of renewal, of life.
26
The psalmist in Psalm 119 says “Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path…”
In Philippians 2:16, the Apostle Paul referred to the word of God as

the word of life.
Many Bible scholars agree that the lampstand is a symbolism for

the Holy Spirit, but I love how this beautifully crafted piece of work
is also a lovely and powerful prefiguring for the Spirit-breathed
word of God in the hands, lips, and heart of a believer. The Spirit-
breathed word of God is a lamp giving light to the path of the
believer. The Spirit-breathed word is life, rattling dead bones and
quickening lifeless hearts. The Spirit-breathed word is Jesus Christ
Himself.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things
were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that
was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
- John 1:1-4 {NKJV}
The word of God has not been given to us as a badge to merely

display that we are indeed Christians. The word of God has been
handed down to us as a treasure containing life and light; as a
Person to be seen, to be looked upon, and to be handled (1 John
1:1).
Pause and Pray:

Lord, I desire to come even deeper into learning Your precepts. I
desire to go even deeper into learning You. Let Your word be light
and life to me. Let Your word light my feet and quicken my soul.
11
• Acts 4-6 • Proverbs 10: 1-16
Reflection:
How well are you doing with hiding God’s word in your heart?
11
27
FEB.
12
“YES, LORD”
I
f there is one thing I want
“I thank my God upon every you, my sibling, to know
remembrance of you, always in every about godliness, it is that you
prayer of mine making request for you do not have the capacity to
all with joy, for your fellowship in the
be godly on your own. Godliness,
gospel from the first day until now,
in the most literal sense of the
being confident of this very thing, that
word means to be like God; to
He who has begun a good work in you
model His attributes, to mirror
will complete it until the day of Jesus
Christ…” His character. The natural
- Philippians 1:3-6 {NKJV} man simply does not have the
capacity to do that. If being godly
was a function of something we
had to do, we would be doomed, because we would never meet the
standard. The good news, however, is that the God who requires
godliness of us, wants to help us meet His own demands.
There was a time in my life when I used to be so conscious and

terrified of sin. I thought that taking out my jewelry and wearing
dresses that covered my toes and hid my body’s frame would
make me a better Christian. All the women that seemed ‘godly’ on
TV looked that way. They did not wear jewelry. They did not use
extensions in their hair, and their dresses always went way below
their knees. And I thought, “this must be it! If I could just look
like this, I would get closer to God for sure!” So I would throw out
my earrings (in that wave of zeal and inspiration), and I would try
to look like the ‘godly’ women that I saw on TV, but these things
never brought me any closer to God. If anything, they made me so
28
conscious of sin, and so frustrated with my own attempts at piety. It
was like I had a heavy stone strapped to my back with no hopes of
ever getting it off. This was a cycle. I would get tired of ‘not feeling’
any closer to God, and then I would begin to wear earrings again,
only to throw them out again whenever I saw the ‘godly’ women
on TV.
Now, I think it is necessary for me to state here that there is

absolutely nothing wrong with choosing to not wear jewelry or to
not use extensions in your hair. It is absolutely a matter of personal
preference, and sometimes, peculiar consecration. What I am
saying is that nothing you wear on your body or put in your hair
helps you to be more godly or less godly. Godliness is not a function
of human toil; the flesh can only produce flesh (John 6:63).
The God who saved you, is the God who sanctifies you. The God
who began the good work, is the God who brings it to perfection.
You do not start with God, and then continue in human strength.
You do not begin with divine mercy and continue with human
striving. Do you have a part to play in it? Absolutely. But your part
is the part of the man who gets into the passenger’s seat of a car,
and leans back as the driver drives him to his destination. Your
part is leaning upon the grace of God and allowing yourself receive
strength for weakness. Your part is saying “yes, Lord” to whatever
He asks of you, because empowerment follows obedience. The God
that began the work knows how to finish what He started. If you
will only give Him your “yes, Lord.”
Pause and Pray:

Mighty King, You have my “yes!” Today and always.
12
• Acts 7-9 • Proverbs 10: 17-32
Reflection:
How did you give the Lord your “yes” today?
12
29
FEB.
13
SO, GOD CREATED MAN
W
hen the Lord was
“Then God said, “let Us make man in to make the trees
Our image, according to Our likeness; and vegetations of
let them have dominion over the fish the earth, He called
of the sea, over the birds of the air, them forth from the ground.
and over the cattle, over all the earth “Then God said, “Let the earth
and over every creeping thing that bring forth grass, the herb that
creeps on the earth.” So God created yields seed, and the fruit tree that
man in His own image; in the image yields fruit according to its kind,
of God He created him; male and whose seed is in itself, on the
earth”; and it was so.”
female He created them.”
Genesis 1-11 {NKJV}
Genesis
The trees were called out of the
“And the Lord God formed man of ground. This is why, when a tree
the dust of the ground, and breathed is separated from the soil, when it
into his nostrils the breath of life; and is taken out of its natural habitat,
man became a living being.” it withers and dies.
When the Lord was to make the fishes of the sea, He called them
forth from the waters.
“Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of

living creatures…” - Genesis 1:20 {NKJV}
The fish was called out of water. This is why, when you take a
fish outside of its natural habitat—water—it dies. An average fish
30
can only live about ten minutes when it is taken out of water, and
depending on the surface it is placed on, it might not even last that
long.
When God was to make man, He did not simply call him forth. The
creation of man was a lot more intentional than that of any other
created thing. God brought man out of Himself. He decided, “this
one will be made in My image, after My likeness…”
“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a
living being.”
- Genesis - 2:7 {NKJV}
This is why, when man loses touch with His Creator, he begins to
die. The same way the tree cannot survive without the soil, and
the fish cannot survive without water—because they were not
made to—is the way that man is merely a living corpse apart from
God. We were not created to do life without God. We were not
made to function apart from Him. The Source is meant to be the
Sustainer. The Bible says that, “in Him was life, and the life was
the light of men” (John 1:4), it means that apart from Him is
death and darkness. No man is alive who does not know God.
Pause and Pray:

My Lord! It is an honor to know and be known by You. Help me
Lord to keep right in step with You, and to live boldly for Your glory.
13
• Acts 10-12 • Proverbs 11:1-15
Intercession:
Earnestly intercede for those yet to come into the knowledge of God.
13
31
FEB.
14
LOVE IS
T
he theme in the world today
“Love suffers long and is kind; is going to be love. When you
love does not envy; love does not scroll through the timelines
parade itself, is not puffed up; does and newsfeeds, you will
not behave rudely, does not seek be hit in the face by lovebirds, red
its own, is not provoked, thinks no dresses, rings, and rose petals. Love
evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, will literally be in the air today.
but rejoices in the truth; bears all
things, believes all things, hopes
Love. This brutally abused,
all things, endures all things.”
thoroughly misused word, often
- I Corinthians 13:4-7 {NKJV} thrown around so mindlessly that
it has almost lost its weightiness.
Think about it: how many times have you said, “I love you” to someone,
and how many times have you actually meant it?
We humans have many times used this three-letter word to mask the
unspoken, selfish intentions of our hearts. We have said, “I love you”
when what we really meant was, “I love your body.” We have said, “I love
you” when what we really meant was, “I love the things I can get from
you.” In fact, if we are being honest, when we say that we love the Lord,
more often than not, this is what we mean. We do not mean that we love
Him so much as to give up our lives and comfort for Him. We do not
mean that we love Him so much as to choose Him and put His will first
even in the moments when we do not feel like doing so. When we say, “I
love You, Lord,” a lot of the time, what we mean is: “I love the things You
can give me. I love how You make me feel. I love that I can use Your Name
to get the things that I want.”
32
But as watered down as this word is in today’s culture, there is a clear
standard for what love is, and what it is not, in scripture. I am convinced
that the Lord foresaw our day, and knew that we could not depend on the
world and its ever-shifting culture to teach us about genuine love, and so
He inspired the Apostle Paul to write this for our benefit.
By God’s standard, love knows how to endure long. It does not run out
of patience. It is kind. It is not envious; it rather encourages and builds
up; it wants the best for others. Love is not conceited or boastful, it does
not seek praise, it rather seeks to serve. It does not act rashly; it does
not chiefly seek its own pleasure; it puts others first. Love is not easily
provoked; it does not think up evil or wickedness. It is not happy with
wrongdoing. It is not quiet or silent when there is a need for chastening
and correction. Love is happy when truth and righteousness prevail. Love
does not judge, and love does not condemn. Love gives. Love gives freely,
cheerfully, and selflessly. Love believes the best of others, and upholds
them in their weakness. Love is full of both grace and truth. Love, is
Godly. Does your love look like this?
Pause and Pray:

Dear God, You are the Fountain of love. We know what genuine love is
because You exemplified it first by giving what was most precious to
You—Jesus Christ— for the sake of mankind’s redemption. You extended
love to me when I was unworthy and undeserving and took no thought
for You. I ask You, Lord, to make me a better lover of my fellow-man; to
follow Your example of honest, sacrificial giving. Let my love be proof that
I belong to You.

14

Reflection:
Make a decision today to begin to deliberately employ love as an
evangelism strategy. Let your love reach the heart first before even your
words get there.
14
33
FEB.
15
THE EAGLE ON THE
CHICKEN FARM
W
hatever, or whoever,
“Now when they saw the boldness that you are around
of Peter and John, and perceived for long enough will
that they were uneducated and inevitably begin to
untrained men, they marveled. And have an impact on your life. It
might not be immediate, but it
they realized that they had been with
Jesus.” will inevitably come. Sometimes,
- Acts 4:13 {NKJV} ideologies, doctrines, and beliefs
do not even necessarily have to
be communicated with words,
you only have to be in an environment where they are enforced for
long enough, and surely, it will begin to rub off on you too.
An interesting story is told of an eagle who was raised on a chicken

farm and grew up amidst other chickens. The eagle could very
well fly if it wanted to—it was not a chicken—but it had been in
that atmosphere too long that the only life it knew was the life of a
chicken, and it invariably lived like one.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you unavoidably

have secular songs, for example, blasting in your ears for hours
every day? You might not even necessarily listen to these songs or
sit down to learn what the lyrics say, but you find that one day, you
are almost able to sing an entire song, from beginning to the end,
and you begin to wonder, “how did I even learn this?” You had no
particular desire to learn this song, but you were exposed to it over
and over again that your subconscious just picked it up, without
your permission.
34
Now, imagine this scenario repeated but with the secular song
switched out with the word of God. Imagine allowing yourself be
exposed to hours and hours of the living, active word of God; giving
it room to envelop your soul and take root in your subconscious.
It is like coming in close physical contact with someone who is
wearing perfume. If you are close enough and the scent is strong
enough, you begin to smell like it too. Just like these men who had
been with Jesus.
A lot of Christians express frustration with not studying the word of

God because they do not even seem to be understanding what they
read when they try. I think an error that many of us are committing
is that we are trying to learn it all, in the littlest time possible. We
are trying to compress a lifetime’s worth of knowledge into a few
weeks or a few months, and so, of course, we would get frustrated.
The word of God was not meant to be learned that way. The word
of God was not meant to be consumed like a textbook that you
browse through before sitting for an exam. The word of God is the
living precept of God, the pilgrim’s companion on his journey. Like
the scenario with the eagle and the secular song, you are supposed
to create an atmosphere where the word of God has consistent
access to impact your life. You are supposed to daily give yourself
to learning it, to applying it, to talking it, to singing it, until it roots
itself in your soul and finds a place in your subconscious.
Pause and Pray:

Loving father, let Your words find a home in my heart. Let Your precepts
change my life and transform me into the version of myself that You have
purposed for my life.
15
• Acts 13-15 • Proverbs 11:16-31
Reflection:
How has your Bible reading been going so far, this year? In what areas do you
need to do better?
15
35
FEB.
16
LOVING THE BIBLE (1)
I
want to share with you a
“So now, brethren, I commend you few simple tips that I believe
to God and to the word of His grace, will make your Bible study
which is able to build you up and give a lot richer, and a lot more
you an inheritance among all those meaningful.
who are sanctified.”
- Acts 20:32 {NKJV} 1. The Holy Spirit is the
Illuminator of the written
word of God; do not try to do
this without Him. A lot of us are frustrated with our attempts at
Bible study because we lean upon everything else but upon the One
who can bring to light the counsel of God’s will in scripture. We lean
on concordances, study Bibles, Greek and Hebrew lexicon, but forget
that if the Holy Spirit does not get first place, we might as well just be
pouring water into a basket. The Bible says, “for what man knows the
things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so
no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God” [1 Corinthians
2:11]. It is futile to try to do spiritual things in the strength of the flesh,
so it is important to know that the Holy Spirit is the Chief requirement
for studying the Bible. He brings to light the things that are hidden, and
exposes the state of your own heart in keeping with the word. Before you
begin, pray. Pray with genuine desire for the Spirit of understanding.
Invite the Holy Spirit to be your study partner and to amplify the word
of God in your heart as you read. Ask Him to help you submit to the
word, not argue with it.
36
2. It is important that you read the Bible in a translation that
you understand. The KJV is not a more spiritual version than the
others, you do not have to use it if you do not understand it. While there
are certain Bible translations that I would not personally recommend
for actual Bible study—they are better used complementarily rather
than foundationally—there are many sound ones, in easy-to-read
English that I could recommend. A few of them are the New King
James Version (NKJV), the New American Standard Bible (NASB), the
New English Translation (NET), the English Standard Version (ESV),
the Amplified Bible (AMP, AMPC), and the New International Version
(NIV). You are not less ‘spiritual’ for using a translation other than the
KJV. It is okay if you can understand it, but if not, please use a version
you do understand.
3. Take advantage of study resources available to you. From

concordances to commentaries to study notes, the internet can be a
wealth of knowledge for our benefit if we know how to take advantage
of it. As you study the Bible, you might be curious as to what the culture
of a people you are reading about was really like at the setting of the
writing, or you might be moved to investigate the root of a word further.
Take advantage of the resources at your fingertips. Be a diligent learner.
Read the commentaries of several Bible teachers on a particular subject
matter addressed in scripture. You might not always agree with it, and it
might not always necessarily be accurate, but it can bring a perspective
to that particular matter that you did not see before. Remember, these
things are complementary. The Bringer of understanding is the Holy
Spirit, and these things are not meant to be a substitute for Him.
Pause and Pray:

Holy Spirit, animate the word of God in my heart.
16
• Acts 16-18 • Proverbs 12:1-14
Reflection:
Do you have a testimony of the goodness of God in your life today?
16
37
FEB.
17
LOVING THE BIBLE (2)
W
e are still on tips that can
“So now, brethren, I commend you help us fall in love with
to God and to the word of His grace, studying scripture.
which is able to build you up and give
you an inheritance among all those 4. After you have read, do. The
who are sanctified.” purpose of Bible study is not just for
us to be able to say, “I have studied
- Acts 20:32 {NKJV}
it.” The word of God is not just a
book containing information for us to
mindlessly memorize. The word of God is transformative. The word of God
is practical. After the reading, there comes a doing. After the studying, there
comes the applying. So when you study, look out for practical ways to apply
the insight you have learned. If you are reading about Jesus’ sermon on the
mount, for example, it is not just enough to know the story. Jesus said many
remarkable things in this sermon; which should you immediately begin to
apply in your life? Where are the areas you are lacking in, and what fix does
the word of God prescribe? Listen, when you begin to do the word that you
have read and heard, you will find out that the word of God is a living book.
When you finally begin to apply the things you see in the word, that is when
it begins to come alive. When it is read, it is a knowing; when it is applied,
it is a living.
5. Pray the word. This one. Praying the word is praying the will of God,
because the will of God is His word. As you study your Bible, practice taking
prayer breaks. If you are reading about a character and you see something
that you admire, you could pause and pray for that trait to be a reality in
your own life too. By doing this, two things are happening: you are hearing
from God (through His word), and you are communicating back to Him
(through prayer). When you read the realities of the “new creation man”
38
in scripture—for example, Colossians 3:3 which says that “you have died
and your new life is now hidden with Christ in God”—praying it is a way
to enforce that reality, it is the way to of it; it makes the word take form in
your heart.
6. Write the word. I have found that this helps what I have read stick
to memory. Writing has a way of cementing things in your mind, so do it
often. Write in your Bible; write on random pieces of paper; write on sticky
notes and keep it in your Bible, paste it on the wall of your bedroom…keep
writing the word.
7. Teach the word. Yes. Teach it to yourself, teach it to your family, teach
it to friends who care to listen, just teach what you know. You do not need
a pulpit or a microphone to do this. You do not need to have read the Bible
cover to cover. You do not need a crowd either. In fact, teach the word to
yourself more than you do to anybody else. What you have read, what you
have heard, repeat back with your own lips to your own hearing. There is
something powerful that this does to you: it builds faith and confidence in
you, and it animates God’s word in your heart.
A few other tips:

1. Sing the word. 2. Draw pictures as you study, if necessary, to aid
understanding. Images can crystallize an idea in your mind. 3. Take
advantage of audio Bibles; you can listen to them on the go. 4. If it is
possible for you to do so, find some Bible study partners. The perspective
that studying with fellow-minded Christians can bring is amazing. If there
is an opportunity to do so, seize it.
Pause and Pray:

Lord, enliven Your word in my heart, and bring me into depths of intimacy
with You, in the Name of Jesus.
17
• Acts 19-21 • Proverbs 12:15-28
Intercession:
Intercede for missionaries in war-prone countries. Pray that God will bless
their labors with abundant fruit, and that their hearts will not grow weary
of doing the good work of reconciling men to God.
17
39
FEB.
18
THE MAN IN CHRIST (1)
I
n the beginning, man had
“Then God said, “Let Us make man something special and
in Our image, according to Our beautiful with the Lord. Man
likeness; let them have dominionwas created in the sinless,
perfect image of God, formed
over the fish of the sea, over the birds
with a mind so in tune with the
of the air, and over the cattle, over
Almighty that after God made
all the earth and over every creeping
the animals, He brought them to
thing that creeps on the earth.” So
him to see what he would name
God created man in His own image;
them; and whatever name Adam
in the image of God He created him;
gave the animal, that was what it
male and female He created them.”
was called (Genesis 2:19). Man
- Genesis 1: 26- 27 {NKJV}
enjoyed fellowship with God in
Eden. The Lord delighted in the
creatures that His hands had made.
Then came the Fall, Adam and Eve began to birth children, and
we notice something very striking.
“This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God
created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them
male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind
in the day they were created. And Adam lived one hundred and
thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image,
and named him Seth.”
- Genesis 3-5:1 {NKJV}
When God made the first man, He said “let Us make man in Our
40
image, according to Our likeness…”. The Fall happened and
then man started to birth sons in his own likeness and after
his own image. It was no longer men whose minds were in tune
with that of God, it was rather men whose minds revolted against
Him. The Fall of man created a breach in communion, and man
no longer enjoyed with God what he enjoyed at the beginning, in
Eden. The wickedness of man on the earth became so great, and
man became so morally depraved, the thoughts of his heart being
so evil and vile, that God was grieved that He had made man
(Genesis 6:5-6)
Because of one man, all of mankind became doomed to Sin;
and with the entrance of Sin came consequences. Because of
Sin, sickness, death, darkness, pain, and every evil you can think
about that exists on the face of the earth, gained access to man’s
realm. One man’s disobedience threw all of mankind into a debt
that all of mankind could not pay. The whole world was guilty
before God and very deserving of His wrath.
This was the sad, depraved state of mankind until another Perfect,
Sinless One came to pay the debt that mankind, for generations,
could not pay. God Himself, knowing that man would never
be able to pay the debt he owed, took on human flesh, and by
Himself become the propitiation for mankind’s sins; to restore us
to the beauty and glory that we had with God in the beginning; to
redeem us from the consequence and power of sin.
This God-Man, was Jesus Christ.
Pause and Pray:

My good Father, thank You for the underserved and grace that You
have extended to me. Thank You for Your Son, Jesus. Thank You for
the salvation of my soul.
18
• Acts 22-25 • Proverbs 13:1-12
Reflection:
How did you imitate Jesus today?
18
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FEB.
19
THE MAN IN CHRIST (2)
I
f you breezed through the
“And you, being dead in your scriptures above, I beg you
trespasses and the uncircumcision of to go back and read them.
your flesh, He has made alive together Read them carefully; word
with Him, having forgiven you for word; line by line.
all trespasses, having wiped out the You see, one thing that the enemy
handwriting of requirements that does not mind doing, is forcing
was against us, which was contrary an identity on you, that does not
to us. And He has taken it out of the
way, having nailed it to the cross.” belong to you. If you have no
- Colossians 2:13-14 {NKJV} idea about your spiritually reality,
the devil will convince you of a
“Therefore, as through one man’s reality that is not your own.
offense judgment came to all men, Many Christians live bound by
resulting in condemnation, even so the bondage of sin, so scared
through one Man’s righteous act the of hell, because they have no
free gift came to all men, resulting understanding of the significance
in justification of life. For as by one of their divine calling. It is a sad
man’s disobedience many were made thing when Christians are more
sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience conscious of sin and hell than
many will be made righteous.”
they are conscious of God. Many
- Romans 5:18-19 {NKJV}
Christians walk on eggshells,
“For He made Him who knew no sin trying their best not to sin, trying
to be sin for us, that we might become their best not to “stain their
the righteousness of God in Him.” white”, and we move about with
- II Corinthians 5:21 {NKJV} this burden that God did not put
on us. We try and try by our own
42
efforts, and saints who are supposed to be filled with the joy of
salvation and the power of the Holy Spirit, are trembling with fear
over the power of sin. We should hate sin; not be afraid of it.
The Christian is not ‘begging’ to not go to hell; he will not go

there because he is seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus
(Ephesians 2:6).
The Christian has received the righteousness of Christ. The

Christian has received the authority of Christ. The Christian
can now approach the throne of God without fear or shame,
and stand up to the devil with boldness, because he has received
righteousness from the God of his salvation. The Christian
does not contend for victory but from victory (John 16:33).
The Christian breaks chains, triumphs over curses, conquers
darkness and reigns with God because this is his reality. Victory is
his inheritance from God. The Christian is a new creation; he
is not defined by his past, he is not bound by his past. God has
not merely given him a ‘better’ life, He has given him a brand
new life (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Christian is a king and priest
(Revelation 1:6); a son of God (John 1:12); a saint (Philippians
4:21, 1 Corinthians 6:1); a witness (Act 1:8); a minister of
reconciliation (II Corinthians 5:18)…the body of God.
Pause and Pray:

O Lord, help me to live out this truth. Let this revelation impact me,
change my life, light me up! I, (your name), am the righteousness
of God in Jesus Christ. I am the body of God.
19
• Acts 26-28 • Proverbs 13:13-25
Reflection:
Do you believe God’s word about you?
19
43
FEB.
20
ABIDING SEED
I
f there is one thing I want for
“No one who is born of God practices my siblings-in-Christ, it is that
sin, because His seed abides in him; they believe who God says they
and he cannot sin, because he is born are. It is that they embrace the
of God.” word of God like a compass for life,
- 1 John 3:9 {NASB} and let it lead them in the direction
that God has purposed for them.
“No one born (begotten) of God
[deliberately, knowingly, and The Bible says that the one who
habitually] practices sin, for God’s is born of God, has God’s seed
nature abides in him [His principle abiding in Him, and therefore,
of life, the divine seed, remains cannot sin. Because he is born of
permanently within him]; and he God, he cannot practice sin.
cannot practice sinning because he is
born (begotten) of God.” Many of us will read this and think,
- 1 John 3:9 {AMPC} “is this a mistake? How can John
say this? I am born of God, and yet
I sin. I am human. No human is perfect. This cannot be right. John
must have made a mistake.” What a lot of us do not understand
is that the Bible is not just informative; it is transformative. The
word of God is not just to feed you knowledge, it is to impart grace.
If we pick up the Holy Book and see it as ordinary words written
by ordinary men, it will not do much for us. It cannot do much
for us. But if we pick it up, and regard it as the mind of God, as
His precept, as His will; and honor it as such, it will transport us to
unimaginable heights of glory and fruitfulness.
If you read something in the Holy Scripture that does not align
44
with your present reality, your job is not to argue with it and declare
it untrue. Your job is to submit to it and let it change you until
your reality aligns with the written word. Your job is to continue to
behold it over and over, until you look like it. If the word of God and
your reality ever begin to conflict, it is your reality that must bend
to the word of God and not the other way round.
So, the word of God says, “No one who is born of God practices
sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because
he is born of God.” The child of God, the born-again Christian, has
been born of an incorruptible seed, a Holy seed. What do we know
about seeds? When they are planted, they produce fruit according
to their kind. You cannot sow bananas and reap plantains, no
matter how similar they look. So, if a Holy seed abides in you, the
natural consequence is that the fruit of your life will be holy—in
agreement with the seed that abides in you.
“But Ebele, I still struggle with this sin and that sin…I cannot help
myself.” Good. Because God’s help is for those who cannot help
themselves. The reality is not different for you because you still
struggle with one thing or another. The incorruptible seed of God
abides in you. This word is for you. You have the choice to do either
of two things: magnify your reality over the word of God, or submit
your reality to its power. I hope you choose the latter.
Pause and Pray:

God, I believe You. I believe all that Your word says about me. I live
in Your truth and purpose for my life. Your word creates my reality
and not my struggles. I submit to the power of Your word.
20
• Leviticus 1-4 • Proverbs 14:1-18
Reflection:
What have you learned about the impact of God’s holy seed in you?
20
45
FEB.
21
MORE THAN A SONG
“W
orship is the
“But an hour is coming, and now active effort to
is, when the true worshipers will close the gap
worship the Father in spirit and between the heart
truth; for such people the Father seeks and the God it adores.” – A.W. Tozer.
to be His worshipers. God is spirit,
and those who worship Him must It is beyond the words. Worship is
worship in spirit and truth.” beyond the words or the melody or
- John 4:23-24 {NASB} the harmony or the beat…worship
is beyond music. Music is one
“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the way to worship, but so is silence,
mercies of God, to present your bodies so is dancing in the Spirit (2
a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable Samuel 6:16). Music is one way to
to God, which is your spiritual service worship but music is not the only
of worship.” way to worship, nor is it the whole
- Romans 12:1 {NASB} definition of worship.
In the all-encompassing sense of

the word, worship means service. Worship means ministry unto
God. It is every thought, word and deed that is rendered unto His
pleasing. It is everything that is said and done for the purpose of
God’s glory. A man can be singing ‘worship’ songs on the pulpit of
a church and yet not be worshipping; while another man could
be sitting in a boardroom, not even moving his lips, and yet be
worshipping.
Worship is heart-work more than anything else; because all else

flow from there—the heart.
46
Perfect worship is achieved when it is not just a matter of the lips.
When your heart, your will, your body, your thoughts, your passions
and desires—the entirety of your life; agrees with the profession of
your lips; that Jesus is Lord and deserving of all glory, all honor, all
power, and absolute obedience, then is your worship perfect.
If there is ever a part of you that is lacking in worship; if your

lips declare, “glory!” and your heart is not in agreement with the
profession of your lips, you are intentionally or unintentionally
robbing the Lord of the absolute adoration that is His.
All of your being must worship harmoniously, or none of your being

worships perfectly.
If you cry and declare, “I love You Lord, I would do anything for
You,” and yet tighten Your fist toward God when it has to do with
your money, that worship is untruthful. That worship is lacking.
That worship is imperfect. And a perfect God demands as perfect
a worship as our human hearts can give.
To worship the Lord is to love Him with all of our heart, all of our
soul, all of our mind, and all of our strength (Mark 12:30). This is
the kind of worship that Adonai is deserving of.
Pause and Pray:

{Spend some time blessing and adoring the Lord with words and
songs of worship.}
21
Reflection:
How would you explain “worship” to someone? What would you
tell them that worship means?
21
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FEB.
22
GIVE NO ROOM
T
he devil is not your friend.
“The thief does not come except to The devil is not your
steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I buddy. He wants to hurt
have come that they may have life, you, steal from you, and
and that they may have it more destroy you. He wants nothing
abundantly.” good for you. His suggestions may
- John 10:10 {NKJV} sound “good” but what you are not
hearing is the poison underneath.
“For the weapons of our warfare are You do not want to gift the devil
anything, especially your mind,
not carnal but mighty in God for
and this is why you need to be at
pulling down strongholds, casting
alert, guarding your gates, wary of
down arguments and every high cracks on your wall; because Satan
thing that exalts itself against the is an opportunist, and he will take
knowledge of God, bringing every whatever he can get.
thought into captivity to the obedience
of Christ…” He came to Eve in the garden, and
- 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 {NKJV} began to play a mind-game on her:
“Has God indeed said, ‘You shall
not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the
serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the
fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said,
‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” Then the
serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows
that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will
be like God, knowing good and evil.” - Genesis 3:1-5 {NKJV}
48
Eve had been with this tree so long and had not once thought it
“good for food,” “pleasant to the eyes,” or “desirable to make one
wise.” But as soon as she lent her attention to the devil, and left
herself unguarded, she started to consider things she did not
consider before. Suddenly, the tree became too attractive to not eat
out of. Suddenly Eve was hungry for a type of “wisdom” she did not
already have. The danger of cracks. The danger of allowing yourself
drown in the thoughts of a temptation without bringing it under
subjection to Christ.
You see, temptations in themselves are not sin—they are merely

suggestions of sin—but they can quickly become sin if we do not
immediately call our thoughts back to order. When the enemy
drops a seed in your heart— wisdom demands that you shut it
down immediately, not fiddle with it in your mind like a toy. This
is what a lot of us do: we turn the temptation over and over in
our minds, imagining what it would feel like to give in to it, until
it becomes a full-blown chokehold that we cannot get out of. But
what you should have done as soon as “seed” came in was to
immediately abort it, and swiftly shift your focus back to God. The
devil will take anything that he can get from you, so make sure that
he gets nothing from you—not your time, not your attention, not
your mind.
Pause and Pray:

Powerful God, strengthen me on the day of adversity to rise against
to the wile of the devil. Help me to be of sound mind, constantly
turning toward You for strength and help.
22
Reflection:
How should you deal with seeds of temptation as a Christian?
22
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FEB.
23
IN REST
I
want to tell you a story.
“For thus says the Lord GOD, the Once upon a time, the
Holy One of Israel: “In returning and children of Israel cried out
rest you shall be saved; in quietness to God, with complaints and
and confidence shall be your strength.” grumblings, about hunger. So
But you would not, and you said, God rent the heavens and rained
“No, for we will flee on horses”— bread on them, with a simple
Therefore you shall flee! And “We will instruction:
ride on swift horses”—Therefore those
who pursue you shall be swift! One “…Let every man gather it
according to each one’s need…
thousand shall flee at the threat of
Let no one leave any of it till
one, at the threat of five you shall flee,
morning.” - Exodus 16:16, 19
till you are left as a pole on top of a NKJV{}
mountain and as a banner on a hill”
- Isaiah 30:15-17 {NKJV} Do you want to take a guess what
Israel did?
“…they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until
morning, and it bred worms and stank...” - Exodus 16:20 {NKJV}
Again, Moses said, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is
a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will
bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves
all that remains, to be kept until morning.’ ” - Exodus 16:23 NKJV
Do you want to take another guess?
50
“…it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh
day to gather, but they found none. And the Lord said to Moses,
“How long do [these people] refuse to keep My commandments and
My laws? See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore
He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man
remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh
day.”” - Exodus 29-16:27 NKJV
Many of us might read this story and wonder, “what exactly is wrong
with these people? Why can’t they just listen one time?” But a lot
of us are more similar to the stubborn Israelites than we realize.
How many times have you sensed the Lord telling you to go one
direction, but because it did not look like it was a ‘good idea’, you
refused to heed? How many times have you shut down the voice of
God because you thought you knew better? How many times have
you tried to force things to happen, when God was telling you to be
still?
Our opening scripture says “in returning and rest you shall be
saved.” Rest does not necessarily mean folding your hands and
doing nothing. Rest means doing the will of God. Whether that
means sitting still for 24 hours or running a marathon, if God said
“do it,” and you obeyed, you are functioning from rest. It is not
about effort, and it is not solely a matter of ‘hard-work’; success is a
matter of following divine instructions. Just do what God told you.
Pause and Pray:

Lord, help me to sit still when You need me to, and help me to move
when you need me to. May I be aligned to Your will every step of
the way.
23
Reflection:
Are you resting right now? (You know what rest means).
23
51
FEB.
24
DWELLERS IN THE
SECRET PLACE
T
his is a psalm that you have
“He who dwells in the secret place of heard and read, time and
the Most High Shall abide under the again. But I would like us
shadow of the Almighty” to consider it a little more
- Psalms 91:1 {NKJV} closely today. Let us attempt to
squeeze all of the juice out of this
juicy verse.
The first part says, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most
High…”
The word “dwells” conveys the idea of living (as in a home), of
settling, of abiding, of staying. You do not dwell at your job, for
example. No matter how long your work hours are, you still have to
come home. Home is where you dwell.
And then it says, “…dwells in the secret place…”
Moses is credited, by the Jewish tradition, to be the author of this

particular psalm, while David compiled it. Moses played a very key
role in the building of God’s tabernacle, and he knew something
about God’s secret place. The tabernacle was divided into three parts:
the Outer Court, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place or Holy
of Holies which housed the Ark of the Covenant symbolizing the
presence of God. The Most Holy Place was sacred—a secret place—
even the priests did not dare approach it lightly or carelessly; for it
housed the very presence of God.
52
So, when the psalmist writes, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
about dwelling in the secret place of the Most High, what he is writing
about is living in the presence of God. He is talking about carrying
the presence everywhere, living conscious of it in all that you do. The
psalmist is saying that the presence of God is not an ‘atmosphere’ to
be visited, but rather a home to dwell in, a consciousness to culture.
God is not seeking visitors. God is not seeking guests. He is seeking
dwellers, the ones who will abide, who will remain, who will stay,
who will carry His presence into their secular lives and be actively
conscious of it. For these ones will:
“…abide under the shadow of the Almighty…”
I want you to try and picture standing in the shadow of a big, great
man, who towers protectively over you. You are guarded, protected
and covered, because you are standing in his shadow. The presence
of his shadow implies his very own presence because your shadow
cannot be where you are not. If the man’s shadow is there, it means
that the man is there. If you are standing under the shadow of the
Almighty, it means that the Almighty Himself is there.
The consequence of this text is: “the man who lives in the presence of
God, abides in the covering of the Almighty.” This covering includes
everything from His wisdom to His protection to His favor to His
provision. He who dwells.
Pause and Pray:

Draw me nearer to Your side, Blessed Lord. Teach me, by Your Holy
Spirit, the art of culturing Your presence.
24
Intercession:
Intercede for those who have been wounded by church hurt and have,
for that reason, decided to have nothing to do with the Church or with
Christ. Pray that God will heal them and draw them to Himself.
24
53
FEB.
25
THROUGH THE VALLEY
S
cripture is littered with
“But now, thus says the Lord, who promise after promise
created you, O Jacob, and He who of God’s presence, and I
formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I think that today is a good
have redeemed you; I have called you day to be reminded of it.
by your name; you are Mine. When
you pass through the waters, I will be We go through one hurdle after
with you; and through the rivers, they another in this chaotic world, and
shall not overflow you. When you it is so easy to be pressed down by
walk through the fire, you shall not the things that our eyes can see,
be burned, nor shall the flame scorch that we forget that there is a God
you.” more real and much bigger than
- Isaiah 43:1-2 {NKJV} the hurdles. There is a God more
present than the skin that covers
“…and lo, I am with you always, your bones.
even to the end of the age.”
- Matthew 28:20 {NKJV} Many of us hang the presence
of God on our feelings and
emotions. For such people,
God’s presence means goosebumps, and that tingly feeling you
sometimes experience in worship. We hang God’s presence on
how well things are going: so, when things are sunny and rosy and
easy, it means that God is there. But when it is the opposite—when
things are bleak and tough—it means that God is absent. How far
from the truth this is! How small-minded it is to think that God can
be confined to only the good and sunny stuff.
54
God, Himself, was present in a boat, and it was covered with the
waves of tempestuous waters, and yet, He was peacefully asleep.
“Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And
suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was
covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came
to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little
faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and
there was a great calm.” - Matthew 8:23-26 {NKJV}
Even if Jesus had said nothing to the winds and the sea, they
would have still completed their journey without a hair on their
head being touched, because God Himself was in the boat. The
storm may not always disappear from sight, but even if you walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, guess what? The Lord
is with you. His Shepherd’s rod and staff will comfort you, and
you will safely come out of the storm without a hair on your head
touched. His presence is a promise, not a feeling. And God keeps
His promises (Deut. 7:9).
Pause and Pray:

My Lord, when I go through storms and walk through fire, let me be
reminded that I am not alone; that there is a Fourth Man with me.
Help me to remember that Your presence is a promise, regardless of
how I feel, or what my eyes can see. God is with me.
25
Reflection:
Have you experienced any moments recently where it felt like God
‘took a leave of absence’ from your life? How did you handle that
situation? Why is it important for you to know that the presence of
God is not just a feeling, but a promise?
25
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FEB.
26
“I, TOO,
AM A PROPHET”
A
young prophet had been
“He said to him, “I too am a prophet sent on an errand by the
as you are, and an angel spoke to me Lord to a king in Bethel, with
by the word of the LORD, saying, a few instructions to guide
‘Bring him back with you to your him through the errand successfully:
house, that he may eat bread and drink he was not to eat or drink anything
water.’” (He was lying to him.) So he when he got there, and he was not
went back with him, and ate bread to return to his home the same way
in his house, and drank water. Now it that he came.
happened, as they sat at the table, that
This young prophet began very
the word of the LORD came to the
well. When he got to Bethel, he
prophet who had brought him back;
cried out against the altar, as God
and he cried out to the man of God
had instructed him to, and his
who came from Judah, saying, “Thus
message was backed with mighty
says the LORD: ‘Because you have
demonstrations and confirmations
disobeyed the word of the LORD,
of God’s word (full story: 1 Kings
and have not kept the commandment
which the LORD your God 13:1-28). Even the king, who was
stiff-necked at first and ordered his
commanded you, but you came back,
arrest—when he saw the mighty
ate bread, and drank water in the
demonstrations that followed the
place of which the LORD said to you,
man of God—entreated him to follow
“Eat no bread and drink no water,”
him home so that he could reward the
your corpse shall not come to the tomb
prophet. But, as God had instructed
of your fathers.’”” him, he answered the king: “If you
- 1 Kings 13:18-22 {NKJV} were to give me half your house, I
would not go in with you; nor would
I eat bread nor drink water in this place…” (1 Kings 13:8). And the
man of God left. But then, something happened, and the story of this
56
man must instruct us about discernment and knowing God.
An older prophet (note: he was also a ‘man of God’), who dwelt in that
same land of Bethel, heard about the exploits of the younger man of
God—and we do not know what his motivation was—but he decided to
go after him. He met the younger prophet sitting under an oak tree and
invited him to his house to eat bread. The younger prophet responded
to this man, “I cannot go home with you because I have been told by
God to not eat bread or drink water in this place.” The older prophet
answered him and said, “I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel
has instructed me to bring you back so that you may eat and drink.”
And so, the younger prophet followed the older prophet home, and
consequently, met his end.
God has given us pastors, teachers, and prophetic voices to guide and
edify us, not to be substitutes for Him, or for intimacy with Him. Not
every one who comes with a message in the name of the Lord is really
from the Lord. But if you have no active relationship with God, it will
be very easy to fall prey to lying, crafty, deceitful voices. We must be
very grounded in God, and deeply rooted in His word, so that we will
not be like weak plants tossed to and fro by every, “thus says the Lord.”
Some of us remember to call pastors and prophets before we remember
to pray. This was not what the Lord had in mind when he instituted
these offices for the church. He did not intend for these offices to stand
as replacements for knowing Him personally. We must test all spirits,
but even this cannot be rightly done if we are not intentional about
intimately knowing and walking with the Lord.
Pause and Pray:

Lord, preserve me from every anti-God voice that may come to speak lies
and deceit to my heart. Please give me the grace to discern what is right
and true, and what is not.
26
Reflection:
Why must you exalt intimacy with God, and walking with God, over
consultations with men in [divine] offices?
26
57
FEB.
27
FOR THE GLORY
T
he apostle Paul was
“All things are lawful for me, but answering the question
not all things are helpful; all things of eating meat offered to
are lawful for me, but not all things idols. Sometimes, meat
that had been offered to pagan idols
edify…Therefore, whether you eat or
was resold in the marketplaces,
drink, or whatever you do, do all to
the glory of God.” and believers would buy them,
not knowing that they had been
- 1 Corinthians 10: 23, 31 {NKJV}
previously given to idols. And so,
it raised the question, “are we
committing sin?” “Is God mad at us?” “Does it affect our salvation?”
Much like the same way a lot of us believers have a lot of questions
about many things and become frustrated when we do not get clear,
express answers in scripture.
“Is listening to secular music a sin?”
“How long does my dress have to be to not be considered a sin?”
“Is drinking alcohol a sin?”
“Can a Christian be an entertainer in the secular industry?”
“Is kissing in a dating relationship a sin?”
Questions upon questions like these are asked by believers every day,
and it is as though we desire to go back to the Old Testament where
we would get a list of Dos and DONTs to help us please God. But I
love how the apostle Paul ties all the intelligent-sounding responses
to this one sentence:
58
“…whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory
of God.”
Listen, when you begin to narrow down all that you think, say, and
do to “God’s glory,” you will find that you live less burdened by sin
and fear, and more full of peace and joy. When the chief thought on
your mind is, “God must get His full glory through my life,” you will
find that you are far less likely to do silly things and walk in error.
You are no longer thinking, “the skirt is not that short, I can manage
it,” but “does the way that I’m dressed please the heart of God?’ You
are not thinking, “it is my money, I can do whatever I want with
it,” but “how can I honor the Lord with this financial favor He has
blessed me with? How can I steward this in a manner that glorifies
my Lord?”
When you begin to live solely for the glory of God alone, you are
less concerned about what people think or say about you. You are
not afraid of looking ‘weird’ or stupid for Jesus before a crowd. It is
easier to know what to do and what to say when the chief thought
and desire of your heart is the glory of God.
So, if you are ever at a place where you have to make a decision
about something, ask the Lord to amplify in your heart the one that
most glorifies Him.
Pause and Pray:

Father, to live for Your glory is what I want. Help me, Lord—in
thought, word and deed—to honor You with the honor that You are
worthy of.
27
Reflection:
Is the glory of God the true and absolute driver of your life? Are
your thoughts, words and deeds testaments to your desire to see God
glorified?
27
59
FEB.
28
FINDING SALAM
T
he question of purpose is
“For everything, absolutely one that has bewildered
everything, above and below, visible mankind for generations
and invisible, rank after rank after and generations. The
rank of angels - everything got top three questions asked by
started in him and finds its purpose mankind are: “Who am I?” “Why
in Him.” am I here?” “Where am I going?”
- Colossians 1:16 {MSG}
Countless and countless
materials have been chunked out
in an attempt to provide answers
to these questions; from books, to podcasts, to courses, etc,. We
have been told that purpose is a thing that you must find for your
life to have meaning, and yes, I agree: purpose is the color of life.
Purpose is what gives meaning to life. It was Dr. Myles Munroe
who said that “when the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse
is inevitable.” It is the same for man. Until man begins to walk in
the very purpose for which he has been made, he is still merely
existing.
I do not believe, however, that purpose is a thing that has to be

found, and as though it were lost. What this idea does is that it
pressures men to look within—at themselves— to find answers
that they have no capacity to provide. The consequence of this
is that years and years are spent on trial and error, and playing
guessing games, until one day, hopefully, you can finally find that
60
thing you were created to do and be.
The invention cannot give answers to the question of why it was
made unless the inventor specifically programmed it to be able
to do so (as in the case of special robots and computers), this is
why every invention comes with a user’s manual written by the
inventor. You could buy a dustpan and use it to eat your food as
though it were a plate, and it would work. But that is not the reason
for which it was made. It was made to collect dirt.
Listen, purpose is not a thing that needs to be found, purpose
flows out of faithfully following and fellowshipping with the Lord.
We read of men like David, Abraham and Moses, and celebrate
them for how well they fulfilled the purposes of God for their lives
in their generations. But none of these men went out trying to find
anything. We always think of purpose in the futuristic sense, like:
“what does God want me to be in five years? In twenty years?” And
we forget that purpose includes here and now. Purpose includes
what God wants you to do now.
Listen, the best way to find out what God’s purpose for your
future is, is to forget about the future and focus on His purpose
for you here and now. As distinctive as seasons are, they are also
connective. The “yeses” you give to the Lord today, will lead to the
future He has purposed for you. So rather than pressuring yourself
over five or fifteen years from now, how about starting from here?
What would the Lord have you do here and now?
Pause and Pray:

Lord, I refuse to live under pressure anymore. Just lead the way
and I will follow You. Give the command and You have my “yes.”
28
Reflection:
What does purpose mean to you?
28
61
Ebele’s Note:
Dear sibling and soldier of Jesus Christ, you have made

it by the mercies of God, to the end of the month of
February. I commend your devotion to your walk with
God this month. You have done well. You have planted
seeds for which you will still be reaping returns in
eternity. Again, well done. As before, I encourage you
to spend today in fasting and mindful prayer, seeking
God’s face about the month of March. As you go about
your day, engage in conscious conversation with the
Holy Spirit, give time to worship, actively ruminate on
the word of God and plant seeds of prophecy into the
month of March. You received words and prophecies at
the beginning of the year, this is a good time to review
them, to check which and which have already begun
to yield visible fruit, to see how you need to align or
realign—as the case may be. Seize and settle the month
of March in the place of prayer. Remember, document
every and anything. The heavens are open.
Some prayer points to pray:

1. Lord, I speak ease by Your Spirit into the month of March. In
every area where I have previously encountered stagnancy
and difficulty, I decree in the Name of Jesus that ease will
62
follow me henceforth. Doors will open to me easily, and lines
will fall unto pleasant places for my sake.
2. I receive divine encounters that will alter the course of my

destiny for the better. I receive encounters that will feed my
faith and embolden me for destiny.
3. I receive wisdom to walk circumspectly. I decree that I do

not walk blindly. I have seeing eyes and hearing ears. The
Spirit of discernment guides me and informs every step that
I take in the Name of Jesus.
4. I decree that in the month of March, the gospel of Jesus

Christ will thrive in my hands. I decree that in the month of
March, opportunities to labor for the Kingdom will open up
to me, and I will wisely take advantage of them.
March was a glorious month for you. Amen.
63
YO U R DA I LY G R O W T H C O M PA N I O N ,
D RAW I N G YO U D EEP ER I N TO T H E H E A RT O F J ES U S .
Please direct all enquiries to: booksbyebelelight@gmail.com

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F E B R U A R Y E D I T I O N

© 2022 by Ebele Light

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

Please send an email, and direct all enquiries to:

There are thousands of devotional materials out there; fantastic

SOME OTHER THINGS TO NOTE:

1. Although this material was created with personal use in

2. It is important that you deliberately set out some time every

3. I would encourage you, if you did not previously have

4. The Reflection/Intercession section was generally intended

5. You are always in my prayers. I love you dearly.

February 1st ------------------The Man God Uses (The Consecrated Man)

Pause and Pray:

No man who is lacking genuine love in his heart can do much

For some people, God is just a means to an end. The Name of

Pause and Pray:

Everything about God speaks of diligence, excellence, discipline,

No work demands our earnest, devoted and energetic labor like

God’s man must be principled and disciplined. He must be willing

Pause and Pray:

Daniel chose courage when he insisted that no decree would

The Apostles chose courage; amidst various distresses, beatings,

Pause and Pray:

Faith is the natural consequence of eyes that are concentrated on

Pause and Pray:

But listen—and I really need you to hear this in your spirit—

God said to Abraham; “I am your exceedingly great reward.” This

Some of us get discouraged because we are doing the best we can

Pause and Pray:

Pause and Pray:

We have brilliant ideas for the different turns and directions we

What this looks like is saying, “Lord, I desire to work at Company X.

Pause and Pray:

Take a look at this parable told by Jesus:

Pause and Pray:

Forgiveness does not mean that it will never hurt anymore.

Pause and Pray:

This lampstand was to serve the functional purpose of supplying

In Philippians 2:16, the Apostle Paul referred to the word of God as

Many Bible scholars agree that the lampstand is a symbolism for

The word of God has not been given to us as a badge to merely

Pause and Pray:

There was a time in my life when I used to be so conscious and

Now, I think it is necessary for me to state here that there is

Pause and Pray:

“Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of

Pause and Pray:

Pause and Pray:

Eat spiritual bread (Bible reading plan):

• Catch up on any chapters you [may] have missed in your Bible

An interesting story is told of an eagle who was raised on a chicken

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you unavoidably

A lot of Christians express frustration with not studying the word of

Pause and Pray:

3. Take advantage of study resources available to you. From

Pause and Pray:

A few other tips:

Pause and Pray:

Pause and Pray:

The Christian is not ‘begging’ to not go to hell; he will not go

The Christian has received the righteousness of Christ. The

Pause and Pray:

Pause and Pray:

In the all-encompassing sense of