SOLEMN WHISPER

SOLEMN WHISPER DEVOTIONAL Friday, 11th September, 2020 KILL NOBODY FOR GOD  (Ezek. 18:23; Deut. 5:17) MEMORY VERSE: '"Do you think, asks the Sovereign Lord, that I like to see wicked people die? Of course not! I only want them to turn from their wicked ways and live.' (Ezekiel 18:23 NLT) If there is anybody any person may wish dead then it is a wicked person – a person whose life is full of violence and crime, who may be a notorious assassin or criminal. That is how man thinks, but God, who doesn't like any act of wickedness though, would rather the wicked turn away from their wicked ways and be changed, and not die. God doesn't want any sinner to die, and not even in their sin.  If the final verdict were left to any natural man, there is nothing good left for the wicked except death. Should God have thought that way, every human being would have died and the world would have been without man, for every sin is nothing but an act of wickedness (Gen 39:9). Stop wishing people dead. Nobody should die for their wickedness but everyone should turn to God and have their lives changed and renewed (2 Cor. 5:17-18).  The world is full of violence and wickedness. There are heartless and ruthless people everywhere with no conscience, but all God wants from these people is repentance. This message of repentance for remision of sin is the hope of the wicked person. By default, condemnation is for man for his sin, but by believing in Jesus the yoke of condemnation is lifted (John 3:18). Finally, God does not want you to kill anybody for Him, and not for any religious belief. If He wants to kill anybody, He can do it by Himself. Ever since He sent His son to save the world, all he wants is for every man to believe in Jesus Christ, the only way to the Father. Therefore, whether on the internet or physically, tell the wicked to come home; the father is calling. No more an outlaw! All they need to get back into the waiting arms of the father is repentance. Let the wicked repent and be converted; accept the gift of grace through Jesus Christ our Lord by believing in Him, and your past is forever gone.  PRAYER: Dear Lord, my words or action shall not kill anybody in Jesus' Name. Amen.  ______ OBE Godson Ezekiel

SOLEMN WHISPER DEVOTIONAL Thursday, 10th September, 2020 BE NOT GUILTY OF ABETTING OTHERS (Matt 19:4-6, Mark 9:42) MEMORY VERSE: And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. (Mark 9:42 KJV) All through Julia's married life, whenever she wants to prepare grilled fish, she cuts the fish into two before putting it in her oven. Her little daughter, being very curious asked, "Mummy why do you always cut the fish into two before putting it in the oven."  "My dear, that's how my mother (your grandmother) does it and that's how I learned it from her", Julia replied.  The following day, Julia's daughter asked  her grandmother the same question. "Grandma! Do you also cut the fish into two before grilling?" Her grandmother looked at her and smirked. "Back in the days, I had a small oven. It can't take the length of a whole fish. So I decided to always cut my fish before grilling". The little girl, in her intuition said, "Mummy has a very big oven that can accommodate a whole fish, yet she stuck to your tradition" To abet means to incite, encourage or stimulate something negative. In the story, Julia had consciously learnt from her mom who was unconsciously teaching her. We should learn from this and understand that the lifestyle we lead doesn't end with us. It's either helping/destroying someone. We, Christians, are the bible the unbelievers read. We are the Christ they see. Our lifestyle is the heavens path they know. Like Julia, whatever they learn from us would stay with them longer than we can imagine. For the sake of Christ, today we are urged to be a Christ-like influence on fellow flocks. The ancient landmark is the word of God; same as the modern landmark. We mustn't shift it. PRAYER: I profess that I shall be a Christlike influence to anyone I come across today and beyond. So help me God. Amen. _______________ Muyiwa Felix

SOLEMN WHISPER DEVOTIONAL Wednesday, 9th August 2020. GOD STILL HATES DIVORCE (Mal. 2:16-17; Matt. 19:6) MEMORY VERSE: "For the Lord God of Israel says that He hates divorce, for it covers one’s garment with violence,’ says the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 2:16 NKJV) Have you ever tried to separate pieces of paper that were glued together?  If you finally succeed, the division would be an unpleasant sight. This is more or less the picture that divorce paints. Divorce in the Scripture is permitted only because of man’s sin, it is a concession to man’s sin and is not part of God’s original plan for marriage, all believers should hate divorce as God does. With God’s help a marriage can survive the worst sins. Divorce has an impact in our world that’s rarely rivaled. Whether you’ve personally been through a divorce, were the child of divorced parents, or have a close friend or relative that’s divorced, the ripple effects of divorce have touched most, if not all, of us. So what do we do with a verse like this that tells us God hates divorce? Is it to be a word of condemnation to those who’ve crossed this threshold? Do we use it to single out divorced men and women as being on a special sinner’s list in heaven? Sadly, that’s all happened in the past. But this perspective misses the greater point that God is making about divorce. Let’s be clear, God does hate divorce, as He hates other things (Proverbs 6:16–19). But we need to understand why, and the reason is revealed as God’s Word tells us that divorce causes one’s garment to be covered with violence. In other words, divorce is a violent act. We may not immediately think of it that way. In fact, many of us probably witnessed a divorce where both parties parted ways amicably. But make no mistake, divorce is violent because it separates what God has joined, and He hates that (Matthew 19:6). There should be no reason, to want to divide what God has unified, especially when it comes to the institution of marriage, because it’s the one earthly relationship where God declares the two are now one in His sight, so much so that He considers it an act of adultery for a spouse to divorce without biblical grounds and move on to another mate: “Whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery” (Matthew 5:32 NKJV). Again, divorce tears at the fabric of God’s will, which is why He warns Israel (and us) against it in Malachi and Matthew. His objective is not to utterly condemn those who have divorced—there’s forgiveness and grace for all who’ve deviated from God’s will, including those who may have divorced without biblical grounds to do so. God’s objective is to remind us of His heart for marriage, how far-removed divorce is from it, and to love what He loves and hate what He hates PRAYER: Lord, we open our hearts, to understand your perspective on every matter pertaining to marriage and we follow you meticulously. I'm Jesus Name, Amen _____________________ Bassey Edoho

SOLEMN WHISPER DEVOTIONAL Saturday, 5th September, 2020 CHARACTERISTICS OF  SUBMISSION (Gen. 22:6-9, Luke 1:38) MEMORY VERSE: "And Mary said, Behold,  the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word..."(Luke 1:38 KJV) In our previous devotional, it has been established that submission is the act of yielding or giving way to something. As children of God, submission involves focusing on God while shutting ourselves out of other ungodly alternatives. For us to be effectively submissive, we must portray and have certain characteristics in our lives, these include: - Trust - Obedience and - Surrendering With these three, we can build strong convictions in us as followers of Jesus Christ. Trust is putting all our hopes in God,  believing without having any alternatives, fear,  doubts or worries that everything is and will be alright no matter what is happening presently. We can all bring ourselves to the point where we trust Him fully. Look back at the Bible stories and recall people who trusted God, see the pattern of how God is incapable of disappointments. The three Babylonians - shedrach, message and abednego - Daniel in the lion's den, to mention but a few. Secondly, Obedience is humbly following a command without questions, and our opening scripture has Abraham in full obedience to God's instructions without questioning, murmuring or complaining. We have to come to a point where we push aside murmuring and complaining whenever we receive an instruction from God and learn to follow headlong. Finally, For submission to be effective, we need to surrender our entire being to Him who formed us, because  He knows what is best for us. Our memory verse portrays Virgin Mary surrendering fully to God's will and allowing God to have His way. We often sing "Have your way o Lord" while we continue to sort ways to fix things on our own. Today the Holy Spirit is calling us to submit to God effectively by trusting, obeying and surrendering. Prayer: Dear Lord,  help me to trust,  obey and surrender to your will in Jesus name Amen ------------------------------- Peace Harrison

SOLEMN WHISPER DEVOTIONAL Friday, 4th September, 2020 HUMILITY, THE WATCH WORD (1 Peter 5:5; Phi. 2:3-8) MEMORY VERSE: “And you who are younger must follow your leaders. But all of you, leaders and followers alike, are to be down to earth with each other, for God has had it with the proud, but takes delight in just plain people.” (1 Peter 5:5- MSG). Humility is the disposition of your heart, that doesn't forget where you are coming from but acknowledges where you are today, it accepts the need for improvements and still knows that you are not the only one on that journey. Humility will not permit you to notice your importance at the expense of others, because you will continually see yourself as only an effective member of the body of Christ. The devil, who was Lucifer, was not always the devil; he never planned to become the devil at first, but he became who he is today because he lost the virtue of humility. 1 Peter 5:5 tells us of how God takes the responsibility upon Himself to resist the proud. Meaning that a proud person does not just have the devil to contend with – God will also be a wall of resistance against such a person. Come to think of it, if God (in the person of our Lord Jesus) was humble enough to be a man – suffered and died the death of a criminal – what excuse do you think you will have to be proud? In the kingdom of God, the greatest are the most humble. Jesus said in Matt 23:11 that  he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. Humility is not only beneficial to the people under you, it is even more beneficial to you at a higher position. Because it will determine which direction your next move will be, up or down. PRAYER: Father, I thank you for your word to me. I ask that you open my eyes, that I may see myself through the lens of your eyes and not through the eyes of pride in Jesus' Name. Amen. _______________ By Imoko Lubem

SOLEMN WHISPER DEVOTIONAL Wednesday, 2nd September, 2020 REQUIREMENTS FOR SUBMISSION (Heb 5:8, Phil 2:3-8) MEMORY VERSE: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:8 KJV) A newborn in the hands of the midwife cries innocently. At that moment, the baby doesn't choose who carries him/her as long as he/she is properly handled. A few times, some of us might have had the experience of trying to teach a little child (say age 6-10) something different from what was taught in school? S/he will boldly tell you "that's not what my teacher taught me". Even if his teacher was wrong, his/her sense of submission is dedicated to the teacher's authority. With no intention to compare our lord Jesus Christ to a this little child, the events in Matthew chapter 4 are similar. Jesus, who had submitted his will to His Father, held his ground against Satan when he tried to change His stance. Submission is the act of yielding or giving way to something. As children of God, submission involves focusing  on God while shutting ourselves out of other ungodly alternatives. It is made of elements of trust, obedience and surrender. It is these elements that develop into strong convictions in us. Jesus, throughout His ministry, never really did anything of his own accord. He often asked the father to glorify himself through the son. Jesus trusted, obeyed and surrendered his life.  We also are called to follow in the footsteps of Jesus; to present out body as a living sacrifice worthy and acceptable for the will of God. Like the newborn baby in the hands of an experienced midwife, God knows exactly how to handle us if only we will stay in submission to His will.  Prayer: Lord, help me to trust, obey and surrender to your will so that deeper conviction of You may be birthed in me. In Jesus name we pray.  Amen. ............................................. Muyiwa Felix

SOLEMN WHISPER DEVOTIONAL Tuesday, 1st September, 2020. SUBMISSION TO GOD'S WILL ( Ps 40:8, Matt 26:42) MEMORY VERSE: "I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.” (Psalms 40:8 AMP)" We learnt yesterday that submission is not always convenient, especially when one has his own will or desires. Also submission is a deliberate act and must be cultivated consciously and intentionally through the power of the Holy Spirit. To submit to God is still to give up your will, desire, proposition and yield to His will. This entails trusting in God; "Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart And do not rely on your own insight or understanding." (Proverbs 3:5 AMP) Submission goes beyond obedience. The statement of submission at all times will be "your will is my command" or better still, "you're right I'm wrong". In submission to God's will, your will becomes secondary and God's primary. Submitting to God Is not bargaining with God. Jesus, our great example, said in Matthew 26:42, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” Even when it was unfavorable, He still took the cup; He submitted. Submission to God's will is having faith in God. His plans are never to hurt us, even when it seems crude; we must have faith (Jeremiah 29:11). We must believe God has an exceedingly greater and better end for us.  Finally, in submitting to God, your brain does not play the role. You think differently from God, except He aligns your thought with His. Isaiah 55:8 makes that clear. You can never fathom out all of His thoughts and plans, and that's why submission is the only way to follow Jesus without reservations. At times, it may make no sense to us to only follow the leader (Christ) but just know that yours is to submit.  PRAYER: Help me get rid of my pride so that I may bring myself in subjection to your will at all times. Amen. __________ Mokelu Rinnah.

SOLEMN WHISPER DEVOTIONAL Friday, 28th August, 2020 TRUE EMPTINESS - THE ABSENCE OF GOD (Jdg. 16:20; Jhn. 15:5) MEMORY VERSE: "...For apart from me you can do nothing" (Jhn. 15:5c). In creation, God brought forth fish by speaking to water and grass by speaking to earth (soil). But when it was time to make man, He spoke to himself, "let us make man in our image..." (Gen. 1:26). So, while fish has its root in water, and grass in earth (soil), man's root is in God. He, therefore, becomes empty when disconnected from God as fish dies when removed from water, and grasses wither when uprooted from the earth. Samson had a Nazarite consecration from birth with 7 locks on his head symbolic of his connection with God as long as no razor touched them (Jdg. 16:17). Until the day the symbol of connection was shaved off his head on the laps of Delilah, he was full of incredible strength from God. He then became void of his divine endowment and as any other man, weak, because the Lord had departed from him. A group of students was asked to peep into a tank and describe what they saw. All described the tank as being empty except one who noted that the tank was rather full of air (though invisible). This explains how emptiness could also be described as, being full of nothing (vanity). And so, one might be full of vigour, fame, wealth, and diverse abilities, if God is not a part of one's life, he is as empty as the tank; full of vanity. King Solomon, after he had tasted pleasure, wine, greatness and fame, confessed thus: "vanity of vanities...all is vanity" (Ecc. 12:8). And that the whole duty of man is to fear God and obey His commands (Ecc. 12:13) as nothing in life gives true satisfaction than seeking after Him. We are God's children and as branches hold tightly to the vine, we must remain uncompromisingly fixed in Christ and He in us. Until then, we remain empty, unfulfilled and fruitless; for without him, we can do absolutely nothing. PRAYER: Dear Father, fill me up till I overflow. I submit all areas of my life to you; I leave no room for vanity. --------------------------------------- Fabiyi, Sunday Oluwaseun

SOLEMN WHISPER DEVOTIONAL Thursday, 27th August, 2020 DO IT FOR GOD'S GLORY (John 15:8; Mat 5:16) MEMORY VERSE:"In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." (St. Matthew 5:16 -  KJV) Just like it was stated in the previous devotional, "We are 'wasting' the Holy Ghost in us, if all we do after the empowerment we got, is to sit down and do nothing." We have been empowered to do something great. Like Jesus who was anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went about doing good (Acts 10:38), we have been anointed too. Every man has a measure of God's  deposit in him. And the purpose of God's investment in  a man's life, be it a talent or a gift or even his anointing, it is to bring glory to His name. Anything contrary to this will bring the man to the point of dryness. You should always acknowledge your source. John 15:4 says, "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me." Hence, you should always remember that your being productive is highly dependent on your connection with Jesus - The Vine.  The depth of your relationship with God will help you reflect him well. Knowing that God is not a hard man or a man who reaps where he did not sow, (like the servant who was given one talent in Matt 25:24 had thought), He will enable us not to bury what he has deposited in us. So "Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all." (Matt 5:13). Withholding that light can also make you fall into a ditch since you can't see well too. Finally, our lives should point people to Christ in every dimension. If they see you, you quickly  point them to Jesus, the one who has made those things evident in your life. This will make them give glory back to God. PRAYER: Father, help me to acknowledge you in all things. Let my life point people to You and bring glory to You in Jesus' name. Amen. _______ OBE Vivian Chinonyelum

SOLEMN WHISPER DEVOTIONAL Tuesday, 25th August, 2020. HOW GOD ANOINTED JESUS OF NAZARETH ( Matt 28:27, Acts 10:38) MEMORY VERSE: ".....God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power. (Acts 10:38a.  KJV). Although the question in Matthew 8:27, 'The men in the boat were amazed and said, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him.”' might have been rhetorical, the Memory Verse answers it. Jesus of Nazareth as fondly called had three things that made his ministry not just successful but also distinguished him from all other men.  1• The Holy Spirit 2• Great Power 3• God's Presence. Yes, Jesus was man but no ordinary man; He was the word made flesh to bring salvation to men. He was sure about His anointing, and He never failed to exercise His power rightly in all things. Whenever any other power tried to exalt it's self above God, whether via sickness, possession, etc Jesus showed his far greater. So it is with us: God has given us the Holy Spirit and power to do all things, especially that assignment He has committed to you.  the anointing makes the assignment easier. Also, the anointing is not for competition but for God's work. You may not be able to do what someone else can, but you surely can do what you are anointed for. Come to terms with this and avoid unnecessary strife, envy and jealousy.  The anointing abides within. People make the mistake of going to look for it somewhere, when it's right within them. The anointing teaches all things, yes even what we term secular skills, business and more.  Learn to stir up the anointing that is already within you. You stir it up by praying in the Holy Ghost, meditating on the Word of God to get correct understanding of it, having divine fellowship with God and other believers, worshiping God in spirit and truth; and by doing the will of God. PRAYER: May I exercise the anointing in me. Amen. ___________ Mokelu Rinnah