God’s Oracle Devotionals

Date: Saturday, 16^th September, 2023

Text: Luke 7:36-50

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

Proskuneo is the original Greek word for worship. It is mentioned 59 times in the New Testament and it means to bow down to the ground before someone and kiss the feet, the hem of his garment, or ground in front of him.

This was vividly demonstrated by Mary Magdalene who was delivered of seven demons (Luke 8:2). Having lived a sinful life, she learned that Jesus was eating at at a Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. At the end of the day, her sins were forgiven and she followed Christ till the very end. Luke 7:36-50.

Worship is meant for God and His Christ alone. Saint or angel worship is forbidden by the word of God. It is a sin to worship Mary or venerate her image. Apostle Peter rejected it when Cornelius and his family tried to worship him at Caesarea. Acts 10:23-26

In Lystra, after the healing of a man born lame by Barnabas and Paul, they found themselves being elevated to the position of the gods and were about to be given sacrifices or worship as gods, they tore their clothes and vigorously protested and restrained the people. Acts 14: 8-15

When Apostle John erroneously wanted to worship an angel of God he was restrained and commanded by the angel to “Worship God” as it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” Luke 4:8

Herod the king accepted the praise of men; he did not give praise to God, and an angel of the Lord struck him down. He was eaten by worms and died. Acts 12:19-23

Reflective Nugget: Worship is meant for God and His Christ alone. Saint or angel worship is forbidden by the word of God.

Date: Friday, 15^th September, 2023

Text: 2 Kings 17:24-28

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

There was a terribly mad man who lived in the tombs. No one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain because he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him.Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of Him in worship. At the end of the day, he recovered from his incurable madness. Mark 5:1-13

Madness and other forms of sickness disappear in an atmosphere of worship. King Saul’s raving insanity vanished away any time David worshipped God on his instruments. 1 Samuel 16:14-23.

According to today’s text, when some strangers initially took over the capital city of Samaria and lived in its towns they did not worship the Lord; so he sent lions among them and they killed some of the people. The situation continued until they learnt God’s ways. 2 Kings 17:24-28.

Most people are victims of avoidable calamities because they have refused to surrender in worship to their Maker and Saviour.

When you dedicate quality time to the worship of God, He has promised to bless your food and water; and to take sickness away from you. Exodus 23:25

Reflective Nugget: Your mountains will disappear in the atmosphere of God’s worship.

Date: Thursday, 14^th September, 2023

Text: Hebrews 13:15-16

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

The English word “worship” comes from the old English worth ship. That is, worship is showing, displaying the worth of God. True worship is done out of faith and admiration for God. It is the acknowledgment of God and all His power and glory in everything we do.

Hebrews 13:15-16 says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

To worship is to know God truly and demonstrate that knowledge by valuing, treasuring, enjoying and being satisfied with God above all earthly things. This satisfaction overflows in acts of praise from the lips and acts of love and service to humanity for the sake of Christ.

In John 4:24, Jesus tells us that true worshipers will worship God in spirit and in truth. Spend quality time praising God in the beauty of holiness. Call God by His beautiful names. Read and study His Word with an open heart, participate in communion, and serve humanity by evangelizing them and helping as much as possible.

Obedience to God shows our reverence for Him and His word; and thus is the highest form of praise and worship.

Action Nugget: Spend quality time worshiping God in the beauty of His majesty; make it a daily habit.

Date: Wednesday, 13^th September, 2023

Text: James 1:19-20

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

Fire is good under controlled circumstances, so is anger. Yesterday, we saw the good side of it. Just as destructive as uncontrolled fire can be so is anger.

When we offend God, He gets angry. However, Psalm 103:8 says, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.” He is not quick to vent His anger because of his grace and mercy.

As long as we are on Earth offenses will come. It is a wise thing, then to heed God’s word which says, ^“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” James 1:19-20.

Uncontrolled anger or unrighteous anger can be violent and destructive. Many great relationships have been ruined because of it.

One way to control it is by surrendering your life to Christ and relying on the Holy Spirit and by being slow to speak or react during times of anger. Take a deep breath and think of the consequences of your actions before you act. If possible, just walk away from that environment or simply stay quiet. Learn to overlook offenses and leave vengeance to God.

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. Proverbs 16:32

Anger subsides and those who are given to uncontrolled anger often regret their actions.  Allow the Holy Spirit to rule your emotions and you will discover that you will be the one controlling anger and not the other way round.

Action Nugget: Surrender your emotions to the control of the Holy Spirit.

Date: Tuesday, 12^th September, 2023

Text: Mark 3:1-5

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

When things don’t go the way one plans, he could easily get angry. Stress, family problems, financial issues and other factors can trigger anger, if care is not taken.

There are two kinds of anger, righteous and unrighteous anger.

The Bible says, ‘“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath’. Ephesians 4:26. It is possible to be angry and not sin, if you allow the Holy Spirit to control your emotions.

Righteous anger, is anger that is primarily motivated by a perception of injustice or other profound moral or spiritual lapse. It is distinguished from anger that is prompted by something more personal, like an insult. It is a settled conviction of God’s holiness that burns in our hearts against all manner of evil, hating what God hates, loving what He loves. It is a selfless anger that is tempered by wisdom and reason.

At some point Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Then Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.” Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.

He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Mark 3:1-5

Christ’s anger was selfless, prompted by the zeal for the sick man’s healing. Receive the grace to honour God with your emotions in Jesus name.

Prayer Nugget: Father, please help me to be selfless and honour you with my emotions in Jesus name.

Date: Monday, 11^th September, 2023

Text: Genesis 5: 19-32

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

Enoch is a masculine name of Hebrew origin, meaning “dedicated,” “trained,” and “disciplined.” He was the son of Jared, the father of Methuselah, and the great-grandfather of Noah. Genesis 5:19-32

To be dedicated is to be devoted to a task or purpose. It is to believe that an idea or activity is important and to give a lot of energy and time to it. Enoch gave quality time to know and to walk with his God. He was loyal and faithful to the Lord till the very end.

Discipline is the quality of being able to behave and work in a controlled way which involves obeying particular rules or standards. Self control is one of the fruit of the Spirit. It takes discipline to do God’s will and to do it consistently.

Moreover, a trained person is someone who has been taught a particular skill or type of behaviour through practice and instruction over a period of time. Hebrews5:14 talks about the need for constant training necessary to distinguish good from evil. Training requires discipline, endurance and determination.

Jesus Christ invited and trained twelve unschooled men in hominess and the art of fishing for the souls of men. Those who were successfully trained were called disciples. And He has commanded us to make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them to observe all of Christ’s teachings. Matthew 28:18-20

God’s dealings, His ways and mode of operation are completely different from those of a man. Enoch surrendered himself to the rigour of spiritual training in the ways of God.

The Almighty is in search of boys and girls; men and women who are dedicated, disciplined and trained. Those are the people who can please Him.

Prayer Nugget: Father, just like Enoch, I surrender myself to be dedicated to you, trained in your ways and disciplined in Jesus name.

Date: Sunday, 10^th September, 2023

Text: John 15:14-15

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

Enoch walked faithfully with God for 300 years and it was so much of an enjoyable experience that God took him alive. He was the first person that did not taste death. He was translated to Heaven alive. Genesis 5:21-24

The Writer of Hebrews threw more light into the life of Enoch, thus: “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.’ Hebrews 11:5

He was a man full of faith who preached against all forms of unrighteousness and prophesied concerning the second coming of Jesus Christ, saying, “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” Jude 14-15

His message throws more light into his personality. As a friend of God he spoke the mind of God to his generation. Our Lord Jesus Christ said, “You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:15

A man that refuses to walk with God will have the enemy of his soul as a ‘friend’.

Prophetic Nugget: Receive grace to walk with God in Jesus name.

Date: Saturday, 9^th September, 2023

Text: Micah 6:8

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

One of the keys to nurturing a relationship is communication. When two friends enjoy a walk together down a road, they are in close proximity and talk as they go, they listen to each other, rub minds and share secrets. When you love to be around someone, it shows you are in agreement. You respect each other’s do’s and don’ts. Walking with God is like that. When we enter into an intimate heart relationship with God through faith in His Son, He becomes our heart’s greatest desire.

When you walk with God He becomes your greatest Ally fighting your battles for you and ensuring victory all the way.

Walking with God is actually a primary duty of Man, and it should be done with humility. Micah 6:8 says, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

There are certain things that can strain a relationship. It is wise to identify and eliminate them. Ensure that “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31.

If you walk with a chain smoker for quite a while, even if you don’t smoke, your clothes will smell of it. When the Sanhedrin saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13.

Similarly, when you spend quality time with God, His glory, honour and blessings rub on you. God’s ways are reflected in our thoughts, our actions, our motivations, and our life choices because we spend so much time with Him.

Prayer Nugget: Father, I ask for the grace to consistently walk with you in Jesus name.

Date: Friday, 8^th September, 2023

Text: Acts 5:1-11

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

If you have gone far in a wrong direction the best thing to do is to make a U-turn and proceed into the right path. It is better late than never. Similarly, if you have sown an evil seed and now you have realized the danger of a more evil harvest, what should you do? The simple answer is to uproot the evil seed and by so doing avert an evil harvest.

Secret sins are plain before the all-seeing eyes of God. In order to put the devil to shame, it is important to expose the hidden works of darkness (Ephesians 5:11). You can undo what you have done if it has the potential of an evil harvest.

In today’s text, a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, and kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter asked, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?”  He lost his life being struck down by the Holy Spirit.

Three hours later, his wife came into the church. She was also asked to mention the amount at which their land was sold. She could have uprooted the seed sown by her husband by simply confessing the truth and thus averting the evil harvest of untimely death. Unfortunately, she also lied in conspiracy with her husband and she received a death sentence. Acts 5:1-11

Receive the grace to uproot every evil seed sown in Jesus name.

Prayer Nugget: I receive the grace to uproot all evil seeds I have sown in Jesus name.

Date: Thursday, 7^th September, 2023

Text: Matthew 12:43-45

Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan

Exhortation:

The story was told of a man who had one arm paralyzed and sought divine healing. He was preached to and asked to give his life to Christ and he did. He was prayed for and he got healed. He attended the church for a while and stopped coming. The church visited him to ask after his welfare and find out why he has stopped coming. In response he asked why he should keep attending a hospital after he has been healed. He did not realize that Jesus healed him based on relationship. He erroneously equated a hospital with a church where God heals based on relationship and freely without cost.

Sometimes later they found the same man terribly sick. His condition was worse. This time not only one arm was paralyzed but his two arms and his neck were stiff. He could hardly move his entire body.

After Christ healed the man that was bedridden for 38 years he said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” John 5:14

In Matthew 12:43-45, Jesus explained, “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”

It is one thing to receive blessings from God and it is another thing to maintain them. It is only by the continual presence of God that blessings and miracles can be maintained.

Accept the love of God and continue in this love. Your relationship with God matters to Him than just receiving blessings from Him.

Prayer Nugget: Father, please, help my determination to remain in your love in Jesus name.