THE DEFAULT STATUS OF A CHILD OF GOD

Hello friends! Happy new day. I specially thank God for the miracle of sleeping and waking up and am sure you are rejoicing in this new day the Lord has made and granted us the privilege to be a part of.
Our Bible reading for today is from Deuteronomy 15:1-end and our memory verse is from Deuteronomy 15:4 "But there will be no poor among you, for the Lord will surely bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance to possess."
In a group of five children, you have the son of Dangote, the son of Sanusi, the son of Ngozi okonjo-Iweala, the son of a medical doctor and the son of a driver, it is obvious that without being told you will identify the son of the wealthy people, may be through their flamboyance or their attitude to material things or their discussion of adventures. Just like it is easy to identify the children of the wealthy people in the group, it should be easy for a child of God to be identified in the crowd.
A child of God is to at all times known for the following;

1. Faithful to God and have no other god beside God.
2. Be respectful to your parents, all and sundry.
3. Do not steal or covet what does not belong to you, be it property or human.
4. Do not lie or bear false witness.

Our memory verse clearly states that there will be no poor among you and the next verse instructed that for us as children of God to qualify in being rich we must obey all that the Lord commands us to do. Little wonder Joshua said in Joshua 1:8 "This book of law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." Simple and straight to the point! So you see friends, by all standards the default status of a child of God is 'BLESSED', but to be blessed indeed is dependent on the following according to Joshua;

1. Knowledge of the word of God which is the law
2. Meditate on the law day and night
3. Obey the law

The Bible says that the word of God is a light unto our path, therefore the knowledge of the word of God brings light into our life and the light shines that darkness cannot comprehend it.Meditating on the law day and night means internalizing and enshrining the law in our heart, when there is an internalization of a knowledge it gets into our subconscious and takes the automated position, at this this point we don't need to think too deep to get the knowledge function when it is needed. This is what happens when we internalize the word of God which is the law. It becomes a part of us and obeying it becomes very easy.
Finally, we must know that life is governed by principle and not miracle, so if God's standard states that we become rich by obeying His command, then when we disobey His command we should not expect to be rich.
Till I come your way again, remain blessed.

TITHING

Good morning beloved, hope your night was well spent? Well, it's a brand new day of the Lord and we must rejoice and be glad in it.
The message for today is a sensitive one but I am going to be treating it according to Biblical directive. Our Bible reading today is from Deuteronomy 14:1-end and our memory verse is from Deuteronomy 14:28-29 "At the end of every three years you shall bring forth all the tithe of your produce in the same year, and lay it up within your towns; and the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns shall come and eat and be filled; that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do." Wonderful God!
Honestly, I will not say this is the first time I am seeing this but this is the first time I will be breaking it down through the guiding of the Holy Spirit. Let's look at the entire Deuteronomy chapter 14, like I said earlier the book of Deuteronomy is the book of recollection, reiteration and command for the next level in the life of the children of Israel, it has also become same for me and if you believe you're moving to your next level it will be same to you. In the beginning of the chapter, God through Moses instructed the children of Israel on how to keep themselves even while mourning, what animals to eat and what animals they must not eat. He went on to also instruct them on the state of the food they will eat e.g they must not eat anything that dies of itself. They must not boil a kid in the mother's milk.
The next interesting instruction in the chapter is the instruction on tithing. It started from verse 22 of the chapter saying;

1. You shall tithe all the yield of your seed which comes forth from the field year by year. 
2. This you must do before the Lord your God in a place He shall choose. 
3. You shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, of your oil and the firstlings of your herd and flock; that you may learn to fear the Lord your God. 
4. If the way to the place God has chosen is too far, you shall convert your produce to money and go to a place God chooses and spend the money for whatever you desire, you shall eat there before the Lord your God, you and your household.
5. In tithing you shall not forsake the Levite who is within your town for he has no portion of land or inheritance. 
6. At the end of every three years you shall bring forth all the tithe of your produce in the same year and store them within your town. This will be for the Levite, the sojourner, the orphans, the widow and the needy. 

What is tithe? Tithe is the one tenth of a man's income.
What is tithing? Tithing is the act of offering your tithe unto the Lord.
Our God is a God of procedure, a principled God, a God that pays great attention to details. Tithe and tithing was first mentioned in the book Deuteronomy where we read today, unfortunately whenever tithe is mentioned in church these days the Bible verse mentioned is Malachi 3:10.
Looking at the instructions given regarding tithes and tithing you will see the reason why Pastors refuse to make references to the book of Deuteronomy when tithe is mentioned. I have carefully written down these instructions and you will see where Malachi 3:10 became relevant.
The children of Israel having been instructed to always bring their tithes in a storehouse within their towns every three years were reneging and the Lord through prophet Malachi reminded them that He do not change, that they should return to Him and He will return to them, they should not rob Him through their tithes and offerings and they should bring their full tithes into the storehouse that there may be food in the Lord's house and they will see Him bless them and rebuke the devourer for their sake.
Now who is the food in the Lord's house meant for? Your answer is found in Deuteronomy 14:29. So do not mix it up, tithing is an important responsibility every child of God must fulfil and the best way to do that is according to the word of God.
Till I come your way again, remain blessed.

SHINING IN THE GLORY OF GOD

I bring you all greetings from my father in the Lord Pastor Samuel Oguche as I share with you this morning the message in church today.
Our Bible reading for today is from Isaiah 60:1-2 and our memory verse is from Isaiah 60:1 "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you."
What does it mean to shine? It means you're not having anything covering you from being seen.  To shine means that you can easily be spotted in the multitude. To shine means an outstanding fellow in the midst of others. NB; outstanding could be positive or negative, in this context we mean the positive kind of outstanding.  To shine means to be defiled.  To shine is to exhibit brilliance in intellectual power. To shine has to do with the way someone appear Ezekiel 43:2, it is our duty to shine in the glory of God.
What do we need to shine in the glory of God? Ezekiel 43:7-10. God has created us in His glory and therefore we designed to shine. There is the good kind of shining and the bad kind. We are not clamouring for the shining of the wicked rather the Godly kind of shining. Every shining needs a light, thus no Christian can shine without the light of God, the light of God is the word of God and the word of God is Jesus.
To shine in the glory of God is a matter of choice. When we are shining in the glory of God, personal ego will have to die. Shining in the glory of God removes the trouble of how am I going to do it.
How can one miss shining in the glory of God? The only way to miss shining in the glory of God is when one is living outside the word and will of God.

Till I come your way again, remain blessed. 

CIRCUMCISION OF THE HEART

Good day people of God. I believe you all are enjoying the day, its a beautiful day the Lord has made and we continue to rejoice and be glad in it.
Our Bible reading for today is from Deuteronomy 10:1-end and our memory verse is from Deuteronomy 10:16 "So circumcise the foreskin of your hearts, be no longer stubborn and hardened."
The message today is a combination of science and spirituality and i know a lot of people will ask me how? One thing that we must understand is that the spiritual controls the physical. In our reading of Deuteronomy 10, Moses continued with reminding the children of Israel of their misconduct and reiterating the fact that their salvation lies in their obedience to the commandment of God. The interesting part of Moses's instruction to the Israelites is in Deuteronomy 10:16, 'Circumcise the foreskin of your heart. To understand the magnitude of the instruction in this verse we need to clearly define these two key words; foreskin and circumcise.
What is foreskin? It is a fold of skin that covers a particular part of the body while circumcision is a surgical procedure that removes part of or all the foreskin. Thus circumcision of the heart implies removing everything that poses as a foreskin to the heart. The things that poses as foreskin to the heart could be stubbornness, human logic, envy, immorality etc. The word of God is saying that for one to occupy and enjoy the good of the promised then the circumcision of the heart must take place. This circumcision can only effectively take place with the help of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that will through the word of God teach you the right attitude, the right approach, the right utterance, the right feeling, the right prayer to pray and believe you me, when you learn and apply these teachings of the Holy Spirit you will discover the difference and the feeling is always great.
Today, i have a doctor who is a specialist in heart circumcision, he is non other than the Holy Spirit of God. In life, we are faced with different situations and because God gave man the power to choose between good and bad, we tend to use the human understanding to analyze issues, sometimes we get it right other times we get it wrong but there is one person who can never be wrong, He is the one who sees the end from the beginning and anyone that trust in Him will never perish. The only sure way to trust God is by circumcising the foreskin of our heart, removing those things that hinder us from hearing from God, those things that hinder us from seeing things thru the eyes of God those things that challenge our obedience to the command of God. For us to occupy our promised land and enjoy it God must come first in everything we do.

Sadly, it took me two days plus to understand and communicate this message. I therefore ask you my lovely readers to always put me in your prayers.
Till i come your way again, remain blessed. 

GOD'S SET TIME

Good day people of God. I trust your day is going fine, on my own end, I see God's love all around me. You know this our God is a wonderful God, He truly blesses those who diligently seek him and I pray for you today that God will give you the grace to diligently seek Him and obtain His blessings.
Today's message is so interesting and to be honest, i finished reading my Bible in the morning and has been pondering on the wonder and i tell you what, i am overwhelmed at this God.
Our Bible reading today is from Deuteronomy 9:1-end and our memory verse is from Deuteronomy 9: 1"Listen O Israel! Today you are about to cross the Jordan River to take over the land belonging to nations much greater and more powerful than you. They live in cities with walls that reach to the sky." Hallelujah! I will always call the book of Deuteronomy the book of recollection.
In our passage today, Moses told the children of Israel that the day has finally come when they will cross River Jordan to go into their promised land and dispossess the inhabitants of the land. The inhabitants we were meant to understand are greater than them in number and more powerful than they are going by human understanding and calculation. Moses went on to tell them that if it is by their righteousness they do no merit to possess that land but that God will go ahead of them to destroy the people and bring them down before the Israelites. This He will do in fulfilling the covenant He has with their ancestors and secondly because the people are wicked.
God's set time do not consider your qualification or strength. When it is God's set time to bless you He puts together all that is needed to make your blessing get to you. Sometimes the thing that was designed to stop you becomes an instrument for your elevation. We saw that in the story of David and Goliath, the sword Goliath had to use in cutting David into pieces became the sword David used in cutting off Goliath's head. The story of Mordecai is another example, the galoon  Haman arranged for the execution of Mordecai became the galoon used in wiping away the enemies of Mordecai, Haman and his household.
We serve a God that blesses beyond human comprehension. He does not require you to be qualified before He blesses you, all that matters to Him is the set time. For when the set time has come for God to bless you, He breaks all protocol and installs you in your place of glory.
I don't know how long you have been waiting on God for His blessings, Sarah waited for God even when it was past her biological clock to conceive and bear a child, God came true to His word, Sarah had Isaac. Your divine set time will come, yes it may be too late going by your calculation but my dear know it for sure that God is never late, and He comes late when He wants to come big.
I join my faith with yours to say that it is well.
Till I come your way again, remain blessed. 

CONNECTING TO DIVINE FAVOR

Good morning people of God, it's a wonderful day the Lord has made and we will continue to rejoice and be glad in it. I have been pretty busy with some serious kingdom assignment and by the grace of God it all ended in praise. I thank God for the privilege to work in His vineyard.
As always on this platform today I bring you the sermon in my church service for Sunday 10th February, 2019. It is coming a bit late but I pray the Lord bless you richly as you come in contact with the message.
Favor opens door, favor can catapult you to the peak of your career in no time. A single day of favor is more than thousand days of labor.

IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT DIVINE FAVOR 

1. When God grants you favor you become unstoppable.
2. Other people may have more talent, education or experience but divine favor can cause you to go places you're not qualified to go. 
3. God's favor can turn rejection to acceptance. 
4. When you walk in God's favor, His blessings will chase you. 
5. When God wants to bless you, He will cause situation to come together in your favor.
6. Sometimes God will bypass what you hope for so that He can give you what you really need. 
7. Divine favor turns rejection into destiny. 
8. Divine favor is unearned, undeserved and unmerited. 
9. Divine favor is when people say no, circumstances around you say no but God say yes. 
10. Divine favor lasts a lifetime. 
11. Divine favor blocks wicked plans against you. 
12. One touch of divine favor can catapult you from nowhere to somewhere/nothing to something. 
13. They might not like you but they cannot stop you because you carry divine favor. 
14. When God opens your book even those that don't like cannot close it. 

Things that stop divine favor are the following;

1. Living in sin. 
2. Bad company, disconnect from sinner friends. 
3. Giving Satan glory for what God had done. 
4. Not locating a strong man of God. 

This message is simple and straight to the point and I pray  God to open your heart to understand this word and enjoy the blessings in it.

Till I come your way again be richly blessed. 

THE PURPOSE FOR THE TRIBULATION

Hello friends! How is your day going, hope you are glad and rejoicing in this day of our Lord. My day has been busy and miraculous. My prayer is that God will visit you where you need Him most in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our Bible reading for today is from Deuteronomy 8:1- end and our memory verse is from Deuteronomy 8:3 "And He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live."
The book of Deuteronomy is a book of recollection and reinforcement, i call it the book of cause and effect. In our reading today, the Lord made it clear to the children of Israel why He allowed them pass thru tribulation and that has become our message for today.
What is tribulation? Tribulation is an event or situation that occasions distress, trouble or vexation. It can be said to be severe affliction. Life they say is filled with ups and down. There is an adage in Igbo language that says "otee aka odiwara njo, ya adi nma." This means that no condition is permanent. Because no condition is permanent it implies that tribulation is not permanent, it is just for a period. Some tribulation lasts longer than others but whatever be the case every tribulation is for a purpose. In the case of the children of Israel, their tribulation included the following;

• Hunger
• Thirst
• Homelessness

While in their trying time, they did not feed on the food they were conversant with rather God fed them with manna. They did not drink water from sources known to them rather they drank water from rock that is struck with Moses' rod. They lived in tents in the wilderness, yet it was not recorded that the wild beast came in on them and devoured them. They were safe, healthy and as young as they were when they entered the wilderness. Will you say that their existence is not miraculous? Going by human calculation and understanding they were at great risk in the wilderness yet they were safe.
Their tribulation was for them to know that their existence is sure by the word of God, what lesson are you learning from your own tribulation?
The trials of life is to make us strong, wise and better people, are you becoming all of that or are you allowing your tribulation swallow you?
I shall continue this message tomorrow because the Holy Spirit is saying so much to me concerning this message. In fact am living it at the moment.
Till i come your way again, remain blessed.

REWARD OF OBEDIENCE

Good morning people of God, the day is running fast today, above all its a beautiful day the Lord has made and we continue to rejoice and be glad in it.
Let us quickly go to the business of the day, our Bible reading today is from Deuteronomy 7:1-end and our memory verse is from Deuteronomy 7:23 "But the Lord your God will give them over to you, and throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed."
To obey means to comply, to adhere to instructions, to respect orders and constituted authority. Life is governed by principles and not miracles even God our creator is a principled Personality. Life is also about give and take, and what you give is what you get. When obedience is the order of the day, support becomes a necessity. In our Bible reading today, we see God warning the Israelites not to have anything with the occupants of the promised land. One will ask why did God command them so? God knows the people and knows how corruptible they are and would not want them to corrupt the Israelites. The Israelites are people God has set apart to be their God and His people and it won't profit God to allow them be corrupted by the occupants of the promised. In obeying this commandment, God promised to support them and give the people on a silver platter to them.
We in so many ways have people we are contending with for different reasons. Some of these people are mightier than we are but if we obey God's commandments we will walk all over our enemies for it is not by power nor by might but by the grace of God.
May that grace of God rest and abide with us now and always.
Till I come your way again, remain blessed.

LOVE OF GOD = FEAR OF GOD

Good morning friends, it's another day of the Lord and I pray we all rejoice and be glad in it.
The message for today excites me and I pray you join in my excitement as you read thru. Today's Bible reading is from the book of Deuteronomy 5-6 and our memory verse is from Deuteronomy 6:24 "And the Lord commanded us to do all these statues, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive as at this day."
Before we go on, it will be wise to define some key words in the topic of our message today;
Love: love is a strong feeling induced by that which delights or command admiration. To love is to admire, to be affectionate, to be devoted.
Fear: fear is respectful reverence for men of authority or worth.
These definitions clearly states that fear is related to love. In our Bible reading today, Moses was still reminding the children of Israel of God's faithfulness, commandments and the need for them to obey all that the Lord has commanded them. In the both chapters read this morning, the paramount thing God requires from His own is to fear and obey His commandments.
One would wonder why fear? The truth is that fear comes as a result of respect and respect is not forced. When you respect someone, you automatically avoid offending the person and this amounts to admiration. Admiration is a resultant effect of love. On the other hand, when you love someone, you do so because the person has touched your life in a special way, you love because the person has in some ways proven to care, you love because the person has proven to be trusted. In loving, it becomes difficult to offend or to disobey the person we love and when you have grown to love someone and incapable of disobeying the person it amounts to respectful reverence for the person. We therefore have love = fear.
How much do you love the Lord? How much do you obey His commandments? Remember the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and it preserves.
Till I come your way again, remain blessed. 

OPERATING IN THE WISDOM OF GOD

Good morning people of God, its a beautiful day the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it. It is a wonderful feeling every morning, experiencing the miracle of sleeping and waking up. You may not understand the magnitude of God's love till you pay a visit to the morgue or the cemetery.
Today's message food for thought and i pray that the Almighty God will open our ears and mind to understand His word and become vessels of honor unto Him. Our Bible reading for today is from Deuteronomy 4:1-end and our memory verse is from Deuteronomy 4:5-6 "Behold, I have taught you statues and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statues, and say, surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people."
Still on the issue of recollection, Moses knowing that he will soon die has been advising the children of Israel and reminding them of their numerous encounter with God, His statue and ordinances like a father would. He emphasized the need for them to obey God's command for that is the only way they can live and achieve good success.
Today the same words of Moses i bring to you, operating in the wisdom of God means;

1. Obeying God without adding your own logic or understanding.
2. Trusting God's judgment and following His lead.
3. Accepting that because God knows the end from beginning, His guidance therefore is for your good.

Take for instance, when we were kids getting ready to go to the boarding house, i remember my mum warning me to be contended with what they (my parents) have provided for me. I should pay attention to my studies, study hard for thats the only way to pass my exams excellently, avoid wrong company and always be punctual at all school functions. I remember that i managed to be a good girl until my JSS III, i made my Junior WAEC with flying colors but in SSI i joined a group of friends that will go partying when lectures are going on. I got to the point of stealing my mum's jewelries to sell and use the money in buying party wears. Immoral lifestyle became my thing, i ended up being suspended and at that resulted in my loosing a year in my secondary education. I learnt my lesson the hard way. The advice of my mum was on point because she has been thru that phase of life so she knew better, then imagine God who is all knowing, His advice is the greatest wisdom for anyone who believes and operates in it.
Till i come your way again, remain blessed.   

DANGER OF LOOKING AT WRONG DIRECTION

Good evening people of God, it's been a busy day for me and I tell you what, I feel great serving God in any capacity i find myself. It is indeed the day of the Lord and I bet you are rejoicing and glad in it.
Like always, on this platform I bring you the Sunday sermon from church and today's message is quite interesting and reassuring. Our Bible reading is from Psalm 121:1-end and our memory verse is from 2Kings 5:10-12"And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean." But Na`aman was angry and went away, saying, "Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand and cure the leper". Are there not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?" so he turned and went away in a rage."
The story of Na`aman is a popular bible story and it is a clear illustration of how we undermine the real solution to our problem just because it comes in package we least expect.
There are stories in the Bible that illustrates what it looks like to look in the wrong direction and their consequences. Some of the stories quickly comes to mind; the story of Jacob and his insistence on being married to Rachael, in the end Rachael was the one that brought idols into his household while Leah was the one that gave Jacob the son that through his lineage Jesus came to the world.
We have the story of Abraham when he went to get a son through Sarah's handmaid, he got Ishmael and we know the rest of the story and how it has affected the world's peace.
POINTS TO NOTE; looking at the wrong direction means:

1. When you look at the wrong direction, you will never be satisfied with the right solution. 
2. If you are looking at the wrong direction, you will always be in haste to get solution.
3. Yielding to personal emotions can cause us delusion. 
4. When the mind is made up about what you know, you tend to look the wrong way. 
5. Ignorance of the knowledge of the presence of God amounts to looking at the wrong direction.
6. Looking unto God always look foolish. 

We therefore must look into God because there is a river that carries solution and that is the blood of Jesus Christ.
Till I come your way again, remain blessed .

POWER TO OVERCOME STORM

Hello people of God, I believe you are all doing well. It has been a beautiful day, I went for vigil, came back and have been sleeping but I must not let the day go without sharing the message for today. 

Am so excited about today's message because it is straight from my father in the Lord Apostle Chibuzor Chinyere Gift. My first contact with this message I felt something great and I pray that as you come in contact with the message today that your life will not remain the same and you will be well positioned to confront the storms in your life in Jesus name, Amen.
Our Bible reading is from Matthew 8:23-27. Storm is an unpleasant circumstance, it is that thing that gives one discomfort, it is your faith tester and your destiny lifter.

LESSONS FROM THE PASSAGE

1. The disciples followed Him, thus always follow Jesus in everything you want to do,let Jesus be your guide. 
2. Even followers of Jesus Christ have problem. Following Jesus does not prevent you from having storm, Psalm 34:19 but Jesus will never allow the storm to swallow you .
3. Don't panic if Jesus is silent, just continue to call upon Him. 
4. Cry out for help, God is ready to answer you any time you cry. 

There are different types of storm and they are; financial storm, marriage storm, health storm, family storm academic storm, ministerial storm & jealousy storm. 

IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT STORM

1. Not all storms come to destroy your life, some storms come to clear your path. 
2. There are some things you can only learn inside the storm. One of those lessons is humility.  *storm is a great teacher. 
3. Storm don't last forever. 
4. It is during the worst storm of your life that you realize the true nature of all the people around you. 
5. Storms make trees take deeper roots. 
6. To be the best, you must be able to handle the worst case. 
7. When you spend all your time with negative people, one day you become like them. Avoid negative people.
8. What you tell yourself everyday will either lift you up or bring you down. 
9. You are not born a winner or a looser rather you are born a chooser. 
10. Storm can make you or mar you. 
11. If you hide from storm, you will never grow, the best way to solve a problem is to deal with the problem head on. 
12. Never judge anyone by the chapter you met that person. 
13. Some people create their own storm, then get upset when it starts raining. Somethings you say, some actions you take can create storm. 
14. Your greatest test is when you are able to bless someone while you're in a storm. 
15. Sometimes you face storm not because you are doing something wrong but because you are doing something right. 
16. No matter how much it hurts now, you will one day look back and realize that the storm made you a better person. 
17. Remember God gives His hardest battles to the strongest soldiers .
18. Storm often prepare ordinary people for extraordinary destiny. 
19. God gave you this life because He knows you are strong enough to withstand the storm. 
20. When storm comes, don't go with the storm rather fight the storm. 

WHAT MUST I DO WHEN UNDERGOING STORM

1. Don't blame God. In everything give God the glory. 
2. Don't go with the storm, stand firm. 
3. Draw closer to God. 
4. Avoid sin. 
5. Cultivate the habit of praising God in everything. 
6. Connect to a strong man of God. 

Till I come your way again, remain blessed. 

THE POWER OF RECOLLECTION

Hello people of God, it's another beautiful day and hurray it's a new month and I say 'Happy New Month' friends. May this month be sweet and fruitful for all of us in Jesus name, Amen.
Our Bible reading today is from the book of Deuteronomy chapters 1-3 and our memory verse is from Deuteronomy 3:21 "And I commanded Joshua at that time, 'Your eyes have seen all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings; so will the Lord do to all the kingdoms into which you are going over. We finished reading the book of Numbers yesterday and today the reading of the book of Deuteronomy started with Moses recollecting on the journey so far. The message today is drawn from Moses' act in Deuteronomy 1-3. There is this popular song that says; "count your blessings, name them one by one, count your blessings, see what God has done, count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done." You can not successfully count your blessings without recollecting. And someone will ask; what is recollection? Recollection is a process of remembering. It simply means to recall past occurrences. Thus the act of recollecting aids in identifying the following;

1. The take off point i.e where it all started 
2. The situation of things before it started 
3. The process of change as it started
4. The challenges encountered while the process is ongoing .
5. Achievements recorded since it all started.
6. Current situation of things.

The list is endless depending on the point of analysis. My point therefore is that Moses deemed it fit to recollect their journey so far, while he was doing that he pointed out what God has done for the children of Israel right from the land of Egypt. He also pointed out the ugly attitude of the children of Israel, how their attitude have angered God and also how their attitude has affected his relationship with God. He also revealed why he will not be stepping into the promised land. Above all in his recollecting the journey so far, it became clear to the people that as long as God is with them and they obey His commandments they will possess their promised land.
The year 2019 just started, we are already done with the month of January, and today we are already in February, you probably have a plan for the year and in that plan, there strides to be made in January. For some those strides were made successfully while some didn't accomplish theirs. You need to recollect and identify the things you did right, the ones you did wrong, the ones you ignored and see the points God intervened.
In recollecting we are able to count our blessings and appreciate God for His marvelous works in our lives.
Till I come your way again, remain blessed.