Victory Daily Devotional

DON’T WORRY Matthew 6:25-34 Devotional Verse:-"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Vs. 25)        Worry is not a lifestyle of God’s kingdom citizen. Our lifestyle as citizens of the kingdom of God is the life of complete trust in God. People worry because of unpredictable help, uncertain hope or unfulfilled promises. When a man is in a time of need, he wants to have a word of assurance of his help. If there is a promise that is lingering, it naturally creates room for worry and tension (Prov. 13:12). 

GOD AND MONEY Luke 16:10-13 Devotional Verse: -"No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." (Vs. 13)        Every child of God must know that no one can make money his/her master and still have Jesus as his master. A master is someone from whom you take instructions and obey. Money been a mere paper and material should not govern human beings. But when we take it to be more important than God, then it becomes a master. Believing that it can always meet our needs, we make it our master and allow it to control our thoughts and actions. 

POWER OF THE EYE Matthew 6:22-23  Devotional Verse:- "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light” (Vs. 22)        It is the lifestyle of every citizen of the kingdom of God to walk in light. While light gives understanding, darkness brings confusion and stagnancy. The Bible calls God the father of light (James 1:17) and calls us the children of light (Eph. 5:8). Light is about the illumination, brightness of our hearts and the clarity of our understanding. The eye the Bible is referring to is majorly our inner eyes by which we have the understanding of knowledge and the wisdom for living. Just like the physical eyes, when you open it, you will see clearly, but when you close it, all you will see will be darkness.

WHERE IS YOUR TREASURE Matthew 6:19-21 Devotional Verse-“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Vs. 21)        It is the lifestyle of God’s kingdom citizens to always give sacrificially. In the realm of the spirit, the way to tap into God’s favour is by sacrificial giving. This is not what we should do once in a while. Whoever wants to partake in God’s blessings must give willingly and consistently. The key word here is ‘consistency’ (Psalms 126:5, Gal. 6:9-10, Eccl. 11:1-2).

PRAYER AND FASTING Matthew 6:16-18 Devotional Verse:- "Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward” (Vs. 16)        Fasting is an act of depriving the flesh of the pleasure of foods and other activities for the purpose of seeking God. Fasting helps us to concentrate, be spiritually alert, sensitive and gives quality attention on God in times of prayers. It also gives us access to deep revelations of God.         As good as fasting is, it should not be turned into a religious ritual as some people make it. Fasting should not be a means of bribing God after we have sinned because no one can bribe God. It should also not to be taken as the giver of God’s power. In fasting, God needs our total submission to His will and wisdom (Isa. 58:6-8). While fasting, it is unnecessary to disfigur...

FORGIVING TO BE FORGIVEN Mark 11:19-26 Devotional Verse:-"And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses” (Vs. 25)        It is wrong for any child of God to pray and not to receive answer. This is because God has covenanted to answer our prayers in His word. Though God is sovereign, He is a covenant keeping God (Exodus 34:6-7, Psalms 89:34). So, we must totally depend on His faithfulness. 

PRAYER FOR SHOW Matthew 6:5-13 Devotional Verse:-"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward” (Vs. 5)        Hypocritical people do many things for show off. People of the world today feel that you look odd when you are not showing off. So, what is right is becoming wrong and wrong is becoming right. But I want you to know that God is faithful to all who are faithful to Him.

DON’T CALL FOR ATTENTION Matthew 6:1-4 Devotional Verse:-“that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly” (Vs. 4)             Everyone loves to be commended and recommended. But the citizens of the kingdom of God allow God to prove them and do not call for attention by their good deeds. Some people call for attention by showing on TV how they give to the needy. If this is done with a motive of blessing others with the awareness of such privilege, then it is great, but it is not meant for show off. 

WISE AGREEMENT Matthew 5:25-26 Devotional Verse:-“Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison” (Vs. 25)        God’s word advises us to be wiser than the enemy especially when we are dealing with an unbeliever. An unbeliever can be bent on doing evil or carrying out revenge. When they demonstrate what they are, we must be willing to demonstrate the wisdom of God because we are children of God.        In our scripture, Jesus says, if anyone takes you up on a matter because he feels that you have offended him, there is no need arguing. If you are truly guilty and asked to pay back, do not hesitate. If you feel you are not guilty, then seek counsel. Be what you are in God and they are just what they are in their father (John 8:44). Jesus is not asking us to give bribes but He is saying that instead of g...

NO DIVORCE Mark 10:1-12 Devotional Verse: -“Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate” (Vs. 9)        In the original plan of God for mankind, there is no plan for divorce. This is because for many, divorce is an optional route to avoid the blessing of growing maturely in marriage. One of the purposes of marriage is to involve a man and a woman in an acceptable intimate relationship (Genesis 2:24). Sincerely, because relationships can sometimes be very demanding and challenging, anyone in it would sometimes want to opt out. That is why God made intimacy necessary for people, except in cases of fornication.

FORGIVING BEFORE GIVING  Matthew 5:23-26 Devotional Verse:- “leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Vs. 24)    We often want to give to God knowing full well that He will reward us in multiple folds. Sometimes, people forget to give people around them things because of greed and even when they give, they do so because of reward mentality. This is not right (Matthew 6:4). The Bible teaches us to give, not because people can pay us back (Luke 14:12-14). Our giving should be a demonstration of love. Our giving should be in obedience to God’s commandment. This is when we are doing what is right before God.      Jesus teaches us in our Scripture for today that before giving God anything, we must first forgive those who have offended us. The reason is that, we can’t hate people and claim to love God (1 John 4:20). This makes a seed before the Lord to be unacceptable. ...

LOVE YOUR ENEMY     Matthew 5:43-48 Devotional Verse:- “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Vs. 44).        When we act in love, we demonstrate what is in our heart (Matthew 12:35). If we are truly changed people, we will crave to demonstrate love in all that we do (John 13:35). To know whether we are truly changed or not, God always uses cases that looks negative to test us (Deut. 8:2-3). So, let us learn ahead of time to pass whenever we are tested.

VENGEANCE              Mathew 5:38-42 Devotional Verse:-"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'”  (Vs. 38).      In the ungodly world, life is tit for tat when people’s cars are mistakenly bashed. There must be a payback for any property mistakenly hit or destroyed. It is actually not out of hand to make a man pay for what he has carelessly handled as a way of discipline for him, but we must not always insist on this so as not to offend God (Romans 12:17).

EMPTY PROMISES          Matthew 5:23-37 Devotional Verse:- “But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne” (Vs. 34).        Many people make promises but lack the ability to fulfill them. Some promises had better not be put to heart because the maker might fail to take the responsibility of fulfilling them. Making promises without fulfilling them should not be the lifestyle of any citizen of the kingdom of God (Eccl 5:5).

ANGER AND RECONCILIATION              Matthew 5:20-22 Devotional Verse:-“But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother,'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says,'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire” (Vs. 22).        When a man is angry naturally, he looks for a way to carry out revenge. This is because he needs to unleash his anger on someone. Anger, when not really subdued in the heart of a man can cause death. That is why the word of God tells us that though we can be angry, we must not commit sin (Ephesians 4:26).

HIGHER RIGHTEOUSNESS            Matthew 5:17-19 Devotional Verse:-“Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Vs. 19)           To morally religious-minded people, righteousness is standing right in the view of others who can give good comments about them. They like to be men pleasers. Many people like good comments and recommendations from people, even though they know that most human praise is always not totally true but always exaggerated.

IT’S IN THE HEART             Matthew 5:27-30 Devotional Verse:- “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Vs. 28).         The center of all that a man does is in the heart. Jesus said that while a good man brings forth good things out of the good treasure of his heart, a bad man does the opposite (Matthew 12:35). It is important for us to know that all that is going on in our lives, that is, in our current state, are all products of the state of our hearts (Prov. 23:7). That is why everyone should work to improve the state of their hearts by studying edifying books.

SALT AND LIGHT           Matthew 5:13-16 Devotional Verse:- "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men” (Vs. 13).        Salt has the characteristics of sweetening, preserving and cleansing just like light has the nature of illuminating, revealing and dominating darkness. In His teachings, Jesus likened believers to salt and light. These are the two powerful combinations that ordained every child of God to stand out and be a blessing wherever they are.

THE BLESSING OF PERSECUTION            John 15:18-25 Devotional Verse:-“Remember the word that I said to you,'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also” (Vs. 20)        Jesus teaches us that the blessings of the Lord are for those who go through persecution for righteousness sake (Matt. 5:10-12). It is almost impossible for anyone to live a godly life in the world without been persecuted. Jesus said that if He was persecuted, then we will also be persecuted.

PEACE MAKER       Hebrews 12:12-17 Devotional Verse:0“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Vs. 14).        One of the greatest values that flow in the heart of the citizens of the kingdom of God is peace. This is because our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6). When Jesus was physically leaving the earth, He pledged to give peace to all His children by saying, “Peace I leave with you” (John 14:27). This peace is always visible in the life of any true child of God.

PURE IN HEART               Titus 1:10-16 Devotional Verse:-“To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled” (Vs. 15).        It is important for you to know that the heart of the problem of a man is the problem of the heart. One of the ways to enjoy the kingdom of God is by having a heart that is free. That is why the word of God instructs us to guide our hearts diligently because the issues of life flow out of them (Prov. 4:23). Until a heart is pure and free, such life will be corrupt or defiled.

THE MERCIFUL         Luke 6:30-36 Devotional Verse:-“Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful” (Vs. 36)        One of the lifestyles of the kingdom of God which was among the teachings of Jesus is being merciful. This attitude gives us access to the blessings of God.

HUNGRY FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS            Luke 1:48-55 Devotional Verse: -“He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty” (Vs. 53).        It is the nature of the Lord to satisfy those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. When anyone is thirsty for God, he/she will certainly find Him. The Lord says that when we seek Him, we shall find Him (Deuteronomy 4:29). This attitude of being hungry for God always qualifies us for His blessings.

MEEKNESS        Psalms 37: 1-11 Devotional Verse:- “But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace” (Vs. 11)        God’s ways are not the same as man’s ways (Isa. 55:8-9). When you understand the value of the blessings of the Lord, you will want to have them at all cost. God’s blessings are without sorrow and that is why the lifestyle of the kingdom is for the people who are meek (Proverbs 10:22).

MOURNING FOR COMFORT            Isaiah 61:1-11 Devotional Verse:- “To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified” (Vs. 3).        Mourning as it applies to the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 5:4, is a feeling of being inadequate in spirit. Anyone ‘mourning’ feels that he has missed a virtue in God that must be regained. Such a person feels that he is missing something of great value. However, God is always out to extend comfort.

THE POOR IN SPIRIT               MATTHEW 5:1-5 Devotional Verse -“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Vs. 3)        The blessings of God are far bigger than material things. The blessings of the Lord have so many products and wealth is only one of them. It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich (Prov. 10:22). The blessings of the Lord also produce health (III John 2), peace of mind, joy, increase, etc.

THE BLESSING         Gen 39:1-6 Devotional Verse:- “The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian” (Vs. 2) NKJV        Very many people often think that the blessing of the Lord is all about material things. This is one of the reasons many are not grateful and are not happy in life. Riches are just one of the manifestation of the blessings of the Lord (Prov. 10:22). The blessings of the Lord are the entirety of the goodness of the Lord and this is made manifest by the presence of the Lord with a man.

ANOINTING TO HEAL           Matthew 4:23-25 Devotional Verse:- “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people” (Vs. 23)        In the kingdom of God, citizens always enjoy the anointing for healing (Mark 16:17-19). Naturally, healing can be defined as being cured from an illness. It is not just physical but spiritual, because it takes the anointing of the Holy Spirit and faith to enjoy divine healing.

TIMES OF TRIAL             Hebrews 12:3-11 Devotional Verse:-“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Vs.11)        Every child of God must be ready for a time of test. It is one of the habits of God to allow His children to be tested once in a while (Genesis 22:1, Job 1:10-12). No one loves to be tested, but tests are the best ways to ascertain the genuineness of the heart and strength of man. A time of test is a time when God is attempting to check on our level of growth in His will.  

SUBMISSION              Matthew 3:13-17 Devotional Verse:-“But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him” (Vs. 15)        One major lifestyle of citizens of the kingdom of God is submission. Though, it is not the best way to live, but it is the only way to live as children of God. This is because when people don’t submit to God, they will submit to the devil. So, consciously or unconsciously, every man is submitting to something. We can only be truly called the children of God if we submit to God and our leaders in God (James 4:7-8).