ICGC Shiloh Temple

24/05/2026

Welcome to this morning's [LIVE] WORSHIP SERVICE with Rev. Jude Anthony Cudjoe.

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24/05/2026

*LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL*
_By Pastor Mensa Otabil_

Saturday 23rd May 2026

*THE LORD IS THERE*

*Scripture Reading:* Ezekiel 48

_All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE. *Ezekiel 48:35*_

Our passage for today is the last verse in the book of Ezekiel. It concludes the revelations that the Lord gave the prophet Ezekiel. In this concluding part of the message he had received from the Lord, Ezekiel speaks about the City of God.

The remarkable thing about the vision of the City of God that Ezekiel saw was how the city would be called – The Lord is There, Jehovah (YHWH) Shammah. The name shows us a significant aspect of God’s nature – He is always present. The Lord is generally present everywhere, but the essence of Ezekiel’s vision is the special presence of God in our lives that makes a difference in us.

What does Jehovah Shammah mean to us?

· *The Lord is always present with His people.* When God’s people draw near to Him, He draws near to them. Throughout the scriptures the Lord assures us of His presence in all situations. He was with Moses in the burning bush, Samuel in the Temple and with Paul and Silas in prison. When we feel all alone, the Lord is with us, and when we are in the midst of friends, He is with us.

· *The Lord is present where His name is honoured.* He is present in our midst when we gather in His name. Whether in church as we praise and worship Him or at home during family devotion, the Lord, true to His name, has promised to be there. When we stand with the Lord, He stands with us. Joseph stood with the Lord against the temptations of Potiphar’s wife; and the Lord lifted him up to a place of honour.

· *The Lord’s presence is our dwelling place.* The presence of the Lord is our secret place. In His presence, we live and move and have our being. We go to bed with Him and wake up with Him. Our safety is in the presence of the Lord. It is worthwhile to learn to abide in His presence.

The Lord is present with us.

_*Prayer*: Heavenly Father, you are present with me at all times. I take refuge in you; manifest your glory through me. In Jesus’ name, Amen._

23/05/2026

*LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL*
_By Pastor Mensa Otabil_

Saturday 23rd May 2026

*THE LORD IS THERE*

Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 48

_All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE. *Ezekiel 48:35*_

Our passage for today is the last verse in the book of Ezekiel. It concludes the revelations that the Lord gave the prophet Ezekiel. In this concluding part of the message he had received from the Lord, Ezekiel speaks about the City of God.

The remarkable thing about the vision of the City of God that Ezekiel saw was how the city would be called – The Lord is There, Jehovah (YHWH) Shammah. The name shows us a significant aspect of God’s nature – He is always present. The Lord is generally present everywhere, but the essence of Ezekiel’s vision is the special presence of God in our lives that makes a difference in us.

What does Jehovah Shammah mean to us?

· *The Lord is always present with His people.* When God’s people draw near to Him, He draws near to them. Throughout the scriptures the Lord assures us of His presence in all situations. He was with Moses in the burning bush, Samuel in the Temple and with Paul and Silas in prison. When we feel all alone, the Lord is with us, and when we are in the midst of friends, He is with us.

· *The Lord is present where His name is honoured.* He is present in our midst when we gather in His name. Whether in church as we praise and worship Him or at home during family devotion, the Lord, true to His name, has promised to be there. When we stand with the Lord, He stands with us. Joseph stood with the Lord against the temptations of Potiphar’s wife; and the Lord lifted him up to a place of honour.

· *The Lord’s presence is our dwelling place.* The presence of the Lord is our secret place. In His presence, we live and move and have our being. We go to bed with Him and wake up with Him. Our safety is in the presence of the Lord. It is worthwhile to learn to abide in His presence.

The Lord is present with us.

_*Prayer*: Heavenly Father, you are present with me at all times. I take refuge in you; manifest your glory through me. In Jesus’ name, Amen._

22/05/2026

*LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL*
_By Pastor Mensa Otabil_

Friday 22nd May 2026

*THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS*

*Scripture Reading:* Jeremiah 23:1-8

_In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. *Jeremiah 23:6*_

This passage from Jeremiah chapter 23 is a part of a Messianic prophecy about the future rule of the ‘Righteous Branch of David’ – Jesus Christ. This prophecy also introduces us to a name of God ‘The Lord our Righteousness’ – Jehovah (YHWH) Tsidkenu.

Under the Law, people hoped to become righteous by observing all of its requirements. However, this prophecy from Jeremiah noted that in the days of Jesus Christ, the Lord would be our Righteousness. That means our righteousness would not come from ourselves but from the Lord.

What does it mean when we say the Lord is our Righteousness?

· *The Lord is Righteous.* That is His nature. Everything He does is right and He is right at all times. There has never been and there will never be a moment in which God does something wrong. The Lord is just in all His dealings with us. This is a comforting truth – that in all our dealings with Him, we can trust Him to do what is just and right every time.

· *The Lord determines what is Righteous*. He sets the standards for what is right and wrong. We live in an era where right and wrong have been made subjective and relative to the individual. But it is God – not a man, not a group nor an institution - that determines what is right from what is wrong in the world.

· *The Lord makes us Righteous.* In Christ, God reached out to us to make us righteous. Christ became sin for us and gave us His righteousness. We can by no human effort attain a right standing with God. We only become righteous when we believe in what Christ has done for us.

The Lord our Righteousness is another of God’s gracious revelations of Himself to us. May it inform you how to relate with Him.

_*Prayer*: Heavenly Father, You are Righteous in all Your ways. Thank you for bringing me into the right relationship with you. In Jesus’ name, Amen._

21/05/2026

21/05/2026

*LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL*
_By Pastor Mensa Otabil_

Thursday 21st May 2026

*THE LORD OF HOSTS*

*Scripture Reading:* 1 Samuel 17

_Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. *1 Samuel 17:45*_

David faced the Philistine giant, Goliath, with firm faith in the Lord. Though he was just a youth and Goliath, a mighty and experienced warrior, David had confidence that God would give him victory. He revealed that the source of his confidence was ‘the Lord of hosts’.

In Hebrew, the Lord of Hosts is Yahweh Sabaoth – God who leads the army. It is a compound name that includes God’s revealed name to Israel, Jehovah (YHWH), and Sabaoth – meaning hosts. The word ‘hosts’ is used very frequently to refer to the armies of Israel. However, ‘hosts’ also includes God’s heavenly armies. There are two groups to consider as we look at God’s name as the Lord of hosts.

· *He is Lord of the Heavenly Hosts*. The Lord has spiritual armies at His disposal. There is an innumerable company of heavenly beings who act at the command of the Lord. They are the mighty warriors that fight for God’s purposes to be established.

· *He is Lord of the Christian hosts.* The church of Christ is God’s army on earth. Every born-again believer in Christ is part of God’s army. We act on the command of the Lord. We go out evangelizing the nations in the name of the Lord. Through us, the message about who God is and what He has accomplished is made known.

When David stepped out to meet Goliath, he considered himself as part of God’s army. Though he was young and not yet qualified to be a member of Israel’s army, he considered himself a part of God’s army. David trusted the Lord to use him for His glory.

Like David, we should also avail ourselves for the Lord to use. We must recognize that we are His army, and He is our Commander. At His command, we can march confidently, knowing there is victory at the end of every battle He leads us into.

May the Lord of Hosts use each of us for His glory.

_*Prayer*: Heavenly Father, you are the Lord of Hosts. I am part of your army. Use me to establish your kingdom on earth. In Jesus’ name, Amen._

19/05/2026

*LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL*
_By Pastor Mensa Otabil_

Tuesday 19th May 2026

*THE LORD WHO HEALS*

*Scripture Reading:* Exodus 15

_“If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.” *Exodus 15:26*_

The Lord is our Healer – Jehovah (YHWH) Rapha. God delivered Israel from Egypt by a mighty hand. He turned the elements against Egypt and afflicted them with all manner of plagues and ailments. In the first plague in Egypt, the Lord turned their rivers and water bodies into blood. That made their water undrinkable until the Lord removed that plague from the land.

After Israel left Egypt, the Lord took them through the wilderness without water. Then they came upon a body of water that was polluted. The Bible describes the waters as ‘bitter’. The people called the waters, Marah. That experience probably reminded them of the first plague that the Lord placed on Egypt. Challenged by severe thirst and polluted water, the Israelites raised their voices to complain against Moses.

The Lord showed Moses what to do to change the nature of the waters of Marah from bitter to sweet.

After the waters of Marah were made sweet, the Lord assured Israel that He was their Healer – Jehovah Rapha. He told them that if they obeyed Him, He would not afflict them as He did to Egypt.

· *He heals our bodies.* He created our bodies and can repair our bodies. The Lord heals through prayer and also through the use of knowledge. He is the creator of all herbs, chemicals and elements on our planet. Whenever any of part of God’s creation is used to make our bodies well, we must give God the glory.

· *He heals our situations.* The Lord healed the waters of Marah. When a situation we’re going through turns bitter, the Lord is able to make it sweet. When we face difficulties with family, finances or at the workplace, God can intervene and bring healing. He promised Israel that He would heal their bodies as well as the bitter situations they faced.

Experience God’s healing today.

_*Prayer*: Heavenly Father, you are my healer. Remove every plague from my life. Touch my body and make it whole. In Jesus’ name, Amen._

18/05/2026

*LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL*
_By Pastor Mensa Otabil_

Monday 18th May 2026

*THE LORD WILL PROVIDE*

*Scripture Reading:* Genesis 22

_And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.” *Genesis 22:14*_

We are familiar with the story of how the Lord tested Abraham’s faith. The Lord asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, on Mount Moriah. Although God’s instruction was harsh, Abraham was determined to obey the Lord. He was a man who feared God. To fear God means to reverence Him as sovereign, trust Him implicitly, and obey Him without question.

A true worshiper of God holds nothing back from the Lord but obediently gives Him what He asks, trusting that He will provide.

Throughout the journey to Mount Moriah, whenever Isaac asked about the lamb to be sacrificed to the Lord, Abraham would respond that the Lord would provide.

On Mount Moriah, just as Abraham was about to obey God’s instruction, the Lord stopped him and pointed to a ram He had provided for the sacrifice. With apparent relief, Abraham untied his son and offered the ram God had provided instead of his son.

That day, Abraham knew God as his provider – Jehovah (YHWH)-Yerah. The name literally means “the Lord who sees ahead to provide”. The Lord provides for us ahead of time.

• *He sees ahead of time.* Our Lord sees the future. We see only what is obvious to us now. The Lord saw the ram before He gave Abraham the instruction to sacrifice Isaac.

• *He plans ahead of time.* The Lord is never overtaken by events. He planned for our salvation before the foundation of the world. He does not simply wait on us before acting; He knows how things will be and sets things in order to deal with them.

• *He provides ahead of time.* Knowing the nature of God, Abraham could say ‘the Lord will provide’ when he had not seen any provision. That is how faith speaks. When we walk in faith, we trust the Lord to provide for all of our needs.

Experience God’s provision today.

_*Prayer*: Heavenly Father, you are my provider. You see and plan ahead of time. Thank you for supplying all of my needs. In Jesus’ name, Amen._

17/05/2026

*LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL*
_By Pastor Mensa Otabil_

Sunday 17th May 2026

*THE ETERNAL ONE*

*Scripture Reading:* Psalm 90

_Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. *Psalm 90:2*_

El Olam is used to refer to God as the everlasting or eternal one. The term Olam has a wide range of uses. It is usually defined as something that has a long duration, or something that comes from antiquity. It is also used to describe an indefinite future. Olam addresses the reality of God’s existence, God’s covenant and promises, and the Messiah’s future reign.

Eternity is a very strange concept for us. We measure everything with time. Even distances in the universe are measured with light years – time. Because we live in time and are so aware of the shortness of time, our minds find it impossible to think of timelessness. However, eternity is God’s standard. He has been and will always be.

What does El Olam mean for us as Christians?

• *God is the same at all times.* From everlasting to everlasting, He is God. He never grows old, nor changes with time by any measure. He neither depreciates nor deteriorates. He is constant and nothing can wear him down or out.

• *God is real to all generations.* As the Lord was to previous generations, so is He to present generations. He can do today what He did in the past and likewise do the same tomorrow. The people of today can know Him as He was known by the people of the past. He is the same to all generations.

• *God works out His will in time.* Although the events of human history are significant for each generation, they are all but a moment from God’s perspective. He can do in an instant what we think requires a long time to accomplish. He has all things under His control as the Creator who ordains life and death. God works out His purposes in time.

God lives out of time but sees everything from beginning to end – from what has happened through to what will happen in the future. Trust Him to make all things beautiful in its time.

_*Prayer*: Heavenly Father, you are from everlasting to everlasting. I know you’re working out your purposes for my life each day. In Jesus’ name, Amen._

16/05/2026

*LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL*
_By Pastor Mensa Otabil_

Saturday 16th May 2026

*GOD IS MIGHTY IN BATTLES*

*Scripture Reading:* Deuteronomy 10

_For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. *Deuteronomy 10:17*_

Moses describes God as ‘God, mighty and awesome’ - El Gibbor. When used alone, Gibbor refers to mighty and heroic men. When ‘EL’ is added to it, it describes the greatness and awesome majesty of God.

Additionally, Gibbor has connotations of warfare. It carries the picture of one who goes into battle and wins. El Gibbor makes us understand God as the Champion who conquerors in battle.
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God chose to identify with a nation of slaves. He identified with people who were oppressed in captivity and in need of deliverance. Typically, people would not want to identify with the helpless and downtrodden in society. But God chose to associate with these instead of a nation of lords or kings and rulers.

Against the might of the Pharaoh of Egypt, the Lord showed Himself as the Ultimate Warrior. That is what Moses recognized in our passage today. Israel knew God as one who fights for His people.

We can also know the Lord as El-Gibbor. He then becomes for us a number of things:

• *The Lord who fights for us.* A child of God does not go into battle alone. The Lord is with us in every battle. Whether it be a spiritual or mental battle; regardless of the scope or nature of the battle, God is able and will fight for His children as they trust Him.

• In His death and resurrection, Jesus disarmed all evil principalities and powers. He trampled them underfoot. There is no force or entity that can be named, that is comparable with God in greatness. Let this truth set you at peace and at rest.

• The Lord who gives us victory. In Christ, we have the victory. We are seated with Him in high places. His victory as the Mighty Warrior over every enemy is our victory and we can appropriate and affirm this always.

The Lord takes no bribes. Our God cannot be wrongly influenced. Those with money cannot use their money to get God to side with them against the weak. Neither can those with power coerce God to be on their side. The Lord fights for those on His side.


_*Prayer*: Heavenly Father, you are mighty in battle; glorious in victory. I choose to be on your side in all my battles. In Jesus’ name. Amen._