God's Mandate In'l Ministry. The Great Commission Church.

26/08/2026

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL

PASTOR CHRIS OYAKHILOME Dsc. Dsc. DD.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 27TH 2026

STAY IN FAITH

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience (James 1:2-3).

Have you ever been in a situation where, after you’ve done everything you know to do, things didn’t seem to change? You’ve prayed, applied the Word, and followed every counsel given, yet the situation looked the same. Like the student who once wrote me a letter after sitting for the same examinations several times and failing again and again, asking, “Pastor Chris, what more can I do? I’ve tried everything.”

But the Word already gives the answer: stay in faith! Refuse to give up. Faith always works. Refuse to stagger at the Word of God through unbelief, but against hope, believe in hope. No matter the adversity you face in your academics, your workplace, or through people who seem determined to hinder your progress; refuse to be flustered, discouraged or bitter. Keep acting your faith.

You may encounter individuals who decide that no matter what you do, you won’t succeed unless you compromise; stay on the Word. The Bible says if you’re afflicted, pray (James 5:13), but that doesn’t mean things may change instantly, and that doesn’t also mean God hasn’t heard you. But one thing is certain: He believes in you.

God knows He has trained you enough to face the situation and win. That’s why you don’t chicken out; you face it and win. You stand your ground. You hold fast to the Word. Even when it seems like everything is collapsing around you, refuse to panic. Refuse to quit.

Maybe you lost a job, or something didn’t go the way you expected, don’t be moved. The Bible says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). This is your life, and it will always be your experience as long as you’re in faith. So, keep serving the Lord joyously and putting your faith to work.

Confession

I’m a victor in Christ Jesus. I walk in dominion, power and ever-increasing grace, glory and peace. My mind is renewed by the Word; therefore, I only think victory, success and abundance. The glory of Christ, His righteousness, might and wisdom are expressed in and through me today, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Further study
1 Corinthians 15:58; Romans 4:18-22; Romans 8:35-37 AMPC

1-year bible reading plan
1 Corinthians 11:2-34; Psalms 142-145

2-year bible reading plan
Colossians 3:12-25; Jeremiah 13

26/08/2026

When the Battle Is in Your Mind

Not every battle is fought with fists, weapons, or armies. Some of the fiercest battles happen silently—in the mind, where fear, doubt, confusion, discouragement, and painful thoughts try to take control.

There are moments when you may feel trapped by thoughts you cannot explain, overwhelmed by anxiety, weighed down by heaviness, or constantly questioning your faith. But remember this: a thought is not always the truth, and a feeling is not always a prophecy.

Do not allow fear to become your master.
Do not allow confusion to silence your faith.
Do not allow yesterday’s failures to define your identity.
Do not allow negative words to become the voice that controls your future.

The Bible reminds us to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). This means we do not have to surrender every thought that enters our minds. We can examine it, reject what is contrary to God’s truth, and choose to stand on His Word.

Renew your mind. Forgive. Repent. Pray. Speak truth. Put on the armor of God.

When your mind tells you, “You are finished,” remember that God can give you a new beginning.

When fear says, “You cannot,” remember that your strength does not come from yourself.

When doubt says, “God has forgotten you,” remember that His presence does not disappear simply because you cannot feel it.

And when darkness tries to convince you that there is no way out, lift your eyes to Jesus.

Your mind does not have to remain a prison.
Your past does not have to remain your identity.
Your struggles do not have to write the final chapter.

Jesus is greater than the battle in your mind.

Guard your thoughts. Fill your heart with Scripture. Surround yourself with godly encouragement. Pray when you feel weak. Seek wise and trustworthy help when the burden becomes too heavy to carry alone.

You are not called to live permanently under fear, confusion, condemnation, or hopelessness.

There is freedom in Christ. There is hope in Christ. There is peace in Christ.

Today, surrender every thought that is pulling you away from God and replace it with His truth.

Your mind belongs to Jesus. Your life belongs to Jesus. Your future belongs to Jesus.

🔥 Stand firm. Pray boldly. Renew your mind. Walk in truth.

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” — Isaiah 26:3

26/08/2026

YOU HAVE PASSED FROM DEATH TO LIFE

John 5:24: “He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”

One of the most powerful truths of the gospel is that the believer is not waiting to pass from death to life someday. In Christ, you have already passed from death to life.

Jesus did not say, “He will someday have everlasting life.” He said, “hath everlasting life.” He did not say, “He will eventually pass from death unto life.” He said, “is passed from death unto life.”

This is a present reality for everyone who has believed in Christ.

Before Christ, man was spiritually dead because of sin. Ephesians 2:1 says, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” But the gospel announces that something has changed. Through faith in Christ, the one who was dead has received life.

Paul explains it this way:

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. — 2 Corinthians 5:17

Notice the language: “is.” It is a present reality.

The believer is not trying to become a new creation by his good works. He has become a new creation because he is in Christ.

Colossians 2:13 says:

And you, being dead in your sins... hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.

You were dead, but Christ gave you life.

You were under condemnation, but Christ brought you into justification.

You were separated from God, but through Christ you have been reconciled.

You were spiritually dead, but now you have received eternal life.

This is why the gospel is called good news. The gospel is not primarily a message about what you must do to make yourself acceptable to God. It is the announcement of what Christ has accomplished for you.

Romans 6:4 says that we are raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father.

The resurrection life of Christ is now the believer's reality.

Therefore, the Christian life should not be lived from a consciousness of spiritual death but from the consciousness of the life we have received in Christ.

You don't serve God in order to become alive. You serve God because you have received life.

You don't obey God in order to become a child of God. You obey from the identity you have received as His child.

You don't live holy so that Christ will finally accept you. You live from the acceptance you already have in Christ.

This distinction is important because when believers do not understand what Christ has accomplished, they can spend their entire lives trying to obtain what God has already given them.

The gospel says: you have passed from death to life.

1 John 5:11-12 declares:

God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life.

The question is not whether you can make yourself alive. The question is whether you have the Son.

If you have the Son, you have life.

Christ is your life.

Your confidence is therefore not in your ability to preserve yourself, but in the finished work of Christ and the life He has given you.

This does not give the believer a license to live carelessly. Rather, understanding the life we have received in Christ should produce gratitude, confidence, holiness, and a desire to walk in the reality of our new identity.

We are not trying to earn life.

We have received life.

We are not trying to escape death.

We have passed from death to life.

We are not waiting for Christ to complete the work of salvation.

We are standing in what Christ has already accomplished.

So, believer, understand who you are in Christ.

You were dead, but now you are alive.

You were in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.

You were without Christ, but now Christ is your life.

You were under condemnation, but now there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

The gospel is not merely a promise of life someday.

The gospel reveals that in Christ, you have already passed from death to life.

Walk in that reality.

Live from that reality.

And let your life continually testify to the power of the finished work of Christ.

YOU HAVE PASSED FROM DEATH TO LIFE!

25/08/2026

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES, DAILY DEVOTIONAL, TUESDAY 25TH AUGUST

TAKE YOUR PLACE AND EXERCISE DOMINION!

For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17).

Some have queried that if Jesus was truly Lord over all and over everything happening in the world, then why are things in disarray? Yes, He’s Lord; He’s seated far above all principality and power. But you must understand your place in His reign and in His lordship: He reigns through you. You’re His instrument of dominion.

Therefore, one of the reasons things are in disarray today isn’t because Christ lacks authority but because those who are to act in His stead haven’t understood or exercised that authority. That’s why the Word is coming to you even now. That’s why you’re being taught. You’re the one called to reign in His stead.

You’re the one to dominate this world and tame circumstances to conform to the perfect will of God. You’ve received abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness; that qualifies you for a life of dominion. You must consciously use the authority given to you in the Name of Jesus. When situations arise, don’t plead, don’t beg, don’t cower; take charge. Enforce the will of God.

The Lord Jesus is running the universe, yes; from galaxies to governments, nothing is exempt from His rule. But He administers His dominion through His Church. That means wherever you are, His authority is to be expressed through you. If things are out of order, you don’t watch them deteriorate; you take action. You speak and enforce God’s righteousness.

Everything in life has intelligence, and has been commanded to hear and obey Jesus (Matthew 17:5), and by extension, you because you’re one with Him. When you speak, everything in life, living or non-living, complies because you function in the Name of Jesus, in His dominion and authority. Hallelujah!

He empowered you to rule your world and rule the world in His Name. He said in John 20:21, “…as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” Then in Matthew 28:18, He said, “…All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Then He charged us, on account of His dominion and authority, to disciple the nations and make the world a better place (Matthew 28:19-20). Therefore, act accordingly; take your place and exercise your dominion in Christ.

PRAYER,
Dear Father, thank you for the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness that I’ve received in Christ. I walk in the consciousness of my authority and exercise dominion in every sphere of life. I enforce your will in my environment, bringing order, righteousness, and peace, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY
Luke 10:19 KJV
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Ephesians 2:6 KJV
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

2 Corinthians 4:13 KJV
We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING
1-Year Bible Reading Plan: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 & Psalms 135-138

2-Year Bible Reading Plan: Colossians 2:16-23 & Jeremiah 10-11

25/08/2026

22/08/2026

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL
SUNDAY, 23RD AUGUST 2026
PASTOR CHRIS

THEME: CHRIST—THE GOD-MAN DELIVERER

And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16).

We have to understand something about the name, Christ. It’s the English form of the Greek “Christos,” and that is the Greek form of the Hebrew “Messiah.” What does “Messiah” mean? It means the God-man deliverer. That’s why Jesus is called the Anointed One, the God-man Messiah.

From the prophecies of Moses and the other prophets, they understood that a Messiah would come, the God-man would come, and that this God-man would deliver them. And what kind of deliverance were they expecting? The ultimate deliverance! It was the deliverance from all evil and from all that’s human. Why did the Jews think that way?

It’s because they knew that what was human had become corrupted. They knew the story of how man fell in the Garden of Eden through Adam’s transgression. Thus, they believed that only the God-man deliverer, the ultimate deliverer, could set humanity free from Satan’s bo***ge and the corruption that worked in nature.

Man’s heart became deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). So, man realised he needed deliverance from himself, from that fallen nature. That’s why they looked forward to the coming of the God man, the Messiah. That’s why He was called the Anointed One. Not because they didn’t know about the anointing.

They knew Moses was anointed, likewise the priests. They knew the Kings, for example, David, and even Saul, and then the Prophets, were all anointed. They were familiar with the anointing. So, they weren’t just talking about an anointed one but the God-man. That was their expectation.

But sadly, when He came, they didn’t recognise Him. The Bible says, "He came unto his own, and his own received him not” (John 1:11). Jesus is that God-man. He is the Christ. Not just an anointed man, but the One who brought the ultimate deliverance. In Him, you’ve been delivered from all that’s evil and from the fallen human nature. You’ve been brought into a new life.

You’re not trying to be delivered; you’ve been delivered: “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Colossians 1:13). You’re not of the old human order; you’re a new creation by reason of Christ—the God-man deliverer. Blessed be God!

PRAYER

Dear Father, I thank you for the revelation of Jesus Christ, the God-man and my ultimate deliverer. I live in the consciousness of this truth that I’ve been brought into a new life in Christ, a life of glory and righteousness. I walk in this reality today, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY
John 1:14; Psalms 37:39-40; Isaiah 19:20

1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN
1 Corinthians 8; Psalms 120-127

2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN
Colossians 2:1-7; Jeremiah 8

20/08/2026

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES, DAILY DEVOTIONAL, THURSDAY 20TH AUGUST

AN IMPORTANT LESSON IN SOUL WINNING!

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:16)

Sometimes, when you tell people to win souls, their minds go straight to someone they already know, perhaps a neighbour, flatmate or roommate, a friend, co-worker or relative. The same person they’ve been witnessing to for years but hasn’t responded. So, whenever soul winning is mentioned, that’s where their thoughts go.

While that may be okay, you need to understand something more about how soul winning works. Those closest to you often don’t need repeated persuasion. Your life already speaks to them. The Lord didn’t say keep talking until they see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Rather, He said let your light so shine, referring to your Christian conduct and character, your walk in the Word. These already communicate Christ to them.

Therefore, don’t turn evangelism into endless arguments or repeated explanations with the same individuals. But more importantly, pray for them. Live the Word before them. Let your Christ-like life be the evidence. They’ll observe, reflect, and someday be ready to seek answers. At such a time, a simple explanation would be all they need.

But as long as they keep resisting and arguing with you, reach out to other people. Don’t allow familiarity to limit your reach. There are many who haven’t heard, many who are ready, many beyond your immediate circle, who will receive the Gospel when you speak. Reach out to those ones. Share the Gospel with those who are open and willing.

Sometimes, the adversary uses the same resistant individuals as a distraction, keeping you occupied while others who are ready remain unreached. Don’t fall into that trap. Be led by wisdom. Be intentional. Shine where you are, but go where the Spirit leads you.

CONFESSION:
I’m guided by the wisdom of God to be effective in soul winning. My light shines everywhere, and those in my world see my Christ-life and glorify God. My life is a testimony of God’s truth, glory and righteousness, and through me, many are brought into salvation today, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY
Proverbs 11:30 KJV
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

Mark 16:15 KJV
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Luke 10:1-6 KJV
After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. [2] Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. [3] Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. [4] Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. [5] And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. [6] And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again.

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING
1-Year Bible Reading Plan: 1 Corinthians 5 & Psalms 117-118

2-Year Bible Reading Plan: Colossians 1:1-8 & Jeremiah 5

18/08/2026

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL

PASTOR CHRIS OYAKHILOME Dsc. Dsc. DD.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19TH 2026

THE UNVEILING OF TRUTH

But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty… not handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God (2 Corinthians 4:2).

Our opening scripture talks about the manifestation of “the truth.” But what is truth? We find the answer in the words of the Lord Jesus in John 17:17, “… thy word is truth.” God’s Word is truth. However, not everything quoted from the Bible is the Word in truth. For it to be the Word of God, it must be consistent with the doctrine of Jesus Christ and the provisions of the Gospel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the unfolding of divine truth.

Outside the Gospel, truth remains veiled, but in the Gospel, truth is revealed, opened, and made clear. Truth was unknown until the Lord Jesus was manifested. He’s the unveiling of God’s plan, purpose, will, ideas and opinions. That’s why Paul uses the word “manifestation” (Greek: Phanerosis). It’s the same word used in 1 Corinthians 12:7: “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.”

The manifestation of the Spirit is the outward expression of the Spirit in His varied dimensions. In the same way, the manifestation of the truth is the outward expression of the truth—God’s Word in and through us today. For you to truly live for Jesus Christ, you need to know His Word because you can’t manifest what you don’t know.

You have to first know the truth to walk in the truth, and as 3 John 1:4 says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” When you have imbibed the truth of God, it controls your mentality. It becomes your way of thinking and shapes your viewpoints, opinions and ideas. God's Word has taken a hold of your personality, and it’s being manifested through you.

So, God’s desire isn’t only for you to talk the truth but to live the truth, in reality. This is why you must not live your life on the basis of assumptions. Study the Word to know, for the Bible says, “Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD…” (Hosea 6:3). This is your calling: to know and manifest the truth in clarity, with conviction and with power. Glory to God!

Prayer

Holy Father, I thank you for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the unfolding of truth. My understanding is enlightened by your Spirit, and I walk in the light of your Word. I manifest the truth and express your righteousness and glory today, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Further study
John 1:17; Colossians 1:26-27; 3 John 1:3-4

1-year bible reading plan
1 Corinthians 4; Psalms 113-116

2-year bible reading plan
Philippians 4:14-23; Jeremiah 4

18/08/2026

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES, DAILY DEVOTIONAL, TUESDAY 18TH AUGUST

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD BY FAITH!

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth (Romans 10:4).

There’s an important truth you need to understand about righteousness: it’s by faith, not by works. The Scripture makes this contrast clear in Romans 9:30-32. The Gentiles obtained righteousness because they received it by faith. But Israel, who pursued it through the Law, didn’t attain it because they sought it by works.

The Bible states clearly that by the works of the Law shall no man be made righteous: “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ…for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified” (Galatians 2:16). Also, Romans 3:21-22 says, “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested…Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe….”

Israel went about to establish their own righteousness through the Law, and it failed: “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:3).

The Scripture says they had a zeal for God but not according to knowledge. That’s still the situation today. Many are zealous, passionate and sincere in their pursuit of righteousness. They’re striving for what has already been given freely. But the key is yielding to or embracing the righteousness of God which is by the faith of Jesus Christ.

The righteousness of God is a gift you receive, not something you work for: “…they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17). 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Don’t try to establish your own righteousness through works. Accept what God has given you in Christ. In Philippians 3:9, Paul, by the Spirit, made this remarkable statement: “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” Hallelujah!

CONFESSION:
I’m the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus and I walk in the consciousness of my right standing with God, bold, confident, and victorious. I reign in life through Jesus Christ, manifesting His wisdom, glory and truth. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY
Galatians 2:16 NIV
know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Romans 3:20-22 KJV
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. [21] But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; [22] Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING
1-Year Bible Reading Plan: 1 Corinthians 3 & Psalms 109-112

2-Year Bible Reading Plan: Philippians 4:8-13 & Jeremiah 3

17/08/2026

COME AND SEE! — GRACE over JUDGEMENT

The woman at the well is a powerful reminder that we must never be too quick to judge whom God can use.

Jesus knew everything about her life. He knew she had already had five husbands, and that the man she was presently with was not her husband.

Yet Jesus did not walk away from her.
He did not disqualify her from receiving revelation.
Instead, He sat beside the well and spoke to her about Living Water.

“Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.”
John 4:14

Jesus exposed the truth of her life, but He did so in a way that led her toward revelation rather than rejection. When she realised He knew what no ordinary stranger could have known, she said

“Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.”
John 4:19

Then something extraordinary happened.

Jesus entrusted this woman with one of the clearest revelations of His identity recorded in the Gospels. When she spoke of the coming Messiah, Jesus answered:

“I who speak to you am He.”
John 4:26

Think about that.

A woman whose life others may have considered morally complicated or unacceptable became one of the people to whom Jesus personally revealed that He was the Messiah.

She left her waterpot, ran back into the city and cried

“Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”
John 4:29

And because of her testimony, many Samaritans came to Jesus and believed.

She arrived at the well carrying an empty vessel, but she left carrying a message.
She came looking for natural water and became a carrier of Living Water.
She came as a woman with a past and returned to her community as an evangelistic voice pointing people to Christ.

What people might have used to disqualify her, Jesus did not allow to prevent His purpose.

This does not mean that Jesus ignored truth or called sin righteousness. He spoke directly concerning her circumstances. Yet His truth was accompanied by grace, revelation and invitation.

There is a lesson here for the Body of Christ:

Be careful whom you dismiss.
Be careful whom you label unusable.
Be careful whom you judge before God has finished His work.

We often look at someone's present condition, while Jesus sees the person they can become after one encounter with Him.

God has always chosen unlikely vessels.

He used Rahab.
He used David despite his failures.
He used Peter after his denial.
He used Paul, once a persecutor of the Church.
And He used a Samaritan woman whose testimony caused an entire community to come and investigate Jesus for themselves.

Ultimately, the vessel belongs to God.

“But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.”
1 Corinthians 12:18

We are called to discern rightly, but we are not appointed to become the final judge of another person's destiny.

The Lord knows every heart, every hidden story, every weakness, and every purpose He has placed within a life.

The woman at the well teaches us that an encounter with Jesus can turn the very person others whisper about into the person proclaiming, “Come and see!”

Do not underestimate what Christ can do with one surrendered encounter.

There may be people standing beside their own “well” today who look completely unlikely to us.

Yet God may already see an evangelist, or a vessel for His purposes.

Jesus still gives Living Water to thirsty people—and He still chooses unexpected vessels through whom entire communities may hear His Name.



🖊️ Denise Sylvia Bruning
Creations Crown - Quill Scribes