EUPHORIA Devotional (The spirit of joy, an ecstasy that comes from God) September 25, 2025 FAITH IN GOD’S PURPOSE REV. AROME E. TOKULA Ephesians 1:11 (NLT) *1Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he CHOSE us in advance, and he makes EVERYTHING work out according to his plan.* In our relationship with Christ, there is *absolutely* nothing that we cannot achieve; it is not a religion with a set of rules and regulations we must follow to receive anything we want. It is, more than anything, a beautiful relationship with our Creator. Religion is what tells us that there is nothing we can do about fate. What exactly is fate? The Cambridge English Dictionary terms fate as “What happens to a particular person or thing, especially something final or negative, like death or defeat.” Hebrews 2:14-15 says, “Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it’s logical that the Savior took on flesh and blood to rescue them by his death. By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil’s hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death." Praise God! In Him, we never have death or defeat as a final option! We know that our God is a giver of only good things and that *every good* and *perfect* gift is from Him, so why should you think that he would want us to remain in a situation we are not comfortable with? Matthew 16:19 (AMP) says, “ I will give you the keys (authority) of the kingdom of heaven; and WHATEVER YOU BIND [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth will have [already] been bound in heaven, and WHATEVER YOU LOOSE [permit, declare lawful] on earth will have [already] been loosed in heaven.” While religion boxes you into a corner, making you think that when you find yourself in a situation, whether by your fault or the fault of others, it is a life you should accept. There is nothing more untrue than this because this is not the reality that God wants us to see. Jeremiah 29:11 says *This is God’s Word on the subject: “…I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I HAVE IT ALL PLANNED OUT—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” (MSG)* God has a plan for your life; there is a picture that He has of your life, and what a beautiful picture it is! With this in mind, one of your greatest responsibilities is to *know* the *glorious* destiny to which you have been called and fulfill it. If as the Captain of our *faith* Jesus did not just allow the status of His earthly family to decide His fate, then you, dear believer, should not cower and accept *any* unfavorable circumstance surrounding your life as your fate. Put your faith to work today and *conquer* them all! *DECLARE* I confess that I am a child of God with great purpose, I am a co-creator with Christ and I am defining my future, shaping it into a beautiful life in line with God’s Word. I am victorious in all I do as I have complete faith in His plan for my life and I step closer to the glorious future God has for me and my family! *PONDER* One of your greatest responsibilities is to know the glorious destiny to which you have been called and fulfill it. #IOFWithPastorArome #MorningDevotion #Euphoria #Devotional #September #MonthOfRest #2025_TheChristOurLord

EUPHORIA Devotional (The spirit of joy, an ecstasy that comes from God) September 16, 2025 PERSUADED BY GOD’S WORD REV. AROME E. TOKULA Hebrews 4:2 - For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being MIXED WITH FAITH in those who heard it. If there are any struggle believers have in walking with a God they can’t see, it is the fact that their minds aren’t fully persuaded about the truths found in scriptures. It is possible to hear the Word of God and only mentally assent to it without being persuaded to act upon it. This is exactly what happened to the children of Israel after they left Egypt. They rejoiced and danced. They sang, “... I will sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!” (Exodus 15:1). They were happy and excited at God’s great deliverance from Egypt but when they found themselves in the wilderness and were hungry, they started complaining and murmuring (Exodus 16:2-3). They knew the power of God and His ability to save but weren't persuaded about it. Rather than judging God faithful through the situation they complained and murmured. Despite all the amazing things that God did for the children of Israel, the Bible says in Psalm 78:32-33 that, *In spite of this THEY STILL SINNED, and did NOT BELIEVE in His wondrous works. Therefore, their days He consumed in futility, and their years in fear.” Their sin was that they refused to be persuaded concerning the Word of God. This is why our text says that the message or the Word didn't profit them because they didn’t mix it with faith. It literally means they weren't persuaded about what they heard! It is not enough to just hear the Word of God; it is vitally important to be persuaded about that Word. By persuasion, I am talking about tenaciously holding on to the Word regardless of any contradictory circumstance or evidence. The way to build this kind of unswerving confidence in the Word of God is through constant meditation (i.e., pondering and deep thinking) in the Word. It is through meditation that the Word of God takes root in the core of your consciousness. Jesus taught in the parable of the sower that the seeds that fell on rocky ground (Mark 4:6) are the ones, “... who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they HAVE NO ROOT IN THEMSELVES, and so ENDURE ONLY FOR A TIME. Afterward, WHEN tribulation or persecution arises for the WORD’S SAKE, IMMEDIATELY THEY STUMBLE” (Mark 4:16-17). Tribulation and persecution will always arise for the sake of the Word that you hear and this is why it is very important to allow the Word of God take root through meditation so that when the hard times come, you'll emerge with testimonies and victories born from the Word of God. DECLARE I am what the Word of God says I am. I have what it says I have and I can do what it says that I can do in Jesus name. Even in the midst of contradictory circumstances and evidences I have made up my mind that the WORD of God defines my realities. I am not giving up and I am not quitting; I stay in the arena of faith as revealed to me in the Word of God. There is no way I can lose because my faith is anchored on the Word of God. PONDER It is not enough to just hear the Word of God; it is vitally important to be persuaded about that Word. #IOFWithPastorArome #MorningDevotion #Euphoria #Devotional #September #MonthOfRest #2025_TheChristOurLord

EUPHORIA Devotional (The spirit of joy, an ecstasy that comes from God) September 15, 2025 MAKING THE RIGHT STATEMENTS. REV. AROME E. TOKULA Mark 11:24 - Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask WHEN YOU PRAY, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. For a believer prayer is more of a life than an event. Revelation 5:10 says, “And have MADE us KINGS AND PRIESTS to our God; and we shall reign on the earth." Every child of God has a priesthood ministry as such we are called to ‘be’ priests and not to ‘do’ priesthood. The work of a priest is to offer up gifts and sacrifices and one of such sacrifices is prayers (Hebrews 8:3). In the New Testament, we stand perpetually in our priesthood and offer our prayers by the statements that constantly proceed from our lips to the Father. As a praying priest that you are, you have to be intentional about the words that you speak, because you cannot speak and spit out unbelieving words all day and then take a position of prayer and expect things to change! In Mark 11:23 Jesus said, “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever SAYS to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he SAYS will be done, he will have whatever he SAYS.” The word translated ‘say’ in this verse is from the Greek word, ‘lego’ which means to lay forth! This means when we speak as believers, we are actually laying up words to form and create things. For most people it is when the words they’ve been laying forth eventually manifests that they get to realize what they’ve been doing all along without knowing. The consciousness of priesthood will make every child of God to make the right statements in their everyday conversations and utterances. If you are deliberate with your words, you will become deliberate with what you want to see in your life, family, business, community, nation etc.! According to our text, the things we ask for when we pray and we believe that we receive are the things we have! Imagine what will happen to you when you see yourself as a priest and you begin to weigh in your words and you become deliberate about speaking forth only things that you believe on your job, at home, relaxing on the beach etc. Jesus didn’t say to just speak to the mountain, rather He taught us to lay up words in a manner that it builds what we want to see because it eventually moves any mountain out of our way! DECLARE |Thank You Father for the privilege and honor of being called into priesthood! To know that Your Words on my lips have the power to move any mountain gives joy. I am intentional about the words that proceed from my mouth because I am a priest who makes the right statements that cause and bring change in Jesus name! PONDER The consciousness of priesthood will make every child of God to make the right statements in their everyday conversations and utterances. #IOFWithPastorArome #MorningDevotion #Euphoria #Devotional #September #MonthOfRest #2025_TheChristOurLord

EUPHORIA Devotional (The spirit of joy, an ecstasy that comes from God) September 10, 2025 TAKE THE OPPORTUNITIES REV. AROME E. TOKULA Mark 4:28-29 *For the EARTH YIELDS crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But WHEN THE GRAIN RIPENS, IMMEDIATELY he PUTS IN THE SICKLE, because the harvest has come.” In 2 Corinthians 9:8, the Bible says, “And God is able to make all grace (every favour and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance …”(AMPC). This means the grace of God will always cause the earth to yield for us in abundant measure. Now, it doesn’t matter the state of the economy of the place where a giver is located, God will always cause his/her needs to be met with more than enough to be a blessing to others. This is why scripture says, “… so that you may always and UNDER ALL CIRCUMSTANCES and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation].”Glory to God! Jesus taught by way of principle in the parable of the sower that the earth yields crop by itself and it is the covenant right of every believer that the earth should yield its best to us. According to Isaiah 1:18, there is good in every land but it is the grace of God that makes the land yield for you its best. So, establish it in your heart today that the best of the land is yours and the grace of God makes ‘the earth’ yield its best for you. Pharaoh told Joseph to tell his brothers, “DON'T WORRY about having to leave things behind; THE BEST IN ALL of EGYPT will be yours" (Genesis 45:20 MSG). When we give to God, the kingdom or people, the grace of God is made available to us and one of the things this ‘grace’ does is to present us with opportunities which we must take! Sometimes and most times, the harvest of our seeds goes through a series of phases of events i.e., the blade, the head then the ripened grain. Now a ‘ripen grain’ is what you will call a ‘golden opportunity’ that you need to put your sickle to and take. Putting in your sickle requires labour because the harvest is work – good work. Proverbs 10:5 says, “He who GATHERS DURING SUMMER and TAKES ADVANTAGE of HIS OPPORTUNITIES is a son who acts wisely …”(AMP). So, the prudent use of opportunities is wisdom and it is key to taking your harvest! Don’t be lazy at taking opportunities that grace brings rather take advantage of the grace of God and seize the moments and opportunities presented to you. Act upon those ‘Spirit-inspired’ ideas. Follow up on that assignment and project. Laziness is a manifestation of fear and a lazy person cannot reap a harvest regardless of multiple opportunities. Be an optimist and not a pessimist. Like Oswald Sanders rightly said, “An optimist sees an opportunity in every problem but a pessimist sees a problem in every opportunity.” Proverbs 22:13 says, “The lazy one [MANUFACTURES EXCUSES and] says, “There is a lion outside! I will be killed in the streets [if I go out to work]” (AMP) You have planted your seeds; it is now time to take your opportunities because the harvest is yours. In 1 Corinthians 15:10, the bible says, “But because God was so gracious, so very generous, here I am. And I’m not about to LET HIS GRACE GO TO WASTE … it was God GIVING ME THE WORK to do, God GIVING ME THE ENERGY to do it.” The grace of God will give you what to do (opportunities) and also give you the required energy to do it so that it all amounts to great profit as you step out in faith today in Jesus' Name. DECLARE The best of the land belongs to me because the earth is yielding for me a great harvest! The grace of God is working through me, creating opportunities for me and enabling me with the required energy, wisdom, people, and skill to do that which He has asked me to do. I see the blade, the head, and the full corn of my harvest, and I am riding triumphantly upon the heights of the land and excelling in all that concerns me in Jesus' Name. PONDER Don’t be lazy at taking opportunities that grace brings rather take advantage of the grace of God and seize the moments and opportunities presented to you #IOFWithPastorArome #MorningDevotion #Euphoria #Devotional #September #MonthOfRest #2025_TheChristOurLord

EUPHORIA Devotional (The spirit of joy, an ecstasy that comes from God) September 9, 2025 FAITH IS THE RIGHT RESPONSE!* TEV. AROME E. TOKULA Ephesians 2:8 - For by GRACE, you have been saved THROUGH FAITH, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. Salvation – healing, promotion, protection, provision, preservation, and peace - is freely given by grace! It is grace because there is nothing you can do that qualifies you to make God give it to you. The grace of God is His love actively demonstrated towards you, irrespective of your performance. It is His love, not anything that you have done or will ever do, that has made Him forgive your sins, heal your body, and provided for your needs. Romans 8:32 says, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not WITH HIM also FREELY GIVE US ALL THINGS?” It is God’s love that made Him give us Jesus and with Him, He has given us all things. There is no price you can pay to merit whatever He gives! 2 Peter 1:3 says, “As His DIVINE POWER HAS GIVEN TO US ALL THINGS that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.” His divine power has given us *ALL* things to enjoy! This divine power is also the grace of God. The grace of God is His willingness to use His power on your behalf, regardless of your performance! His grace has given us all things to enjoy; there is nothing He is withholding from us. Some believers miss it because they don’t know “how’” to “receive’” what grace has given. There *MUST* be an appropriate response to the grace of God, which is *FAITH.* Faith is the hand that receives what grace has provided because what grace has generously provided, we have to *ACTIVELY* take by faith. Salvation has been graciously given to all of humanity because of the grace of God, but that doesn’t mean everyone on earth is saved. It has to be received by faith. Romans 3:24 (NIV) says, “And all are JUSTIFIED FREELY BY HIS GRACE through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Notice that the Bible says we have been justified *FREELY* by His *GRACE.* Romans 3:25 (NIV) says, “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—TO BE RECEIVED BY FAITH...” This sacrifice of atonement that has been freely made for us has to be *RECEIVED* by *FAITH*. Glory to God! Faith receives! This is why the teaching of grace makes you see God’s supply, who He is, and what He has given you, and the teaching of faith helps you receive what has freely been given. As a child of God, everything that needs to be done concerning you has been finished. God expects you, in faith, to take what is yours! Romans 4:16 (MSG) says, “This is why the FULFILLMENT of God’s promise DEPENDS ENTIRELY ON TRUSTING GOD AND HIS WAY (FAITH), and then simply embracing him and WHAT HE DOES (grace). God's promise arrives as a pure gift. THAT'S THE ONLY WAY EVERYONE can be sure to get in on it, those who keep the religious traditions and those who have never heard of them. For Abraham is the father of us all. He is not our racial father—that's reading the story backward. He is our faith father.” (Emphasis mine)*_ Grace and faith are the two important requirements for the fulfillment of anything that is yours in Christ Jesus. Faith is dependent entirely on trusting God and His way while grace is simply embracing Him and what He does. Joshua 18:3 says, “Then Joshua said to the children of Israel: “How long will you NEGLECT TO GO AND POSSESS the land which the LORD God of your fathers HAS GIVEN YOU?” After the land was subdued, the children of Israel had to take what was theirs. They were neglecting going to take what was theirs. Church, it is time to take by faith, what is yours. Faith operates by believing in your heart, speaking with your mouth, acting upon God's Word, and yielding to the Holy Spirit. Faith, not our self-effort, is the right response to the grace of God! DECLARE Today, I have no confidence in my self-effort. I believe in my heart and so I boldly declare. I receive all that grace has freely given. By faith, I take and live in divine health. I take God’s promotion and protection. I take God’s provision and preservation. I take God’s peace. Glory to God! PONDER Faith operates by believing God's Word in your heart, speaking it with your mouth, acting upon it, and yielding to the Holy Spirit. #IOFWithPastorArome #MorningDevotion #Euphoria #Devotional #September #MonthOfRest #2025_TheChristOurLord

EUPHORIA Devotional (The spirit of joy, an ecstasy that comes from God) September 2, 2025 YOKED WITH THE HOLY GHOST REV. AROME E. TOKULA Matthew 11:30 - For MY YOKE IS EASY and My burden is light. In Christ Jesus we find rest from every form of condemnation, anxiety and fear. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I WILL GIVE YOU REST.” He has given us rest and from this position of rest we approach everything in life. In the next verse Jesus teaches us to operate FROM rest. The Message Translation of Matthew 11:29 says, “WALK with me and WORK with me — WATCH HOW I DO IT. Learn the UNFORCED RHYTHMS OF GRACE. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.” Christianity is both a WALK and WORK with God! In Jesus’ days it was common for oxen to be yoked together to plough the field. The practice was to pair a stronger, older and more mature ox with a younger one with a yoke on their necks. The older ox actually did the work while the younger ox simply just followed and learned. On the outside it looked like both oxen were working but in reality, it’s actually the older ox doing the work. The ‘unforced rhythms of grace’ are found and learned as we walk in fellowship with God. For the disciples who were physically with Jesus, He taught them to watch Him and learn how to handle life’s situations rather than let life handle them. For example, when the disciples had to pay the temple tax, they understood the ‘unforced rhythms of grace.’ They had Jesus – the ‘older and stronger ox’ to plough that 'field.’ Jesus told Peter, _”... go down to the lake, cast a hook, and pull in the first fish that bites. Open its mouth and you’ll find a coin. Take it and give it to the tax men. It will be enough for both of us” (Matthew 17:27 Message). From the outside, it looked like Peter caught the fish, found the money and paid the taxes but it was because Jesus directed him on what to do to get that result. Peter was ‘yoked’ with Jesus! Peter paid the tax because he was yoked with Jesus. He didn't know ‘how,’ but he knew Jesus. At the end of Jesus’ ministry here on earth, the disciples felt sad! They were wondering how they were going to navigate through life without Him, but He told them in John 14:18 (TPT), “I promise that I WILL NEVER leave you HELPLESS or ABANDON YOU AS ORPHANS — I will come back to you!” He was literally saying to them, “Don't worry, you’re not going to miss me because there's no way I'm going to ever leave you without help.” The help they needed came to them in the person of the Holy Spirit because He told them in John 14:16, “And I will pray to the Father, and He will give you ANOTHER HELPER, that He may abide with you forever.” The Helper is the Holy Spirit. He is exactly like Jesus! All the disciples needed to do was to be 'yoked’ with Him like they were with Jesus. You have a forever abiding help in the Person of the Holy Ghost. Don’t try to figure out life in your own ability or intelligence because life will wear you out. Jesus is still saying today, “WALK WITH ME and WORK WITH ME—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you” (Matthew 11:29 MSG). If there is anything to learn as a child of God, it is to be led by God’s Spirit and your work is to do whatever reveals to you to do. DECLARE Thank You Father for the gift of Your Holy Spirit in my life. I am yoked with Him in everything that I do. He is my ever-present help. I always know what to do because I have the Holy Spirit with me and in me. I am a burning and shining light because I am led by God's Spirit as I abide in God’s Word. My day is filled with testimonies in Jesus' Name. PONDER You have a forever abiding help in the person of the Holy Ghost. Don’t try to figure out life in your own ability or intelligence because life will wear you out. #IOFWithPastorArome #MorningDevotion #Euphoria #Devotional #September #MonthOfRest #2025_TheChristOurLord