Month: February 2020

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God’s approval

[The Glory Unveiled]

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. ( 2 Timothy 2:15 )

The approval of men is inconsequential when we stand before the Lord who knows the thoughts and intents of men. Most times, when we talk about this scripture, we explain it in the light of mental acumen of the scriptures to impress men. There are those who study the scriptures only to be able to quote them so concisely that people will call them “walking bibles”. But a thorough examination of the scriptures reveals that, we need to study the scriptures to prove ourselves *unto God* and not men. So that we will not be ashamed in our representation of our God. Its just like a sales rep who does not know about the products and company she/he represents, imagine the shame and embarrassment that salesperson will endure? We must study to be approved of our God and not men because it is our God who employed us into our callings. So let us consciously study to show ourselves approved unto God alone.

Prayer_Bead: Father in Heaven, thank you for your word. Help me to study to show myself approved unto you. May I seek your approval alone in all things.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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The entrance of the Word

[The Glory Unveiled]

Then he [Jesus] climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They [disciples] were completely amazed, ( Mark 6:51 )

The scripture speaks about a time when the disciples had gone on ahead of Jesus after a crusade of some sort. Jesus followed later, after so many hours only to find the disciples straining at the oars because the wind was against them (see, verse 48). In the turmoil of their predicament, the disciples probably tried to handle the situation from their professional perspective as many of them were fishermen. The lesson they learnt which we are also to learn by the grace of God is the fact that, without Jesus, everything is a chaos. But praise be to God, the entrance of Christ in the boat died down the waves. In Genesis 1:2, we  discover that the earth was without form and chaotic until God introduced the Word in verse 3, when God said, “let there be… ” The word of God in flesh is Jesus. And where the word of the Lord is, there is freedom. The guarantee for liberty from any life experience we do not want is the word of Christ. Invite the word of God into your circumstances and you’ll see the peace of God.

Prayer_Bead: Heavenly Father, thank you for your word of grace. I invite you into the boat of my circumstances. Let every raging wave die down in Jesus’ name.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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The mechanism of Faith

[The Glory Unveiled]

And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith. ( Matthew 13:58 )

Faith is the only instrument that crystallises spiritual truth so that they can be experienced in the physical realm. Without faith every spiritual phenomenon experienced is an illusion. In the verse above, Jesus wouldn’t do many miracles in His hometown and it was not because Jesus became less God but rather that the people couldn’t see with the eyes of faith. They saw Christ as the man they knew in their community. All the spiritual realities that the people could have experientially participated in were in Christ, but the mechanism–faith–needed to translate it (draw it out) to themselves was lacking. All the miracles and healing and deliverances were seated in Christ waiting for expression by the beckoning of faith. In truth, there are spiritual protocols that cannot be overlooked; they are non negotiable when it comes to realising certain realities in the earth realm. Its amazingly worth noting that the scripture didn’t say that Jesus “couldn’t” do many miracles but that “he did not do”. This explains that Jesus could still have performed those miracles but He obeyed the protocol of faith. Without faith, our spiritual life is just a daydream. The realities we hope for, are experiential only to the degree of our faith in Christ and He alone.

Prayer_Bead: Father Lord, you who called light out of darkness, call true faith out of my heart. Help me through the word of your grace to have confidence in you.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Let it Shine

[The Glory Unveiled]

In the same way, *let your light shine* before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. ( Matthew 5:16 )

Jesus made a profound statement in John 9:5, that He is the light of the world. He made this statement immediately before He worked a miracle. And here, we are admonished to let “our” light shine. The light in us, referred to as “your” light is actually the light of God customized for you. The same light of God in every believer is expressed through us differently. So that the light of God in you may be seen as wisdom in you but seen as music in another person and yet it is exposed as the workings of miracles and healings in others. The light of God in us is the protocol that breaks the laws of life. The light of God lightens the path of men so that darkness is banished. But the reality is that, even though the light of God resides in us, we must *let* the world see it in us through our deeds. Jesus proved Himself as the light of the world by His deeds as evident in the verses before and after John 8:12; 9:5 respectively. Let the world see your light (gift of God). Let your business express God, let your art express God, let everything that comes from you reveal an aspect of God.

Prayer_Bead : Lord Jesus, help me to let your light delegated to me shine before men. Teach me to do the works you have given me grace to do.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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The impressions of God

[The Glory Unveiled]

While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man [Jesus], for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.” ( Matthew 27:19 )

The wife of Pilate had a strong impression from God in a dream, concerning a very delicate matter her husband was involved in, thus, the judgment of Jesus, whether He was deserving of death or not. She was wise and sensible enough not to just brush off the dream. She is a kind of wife—like Abigail who prevented David from killing Nabal, her husband—who helps prevent evil from entering their home. In marriage and any human relationships, we must be discerning enough to keep trouble far from our home or sphere of interaction. If she had just brushed off that dream or better still decided not to tell her husband about it, she would have been partly responsible for the death of Jesus.__On the part of Pilate, we can see that, sometimes it’s not just enough to make decisions because you are sitting on a positional throne; a judges’ seat. Decisions should be informed by discernment and revelation. Any life altering, history writing decisions we make must rest on the shoulders of understanding sponsored by discernment. Without discernment, many destinies have been aborted and lives dashed to ineffectiveness. In our position and capacity as whoever we may be, we must still listen to good counsel, which is able to save us a lot of future catastrophes. Let us allow ourselves to be led by the will of God.

Prayer_Bead : Father in Heaven, the discerner of thoughts and intentions, open the eyes of my heart to hidden realities as I walk with you. Teach me to choose with an understanding of motives. In Jesus’ name.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Jesus’ heart

[The Glory Unveiled]

Jesus replied, “Friend, do what you came for.” Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. ( Matthew 26:50 )

“Friend” as used in this scripture refers to Judas Iscarriot. Now, Judas had just betrayed Jesus when that statement was made and in the heat of the betrayal, Jesus calls him “friend”. The words we articulate at any point in time reveals the state and attitude of our heart. How could anyone call someone who had betrayed him/her to be killed, friend? The way Jesus called Judas opens our heart to the depth of Christ’s love and the unconditionally nature of it. And more than that, for Christ to be able to mirror out that love in spite of having a will separate from that of the Father—while He walked the earth—meant that Christ was Love itself. He wasn’t acting in love but lived love. We are admonished through the grace of His calling to live His example to a dark world. Our present world wallows in darkness and wickedness but with Christ in our hearts through fellowship with His Spirit, we can light our world with love; the God kind of love that the world knows not. Let the world see, hear and experience Christ through you.

Prayer_Bead: My Father in Heaven, express your life and love to the world through me. Let the world see Christ through my words and actions.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Return God’s property

[The Glory Unveiled]

“Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” ( Matthew 22:21 )

What would you do if you borrowed someone’s item and the person requested for it later? You’d naturally have to give it back to them—the obvious thing to do right? God gave us life, so we must give our lives back to Him. A life not dedicated to the worship and service of God is spiritual robbery (in the sense that such a life is not returned). Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what is His. Our spirit, soul and body belongs to God. It is only appropriate to give back to Him what is His. But how do we give back to God? Its by applying Matthew 22:37, which says “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ *Our love for God is the true expression of our stewardship and giving back of ourselves for His glory*. Love is the selfless giving of self for the service and benefit of another as if one’s needs do not exist. Loving God with all our will, emotions, intellect and memory brings pleasure and glory to God. Give to God what belongs to Him in all circumstances. Let’s not rob God of His property.

Prayer_Bead: Father in Heaven, the source and sustainer of all things, I surrender and yield my spirit, soul and body to you. I love you with my heart, intellect and emotions.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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What did God say?

[The Glory Unveiled]

But about the resurrection of the dead–have you not read what God said to you, ( Matthew 22:31 )

Could it be that God has something to say about that issue disturbing your peace of mind? But you haven’t read about it yet? Could you be waiting on God to tell you something he had already said to you so many years earlier in His word? The will of God for us is often hidden in plain site. It is the responsibility of the believer to search it out. There is definitely something about what you are enquiring from Google and friends that God has an absolute voice on in His word. Have you not yet read what God said to you? There is a definite word to you as an individual in God’s word as well as a corporate word. Search the scriptures for the message God left in there for you. A clue to finding what God has to say to you is: eagerly desire to know what He said. Read the scriptures with the intent to find something and not just to know what the scripture says. Be very intentional in your study of the word.

Prayer_Bead: Father of all glory, open my eyes to see and my heart to discern what your word to me is. Give me a fresh passion for bible study.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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God in the beginning

[The Glory Unveiled]

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ( Genesis 1 :1 )

All things, irrespective of their make up and nature, begun with God. No beginning has meaning without the essence of God. Apostle Paul said in Acts 17:28 that in Him [God], we live and move and have our being. To mean we begun and exist because of God. Most of the chaos around us is as a result of not laying our foundations with God, in the ‘beginning’ or wanting God to continue something we didn’t allow God to build. No man can lay any strong foundation except that which is laid by the Lord. So exempting Him in the beginning and beckoning Him midway to do a quick fix is just so not the way to go about things. If the foundations–root, beginning–be destroyed, what can you do? No beginning is complete except God is the beginning, the inventor Himself. Most marriages, businesses, institutions etc begun without God sometimes with the excuse that such things are technocratic and hence do not need the help of religion [God]. But then, God encompasses all knowledge and learnings. So that without Him, nothing is without chaos as in the beginning of time.

Prayer_Bead: Father, who in the beginning of time was, and now is, I yield my all to you. I pronounce you as the foundation of everything in my life.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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The voice of true faith

[The Glory Unveiled]

30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” ( Matthew 20:30-31 )

Sometimes in order to be heard by the Lord, we must ignore the voice of the world and people around us. And we must be consistent with our confessions too. Keep saying it, don’t stop talking it, until there is a reaction from the other end of the divide–heaven. The two blind men were consistent in their confessions regardless of the crowd. So that the louder the crowd tried to stop them, the louder they also made their voice heard. Sometimes, in the battle for heaven’s recognition, we must ignore what the status quo of the day is. We must ignore the “inappropriateness” of our faith. Actually faith is illogical, it is disbelief and doubt that tries to analyse and make logic out of spiritual truth and realities. Today, enter your prayer closet with the full assurance of God’s response to you if you push through the doubt screaming at you. Ignore the flesh, press on with expectancy and you’d not be disappointed, even as the two blind men were not.

Prayer_Bead: King of glory, help me to push through the noise of doubt and disbelief all around me. Keep my gaze on you alone in every chaotic situation.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.