Month: June 2020

[The Glory Unveiled]

Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing. ( 1Kings 18:21 )

The making of a choice is almost always a difficult thing, more so when our alternatives are knocked down to two seemingly convincing opinions. In the day of Elijah, the prophet, the people were losing a clear picture of their God; his nature and power. They were torn between two opinions [the Deity of Almighty God and the deity of Baal]. They had been living with the people who worship idols for so long that it seem to them that Baal, the idol many people adored in their time was God. In our personal and private walks, we are usually brought to the foot of mountains that seem impossible to cross, we come to crossroads where we have to make a choice between two very confusing or convincing things. In situations like that, our human faculties sometimes become unhelpful. We need to depend in times like that on the hand of God to point us in the way to go. Sometimes God points at the right choice with signs or wonders or a miracle. Other times it could be a quiet impression on our hearts. Either way we would know because our spirit will bear witness with the Spirit of God. And so, Elijah decided to help the people of his land to make the good choice among the Deities they were exposed to. He put the prophets (and by extension their Deities) to a test. The one who came out successful in the face of everyone was God indeed. In the verses that followed, the true God emerged. Now, the fact is, we cannot continue to waver between two options for too long. We must let God guide us into the right choice among all the alternatives life will present to us, by calling upon God as Elijah did.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Almighty, the true God of all generations, thank you for the grace and opportunity to make the right choice by your leading. Help me not to harden my heart to your will.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

She [the slave girl] kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her. ( Acts 16:18 )

The slave girl in the text of scripture above was demon possessed. She made predictions of the future with evil spirits. She had been following the apostle Paul and his team around. Making proclamations that she was not asked to make even if they seem true. Eve in the garden of Eden also tolerated the Serpent for far too long and before she could say “Jack”, she lost her position in the garden of God. Many other people lost their spiritual positions because they had tolerated the devil for too long. In Matthew 16:23, Jesus would have to rebuke the devil. Even though he (the devil) borrowed the mind of Jesus’ lead disciple, Peter, Jesus didn’t tolerate him nonetheless. The devil would go any length to steal what is yours if you allow him. The apostle Paul got to that point where he couldn’t tolerate the devil any longer. One thing is sure, if anyone gives the devil a footstool by tolerating his works and ideas, such a fellow will discover sooner rather than later that the devil had stolen and destroyed everything that is rightfully theirs and may even kill their desire for spiritual acquaintance with God. We need to grow tired of tolerating everything contrary to our inherent divine nature. Whatever the devil has been going around with us doing to undermine the word of God in our lives will cease when we grow tired of it. Stop the voice of the devil around you before it drowns the voice of God in you.

Prayer_Bead: Lord of glory and all power, let your voice swallow up every contrary utterance. Let it drown the speakings of the devil around me. In Jesus’ name.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel. ( 1Kings 18:46 )

Today’s devotional scripture verse is an excerpt from a very popular account in the old testament. Elijah had just prayed that it may rain, but before the rains came, he asked King Ahab to start heading home. So Ahab got on his chariots and begun his journey back to Jezreel. Afterwards, Elijah came down from the mountain to begin his journey. Apparently, everyone would agree that at this point, Ahab would have left a good distance for Elijah to cover. This event can be likened to life’s journey. Every one starts at the foot of the mountain. But then some people seem advantaged due to the fact of their circumstances while others seem disadvantaged due to the same reasons. But the good news is that the true advantage is in God. Like Elijah, we can overtake in life, in the corporate world, and in any other environment. As Believers, our advantage is in the power of God. We need the power of God like Elijah, to activate the ability to excel and overtake. The anointing to begin and finish anything is in the power of God. How could a man on foot outrun another carried by chariots? Interestingly, Ahab and Elijah were trying to avoid a heavy rain. In our attempt to avoid a crisis, we cannot trust our own resources. Ahab had a chariot, which is unarguably the fastest means of transportation in their day but that could not carry him fast enough. The surest resource is in the power of God. Let the power of God over all your circumstances.

Prayer_Bead: O Lord, let your power distinguish me from my competitors. Brace me to overtake in the race out of every crisis, in Jesus’ name.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

There is no fear in love: true love has no room for fear, because where fear is, there is pain; and he who is not free from fear is not complete in love. ( 1 John 4 :18)

The pain, [suspicions of what could go wrong] in a relationship, afflicts the heart with fear. And where fear is, love cannot find full expression. Many relationships that would have otherwise blossomed under the nourishment of love have been choked to die by fear. Fear of imaginary pain and fear of punishments for wrong sustained by the thought of “what ifs”. But 1 Corinthians 13:5 says that love keeps no record of wrongs. With this understanding in the background of our thoughts, we can agree that whenever fear is tolerated in the mind of one or both parties in any relationship, pain is being incubated. And fear of pain or fear of punishment is the entry point for the kind of fear that kills love. Fear has never permitted the fullness of anything to emerge. It truncates the glory of potential before it is opportuned to manifest. For any relationship to thrive, the fear of punishments or pain must not be given room. Usually, what people fear comes upon them (Job 3:25). And then what the other person wouldn’t and couldn’t have done, they seem to be doing as a confirmation to that fear. Eventually, love begins to die as a result. If you truly love something or someone, have no fear of losing it or them. Have no fear of being punished by them for any wrong. Have no fear of being inflicted with pain (being hurt) by them. Love will always take a leap of faith that fear is unwilling to take. Remember, our love is complete only when we are free from fear.

Prayer_Bead: Father in heaven, lover of my soul, sustainer of my spirit, thank you for the spirit of love and the grace to be complete in love. I pray that fear be far from me as far as the east is from the west.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; ( Isaiah 1:19)

We know that anytime a statement begins with “if”, it is suggestive of a condition. The best in the land where God had sent His people had always been there but it is only released or enjoyed when pre-determined conditions are met. God has presets that guide the dispensing of the best things hidden in every land. Be it the land of business, relationship, marriage, leadership, ministry etc. The conditions are willingness and obedience. Willingness speaks to desires and passion, whereas obedience creates the grounds for achievements. Without a willingness to want to have something, the desire to make a decision or obey instructions that would lead to the acquisition of the thing wouldn’t be feasible. Sometimes we “claim” blessings and favours we do not desire and are unwilling to obey God for yet we say “Amen” to them, isn’t it a fallacy. The conditions that permit the enjoyment of the good in any land cannot be bent or compromised. We can only observe the conditions to the letter, there is no way around conditions such as these. Do you want to eat the best of your land? Then your desire should be aroused and your willingness to obey should be unquestionably sound. If the conditions are met, the promise would be fulfilled. Whether or not we enjoy the best of the land where we are or where we are going is dependent on ourselves.

Prayer_Bead: Father of the fatherless, Saviour of the world, thank you for your promises. Give me the power to desire and obey the conditions that bring out the best of my land.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.