Month: July 2020

[The Glory Unveiled]

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ( Galatians 2:20 )

A crucified man or woman is a dead man or woman. Once we come to be placed on the cross, we have come to that place where we are no longer alive to the world we once were alive to. Death is a gulf that separates two realms; the living from the dead. Jesus died on the cross and Christ came alive after three days. So when we identify ourselves with the death of Jesus, we become privileged to share in his life. We lose our own carnal life to inherit his divine life. Like the central nervous system, the carnal man in us used to control and manage the affairs of the old man. But when we die with Christ, in absolute surrender to His Lordship, we receive the spirit of Christ in us, managing the course of our lives to the praise of God’s name. But this life of Christ, though resident in us, cannot be expressed except by a special mechanism; faith. The life of God is translated to the environment of man by faith. Without faith, the God kind of life, though present cannot be seen in us. Faith allows the Christlike life to find expression in man. Now, without the life of Christ, no man can please God and without faith the life of Christ cannot be expressed. So Hebrews 11:6 says without faith it is impossible to please God. In other words, without the Spirit of Christ received by faith, no man can please God. Let this be our mindset, that we have been crucified with Christ.

Prayer_Bead: My Lord and my God, saviour of the world, thank you for the grace to partake in your life and to share in your inheritance by faith in Christ. I live by faith in Christ today and everyday.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled ]

Who can discern errors? Forgive my hidden faults. ( Psalms 19:12 )

It is easier to spot people’s faults and mistakes miles away from us than to see our own errors inches away from us. In another place the scripture says let he who thinks he stands watch lest he falls. Usually, because of our inability to discern our errors, when we sometimes think that we are “sound” and standing firm, that is when sometimes we are actually standing on miry clay, about sinking in. But when we are conscious of our weaknesses and vulnerabilities, it is then that we stand firm on the rock because then we would depend on Christ rather than ourselves. But whenever we are convinced that we are without errors and blemish, we don’t see any reasons to trust God or depend on Him for sustenance. But wisdom is humbling ourselves before God and acknowledging that we may have faulted without knowing it. And then ask for forgiveness and grace to walk in the path of love. Pride is more destructive than the destructive things we see outside ourselves. The only thing that can prevent someone from seeing their errors is pride. Pride covers the eyes with an invisible veil that is difficult to penetrate the thicket of reality. It makes us see what is not real and ignore what is real. On the other side, humility teaches us to see things in their natural state; as they are. Humble people discern their errors more often than one who is filled with pride. Let us empty ourselves of the baggage of pride and cloth ourselves with the garment of humility.

Prayer_Bead: Teach me Lord to number my days that I may lend my ears to wisdom. Help me to continually remain clothed in the garment of humility.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. ( 2Kings 6:17)

Faith is the platform that allows for accessing what exists but is invisible. It is the assurance that, what exists behind the curtains of the spiritual realms is able to translate into the physical realm. But there is another reality that prevents the eyes of faith from seeing. This reality is fear; being anxious that what we dislike may happen. But believing gives the heart an opportunity to see what the optical eyes cannot see. Elisha and his servant [mentee] had been surrounded by a physical army. Terrified by what he saw, the mentee called out to his master for refuge. Now, unlike the mentee, Elisha had seen what was not visible to the ordinary eyes but was spiritually tangible. The mentee could probably not see the angelic beings who had encompassed them because he was afraid. Fear always robs us of any spiritual advantages that are available to us. His fear became a scale that interrupted his sight until the man of God prayed for him. If we must see with the eyes of faith, then fear must not be allowed around us. Hebrews 11:3 says, [paraphrasing] what is seen is made out of what is unseen. The visible things of this earth have their foundation and source in the invisible realm, so that if it does not exist first in the invisible realm, then it cannot manifest in the physical sphere. For this reason, much importance should be attached to the things of the spirit if we want anything physically expressed. The spiritual must always take preeminence over the physical.

Prayer_Bead: Author and Finisher of my faith, thank you for the grace to see through the eyes of faith. Teach me to attend to the spiritual as much as I want to change my physical circumstances.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Reveiled]

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” ( Genesis 22:2 )

Without reasons to debate, Abraham was a man of unquestionable character especially when it had to do with the things of the LORD. Abraham had an attitude of trusting in the Lord with such commitment and dedication. The verse that follows our focal verse says, early the next morning Abraham went to carry out what he was asked to do in this verse–sacrifice his only son. In another place, [Genesis 12] where God asked him to leave his father’s house to a land He would show him, Abraham obeyed the Lord promptly. His attitude of being committed to the Lord are persistent. Whenever Abraham was asked to do something by the Lord, he did it without questioning the intentions of God. On the day God asked him to circumcise his household males and himself, the scripture says on that same day he circumcised every male in his house including himself (Genesis 17:23). He was a man who acted promptly to the promptings of the Spirit. He was not one to hesitate or question God’s reason for His actions. It is a sign of one who trusts so much in the God he had pledged his allegiance to. He trusted God enough to want to sacrifice the most precious thing to him, Isaac. Throughout the book of Genesis, anytime Abraham had to carry out an assignment or instruction by God, he did it without hesitation, fear or doubt. He had his absolute trust in God, giving him an assurance of hope [faith]. As a result he could not be dissuaded from what he believed. If ever we would pray for the grace and blessings of Abraham, we should [rather] pray for his attitude. Because it is difficult to keep the blessings without the right attitude.

Prayer_Bead: God of Abraham, my Father and Lord, thank you for showing me the ancient paths of your son Abraham. Guide me to walk in them.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.