Month: September 2020

[The Glory Unveiled]

But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy and loving-kindness and gave him favor in the sight of the warden of the prison. [ Genesis 39:21 ]

The Lord Almighty loves all his children and His handiworks. But his [tangible manifest] presence is not with all his children. This truth is perfectly mirrored in Moses’ life, against the background of the rest of the people of Israel. The presence of God was always with Moses while the remaining citizens of Israel had no idea who God was and what He could and couldn’t do.  Their knowledge of God was only a creation of their imagination and not experientially from their dealings with God. This defect in their relationship with God is largely due to idolatry; replacing God with another. The sin of idolatry hinders the presence and acts of God probably more than any single evil. Anytime we make obeisance to another god, we are saying in effect that, that god is God and Lord. It means we have given our love and passion to that thing or deity. Love releases and allows the presence of God into our lives. Our love for God forbids us from giving his place to another and so God will also not give our place to another in intimate fellowship with Him. The presence of God with any man nullifies anything that could go wrong with that person. God’s presence creates a wall of defense around the person so that nothing evil will damage the image of God in them. With the presence of God, all the seemingly impossible and negative confrontations of life are only a ladder to reach higher heights.

Prayer_Bead: Holy Father, lover of my soul, thank you for your presence with me that opens doors for your loving-kindness, mercy and favour. 

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[ The Glory Unveiled]

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. ( John 15:2 )

Almost every business is pursued with the motive of making profit, or at least that is the secondary motive. God, in the verse of scripture above is also portrayed as a businessman. He is looking for returns on his investments in us by giving us nourishment and support. God in love and mercy, gave His only begotten son to die for our sins, so that we may be redeemed from the punishment of sin. Jesus then becomes the vine and we are the branch. Without Jesus, we cannot receive life and nourishment. And ultimately we cannot, bear fruit. Our fruitfulness is tied to our oneness with Christ. In isolation, no branch can bear fruits on its own. We need to be connected to the life line of the vine to live the life of the vine. While on earth, we have every opportunity to live a fruitful life in the confines of God’s grace. And because God is making grace available to us, He demands accountability from us. God would want dividends from His investments. It also means that God is watching out for our fruits and not just our lives. If God had just wanted us to live an empty life, we all probably wouldn’t be born. But each one of us is a unique package from God intended to be exhibited on the earth scene to showcase the glory of God. Let that seed of God’s love and grace bear fruit to the praise of His name.

Prayer_Bead: Jehovah, the Vinedresser, thank you for your grace that keeps me in the garden of this world. Prune away every debris of the world from me so that I may bear more fruits.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Jesus said to him, Get up! Pick up your bed and walk! [ John 5:8 ]

The story is about an invalid who had been bedridden for 38years. He had been in that condition for so long that his predicament became his new normal. Ever been in a situation that felt like a new normal and nothing was possibly going to change about it? In such situations, we lose the ability to identify solutions and opportunities when they are presented. The invalid man in the story of today’s scriptural verse saw Jesus—his solution—as any ordinary man because his situation made him see every man in a skewed lens of perception. No matter the length of time, we must endeavor to see possibility in every crooked place. Whenever Jesus shows up at a place, He does not leave it the same. It wouldn’t matter how dark or deep a situation is when Jesus shows up. He holds the key to all problems and he encompasses all solutions. Jesus is all in all and all together able to sufficiently make enough grace available for every predicament. And as the redeemed of Jesus we have in us that life giving spirit too. We have the potential to affect situations and territories. We can and should affect our environment positively with the power of God.

Prayer_Bead: Compassionate Father and King, thank you for your mercy and grace. Let the light of your redemptive power shine in every darkness around my life.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

For however many promises God has made, they all find their “Yes” in connection with him; that is why it is through him that we say the “Amen” when we give glory to God. ( 2 Corinthians 1:20 )

The number of promises God made to us does not count when we think in terms of their fulfillment. The scripture says that their fulfillment and manifestation is always in connection with the God who made the promise Himself. The promises of God without God are not the promises of God; they are invalid, for they cannot be fulfilled in isolation and independence of God. And because the promises can only find fulfillment in connection with God, we need to give Him the glory due His name. As a matter of fact, there are certain promises of God that seem unrealistic. They seem to bend so outward from the curve of possibility and unreconcilable with reality, whether ever in the past or ever in the future. But then, the scripture shows us that unless we connect God’s promises—regardless of their number and “impossibility”—to “Yes”, we cannot see the reality of the “Amen”. We need to believe that once it is God, He will make good his promises. So that when we connect the promise to “Yes”, we wouldn’t have to bother how many the promises of God may be. The “Amen” only becomes a reality when we give glory to God. So to some extent, the speed of our expectations are tied to our giving glory to God, which is actually a proof of our faith in His promises. Honour fast tracks the promises of God no matter what.

Prayer_Bead: Jehovah Jireh, thank you for your provisions. Teach me through the Spirit of endurance to wait upon your promises for my life.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled] 

“Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:”

( Colossians 3:5 )

The energy of the flesh cannot sponsor the demands of the spirit. Everything the eyes see and the senses perceive is deeper than what they actually seem like. For instance, fornication seem to be only “two people sleeping together who are not married” And that meaning had been the understanding of many of us until Christ Jesus showed us the depth of that word to include the fact that, an unmarried person lusting after someone is also fornication. The scripture above says we should mortify—deaden, kill, cause to disappear—the physical extensions of our souls; the desires of our flesh that can engage the body in acts of the flesh. But in order to mortify the desires of the flesh, we need the energy of the spirit which comes from intimacy with the Holy Spirit. In the energy of the flesh, we would only keep struggling and failing and repeating our errors and shortcomings until we grow weary. We need to be spiritually minded and focused in order to mortify the desires of the flesh. In our strength, we can do nothing about the sins that easily entangle us. This calls for something higher or stronger than what we can afford by the flesh and depend on the Spirit. And once we encounter the word of God that brings deliverance, we need to hold unto it as if our lives depend on it because it does.

Prayer_Bead: Father in heaven, thank you for the energy of the Spirit that quickens my mortal body so that I may mortify the members of my flesh upon the earth.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” ( Job 1:17 )

The verse of scripture is an excerpt from the famous account of Job’s tragedies. His entire household had come under a strong attack; one tragedy after the other. Almost everything in his house, from animals, crops to humans felt the scorch of the evil wind that blew through his house. But something wonderful is recorded in verses 15, 16, 17, and 19 of the chapter that detailed out his misfortunes. This wonder is a few people—four—who had been spared from all the tragedies although they were also at the scene of the events. The first tragedy happened on the fields where Job’s animals were feeding, the animals were all taken by the Sabeans and the servants were all slain but one servant escaped death to tell the story at home. The third tragedy follows the pattern and trend of the first, while the second set of tragedies followed the same pattern and format as the fourth but in all, someone escaped the tragedy no matter how dire it was. There is a law that exempts men from the plague of the masses. In Genesis, a story is told of how God had marked Abel to exempt him from the wickedness of men who may want to kill him—even though he had killed his brother—so that no man will touch him (see Genesis 4:14-15 ). By the grace of God, the mark of God through the blood of Jesus exempts us from evil tragedies and plagues and preserves us unto Himself.

Prayer_Bead: Lord of Lords, thank you for your mark on me that exempts me from tragedies and misfortunes. I am preserved by the blood of Jesus.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

“Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”
( John 16:23-24 )

Many institutions have their unique dress codes and work ethics or professional conducts that regulate the way they go about work and their lives at such institutions. The dress code distinguishes such workers from other workers and their conduct sets them apart in a way that other people may not be able to identify except people at the top hierarchy of affairs in that organization. In today’s verse of scripture, Jesus was telling His disciples that whatever they would ask the father in His name, would be given to them. This template or procedure for getting the father to release our needs is like the dress code of corporate organizations. It sets our prayer apart for immediate attention and release of our answers. The disciples might have been asking Jesus to help them all these while but not the Father. So Jesus tells them to ask the father that their joy may be full. The fullness of our joy is to some extent tied to the fulfillment of our needs and heart desires. We would agree that if someone has a need that is not met, they would not be as happy or joyous as one who had their needs met. But now we know the approach to get our joy restored and full. We know that whatever we ask the Father in Jesus’ name is ours because His name is a signet of approval. Ask; tell God your real needs. The ones that burden you and rob you of your joy and peace. Tell Him about it all.

Prayer_Bead: Holy Father, thank you for answering all my prayers and giving me all I ask in Jesus’ name. Thank you for enlarging the coast of my joy by meeting my needs.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Declaring the end and the result from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure and purpose. (  Isaiah 46:10  )

Glory be to God!  Our God knows the end of everything from the beginning, so the process cannot depress nor surprise Him. In eternity, God saw and defined time. He created the boundaries of time and constrained time to remain within time. And then he allowed seasons to operate with the watches of life. God is dynamic in the manifestation and revelation of his glory and power, so that He does what had never been done before to reveal what might have been seen before. In other words, God does not necessarily follow a hard and fast rule or pattern in the demonstration of His attributes and power. This is why no man can predict God. 1Corinthians 2:11, says no man knows the thoughts of God except the spirit of God but we have the mind of Christ. Even at that level of magnificence and sovereignty, God confines Himself to his words—-pleasure and purpose. And God does whatever He purposes to do or takes pleasure in. God in His wisdom and grace will perform his enterprises while frustrating the ambitions of the kingdom of darkness. Having understood this reality about God, it is wise and expedient to desire the purpose of God and His counsel. Let God be true and all men liars.

Prayer_Bead: Omnipotent King, Omniscient Lord, thank you for your love and sovereignty. Let your counsel stand in my life and do your pleasure and purpose in me.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. ( Exodus 32:19 )

In fighting evil and monsters, it is said that one must be careful not to become like one of them. Sometimes, unknown to us, we try to invent good with evil. You know better, “two wrongs do not make a right”. Like many of us, God’s servant, Moses also came to that crossroad where out of zeal for God and anger, tried to correct evil in the strength of the flesh. But John 6:63, says the strength of the flesh conveys nothing profitable. So Moses disapproved of what the people were doing in the Camp, but failed to realize that what could (if anything at the time) help them overcome their thirst for idol worship and sin was the commandments on the tablet. So instead of giving them the tablet as the remedy for the spiritual sickness; idolatry, he broke it. Many of us may find ourselves in that same spot where the man of God, Moses found himself. He meant good; he had good intents. He wanted the people to love God and the things of God as much as he did. But we must watch out for the tendency to replace one evil with another. The law that could save the people was broken by Moses because he felt bad for what they were doing but did not realize that his own actions should not be on the strength of emotions. Anger can be very destructive. So while we desire God and zealous fire for his work, we must be zealous with knowledge and reverence.

Prayer_Bead: Father of glory, thank you for opening my mind to the possibility of losing you in zealous pursuit of you without knowledge. Give knowledge and grace to my zeal.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son .” ( Romans 9:9  )

In God’s frame of plans and events, everything is time tagged. So that everything is orderly; nothing happens just when it wants to. Timing is very important to everything under the sun because the earth was laid in the cast of time. Here, everything is done around the laws of the clock. Jesus told his disciples to work while it is day because the night comes when no man can work. That also suggests that we cannot do just anything we want to do and at anytime. There are certain things that cannot be done at certain times of the day or seasons of the year. For this reason, it is paramount to know and understand times and seasons as well as respect it’s boundaries. The promise to Sarah was that, at the appointed time, the Angel of glad tidings will return and Sarah will have a child. So Sarah, couldn’t have had a child at any other time until that time appointed for her visitation. Until that time it would look like nothing is working and no drugs are effective. Until God’s appointed time, it would look like God isn’t attentive to our prayers and worship. Until the appointed time, it would look like the maize that is sown into the ground is dead. But when it’s time is due, it will break forth. If that is the case then, we need to know what Gods appointed time for us is. So that we would not stress ourselves concerning certain things we should otherwise be calm about.

Prayer_Bead: Omnipotent King, Omniscient Lord, thank you for your predestination and appointment. Show me your time schedules for my life, that I may walk circumspectly.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.