Month: March 2021

[The Glory Unveiled]

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; ( 1 Peter 2:9 NKJV)

God usually draws people unto Himself, to be with Him. And it is our being with Him for long that makes us look like Him. For instance, it was Moses’ long stay with God on the mountain that left an imprint of God on him—the glory of God. God loves intimacy, and intimacy to us is separation unto God. All the adjectives used in our verse of Scripture suggest uniqueness, distinctiveness and separation. The last part of the Scripture explains why such descriptive words are used; thus we have been called out of darkness into God’s marvelous light—separated from darkness into light. The Believer cannot be any of the descriptions above unless that individual has been separated unto God. In our walk with God we must remain with God. No one can be with God and the devil and his world system at the same time; such people are usually actually with the devil. Adam and Eve, for instance lost whatever they were entitled to because they didn’t remain separated unto God. They had opened the door of intimacy to another entity, the devil. But the second Adam, Jesus at every point in His journey remained separated unto God. He did everything He did because He saw His Father do it. We cannot bring glory to God except we remain separated unto God in our walk with Him. Remain separated to God.

Prayer_Bead: Invincible God, source of all lives and sustainer of all things. Through your grace and love, I am separated unto you and I live for the praise of your name.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, ( 1 Timothy 1:18 )

In themselves, prophecies are not finite. Many a people receive prophecies and then by reason of the words of that prophecy, they abandon everything to God. They become irresponsible because they think that the words of the prophecies will make them what it promises and life will take its own course until they become what the prophecies say. Unfortunately, that is not true. Prophecies by themselves do not make prophecies come to pass. And so, in our verse of Scripture, we see the apostle Paul advising his son in the Lord, to pay heed to some commands he gave him so that in keeping with those commands, he may enter into the reality of the prophecies that had been made concerning him. If it were automatic, this verse of scripture wouldn’t be necessary but then, we need to live lives that are consistent with the words that have been prophesied about us. Prophecies will guide us and show us what we ought to do and what we ought not to do. But they do not prevent us nor forbid us from doing what we are guided to do. This explains why many people might have been prophesied to concerning a matter but then it seem nothing is happening; they have decided not to fight for the fulfillment of those things. With prophecies, we should fight well and live a regulated life.

Prayer_Bead: Gracious Father, thank you for the opportunity to see ahead what you intend to do. Help me through the guidance of your word to fight well for the actualization of that purpose.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

He said, “If the Lord does not help you, from where shall I help you? From the threshing floor, or from the wine press?” ( 2 Kings 6:27 )

Many a time, when we face challenges, we turn to people for help before we even think of the God of all things. It is as if we pride ourselves in our strength as humans. We want to be independent of God whereas we were created to utterly depend on Him. Our verse of Scripture is an excerpt from an account. It happened that there was a very severe famine in the land of Samaria. The famine was so severe that some women had to feed on their babies because there was nothing to eat. And so, one day, there was a misunderstanding between two of such women and then one came to the king to help her resolve the misunderstanding between she and the other woman. But then, the King responded with the words of our anchor Scripture. He said he is incapable of helping her if God does not help her. This means that God is the source of her help even if the king could be a channel through which that help would be given to her. The Psalmist said I will lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord ( Psalms 121:1-2). Our help indeed comes from the Lord, He is the source and the sustainer of our help. Let us turn to God and not men even if it seems men are carrying what we need, it is God who releases it to us through them. Look to God.

Prayer_Bead: Jehovah Jireh, the Lord my provider, thank you for being the source of my help. Teach me to trust in you and to look to you for help. Give me this day my daily bread. In the name of Jesus.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

So that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.( Ephesians 3:10 )

God has hidden within Himself a mystery that our forefathers in the Lord sought diligently to see. The mystery being that even people that are not Israelites, to whom the promise was made, have become partakers of the inheritance and members of the body of Christ. And to prove this reality, there is the need to display something of God that man does not naturally have in himself. This attribute of God—when displayed, becomes a stamp that says, “these are one with God”—is the wisdom of God. In any case, it is only God who should be able to display His wisdom, but then now we have the mind of Christ (2 Corinthians 2:16) and so we share in the wisdom of God through the connecting tube of grace and truth by the Spirit of God. This grace is the love of God that is shared abroad in our hearts. God’s love, displayed through the conduit of grace and truth in Christ has opportune us to be vessels that will make known what God hid in Himself all these years. And now, we know that this wisdom is displayed by the church; by the unity of the Believers. Our oneness as a body is the power that makes known the glory and wisdom of God. The church is a reflection of God if indeed we remain one in Him. And then we will be able to announce to authorities and rulers what that mystery contains. Let us unite as believers for the expression of the wisdom of God.

Prayer_Bead: Heavenly Father, Gracious Spirit of God, thank you for the wisdom of God that is being made known through the church. Help me to remain aligned to you now and always.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ( Luke 11:9 )

Our anchor verse of Scripture begins with “So” to mean that something was earlier discussed that led to this conclusion. The speaker, Jesus, said the things he said in this verse because of a foundation he laid earlier. As such, we can only understand this verse of scripture after we have understood the foundation laid in the one sided discourse. Jesus had narrated a short parable to the people where he used them as the major characters in a situational case study. He said, assuming anyone of them went to ask his friend for help at night. And if that friend was sleeping and didn’t want to wake up to attend to them, through persistence, that friend will give them whatever they desire. The reason for the change of that friend’s mind according to Jesus is not because you’re friends but rather because of your shameless persistence (verses 5-8). Jesus used this occasion to explain the importance of persistence in prayer. We must not relent or grow tired in our prayer closet. So when Jesus said “ask and it will be given…” in our anchor verse of Scripture, He meant ask persistently until it is given. Persistence produces desired results. We must not quit until whatever we desire is delivered.

Prayer_Bead: Gracious Lord, Loving Father, thank you for access into your presence and your bounty. I resolve not to give up on your faithfulness until I have what you promised. In Jesus’ name.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. (Ruth. 1:16 )

Life will always test our resolves and determination through circumstances and situations. Whatever we do not firmly stand for, will not stand for us. Joseph’s resolve was tested when he had the opportunity to compromise with Potiphar’s wife. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego went through the same mill. Their resolve to serve God alone was tested by the Babylonian system to check for authenticity. Here, in our anchor chapter, Naomi had to test the authenticity of her daughters-in-law’s [Ruth and Orpah] resolve. Initially both Orpah and Ruth had wanted to follow Naomi but after a little explanation, Orpah decided to go back. But then Ruth clung to Naomi in spite of the convincing explanations Naomi gave them. Today, the book from which we extracted our verse of scripture is named after Ruth and not Orpah. Ruth paid the price to have her name inscribed in History’s hall of fame. The perpetual flame of her resolve continuous to burn till tomorrow. Her resolve also paved way for her to be the ancestor of Jesus even though she was not a born Israelite. We can also accomplish glorious things if we make firm resolutions to do the very things God had empowered us to. Let’s be resolute about our convictions in Christ and then the world will have no option than to opt for us.

Prayer_Bead: Our Father, who is in us, thank you for the privilege to be numbered in you, the grace to embrace your love and your life. Help us to stand for what we believe in you.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

So Joseph’s master took him and put him into the jail, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; and he was there in the jail.( Genesis 39:20 )

Our God is so intentional about anything and everything about us. No wonder the Scriptures say that “His divine power has given us all things that pertains to life and godliness”. This is why the believer must always maintain a positive attitude at all times. Whatever happens to the believer and around the believer is working for their good. Joseph was sent to Potiphar’s house, of all the houses in Egypt. Potiphar’s wife told a lie that landed Joseph in prison but then of all the prison’s in Egypt, he was taken to where the King’s prisoners were kept. The point is that God wanted to connect Joseph to royalty and so he associated him with people who had been with royals. It was not a mistake in heaven that Joseph was imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. Actually, it was a set up that was supposed to introduce him to his true destiny. Joseph had dreamt in his teen years that he would rule some day. But then God didn’t show him how he would get there. And because he didn’t know how God was going to do it, he had to submit to God in everything. Like Joseph, God promised us a glorious future through Christ. We may not know how the details of that destiny will be played out, but from the template of Joseph’s life, we can assume that, the safest thing to do is to trust God to get us there. Nothing is a mistake if God is the one leading us. The pains of yesterday will soon paint your story beautifully. The tears will not tear you apart. It is clearing your eyes to see clearly what H God is doing. Cheer up, your “jail” may be necessary for your eminent joy.

Prayer_Bead: Deliverer from the lions, protector from the venomous serpent, thank you for the working of your grace in my life, leading me to my destiny. I am walking on preordained path. I am fulfilling the decrees of God concerning my life.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

She caught him [Joseph] by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside. ( Genesis 39:12 )

The devil usually likes to sow where God sows. A parable is told by Jesus of a sower sowing good seeds but then the enemy also came to sow weeds among the good seeds (Matthew 13:24-30). The enemy came to sow weeds (bad seeds) where God, the sower also sow His seeds (good seeds). In today’s verse of scripture, Joseph was “planted” in Potiphar’s house but then the enemy also planted Potiphar’s wife against Joseph. They were in the same house, but they didn’t have the same source. The devil had wanted to use her against Joseph but then he did the needful. It is okay to flee sometimes, when we must. It is not a show of weakness nor cowardice but rather a manifestation of wisdom. Today, we see people who embrace the devil’s offers in the name of being strong in faith. If it has to do with iniquity, it is better to flee than to lose one’s graceful position in the scheme of God’s agenda. Joseph lost Potiphar’s house because he stood for righteousness but then the whole of Egypt was given to him as a result. Righteousness is an eternal rewarder, iniquity may only give temporary pleasure. Let us choose the life of God. And remember, it is okay to flee sometimes when what is coming at you is aiming at your destiny.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for procuring righteousness for me through the cross. Help me to stand for what righteousness represents on a daily basis. May I flee from iniquity even when it will portray me as weak and unwise. So help me God.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. ( Romans 1:21 )

The Creator, seem to have hardwired the human vessel to follow a particular course and pattern. Any deviation from that preset design is detrimental to that human and consequently, their environment. In our verse of Scripture, we read that there are some people who have the knowledge of God. And yet, refuse to glorify God with that knowledge nor give thanks. The sole responsibility of man is to bring glory to God by making the world see that aspect of God that He has deposited in them. But that aspect can only be made known through the special revealed knowledge of God. And so, for anyone to know that and yet refuse to glorify God with it, they will become conceited with arrogance and rebellion. A typical example is the devil. He refused to glorify God and to give Him thanks. Instead, he sought to take the place of God. That is what happens when anyone refuses to glorify God and to live a life of continuous thanksgiving and acknowledgement of the goodness of God. The continuous acknowledgement of God deletes pride and arrogance. Our thoughts will not be futile if we are conscious that the life we have and live is not ours but God’s. Let this mindset of utter dependence on God remain in us.

Prayer_Bead: Lord over everything, Master of the universe, in You consist all things and nothing exist independent of you. Thank you for the grace to be humbled by this knowledge and to let the world see your glory through my life.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! ( Ezekiel 37:4 )

Ezekiel was occasioned to visit the valley of dry bones by the Spirit of God. In that valley, there was everything but life. The stench of death had taken over the valley and all one could find was the symbols of death. But God wanted to invade that valley with life. And so He sought for an opportunity to carry out that life giving experiment. Usually, God will always do something on earth through a human host. And so now that He had found Ezekiel, the first requirement seem to be met but then it does not end there. Now, there was the need to bring about that which God intends to see done. And that can only be a reality when God’s voice comes on the scene. So, God asks Ezekiel to convey the word of God, which is the voice of God to the dry bones. In the book of Acts; in the third chapter we see a recreation of these events, where Peter and John met a lame man [“dry bones”]. The only way that man’s situation could change was for the man to hear the voice of God through the word of God. And so Peter said, “in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, rise up and walk”. “In the name of Jesus” suggests that the command was coming from Jesus and not Peter. The word of God is the agency for creation and recreation on earth because everything was founded by the word of God. They can only be recreated by that same word. So, instead of complaining like the man at the pool of Bethesda, (John 5:5-7) let us search for the voice of God, and then our dry bones situations will change.

Prayer_Bead: God over everything, Lord over anything, thank you, for your voice is not scarce in my day. Please give me the ear to always hear your voice in every situation of life. And thank you as you recreate the challenging situations of my destiny.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.