Month: April 2021

[The Glory Unveiled]

Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked.
“There is nothing there,” he said.
Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.” ( 1 Kings 18:43 )

Elijah had told the people of his time that it will not rain for three and a half years and it didn’t rain for those years. Now the time had come for the rains to fall and the same Elijah who said it will not rain, now needs to pray for the rain to come back. He went up a mountain to pray for the rain to fall. For seven times after prayers, he sent Gehazi to check for the signs that his prayers had been answered but on all six occasions there was nothing. It seem that the heavens was silent. And it seem all his prayers were not been heard at all. For these three occasions, the man of God, Elijah could have given up and concluded that it is not the will of God to allow the rain even though he had prophesied it. Many of us give up close to our time of redemption. But usually, our answers come only when we continue to press even after we are worn out and discouraged. Just as Elijah’s answer came at the seventh check. When we get to that point where we ignore the discouragement of the flesh and the seeming silence of heaven but still press on, we receive answers. When there seems to be no answers, is not a sign that we should give up but rather a voice that says “you’re close!” Keep on pressing. Your answer is closer than when you first started praying about whatever you’ve been praying about. Hold on to the faithfulness of God. He will not give up on His word neither on you. Go back to the place of prayer even when the answers seem to be stalling.

Prayer_Bead: Gracious Father, Faithful God, thank you for the wonderful opportunity to pray to you earnestly. Help me to persist in prayer even as you will honour your words in my life.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit. ( 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 )

The Scripture enjoins us to be holy because God is Holy. The Holy God who is our Father, called us out of impurity to live His life of holiness which was originally resident in us. But the advantage of living in holiness is not only to please God and being like Him, it is also the opportunity to receive the Holy Spirit and to have Him continually in us without grieving Him. Rejecting the instruction to be holy is like rejecting God and everything He represents. All the attributes of God such as; God is holy, God is love, God is kind, God is faithful e.t.c can be experienced and through Christ, only on the basis of holiness. Today, we deceive ourselves that we are the righteousness of God and so we are holy even if we don’t live holy lives. That is a raw lie. Righteousness is a gift as a result of our being grafted into God through Christ but holiness is what we must do as a result of our consecration and separation unto God as a royal priesthood. Our expression of the life of God is on the grounds of holiness otherwise we deceive ourselves and all those we represent. God says He will reject some priests because they reject His law (Hosea 4:6). In our verse of scripture, God says rejecting this instruction of holiness is rejecting God, which is tantamount to God rejecting us as priests. Holiness is a life in us but we must choose to express it to the world for the glory of God.

Prayer_Bead: Holy Father, thank you for the opportunity to share in your life and glorious attitude. Help me to consciously and through the enabling of the Holy Spirit resident in me to live a life of holiness.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. ( Genesis 3:4 )

The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life (John 6:63). Spiritual realities are activated by words just as instructions are also issued out in the physical realm by words [written or spoken]. The words of Spirits carry in them the potential to make what they are. When God instructed Adam not to eat of a particular tree, that instruction carry in it the capacity to make real whatever God said would be the consequences. God had said that when man eats of the tree he was not supposed to eat, he will certainly die [Genesis 2:17], but the devil through the serpent says that they will not certainly die [anchor verse]. This was a direct contradiction of the words that were spoken by God. And because God’s word is spirit, God didn’t have to be with man at every point in time to be sure he didn’t do what he was not supposed to do. Instead, in the very moment of disobedience the spirit of the word dealt with man. Whenever we obey spiritual principles or instructions, we submit to the power of that word and we can hence reap from the harvest of that instruction. Likewise, disobedience is also a way of breaking from the safe covering of spiritual realities. God’s word is spirit and so we must be careful who we choose to submit to through obedience.

Prayer_Bead: Glorious King, Lover of my soul, spirit and body, thank you for the grace to submit to the spirit of your word. Glory be to your Holy name for the realities of your blessings.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will. ( Romans 12:2 )

Conformers do not transform and transformers make others conform. Every institution or system has its own tradition and norms. These invisible yet vicious patterns that are woven into the fabric of every system and institution is the underlying factor for the culture of such places. In other words, we cannot really be different from the society that makes us. The world has; built in it, a robust system that when one conforms to, blinds them from knowing God’s will. Our sense of discernment is shut off in this system that the world has created for everything “self” but God. On the other hand, there is also this other realm, though invisible, it has its own culture and system. But for us to be truly influenced by this other realm, we must allow our minds to break from the world’s structures and alluring pleasures. And this can only be accomplished by the renewing of the mind; breaking free from the system that feeds our mind. The old mind must be renewed in the knowledge of God’s word. This Knowledge should be obtained consciously through the study of God’s word. We have the mind of Christ.

Prayer_Bead: Father in my heart, thank you for the grace through your word to renew my mind. Help me not to conform anymore to the world but in transformation of my mind, may I know your will and purposes.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. ( Luke 1:35 )

The question that necessitated this response [our anchor verse of Scripture] was one that was asked to find out how something seemingly impossible could happen. In reality, there are certain terrestrial events and activities that only celestial bodies and entities can handle. What Mary needed to know was not necessary who will do what the Angel Gabriel had just said to her in the earlier verses. She wanted to know the approach and method of bringing about that beautiful solution. But instead of telling her “what”, the Angel mentioned a personality that makes the experiences of the invisible realm tangible and visible; the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit encases mortality, immortality is produced and challenges and difficulties become avenues for breeding solutions even through impossible means. But then, if it came from God, it must have the mark of God. God is particular about honour and identity. Anything that came from God carries the identity of God. This is why humans carry the identity of God (image and likeness) because we came from Him. Now we know that our problems are not great, it is the right avenue that is not yet contacted that is why it seem impossible and helpless. So, let us draw from the well of the Holy Spirit. Let us lean on Him for all our needs. And then we will turn around to see no contentions.

Prayer_Bead: Precious Holy Spirit, thank you for your indwelling presence and power. Teach me to depend on you utterly. May your identity remain on me as you continually source my needs.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.