Month: May 2021

[The Glory Unveiled]

But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” ( Luke 4:43 )

In today’s devotional text, Jesus had been performing miracles and healing the oppressed the day before. The next morning, he went to a solitary place to meditate and to be with the Father, and to think over his purpose. The people who had earlier seen these miracles chased after Him so that he would perform more miracles. But then Jesus responded with the words of our anchor scripture. He said, He must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns. And then he added why He had to do this. The “why” is the backbone of His drive. He explained that the reasons why He was sent from Heaven to earth was to proclaim the good news of the kingdom. And that single goal drove Him through His daily activities. He did everything that was consistent with that purpose. If he healed anyone, it was an occasion to preach this news. Every other thing became secondary to His purpose. Like Jesus, we have been called into this ministry of reconciliation. The Lord has called us to be Ambassadors of His kingdom. We must be driven by the passion of our calling and purpose. Without compromise let us follow the trail of our destiny to our purpose.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for making a way for us through the example of your life. Help us to remain on our destiny path. And let nothing distract us from the purpose for which we came on earth.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown. ( Numbers 22:31 )

This verse of scripture is an excerpt from a very fascinating account, where Balaam the prophet was called by Balak to curse the people of Israel. On his way to carry out this assignment, something dramatic happened. The donkey he rode on suddenly stopped in the middle of the road. He did all he could to make this donkey move forward but it was all futile. Now, the secret was that, the donkey had seen an angel of the Lord whereas Balaam was oblivious to the divine presence. So that because of his ignorance of what was happening around him, he made a mistake of punishing the donkey. Without spiritual sight, we become victims of grievous errors. If Balaam had seen the Angel, he would not have punished the animal for nothing. It is a sad thing for an animal to perceive the presence of God while a man is in the dark. We must, through conscious effort learn to practice being in the presence of God. The more we become acquainted with His presence, the more we are able to know His presence. Unless our eyes are opened, we cannot see even the closest breakthroughs and miracles. May the Lord open our eyes, so that we may see.

Prayer_Bead: Father in the name of Jesus, thank you for your divine, continuous presence. Guide me through your word, to know your ways. Open Lord, my ears and my eyes to see and to hear.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: ( Matthew 2:17 )
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If you make a long reading of the first and second chapters of Matthew, you will discover that the life we live on earth is by no means coincidental. You will discover that there is an invisible force, that regulates the affairs of men in the world. What we see as political or economic regimes and all the other things that happen in life according to their seasons and those that happen randomly without a definite order are all part of a carefully orchestrated plan that the Father has put in place for the good of His children. Reading the accounts about Jesus from when He was born to when He was about two years, and even throughout His life, it is evident that everything happened according to a divine script, even the seemingly accidental ones. Almost everything that happened at Jesus’ birth was captured in prophecy. Jesus’ life was a fulfillment of the Scriptures. No wonder, He said He did not come to break the law but to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17). Everything He came to do on earth was documented in the volumes of books. Even His parents having to take him to Egypt for a while and their coming back to stay in Nazareth and every other thing that happened at his birth because of the King Herod, were scripted by Heaven. This is the assurance that our existence on earth is not an accident. God is so intentional about us. He has a script for our lives called predestination. May everything written concerning us be fulfilled to the glory of God.
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Prayer_Bead: Author and Finisher of my faith, purpose and destiny, lead me through the script of my destiny. Use my life and the events surrounding it to announce your sovereign power. In Jesus name.
~_______________~
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the LORD Almighty. ( Haggai 2:4 )

The word of the Lord came through Haggai, the prophet to Zerubbabel, the governor and Joshua, the high priest. They had seen much destruction in their land so much that they were beginning to doubt if anything good can still come out of their efforts and toil. It was upon this state of heart and mind that the word of God came to them that they should be strong. They should persevere in what they were doing and not give up. The word of God came to them to continue the work they had been doing. They had gotten to the point of despair and had wanted to give up on what they were doing. Like Zerubbabel and Joshua, we may also come to that place of despair and discouragement about life and what God is doing in the moment. But God is not a man. He is not affected by the seasons and times of men. He is immortal and so, mortality cannot hold up His sovereign will and power. Through Zerubbabel and Joshua, God declared to the entire nation of Israel to be strong and work [continue to live]. The times may be harsh but God is telling us to be strong in Him and we should work; do the work we have been called to do.

Prayer_Bead: Giver of Life, Lifter of men, thank you for the charge for this season. I walk in the strength of this word. I am strong. I do the work of my calling and purpose. I am not perturbed by the situations around me. The Spirit of God is with me. Glory!

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip. ( John 1:46 )

The world may have a predefined perspective of you or your source. The world may tag you with a label that says nothing good can happen to you and nothing good can come from you. And as long as you believe their negativity their statements will continue to prove to be true. Everyone in Israel thought that nothing good can come from Nazareth but it was that same tribe that God decided to come into the world through. Let this be your comfort that God’s ways are not the ways of the world and His plans are utterly different from the world’s. Your name may be a reproach to people. Your presence may be abhorred by many but God loves you nonetheless. There may be times when you question who you are or even your importance in the world. You may think that you are not contributing anything to the world because of the competitive nature of our time but the truth is that, you are, in ways you probably won’t understand. There is a treasure in you. Through Jesus, the tag on Nazareth changed. It is possible to change the tag in your family and your clan because of you. With the Lord Jesus on your inside, you are a new breed who will break the greed of this world. Something good is in you, let the world see it.

Prayer_Bead: Our Father, who is in our hearts, hallowed be your name. For your kingdom has come and your Will is being done through us. Use us as a mark of the good things you will do on earth. Show the world the expanse of your glory through us.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

He [John the Baptist] sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” ( Luke 7:19 )

John the Baptist was asked by the Pharisees who he was. In response, he couldn’t give them anything solid about his identity. Whereas before his birth, it was prophesied that he will go in the spirit of Elijah (Luke 1:17). It was also prophesied that before the Lord comes, Elijah will come first (Mark 9:11-13). He came after the order of Elijah. But then, the man, John couldn’t truly recognize that he was Elijah incarnate. Our ability or inability to recognize who we are translate to our relationship with other people. Because John couldn’t really figure out who he was, he didn’t also truly believe that Jesus was the one to come after him, even though he was told that the one upon whom the Holy Spirit will come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33) and in the next verse, John the Baptist said I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One. But then, in the face of challenges, when John was imprisoned, he began to doubt if Jesus was truly who he was. And so he sent his disciples from the prison to ask Jesus if he was the one or someone else will come. Without a firm standing in our identity we cannot really be identified with anything. We must discover who we are through the word of God and then be true to that identity. Even if the responsibility of our identity seem overwhelming, we must trust that God will live it through us. Believe in God, believe also in His plan for you.

Prayer_Bead: Omnipotent Father, Omniscient King, the foundation of all things, thank you for the kindness of your grace. Thank you for who I am in You through Christ Jesus. Help me to fully live my predestined life.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. ( Luke 5:16 )

Anything that is expendable must be used with wisdom. And plans must be made to replace it if continuity will be achieved. The power of God is inexhaustible but our dispensing of it without continuous resupply of the Spirit makes its expendable. The Lord Jesus, being fully God and man had the power while he was on earth to do anything and everything but even He, regularly withdrew himself to pray. He made time to refuel His soul and His Spirit. He continually communed with the Father. In the account of the woman with the issue of blood, the Bible says, Jesus said that virtue left Him when the woman touched Him. That means that Jesus always knew when a miracle took place because something would leave him. But anytime something left Him, he would go on a solo mission to refill Himself. Prayer to us is our lifeline to the power of God and all the treasures that are at our disposal. There cannot be a true believer who does not have a prayer life. It is what we lean on to have the results that astonishes the world. Before our verses of Scripture, Jesus had just cured someone of leprosy. But that didn’t stop Him from praying, it rather drew Him to the secret place of prayer. When the testimonies keep flashing in and all the breakthroughs break in on us, we must still pray; even more.

Prayer_Bead: Everlasting God, king of glory, thank you for the power that is at work in me. Help me through consistent prayer to keep active the manifestation of this anointing.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, ( Romans 15:5 )

Actions are not self driven. Whatever actions are taken by a person is almost always as a result of their attitude of mind. The man goes where their mind goes. The mind drives our actions. We do only those things that our minds have permitted us to do. The Lord Jesus was not identified by the many things He did while on earth. Even though Jesus did so many miracles and manifested the power of God to a degree that no one in His time was able to match. But the Bible didn’t identify Him with all those things. Instead, He was identified with the attitude of his mind. So the Bible says that we should let this mindset be in us which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5). What is that mindset? It is the attitude that made Christ endure the suffering of a bondservant even though He was God, He humbled Himself in utter obedience to God to live as man. And through His obedience and humility, He has made a way for us to the Father. And now, we are asked to follow the example of Christ by cultivating His mental attitude because He did all that we know and more because of the attitude of His mind. May the attitude of love fill our hearts so that we can express the life of Christ.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for showing me the mind of Christ. Through the encouragement of your word and endurance, help me to cultivate that mental attitude of Christ to the praise of your name.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ ( Luke 13:7 )

A day will come in everyone’s life when they would have to account for one thing or the other. The verse of scripture captures the very fabric of accountability. We must account for what the grace of God did in our lives. God invested in our lives through Jesus. God “lost” Jesus into us so that through Him; our believing in Him, God may have many sons. We have salvation, the Holy Spirit and God’s word to help us grow and bear fruit. If for all the investments God made in us to look like His son, we still do not look like Him, then we may be removed from our place. We may have so many reasons for which we are unable to do what we are supposed to do but none of those reasons are valid enough to justify our negligence and laziness. God expects much from us because much is given to us. The question that God will continue to ask is, where is your fruit? God will want to see our fruits because He has deposited a seed in us. Let us not frustrate the grace of God upon us. We have all the resources we need to live the life of Christ. The word of God is available and by grace, we have the Spirt of God to bear fruit. So, let the body of Christ benefit from your fruit.

Prayer_Bead: Father in Heaven, thank you for gracing me with your word and your Spirit. Thank you for saving me to bear fruit to your glory. I take advantage of your grace to live the life of Christ Jesus.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.