Month: June 2021

[The Glory Unveiled]

Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be leader over My people Israel; and he shall save them out of the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked upon the distress of My people, because their cry has come to Me. ( 1 Samuel 9:16 )

In order to send Saul to Samuel, God created a situation that led to the lost of Saul’s father’s donkeys. One would have thought, what would missing donkeys have to do with someone’s call and ordination? Kish (Saul’s father)would probably not have sent his son to go beyond that region to incidentally meet Samuel if not for the missing donkeys. Sometimes, God sends people through and with circumstances that seem vague in themselves and so unrelated to their call. And he brings people into our lives almost the same way. To Saul, he was looking for the missing donkeys but to God, he was responding to a call of destiny. God had planned his meeting with Samuel without his permission and notice, but he would honour it nonetheless because God was luring him. We may not be privileged or opportune to know the call upon our lives yet, but whatever it is God has called us into, He will lead us on until we find ourselves in the center of it. This is why it is so good to have a yearning and yielding heart. God will stir us to the place of meeting Him with our hearts. And wherever the heart goes, the man follows. Our call is often necessitated by the needs of people. Our gifts are for the benefit of others and our talents and leadership skills is because of others. Israel had a need/desire, and in order to answer that need, Saul’s purpose was ignited. Wherever God leads, go and you wouldn’t know how you got to the center of your purpose in a matter of time.

Prayer_Bead: Almighty Father, as I yield my heart to your navigational system of grace, lead me to my purpose and call. Ignite my purpose by meeting the needs of the world and showing the world your glory as a result.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Hannah said, Let your handmaid find grace in your sight. So [she] went her way and ate, her countenance no longer sad. ( 1 Samuel 1:18 )

Hannah, the wife of Elkanah, had been barren for many years and each time they went to Shiloh (the Lord’s house at the time), she would pray for a child but it seems her heavens were closed. Hannah had always allowed the voice of her rival, Peninnah and her provocations drown her faith. She had almost given up because of the continuous torment from her rival. Like Hannah, sometimes we receive the opinions of people and take the advice of experts as if it were the final say. Hannah would probably have given up if her hope was only on the comments of people. But the Scripture says we should pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). And so it happened at one Shiloh, Hannah was stirred to pray one more time and this time she engaged the principle of first fruit. And then she received peace in her heart after she had prayed this time. Her countenance was no longer sad because her spirit was relieved of the weight of her need—there was a witness in her heart. That sign of relief (peace) in ones heart after they have been with the Lord is the sign that things are going in the right direction. Hannah didn’t stop praying until she had peace of heart. That is what an effectual and fervent prayer consist. Do we desire change, then we must continue in prayer until that trigger of peace.

Prayer_Bead: Father in heaven, whose hands are not short to save and ears are not corked to hear, thank you for your commitment to answer my prayers always. Satisfy me with the desires of your heart.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” ( Genesis 3:10 )

Usually, guilt makes people want to hide from themselves and others. That reality extends to our spiritual experiences. Whenever people realize that they are in the wrong against God, their first reaction is to “hide” from God and the things of God. Some will not visit the church again, others will continue to do more of the wrong they had done to make themselves feel bad all the more. It surely didn’t start from them, it’s probably in the Adamic DNA. When Adam sinned against God, he didn’t confront God about his wrong by confessing to God, instead he hid from God out of guilt. On the other hand, the man in Christ is called to come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace (Hebrews 4:16). The man or woman in Christ, has been given a Spirit after the Spirit of God and He is not a spirit of fear but of power, love and sound mind. In other words, He does not condemn those in whom He dwells. The individual in Christ who tries to run from God is still in Adam or yet still has not come to the throne of grace. In Adam, our glory is in our strength but in Christ, our glory is in His grace, for we can do nothing by ourselves. Another thing that happens when we are far from the throne is that we see our weakness and frailties because the covering of his grace is thin. It is God’s glory that is supposed to cloth us and apart from His glory we are naked and cold. And so, we are called into the covering of the Most High. His grace is calling out to us.

Prayer_Bead: Almighty Father, most merciful and compassionate king, thank you for calling out to me that you may cover my nakedness. I approach the throne of grace for mercy and grace so that I can live my days in your glory.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. [ James 1:14 ]

Quite often, the believer attributes temptations to God, saying God is tempting them. But James says that God cannot be tempted, neither does He tempt others with evil—James 1:13. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world (1 John 2:16). James teaches that temptations come from desires and whatever entices us. Desires are like the bait on hooks. We don’t immediately see the hook (the evil that may be hidden behind our desires). So in order to avoid temptations, we must expose the hook behind the bait of our desires. The scripture goes on to say when desire hatches, it produces sin. Whenever a desire presents itself in our hearts, the first question to ask oneself is, “what will this desire conceive in the end?” Or is this desire a lust of the eye, pride of life or lust of the flesh? Because our desires, if they will lead to sin will be categorized into one of these. Once it is lust or pride, then sin is at our door. If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it (Genesis 4:7). This is what God told Cain before he killed his brother. Sin was crouching at his door (heart) because he made room for negative desires (he did not do what was good). And then we see God giving Cain the solution to his problem—to rule over that desire; Love. The power to rule over negative desires and sin is LOVE. But Cain didn’t rule over his desire with love and then sin took over him. We may all have negative desires but as to whether they are conceived as sin or not will depend on us. Let Love lead.

Prayer_Bead: Loving Father, Ancient King, thank you for the knowledge you have made available to me through your word. I rule over every negative desires that crouches at the door of my heart. I live in love. Glory be to God.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ( 2 Timothy 1:6 )

The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, his son in the Lord telling him about his sincere faith that is bequeathed to him through his blood line. Even though Timothy had this worth of deposition of faith, fear had clouded his faith. And so, the apostle asks him to fan into flame the gift of ministry that is in him. Timothy had a sound spiritual foundation inherited from his mother and grandmother. And at his ordination, Paul and the elders laid hands on him. But even though they had laid hands on him, Timothy had to stir the embers of that flame. He was to first of all guard the deposit and then stir it aflame by the help of the Holy Spirit. We may have powerful gifts of the spirit and gifts of ministry but without engaging the proper protocols of stirring and fanning them to flame, the circumstances of our lives will still be as cold as the bodies in the morgue. Usually, fear prevents us from fanning our gifts to flame. All the people God had called in the past till our day, people like Gideon, Jeremiah, Moses, etc were held bound by fear. They all almost gave up their calling until they shook fear off in the power of the Lord. This is why Paul told Timothy that, the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7). The Spirit of God breaks the clutter of fear that stops us from stirring His gift in us. He has given us power and when we speak in the power of His might, we see the glory of His grace. So, stir the gift in you by the help of the Holy Ghost.

Prayer_Bead: Precious Holy Spirit of power, love and sound mind, thank you for making Your abode in me. I boldly confess and exercise the authority of Your presence in me. I live above reproach and all the works of darkness.
🗣: Speak in tongues for some time if you can

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.