Month: June 2021

[The Glory Unveiled ]

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. ( Ephesians 2:10 )

Our relevance comes from Christ as our source. A product cannot be better than its source or materials. And because we were created in Christ, the Lord Jesus becomes the confines of our relevance. Outside that circumference, we are underutilized. What kept Adam “useful” in the garden was His determination to remain within the boundaries of God’s commands. As long as He was within the parameters of God’s word, everything was working well for Him. He had no need of anything. But immediately he went outside the protective covering of God’s instructions, even the elements begun to work against him. Now in Christ, we have another privilege to live the full life that God intended for us except it is only possible within Christ. It also goes to mean that we can only do what is described as “good” as long as we remain in Christ. There is nothing good outside His person because everything was created in Him and for Him; without Him, nothing was made that was made. So, without Him, we miss even the good works that had been prepared in advance for us to do, and then we end up doing something other than what we have been called to do. A word of advice to us then is, stay in Christ, remain in Him.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord, I know fully well through your word that I have been created in Christ Jesus to do the good works you called me to do. And without You as the boundary of my life, I cannot fulfill that calling and so I ask that you help me to remain true to You in all things.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. ( John 8:28 )

But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away (2 Corinthians 3:16). There is this veil that covers the understanding of people who have not seen the crucified Christ. It is in the lifting of the son of man (crucifixion) that we get to see and know the Lord. Unless we have come to believe in His birth, death and resurrection, nothing about God will make meaning to us even if we read them over and again from the word of God. This is why there are Atheists and Apologetics of other religious groups who have read the Bible so many times and yet, they still have no understanding because they have not seen the Lord in those pages yet. But when the Holy Spirit furnishes the realities of Jesus’ person and works in us by faith, we do not only know and understand but we become one with Him. The lifting of the Lord Jesus Christ in our hearts removes the veil that hitherto covered our understanding and knowledge. So, whenever we go out to evangelize, we must first of all, show the people, the crucified Jesus and then the veil will be torn apart in their hearts. Instead of showing the unbeliever the reigning Lord, we must first show them the crucified King._

Prayer_Bead: King of Kings, Lord of lords, thank you for dying in my place and taking the penalty of my wrongs. I believe you were crucified, died and rose again for my justification.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. ( Hebrews 5:14 )

Maturity in Christ, just like maturity in any field of study comes at a cost. It is always a deliberate decision to make. But babies don’t have to work or cook to have milk to drink. By their default state of being babies, they have milk to drink. Their caretakers or mothers will feed them. Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness (Hebrews 5:13). The teaching about righteousness and right standing with God is solid food. It has to be prepared through conscious efforts, putting ingredients together. The solid food of God’s word is a state in our walk with God where we constantly fellowship with the word. And through the consistency of that fellowship with the word by the Holy Spirit, we begin to understand the mysteries that serve as the backbone of our faith. But without consistency, one cannot mature in the word of God. Usually, milk comes almost at no cost for the infant but solid food requires painstaking effort. If any believer will change their diet from milk to solid food, they will have to be married to consistency. We cannot occasionally study the word of God if we want to grow in the word; to the stature of solid food. We will need consistency in the word.

Prayer_Bead: Father in heaven, my great redeemer, thank you for the wonderful opportunity to grow in your word. Teach me your statutes by the help of the Holy Spirit. And guide me to transcend from milk to solid food.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” ( Luke 22:31-32 )

And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter)— John 1:42. The Lord Jesus, upon His first encounter with Simon in the Gospel according to John, changed Simon’s name to Peter. Simon means a reed (unstable) but Peter means rock (stable/firm). It is rather shocking that after the changing of Simon’s name, Jesus still called him Simon on some occasions. Unarguably, these were occasions where Peter behaved like a reed (Simon). Just before he denied Jesus, he was called Simon. In another place when Jesus found Peter sleeping while he should be praying with Him, Jesus called him Simon (see Mark 14:37). The point is this, our name is who we are. This is why when Jesus took our place on the cross, God now calls us His children (see 1 John 3:2). We are partaking in His name because we partook in His identity on the cross. This is our new and actual identity. We must therefore live in sync with the realities of our new identity in Christ. For as He is, so are we in this world.

Prayer_Bead: I am an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ. I am of the bloodline of God for the blood of Jesus flows through my veins. I cannot be sick, I cannot fail, I cannot lose for I am victorious through Christ Jesus.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. ( Philippians 1:12 )

The popular saying, “the end justifies the means” may or may not be true but whatever it is, when God starts to do what He wants to do, it usually conflicts the logic of humans. A person who lives in the center of God’s will for them, may have the whole world against them, friends and families may neglect or abandon them but their destination is secured. They are like a time-bomb except that they are not preset for destruction but for glory. The apostle Paul was called by God to be sent on an errand for the expansion of His kingdom. At some point the apostle didn’t know exactly what form the errand will take. But in our anchor verse of Scripture, after everything had happened to him, he then discovered that even the bad things such as his imprisonment led to the salvation of other people and the expansion of the kingdom as other ministers and apostles became bold as a result of apostle Paul’s suffering for the gospel. In the verses that followed after this verse, he mentions the impact of his chains (imprisonment) on the advancement of the gospel. In like manner, whatever we may be experiencing now may be a part of what our destiny template entails and in the end, it will not only be for our good but for the expansion of God’s kingdom. So instead of murmuring and crying we should look at the immense possibilities that will emanate from our willingness to stay strong till the end._

Prayer_Bead: Prince of Peace, the master builder, thank you for the things you have permitted into my life. Help me to hold unto your gracious love and purpose for my life

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Tell them, As I live, says the Lord, what you have said in My hearing I will do to you: ( Numbers 14:28)

There is a saying that goes, “be careful what you wish for”. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine [think or wish for], according to his power that is at work within us, (Ephesians 3:20). God does not only answer prayers that are spoken out but also those that are imagined or communicated through our emotions. Emotions in themselves are not bad but sometimes, the way we release them are not healthy. Actually, emotions, whether negative or positive emotions are magnifiers. Negative emotions magnify the bad things we say or do and the positive emotions also intensify the good we say or do. The Israelites were caught in the divine maze of the wilderness on their historic journey to Canaan, their land of milk and honey, but the challenges they encountered every step of the way—which was actually God making a way to announce His presence and glory among them—rather caused them to murmur and speak against Moses and his God. And as their emotions spiked because of their discontentment, God decided to do for them what they were saying to God out of their fear. They had said that they will die in the wilderness because their enemies will come for them (Numbers 14:2). And then God said to them that He will do for them what they had said to Him [in their anger and fear]. We must therefore be careful what we allow our emotions and thoughts to drift to. What if God should answer your silence emotions and desires, will you be happy with the results?

Prayer_Bead: My Lord and My King, thank you for your love and kindness. Thank you for answered prayers and teaching me to guide my thoughts and emotions in the right directions.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory unveiled]

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. ( Galatians 6:2 )

As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus (Luke 23:26). The man Simon, who was forced to carry the cross of Jesus is the representation of humanity. It was humanity that sinned through Adam and Eve and so, it was humanity who had to carry the weight of their punishment. Simon stood in the place of humans but Jesus took the burden of the punishment for our disobedience. Hence, it was not Simon who helped Jesus, but rather Jesus who helped Simon (humanity) to carry the load of their sin. Jesus carried our burden as if it was his to carry, leaving us an example. Jesus did nothing deserving of the death He died. Even the “Judge” who took His case namely, Pontius Pilate did not find any fault with Him. But for the redemption of humanity, the consequences of our action came upon Him. He carried the reproach and the weight of our wrong; the burden that humanity could not bear. This is the law of Christ. Making a way for us to come into fellowship with Him and others by carrying their burdens too, as if the burdens were ours._

Prayer_Bead: Father in Heaven, how we love you, we lift our hearts to you. Thank you for carrying our burdens and taking our place of reproach so that we can approach your throne. Thank you for this law that now governs us.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ( 1 Thessalonians 5:18 )

God has a peculiar will for us now that we are in Christ. So the apostles advice us to put away our old ways now that we are in Christ Jesus. A new way requires a new will to be fully functional. Galatians 4:9, puts it in the form of a question, “But now that you know God—or rather are known by God —how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?” It means when we came into the Kingdom of God, we were delivered from slavery and the miserable forces of this world and as a result, we should operate under a new will. Our anchor scripture mentions thanksgiving as that will. We should give thanks to God for all His goodness and deliverance. Thanksgiving is a token of gratitude for God’s love and benevolence. We owe God our new life in Christ and for that we need to give thanks at all things. Thanksgiving cannot be outdone. Nobody can thank God too much, just as we cannot pray too much. So, let us enter into the business of giving thanks in all things. Thank God for everything going on around you; for the ones that directly affect you and the ones that affect you indirectly. This is supposed to be our new mental attitude.

Prayer_Bead: El-Shaddai, Gracious Redeemer, thank you for the kindness of your grace and removing me from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of your marvelous light. Thank you for loading me with daily blessings.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ( James 4:7 )

Our anchor Scripture, like most other scriptures are quoted right but in application, we “misquote” them. The order of things is to submit ourselves to God and then we can resist the devil and he will flee. So if anyone tries to resist the devil while he/she is not submitted to God, the devil will not flee from them. But unfortunately, that is what most of us do. We try to cash in on the legal privileges of the name of Jesus without first submitting to God. We know of the story of the infamous sons of Sceva in Acts 19:14-16. They had not submitted to God but they wanted to resist the devil to flee from a young demon possessed man. It never worked like that and it never will. Submitting ourselves to God is the umbrella that covers us against the resistance of the enemy. And once that umbrella is up, the devil will have no option than to flee. The scripture tells us explicitly that if we want the devil to flee when we resist him in the name of the Lord, then we must submit to God. If we want guaranteed results then we must meet the condition of submitting to God. Now, whenever we quote this scripture, we must stress on “submit to God” because that is the emphasis that makes all the practical difference. And as we submit to God in all things, the devil will flee when we resist him.

Prayer_Bead: Omnipotent God, Everpresent Lord, I submit my heart, my will, my intellect, my desires and passion to you. My life is yours, use it for the demonstration of your power on earth.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. ( 1 Timothy 4:8 )

In the verse before this verse of scripture, we are admonished not to have anything to do with godless myth and old wives’ tales. Rather, we should train ourselves to be godly. It is upon this pivot that the words of this verse are expressed. Instead of paying the price to do something, some people will rather talk about the reasons why such a thing should not or could not be done. And once they will not do something, they will talk every other person out from doing that thing. We hear of such people in the church whose motivation are things they did in the past and how they used to be vibrant for the Lord. When we stay close to such people, they affect us with such mentality. This is why we are admonished to train. Training must be now and always. No athlete depends on a training they had ten years ago for an activity that will be two years to come. Just as physical exercise is expected to be regular and consistent to make any significant impact, spiritual exercise is also supposed to be regular until we become what we train to be. That is why the Scripture says as we behold him in a mirror, we become like him. Beholding him is a conscious activity; it is the spiritual exercise that we must persevere to do on daily basis. Anyone who first attempted going to the presence of God in the Old Testament l, thought they will die for they had seen God. Whenever you train very hard, you may feel pains and think you will fall sick or die but continuously training will make you strong. Continuing in the presence of God will profit us now and in the life to come.

Prayer_Bead: Aba Father, Loving King, thank you for the revelation of your word. As I train myself in godliness through the prism of your word, may I become a blessing to my generation and the generations after.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.