Month: June 2021

[The Glory Unveiled]

And she said, I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the trip you take will not be for your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. [ Judges 4:9 ]

The word of prophecy came to Barak through Debora, the prophet that God had handed Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army to Barak (who fought for Israel). But maybe because Barak was not assured by the word of the Lord, he wanted the one who gave the prophecy to go with him to the battlefield—as an insurance of some sort. But then, a different word came through Debora that the glory of the battle was taken from him and given to a woman [who was not even a warrior]. And so, Jael the wife of Heber was handed the army general, Sisera to kill because Barak refused to lay hold on an opportunity presented to him by God (see Judges 4:21). In verse 8, Barak the prophetess had told Debora that he will not go to the battle field unless she goes with him. His trust was not in the word rather in the one who gave the word. And so God denied him what had been promised. The choices we make after the word of God is spoken to us may affect the results we see afterwards. God will not lie about what He declares but He also gave us the ability to operate our choice apart from Him. Whereas we could act in faith, believing whatever He tells us inspite of our ability to make contrary choices. Do not treat prophecies with contempt—1 Thessalonians 5:20. God will not lie, so we must trust every word He speaks.

Prayer_Bead: Everlasting Father, Prince of Princes, thank you for your word spoken to me through prophecies. I believe in your voice and I will honour your word. May I never despise prophecies no matter how trivial they may seem.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

One man of you shall put to flight a thousand, for it is the Lord your God Who fights for you, as He promised you. ( Joshua 23:10 )

The equation above can only be true when God is the constant in it. One man, ordinarily cannot put a thousand people to flight but when God fights for a people, that is possible. There are so many “impossibles” of life with the arm of flesh but leaning on the shoulders of God’s providence and grace, nothing is impossible. This is why when life says no, the believer can say yes! It is written, When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, there is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.—Job 22:29. When the ability of God comes upon a man, even his/her utterances change too. For instance, when David faced Goliath on the battle field, David lost every ounce of fear in him because the ability of God rested on him. And then he spoke to Goliath as if he had already seen his end. He wasn’t in charge of his utterances when the ability of God took over. And so, he prophesied to Goliath about his end. After the words of our verse of Scripture was spoken to the Israelites by Joshua, he added that they should take careful heed to love the Lord and to obey him. The secret source of their strength and abilities is God. When God is out of the equation, they are doomed to think they can stand their enemies. The same applies to us today, without the Spirit of God, everything about our lives will be a lie. The equalizer of our equation therefore is God, without Him, we have an imbalanced reality.

Prayer_Bead: Capable God, Mighty King, you have in your hands all it takes to do all you say. You train our hands for war and our fingers for battle. You arm us with strength and teach us to leap over walls. Thank you for all your deeds.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the LORD. ( Joshua 9:14 )

The Israelites had entered the Land of Promise with power, conquering the cities that were occupying the place. As a result, the dread of the Israelites came upon the other cities. One city, Gibeon decided out of fear, to form an alliance with the Israelites through deception. The elders did not inquire of God where the people had come from or whether they should form an alliance with them. Instead, they made their conclusions based on the lie they were told by the Gibeonites. These Gibeonites in 2 Samuel 21:1 brought famine to Israel when Saul tried to kill them. Saul was breaking the covenant his forefathers made with the Gibeonites and so the repercussion was three successive years of famine. But some years back, while still in the wilderness, there was an issue regarding some Israelites and the Assembly wanted to react to what had happened without consulting God first on the matter. The leader, Moses told them to wait until he hears from God to know what to do. Moses answered them, “Wait until I find out what the LORD commands concerning you (Numbers 9:8). And because Moses heard from God, they didn’t do what they shouldn’t have done. In our walk with God, it is very safe and burden free to always at all times consult God before we make any moves. Ignoring God on a matter that needs His inputs only leaves us regretting and wishing we could go back to time and change things. Now that we have the opportunity, let us consult God on every issue. When people come into our lives, we must ask God about them and when opportunities come we must consult God. Because sometimes what we see to be what they seem to be, are not what they seem.

Prayer_Bead: Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. May your kingdom come and your will be done in us. Teach us your ways and your will. And may we consult you on every matter.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. ( Galatians 6:8 )

Fundamentally, every farmer sow seeds with the intention to reap more of what they put in the ground. The reason why anyone will sow something is to allow the law of multiplication take effect on that seed. The statement, “sowing to please the flesh” in our text for today, will lead us to the temptation of Eve by the devil through the serpent; Genesis 3:6—When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Sowing to please the flesh means doing or approving of anything that makes the flesh comfortable at the expense of God’s word. When Eve saw that the fruits of the tree were good for food and pleasing to the eyes, she disregarded the command of God and ate it. The flesh is always pleased with lust and pride. And these lead to destruction without compromise. Whatever excites the flesh so as to sin also grieves the Spirit of God and leads to destruction. But on the other hand, investing in things of the Spirit of God leads to reaping eternal life. And we know that without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). So we can only sow to please the Spirit when we act in faith and in obedience to God’s word. The choice is ours then to make, whether to sow to the flesh or to the Spirit.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord, thank you for your word sent to guide me into the truth. Help me through the spirit of these words to sow not to the flesh but to the Spirit so that I may reap eternal life.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

If you will listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments which I command you this day, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. ( Deuteronomy 28:1 )

This charge was given to the nation of Israel, almost before they crossed the Jordan into the Land of Answered prayers—Canaan, the land of promise. God had named so many good things that would happen to the Israelites and many things He would do for them once they are in Canaan but we would discover quite later that these promises rested on covert conditions. Most times, God will only spell out the good things He would do for them making the conditions implications. Just as baits for fishes have hidden hooks, so the promises of God have hidden conditions that must be met. In our anchor verse of Scripture, God through Moses expressly mentions that “if you will” to tell that what comes after will only be done after a certain condition is met. God was telling them that He will set them above all nations if they obey all His commandments. They will not automatically be set above other nations. Our individual uplifting is tied to the conditions that we meet in our walk with God. A true walk with God is not coincidental, it is well intentioned by the Believer. So, if we want to be set apart for God in these times, then we must obey the Lord in all things; in all things.

Prayer_Bead: Prince of peace, Lord of Lords, you are worthy to receive praise, honour and glory. Thank you for giving me a willing heart to obey you and to live for you.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.