Month: July 2023

[The Glory Unveiled]

No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. [ 2 Timothy 2:4 NIV ]

Along our Christian journey, we sometimes get sidetracked by many things that are actually outside our jurisdiction. A soldier lives a regulated, disciplined life because their safety is secured in their discipline. They become subjected to their commanding officers. In the statement made by the Centurion in Matthew 8:9, we learn that soldiers are very submissive to their superiors. And so, we can infer that indeed a soldier’s aim wouldn’t be meddling in civilian affairs. A true soldier will have no business with civilian affairs. When we transfer all of these to our kingdom reality typology, we are the “soldiers” and the “civilians” are “the world and its pleasures”. We have a goal to please but one person; the Father and king of our kingdom. We cannot afford to divert our attention to something that looks like but is not. We cannot waste on riotous living like the prodigal son. The prodigal son, was pleasing his father until he got himself entangled in “civilian” affairs outside the boundaries of his father’s love and care. And then, that was the beginning of his troubles. The interesting thing about pleasing the Lord is that, it is to our advantage and for our comfort. When the prodigal son lived to please his father by staying within boundaries, he didn’t suffer any harm, but immediately he left [got entangled in “civilian affairs-the world”] he began to suffer. The soldiers who try to please their commanding officer, first of all protect themselves. So, let’s look unto Jesus our commanding officer and try to please Him alone; all day, everyday!

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, our Commanding Officer, thank you for the grace to please you alone in my daily life. To you be all the glory in Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: Jesus is our Commanding and Comforting Officer.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; [ 1 Timothy 1:18 KJV ]

In 1 Corinthians 13:8a, the Bible says, “charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; It means prophecies can fail. The fact that a prophetic word has been spoken does not automatically make them come to pass. Many times, people receive prophetic utterances and they go to bed in hope that it will come to pass by it self. The reality is that no prophecy comes to pass when nobody invites it into being. In the Old Testament book of Isaiah, chapter 38, a prophetic word was sent to Hezekiah that he should put his house in order for he was going to die. But instead of putting his house in order and wait for his death, he went on his knees to pray to God to change the verdict. And God sent the prophet back to declare a new word. You see, whatever prophecy that is spoken to us, we have a role to play to make it come to pass or not. If Hezekiah had kept quiet and just cried or complained, nothing would have changed. When Daniel read from the prophetic scrolls written by Jeremiah that they were supposed to be in captivity for only 70years, it gave him the boldness to begin prayers. We would again note that the 70years had passed and they were still in captivity. Someone needed to invite the word into fruition. And so, Daniel began to do that (see Daniel 9:2-3). In our focal verse, the apostle Paul advise Timothy to wage a good warfare based on the prophetic utterance that had gone ahead of him. It is now obvious that prophecy is supposed to serve as a guide for our warfare and prayer. Prophecy is supposed to make us confident when we pray and not reluctant. Don’t wait for your prophecies to come to pass, pray it into being.

Prayer_Bead: Mighty God, I bless your name. Thank you for your sure word. As I pray with them, I thank you for answers. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: Prophecies do fail.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. [ Exodus 34:29 NIV ]

In the preceding chapter of our focal chapter of the book of Exodus, Moses asked God to show him His glory (Exodus 33:18). That request was almost a difficult one under their covenant since the blood of the eternal Son had not yet being received as the propitiation for sin. But even under that circumstance, God still revealed His glory—His goodness, name, mercy and His face—to Moses. The purpose of Moses’ encounter was so that He would be a witness of the glory; a witness between God and the Israelites. Today, under the grace of a new covenant, we have the same responsibility to witness to the glory and be a reflection of it in our world. In Matthew 17, the Lord Jesus took Peter, James and John to a mountain as Moses was on mount Sinai. There on the mountain, they witnessed the glory of God. And the purpose like in Moses’ case was for them to reflect it to their world. It was so that they could be evidence of the encounter they had. If we want to exude the brilliance of God’s glory and display His power as witnesses, we need to have no personal agenda but depend solely on God’s method. We are in the days of God’s incredible acts. But these acts will find expression only through yielded vessels [individuals]. Moses’ face beamed with the glory of God because He had spoken with God. The radiance [evidence of his encounter] came from His being in the presence of the Lord. When we yield to the tangible presence of God through His word, the world will see the tangible radiance of His presence around us. You see, the world is actually not waiting for a new denomination or church, the world is not after a new prophet or pastor, the world needs a new revelation/demonstration of God. And as witnesses, that is our duty. So, let the world see the glorious Jesus!

Prayer_Bead: Glorious King, we salute your majesty and grace. Thank you for making us witnesses of your glory in our world. Let the world now see your glory through us. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: Witnesses of God’s glory testify with their lives.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.