Month: August 2023

[The Glory Unveiled]

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” [ John 21:15 NIV ]

The twentieth century revivalist, preacher and writer, Vance Havner is quoted to have said, “the primary qualification for a missionary is not love for souls, as we so often hear, but love for Christ.” This statement by the missionary who has gone to be with the Lord is a statement of fact extracted from Jesus’ words to Peter, who was sent out into the mission field with the other disciples. Jesus wanted to send Peter to the mission field to feed his lambs (people who were ignorant or had no experience with the word), He asks Peter whether he loved Him. One would wonder why that question and if at all that was even fair in that moment? It would be thought that Jesus should have asked Peter whether he loved the souls (lambs) he was being sent to. But instead, Jesus asks whether Peter loved Him. This shows us that the basic requirement for the mission field is not love for the souls (lambs) but rather love for the Saviour. If we don’t love Jesus enough to obey His instructions and commands, we cannot be zealous enough to go out to invite souls into the kingdom of God at all cost. The only thing that can adequately fuel our decision and commitment to go out to the mission field to witness to souls about the Lord is first of all our burning love for Him. Jesus said to Peter, “if you love me, feed my lambs.” The same words are spoken to us today. If we love the Lord, then it will be proven by our witnessing to souls. Our love for God should be expressed in our missionary activities. This is why our love for souls cannot be the true fuel for missions because we do not love any soul more than Jesus who died for them and us all. And so, our missionary endeavors must be powered from a deep love for the Lord Jesus Christ. And so, Jesus asks us the same question as He did Peter, “do you love me [Jesus] more than these?

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for showing me the primary qualification for working in your vineyard. Help me to love you more than every other thing.

Wisdom_Quote: The primary qualification for a missionary is an ardent love for Christ.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. [ Deuteronomy 30:14 NIV ]

The New Testament copy of our anchor scripture is recorded in Romans 10:8. The scriptures speak about the proximity of the word of God and how we are without excuse as believers, for that matter. The word that shows us what we ought to do is the same word that judges us; the word of God in our hearts and mouth. And so, we have no excuses to give for our negligence. Just as a man who has fire extinguishers in his house but failed to use them to control a fire that broke out and later became uncontrollable has no one to blame nor excuses to make. But then, sometimes, even though people have fire extinguishers, their houses still get burnt to ashes because their extinguishers are far from the place of the fire. In the same way, people become casualties of temptation’s fire outbreaks because their spiritual fire extinguishers are far from them than they ought to be. The place of the fire refers to the sins that easily besets you. Hebrews 12:1, says “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Do not keep your fire extinguishers in a different room from where you predict your fire to break out. If your fires break out around sexual temptations, pornography, theft, alcohol, or whatever it is, you should get your extinguisher close by—throwing off the things that entice you in those areas. The word of God is in your heart, it is in your mind. Obey it, when the Holy Spirit prompts you with a word that forbids you from doing something; whatever it is that kindles the fires of your temptation. Just obey that word of God in that moment without any reservations or reconsiderations and then your house will not burn.

Prayer_Bead: Gracious Lord, Merciful Father, thank you for teaching me your word. Help me to always obey your word promptly. In Jesus’ name

Wisdom_Quote: Houses burn not because they do not have fire extinguishers but rather because they were not used.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” [ Romans 4:18 NIV ]

Hope plays a very vital role in faith by helping us not to quit. It fuels the magnetic field of our faith. And sends us a bill of guarantee. But have you ever felt pushed so hard against hope, that you couldn’t hope again? Have you ever been to the edge of hope? In that place, the heart becomes depressed and sick even. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12). For Abraham to be pushed to the boundary of hope and still hope was more than a human achievement. “Against all hope” means that what he could hope for was against him, there was nothing to hope for, yet he believed God to be faithful. Sometimes, in some rare instances, against all hope, faith becomes our only available flight to the destination that even hope cannot afford. When it looks hopeless and the promises of God seems far from reach, we can still believe in the faithfulness of God. Just as against all odds, when it looked irredeemable, Abraham believed God to fulfill His promises. He took God at His word, and the result became his transformation into the image of the person God had called. Many times, the challenges of life push us against the wall of hope, hemmed in by our fears and doubts. And then, after some time with fear as our master, we begin to break apart and lap into depression. But the word of grace to us today is that, against all hope, we should still hope in God. God is faithful and committed to His promises. Even when nature and science conspire against His words, and Kings and Princes plot against Him, He will still come through because of His Sovereignty and Majesty. Are you pushed against hope? Hope again.

Prayer_Bead: Omnipotent Father, All-Sufficient Lord, thank you for giving me the strength to hope again. Thank you for your faithfulness.

Wisdom_Quote: Hope is the magnetic field of faith.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

“How can a young man stay pure? Only by living in the Word of God and walking in its truth.” [ Psalms‬ ‭119‬:‭9‬ ‭TPT‬‬ ]

The statement in our anchor scripture is one of the boldest statements in scripture. Even though some people believe that Ezra wrote Psalms 119, the poetic style of writing is unique to King David. And if David, we can be sure he knew experientially what he was talking about here in our anchor verse and hence, the reason for such audacity. It says, the only way a young person can stay pure is by living in the word of God and walking in its truth. At some point, David had challenges staying pure himself. And if he says the only way out is living in the word of God, then that’s the only way out indeed. But don’t take David’s words for it, the Lord Jesus said in John 8:32, “And you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” The Lord Jesus is saying the same thing here, that freedom comes by intimately knowing the truth; God’s word. Real freedom is hidden in our acquaintance with the truth. Unless we are properly acquainted with the truth, freedom is only a distant dream. The man or woman who is ready to break free from the world and its lusts is one who is ready to marry the word of God and die in its truth. Breaking free from addictions and evil habits and staying pure has everything to do with living in the word of God and walking in its truth. But how does one live in the word of God? We live in the word of God when our lifestyles fit into the boundary of God’s word. When we allow our lives to be dictated by the word of God, patterned after Jesus Christ. And we walk in the truth of God’s word through obedience; obeying the word of God in all things. Stay pure.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for your mercy. Thank you for your living word. Help me to stay pure, in Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: Our freedom is mingled with our intimate knowledge of the truth.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

“After they had breakfast, Jesus said to Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you burn with love for me more than these?” Peter answered, “Yes, Lord! You know that I have great affection for you!” “Then take care of my lambs,” Jesus said.” [ John‬ ‭21‬:‭15‬ TPT‬‬ ]

After Jesus’ death, in John 21, the disciples, led by Peter, went back to fishing. In the anchor text above, although it may not be clear whether the Lord Jesus was referring to the fishes that had just been caught or the other disciples when He said “do you burn with love for me, more than ‘these?’,” For the purpose of our study, we will assume He was referring to the fishes as it applies more with Peter who was a fisherman and loved fishing. The statement made by Jesus shows us how to break free from the bondage of the things we love, things we are so used to. He shows us that we need a wedge fixed in between the habit that has control over us and the new habit that we want to develop. And so, Jesus told Peter to take care of His lamb; to Peter it was a measure of His love for the Lord but it was also a new habit that was being grafted into his old setup. In other words, Jesus was saying take care of a new business; burn with love for something else. We could refer to Peter as an addicted fisherman who loved to go fishing every time. And even though Jesus had called him from that old life to now be a worker for God, he went back to fishing when he felt Jesus was gone. [This is the place of relapses in addiction recovery.] He relapsed because the wedge was taken out. Addiction relapses happen as a result of the direction of one’s love and passion. Where our interests lie, there our energies are directed. Peter had his attention and passion redirected to fishing. And so, the Lord Jesus now asks him if he loved him more than the other thing—fishing? That’s the entry point for anyone who wants to break free. Freedom from addiction rests on the shoulders of our passionate love for God. How passionately we love God determines what we will do. In that moment of change, we would have to weigh the addiction against our love for God. And then divert the energy of our love to God through our ministries and callings. Do you love Jesus more than what your heart burns with lust for?

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for showing me yet another way out of any addiction that has robbed me of time with you. Help me to love you more than every other thing.

Wisdom_Quote: Freedom from addiction starts and is sustained by getting addicted to Jesus and His mandate.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” ‭‭[ Joshua‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬ NKJV‬‬ ]

In every scenario of reality, our safety on the highway of evil addictions and temptations in general is tied to our obedience to the laws of God. A. W Tozer wrote, “the driver on the highway is safe not when he reads the signs, but when he obeys them. This explains why many road users, especially drivers get themselves in accidents. They read the signs alright, but many are not diligent enough to obey it. The same is the reason why many Bible reading believers are still caught up in horrible habits and temptations. Have you noticed that nobody had ever been tempted far away from the scriptures? Every temptation is around the word of God. It is as if temptations come to test our knowledge of the word of God and obedience to what we know. Eve was tempted, or rather quizzed about her current knowledge on the word of God and she failed. Jesus in the New Testament was also tempted around the word in Matthew 4:2–11. And it was His knowledge of the word which He practiced and became one with that saved Him. Our anchor verse of scripture above, gives us the passcode to success and prosperous freedom. It says to declare the word (read it) and meditate upon it daily. But then, it’s not enough to read and meditate. It says we should observe to do all that is written in the word of God. And then prosperity [freedom] will come. Prosperity lies behind the door that is labeled “practicing the word”. No good success comes to anyone who is not a practitioner of the word. Nobody can truly be freed from a negative habit or addiction except they become unfaltering practitioners of the word. Non practice of the word is also the reason for the many relapses in the progress of those who try to stop negative habits. Let us live in the word of God.

Prayer_Bead: Almighty God, thank you for your living word. As I meditate on it, I am transformed into the perfect image of Your Son and my Lord, Jesus.

Wisdom_Quote: Prosperity lies behind the door of practicing the word of God.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. [ John 14:27 KJV ]

Yesterday, we looked at how the hunger and thirst of so many people have led them into wayward behaviours and habits. But hunger or thirst is not a license to drink or eat just anything. No one eats poison because they are hungry neither do they drink concentrated acid for water. In today’s anchor verse, the Lord Jesus says He leaves His peace with us. But not the kind in the world, rather His kind, the one that takes away troubles and fear. In many people’s search for the peace they do not know, they bargain with the world for the “peace” it offers, drugs, pornography, theft, sexual abuses and promiscuities, and every other kinds of addictions and unhealthy habits there are. Their search for what could give them peace is not well defined as to direct their search. And so, many fetch for themselves all manner of evil habits and addictions that keep them farther in bondage and from peace than they ever had. A lack of knowledge of what they seek is the magnet that draws them deeper into the opposite island of their solutions. Are you looking for something that can offer peace but don’t know what exactly? The Lord Jesus shows you what it is—His peace. It’s the only all satisfying peace there is. This is not a religious cliche passed down through the church ages or a humbug of some secular ideals. It is the promise of a faithful Father to leave an inheritance of peace for all who have their being [believe] in Him. To many chronic addicts, their habits are just anxiety killers. People get hooked up on all sorts of habits because/(when) they are anxious. But the true killer of anxiety is peace. And not just any kind of peace but the peace that Jesus gives. If you’d receive that peace intentionally, anxiety and fear will be banished forever from your life with their attending evil habits. Every gift is to be received before the gift is activated. May you receive the gift of peace today and get an activation of freedom from the bully of evil habits.

Prayer_Bead: Prince of Peace, Thank you for the gift of peace given to me. I receive your peace into my heart and I live above fear and anxiety. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: The only missile that kills anxiety is the Jesus kind of peace.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

“Jesus said to them, “I am the Bread of Life. Come every day to me and you will never be hungry. Believe in me and you will never be thirsty.” [ John‬ ‭6‬:‭35‬ ‭TPT‬‬ ]

If you’ve ever eaten bread before, a lot of it, you’d agree that bread has the ability to quench hunger in a way that one begins to have no desire for any other food. When Jesus said, He is the bread of life, He was also saying that, He has the capacity to quench our hunger and thirst. There is a strong thirst for the desires of the flesh that launches people into negative habits and addictions. And keeps them going back to that habit again and again until they lose their willpower to it. That seemingly insatiable desire for the habit is fueled by the belief that, that is what they need to be okay. While in fact, it is just an indicator of an essential need but not actually that habit. This is why the desire—hunger and thirst—cannot be quenched by the negative habit. Their desire to want to indulge in the habit is just a signal that they need something higher than what they could immediately access. It’s a prompt that shows that they are in need of something encompassing and satisfying. This satisfaction however is not immediately a finite experience. But a progressive, ever increasing acquaintance with the solution. Hence, the scripture above says, “come everyday to me and you will never be hungry.” It has to be a continuous (daily) process of quenching that hunger and thirst with the truth of God’s word. To break free from an addiction, one must drink and feed daily on Jesus. A disconnection from Jesus is a reconnection to the addiction as the only thing that cuts an addiction is a continuous connection with Jesus. Addictions are active when we add more of the negative habits to our routines. And so, addictions break when we add positive habits, namely fellowship with Jesus to our routines. The positive habit eats out the root of the negative until the negative loses its hold over us. Let’s come everyday to the presence of God to quench every thirst for lust and sin, especially the sins that so easily pull us down (addictions.)

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, you are my Lord and King. Help me to come to you everyday for the quenching of my thirsts.

Wisdom_Quote: Addictions are created from repeated additions of negative habits.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.