Month: October 2023

[The Glory Unveiled]

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. [ Philippians 4:6 NIV ]

The Word of God presents to us the sure cure for anxiety in today’s anchor verse of Scripture. Anxiety has become an invisible burden for almost everyone you meet, whether young or old, as if it were a shared surname. This is primarily because we are pulled in different directions by situations we cannot control. Many of us are consumed by fear encroaching upon our peace, and we have exhausted all known solutions, yet the challenges persist. This predicament is gradually eroding our comfort and influencing our way of life. God in His wisdom created us to be dependent on Him all things for our comfort and wholeness. And so, when we push God aside and try to fix the situations of our lives by ourselves, we clothe ourselves again with the garment of anxiety. But there is a solution. You see, many of the diseases that kill people are actually curable. So, in such cases, it is not the diseases that kill the people but their ignorance of a cure. There is a cure for anxiety in the word of God, apply the cure and enjoy an anxiety free life. The solution is to be consistent in the secret place, depending on God and not on ourselves. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell Him every detail of your life, as it unfolds. Don’t make any aspect of your life inaccessible to God. We must give God a copy of the key to every door in our lives so that He can influence change in our lives. Whatever you would worry about, talk to God about it with thanksgiving. And the peace of God will overwhelm you.

Prayer_Bead: All Knowing God, thank you for your concern for me. As I make my requests known to you, I thank you for helping me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Wisdom_Quote: Consistency in the secret place is the anxiety pill for the believer.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

“But so that we don’t offend them, go to the lake and throw out your hook, and the first fish that rises up will have a coin in its mouth. It will be the exact amount you need to pay the temple tax for both of us.” [ ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭17‬:‭27‬ ‭TPT‬‬ ]

When we observe God’s attitude through the accounts of scripture, we can tell that God does not like wastage. One would think that because God lacks nothing, He should be extravagant and careless. But contrarily, God is always intentional about the things He allows us to use. Right from the Old Testament, we see this attitude of God on display. When God allowed manna to rain down for the Israelites, He instructed them through His servant Moses that they should not gather more than they needed for the day. They were supposed to take only as much as they needed. And when some people decided not to heed that instruction but go after their greed, what they had kept went bad. This was so that the people will depend on God the next morning for their meals. Imagine if they could store the manna for days and months? They would abandon God thinking they didn’t need Him anymore. In the New Testament, when Jesus multiplied the bread for the multitude, after they had finished, He asked that they gather the broken pieces together. God does not waste resources. When Peter “suggested” through his presumption that they pay their tax, the Lord Jesus asked him to go to the lake and throw out his hook for a fish that had in its mouth a coin to pay for their taxes. Now, Jesus could have made the fish to produce a lot of money or many fishes to hold a lot of money to make Peter a millionaire. But what would have happened to Peter if he had all the world’s money at his disposal? Maybe there would have been no apostle Peter afterwards. And so, Jesus allowed just the exact amount they needed for the situation so that in future when there was a need, Peter would be sure to trust Jesus and depend on Him for the solution. God allows His children through the same experiences so that they can trust Him at all times, in all things for their needs. Depend on God, trust Him for everything. He will provide exactly what you need. And if it seem that He provided less than you need, then it is probably you who is rather chasing after more than you need.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord, thank you for your daily provisions. I trust that you love me more than the things you make availability for my use.

Wisdom_Quote: God provides exactly what we need, when we need it.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

“Actually, God considers all of humanity to be prisoners of their unbelief, so that he can unlock our hearts and show his tender mercies to all who come to him.” [ Romans‬ ‭11‬:‭32‬ TPT‬‬ ]

God as Alpha-Omega sets the end from the beginning. He ordained the world and everything in it to follow His preordained path. And no one can escape God’s ordering of things. As a result, everyone of us are prisoners of one thing or the other. “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey —whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). Through the disobedience of Adam, all humanity is plagued with unbelief which is the true picture of sin. Unbelief became the prison in which all humanity were held captive. But then, there was a way out of this prison; the righteousness of God, which is Jesus. Anyone who came to Jesus was free from their prison because it took faith—the opposite of unbelief—to come to Jesus. And since faith kills unbelief, we break free when we come to trust in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. Now, the heart is the seat of governance for the human soul. When God opens that seat of governance to show His tender mercies, imprisoned souls can find freedom. And because God has considered all men prisoners of unbelief, no man can escape the consequences of sin. And hence every human must depend on God for their salvation without exception. When we come to terms with this truth and embrace its realities, we will live very fulfilled lives. Faith is supposed to be our natural state of being. God intended for us to live by faith and not sight. But because of unbelief we are held in the belly of death. Only a heartfelt cry to God brings the mercy keys of deliverance. For whoever has the son has life (1 John 5:12). So, come out of your prison.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for your great sacrifice for my sins. I believe in you with all my heart. And so, I am free from the prison of unbelief.

Wisdom_Quote: Jesus is the way out of the prison of unbelief.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

“For Christ is the end of the law. And because of him, God has transferred his perfect righteousness to all who believe.” [ Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭4‬ ‭TPT‬‬ ]

The law was made available so that anyone who came to the end of it—fulfilled all the requirements of the law—would look like Christ. But then, it is impossible to go through the rows and columns of the law; there are requirements of the law we cannot meet no matter how hard or intentional we try. “Moses wrote long ago about the need to obey every part of the law in order to be declared right with God: “The one who obeys these things must always live by them.” (Leviticus 18:‭5‬ ) And so, nobody can be righteous except they come to the end of the law in fulfilling and obeying all its requirements and commands; an impossibility. As a result, the law exposed our sinfulness. It painted clearly the vast difference between us and God’s nature. So that we cannot at any point pride ourselves in our works. The law shows us that we cannot look like God by our own efforts. And so, to save us from our futility, God condensed the law into His Son, so that by our faith in Him, God’s righteousness is transferred to us. By that, we wouldn’t have to earn God’s righteousness through our works. But just by trusting in God, we have His nature in us as if we had gone through the traditional route of obeying every requirement of the law. Do you believe in Jesus? That He is the Son of God and the perfect sacrifice for your sins? That He died and resurrected for your justification? If you believe these because of the faithfulness of scripture, then you have the righteousness of God. And you don’t have to undo the work of Jesus by trying to please God through the works of the law. Don’t let any self righteous egotistic person deceive you into thinking you should prove yourself to God on the merit of the law. Instead, remain submitted to the life source of your new nature; the Lord Jesus.

Prayer_Bead: Almighty God, your law is holy. Thank you for bringing me to the end of the law through your Son Jesus Christ. Your name be glorified. Amen.

Wisdom_Quote: The end of the law is Christ.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. [ Proverbs 3:6 KJV ]

It is becoming unpopular to acknowledge God for the very things He has done. Even the secular world admits that it is proper to acknowledge someone whose work you intend to use. How much more should we not acknowledge God? Acknowledging God is no longer celebrated because of the perception and arrogance of people. Our generation prides itself in being knowledgeable and advanced. So that even the things that God had done is attributed to AIs and other technological innovations. Yet, the same people complain about God not leading them. But you see, God leads only those who acknowledge and revere Him. Those who are intimate with Him through their reliance on Him. Intimacy with God is the platform upon which acknowledging God is made possible. Without intimacy with God, it is difficult to acknowledge God in any area of our lives. To acknowledge someone means we respect and honour them. It means we recognize their authority and right over something in our lives. God requires our absolute trust in Him to meddle with our affairs. He will not invite Himself to interfere with any life unless there is a sign from that life that they need Him. When we acknowledge God in all our ways, He directs us in the manner that will reveal to others that we acknowledge Him. He brings glory to Himself through our lives when we acknowledge Him in all things. If God is not directing your path, it’s a sign that you’re not acknowledging Him at all, you’re not acknowledging Him in all things or you’re not acknowledging Him right. One of these is the reason why many struggle on their destiny paths. But it can be changed when we begin to acknowledge God in all things. So, again, acknowledge God in all things.

Prayer_Bead: Heavenly Father, thank you for showing me to acknowledge you in all things. Please help me to be conscious of your presence, power and love. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: God directs those who acknowledge Him in all things.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Now if we are children, then we are heirs —heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. [ Romans 8:17 NIV ]

Our anchor verse of scripture is one of the few scriptures that seem incredible. Yet they form the pillars of our faith. Some religions find this truth too good to be true. They cannot imagine how a “distant God” could have human children. They think it’s blasphemy to say that we are children of God. But the reality is that we become adopted children of God when we believe in His Son. We are grafted into God by faith in the finished work of His Son. “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). And so, the individual who believes in the name of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, has the right of sonship. And then that right gives them the opportunity to be heirs of God and co-heirs with Jesus. By faith in the substitution of Jesus for us, we have the reward of His sufferings as if we had suffered directly ourselves. And if we suffered with Jesus, then it is only fair to enjoy His glory too. Usually, the heirs of a man are his children. As faith-born children of God, we are also heirs of God. We have the right of Sons—the right to be heirs. We have the right to inherit everything that Jesus inherited from the Father. But to be an heir is not automatic, it is earned through sonship. Hence, only a child of God can be an heir of God. And so, if you are a child of God, then enjoy the rights and privileges of the children of God. Don’t live as a slave anymore, because it is possible to continue to live like a servant even after you have been brought into freedom, unless you have your mind renewed with the word of God. Your new identity is revealed in God’s word. Study it, meditate on it and live in its truth daily.

Prayer_Bead: Great Monarch of Zion, thank you for the gift of your Son. Help me to live as an heir and not a slave anymore.

Wisdom_Quote: An heir can live like a servant if they are ignorant of their rights.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

“The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.” [ Isaiah‬ ‭60‬:‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ ]

Light has a way of attracting people. Imagine yourself in a pitch black darkness and then all of a sudden you see a ray of light in the distance. Would you walk towards the light or further into the darkness? You will most certainly move towards the light because light is a symbol of hope and deliverance as opposed to darkness, the symbol of doom and destruction. There is so much destruction and gloom in the world already and almost everyone is in need of hope. “The Gentiles” used in the text above is symbolic of people in darkness. “The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” (Matthew 4:16). Light does not advertise itself to attract people, it attracts people just by being light. And so, as believers, the world will come to us when they see our light. The light of our salvation will bring those in darkness to the cross. All we need to be is light and all we need to do is to not hide. Jesus said that light must be put on a lamp stand so that everyone can see with it ( Luke 8:16). If we don’t hide our light as believers, the world around us will come to Jesus. Our anchor text also says that kings will come to the brightness of your rising. It takes normal light to attract Gentiles but brightness of light to attract kings. For kings, it takes more than just light to catch their attention, and this is why we need to grow in light. Don’t be content with your current light (revelation knowledge). Rise above your current status in light. Aspire to know more and you’d be known by more. Let go of mediocrity and perhaps, kings might come to you.

Prayer_Bead: Light of the world, Saviour and Lord, thank you for Your light in me. Help me to rise in brightness as I know you more. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: We are known as we know in light.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.