Month: June 2024

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Trust in the Lord

[The Glory Unveiled]

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. [ Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV ]

It is possible to trust someone regarding certain things and not trust them regarding others. In this verse of Scripture, we are encouraged to trust in the Lord with all of our hearts, not just part of them. Not trusting God with all of our hearts means not trusting Him fully. It means trusting Him with certain parts of our lives, in certain things, but excluding others from His trust. To trust in God with all of our hearts means we should not lean on our own understanding, but on the wisdom of God. Many times, when faced with situations, we tend to lean on our understanding, experiences, skills, and emotions rather than on God’s faithfulness and compassion. It is easier to think that what we know and the skills we have are enough to get us out of the daily challenges we face. Peter, the disciple, thought the same too. He toiled all night, relying on his skills and talents. Yet, all night his skills couldn’t yield the results he desired. The Scripture says, “In all our ways we should submit to God, and He will make our paths straight.” As believers, no aspect of our lives should be excluded from the influence and control of God. He is not only Lord over our souls but also over our bodies and possessions. When Achan disobeyed God, the punishment came over everything he owned, even his cattle. God is Lord over everything we own and everything must be submitted to Him in reverence. God is trustworthy. We can take the burdens off our necks by depending on God in everything. Report everything to God, and He will give you rest.

Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for your faithfulness. As I walk in total dependence on you, make my path successful according to your word.

Wisdom_Quote: God wants all of our hearts.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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The conditions

[The Glory Unveiled ]

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. [ 2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV ]

God does not hear us, forgive us, or heal us just because we are His people. God is guided by His word and influenced by our actions, which reflect our heart posture. In this verse of scripture, God says He will only listen to His people and forgive them on the condition that they humble themselves and seek Him, turning from their wicked ways. Some people flaunt their sonship like a magic wand before God. They think that belonging to the family of God means they have God at their beck and call. But God cannot be leashed to our ego and ignorance. How God relates to us is dependent on certain conditions. When those conditions are met, certain dimensions and attributes of God are dispensed. Thus, it is not necessarily about theatrics but about meeting the right protocols. The first course for a life recognized by heaven is humility. Humility is the foundation upon which other divine possibilities are expressed. It creates the avenue for growth, as we cannot achieve or receive anything worthwhile from God except through humility. This is why He gives grace to the humble but opposes the proud (James 4:6). In the place of prayer, the only attitude that is admitted and yields wonderful possibilities is humility. So, before we pray for God to hear us and heal our land, we need to humble ourselves and pray. A lack of a prayer life is arrogance. Having a consistent prayer life is a sign of humility, a sign that we trust God to help us. On the contrary, not praying means we feel self-sufficient, which is the blueprint of arrogance. God is willing to hear us, but are we willing to humble ourselves under His mighty power?

Prayer_Bead: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your patience and love. Help me to humble myself under your mighty power. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: Humility is the door that ushers in the help of God.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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The source of eternal salvation

[The Glory Unveiled]

For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. [ Romans 5:19 KJV ]

The pathway to our relationship with God is our obedience to Jesus. The disobedience of Adam severed our ties with God, and this disobedience became a nature that strengthened our disconnection from our heavenly family. On the other hand, believers are grafted into the family tree of God through the obedience of the Lord Jesus. He made a way for us when He obeyed God through His sufferings. “Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him” (Hebrews 5:8-9). Through His sufferings in obedience, the Lord Jesus became the source of eternal salvation. He created a new path through which we have access back to God. We are made the sons of God because the only begotten Son of God humbled Himself to take up the form of fallen man and obeyed the Father, even to the death of the cross. As the pioneer of this new path to God, we cannot access God any other way. Even though we come to God through our faith in Jesus Christ, this faith is substantiated by obedience—the only thing that proves we have faith. Abraham had faith in God, and he demonstrated it through his obedience to God even when it seemed like a wicked thing for God to ask of him. Unfortunately, we have become so cleaved to sentiments and feelings that we dilute the gospel and the will of God with them. As a result, there are many disobedient children of God who reason against God’s instructions and call them ungodly. We can only retain what we have received from Jesus through faith when we continue with Him in obedience. Have no reasons to disobey the will of God.

Prayer_Bead: Heavenly father, thank you for your son Jesus. Thank you for making a way for me into your family again through His obedience. Help me to be forever obedient to your will. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: Whatever you obtained through faith, you maintain through obedience.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Be on guard

[The Glory Unveiled]

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. [ 1 Corinthians 16:13 NIV ]

The believer must guard many things in their life, one of which is their faith. In our present day, we must stand alert and protect our convictions about God. There are people committed to distorting the convictions of others through deceptive teachings. Deception is packaged today as an alternative truth, sold very cheaply to people whose hearts are slaves to their desires. If we are not firm in our convictions about Christ, we will begin with Him but not end with Him. And so, let us be on our guard against such teachings and individuals who mislead others. There is also a need for courage in order to stand our ground. Sometimes these misleadings continue because we are not courageous enough to face certain things or people. If we can boldly say no when we should, some of the things that destroy the convictions and faith of others will not destroy ours. Remember, God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. We have that tranquility in Christ to make the right choice in accordance with God’s will for us. Now, our strength will be tested; whether we have roots in our convictions and beliefs will be tested by life situations in these last days and, more often, by the people we could easily compromise for. But then it will be revealed whether we esteem God above all else or honor men more than God. On the day we are tested, may we not lack the strength or the courage to stand firm. There is also a category of people who think they are standing firm on their principles and convictions, only to discover that they have been swept away by the tide of today’s worldview and hypocrisy. May we stand firm in our faith as we remain steadfastly on guard.

Prayer_Bead: Heavenly father, thank you for the grace to stand firm in my faith. Take away every fear and doubt and help me to be on guard always. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: The believer’s shield against slipping away in faith is being on guard and standing firm in faith.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Our identity

[The Glory Unveiled]

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. [ 1 John 3:2 NIV ]

The believer’s true identity is a mystery. You cannot judge or describe the believer by their current appearance or situation—it would be a misjudgment, a misevaluation of their identity. Presently, the writer of the first book of John says we are children of God. To be a child of God means we carry the life of God in us; it means we have His identity. A little baby girl becomes a woman; a little plant becomes a big tree. Everything has within it its varied growth stages. So, even when it is not exhibiting one manifestation of its growth stage, it does not mean it does not possess it. The Lord Jesus is referred to as the image of the Godhead. The child of God embodies the fullness of God, but the measure of God we reveal (display) is dependent on factors such as our depth of knowledge and intimacy with Him—how we see Him. Although we are all sons, we are not all the same yet because we do not all see Him the same way. This is why the writer says that when Christ appears, we shall all be like Him because then we will see Him as He really is. This means we will come to the full knowledge of His person and deity. Unless we see Christ as He is, we cannot be as He is. This calls for continuous study of God’s word in our present walk with Him. The more we know Him—the more we behold Him—the more we become like Him. We cannot be like Christ unless we know Him more. No wonder scripture says we should study to show ourselves approved unto God (2 Timothy 2:15). We are approved by the testing of the things we know about Christ. If we know Him, we will live as He lived. And then we shall live as He is living in glory.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Almighty, thank you for your perfect plan for my life. Thank you for making me the image of your Son. Guide me to reveal it to the world. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: Unless we see Christ as He is, we cannot be like He is.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Your personal testimony.

[The Glory Unveiled]

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” [ Matthew 16:15 NIV ]

The Lord Jesus asked the disciples what others said about him. They had many answers to give, they seem to know everything others said about Jesus. When the question was asked, they had several responses because they saw Jesus through the lens of others. They knew very well what people thought about Jesus. Many of us are like that. Whatever we know about Jesus is often a mirror image of what others say about Him. However, when it comes to our personal knowledge of God, the numbers reduce drastically, as in the case of the disciples. Only one out of the twelve disciples gave an answer. It was Peter’s response to the question that Jesus used to teach the disciples about how God will build His church. God will build us, His church, according to our revelation of Him and not by the revelation of others. We need a personal relationship with Jesus, one that is based on our encounters and convictions about Him. Often, other people’s testimonies about Jesus are merely bait to draw us into a deeper relationship with God. What transforms our world is a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus, knowing Him for ourselves. You may know what the pastor says about God and what others say about God, but who do you know Him to be? Your spiritual experience is based on who you know Jesus to be for yourself. In other words, the power of your victorious life lies in your direct connection to the life source—Jesus. So, who is Jesus to you?

Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for the privilege to know your son Jesus for myself. Help me to grow in my knowledge of Him. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: Your Christian life is a reflection of who Jesus is to you.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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The company experience

[The Glory Unveiled]

Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. [ Luke 2:44 NIV ]

Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem with Jesus, and when it was time for them to return, they assumed he was in the company of their relatives. In other words, they “trusted” Jesus with their relatives instead of with themselves. If your walk with Jesus is based on assumptions and the experiences of others, your spiritual life cannot carry you far. Mary and Joseph traveled for one day but then had to come back. When we trust our knowledge of Jesus with our pastors, friends, family members, and television preachers, our walk with God, no matter how far we seem to go, will be brought back to square one. They had gone one day but had to return to Jerusalem because they assumed Jesus was in the company of their relatives. There are those who think that their families, parents, or siblings know Jesus for them, and so, in the event of any challenge, they will call on their relatives. To their disappointment, when adversity comes, they have no anchor to keep them. A day comes in the life of every believer when their knowledge of God is tested. On that day, your relationship with God will be proven, whether you know God for yourself or whether your knowledge of God is drawn from another person’s encounters. What some of us are doing as believers is a ‘company’ experience, following the crowd and being guided by the experiences of others. We need a personal experience with Jesus. Each and every one of us is called into a personal relationship with Jesus, a relationship that is not based on assumptions and other people’s beliefs, but on our personal encounters with God.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Almighty, thank you for calling me into a personal relationship with you through your Son. Help me to know you for myself. In Jesus’ name

Wisdom_Quote: A walk with God that is based solely on other people’s experiences leads no where.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Guarded hearts.

[The Glory

”Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.“ [ Proverbs‬ ‭4‬:‭23‬ ‭AMPC‬‬ ]

The outcome of our lives is the result of what we allow into our hearts. This is why we need to give our hearts the utmost priority in this life. The mind is a faculty of the soul. Whatever we become or are becoming in this life is equivalent to the wealth of our hearts. The heart is like an unrestrained river, flowing where it wills, directed only by the obstacles in its way. The heart has a way of wandering and going places, like a bird out of its nest. From this seemingly autonomous member of our body, the issues of life that influence us are brewed. The verse says we should keep and guard our hearts with all vigilance. To keep and guard something with vigilance means that it can be easily lost or corrupted. Our hearts sit at the center of our emotions, and our emotions can influence our lives and lifestyle. However, the things that affect the heart are not always apparent. They are subtle and unassuming, just as the serpent cunningly deceived Eve (2 Corinthians 11:3). The distractions of the heart are countless, hence the need to guard and keep it with vigilance by the word. One moment, Peter was used to communicate the mind of God; the next moment, he was used as the devil’s pawn, all within the space of six verses recorded in the same chapter (Matthew 16:17, 16:23). The heart can be influenced by anything and anyone if it is not guarded. And the outcome of our lives becomes the end product of that influence. Guard your heart with the word of God, against the pirates of life who use the heart as their warehouse. A heart submitted to Jesus is a heart guarded and kept with vigilance, so submit to Jesus if you have not yet done so.

Prayer_Bead: Father in heaven, your name is exalted on earth. Thank you for allowing your word to police my heart. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: A heart submitted to God is a heart guarded and kept with vigilance.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Lasting Freedom

[The Glory Unveiled]

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. [ John 8:36 NIV ]

The Lord Jesus came to set men free from the bondage of the kingdom of darkness. In Luke 4:18, Jesus said He had been anointed to proclaim freedom for the prisoners. In John 8:31 downwards, the Lord Jesus explains to some Jews who had believed Him, what they needed to do to be His disciples and free. This means believing in Jesus does not automatically result in becoming His disciple or freedom from sin. His audience had believed in Him but He still told them to do something to be free. Hence, it is possible to appear to be free but still remain in the bondage of what you thought you were free from. This is also the reason why many believers are still held under the evil thumb of sin, evil addictions and demonic manipulations. They are believers but not yet free. Jesus says that when they hold on to His teachings, then they will know the truth and the truth will set them free (John 8:31-32). Their freedom was embedded in their acquaintance with the truth; when they hold on to the truth. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were set free from slavery because they held on to the promise of God to Abraham—that he will set them free. Our freedom is tied to our obedience to God’s word. In verse 34, Jesus mentions that anyone who sins is a slave to sin. The dominion of sin over a person makes them do its bidding. This is why even the believer can be held in the bondage of sin. But continuing to obey the truth we are exposed to, brings a strong influence of the Spirit of God over every bondage and sets us free. Our safest way out of the struggles and challenges of oppressive behaviours and habits is to continue in the word of God. Continue therefore in the word of God.

Prayer_Bead: Heavenly Father, help me to continue to obey your word in all things. Deliver me from the things that compete for your place in my life. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: Holding on to the word of God is the sure way out of slavery.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Our perfect example

[The Glory Unveiled]

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. [ Hebrews 12:2 KJV ]

Many times, to succeed in various endeavors, we need to look to or imitate those who are successful in those areas. In our walk with God, there is no better example for us to look to than Jesus. His life demonstrated faith as He lived to show us what faith means. Through Him, we could understand what it means to have faith. This is why He is the author of faith. But He is not only the beginning or foundation of faith; He is also the embodiment of it. He is the fullness of it—the finisher. Another thing we learn from Jesus is that He endured the cross. The cross is a symbol of suffering and pain, but Jesus kept His eyes beyond the cross. He was looking at the joy that the cross would bring to the world, converting sinful men to righteous souls before God. This joy of turning hearts to God urged Him on to the death of the cross. To endure the cross, He made deliberate efforts; He despised the shame of the cross. He regarded it as negligible and saw it as worthless in comparison to what was at the end of that suffering. Our perfect example has shown us the way to the throne of God, revealing that the reward system of God is a journey through the highway of the cross. Anyone who would sit with God must first bear the sufferings of the cross, a suffering for the sake of Jesus. In the times we find ourselves, we need to look to Jesus now more than ever before. We need to see Jesus’ pattern to follow, so that we can find green pasture for our souls.

Prayer_Bead: Father, we thank you for giving us a complete example of faith. Help our faith to grow into the stature of Jesus’.

Wisdom_Quote: Jesus is the complete example and fullness of faith.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.