Author: kingson

[The Glory Unveiled]

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. [ Matthew 6:33 NIV ]

The life of the Lord Jesus was the way it was and produced the kind of results it did because of His priorities. His earthly life was filled with numerous accounts of what He did because that’s what God wanted. His life was a reflection of God’s life; He didn’t live a single moment for Himself but lived every minute for God. He emptied Himself to portray God’s life for us. In one instance, He said, “I work because my father works” (John 5:17). He did everything because God was either doing it or instructing Him. It’s no wonder His presence transformed the world. Many of us struggle with our identities and actions. We desire a particular life, but our realities often contradict our wishes. This is mainly because having knowledge of something is distinct from experiencing it. Our experiences shape and define us, whereas mere knowledge or desires don’t guarantee the desired life. You can’t appropriate what you don’t understand, nor can you experience what you keep postponing. Instead of delaying the wonderful experience of a new life, one that perfectly mirrors Jesus, become intentional and prioritize God above everything else. Our priorities carry significant weight and reveal our destination. When Jesus becomes our top priority, His impact becomes a reality. Perhaps the reason it seems that the impact of Jesus isn’t genuine in the lives of many who profess Him is because Jesus isn’t yet their priority. So, is Jesus your priority yet?

Prayer_Bead: Most High God, Compassionate and Loving Father, thank you for the grace to choose you above all else. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: The impact of Jesus becomes reality when He becomes our priority.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

“People who cannot control themselves are like cities without walls to protect them.” [ Proverbs‬ ‭25‬:‭28‬ ERV‬‬ ]

God has granted us the gift of choice and the capacity to control ourselves because it is a necessity. Self-control and discipline serve as the protective barriers for the human soul and body, safeguarding against harm. Just as a city without defensive walls is susceptible to various forms of attacks, lacking self-control and discipline leaves us vulnerable to every kind of assault. The integrity of our defense walls weakens with each small compromise. When compromise becomes a habitual practice, it leads to enslavement. Those who grow accustomed to captivity become compliant and easily submit to the commands and authority of others, even those inferior to them. Initially, they may rebel against the temptations of the devil, but if this rebellion doesn’t yield the desired outcomes, their captivity deepens. This is why many individuals find themselves trapped in challenging situations and come to accept their harsh experiences as fate. In reality, God has not bestowed upon us a spirit of timidity and fear but one of self-control, love, and power (2 Timothy 1:7). The Spirit given by God cultivates self-control and discipline within us, forming a protective barrier for our lives. However, persistent compromise weakens and shatters the protective wall around our souls, exposing us to danger. People who struggle to control themselves were once able to maintain that control until they started making small compromises. Those minor compromises are akin to the “little foxes” that ravage the vineyards of self-control, jeopardizing the flourishing vines (Song of Songs 2:15). Protect your vineyard and give rest to your soul and body.

Prayer_Bead: Shepherd of our souls, thank you for giving us the capacity to protect our flourishing vines.

Wisdom_Quote: Little compromises are the little foxes that break the vine.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” [ Matthew 3:17 NIV ]

God has eyes for just one person, one picture: His only begotten Son. Anything else does not catch His attention. No wonder in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead (Colossians 2:9). Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith in Him, it is impossible to please God. There’s only one identity (personality) that pleases God: His only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The other sons cannot please Him by their own merits, no matter how well they try. Sin has corrupted them to the core of their souls, so they can do nothing about their relationship with God. Just as Ishmael (son of Abraham) couldn’t have done anything to change how he was perceived as far as the promise is concerned. But for us, there is a way around our predicament. We can clothe ourselves with the identity of our elder brother, the Lord Jesus, and like Jacob, who clothed himself with the identity of his brother, we can receive the status and blessings of our brother as if they were ours, only that they will truly be ours. Now, since God has eyes for just one, we can only get God’s eyes on us when we adorn our bodies with the identity of that One, Jesus. From our anchor text, the mind of God is very clear as far as who pleases Him is concerned. In another place, in Matthew 17, God reaffirmed His decision on who pleases Him. The anchor scripture was God’s proclamation during the baptism event of His Son. As if to make everyone present aware that He had eyes for just one person. And that statement is still true till tomorrow. God has eyes for just one person, His Son Jesus, and everyone who bears the image of His Son. There is no other way to the heart of God except through the image of His Son. Would you say yes to Jesus so that you will become a child who pleases God too?

Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for finding me in your Son. Help me to remain submitted to Him as you transform me by Him.

Wisdom_Quote: God is well pleased with the Lord Jesus Christ alone.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. [ Genesis 2:15 KJV ]

The statement above, our anchor scripture, suggests that the garden had been created before man was brought into it. Before God entrusts us with our destinies and assignments, He first prepares the stage for executing those assignments. So, if you find yourself on the scene, it’s a communication of your assignment and destiny. The garden was intended to nurture and sustain man. Even though the garden was made to provide for all of man’s needs, he needed to tend to it to ensure a continuous yield. This revelation shows us that even the things that provide for us are supposed to be kept and maintained; otherwise, that supply could be cut off. The garden is only a garden because someone is assigned to keep it in good shape. The supply of many people has been cut because they refuse to maintain their Eden. God has provided the system that should supply for us, but it needs to be maintained. Whatever our gifts are, they are the tools we need to work in our Eden, our place of work. This is why it’s crucial to identify our gifts, talents, and skills and refine them. Our gifts become potent enough to maintain our Eden when we refine them through mentorship, practice, observation, and more. Get busy with your gifts and skills in whichever garden God has placed you to tend. Enter the garden of your assignment and maintain it with the quality of your gifts, skills, and talents. Remember that gardens can be lost, so don’t get too comfortable and don’t relent on your assignment.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for your love. Thank you for the skills and gifts you have given me to keep my garden.

Wisdom_Quote: Your garden [assignment] is proof that you have a gift.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

“My old identity has been co-crucified with Christ and no longer lives. And now the essence of this new life is no longer mine, for the Anointed One lives his life through me—we live in union as one! My new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God who loves me so much that he gave himself for me, dispensing his life into mine!” [ Galatians‬ ‭2‬:‭20‬ ‭TPT‬‬ ]

All of humanity shares one old identity, one that has been branded upon us like a tag. For many generations and centuries, we have attempted to remove that tag from our backs, but all our efforts have been in vain. Through Jesus, we have come to realize that the old identity cannot be repaired; it must be replaced by a new one. However, for the new identity to emerge, the old one must die, and the only place where the old can die is on the cross. By faith, many people who believe in Jesus also went to the cross with Him and died to their old identities. But it didn’t end there. When Jesus resurrected, He did so with a new body, signifying a new identity, and so everyone who went to the cross with Him also rose with a new identity. One notable thing is that we do not have absolute authority over our new life. This new life is a gift over which we have no control. It is Jesus’ life, and we must live it on His terms, not ours. The Lord Jesus dispenses His life into us every time through the virtue of our faith. Our faith, therefore, becomes the umbilical cord that connects us to His life. The value of our new life is Jesus, just as the price for our new identity is His blood. We cannot afford to squander the precious sacrifice of the Son of God for our new identity by living contrary to the life of the one who gave Himself for us. If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you don’t have a life of your own any longer. Allow yourself to be like a membrane through which the essence and personality of God can pass and be displayed.

Prayer_Bead: Our Father and our God, thank you for your great love. Help me to live your gift of new life.

Wisdom_Quote: The life of the believer is not theirs.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

“Everything we could ever need for life and godliness has already been deposited in us by his divine power. For all this was lavished upon us through the rich experience of knowing him who has called us by name and invited us to come to him through a glorious manifestation of his goodness.” [ 2 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ TPT‬‬ ]

It is possible to search for something that is already in your hands; medically, it could be attributed to spatial neglect. This situation is often humorously referred to as “looking for your glasses while you’re wearing them” or “searching for something in plain sight.” It highlights the idea that people can sometimes overlook or struggle to find things that are right in front of them. When it comes to our inheritance or identity in God, this condition is very common among a large portion of believers. Many believers go around searching for what God has already placed within them, whether it pertains to life or godliness. The scripture above emphasizes this truth: everything we could ever need for life and godliness has already been deposited in us by God’s divine power. However, the reason why we don’t seem to find all those treasures is a lack of knowledge. The scripture goes on to guide us in discovering the experience of these things deposited in us. This experience comes through knowing Jesus. Everything we need was first hidden in Jesus, and when Jesus is revealed within us through our experiential knowledge of Him, we get to experience those promises as reality. Unless that happens, every good thing we have within us (in Christ), in an uncondensed form as the knowledge of Him, will not manifest physically. When we neglect the knowledge of Jesus, the knowledge of our true inheritance, we lose the practical experience of the promises. Stop searching; the answer is inside of you, encapsulated in the knowledge of Jesus. So, seek knowledge.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for glorious manifestation of your goodness in me. I maximize your love gift in me through my rich knowledge of you.

Wisdom_Quote: What you are searching for might be in your hands.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.