Violent acts of faith

[The Glory Unveiled]

And he [the Angel] said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he [Jacob] said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. [ Genesis 32:26 KJV ]

Jacob, the second speaker in our scripture for meditation, understood in his day what would become the template for kingdom transaction in future generations; insistent faith. Insistent faith has always brought desired results. Never has it been recorded in scripture of an account of insistent faith being ignored by the kingdom of God. From Hezekiah who insisted that he will not die even when a major prophet brought him the message of death, to the widow in Luke 18:2–5 who insisted that she got her husband avenged and the many other men and women who, in the pages of scripture violently resisted the status quo and insisted on what they desired until it was delivered to them. Men like Elijah who prayed for seven times on the mountain until he saw the evidence of what he desired in the clouds, were evidence of the potency of this kingdom principle. In fact, the hall of faith—Hebrews 11—shows us many more evidences. In Matthew 11:12, the Lord Jesus emphatically said, “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” This means when John the Baptist came onto the scene, forceful faith was legalized. Certain things will never change in our lives until we apply the force of radical faith. Jacob would never have become Israel had he not forced his faith on the divine being that appeared to him. This attitude of Jacob also gives us a peep into the nature of Jacob’s faith. He recognized that the Angel was capable of blessing him. Just like the woman with the issue of blood was able to recognize that Jesus had the answer she needed (Mark 5:27-29) and she will do anything to get that solution. Violent faith always recognizes the place or vessels of solution and take advantage of them. May we be very discerning in the matters that require violent faith and take advantage of our position in Christ for the desired results.

Prayer_Bead: My Father and and my God, thank you for the revelation through your word. Please stir my faith and make it forceful when and where necessary. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: Some kinds of blessings are forced into action by violent faith.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

Knowing God in stillness

[The Glory Unveiled]

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. [ Psalms 46:10 KJV ]

There is so much that is locked up and reserved to be discovered by those who can be still before God. To “be still” means to “let go of,” “to withdraw from,” or “to abandon something.” Stillness requires a special skill and an ability to maintain equilibrium. Sometimes, in order to be still—maintain equilibrium—one needs to let go of every weight, so as to properly sustain balance. Other times, to be still, one needs to withdraw from the noise of their world and the distractions in their immediate surroundings. John the Baptist needed to withdraw into the wilderness in order to be still before the Lord. And yet, some other times, one can only be still when they abandon whatever they have been holding tightly onto. It could be that the reason why some of us are unable to be still in the presence of God is because we are holding onto toxic things in our hearts, such as anxiety and fear—things that control our mood and peace, even people. And unless we abandon those things, we cannot be still. Jesus said if you come to the house of God to offer a gift and you remember that you have been holding a grudge, go and deal with it first and come back to offer to God (Matthew 5:23-24). Unless it is dealt with, our coming before God will be a waste. But then, when we do, we get to know that God is God. To know God means to “find out,” “to discern” or “to learn by experience.” When we attain a still posture in the presence of God, we are able to find out things about God and ourselves, discern His will for us (Romans 12:2) and also learn by experience, God’s promises to us. Which results in practical and experiential revelation of God through us to our world. And this becomes the culmination of our scripture text—God will be exalted in the world. His name will be glorified in nations and among people.

Prayer_Bead: Wonderful King, we bow in awe of You. Thank you for showing us how to be still to know you are God. Help us in our attempts to know you through stillness. Amen.

Wisdom_Quote: The revelation of God for global impact is given only in a place of stillness.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

A relational God

[The Glory Unveiled]

And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. [ 2 Corinthians 6:18 KJV ]

From the beginning of our human existence, God had always wanted to relate with us on a personal and intimate level. From the garden of Eden accounts, we can emphatically tell that God wanted a relationship with man, His creation. Interestingly, when man disobeyed God and sinned, God’s initial desire and plan did not change. He sought every opportunity and used every means to get us back into a relationship with Him. In Jeremiah, it was prophesied that God will give us a new heart, one that loved God and revered Him, and that He will enter a new covenant with us (Jeremiah 32:39-40). All these efforts are a testimony of God’s desire to be in a relationship with us. This is what sets Jehovah apart from other gods. While other gods demand servitude, a master-servant relationship, God wants a father-child relationship with His creation. A relationship that is founded on the nature of God; love. Other gods demand sacrifices from their subjects but Jehovah gave a sacrifice on behalf of his children as a gift—His only beloved Son. God was willing to give all that He had to have us back into a committed relationship with Him. As a result, we can only get to truly know God in a love relationship with Him. This is why religion does not reveal the true identity of God even though, religious people think they know God from their wobbling attempts to please their God from a distance. It just doesn’t work from a distance. This is why God had to come down—in close proximity to us, the objects of His love and His image bearers. And even when He was going back to heaven, He said, He will not leave us like orphans (John 14:18). Instead, He sent the Holy Spirit to be with us, so that we can remain intimate with Him as His sons and daughters. Let’s remain committed to our relationship with Him.

Prayer_Bead: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honoured. Thank you for your love and pursuit of me. I yield my heart to you for a heart to heart relationship. So help me, Father.

Wisdom_Quote: Intimate relationships are not forged from a distance.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

You’re worth more

[The Glory Unveiled]

And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. [ Matthew 10:30-31 NIV ]

Worry is a manifestation of concealed fear. Almost everyday, we are confronted by scary situations that aim at throwing us off guard. A person can be alright one moment and the next, they are not. A business can be doing well, and then it’s not. Marriages can be so peaceful and loving and then they can become complicated almost all of a sudden. With this very unsettling wave of instability in many things, we sometimes tend to embrace fear. Fear reveals our unsettled convictions about things. And the byproduct becomes worry and anxiety. On the other hand, when people care about us, our fears are dulled or swallowed up even. For us, as God’s image bearers, God cares deeply about even the smallest details of our lives. In the text above, we are told how God numbers our hairs—something we don’t pay attention to. If you have something counted and numbered, it gives you confidence about its safety. Now, if they were only counted, you may still have a little concern, but even that, you will notice when the numbers don’t add up. On the other hand, when the items are numbered, meaning each item has a unique number or code, you will be rest assured that they are going no where without your notice. It’s like putting a tracker on a piece of electronic equipment. You are literally with that device wherever it is on the planet because of the tracker, which has a unique identifier that represents that equipment. So, if God says our very hairs are numbered, it means He is very aware of every tiny detail of even those hairs that fall everyday when we brush or comb them. This revelation is supposed to comfort us in a way that we become convinced that God cares about our every need. So that, our fears can be replaced with faith in God. “Don’t worry,” Jesus advice; “you are worth more than many sparrows.” And because of our value in the eyes of God, we need not worry.

Prayer_Bead: Great Abba, thank you for your deep concern and love for me. Thank you for being aware of my every need. I trust in your love for me and I refuse to be worried whatsoever about my needs.

Wisdom_Quote: Fear is a picture of the unsettling convictions of a person.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

The Caretaker

[The Glory Unveiled]

And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: [ Genesis 12:2 KJV ]

When we consider God’s choice of words in the statement that make for our scripture text for today’s meditation, we will discover something peculiar about them. God was calling Abraham, then Abram, into a relationship with Himself. But to make that relationship meaningful, God calls him out of his old place into an adventure of faith. He calls him out on a journey that will give Abram the practical lessons that he needed to get to know God better. And like a sponsored journey, God takes all the responsibilities for Abram and his wellbeing. God did not for once leave the weight of the responsibility on Abram’s shoulders. As we see God, in the texts above saying, “I will,” “I will.” God shouldered the responsibility for Abram’s wellbeing and comfort as if to assure him of His capability. In 2 Peter 1:3, scripture says that, God’s divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:” And so, God had always provided a everything we needed for life and godliness. But these provisions are activated in our experience only through an adequate knowledge of God. And so, even though God said He will do everything for Abram and bless him. It would actually take Abram’s knowledge of God to actually enjoy these things promised. And so, God decided to take Abram on a journey to get to know Him. The journey into the land that God promised He will show Abram was a journey of discovering God. Abram was taken on this journey to know God and to trust Him. And then, in his discovery and knowledge of God, Abram will automatically enjoy the promises of God. Every promise of God to us is only waiting for our knowledge of God to manifest. And so, contrary to us waiting for the blessings to come to pass, the blessings are waiting for us to get to know God to the degree that they will fall to us. And so, let’s make getting an adequate knowledge of God our priority.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord and my true Love, thank you for the promises of your blessings. Help me to ascend to the height of knowledge that is commensurate with the promise fulfillment. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: The promises of God and His blessings are waiting for our knowledge upgrade of God to come to pass.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.