When the word becomes flesh

[The Glory Unveiled]

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. ( John 1 :14 )

The Bible says, it is the spirit that counts, the flesh profits nothing (John6:63). But before the flesh can know the profiting of the Spirit experientially, the thing of profit must be converted to the state that the flesh can relate to, otherwise it wouldn’t mean much. When the word of God is crystalized–becomes flesh in the experience of men, then we can see the glory of God. The world will be robbed of the glory of God unless we get tired of just reciting the print of God’s word and start living in the realities of those words instead. The word of God must become flesh (reconciled with us at the level that the flesh can relate to) as a result of our solid faith, accentuated by an inward understanding and dealing of that truth. The spiritual realities we enjoy as believers is staged on the strength of our experiences with the word of God. John, says that they declare the things they had seen, handled and experienced of the word of life (1John 1:1). The world will benefit from the things of God’s word that we can handle or experience in a tangible way. This is why the world waits in anticipation for sons and daughters of God. The world will see the glory of God when our knowledge of God is tested and proven by life’s circumstances. Just like a dough of flour has no meaningful use in its raw state unless it is baked into bread or other pastries, the word of God that has not been made flesh in our interaction with it does not benefit us much. Brood over the word in faith until you can mingle with it as a material thing.

Prayer_Bead: Thank you, Lord of Lords. You whose words became flesh and dwelt among us in order to reveal your glory. Make your word as tangible as flesh in my experience.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

God is Intentional

[The Glory Unveiled]

So is My word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. ( Isaiah 55 :11 )

If there is a word that comes close to describing the intents of God, it is intentionality. God does not do things haphazardly. Before any word came out of the mouth of God, it would have had a stamp of “fruitful end” in the mirror of God’s omniscience. God would have seen the end of that word before He spoke it, so that it will not return to Him void. He does not leave things to chance. The intentionality of God forbids Him from acting in a way that will be described as “trial and error”. But we may think that the word of God sometimes fail (tarry) because due to no fault of God, we may not experience the revealed word. So what could the reason be? Often, the single thing that stops the manifestation or fulfilment of God’s word in our lives is unbelief on our part. Faith is the legal tender with which we are able to purchase (capture into reality) spiritual experiences. So, anytime we fail to see spiritual truth expressed in our lives even after the word of God has been revealed to us, we must not doubt the verity of God’s word but the strength of our faith in translating that truth into a physical experience. The word of God is always true, but is our faith always firm in the word?

Prayer_Bead: Father of unfailing speakings, you don’t speak in vain. Every syllable is carried to the letter. Thank you for your words to me. Help me to believe.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

Our title deed

[The Glory Unveiled]

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ( Hebrews 11 :1 )

A man of God once said that, in the world of faith, the raw materials for achieving anything is nothing. It means we don’t necessarily need tangible materials to realise the tangible things we need. All we need is the immaterial ingredient called faith. Faith is the assurance we have of the fulfilment of God’s promises to us even when all the facts rally against that assurance. God, our father and example created this vast universe with nothing but a spiritual picture of it through words. God had the substance of what he wanted to see in existence in the eyes of his understanding, crafted by the reality of His nature. So that when He spoke, “let there be light,” He was not creating light but moving it from the unseen realm into the seen realm. Faith is a skill of translocation. It is a matter of teleporting realities from one location of realm to the other. All things existed in God and had their essence from Him. Before we could see everything we now see, they existed in God but in a realm that our physical entities cannot relate with. We can also act in faith because we have the spirit of God in us.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for the grace given to me to believe in you. Help me to transport realities from the realm that is not limited by time into time.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

Partnering for the promise

[The Glory Unveiled]

Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. ( Luke 1:36 )

Many times, great promises and wonderful prophecies fail to materialise largely due to an isolation crisis we develop. This is usually as a result of thinking that the promise or prophecy is unique to us or that we are alone in that situation. The fear of not having anyone who is experiencing our kind of situations; troubles or hardships can be very misleading. Often when we go through some rough times, we are deceived to believe that what we are experiencing is unique and peculiar to us. And on the strength of that ignorance and fear, the devil creates all sorts of thoughts which result in unhealthy attitudes that are able to sabotage the promise. Mary, the mother of Jesus found herself in a similar situation. An Angel had just appeared to her, telling her she was going to have a miracle baby. How could this be? She wondered. When we first encounter the miraculous, we are tempted to be doubtful because of fear of what if’s, how could this be’s and why me’s? But God be praised, often in times like that, God gives us a hope companion. Someone who is experiencing similar things as ourselves to urge us on. Mary had Elizabeth to urge her on and empower her. Look around, there is someone going through or has been through what you are experiencing. Contact your hope companions today and be strengthened in faith.

Prayer_Bead: Mighty God, the One who knows no impossibilities. Spirit of Wonders, wrought a wonder in me that will expose your glory to the world.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

The potency of God’s word

[The Glory Unveiled]

“Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? ( Jeremiah 23:29 )

The word of God is considered in the scripture above as analogous to fire and hammer. The properties of hammer and fire tell very much about what the word of God can do in and about our lives. Fire leaks up anything it comes into contact with. It burns, it heats up, it cooks, it refines, it transforms. Without fire, there are so many things that cannot be done likewise its presence brings about events and happenings which could not be undone.  And then we see hammer as a tool that breaks, bends, crushes, transforms, reshapes, grinds and destroys. If we reflect carefully, we will see that both fire and hammer have good and negative properties. The word of God is the power of God unto us for salvation, deliverance, Sanctification, empowerment, righteousness among others. The same word of God brings condemnation to anyone who does not believe. Jesus says he does not condemn but the word he speaks will condemn those who reject His word (see John 12:48). So we are either condemned or justified by the word of God we have become one with. There is power in the word for building and pulling down, setting up and crushing. Let us use the word, skillfully.

Prayer_Bead: Mighty Ruler, King of Kings, God of infallible speakings, every and anything that is inconsistent with your word in my life, let the hammer of your word break it. Let the fire of your word consume and refine my understanding.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

Who is acting, Sarai or Sarah?

[The Glory Unveiled]

So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. ( Genesis 16:3 )

Many people have unintentionally interrupted the plan of God for their lives in many ways. Sarah, [Sarai] could have patiently waited for the promise of God for her family. But no, Sarai interrupted impatiently. We all, like Sarah have that dual personality in some form. There is the Sarai part of us and the Sarah part as well; there is the Jacob and Israel side. There is the old natural self that pops up ones a while. It lingers on and we see flashes of that side of us ones every now and then. That part is the Sarai or Jacob while the spiritual side is the Sarah or Israel. Before you make a decision that may have futuristic implications or just ordinary consequences, ask yourself what the spiritual man in you needs to do or say. We must allow our spirit which is in submission to God to continously guide our choices. Stop the voice of Sarai and Jacob from ruining the plan of God for your life. God will honour his promises in our lives but can we patiently wait? Can we ignore the impatient suggestions of Sarai and Jacob? Can we bear the humiliations and embarrassment of temporarily looking like a fool? It is better to wait for God’s choice than rush for our (Sarai or Jacob’s) best. Choose God’s option and stick to it.

Prayer_Bead: Father of all lives, teach me to distinguish between Sarai and Sarah [Jacob and Israel]. Help me by your spirit to choose and follow what you intend for me.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

The stone isn’t the problem, your mind is.

[The Glory Unveiled]

3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. ( Mark 16:3-4 )

Often, the very things we worry about, the things that actually burden us are illusions in reality. They do not actually exist. They exist only in the ignorance of our minds. Sometimes, fear paints the most convincing picture of our doubts and worries but the truth is, we hold the painting brush in our hands. If only we would look up, we will discover from the word of God that whatever we fear is not real. Fear thrives on ignorance and as long as we are ignorant, we are captives of fear and worry. The scripture above speaks about two women, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph. They were worried about how they were going to roll away a large stone. They were figuratively worried about a problem [burden] they thought they could not possibly handle. Until they looked up, they never imagined the possibility of a breakthrough. They thought the problem they feared was unsurmountable. All we need to do to get our problems away is just to look up [to Christ]. Our problems persist because we fail to look up to Christ, the author and finisher (Hebrews 12:2). Our own strength will fail us. Let us depend on Christ.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for rolling away all my fears and doubts. Thank you for opening my eyes to your provisions for me.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

Where is your temple located?

Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. (John 4:21 )

Jesus made this statement to the Samaritan woman at the well. In their day, Jews and the Samaritans do not go along. But Jesus still came to her and more than that to ask her for water. Along their line of interaction, the issue of worship came in. The woman had the notion that one could only either worship on the mountain or in Jerusalem. And Jesus went right in on that, to disabuse her of that knowledge. When we reflect on this in relate to ourselves, we will realise that many of us are in a sense the typology of the Samarithan woman. We have this ideology that God is only present in a Chapel, in a place somewhere we go to meet him on Sundays. As a result, many people are just anybody or “themselves” every other day until Sundays. On Sundays, such people who believe they were going to meet God, go to these designated places of worship to feel the ecstasy of belonging to a group. But the truth is, God is not locked up in a roofed structure somewhere. God is within you and I. Let us worship Him in spirit and in truth.

Prayer_Bead: Heavenly Father, thank you for teaching me that I am your temple and your presence is my Bethel.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God

The Betrayal Kiss

[The Glory Unveiled]

Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” ( Mark 14:44 )

In a world where romantic love is just a “thing”, one would agree that a lot of emotional chaos go on in many relationships. You just cannot trust emotions too often. A kiss is supposed to symbolise love, affection, care, concern and gratitude or greetings in other cultures and situations. But who would think that a kiss could also be a signal for betrayal? We do not want to concentrate on the betrayal as much as the kiss, in this devotion. A kiss connotes a warm acceptance and reception of a person, so to use that as a hocus-pocus tool couldn’t have been anticipated. Imagine the shock and bitterness to have discovered later that what you received as a warm greeting or expression of love or care was actually betrayal. There are many people around the world with the Judas Iscariot spirit who go about in a cloak of a friend, lover, partner, brother or sister, who are actually hypocritical liars. They come with a kiss on their lips and a lie on their tongue. They smile to you with their face but frown with their hearts. Fortunately, with discernment and revelation, like Jesus, we can smoke such pretenders out. Beware, some kisses are meant to betray you.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for opening my eyes to the possibility of man’s deceptions. I pray for the spirit of discernment and revelation.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

The Cloud of Witness

[The Glory Unveiled]

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. [ Hebrews 12:1 ]

The scripture above didn’t say “since we ‘may’ be surrounded…” The statement made is more emphatic, “…we are…” This goes to reason that, unarguably, we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who are watching us at all times like in the case of Gehazi when he was with his master Elisha (2 Kings 6:17). And like him, we are surrounded by a cloud of saints who are witnesses of the things we do daily even if we don’t see them like Gehazi. If we are conscious of the fact that a group of people were watching us, we would not undress before them. And if a thief were watched by someone else he/she would not steal. So let us throw off the sins that easily entangle us. We need the consciousness of this reality to guard ourselves against our flesh and carnal desires. An athlete like any other person aiming to receive a prize is very intentional in all their dealings in the racetrack. They become very conscious of both the spectators and the inspectors (referees and coaches). These people are the figurative cloud of witnesses to the athlete because they actually influence the overall performance of the athlete. Let us bear this in mind that our own cloud of witnesses continue to look down from heaven upon us, even in the darkest places. Be intentional.

Prayer_Bead: Thank you Jesus for opening my eyes to the existence and ministry of the cloud of witness. Help me to lay aside anything that easily ensnare me.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.