Category: Faith

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”One thing” habit.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, [ Philippians 3:13 KJV ]

The people we see everyday as successful don’t always see themselves as successful. They see themselves as people who are daily pursuing something. The result of their pursuit is what we see as success. These people exchange their time for that one thing. They have a compelling focus that serves as the starlight to which they are drawn. The compelling focus is something or someone that absorbs their attention and directs their energies to the goal they want to achieve. F. M Alexander said that people do not decide their futures, they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures. What we do everyday, every time is the brick that builds the future we see tomorrow. The future is not a monument that is carved or erected by a one time act. It is laid brick by brick by the habits we keep. This is why training is needed to have a guaranteed certain type of future. Training simply means installing a set of habits into a person. These habits become the guide for the certain future we arrive at. When the apostle Paul said “but this one thing I do,” he meant this one thing he does, continuously. There is no successful man, secular or religious who succeeds without a predictable lifestyle. These lifestyles are the habits that stuck with them over the years. The apostle Paul could tell what exactly he did that guaranteed the results he got. If anyone replicated his formula, they will have his kind of results too. Find the one thing that can draw you closer to your destiny’s goals and stick to it. Develop that “one thing” habit and watch your life turn around like a dream.

Prayer_Bead: Father in heaven, thank you for the privilege to learn this truth. Help me to develop and stick to one thing that will draw me to your plans for me. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: A one-thing habit is the hook that brings many things.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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The King’s witnesses

[The Glory Unveiled]

“We saw him with our very own eyes. We gazed upon him and heard him speak. Our hands actually touched him, the one who was from the beginning, the Living Expression of God.” [ 1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬ TPT‬‬ ]

The disciples and apostles had so much influence on the people they spoke to about Jesus. They affected the lives of so many people in tangible ways because of their convictions in what they had seen, heard and experienced. John was confident to talk about “this Jesus,” as the Jesus he knew personally and intimately. From his epistle, we could see that the man knew Jesus. The testimony of a man or woman who has seen and experienced something is uniquely distinct from another who didn’t have that experience. The words of a reliable witness is filled with compelling truth and trustworthy evidence. Therefore, the man or woman who encounters Jesus speaks about Him in a compelling way that repairs the confusion in the hearts of people. It is difficult, impossible even, to witness about who you do not know. Nobody can bring anyone into an intimate relationship with Jesus if they do not know and have an intimate relationship with Him themselves. This is the reason why the testimonies of many people are not affecting lives; the witnesses didn’t meet the Jesus they testify about. You cannot be a witness unless you witness something. What are you telling others about Jesus? Do you know the Jesus you speak about or are you reporting for someone else? Anybody can experience Jesus through the word of God, if they are intentional about it. We don’t need to go back in time to the days of Jesus to have an encounter with Him. Hence, we do not have any excuse to dish out a shallow, devoid of practical experience testimony to people, and expect them to look like Jesus. It only works when we first encounter what we are advertising.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the privilege to encounter you in the word of God so that I can be a reliable witness of your Kingdom.

Wisdom_Quote: A kingdom witness must first have a personal and intimate encounter with the King.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Faith pictures

[The Glory Unveiled]

Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. [ Joshua 6:2 NIV ]

In God’s administration, unless you see a thing, you cannot have it. This is why faith precedes acquisition. With the eyes of faith, we see and then it becomes reality. God said to Abraham, “as far as you can see, will I give you and your offsprings” (see Genesis 13:15). Before manifestation of anything we desire or prayed for, we must first see it with the eyes of faith. The eyes of faith creates the nonexistent things we seek and force them into the physical realm for our comfort. This is why the Bible says, the righteous shall live by faith (Romans 1:17). The believer’s existence is hinged on faith. In creation, God called the things which were not as if they were and then they came into being. He saw them before they came into existence. What do you see? Are you just praying and asking or you are seeing what you want? God always helps our faith by painting a picture of the things we desire and pray for. Sometimes through dreams, prophecies or desire. Even for animals, God painted a picture of what would happen so that they can assimilate before it actually came to being. While Jacob was with his uncle, the Angel of God spoke to him in a dream to set up stripped branches, positioned to reflect in the drinking trough of the animals so that each time they drank, they saw what would become. Lo and behold, according to scripture, the animals gave birth to what they were seeing in the water—streaked or speckled animals. ( see Genesis 30:37-39) Whatever will come into the world must come first through a picture of faith. Before God delivered Jericho, into the hands of the Israelites, God asked Joshua to see that Jericho was already delivered into his hands. And then it happened. Perhaps, God is waiting for the faith picture of your expectations for them to manifest. So, take that picture. It is within reach, believe it.

Prayer_Bead: Mighty God, thank you for providing everything I need and encoding it with my ability to see by faith. I see my answers today, in Jesus name.

Wisdom_Quote: A picture of faith is the key to allowing expectations become reality.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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There is provision

[The Glory Unveiled]

When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! [ Luke 15:17 NIV ]

Pride manifests in many different forms; some in more subtle manners than others. One of such subtle manifestations is a strong confidence in one’s ability rather than in the providence of God. Which usually happens when we drift from God in intimate fellowship. The “prodigal son” in Luke 15, lacked nothing when he was in close fellowship with his father. But when he broke the fellowship and left home, he began to be in need. So much that he starved and had to beg for food to survive. Many people are starving and dying, not because there is no provision to meet their needs but because they are too arrogant to ask for help. God in His wisdom and sovereignty created us to be dependent on Him, sometimes manifested through our dependence on one another as humans. If we must ask for help, let us ask in sincerity without pride. Unfortunately, many times, we wait until it’s almost too late before we turn to God; when we come to the end of ourselves, like the prodigal son. The prodigal son waited until his situation degenerated almost beyond salvage. But thanks be to God who is abundant in mercy. So, instead of waiting until it is almost too late, let us come to God in absolute humility. There is enough provisions to meet all our needs for innumerable lifetimes. But all that provision is not without the Father. We cannot enjoy the common wealth of heaven without being in constant communion with the Father. Though it is a common wealth, it is only common among those who are perpetually depending on the Father. The common wealth of heaven caters for the welfare of the people who are not offended with being submitted to the Father.

Prayer_Bead: Aba Father, Jehovah Jireh, thank you for the everyday provisions from your divine bounty. I submit to you for my every need.

Wisdom_Quote: Don’t starve when you have a welfare package.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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God’s viewpoint

[The Glory Unveiled]

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. [ Judges 6:12 KJV ]

Perspective is a wonderful tool as it is important. The outcome of two people’s lives can be utterly different just because of their perspectives. Perspective however, is an art animated by the pencil of position. Where a person is positioned influences their perspective. God’s perspective is vast and encompasses the past, present and future of man’s existence and experience. As a result, God sees and calls us according to the end He had predestined for us and not by our present circumstances nor our past. In God’s vocabulary, He calls the things which are not as if they were because they are—from His perspective. Even before God had actually created man, He had created us. He had a perfect picture of what He would do which was not different from what He did. Whenever God says something, it becomes, because God’s word is reality. As at the time God called Gideon a mighty man of valour, according to our text, he was actually a mighty man of fear, from human perspective. He was literally hiding from the Medianites—the enemies of Israel at the time. But God was speaking from His reference point of reality. Gideon was not who God called him because he had some special qualities that set him apart, God called him a mighty man because God’s Spirit and presence was going to be with him. Apart from the presence of God, Gideon was a little man full of fear (see Judges 6:16). And so, Gideon was only as far from his true identity as the distance between him and the presence of God. His closeness to his identity was determined by his proximity with God’s presence. The same is true for us all. Our true destinies lie beyond the boundary of our acquaintance with what we perceive to be reality to what God calls us to do.

Prayer_Bead: Heavenly Father, thank you for calling me to come into the reality of the the person from your viewpoint. Help me in Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: The distance between our view and experience of reality and God’s view of our identity is the presence of God in our lives.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Provisions for the Flesh

[The Glory Unveiled]

But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. [ Romans 13:14 KJV ]

When the Bible verse above says we should make no provisions for the flesh to fulfill its lusts, it is an instruction that requires intentionality and action. Before a visitor comes to a place, provisions are usually made for them. Often, reservations are made to accommodate their every need. Anytime reservations are made, there is always expectation of some guests. Reservations are coded invitations to guests. Likewise, it is possible to make provisions [reservations] for the flesh to fully carry out its lusts. [That provision is refusing to put on the Lord Jesus Christ as our covering and identity; that’s to say refusing to live in Him and by His words.] There’s a popular saying that “deciding not to make a decision is a decision.” Sometimes our failures to take actions are costly decisions we make in ignorance. When we refuse to decide or act on something, we have actually decided or chosen an alternative, unknown to us. Our scripture shows us how not to make provisions for the flesh to carry out its lusts. The secret is to put on the identity of Jesus at all times. Which means deciding not to put on the identity of Jesus at anytime is a [subtle, unintentional] counter decision of making provision for the flesh to sin through lust. This is why we cannot be passive in our relationship and walk with God. The believer needs to be proactive. The believer takes actions that are consistent with the word of God at all times. Our failure to do so, is an expensive choice we should not afford. Every choice made for us by ignorance costs more that the knowledge of it would have cost us. In other words, what we lose because we are ignorant of a divine truth always far exceeds the cost of the knowledge that could have saved us from the negative consequences. And so, let us intentionally put on the image [identity] of Jesus at all times, as we bear the mark of His suffering and life. And then, sin cannot carry out its enterprise in us through the avenue of lust.

Prayer_Bead: Our Daddy in heaven, thank you for the provisions you have made in your Son for us to live in holiness and righteousness. Help us to put on His identity at all times. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: Whatever we make provisions for, we are ready to accommodate.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Ready for the coming flood

[The Glory Unveiled]

So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. [ Genesis 6:14-15 NIV ]

”As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:37). Another episode of Noah’s time will soon come upon the earth, and even though the characters will be different and the incidence nonidentical, the vehicle of salvation will not differ as a figurative flood is coming. And so, if you want to survive the coming flood, you must build an ark and design it according to God’s instructions. No matter your fashion skills and engineering knowledge, you will only survive the flood with God’s template because there is only one type of ark that can withstand the coming flood. And that ark is the ark built after the manner that God instructed it to be built. We are in a time where we must make arks for ourselves after a revealed pattern. The making of these arks have been necessitated by the flood that is coming soon. Unlike in the case of Noah where one man built for everyone else, we are in the season of the virgins, everyone must get their own oil and lamp, except that our lamps are arks, and the ark is the salvation of Jesus. God instructed Noah as to how the ark should be built, giving him specifics. So that every detail was tailored to make the ark survive what was coming. We are in the time of grace, the moment before the flood. This is not the time for sleeping and engaging in frivolities. It is rather a time to build [ourselves in our most holy faith—in the inner man] arks. We must build through praying in the Holy Spirit and the word until we are formed as an edifice of God’s glory. We must follow God’s directive verbatim. He told Noah, this is how you are to build it, in other words, not as you want to or think it should be built. Hence, Noah had no say in how the structure would look like, except it must look like the description of God. And this description of God in our time is Jesus. Jesus is the pattern, the measurement we have been instructed to build after. Any ark that does not look like Jesus will drown in the coming flood. Are you building according to the descriptions given by God or you’re building according to your desires and lust? Remember, the “flood” is coming.

Prayer_Bead: Righteous and Just King, thank you for your grace period upon the earth. Help me to build according to the pattern of your Son. So help me God.

Wisdom_Quote: Jesus is the ark for our salvation.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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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.

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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.

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With God

[The Glory Unveiled]

For with God nothing shall be impossible. [ Luke 1:37 KJV ]

The difference between possibility and impossibility is actually a matter of what or who is with you in the process. All the impossibilities we see around us are as a result of who or what is involved. Sometimes, we venture into things with the wrong people on our team; wrong partnerships or collaborations. Other times, impossibility is just a result of the wrong attitude or knowledge. Whatever it is, impossibility or possibility happens with something or someone. In our text for meditation, the Angel Gabriel came to deliver a message to Mary about her being chosen to be the vessel through whom the Messiah would be born. Mary felt that the circumstances surrounding her nullified the possibility of that news. But then, the Angel assured her that it will happen exactly as she was told because nothing was impossible with God. This means impossibility is just another way of saying God is not involved with it. If God is involved in something and even nature and science conspire against it, it will still happen. And so, our call to action is this; invite God into your boat. Every situation of our lives that appear impossible to happen remains impossible because perhaps God is not really involved yet. Whatever we do, let’s do it with God, every step of the way. Now, let’s consider our lives for a moment. Does it look like nothing is possible in it? If yes, then we need to extend and invitation to the only One with whom nothing is impossible. And then, even if impossibility itself says no, God will turn it around for a “yes.”

Prayer_Bead: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for changing impossible situations for your glory. Let the impossible become possible in my life.

Wisdom_Quote: Possibility or impossibility is a matter of who is with you.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.