Category: Glory

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Twice as much

[The Glory Unveiled]

And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. [ Job 42:10 KJV ]

The story about Job’s test seems to have been about Job’s faithfulness to God. But the story took a different turn when his friends came into the picture. Job was on the chart for a [spiritual] test of his faithfulness and commitment to God. But when his friends came into the equation, the trajectory changed as if it had ricocheted from its initial path by some flat surface. In the end, Job’s deliverance depended on his friends. Sometimes, what gets us into a problem will not be the reason for our deliverance. Sometimes, the door that leads out of a problem looks nothing like the door by which we entered. And so, for Job, he needed to pray for his friends to have his deliverance. But in any case, everyone needs to take an initiative for any change to kick start. Job had to stop trying to convince his friends, he needed to quit trying to prove to them how good and innocent he was, to praying for them. That was probably not what he would have wanted but that was necessary to have the desired outcome. Your situation may be waiting for an input from you before it invites the desired change you envision. For your current situation or challenge, what must you do to change the narrative? What are you pushing back on? Maybe that is what is delaying your expected progress and change. And like Job, captivities can turn around indeed. God gave Job twice as much as he had before the trial because he prayed for his friends. And to pray for his friends, he had to first forgive them. Forgiveness opens closed doors and opens new ones. Your “twice as much” blessing is waiting for your initiation. Forgive who you must and pray for those you should.

Prayer_Bead: God of Abraham, the covenant keeping God, thank you. Please help me to do what I must to bring to pass what I’m expecting.

Wisdom_Quote: Captivities lose their voice and power in the face of forgiveness.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Suffering and Glory

[The Glory Unveiled]

“I am convinced that any suffering we endure is less than nothing compared to the magnitude of glory that is about to be unveiled within us.” [ Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭18‬ ‭TPT‬‬ ]

In life, we all take some form of risks, but the kind of risk a person is willing to take is usually influenced by what is important to the person. Also in life, everything has an alternative and a price tag to it. If you’re willing to pay the price, you’ll have what it offers. So, what price are you willing to pay without bargaining? Because the path each person takes even in the face of fierce challenges is influenced by their willingness or conviction. As believers, are we convinced about the scriptures? Are we willing to obey its truth? Because if we obey the scriptures and suffer for it, that suffering will be unveiled within us as glory, according to the word of God. So, for the believer, just as the athlete, there is suffering and glory. But suffering always precedes glory. There is no glory without suffering. This is why suffering can be the indices of a future glory. When we face suffering for the sake of Jesus, we should not be discouraged. It is a sign that sooner we will enjoy the due glory. The beauty is that, the glory does not match symmetrically with the sufferings; the glory far outweighs the suffering. The apostle Paul could endure all the sufferings he endured in his ministry for the sake of Jesus because of his conviction. He came to that point where he was fully persuaded that his sufferings will pay off in the currency of glory. Whatever you’re going through cannot be compared to the manner of glory it will bring. After all is said and done, what are your convictions? What drives your actions, what informs your decisions and beliefs?

Prayer_Bead: Father, we will praise you forever for your marvelous words and truth. Help us to suffer joyfully for your name sake.

Wisdom_Quote: Suffering for Christ is the indices of a future glory.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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A God encounter

[The Glory Unveiled]

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. [ Exodus 34:29 NIV ]

Nobody ever encountered God and remained the same. Everyman who had encountered the Lord took away a piece of God that made them different from who they were. Moses was with God in the mountain and then the Shekinah glory rubbed off on him. He began to radiate the glory [nature] of God. Whenever we come into contact with God, His nature and glory rubs on us. This was why a blind person meets Jesus and they turn to leave seeing, a lame man met him and he walked, the deaf saw him and they began to hear. Paul and Jacob met God and were changed into new men, in fact, Jacob became a nation. God gives us His presence so that we can represent Him. In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were in the presence of God, fellowshipping and absorbing His glory. And so, just by being in the presence of God they were becoming like God in expression. But the devil lied to them that they needed the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to express God (Genesis 3:5). While in fact, the solution was just a matter of communion—continuous fellowship with God. God visited them frequently, so that they could become so in-tuned with Him that they would reflect His majestic glory. When we stay in close proximity with God or His word, we become like the word or the attribute of God that rubs on us. Every encounter with God brings to bear a tangible expression of an attribute of God. Interestingly, sometimes we may not notice the change when we encounter the Lord, but its effect on our world cannot be ignored. In the end, the world will only see Jesus in and through us when we stay with God in His word. Nothing else will suffice; an instant remedy, namely the fruit didn’t work in the garden and it wouldn’t work outside the garden, today.

Prayer_Bead: Heavenly Father, thank you for your wonderful presence and glory. Let the world see the radiant beauty of Jesus.

Wisdom_Quote: Real change happens when we encounter God.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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The constraints of purpose.


[The Glory Unveiled]

Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is always ready. [ John 7:6 KJV ]

The purpose of God for our lives reaffirmed by the new life secured for us through Jesus has placed us in a place of intentionality and constraint. We cannot live our lives anyhow even if we wanted to–not in a bad way however. We have been brought into a new community where the will of God becomes our priority. We are governed by a new culture and constitution. The world can choose to go in any direction but we cannot. Our ways are dictated by God. And so, it happened that the household of Jesus were supposed to go to a ceremony–the feast of tabernacles. The other party encouraged Jesus to go at a certain time to which Jesus said the words of our anchor scripture. He was living every minute of His life by the dictates of His Father, whereas the people who were encouraging him to go were living as they pleased. Jesus had a strategic mandate and purpose and the responsibilities of that mandate constrained him to a certain life that others will not commit to. If we are living our lives within the margins of our calling and purposes,  we will also confine ourselves to the boundaries of God’s word. If for any reasons we were living like the other party that encouraged Jesus to go to the function, then may God help us to walk in alignment with our callings and purposes.

Prayer_Bead: Lord of Creation, thank you for the privilege to walk in step with your plans and purposes for me. My life and actions align to your calling upon me. I live a life constrained by the Holy Spirit.

Wisdom_Quote: The new man or woman in Christ lives by the orders of heaven.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Wisdom is today’s strategy


[The Glory Unveiled]

Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. [ Colossians 4:5 KJV]

Sometimes, in order to do something faster, strength is not required. For instance, you don’t need the strength of the strongest heavy weight champion to travel to America from here or from America to China. This is because, in this situation, strength is not the factor for the successful execution of the task at hand. We can quickly assume that many people fail because of this reality. They try to equip themselves with the right amount of the wrong ingredients and resources they don’t need. Our anchor verse of scripture teaches us that, wisdom is the resource we need for such a time as this. Many people are applying different tricks and strategies, but like our opening scenario, they fail. The Lord Jesus had this to say about the people of the world—the same people our anchor verse is instructing us about —in Luke 16:8, that the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. The Lord Jesus Himself said this! And in the next verse (verse 9), He left us another wisdom nugget to thrive among the people of this world. The one from our anchor verse of scripture says we should walk in wisdom and redeem the time. You see, our opening statement is reinforced. Walking in wisdom will save us time and unnecessary headaches. Walking in wisdom means walking by the guidelines of God. For the fear [reverence] of God, is the beginning of wisdom.

Prayer_Bead: All knowing Father, Omniscient King, thank you for the spirit of wisdom at work in me. Help me to walk by your dictates and guidelines, everyday of my life.

Wisdom_Quote: Your strength cannot pay for what wisdom bought!

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.