Category: Gospel

Posted on

Seeing Jesus

[The Glory Unveiled]

So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. ( Luke 19:4 NIV )

The text above speaks about a wealthy tax collector in the days of Jesus named Zacchaeus. The Scriptures describe him as short. However, his height did not impede him from seeing Jesus; it was the crowd that hindered him. If there had not been such a large crowd, he would have seen Jesus. Sometimes, people and our environment try to hinder us from encountering the Word of God. The woman with the issue of blood had to press through the crowd to reach Jesus. The blind man, Bartimaeus, was discouraged by those around him from encountering Jesus, but he broke through with persistence. The world around us does not want us to engage with God’s Word. This is why, like all the people mentioned who were hindered by their environment and those around them, we need to rise above every obstacle. Social media could be a hindrance to our walk with God, but we must rise above it. Until we overcome the things that stand in our way, we cannot fully engage with the truth of God’s Word. We live in a world where everything seems to flow without resistance—except the Word of God. Because so much seems to fight against our encounter with the Word, we must run ahead of the obstacles, just as Zacchaeus did. The Word of God comes to us daily, but due to various obstructions, we must take deliberate steps to engage with it. Rise above the obstacles that stand in your way.


Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for the privilege to hear your word. Show me a way out of the obstacles that impede my access to your word. 

Wisdom_Quote: Climb above the obstacles that stand between you and God’s word to you.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

Posted on

“Better than” standard

[The Glory Unveiled]

The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ( Luke 18:11 NIV)

The habit of thinking ourselves better than others on the merit of a standard we created ourselves is a negative one. People measure their righteousness and godliness by how others live their lives. And if they feel they are doing “better than” those other people, they are okay with themselves. Or if they think they are doing better than they used to do, then they are good. But we or other people are not the standard of righteousness or life. Jesus is. In God’s eyes, there is no comparative standard. His standard is absolute. In our anchor text, we see a Pharisee praying to God and comparing himself with a tax collector. The Pharisee was trying to present himself to God as better than someone he thought was worse than himself. Meanwhile, he didn’t use God’s standard of measurement for the comparison. And because he was doing well in his own eyes, he was arrogant. But then, the ways of God are not our ways and His thoughts are not like ours. He does not operate with the “better than” standard. He works with the “as Christ” standard. So that anything and everything that falls short of Christ, no matter how brilliant it is, falls below the standard of God. Don’t measure yourself by the standard of being better than others or than you used to be. Measure yourself by the standard of God, asking for grace to look like His Son, Jesus Christ.

Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for your standard for all of humanity. Help me to live by them. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: The standard of God is Jesus Christ.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

Posted on

Sin’s antidote

[The Glory Unveiled]

I consider your Word to be my greatest treasure, and I treasure it in my heart to keep me from committing sin’s treason against you. (Psalms 119:11 TPT)

The Word of God is the antidote to sin. From the very beginning, in the Garden of Eden, the provision for sin was the Word of God—Christ Jesus. When sin struck humanity in the Garden, God provided a cure: His only begotten Son. No one can overcome sin without the help of Christ. He is God’s righteousness and the ultimate answer to sin. The Psalmist also discovered that the solution to sin’s rebellion is a heart that treasures the Word of God. He chose to value God’s Word above everything else in his life. Notably, he didn’t store it anywhere else but in his heart. The Bible teaches that the heart is the driver of a person’s life; it dictates the direction one’s life takes. As it says, “Out of the heart are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Recognizing this, the Psalmist hid God’s Word—the antidote to sin—in his heart to avoid sinning. He attacked sin at its root: the heart. The world and everything in it aim to drag us into sin and keep us there. However, the Spirit that resides in us is a Spirit of righteousness. This Spirit is made alive and powerful through the Word of God. For this reason, believers live above sin only by immersing themselves in God’s Word. When the Word of God becomes the believer’s ecosystem, sin becomes extinct. What is your greatest treasure? Does the Word of God guide your life, or do the world and its pleasures?

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for the power of your Word. Help me to live in it perpetually. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: The Word of God is a world against sin.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

Posted on

The Spirit of Life.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.( Genesis 2:7 NIV )

The creation of man was a beautiful collaboration between earth and heaven. Part of what was used to create man came from the earth, and the other came from above. The dust was from the earth, but the breath of God came from God, who is above. The remarkable thing about the breath of God, or anything that comes from Him, is that it possesses the life of God—His divine nature. Jesus came from the Father and carried the attributes and nature of the Father. When the Spirit of God visits the land of the dead, it becomes the land of the living because the Spirit of God is the Spirit of life. When Jesus, the embodiment of God’s Spirit, went to the land of the dead, the Spirit of God transformed that place into the land of the living. Scripture records that people resurrected from the dead and tombs were emptied when Jesus released His Spirit on the cross (see Matthew 27:52). Wherever the presence of God is, there is life. No wonder Jesus said He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the life of the believer. The Spirit of God is a quickening Spirit, bringing vitality to those who believe in Jesus. Through faith in Him, the presence of the Spirit of God brings life where there is no life and light where there is darkness. Remember, whenever heaven meets earth, life is released into the earth. If there is anything dying or dead in your life, what you need is the Spirit of God. Invite the Spirit of God into the situations of your life and watch amazing transformations take place.

Prayer_Bead: Heavenly Father, thank you for your Spirit in me. Vitalise anything that is dying in me and give life to the dead.

Wisdom_Quote: The Spirit of God is a life giving Spirit.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

Posted on

What are you spreading?

[The Glory Unveiled]

Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere. ( Mark 1:45 NIV )

God instructed Adam to eat from every tree in the Garden of Eden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When Adam and his wife, Eve, disobeyed God, it did not only directly affect them but also the entire human race and God Himself. The human race suffered from their disobedience because the punishment for breaking that instruction came upon every human being after them. It also affected God because, having created us in His image and likeness, He was responsible for us. He had to address our problem to redeem His image. So, God did what He needn’t have done—being slain for our sake. In our anchor scripture, we read about a young man healed by Jesus of leprosy. Jesus explicitly told him not to tell anyone about it. However, as soon as he left Jesus’ presence, he went about spreading what he was asked not to spread, directly disregarding Jesus’ instruction. The consequence of his action was that Jesus could no longer openly enter any city where He was known. Disobedience always carries serious consequences. Because of one man’s disobedience, Jesus couldn’t go out publicly to heal other sick people. His actions hindered others from benefitting from the power of God. Just as by one man—Adam’s disobedience—sin entered the world (Romans 5:19), don’t allow your personal and private disobedience to become a burden on the necks of many innocent people. Achan’s private sin became a public punishment for the nation of Israel (see Joshua 7). Walk in total obedience, for both your sake and the sake of those around you.

Prayer_Bead: Heavenly Father, thank you for the grace to walk in obedience to your word. Forgive me for all my previous disobedience. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Wisdom_Quote: Private sin has public consequences.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

Posted on

The audacity of Faith.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” ( Luke 7:50 NIV )

What is it that rolls back the dark shadows of death and sends the glorious light of the resurrection in all its brilliant beauty to the sorrowing heart? What is it that lifts burdens too heavy to bear? What is it that brings cleansing to the sin-sick soul? What is it that cools the fevered brow, eases torturous pain, and heals the afflicted and diseased? The answer is faith. These words were written in the early pages of a piece attributed to Kathryn Kuhlman, titled The Lord’s Healing Touch. Faith, the answer to the questions above, is the reason for the lifestyle of the believer. In the Gospels, we come across dozens of statements or fragments of statements that reflect our anchor verse. In many places, we see Jesus declare, “Your faith has made you well,” “Your faith has healed you,” or “Your faith has delivered you.” These statements reveal that the miracles which followed were the result of the power of faith. Faith is a system that offers the believer an opportunity to appropriate divine inheritance. It is the vehicle through which the heavenly becomes earthly, and the earthly ascends heavenward. The verdict is clear: “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.” (Hebrews 11:6). Anything done outside of faith does not meet the standards of the supernatural. The change you desire is at the mercy of your faith. The freedom experienced by the woman in our text for instance was tied directly to her faith. Some of us are waiting on someone or something, while heaven is waiting on our faith to make provision available. Do you believe in the power of God? Do you believe it so deeply that you are willing to act upon it?


Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for the privilege to believe in you. Help my unbelief concerning any area of my life. In Jesus name.

Wisdom_Quote: Faith animates the blessings and promises of God.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

Posted on

Aligned with Scripture

[The Glory Unveiled]

But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” ( Matthew 26:54 NIV )

The glory of our lives comes from living according to God’s purpose for us. Jesus said, “In the volume of the books it is written concerning Me, to do the will of the Father” (Hebrews 10:7). Jesus had the power to do as He pleased. From His prayer in Gethsemane, we can tell that He could have taken a path different from what God preferred. He was free to act as He wished, yet He chose to stick to the script for His life and ministry. From our anchor scripture, we see that people came to arrest Jesus, led by Judas Iscariot. One of the disciples, attempting to prevent Jesus’ arrest, drew his sword and struck off the ear of one of the men who came for Jesus. It was then that Jesus made the statement above. This small yet profound statement reveals the principle that underpinned Jesus’ life on earth and His philosophy. Jesus lived His earthly life moment by moment, ensuring alignment with every scripture written about Him. He intentionally and deliberately fulfilled Scripture, to the point that He would rather inconvenience Himself or endure suffering to see God’s word concerning Him come to pass. He placed the word of God above every decision and action, living so that God’s word would be fulfilled through Him. As believers, we share the same mandate: to submit our lives to the influence of Scripture. We must align our lives with what is written concerning us. Let it happen to you according to God’s word.

Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for your word concerning me. Help me to walk according to everything written about me. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: The life of the believer is supposed to mirror God’s word.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

Posted on

The words of eternal life

[The Glory Unveiled]

Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. [ John 6:68 KJV ]

In this life, people are driven by and lured to the things that appeal most to them. What appeals to people differ from one person to another. For one person, it may be food; for another, it may be clothes; and for others, it may be power. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, many people followed Him. However, from our anchor scripture and other verses, we discover that not all of Jesus’ followers were drawn to Him because of the word of life. In fact, the Bible mentions that some followed Him because of the bread and fish He multiplied for them to eat until they were satisfied. These people stopped following Jesus when He stopped multiplying bread. As a result, He turned to those who continued to follow Him and asked if they, too, would leave. But Peter responded with the words recorded in our anchor scripture. Peter’s response revealed what truly motivated their pursuit of Jesus—the desire for the words of eternal life. This desire kept them committed. It implies that if Jesus had stopped providing the words of eternal life, they might have also stopped following Him. Reflect on what drives you to the things you pursue with dedication. What keeps you attached to something will likely be the same reason you let go of it. The question to ask yourself is: Does what I am chasing offer eternal life? Only something of eternal worth can endure beyond our temporary needs and desires. Pursue what lasts beyond your name and fame.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for your words that gave me eternal life. Help me to follow you in all things and at all times.

Wisdom_Quote: Your desires and needs drive your focus.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

Posted on

Expose them

[The Glory Unveiled]

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. [ Ephesians 5:11 NIV ]

Seeing fruits anywhere is no guarantee of success. However, the nature of the fruit serves as the judge. In Matthew 7:18, it says, “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit.” And in verse 20, it states, “By their fruit, you will recognize them.” Fruit is not always a guarantee of good alone; rather, it helps to discern whether something is good or bad. The fruit reveals the tree. You may not know that a tree is bad until it begins to bear fruit. It is when the fruit begins to show that you can make a judgment about the type of tree it has been all along. In our anchor scripture, the apostle Paul says we should have nothing to do with the fruitless works of darkness. This suggests that the fruit of darkness is evident, and it is not worthy to be eaten as fruit. This also implies that the fruit of darkness is diabolic and ultimately fruitless as it is not productive. This is why we are instructed to have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness. There are those who chase after all kinds of fruits. They don’t care what the fruits are; as long as they are called fruits, they pay no attention to their dark nature. This is how many are led astray, often the gullible ones. However, the apostle teaches us to expose the fruitless works of darkness. Because, you see, unless you expose the things that hold you down, you will remain down. Many people continue to partake of the fruit of darkness because they compromise with it rather than exposing it. And over time, they are eaten up by darkness. Wherever you encounter the fruit of darkness, expose it with the fruit of God’s light in you.

Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for teaching me to expose the fruitless works of darkness. Help me to be an example of the fruit of light.

Wisdom_Quote: Whatever you don’t expose, will be imposed on you.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

Posted on

The Spirit in us.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? [ James 4:5 NIV ]

Our Heavenly Father, the lover of our souls, longs for us deeply. In the account of the Garden of Eden, He consistently came to the man and the woman in the cool of the day. God could have remained distant, relating to humanity from afar, but He chose to come close. From the beginning, God has desired to dwell within us. Even when we sinned, He still pursued us in love. This reveals the heart of God toward us. You truly understand the position and state of someone’s heart when you are at their mercy. Yet, even when we sinned against Him and deserved death, Christ came after us in love, seeking to restore us to the state He originally created us for. This is because we carry within us an aspect of God that He will never abandon: His Spirit. God deposited His Spirit in us as a tracker, a mark of His identity upon us. He fashioned us in His image and likeness, and because of this, we carry a part of Him within us. For this reason, He will not leave us in destruction or doom. He jealously guards us, just as He jealously longs for His Spirit within us. The Lord has caused His Spirit to dwell in us, and He will go to the lengths of time and eternity to redeem us. No wonder the Scriptures declare that if we, being evil, know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more will our Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? Once His Spirit is given, we become His property. And as His treasured possession, He is committed to caring for us jealously. We cannot fully comprehend the depth, width, and extent of God’s love for us. We must simply believe and trust in Him.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for the deposit of your Spirit in me. I am your property,  as you purchased me by your blood. Lead me in your love.

Wisdom_Quote: The Spirit of God is God’s tag on us.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.