Category: Gospel

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The strategy of sin

[The Glory Unveiled]

If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it. [ Genesis 4:7 NIV ]

The strategy of sin is akin to the tactics employed by cavemen of old. When these ancient hunters encountered a herd of animals, they didn’t pursue all the creatures simultaneously; instead, they focused on isolating just one. They relentlessly pursued that solitary animal until capturing it. If they still had energy and time, they would then pursue another. Sin follows a similar pattern, isolating its targets through complacency and pride. When individuals are unaware, they fall into the bottomless pit of death. Before Cain murdered his brother due to resentment towards God’s favour, he received a warning about the agenda of sin. God informed him that sin was at his door, desiring to consume him. Regrettably, Cain didn’t heed the caution, leading to him fulfilling the desires of sin by committing fratricide. Prior to David’s transgression with Bathsheba, he experienced isolation. Despite the customary time for kings to be at war, David remained at home, and sin ensnared his emotions. Sin consistently isolates its victims, leaving them without aid when the pressure of iniquity intensifies. Without the strength to resist, they succumb to sin. When you detect the stench of sin approaching from a mile away, the safest course of action is to seek a community of believers who can support and fortify you when sin comes knocking on your door. Is sin crouching at your door, desiring to consume you?

Prayer_Bead: Father in heaven, thank you for showing me the strategy of sin and what I need to do. Help me to remain in the community of godly men and women at all times.

Wisdom_Quote: Sin isolates its victims.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Team Jesus: The single indicator

[The Glory Unveiled]

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” [ John 13:35 NIV ]

There are specific indicators of our relationship with Christ. In the social world, certain things expose a person’s identity and background. A person’s accent can provide insight into their identity and lineage. For the believer, identification with Christ goes beyond knowing His name or calling upon Him. The Lord Jesus tells us what will make everyone recognize that we were taught by Him and have a relationship with Him. The indicator is a singular behavior. This single behavior functions like a jersey, identifying which team a believer is playing for. Just as a group of people in the same jersey belong to the same team, when we love one another, our love becomes a garment identifying us with Christ and indicating that we belong to His team. God is love, and anyone claiming to relate to Him must be filled with love and exude it. If we love one another, everyone will know that we are sent-out ones of the Messiah. Apart from love, nothing we do communicates to the world that we are related to Christ. People will recognize our connection to Christ through our love life. If we engage in every other activity, manifesting all power gifts and revelational gifts without love, it still means we are not disciples of Christ. Jesus didn’t use “these” to mean many things; He said “this” as a single indicator. Let love guide us to people and allow them to see that we have been with Christ.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for showing me the one thing that identifies me with you. Help me to love generously.

Wisdom_Quote: Love is the only thing that identifies the believer as a disciple of Jesus.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Justified by faith

[The Glory Unveiled]

But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. [ Galatians 3:11 KJV ]

It is evident that one cannot attain the righteousness of God by attempting to keep the law. God’s righteousness does not originate from the law; instead, from faith, we understand this because the just live by faith. If we measure the results of a righteous life in faith, then righteousness is attained through faith. Righteousness represents the nature of God, and those in a true relationship with Him live by faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), and one cannot resemble God or embody His identity without faith. Those who seek God’s righteousness through adherence to the law eventually realize their journey was in vain. The Pharisees and teachers of the law failed to recognize that the holiness and utter otherness of the law became a stumbling block to achieving what it teaches. By making faith the criterion for righteousness with God, He demonstrates His love for us because, by the law, no one can meet God’s standards. Faith, through Christ, meets God’s standard and infuses it into us. It’s akin to hosting sophisticated software or a large dataset on a flash drive and connecting it to a device with limited memory space. On its own, the device cannot hold the vast amount of data, but with the assistance of the flash drive, it can display a considerable amount of data as if it were hosting it. Similarly, we cannot host the righteousness of God by keeping the law, but through faith, we can embody God’s righteousness. And then, our lives must clearly show that we live by faith.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for giving me God’s righteousness. I live by your faith henceforth.

Wisdom_Quote: The righteous live their lives by faith.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Configure your affection.

[Glory Unveiled]

Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. [ Colossians 3:2 KJV ]

An electronic device holds numerous possibilities, yet these potentials remain concealed within a set of instructions stored in the device’s settings. Two devices from the same manufacturer, boasting identical features, can yield disparate outcomes due to variations in their settings and one’s knowledge or mastery of those settings. Similarly, there are abundant possibilities above, where Christ is seated, but these potentials are obscured by the settings of our affections. Without setting our affections on things above, we cannot experience the corresponding realities. Our lives manifest the realities of the locations to which our affections are set. To establish our affections, we must deliberately focus our minds on something until our subconscious perceives it as reality. If our minds are fixated on earthly matters, our lives will manifest earthly results. It is evident from the aforementioned points that we bear the responsibility of setting our minds on either heavenly or earthly things. Choosing not to set our affections on anything is a decision in itself, as our affections naturally assume a default posture—the fallen man’s inclination towards things on this earth. Your default affection is what you respond to consciously and unconsciously, defining you more than any external labels. What you respond to is a reflection of what your affection is pinned to. Therefore, set your affection right, and your life will mirror it.

Prayer_Bead: Heavenly Father, thank you for the opportunity to set my affection on things above where Christ is seated. My life reflects Jesus to my world.

Wisdom_Quote: The direction of your life is a mirror reflection of your pinned affection.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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A holistic armour

[The Glory Unveiled]

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. [ Ephesians 6:11 KJV ]

The whole armour of God is the only structure and system that can stand against the wiles of the enemy. There are many promising alternative armour that is selling in the world, advertising to help stand against the wiles of the enemy but only the word of God is capable of that protection. The armour of God is referred to as the “whole armour” because it is wholistic in nature. Every other armour may cover some vitals but they cannot guarantee absolute safety. Now, even though the armour of God is holistic in operation, one can install them piece by piece and even dare to operate them in their individual components. Such as the armour of the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness or the belt of truth. God instills order and purpose in everything, and attempting to disassemble His work leads to suffering. Choosing partial armour only allows standing against some of the devil’s wiles, as each battle armour protects specific body parts. A holistic armour gives holistic protection on the battlefield. In the same way, the whole armour of God gives comprehensive protection against the wiles of the devil. God’s armour also helps us to stand. Unlike the armour of Saul which actually made David unstable and unable to stand, the armour of God actually gives us stamina. Don’t depend on the world’s armour if you want to fight the Lord’s battle, rely on His armour, as the battle is won with the Lord’s equipment. Therefore, put on the whole armour.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord, thank you for your provisions for my wellbeing. I put on the whole armour.

Wisdom_Quote: God’s battles are won in God’s armour.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Given to Faith

[The Glory Unveiled]

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. [ Hebrews 11:7 NIV ]

If Noah had disregarded God’s instructions just because no one believed in him, he would not only have jeopardized the lives of the people of his day but also his own life and his family’s. Whatever adventure we pursue is usually, to a large extent, not only for ourselves but also for those close to us, especially when the task is asked of us by God. When Moses freed the Israelites in obedience to God’s request, he also liberated himself in the process. Similarly, our disobedience is fatal to the livelihood of others connected to us. The disobedience of Adam and Eve didn’t affect them alone; it impacted all of humanity. Let us take a moment to consider whatever we are doing in this season of our lives, in this space of time. Are our decisions, choices, actions, and reactions furthering the cause of our destinies and those connected to us? Or are they ticking clocks leading to their imminent destruction? In the end, our actions point to one of these outcomes. Noah was moved by faith and holy fear to obey God in doing something that was unheard of, something nobody in his day had ever seen or could imagine. He embraced faith because when God speaks to us about anything, it’s only faith that makes it relatable. So, when nobody could relate because they didn’t have Noah’s kind of faith, he was not moved by unbelief. Let us embrace faith and become obedient heirs of righteousness.

Prayer_Bead: Father of our fathers of faith, thank you for the grace to obey you in all things even when others disbelieve, may I not be discouraged. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Wisdom_Quote: Faith makes the instructions of God relatable to our spirits.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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The grace insurance cover

[The Glory Unveiled]

For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. [ Jude 1:4 NIV ]

The grace of God, like everything from God, is good. However, this goodness has caused much chaos and controversy within the body of Christ. Some take the message and teachings of grace to extremes, while others remain on the fringes. Both of these positions contribute to the disturbances and chaos. It’s important to note that these positions aren’t inherently bad. Unfortunately, our struggle to interpret God’s grace from these perspectives makes them problematic. An extremely grace-oriented message holds truth, but its intensity may prove overwhelming for fallen individuals in recovery. Even those medically invalids in recovery follow controlled diets until they regain strength. God’s grace empowers and equips us to lead an ascended life, avoiding distractions or detours into our former life of sin. However, when the emphasis on grace becomes extreme and we neglect responsibilities in its name, we risk reverting to our former sinful life, erroneously convinced of a grace “insurance cover.” Under such conditions, our new state of sin can be worse than the previous one. The license of grace doesn’t grant permission to sin, just as a teaching council license isn’t for practicing medicine. God’s grace is not intended for immorality. Embrace the empowering grace to live the superior life of Christ.

Prayer_Bead: Gracious Father, thank you for the privilege to live above sin. I practice righteousness by the spirit of grace. Amen.

Wisdom_Quote: Grace is not a license for sin, but a support for righteous living.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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The sacrifice of obedience

[The Glory Unveiled]

But Samuel replied:
“Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. [ 1 Samuel 15:22 NIV ]

Saul’s attitude when instructed by God to destroy the Amalekites, including their king, and his response afterward is typical of many believers. Often, we attempt to outsmart God. When we disobey God and engage in actions He instructs us against, our default attitude should be remorse and repentance. However, we often try to cleverly evade accountability. Adam blamed God for giving him a woman who misled him, Cain denied responsibility for his brother’s welfare after killing him, and David resorted to killing Uriah to conceal his adultery. Instead of seeking mercy with humility, we frequently attempt to find excuses. Saul disobeyed God, doing what he deemed right to please people. When held accountable by God, he refused to admit his wrongdoing. He even sacrificed to God while not in good terms with Him. God values obedience over showy sacrifices; it’s better to obey than to offer elaborate sacrifices. The spirit of humility, however, facilitates faster forgiveness and deliverance than many alternative approaches. So instead of falling on other alternative approaches, let us humble ourselves, ask for forgiveness and amend our ways. So that Saul’s fate will not befall us. Let’s change our ways through humility and obedient submission to God, remembering that “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”

Prayer_Bead: Omnipotent, Omniscient Father, thank you for the grace to obey you at all cost. Help me to seek to please you alone in all things.

Wisdom_Quote: Obedience is better than sacrifices.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Mingled with Christ

[The Glory Unveiled]

“For we are mingled with the Messiah, if we will continue unshaken in this confident assurance from the beginning until the end.” [ Hebrews‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬ ‭TPT‬‬ ]

The Christian’s advantage is positional, and this position is conditional. Our advantages are also conditional, signifying that what believers experience as a result of Christ comes with conditions. This ensures that Christ remains the ultimate Lord, fostering unity in Him. It’s crucial not to assume unrestricted freedom, as the One placing you in a position can also remove you from it. Being partakers with Christ requires faithful continuation in our confident assurance, much like a grafted tree is part of another as long as it remains connected. Persistent continuation with the Lord signifies our mingling with Christ, where we’re intimately connected, expressing His essence and life. Our position dictates influence and perception, not as a birthright but as a privilege from submitting to Jesus. However, this positional privilege is precarious for the self-conceited. Hence, the caution that one who thinks they stand must watch lest they fall (1 Corinthians 10:12). This caution is exemplified in Samson’s experience with the anointing on his life. Believing the anointing was at his disposal, he overlooked that access was due to consecration (position). He learned this lesson rather belatedly. Our identity is shaped by where Jesus placed us, a result of His actions. To maintain this, we must submit to the order and obey the One who made it possible.

Prayer_Bead: Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of your Son. Thank you for what I have as a result of His sacrifice. May your name be glorified.

Wisdom_Quote: Our position in God is based on the condition of the sacrifice of the Son.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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A world of mighty things

[The Glory Unveiled]

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. [ Jeremiah 33:3 KJV ]

It may seem that we possess extensive knowledge until tested on it. When one acknowledges their limited knowledge, opportunities for learning and growth arise. Despite walking with God for many years, without calling on Him, He may remain silent, as God doesn’t impose anything. It’s a recognized fact that no individual knows everything. God’s offer to reveal mighty things we don’t know is intriguing, starting with a call. The call precedes everything else. God doesn’t just promise to show mighty things; He instructs us to call on Him first. It is when we call unto Him that we are ushered into the realm of great and mighty things. Interestingly, we often try to grasp God’s promises without seeking Him. The world tends to call on everything else except God, leading to frustrations. While asking, knocking, and seeking are valid approaches, calling upon the Lord surpasses them all. It brings every attribute of God alive in our space, as seen in Adam and Eve’s case, where God came looking for them. Although Adam and Eve didn’t call on God, He still provided for them, obtaining animal skin for their covering. When the Israelites called upon Him, His glory brought manna, defeated the Egyptians, and conquered other nations. Similar results are still achievable today when we call upon Him. Don’t chase the mighty things outside God, it is a futile pursuit. Instead, call desperately unto God with all your heart.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Almighty, hallowed be your name. As we call upon you as our only hope, we thank you that you answer us. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: Years of walking with God does not amount to knowing God.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.