Category: Gospel

[The Glory Unveiled]

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. [ John 16:24 NIV ]

The name of Jesus is the signatory to the believer’s blessings and every need. The provisions for our every need is encoded with the name of Jesus, so that without His name, the believer, cannot have what is theirs. As a result, it is very possible to walk with Jesus for many years but never ask Him anything, just because we have not asked in His name. Asking in the name of Jesus means asking with the revelation knowledge of Jesus. The theatrics of religion does not guarantee that God hears us, even though He can hear us through the art and the noise. The indicator that we have been heard is joy; a sense of inner peace regardless of the surrounding situations. It is possible to have challenges around you, yet have complete joy borne from asking Jesus. While on a raging sea, when the disciples called on Jesus, He invited peace into the storm. (Mark 4:35-39). It is not enough to say that you have prayed. When people say they have prayed, many times, they mean they have spoken their minds, usually out loud or they have spoken about what troubles them. But as to whether someone heard them from the other side, they don’t know. Many of us are content with our prayers even when there is no guarantee that it had crossed over to the side of God because many times, we are too lazy to do the hard work of finding out the will of God. As humans, we try to manage our problems by ourselves so well that we sometimes think it is the doing of the Lord. Instead, of asking the Lord to deal with them, we manage them ourselves with the deception that we have strength. Whereas, this act is actually the pseudonym for the foolishness of the prodigal son. Too many Christians are still paying for their own meals and needs when Jesus had paid for it all. Don’t pay for yours, enjoy the provisions of God in Jesus’ name.

Prayer_Bead: Heavenly Father, thank you for your divine provisions. I cash out on what you have made available in Jesus name.

Wisdom_Quote: The name of Jesus is the signature to the account of the commonwealth of heaven.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Like clouds and wind without rain
is one who boasts of gifts never given. [ Proverbs 25:14 TPT ]

Claiming to have something we do not have may be a ploy to please people and make them think highly of us than we really are. But actually, it makes us lose people’s trust in us. We become like a cloud without water which advertised rain but cannot deliver it. Boasting ensures that. The world is full of gullible men and women who chase after nothing but profit for self. They go any length to deceive people just to fill their pockets. Their motives are merely for self gain and nothing more. The second book written by Peter in the New Testament also describes people who boast of gifts never given to them in similar words as our anchor text above. “These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them” (2 Peter 2:17). Their end is foretold as destruction. People who are empty of God’s word—the substance of our faith—and bear false testimonies are like clouds without water. They have nothing substantial to give. Such people have gone so far from the grace of God that all the warnings and promptings of God seems not to teach them any lessons. Balaam, son of Beor is the example from the Old Testament who was disobedient to the warnings and promptings of God. Eventually, a donkey without speech rebuked him with human voice to restrain his madness. (see Numbers 22-24). Whenever we give ourselves permission to do what God has not commanded or not to do what He has commanded, we are indicating a rebellion to the will of God. It is a sign that we are not submitted to Jesus as our Lord. Instead of going around in an empty shell, let us tarry in the presence of God until we have a message; a substance to share with our world. A waterless cloud is a premature cloud, allow time to supply everything that is lacking. And the world will come to you for a rain.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord, thank you for the privilege to know this truth. Help me to tarry with you so that I may carry real substance for the nations too.

Wisdom_Quote: A waterless cloud advertises rain but delivers nothing.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord: [ Genesis 19:18 KJV ]

The Hebrew concept of Lord means “master, controller, owner.” If someone is Lord over you, it means they own you. They decide and dictate what you do and how you do it. Where there is Lord, the subject or servant has only one responsibility, to obey. When we come under the lordship of Jesus, we are declaring that we have relinquished our rights and freedom to Him. It means our lives will be controlled and micromanaged by Him. Our lives become a shadow of His life. Unfortunately, many of us who claim to have Jesus as our Lord are not subjected to Him wholly. As such it is very confusing who truly has the Lord Jesus as their Lord. This is why the Lord Jesus says on that day, many will call Him Lord, Lord but He will tell them to go away from Him, for He does not know them. (Matthew 7:22; Luke 13:25). Lot and Peter, seem to have one thing in common; their inability to firmly take a stance; they are both not assertive. We could tell from Lot’s inability to take a firm position against the homosexuals of Sodom (see Genesis 19:7-8) and Peter’s inability to side with the Gentiles in the face of his fellow Jews (see Galatians 2:11-13). And then, they also have the “Not so, Lord” statement in common.(Genesis 19:18 for Lot and Acts 10:14 for Peter). Anyone who accepts Jesus as their Lord must submit to Him in all things. If Jesus is not Lord of all things in our lives, then He is not our Lord at all. “Not so, Lord” is not a language a person who has Jesus as their Lord speaks. The only language a person who has the Lord Jesus as their Saviour and Lord speaks is, “Yes Lord.”

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for being my Lord. Help me to always say “yes” to you. Change my language and change my attitude towards you, in Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: Jesus is Lord of all things or He is not Lord at all.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Remember Lot’s wife! [ Luke 17:32 NIV ]

Our anchor text says we should remember Lot’s wife. But to remember Lot’s wife, we need to journey back to the first book of the Old Testament, where we can find in Genesis 19:26 what the Bible says we should remember about Mrs Lot. In that account, we see that the Angel of the Lord instructed the family of Lot to leave Sodom and not look back (Genesis 19:17). Where looking back means a desire to want what you’re supposed to leave behind or lose. Letting go of the past is quite a difficult thing to do, but change and transition happens on the spike of turning one’s back to the past. The family of Lot were well aware that they didn’t have to look back at what they had left because looking back means a desire to participate in what you’ve left. The Israelites left Egypt, instructed by God never to return back there. But the people became so used to the Egyptian life they couldn’t wean them off. (Numbers 14:3-4). In our walk with God, looking back is not an option. In Luke 9:62, Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God requires commitment in our service to God. Turning our backs to those commitments is a sign that says we have lost our saltiness and are good for nothing (Matthew 5:13). Instability and inconsistencies invalidate our commitment to God’s kingdom. The disobedience of Lot’s wife is an example of what happens when we disobey God to chase after what God detests. Once we have decided to journey with God, we must not turn our back even when our past keeps calling out. We must remember Lot’s wife more often in our day as the world’s grip on people seem firmer by the day. Don’t go back to the world you left, keep going towards God everyday.

Prayer_Bead: Faithful God, thank you for your faithfulness and grace. As I remember Lot’s wife, please help me not to act like her, in Jesus name.

Wisdom_Quote: Change and transition happen when we let go of the past.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. [ 1 Corinthians 9:25 NIV ]

Our Christian walk is likened to a race in which prizes are awarded. But like every other race, the prize is given only after complying to all the rules and coming out in first place. There are standards and expectations that the athlete must meet to be recognized as victorious. But to even obey those standards, the athlete must be disciplined—put themselves under subjection to a higher authority. Discipline means being discipled (submitted to, trained) by an authority stronger or more experienced than we are. And this is why every athlete has a mentor, a goal; someone or something they look up to, that empowers them to keep moving forward. The mentor or motivation could be a person or an idea. And for many people, the trophy or prize is their motivation. They tailor their everyday activities and dreams to these goals. Those who compete in races discipline themselves so that they could win trophies that do not last yet they put so much effort into such competitions. If we are racing for a trophy that will last forever, shouldn’t we put in more work? The desires of the body must come in second place to the desires of the Spirit. The body will only obey the voice and agenda of the Spirit when it is put under subjection to God; the body will obey the teachings of Christ and follow His examples when it is intentionally subjected to the word of God. Athletes are intentional about their diet and exercise accordingly. The believer in Christ must be intentional about their spiritual diet and exercise accordingly too, if they aim for the crown that lasts forever.

Prayer_Bead: Gracious Father, thank you for the opportunity to discipline my body and subject it to your word. Let my life glorify your name.

Wisdom_Quote: Discipline directs an athlete towards the trophy by giving them goals.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God —[ John 1:12 NIV ]

The world is filled with visible and invisible things, mysteries and facts, free things and things that have price tags on them. God made provision for everything there is need for. But only few people get access to the provisions that are freely made. This truth is exemplified in the parable of the wedding banquet recorded in Matthew 22. The king had prepared a banquet and invited everyone to come and celebrate with him. Food and drinks were available, to be eaten for free. And yet, nobody was forced to come and eat. You would agree that there were many hungry people in that town who didn’t take advantage of the opportunity. The invitation was given to anyone who would accept it. And as many as accepted it, were given the opportunity to enjoy the provisions of the king. The same thing applies to the provisions made for our salvation and inclusion into the family of God. The right of salvation is given to anyone who will believe in Jesus and receive Him as their Saviour. Grace has made provision for the need of the human soul through the sacrificial work of Jesus on the cross. God took care of our problems before the foundation of the earth so that we will not become eternal enemies of God. He made a way for us to discontinue with the path of unrighteousness and sin through the bloodline of His Son. So that by faith, we can have what we could not have paid for—the price tag of our salvation was the son of God. We could not have met that standard, hence we couldn’t have paid the price by ourselves. The mercy of God came to our rescue, towing us into the family of God by our faith in the son. But, unless we take advantage of the provision that is made for us, our needs will remain.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord, thank you for the provision of grace and thank you for the gift of salvation through your Son.

Wisdom_Quote: The provision of grace is available to all who will accept it.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled].

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” [ 1 John‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬ ESV‬‬]

There is a definiteness about love that sets it apart from everything else. This is why love cannot be misunderstood. It is always clear, either present or absent. The Passion Translation version of the Bible puts our anchor text this way, “Don’t set the affections of your heart on this world or in loving the things of the world. The love of the Father and the love of the world are incompatible.” (1 John‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬ ‭TPT‬‬) The affections of our hearts are like dials. Once it is set on one thing, it cannot be set on another at the same time. This is why we are cautioned not to set our affections on the world; not to love the world. Anytime we set our affections on the world and the things in the world, we cannot have the love of the Father as we ought to. And since loving the Father also means loving our neighbours, we cannot love other people too. Loving the world and the things in it is a weapon of mass destruction, that affects even those around us. If we claim to have the love of the Father, then our affections must not be on the world but on God. Our affection is the needle that points in the direction of our love. And just as the needle on a compass can only point in one direction at a time because it is one, we can also not have the love of the father and the love of the world concurrently, they are not compatible. This is why we are told not to love the world. Whoever loves the world loses the love of the Father, and whoever loves the Father loses the love of the world. You cannot have them both. This is why it is a very plain lie to claim to love the Lord and yet, love the world with so much affection. Like a radio dial, let us set our affections and love on God alone so that the world will have no grip on us.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for your love that is established in my heart. Help me to set my affection on you alone.

Wisdom_Quote: The dial of our affection is either set on God or the world.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.” [ Mark 7:13 NIV ]

The book of proverbs speaks of the adulterous and the virtuous woman. Both are symbolic of two systems in the church. One is religious and alluring, tempting the young and anointed one to come to her bed of compromise and sin, just like the foolish virgins who wanted to lure the wise virgins to give out their oil (Matthew 25:8). The other is the holy bride, wise, virtuous and pure, keeping her first love (“wedding vows”) for Christ alone. One system brings shame and despair; the other brings favour, honour, and glory. The two systems go as far back as the time of Jesus. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law represented the system that nullified the word of God by their traditions. In Matthew 23:13, Jesus accused them of shutting the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s face, and that they neither go in themselves nor allow others to go in. The same system is still operating today, except that today, the system has a rather larger network of players, enforcing the agenda of the system—hindering people from entering the kingdom of heaven. There are so many in the church who are enemies of the church, fighting the bride of Christ tooth and nail. They try to undo the work of Christ with their self made traditions and those handed down to them. But for the virtuous bride, the solution is wisdom. In this season and time of the church, just as it was in the parable of the virgins, it will take wisdom for the true bride of Christ, the church to escape the evil plot of the world’s church—the foolish virgin. It is only the Spirit of wisdom that can protect us from the religious church and unite us to the other, the holy church. This is why we must submit to Wisdom. We must make wisdom our quest in this season. We must stay with wisdom and let discernment enter our hearts. And then, no matter the temptations and distractions of the religious church, we will not be swayed.

Prayer_Bead: Merciful Father, thank you for your grace and love. Thank you for the Spirit of Wisdom. And as we walk in the shadows of wisdom, deliver us from the religious church. Amen.

Wisdom_Quote: Wisdom is the way of escape for the holy church against the luring traps of the adulterous church.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.