Category: Gospel

[The Glory Unveiled]

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ( 1 Peter 2:8 )

The enemy prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. But the thing with the devil that is very different from the animal it is compared to is that, the devil will not scream out loud that he is the enemy and that he is coming for you; no! He comes disguised as an Angel of light; a friend, a brother, a spouse, a family friend or member etc. As such the scripture cautions us to be alert and sober minded. Otherwise we will be overtaken with evil and before we could say jack, we are in the ditch. In the verse nine (9) of this same chapter, the word of God shows us how to deal with the enemy. He says we should “resist” him. The enemy will always come at us through our desires…always. This is why we need to be alert and sober minded so that we can resist him. And we become alert by the word of God. It opens our eyes to the schemes of the enemy so that we are not ignorant of his devices. Study the word of God to be sober and alert!

Prayer_Bead: Saviour, Redeemer, Healer, Friend, Source and Origin of all things. Thank you for the anointing to know your word and to stand firmly in it, resisting the enemy. Help me to be alert and sober minded in you.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, ( Psalms 1:1 )

Habits are not developed overnight. They are the little intentional and unintentional things we do everyday. Some of which may be inconsequential to us or our environment. But in time, they accumulate, sometimes into very serious problems. In today’s verse of scripture, we see three verbs; “walk”, “stand” and “sit” that lure men into dire and irrecoverable habits. Habits employ our desires by walking with us in our daily activities. After sometime, it stands with us and then before long, we are sitting in the laps of what we once thought we would never do. So in order to avoid sitting with evil, we must watch carefully to avoid walking with the fleeting desires of evil. This is particularly necessary because the blessings of God will only find us on the path of righteousness.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for the grace to live for you. Keep my gaze on you and my desires pruned from toxic enticements.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ( Philippians 4:6 )

Anxiety is one of the six killer diseases in adults. It has lured many to an untimely death. So here, we are given a panacea; one that will silence anxiety and its effect. And thus, avoiding the anxiety itself. Anytime we are told in scriptures not to do something, it means we have the ability or knowledge not to do it. So in the verse of scripture above, we are shown how to avoid anxiety problems. It says we should pray our worries and needs to God with thanksgiving. If we do that, faith tells us that God has taken over the burden and if God has taken it we needn’t worry again. Worrying after handing over our problems and worries to God is an indication of doubt. But if we believe in God, we would also believe that our burdens are taken care of and we will not be anxious again. And then the results that will ensue is peace; the kind that transcends all understanding. And where peace dwells, anxiety cannot stay.

Prayer_Bead: Father in heaven, thank you for showing me the way out of anxiety. Guide my mind and heart and help me to lay my needs at your feet in prayer.

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[ The Glory Unveiled ]

The LORD said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. ( Exodus 34:1 )

Sin drives opportunities far away. Anger has the tendency to resist and shut our eyes from seeing the opportunities that lie right in front of us. Moses was given the tablet of commands by God. The prophet didn’t contribute anything to it. The tablet and the writings were the work of God (see Exodus 32:16). Everything was done by God and only delivered to Moses. But upon his return to the camp, Moses was angered by the people and he broke the tablet. Now, God asks him to come again for the commandments but this time around he was supposed to chisel out the stones himself. Whereas God chiseled out the stones for him the first time, he is asked to chisel them by himself this time. And in fact, the scripture says in verse 28 of our anchor chapter, that Moses actually wrote the words as well. He had lost that opportunity that was given him first because of anger. Many of us have lost opportunities and friends because of anger or an unhealthy lifestyle. Opportunities abound but we need the right mental and emotional setup to maximize them. Don’t lose a good opportunity to your emotions. Be sober.

Prayer_Bead: Father in heaven, thank you for the opportunities in my life and those that will still come. Teach my heart to maximize them and give me faith to stand strong.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. ( Psalms 37:4 )

God grants people their hearts desires. Yes, you know He does, but we see here, a condition that cannot be skipped. To receive our heart desires, we need to delight in the Lord. The next verse of scripture (see verse 5) explains what it means to delight in the Lord. It says we should commit our ways to the Lord; we should trust in the Lord, and He will make our righteous reward shine like the dawn and our vindication like the noonday sun. God is able to do whatever He says and He will do it. But sometimes, as in this case, where God puts the fulfillment of His word at the mercy of a condition, it will only take compliance to that condition to have the experience of that word. Whatever we truly delight in, we will without hesitation make some commitment. Commitment is the voice of desire, satisfaction and pleasure. The size of our desires does not matter once we commit to God. What is important is our willingness to commit to God—and then it wouldn’t matter how many or how small the desires are, the only condition that will allow fulfillment or performance is our delight in the Lord.

Prayer_Bead: Thank you Omnipotent Father for your graciousness and love. I commit my ways to you Lord, direct my path and teach me your ways.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

The field commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah:
“‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? ( Isaiah 36:4 )

Hope is the voice of faith in the distance. So that before we could meet with the realities that are not immediately within our reach, we need to hear the whispers of hope. The King of Assyria had captured so many kingdoms and even all the fortified cities of Judah. This time, he had turned his face towards Jerusalem, threatening to destroy them unless they surrender voluntarily. But the leader at the time, Hezekiah, instead of shivering and shrinking into the hollow pit of fear, he turned to hope. And hope directed him to God. In that space of time, the enemy brought a lot of enticing offers to the people dwelling in Jerusalem. You see, the enemy will always present a counterfeit offer when your genuine package is closest. This is why we need patience and absolute trust in what God promises no matter what else comes our way. Later, King Hezekiah will turn to God with a broken heart and absolute dependence on Him. And then God intervened. Your testimony is in the same neighborhood as your step of faith. Take a step of faith, even if it will make no real sense to you. The king of the Assyrians noticed one thing about Hezekiah even though he was at the “weak” end. And that was his confidence. Let us amplify the voice of our confidence in God.

Prayer_Bead: Father of all spirits, King of all Kings, thank you for your immutable and infallible words. Order my life in the trajectory of your glory and your purpose for your Kingdom.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ( 2 Corinthians 3:15-16 )

The acts and deeds of God in the Old Testament was veiled because the minds of the people were blinded in their stiff-necked rebellion and unbelief. And for that to be communicated to them in pictures, Moses, when he descended from the mountain in the glory of God, veiled his face so that the people could not see the glory in their unbelief. Indeed whenever one turns to look upon Moses—without faith in Christ—they miss it. The only one who is capable of taking away the veil is the Lord Jesus. So that we come into that openness to see and display God’s glory when we accept Jesus as Lord. We have been called to display the glory of God to a lost world. And how best could we do this except in Christ. Because in the strength of our flesh and earthly standpoint, instead of showcasing God’s glory, we hide it from the eyes of the people. And then we begin to magnify the creation rather than the creator. The lens of Moses (unbelief of the people, not Moses) cannot interpret the New Testament truth, neither can it reveal the Christ. Christ is only revealed to the world by the Spirit of faith.

Prayer_Bead: Father in heaven, thank you for the special grace of your word. Keep my gaze on You, and order my steps in your word. Make me a true reflection of your glory.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.