[The Glory Unveiled]
Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. ( Acts 28:3 NIV )
Fire is not entirely a bad master, even though it has earned that name through many people’s experiences with it. As a result, whenever we see fire, we are so eager to quench it that we have institutions set up to deal with it. However, fire in its nature is not all that bad. Fire has other wonderful purposes that only fire can fulfill. In the text above, the apostle Paul and other travelers reached a point in their journey where they had to make a fire to warm themselves. Nothing happened when Paul picked up his pile of wood, but as soon as he placed it on the fire, a snake came out because of the heat. The heat of the fire exposed what had been hiding all along. In the same way, God sometimes allows fires into our lives to purify us and reveal things we don’t even know exist. Some of us harbor habits and attitudes that are unwelcome, but we may never discover them until fire is introduced into our lives. The discomfort that fire brings will drive out everything that is not meant to remain in us. For some of us, the fires might be started by people closest to us. At other times, situations and circumstances beyond our control ignite these fires. Our willingness or unwillingness to accept the lessons that these experiences bring is what defines us. The fires and heat in your life are permitted by God for a reason. The fires in our lives are there on assignment. When the same Paul complained of a thorn in his flesh, God, who could have taken it away, didn’t. Instead, He said His grace was sufficient for Paul and that His strength is made perfect in weakness. God didn’t remove the thorn because it was serving a purpose in Paul’s life. So, when we walk through fire, we must understand that God is taking us on an assignment. You will come out with a glorious testimony.
Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for your love for me. Thank you for the fire you allow into my life to refine me and prepare me for what you are about to do. In Jesus’ name.
Wisdom_Quote: Many life assignments are discovered after taking the walk through fire.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.
The good we don’t see
[The Glory Unveiled ]
And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” [ John 1:46 NKJV ]
There is so much the ordinary eye cannot perceive. As humans, we do not see the end of things from the beginning—but God does. He sees the end from the beginning and from ancient times what is yet to come (Isaiah 46:10). This is why His counsel always stands. Humans, on the other hand, are limited and make decisions based on the incomplete information they have. As a result, we are often quick to judge people and situations because of our short-sightedness. But because God sees all things and knows all things, His judgments and decrees are perfect. When we feel overwhelmed by our struggles, we tend to give up. We shut every door of hope, thinking there is no help for us. Yet, if we leave the door of hope open, we would learn that the challenges we face often carry some good within them—even if we don’t immediately see it. There is a purpose for everything God permits in our lives. Some of those purposes may not align with our plans or feel good at the moment, but they undoubtedly have an intended purpose. Nathanael once thought that nothing good could come from Nazareth. Yet, in what seemed like insignificance and mess, God hid the Savior in Nazareth. In the crucibles of your struggles and hardships, God has hidden untapped resources—a blessing for many. Jesus endured the suffering of the cross because of the joy set before Him. There is glory ahead of your suffering. Your struggles may become the ladder someone else needs to cross over into joy and peace. Someone’s burdens may be lifted because you endured and overcame in that area. There is good you cannot yet see in what you are going through. Stick with Jesus through it all until your only hope is in Him.
Prayer_Bead: Precious Jesus, thank you for the good you have hidden in my nothingness. Help me to see the good, so that I may have hope. Amen.
Wisdom_Quote: There is good behind everything God permits.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.
A path for your mind
[The Glory Unveiled]
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. [ Philippians 4:8 NIV ]
The mind can wander into any place and engage with anything when left unchecked. It can be mastered by whatever gains access to it. For an individual to keep their mind in check, they must regulate what they allow it to dwell on. This is why Scripture says, “As a man thinks, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). Our lives cannot stray from the path set by our thoughts. A person goes where their mind goes. Therefore, if you want to go to the right places, your mind must first lead you in that direction. For the mind to do this, a predetermined path must be set for it. The apostle Paul provides guidance by outlining the kinds of things we should think about and allow our minds to engage with. In our anchor text, we see the types of thoughts we should entertain if we want our lives to align with the direction God has defined for us. We have been given a list of things to focus on—a boundary within which we should think and operate. If we stay within these boundaries, our lives will naturally yield a predictably glorious result. The input we allow defines the output we receive. If we desire to live the kind of life Jesus lived on earth, we must think the thoughts Jesus thought. Paul reminds us to “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). So that our lives will be a dominant manifestation of Jesus.
Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for the privilege to access your mind in God’s word. May I be transformed into Your image as I think on your word.
Wisdom_Quote: Every man goes in the direction of their thinking.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.
A receptive heart.
[The Glory Unveiled]
But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. [ 2 Kings 5:11 NIV ]
Naaman, the commander of the army of the King of Aram, was suffering from leprosy. Through his servant girl, he learned that he could be healed in Israel. However, Naaman had a preconceived idea of how the healing ceremony should unfold. When it did not align with his expectations, he became angry—so angry that he was willing to forfeit his chance at being freed from leprosy. He left in anger, disobeying the prophet’s instructions. Naaman didn’t leave because healing wasn’t available; he left because the method prescribed by the prophet didn’t match his personal preferences. In short, he almost missed his healing permanently due to his ego. The prophet didn’t withhold the power of healing; it was Naaman’s pride that nearly denied him access to it. Pride has the power to block and deny people what is freely given to them. Elisha, the prophet, wasn’t seeking anything from Naaman. The scriptures record that Naaman went away angry, but it was his pride and arrogance that led him down that path. If not for the counsel of his servant, he would have missed his healing entirely. For some of us, the key to breaking free from the things that hold us back is often close to us, but a lack of humility becomes the wall of offense that keeps us bound. God does not exalt the proud, He humbles them; pride becomes a trap that robs the proud of their blessings. The instructions for any form of deliverance often include a test. Passing that test is what guarantees the desired outcome.
Prayer_Bead: Heavenly Father, thank you for your generous provisions for me. Help me to humbly receive them.
Wisdom_Quote: Pride has the license to stop divine provisions.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.
Guard your heart.
[The Glory Unveiled]
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. [ Proverbs 4:23 NIV ]
The heart is the center of all forms of influence. It is the entity that drives us to take any action or engage in any activity, whether those actions or activities align with the will of God or not. Naturally, we do not act solely based on what we want; we are directed to act. Our hearts urge us to do the things we do, and over time, these actions become habits. These habits are essentially actions and activities that live rent-free in our lives. The heart is the seat of governance for both believers and unbelievers. Every life activity and decision is regulated by the heart. The mind executes these instructions, putting them into motion. In other words, the mind enforces the laws set by the heart. This is why it is crucial to guard the heart. A president or leader of any nation or notable institution is given special protection because they possess the power to make or unmake decisions. If the heart holds similar power, then we must guard it as well. But how do we protect something we cannot see? We guard the heart by guarding the gates to it. One of these gates is the ear. Others include the eyes, nose, tongue, and touch. These access points open the door to what we like and dislike—the central station of our hearts. Therefore, we must guard the gates to our hearts by being selective about what we see, hear, smell, taste, and feel. These are the things that influence our hearts, which in turn shape our decisions. Guard your heart so that everything that flows from it is sifted and approved by the Word of God.
Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord, thank you for the privilege to know your word. I subject my eyes, ears, nose and mouth to your will. Help me to honour you with these members. Amen.
Wisdom_Quote: Everything that influence your life comes from your heart.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.
Turn Aside
[The Glory Unveiled]
And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. [ Exodus 3:3 KJV ]
Whenever we turn away from everything else to focus solely on what God is doing, we begin to have encounters. Divine encounters are often set within divine sceneries or sent to us in moments of unconsciousness. If only we can turn aside, there is so much God would reveal to us. Peter, the disciple, was an experienced fisherman. But one night, when he couldn’t catch anything, Jesus asked him to do something his experience would have advised against. However, Peter turned away from his experience and followed the instruction of God. The result was incredibly astonishing. Some of us are so fixated on one thing that we fail to see what else God is doing. The same Peter once saw Jesus walking on water and wondered how it could be possible. He asked Jesus to invite him to come if it was truly Him. When Peter turned his eyes away from the wind and the waves and fixed them on Jesus, he walked on water. Many times, it is not a matter of what God can do or will do; it is a matter of what we are willing to turn aside to. That willingness is the doorway into the wonderful expressions of God; it is the entry point into a deeper walk with Him. Moses, in our anchor text, said to himself, “I will turn aside and see this great sight.” That desire to see the sight triggered the encounter he had with God. A willingness to turn aside to a trigger will result in an encounter. God might be beckoning on your heart for an encounter with Him. Will you turn aside to the trigger?
Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for coming into my heart and giving me opportunity to be a child of God. Show me deeper depth in God. Amen.
Wisdom_Quote: Divine encounters are mounted on divine sceneries.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.
Light your Lamp
[The Glory Unveiled]
“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? [ Luke 15:8 NIV ]
The value we place on things determines the effort and sacrifices we are willing to make for them. If an item can easily be replaced, we are unlikely to bother looking for it when it goes missing. In the scripture verse under consideration, the figurative woman loses one coin out of ten. She doesn’t dismiss its loss, reasoning that she still has nine others. Instead, she implements an elaborate strategy to find what was lost. She employs three techniques in her search. First, she lights a lamp. She recognizes that she cannot see anything in the dark. Even if the coin were right in front of her, she wouldn’t have been able to see it without light. Similarly, many of the things we have lost remain missing simply because there is no light or not enough light. Light is symbolic of the word of God. When the light of God is introduced, illumination occurs. This woman lights a lamp to aid her vision. Next, she sweeps the house. One might wonder about the purpose of this action. Sweeping is intended to gather everything together, allowing whatever lies on the floor to be collected and moved to a specific location. At this stage, the coin might be swept along with unwanted debris, but it is part of the gathered items nonetheless. This is where the third technique comes into play: carefully searching through the collected debris. At this point, she meticulously sifts through the waste, discarding the unwanted and retrieving every useful item. It is during this careful search that she is most likely to find the missing coin. Here, too, she faces a choice: she could rush through the process or take her time and search thoroughly until she finds what she is looking for. Is there anything missing in your life? You need a lamp—God’s word. You need to sweep by studying the scriptures thoroughly and applying their teachings. Finally, you need to take careful, practical steps to do what must be done.
Prayer_Bead: Heavenly Father, thank you for not abandoning me when I sinned and broke your heart. Thank you for sending your Son Jesus after me to save me. Restore every lost glory and blessing in Jesus.
Wisdom_Quote: In the kingdom of God, finding a lamp is the first step to finding what is lost.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.
Impossibility specialist
[The Glory Unveiled]
And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. [ Luke 18:27 KJV ]
The “Omni” attributes of God distinguish Him from all humans and every other deity. In life, there are things we cannot understand or control; they are simply beyond us. For such things, we often say they are impossible. But these are the very things God overcomes in victory. Humans are limited in many ways, and in His wisdom, God has reserved our sufficiency in Himself, so only He can complete us. Without God, the void of incompleteness in us cannot be filled. This highlights the distinction between God and humanity—the things that are impossible for us are possible with God. When we face the impossible, we can call on God for help. God has designed this relationship so that we can always depend on Him for life and godliness. What impossible situations confront you? It is time to turn to God. He has an active role in our lives, and no one can replace Him in that role. Sometimes we give up because we don’t know what to do or where to turn in the face of challenges or obstacles. But God specializes in impossible situations. In the first book of Kings, we see how God demonstrated this specialty when He brought fire down from heaven through His servant Elijah. Elijah had drenched the altar and wood with water, even digging a trench to hold it. It was clear to everyone that, under natural circumstances, there was no way the altar could catch fire—yet it did, by the power of God. Meanwhile, the prophets of Baal tortured themselves all day but couldn’t call down fire on dry wood. The things that are impossible for humans are possible with God. So, stop trying to do what only God can do. Quit tormenting yourself with impossibilities, and let the true specialist in the impossible take over.
Prayer_Bead: All-Powerful God, I trust you for doing the impossible for me. I thank you for turning my situations around for glory. Amen.
Wisdom_Quote: God is eternity’s impossibilities specialist.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.
Check it out.
[The Glory Unveiled]
But He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they found out they said, “Five, and two fish.”[ Mark 6:38 NKJV ]
The statement above addresses a need that arose when Jesus was on one of His evangelistic missions. After a great crowd had been listening to His teaching for a long time, they became hungry and needed food. Surprisingly, Jesus asked His disciples to give the multitude something to eat, fully aware that they didn’t have enough food. It may seem surprising that Jesus, who had all power, would ask the disciples to feed the people. Sometimes, it feels like God and heaven make certain demands of us that seem beyond our capabilities. For instance, God called a man who was slow of speech to be His spokesperson, a prostitute to deliver His message, and a timid boy to become a great prophet. When God makes such demands, He is inviting the person given the assignment into an intimate fellowship with Him. God knows our challenges, physical limitations, and inadequacies, yet He calls us to great things so the world will recognize that we have a great God. This situation presented the disciples with an opportunity to demonstrate God’s power. When it became clear that the disciples were uncertain, Jesus asked them to see how many loaves they had. After they returned with the food, Jesus multiplied the bread and fish, feeding five thousand men and leaving leftovers. The lesson here is that God will help us accomplish what He asks us to do. Sometimes, all we need to do is “go see” what resources we have available and what we can do with them. If God is asking something of us, it means He has placed in us the raw materials needed to fulfill that task. So, instead of complaining or lamenting, consider what you have that God can use in that situation. You carry something precious within you and are valued as worthy of the blood of Jesus.
Prayer_Bead: Almighty Father, thank you for what you have deposited in me. Help me to showcase it to the glory of Your name.
Wisdom_Quote: God sends you out with what you have within you.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.
A stubborn conviction
[The Glory Unveiled]
But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. [ Daniel 3:18 NIV ]
The depth of a person’s convictions are brought to bare when they come before authorities. People may claim to hold a certain position until they come face to face with power, money or their desires. What they do in the face of these things is their true position and conviction. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were Hebrew boys who had their godly convictions formed and molded by their religion and culture. But while in Jerusalem, their convictions were not tested because they were always surrounded by people who believed in the same things as they did. But here, they found themselves in a foreign land, among a people who do not believe in their God nor regarded their beliefs. In the face of these people, their true beliefs and convictions are tested. They were asked to worship an idol. Meanwhile, their faith taught them to worship no other god but Yahweh. Will they compromise because their families are not around to supervise them? Will they compromise because their church leaders are not around? Whatever choice they made exposed their truest beliefs and convictions. These young men made a very profound statement, that their God will save them from the wrath of the king as they have chosen not to worship his god. But then, even if their God who is Almighty does not save them, they still wouldn’t worship the god of Babylon. This reveals how stubbornly firm their convictions are. They had become so determined to live for God to such a point that they weren’t doing it for the benefit they get from God. They have had their convictions formed by their constant exposure to God. What convictions are you forming? What are you constantly exposing yourself to?
Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for the privilege to live for you. Guide me to stay within the boundaries of my convictions. In Jesus name.
Wisdom_Quote: Your convictions are tested outside the boundaries of their root.
GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.