Category: Inspiration

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The Caretaker

[The Glory Unveiled]

And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: [ Genesis 12:2 KJV ]

When we consider God’s choice of words in the statement that make for our scripture text for today’s meditation, we will discover something peculiar about them. God was calling Abraham, then Abram, into a relationship with Himself. But to make that relationship meaningful, God calls him out of his old place into an adventure of faith. He calls him out on a journey that will give Abram the practical lessons that he needed to get to know God better. And like a sponsored journey, God takes all the responsibilities for Abram and his wellbeing. God did not for once leave the weight of the responsibility on Abram’s shoulders. As we see God, in the texts above saying, “I will,” “I will.” God shouldered the responsibility for Abram’s wellbeing and comfort as if to assure him of His capability. In 2 Peter 1:3, scripture says that, God’s divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:” And so, God had always provided a everything we needed for life and godliness. But these provisions are activated in our experience only through an adequate knowledge of God. And so, even though God said He will do everything for Abram and bless him. It would actually take Abram’s knowledge of God to actually enjoy these things promised. And so, God decided to take Abram on a journey to get to know Him. The journey into the land that God promised He will show Abram was a journey of discovering God. Abram was taken on this journey to know God and to trust Him. And then, in his discovery and knowledge of God, Abram will automatically enjoy the promises of God. Every promise of God to us is only waiting for our knowledge of God to manifest. And so, contrary to us waiting for the blessings to come to pass, the blessings are waiting for us to get to know God to the degree that they will fall to us. And so, let’s make getting an adequate knowledge of God our priority.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord and my true Love, thank you for the promises of your blessings. Help me to ascend to the height of knowledge that is commensurate with the promise fulfillment. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: The promises of God and His blessings are waiting for our knowledge upgrade of God to come to pass.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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God’s plan; the invariable

[The Glory Unveiled]

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. [ Proverbs 19:21 ESV ]

The human mind is a beautiful wonder. It is always at post, working. Both the renewed mind and the unrenewed minds are constantly making plans and drawing strategies. And because we have dreams and aspirations, we sometimes get lost in this spiral motion of planning and planning. Sometimes we plan even without the right resources and strategies. We just feel safe having a plan even if the plan has no chance of success. There seems to be some form of assurance and peace in having a plan. It is perhaps this peace and comfort we pursue in our ceaseless plans. But then, suddenly, the word of God drops this weight on us that unsettles everything we know about plans. We plan because we want to implement a certain vision. But planning is not nearly as important as executing the plan and thus making it come to pass or “stand” as the Bible puts it. Yet, we discover that the power to make our plans stand does not lie with us but with God. It means that we can plan for all we want but our plans are not fulfilled because we planned them. Plans always succeed because of God. And another thing about our constraints is that, it is not always what we want that God may also want. And in situations like that God’s desire will always have the upper hand. God’s purpose will always stand because in the end His purpose brings us the peace that eludes us. The purpose of God will stand in every situation against the plan of man because only He sees the end from the beginning. Therefore, the smartest move to have our plans always come to pass is to copy from God’s itinerary. When we peep into the purpose of God for us concerning something and plan accordingly, we will always have our plans standing tall in fulfillment. So, it is not for us to start planning but rather to start finding out what the purpose of God is. And then align our plans with His purpose for that thing or in that area. So, pause. Stop planning, find out what God’s purpose is first, and then you can start planning.

Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for your invariable purpose that always stands. Help me to subject my plans to your purpose for my life and everything else. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: A peep into God’s purpose furnishes our plans to stand.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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The Journey into Destiny

[The Glory Unveiled]

Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: [ Genesis 12:1 KJV ]

The journey into the believer’s destiny begins from intimacy with God. Through intimacy, the believer is equipped with every bit of information needed to discover and complete their destiny. The destiny of a person is like a puzzle. And usually, God releases each piece of the puzzle at a time and only through intimacy with Him. He does not just throw the clues at us from a distance. No, He whispers them to us in the secret place of our fellowship with Him. Reading our anchor text, we will notice that God didn’t give Abraham [then Abram] the whole map of His destiny. God needed Abram to depend on Him in every step of his journeying to the place of destiny. And so, God only gave him a rough estimate of what is expected of him but not the details. He didn’t even mention the name of the land in this text. But He did say, “I will show you.” And so, Abram will have no option than to go back to God if he wanted to get to this land that promises better than where he had been. The first statement gives us a blur peek into what had been happening. We can deduce that Abram did not go at the word of God from the beginning. The statement, “the Lord had said unto Abram” means this was not the first time that Abram was told to move from his current location to the new land. But for whatever reasons, he didn’t move immediately until this chapter of the book. And so, the verse 4, begins thus, “so, Abram departed as the Lord had spoken unto him.” The indicators that point to our destinies are coded in God, revealed only at the place of intimate fellowship with Him. Every other method to arrive at destiny without God is a grave risk. While the easiest way to reach destiny is by the word of God. Imagine if Abram had set off immediately without hesitating or “considering other possibilities” of reaching the same goal. He would have saved some time. The land of destiny is a place only God can show us. Let’s stay close to God and it will become as clear as day where God is sending us to.

Prayer_Bead: Jehovah Almighty, God who knows the end from the beginning, thank you for showing me the template of my destiny as I remain in intimate fellowship with You.

Wisdom_Quote: The land of destiny is a place only God can show the believer.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Over and Above

[The Glory Unveiled]

“Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]–“ [ Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬ AMPC‬‬ ]

Love is the attribute that underscores every gesture of God towards humanity. In the verses before our focal text, the apostle Paul had prayed for his readers that they may be grounded and established in love; to understand the vastness of the love of Christ. So that like them, when we understand the depth and height of God’s love, we will never doubt God’s mighty power to work in us to accomplish all and more than our greatest requests, our most unbelievable dreams, and even exceed our wildest imaginations. He will outdo whatever records there are. He will do, over and above what is considered normal. All this is linked to the power of God’s love at work in us. The working power of God’s love compels Him to do superabundantly, far beyond whatever distance our expectations could reach. But why is all this important for us to know. It is importance for our comfort and faith in the Lord. If we understand the love of God—it’s depth and weight—we will not be moved by happenings around us nor the things that seems to question the power of our God. This was why Paul prayed for the Ephesians to come to the knowledge of the love of Christ. Love covers multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8) sometimes by ignoring all allegations and accusations. The love of God carries in its multifaceted nature, mercy and grace. A good understanding of this love dismisses doubt and anxiety. Leaning on the love of God eliminates every seed of fear and doubt and provides blessed assurance and hope, with proactive faith in God’s faithfulness. Be rest assured, by the consequences of God’s mighty power in us, He is doing more than we hoped for, to the glory of His name.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for your unconditional love. Thank you for its power at work in me, doing exceedingly more than I prayed for, to the glory of your name.

Wisdom_Quote: Love is God’s canvas for displaying His glorious attributes.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Be a proactive believer

[The Glory Unveiled]

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” [ Esther 4:14 NIV ]

The problem with the world is not that good people do not exist but that good people are silent while evil is loud. This problem has crept into the Christiandom as well. There are many passive believers who would rather sit and watch than take actions that will bring change. Sometimes because they don’t want to appear worldly or harsh. Other times in our societies, things go wrong because the many good people in the communities are passive about the evil happening around them while the few crooks in society are very active in making decisions. And sometimes these good people are silent because they feel that the wrong in society does not affect them in anyway. They feel they are untouchable by the scorching flames of these societal problems they’re overlooking. The truth is that, these people were brought into their place of “comfort” for the sake of the people they are supposed to help. In the case of Esther, she came into royalty to help save the entire Jewish nation. She didn’t become Queen just because of her own comfort and pleasure. She was there for the sake of others. Her private victory and comfort was intended for the public deliverance of her tribe. Some of us are brought into the place of comfort so that we can help others out of discomfort. But many times, when some people come into their place of comfort, they become indifferent to the needs and plights of their society. If by the grace of God, we come into a place of power, let us serve the purpose of our positions and help our communities and reflect the goodness of God in us.

Prayer_Bead: Almighty God, thank you for bringing me into my place of rest. Help me to see the needs around me and how I can help meet them.

Wisdom_Quote: Societies go in the direction of the most actively dominant voices.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Anchored to hope

[The Glory Unveiled]

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. [ Romans 15:4 KJV ]

Hope is our eyes into the future and the fuel that keeps us going towards that future. Hope also begets patience that activates faith. It is generated through the things we see, the things we behold in the scriptures. Hence hope paints the picture that faith should print (actualize.) This is why without hope, we are miserable (1 Corinthians 15:19). The word of God creates pictures of what we should hope for. These pictures create patience in us to wait until what we see (hope) comes to pass. “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?” (Romans 8:24). We hope for things we do not yet see—things we do not yet have. We continue to hope because we desire to have what we see in the distance. But when we come to the place where we do not have any picture, ahead of us to draw us, we begin to lose ourselves to just anything around us. Hope keeps us going in the direction of God. When Peter was asked by Jesus to come to Him on the lake, he walked steadily because of the hope of getting to Jesus. But immediately his hope (attention) drifted to the wind, he began to drown (Matthew 14:29-30). Our faith and walk with God begins to drown when we have no hope. Hope is very crucial in keeping our faith warm and active. Hope is the bait that draws us into the depths of God; into a present continuous walk with God. Without anything to hope for, we will not have the right attitude of mind to walk with God. As a result, what the enemy does is to change our hope to things that are not in the direction of God. This is why we need a consistent knowledge of things that were written afore time for our learning, which is the word of God. We need to study the word of God diligently to be able to capture the right picture of hope. Be consistent at looking into the word of God.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for your word that is available to create the right picture of my future. Help me to be diligent student of it.

Wisdom_Quote: The word of God paints the only true picture of our future.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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What did God say?

[The Glory Unveiled]

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’? ” [ Genesis 3:1 NIV ]

The most dangerous thing that could happen to a believer is being ignorant of the word of God. The word of God creates the believer’s world. So ignorance of the word means a destruction of their world. No wonder the world of Adam and Eve was destroyed when they [Eve] could not defend her knowledge of the word. She misquoted God’s very word. And so, the new word, her own gospel, could not hold her world together. And they lost paradise in the process. The believer has only one business, being in the word of God, and only one constitution, the word of God. The word of God is the blueprint for the life we ought to live. We have been adopted into the family of God. And the only way we could know the family business is through the scriptures. The Lord Jesus, the first of many brethren is our pattern for imitation. God wants to reproduce heaven on earth through Jesus Christ—His word, and our transformation through the word is His means of colonization. The word of God is essential for our survival here on earth and here after. When the devil tempted Jesus, He went for one thing, the word. The temptation was an attack on his world, and so Jesus went straight for the word, our defense system. The Word of God as the way, truth and life was His only way out. Anytime, you hear, or feel “did God really say, mean, imply so and so……” your world is under an attack. Psalms 119:9, shows us the only way to stay free from the impurities of the world and the enemy; by staying in the word of God. Is your word life under threat? Get a new dose of the word. The word is the solution for our private world and the public world. So, let us study to show ourselves approved unto God.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Father, thank you for the assurance of your word. Help me to ever dwell in your word so that my world will not crush. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: The word of God is the believer’s world.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Where are you investing?

[The Glory Unveiled]

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. [ 1 Timothy 4:8 NIV ]

Physical training is good. But some people invest everything into physical training as if it would save them from all their troubles. There are those who have made physical fitness the sole purpose of their livelihood. They want to be in shape either for themselves or [mostly] others. Now we will be quick to admit that physical exercise is not a bad thing. It has its many benefits too. But the point is that, godliness [righteousness] has value for all things. So that we are given promises of both the present life and the life to come. Physical training can only meet the needs of our present life but not the needs of the life after this earthly one. If two different banks promise profit on your investment with them but one says they will pay you twice as much as the first bank is offering, with every other conditions the same. You will undoubtedly invest with the bank that promise twice the amount on investment. Now, spiritual exercise is promising us more than twice. Spiritual exercise has to do with commitment to and the practice of righteousness. It is the practice of imitating God, becoming His student and looking steadily into His word until we are changed into His image and our lives shining with the brilliance of God’s glory. And if spiritual exercise profits unto all things would we rather not give more of our attention and time to that? In our commitment to exercising spiritually, we become workmen who have no fear nor shame, rightly dividing the word of truth. May we passionately pursue spiritual training but not ignoring the physical.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord, thank you for showing us the benefits of spiritual exercise and why we need to invest more there. Help us to be committed to this discipline.

Wisdom_Quote: The purpose of every investment is profit.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Rehoboth

[The Glory Unveiled]

He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, [4] saying, “Now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land.” [ Genesis 26:22 NIV ]

The believer’s walk with God in this world may be faced with many challenges, trials and confrontations from those who do not understand why we do what we do. But amidst all that the believer will face on their journey, we cannot relent nor quit. Perseverance makes a true believer. Isaac dug a well and people rose up against it. But he didn’t stop just because there were confrontations, instead the more he was confronted, the more well he dug. And through his perseverance, he left an indelible mark in that community and among his people. He named the well that was free from quarrels and aligations, Rehoboth meaning “God has given us room”. Imagine what would have happened if he stopped digging. He wouldn’t have come into the experience of that room (opportunity) that God would have given him. It would have seem like God didn’t give him room in that new land if he hadn’t persevered. The things we desire and are earnestly praying for may be lying behind the lines of perseverance and relentlessness. There is room for you in what you do but you will never know it until you persevere amidst challenges and confrontations. Don’t complain, don’t murmur if you have given up too soon. God is not to blame for not having a room to flourish and excel in your chosen field, if you cower at the least confrontations. Arm yourself with this understanding that you will face challenges if you want to leave a mark here on this side of reality. And that God is committed to giving you room to flourish.

Prayer_Bead: Our Father, thank you for the grace to flourish in this land of my calling. Help me to persevere amidst challenges and confrontations. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: Perseverance makes a true believer.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Cross examine the package

And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. [ Genesis 24:21 KJV ]

Many times, many people miss their blessings not because they were not qualified for the blessing but because they could not properly discern the timing of God. Other times, they miss the blessing because they assume wrong. Even though God might have said something at one time does not make it a permanent mark in a stone. And for that, we need to constantly check on the last instruction. We need an updated version of what God said. The servant of Abraham was sent to find a wife for Isaac. He had prayed that God should answer him with a sign. Later when it seem he was answered because the sign came through, he didn’t immediately run for “the answer,” instead he held his peace to examine if what he was seeing was actually what God had sent. You see, we live in a world where counterfeits look like the real deal and so it is expedient that we discern and cross check the offers that are presented to us. Jacob ordered for Rachel but Leah was delivered to him unexpectedly. It may look exactly like what you ordered but it may not be what is delivered. This is why the Scriptures admonish us to be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. We need the wisdom of God more than ever in our day. So, hold your peace and examine what you are being presented with.

Prayer_Bead: Almighty God, thank you for the privilege to be armed with your word. Help me to be discerning in all things as I walk in wisdom in this deceptive world.

Wisdom_Quote: What you ordered may not always be what is delivered.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.