Posts

Posted on

Food for the matured

[The Glory Unveiled]

But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. [ Hebrews 5:14 NIV ]

Babies do not start eating solid food from the moment they are born. Initially, they are fed milk and then gradually weaned off it. Solid food is introduced little by little until they can eat it without any difficulty. Similarly, the writer of Hebrews explains that the solid food of God’s Word—the deeper truths—is meant for the mature. These individuals have reached maturity through their consistent use of this solid food. The more they consume it, the more they are equipped to distinguish between good and evil. Through constant practice, their senses are trained to discern between what is right and wrong. No one becomes an expert at anything by doing it occasionally. A mature believer is someone who continually feeds on the solid food of God’s Word. Through consistent practice, they are able to discern things without necessarily experiencing them. In contrast, a baby believer encounters trouble and falls into it because they lack the ability to distinguish what is harmful to their spiritual health. Believers develop their spiritual senses through practice. No one automatically knows what they need to know without learning. This principle applies to believers as well. We must continually nourish our souls with the knowledge of Christ, meditating on God’s Word day and night until we become one with it.

Prayer_Bead: Heavenly Father, thank you for drawing me into the experience of the word.

Wisdom_Quote: Solid food is for the mature.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

Posted on

Diligence with Christ.

[The Glory Unveiled]

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, [ Colossians 2:6 NIV ]

Consistency is the hallmark of champions. Nobody is celebrated for starting something but failing to finish it. Likewise, no one is called an expert unless they are known for practicing and achieving results in the area attributed to them. Many people think they are believers simply because they once believed. However, it is not enough to acknowledge Jesus as your Lord and Savior on paper. Is He also your Shepherd? Are you walking with Him daily? The reality is that we enter into union with Jesus when we diligently continue in our walk with Him. No one accepts Christ and instantly comes into complete union (oneness) with Him. It requires journeying with Him to understand His heart and align with His will. Moses, the prophet of God, was an Israelite like any other ordinary Israelite. He studied the basic doctrines as they all did. However, he was set apart when he began walking with God. As he deliberately journeyed with God into the deep secrets of His will, Moses came to know more than anyone else. This did not happen merely because he chose to accept God as his Savior and then became passive. He made a conscious effort to walk with God. This effort is reflected in our actions and words—the choices we make that draw others away from sin. As we are drawn deeper into union with Christ, we reach a point where it becomes difficult to distinguish between Christ and ourselves. This is when we and others can say we are in union with Christ.

Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for the grace to continue walking with you diligently until I’m lost in You.

Wisdom_Quote: Consistency is the trademark of champions 

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

Posted on

Echoes of Love

[The Glory Unveiled]

Above all, constantly echo God’s intense love for one another, for love will be a canopy over a multitude of sins. [ 1 Peter 4:8 TPT ]

Echoes are created when sound waves reflect off a surface and travel back to our ears. So, an echo is not the sound you make; it is the one reflected off a surface. The scripture says we should echo God’s intense love. This means the love is not originally ours—we are the surfaces upon which the intense love of God reflects for others to see. God produces the “sound” of love, and we strategically reflect it for others to witness and experience. An echo serves as both a magnifier and an extension of sound. Similarly, an echo can act as a canopy over a place, trapping other sounds. This is why the apostle Peter teaches that love covers a multitude of sins. The echo of love we reflect to others conceals sins, rendering them powerless through love’s transformative power. Love takes on the image of the Father and reveals it through earthen vessels so that humans can relate to such an enormous reality. The love of God reveals His beauty, and everyone who encounters this love through us lets go of anything previously most precious to them that opposed Christ. The scripture preceding our anchor text advises us to adopt a certain attitude as we approach the end of all things. Above all else, we are urged to clothe ourselves with the love of God and reflect it for others to experience. Hence, we bear the responsibility to continually echo God’s intense love for all creation. Be an instrument that echoes the glory of God.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, we thank you for your loving kindness and great compassion. Help me to let the world see and experience your love. 

Wisdom_Quote: Love covers multitude of sins.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

Opened Eyes

[The Glory Unveiled]


Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. [ Pslams 119:18NIV ]

There are wonderful things in God’s law, but only perceived by “opened eyes”. No matter the wonders in the law of God, they can only be seen by those whose eyes have been opened to it. We might assume that our eyes are opened whenever we study the Scriptures but it may not always be the case. Elisha’s servant, for instance, had his eyes wide open when they were surrounded by angelic beings, but he did not see them until Elisha prayed for his eyes to be opened. Thus, the servant thought he was seeing clearly until his eyes were opened to a different dimension of reality (2 Kings 6:17). There are indeed different dimensions of reality we can interact with. Paul the Apostle, before his encounter on the road to Damascus and subsequent conversion, believed he knew everything he needed to know. Based on that limited knowledge, he was seeing from a narrow reference point. However, after his encounter, he realized how little he truly knew and that there was a Savior he had not yet met. Later, in his letter to the Ephesians, this same apostle prayed that the eyes of their understanding would be enlightened (Ephesians 1:18). Having experienced this transformation, he could now see beyond the written words and desired his audience to also perceive beyond their immediate environment and limited perspectives. The Psalmist similarly asked God to open his eyes so that he might see the wondrous things in God’s law. All the individuals mentioned above, along with many others in Scripture, only perceived these wonderful things when their spiritual eyes were opened. Our walk with God will not truly change until our eyes are opened to the spirit behind the Word of God that we read and hear. There is so much more behind God’s Word than what meets the eyes.

Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for the wonders of your word. Let it make me a wonder as it changes me.

Wisdom_Quote: There are different layers of reality the eyes can interact with.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

The believer’s receipt

[The Glory Unveiled]

Then Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.” [ Luke 18:42 NKJV ]

When you buy from any respectable enterprise, you are issued a receipt—evidence of your purchase. No receipt is issued unless a transaction has taken place. This means that anytime money exchanges hands in a transactional situation, a receipt is expected. If no transaction occurs, no receipt will be issued. In the Kingdom of God, we transact business with faith and receive answers as the receipt. Hence, anytime faith is given [released], answers must be returned as the receipt—evidence of a transaction. The blind man in our anchor verse, who regained his sight, was a man with knowledge about who Jesus was. In the preceding verses, he referred to Jesus as the Son of David, while the onlookers who had physical sight referred to Him as Jesus of Nazareth. This man called upon the mercy of God through Jesus, the Son of David, because he understood the significance of the sure mercies of David. However, his knowledge alone did not restore his sight. Although he had a deep understanding of who Jesus was, knowledge alone did not heal him. But when he added faith to his knowledge, he received his sight. His knowledge activated his faith, which in turn made a demand on the Healer’s gift. When faith made the demand (payment), a receipt had to be issued to him. Thus, he was given the receipt of healing. The receipt of your healing is waiting for the demand of your faith.

Prayer_Bead: Father , thank you for the gift of your Son. I receive the receipt of my faith as I make daily demands of my faith.

Wisdom_Quote: The believer’s  receipt for the demand of their faith is miracle.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

Posted on

Evidence of a New Life.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance. [ Matthew 3:8 NKJV ]

The fruit of a tree is evidence of the kind of tree it is, as the fruit cannot be different from the tree. An orange cannot claim it came from a mango tree. Similarly, as believers who have been called from one reality of life into another, we must live in a way that expresses and reflects the image of those who belong to this new life. Sometimes, even without knowing the type of tree, its fruit can give us a clue. In the same way, our “fruit” should reveal who we are and what we stand for. Believers were first called Christians because they behaved like their Master, Jesus. In fact, at one point, the leaders took notice that the disciples had been with Jesus because they lived like Him. In other words, they began to bear fruit like Him (see Acts 11:26 and Acts 4:13). Just as with these early believers, we recognize a person as a believer by their fruits. What convinces others that someone has truly repented is the change visible in their lives afterward. Galatians 5:22-23 speaks about the fruit of the Spirit. These fruits are not gifts handed down to us but the results of our walk with God—His virtues and attributes rubbing off on us. A believer in Jesus is identified by their Christlike fruits. This is how the world is drawn to Jesus: as people see the transformation in our lives, they are inspired and changed by it. Let our walk with Jesus produce fruit worthy of the One we follow.

Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for the grace to bear Christlike fruit. Transform my world by my fruits. In Jesus name.

Wisdom_Quote: The fruit of a tree is the evidence of its nativity.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.