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When the enemy goes to work

[The Glory Unveiled]

But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. [ Matthew 13:25 NIV ]

Timing is important to work as the time we choose to work influences the output of our work. This was why Jesus said in John 9:4, that we should work while it was day for the night comes when no man can work. In our anchor verse, we learn that even though no man can “work” [be occupied upon] during the night, the enemy operates when men are not at work. And so, while everyone was asleep, the enemy came to work. There is always a time when everyone will sleep because it is supposed to be the time for sleep. But the time for sleep can also be for defining destinies. It is usually at night that destinies are altered and traded. The wheat in the field got corrupted with weeds because it was night. It is important that some men stay awake to watch over the work that was done during the day, when all men sleep at night. The watchers have a responsibility to preserve the wholeness of what was done during the day. Of what use is our toil during the day, if it is not protected from the enemy at night? From the beginning of creation, work was fashioned into humanity. God instructed Adam, the template of humanity, to work and keep the garden (Genesis 2:15). When gardens are left unattended to, they become forests. And so, God asked man to dress and keep the garden in order to maintain it. But he was not only to keep weeds out of it but also the enemy of their future; Satan. Unfortunately, while Adam “slept“ (was insensitive to his surrounding) the enemy came to invade his ecosystem. The enemy comes to work when the workers are asleep. But if the watcher is at post, the enemy will not come to sow weeds. Hence, let us keep watch in prayer against the evil seeds of the enemy. Lets guard the garden of our souls.

Prayer_Bead: Omniscient God, thank you for showing me when the enemy goes to work. Help me to keep watch over the garden entrusted to me. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: The output of work is influenced by its timing.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Vineyards in bloom

[The Glory Unveiled]

Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes
that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom. [ Song of Songs 2:15 NIV ]

Many times, big problems come from little events; big fires are started as sparks. The things that destroy great men are usually little things. Yet, we tend to pay little or no attention to the little things in our lives. The kind of foxes that ruin the vineyards in bloom are little. But they destroy beautiful vineyards anyway. The “foxes” are the compromises that are hidden deep in our hearts. These are areas of our lives where we have not yet allowed the victory of Christ to shine into. The foxes keep the fruit of the Spirit from growing within us. These little foxes hinder our relationship with the Lord. We must note that anything that keeps us from growing the fruit of the Spirit is also choking our relationship with God. The thing about these foxes is that, they attack at strategic moments of our lives. They come during the seasons of bloom; new beginnings. At these seasons, areas of our lives that are not submitted to God, are usually what pulls us down [while we are close to new heights]. So, whenever we are at the threshold of a new beginning, we must be prepared to deal with little foxes. We must arm ourselves to catch foxes that are ready to destroy our vineyards in bloom. The dawn of a new beginning, is a sign that the enemy may have resources in place, around and within us to prevent those new beginnings from happening. Unfortunately, many times, we are carried away by the excitement of what is about to happen and we forget to keep watch to prevent evil interferences and assaults. The internal resources the enemy uses are mainly our lack of the fruit of the Spirit because the stability of every new beginning is tested on the backdrop of the fruit of the Spirit. Our stability and longevity is tied to the fruit of the Spirit that we are actively growing in and living out. So, catch every little fox that wants to ruin your vineyard in bloom.

Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for showing me what to do in the season of my new beginning. Help me to deal with compromises that are incongruous with Your word.

Wisdom_Quote: The stability of a new beginning is predicated upon the presence of the fruit of the Spirit.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Witnesses of God’s love

[The Glory Unveiled]

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. [ Deuteronomy 30:19 NIV ]

Anytime the visible and invisible attributes of God are on parade in the earth realm, His love always stands in the front row. Imagine a teacher setting exams for his students and then pointing at the correct answer and urging the students to choose it. That is exactly what God did in the scripture above. God gives us two alternatives to a proposition and then brings in two witnesses to witness the process. And yet, in front of these witnesses, He shows and urges us to choose the best option from the alternatives. This is a rooftop-level kind of love. God does not want us to die even though His justice has put laws in place which when broken can break us or lead us into very dangerous experiences of death. But His love is louder and closer than any other thing. You see, almost every artist likes to display their most important works. Those works are somewhat a portrait [reflection] of themselves, their values and beliefs. God, the artist of artists, did same when He openly displayed His love and affection for us. Before principalities and thrones, He announced through His son, how much He loved us. The angels and heavenly beings were astonished. They wondered at what God was doing. In fact, David asked the question that might have plagued their minds as it did his, “what is man, that you are mindful of him?” (Psalms 8:4). He took notice of how God was so distinguishably intentional about man and then He posed the question. Even creation bear witness of the love of God for us, in that they were sent ahead of us to make our lives simple and comfortable. No wonder the Bible says that we have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Now, the ball is in our court. What will we choose before the witnesses, in view of God’s immense love?

Prayer_Bead: Dear Father and Lover of all mankind, thank you for the affectionate display of your love by urging me to choose life with you.

Wisdom_Quote: Love is the backdrop of God’s visible attributes.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Another Bible

[The Glory Unveiled]

“You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men;” [ ‭‭II Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ ]

The New Testament Bible is a collection of epistles (letters) written to different churches and individuals. In the time of these letters, there was also the culture of ministry validation through the writing of letters of recommendation. In the book of Acts, we see some examples where the apostles wrote notes to be sent to the churches and places where other unpopular ministers were supposed to minister. These notes (epistles) were read to make the people see the preacher as a valid conduit of God’s word. And so was the culture, but then, in writing to the Corinthian church, the apostle Paul now says that the people are their epistles, written in their hearts but known and read by all men. These people have become instruments of validation. It is clear and safe to assume that the Bible is Jesus in letters—every scripture is a piece of Jesus. And when you absorb so much of Jesus that you become His look-alike, lost in Him, then you become another Bible [epistle] to people. So that people can close their Bibles but still read Jesus in you. Our lives can be so mingled with Jesus’ life so much that people cannot tell the difference between the Jesus they read about in the epistles, recorded in the Bible and our own lives. The Lord Jesus knows us because He loves us deeply, but we do not know Him as He knows us because we do not love Him as deeply as we ought to. And because you cannot love someone deeply whom you do not know, we have a responsibility and a call to study the word of God even more. We must dedicate our lives to the study of the word of God and becoming so transformed by it that all men can know and read Jesus through us just like the high priests, the rulers and elders read [perceived] Jesus in the disciples (Acts 4:13).

Prayer_Bead: The Word of God who became flesh, thank you for giving me the privilege to be swallowed up into you, so that all men would see you in me.

Wisdom_Quote: Anyone who embodies scripture becomes an epistle because every scripture is a piece of Jesus.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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The Shepherd’s sheep

[The Glory Unveiled ]

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: [ John 10:27 KJV ]

The Lord Jesus in our anchor text, points us to an intentional relationship between Himself and His followers. He calls these followers His sheep. His choice of “sheep” used to describe His followers means they have some complementary resemblance with the object they are named after. Apart from being calm and peaceful, sheep are able to recognize the voice of their owners and follow them. Perhaps “following” is the most visible mark of a sheep. They have this exceptional ability to follow without complaining or grumbling. They follow as a result of their trust in the one leading them. This was why, in the verse before this verse [verse 26], Jesus compares the Jewish leaders to His sheep and He had this to say “But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.” The true difference was in their beliefs, which necessitated [or otherwise] them to follow. To hear the voice of God means to recognize and understand the instructions of God. The consequences of which is a mark in Him by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13) and obtaining favour from Him as He acknowledges us before the Father. The strongest indicator that tells whether someone is the Lord’s sheep or not is whether or not they are following the Lord—the word of God. If a believer permits the word of God to discipline them to conform to the image of Jesus, then they are disciples and the Lord’s sheep. But the one who is not the Lord’s sheep cannot hear the Lord’s voice and as a result cannot follow Him. Their spiritual ears and eyes are cocked, they cannot hear God nor obey Him when He instructs them. But through our acceptance of Jesus and obedience, we are recognized by heaven and we are able to follow the pattern of God laid down for us.

Prayer_Bead: Shepherd of all souls, thank you for marking me in You because I hear your voice and follow you. Help me to be consistent.

Wisdom_Quote: Following Jesus is the identity tracker for His sheep.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Ready for the coming flood

[The Glory Unveiled]

So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. [ Genesis 6:14-15 NIV ]

”As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:37). Another episode of Noah’s time will soon come upon the earth, and even though the characters will be different and the incidence nonidentical, the vehicle of salvation will not differ as a figurative flood is coming. And so, if you want to survive the coming flood, you must build an ark and design it according to God’s instructions. No matter your fashion skills and engineering knowledge, you will only survive the flood with God’s template because there is only one type of ark that can withstand the coming flood. And that ark is the ark built after the manner that God instructed it to be built. We are in a time where we must make arks for ourselves after a revealed pattern. The making of these arks have been necessitated by the flood that is coming soon. Unlike in the case of Noah where one man built for everyone else, we are in the season of the virgins, everyone must get their own oil and lamp, except that our lamps are arks, and the ark is the salvation of Jesus. God instructed Noah as to how the ark should be built, giving him specifics. So that every detail was tailored to make the ark survive what was coming. We are in the time of grace, the moment before the flood. This is not the time for sleeping and engaging in frivolities. It is rather a time to build [ourselves in our most holy faith—in the inner man] arks. We must build through praying in the Holy Spirit and the word until we are formed as an edifice of God’s glory. We must follow God’s directive verbatim. He told Noah, this is how you are to build it, in other words, not as you want to or think it should be built. Hence, Noah had no say in how the structure would look like, except it must look like the description of God. And this description of God in our time is Jesus. Jesus is the pattern, the measurement we have been instructed to build after. Any ark that does not look like Jesus will drown in the coming flood. Are you building according to the descriptions given by God or you’re building according to your desires and lust? Remember, the “flood” is coming.

Prayer_Bead: Righteous and Just King, thank you for your grace period upon the earth. Help me to build according to the pattern of your Son. So help me God.

Wisdom_Quote: Jesus is the ark for our salvation.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Violent acts of faith

[The Glory Unveiled]

And he [the Angel] said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he [Jacob] said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. [ Genesis 32:26 KJV ]

Jacob, the second speaker in our scripture for meditation, understood in his day what would become the template for kingdom transaction in future generations; insistent faith. Insistent faith has always brought desired results. Never has it been recorded in scripture of an account of insistent faith being ignored by the kingdom of God. From Hezekiah who insisted that he will not die even when a major prophet brought him the message of death, to the widow in Luke 18:2–5 who insisted that she got her husband avenged and the many other men and women who, in the pages of scripture violently resisted the status quo and insisted on what they desired until it was delivered to them. Men like Elijah who prayed for seven times on the mountain until he saw the evidence of what he desired in the clouds, were evidence of the potency of this kingdom principle. In fact, the hall of faith—Hebrews 11—shows us many more evidences. In Matthew 11:12, the Lord Jesus emphatically said, “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” This means when John the Baptist came onto the scene, forceful faith was legalized. Certain things will never change in our lives until we apply the force of radical faith. Jacob would never have become Israel had he not forced his faith on the divine being that appeared to him. This attitude of Jacob also gives us a peep into the nature of Jacob’s faith. He recognized that the Angel was capable of blessing him. Just like the woman with the issue of blood was able to recognize that Jesus had the answer she needed (Mark 5:27-29) and she will do anything to get that solution. Violent faith always recognizes the place or vessels of solution and take advantage of them. May we be very discerning in the matters that require violent faith and take advantage of our position in Christ for the desired results.

Prayer_Bead: My Father and and my God, thank you for the revelation through your word. Please stir my faith and make it forceful when and where necessary. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: Some kinds of blessings are forced into action by violent faith.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Knowing God in stillness

[The Glory Unveiled]

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. [ Psalms 46:10 KJV ]

There is so much that is locked up and reserved to be discovered by those who can be still before God. To “be still” means to “let go of,” “to withdraw from,” or “to abandon something.” Stillness requires a special skill and an ability to maintain equilibrium. Sometimes, in order to be still—maintain equilibrium—one needs to let go of every weight, so as to properly sustain balance. Other times, to be still, one needs to withdraw from the noise of their world and the distractions in their immediate surroundings. John the Baptist needed to withdraw into the wilderness in order to be still before the Lord. And yet, some other times, one can only be still when they abandon whatever they have been holding tightly onto. It could be that the reason why some of us are unable to be still in the presence of God is because we are holding onto toxic things in our hearts, such as anxiety and fear—things that control our mood and peace, even people. And unless we abandon those things, we cannot be still. Jesus said if you come to the house of God to offer a gift and you remember that you have been holding a grudge, go and deal with it first and come back to offer to God (Matthew 5:23-24). Unless it is dealt with, our coming before God will be a waste. But then, when we do, we get to know that God is God. To know God means to “find out,” “to discern” or “to learn by experience.” When we attain a still posture in the presence of God, we are able to find out things about God and ourselves, discern His will for us (Romans 12:2) and also learn by experience, God’s promises to us. Which results in practical and experiential revelation of God through us to our world. And this becomes the culmination of our scripture text—God will be exalted in the world. His name will be glorified in nations and among people.

Prayer_Bead: Wonderful King, we bow in awe of You. Thank you for showing us how to be still to know you are God. Help us in our attempts to know you through stillness. Amen.

Wisdom_Quote: The revelation of God for global impact is given only in a place of stillness.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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A relational God

[The Glory Unveiled]

And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. [ 2 Corinthians 6:18 KJV ]

From the beginning of our human existence, God had always wanted to relate with us on a personal and intimate level. From the garden of Eden accounts, we can emphatically tell that God wanted a relationship with man, His creation. Interestingly, when man disobeyed God and sinned, God’s initial desire and plan did not change. He sought every opportunity and used every means to get us back into a relationship with Him. In Jeremiah, it was prophesied that God will give us a new heart, one that loved God and revered Him, and that He will enter a new covenant with us (Jeremiah 32:39-40). All these efforts are a testimony of God’s desire to be in a relationship with us. This is what sets Jehovah apart from other gods. While other gods demand servitude, a master-servant relationship, God wants a father-child relationship with His creation. A relationship that is founded on the nature of God; love. Other gods demand sacrifices from their subjects but Jehovah gave a sacrifice on behalf of his children as a gift—His only beloved Son. God was willing to give all that He had to have us back into a committed relationship with Him. As a result, we can only get to truly know God in a love relationship with Him. This is why religion does not reveal the true identity of God even though, religious people think they know God from their wobbling attempts to please their God from a distance. It just doesn’t work from a distance. This is why God had to come down—in close proximity to us, the objects of His love and His image bearers. And even when He was going back to heaven, He said, He will not leave us like orphans (John 14:18). Instead, He sent the Holy Spirit to be with us, so that we can remain intimate with Him as His sons and daughters. Let’s remain committed to our relationship with Him.

Prayer_Bead: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honoured. Thank you for your love and pursuit of me. I yield my heart to you for a heart to heart relationship. So help me, Father.

Wisdom_Quote: Intimate relationships are not forged from a distance.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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You’re worth more

[The Glory Unveiled]

And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. [ Matthew 10:30-31 NIV ]

Worry is a manifestation of concealed fear. Almost everyday, we are confronted by scary situations that aim at throwing us off guard. A person can be alright one moment and the next, they are not. A business can be doing well, and then it’s not. Marriages can be so peaceful and loving and then they can become complicated almost all of a sudden. With this very unsettling wave of instability in many things, we sometimes tend to embrace fear. Fear reveals our unsettled convictions about things. And the byproduct becomes worry and anxiety. On the other hand, when people care about us, our fears are dulled or swallowed up even. For us, as God’s image bearers, God cares deeply about even the smallest details of our lives. In the text above, we are told how God numbers our hairs—something we don’t pay attention to. If you have something counted and numbered, it gives you confidence about its safety. Now, if they were only counted, you may still have a little concern, but even that, you will notice when the numbers don’t add up. On the other hand, when the items are numbered, meaning each item has a unique number or code, you will be rest assured that they are going no where without your notice. It’s like putting a tracker on a piece of electronic equipment. You are literally with that device wherever it is on the planet because of the tracker, which has a unique identifier that represents that equipment. So, if God says our very hairs are numbered, it means He is very aware of every tiny detail of even those hairs that fall everyday when we brush or comb them. This revelation is supposed to comfort us in a way that we become convinced that God cares about our every need. So that, our fears can be replaced with faith in God. “Don’t worry,” Jesus advice; “you are worth more than many sparrows.” And because of our value in the eyes of God, we need not worry.

Prayer_Bead: Great Abba, thank you for your deep concern and love for me. Thank you for being aware of my every need. I trust in your love for me and I refuse to be worried whatsoever about my needs.

Wisdom_Quote: Fear is a picture of the unsettling convictions of a person.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.