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[The Glory Unveiled]

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. [ Exodus 34:29 NIV ]

In the preceding chapter of our focal chapter of the book of Exodus, Moses asked God to show him His glory (Exodus 33:18). That request was almost a difficult one under their covenant since the blood of the eternal Son had not yet being received as the propitiation for sin. But even under that circumstance, God still revealed His glory—His goodness, name, mercy and His face—to Moses. The purpose of Moses’ encounter was so that He would be a witness of the glory; a witness between God and the Israelites. Today, under the grace of a new covenant, we have the same responsibility to witness to the glory and be a reflection of it in our world. In Matthew 17, the Lord Jesus took Peter, James and John to a mountain as Moses was on mount Sinai. There on the mountain, they witnessed the glory of God. And the purpose like in Moses’ case was for them to reflect it to their world. It was so that they could be evidence of the encounter they had. If we want to exude the brilliance of God’s glory and display His power as witnesses, we need to have no personal agenda but depend solely on God’s method. We are in the days of God’s incredible acts. But these acts will find expression only through yielded vessels [individuals]. Moses’ face beamed with the glory of God because He had spoken with God. The radiance [evidence of his encounter] came from His being in the presence of the Lord. When we yield to the tangible presence of God through His word, the world will see the tangible radiance of His presence around us. You see, the world is actually not waiting for a new denomination or church, the world is not after a new prophet or pastor, the world needs a new revelation/demonstration of God. And as witnesses, that is our duty. So, let the world see the glorious Jesus!

Prayer_Bead: Glorious King, we salute your majesty and grace. Thank you for making us witnesses of your glory in our world. Let the world now see your glory through us. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: Witnesses of God’s glory testify with their lives.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

“So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from God’s love. I’m convinced that his love will triumph over death, life’s troubles, fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing in our present or future circumstances that can weaken his love.” [ Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭38‬ ‭TPT‬‬ ]

Confidence is always laid on convictions. Without a solid conviction about something we cannot be confident enough to bet our lives on it. For the believer, our convictions are the bedrocks upon which our faith thrives. Our convictions are the reference points of our faith; the reason we are sure of what we believe and will not be persuaded otherwise. Many people are tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine and teachings because even though they believe, their beliefs are not hinged on any convictions. When Abraham was asked to sacrifice his only son, the one he loved. He was able to [do it] lift the knife because he was convinced that God could provide. And so, he called God, Jehovah Jireh—the Lord his provider. Convictions define and refine our faith walk. In the great famous hall of faith [Hebrews 11:4-11], all the faith giants mentioned are individuals who through convictions did things that the ordinary person couldn’t possibly dare to do. And they did these things without second guessing their results. Now, we will learn from the verse of the New Testament scripture above that the apostle Paul came to that place of conviction based on His experiential walk with God. And so, it reads, “so now I live…”. He now lives his life from a place of confidence rather than by the whims of coincidence because he is convinced of what God can do. And because of this conviction, even when contradictory situations surround him, he is not moved. We can have the same robust conviction and relationship with God if we tether our actions and faith to the convictions we have in the ability and love of God. What are your persuasions about what you believe?

Prayer_Bead: Almighty God, thank you for your faithfulness. We trust your word and we are persuaded that nothing will separate us from your love.

Wisdom_Quote: Convictions are the fasteners that link faith to patience.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. [ Galatians 5:1 NIV ]

Many of us fall into the trap of the past because once we come into the future, we assume that the past has no way of calling us back. But we must firmly refuse to go back to the bondage of our past because the past will always call on us. Many times, when you think you have gone past the boundaries of your past, that is when it calls. The Israelites were in slavery in Egypt. The day of deliverance came and they were free. They set out of Egypt to their own promised land. When they thought that they had escaped the grip of Egypt and its armies, that was when Egypt began to call on them by enticing them with the seeming glory of their past. And so, they began to crave for the “liberties” they had in Egypt. That desire and craving caused many of the Israelites their lives. When we turn to the New Testament deliverance from slavery to sin, the same thing can play out if we do not firmly resist the temptation of going back into the bondage we were delivered from. The yoke of slavery from our past life with sin will call back many times, but if we understand our new position in Christ, we will not pay any attention to the past. Our freedom from the bondage of sin did not come at a small cost. It took the blood, life of the Son of God to set us free. And because of that we must not take for granted our freedom. We must guard our freedom by sticking with Jesus all the way. No matter the advertisements from the past with its freebies, we must resolve firmly to stay with Jesus.

Prayer_Bead: Saviour Jesus, thank you for the price you paid for my salvation and freedom. I refuse to go back to the bondage of the past by the seal of my intimacy with you.

Wisdom_Quote: Whenever the past calls your future, it’s a sign that slavery wants to befriend you.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. [ John 13:5 NIV ]

The Lord Jesus is the Word of God. He is the embodiment and the revelation of God. Psalms 119:105 says “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” So we see the practical application of this Psalms when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. This activity of the Word [Jesus] on the feet of the disciples is essential for every believer. This was why when Peter wanted to refuse the washing of his feet by Jesus, he was told that unless he had his feet washed, he will have no part with Jesus (verse 8). And so, without the washing of the word, we will have no part with Jesus. When we study the word of God, we are washing our feet and renewing our minds. Every morning, when we look into the word of God, it is like pouring water into a basin and washing our feet with it. And so, meditating on the word of God is a mechanism for cleaning our feet of the dust of the lusts of world and its deceitfulness. The word becomes a lamp for our feet so that we do not stray from God. The word of God is our manual and guide for living. If we make it a daily practice to study the word, our path will be clear. When we study the word of God consistently, we enrich our souls with the power to resist the evil advertisements of hell. Every morning, when we have our quiet time, we are programming our day to be free of anything that is inconsistent with the word of God. So, let’s make it a habit to daily wash our feet with the word of God through meditation.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for your word that is daily available for washing my feet and lightening my path.

Wisdom_Quote: The word is a lamp to our feet.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

“Sin is a dethroned monarch; so you must no longer give it an opportunity to rule over your life, controlling how you live and compelling you to obey its desires and cravings.”
[ Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬ ‭TPT‬‬ ]

If we read the verse of the book of Romans chapter 6 above, over and over again; reading it out loud many times and then beginning to think about each word carefully, we will suddenly have an awakening to the realities of sin and its power. “Sin is a dethroned monarch!” What a revelation! You know, a king or a monarch is only powerful as long as they remain on the throne. The throne gives them the authority they will. But once they are dethroned, they have no power over you. The only way by which a dethroned monarch can still control or manipulate people is when the people are ignorant of his dethroning. Now, let’s talk about sin. The law of God says sin is a dethroned monarch which means it has no power and no jurisdiction over you. Yet we find many people still imprisoned by sin, bullied into doing its bidding. Everyday, sin still compels people to obey its desires and cravings because of the ignorance of those bound by its spell. The way out is revealed in the word of God above. You must no longer give it an opportunity to rule over your life and control you. So when sin calls on you through your desires and cravings, do not answer its calls to surrender your body as a tool for ungodliness. Instead, in that moment, passionately answer God’s call by yielding your body to God as one who has experienced resurrection life! (Romans 6:13). It is now a matter of insisting on who your body obeys because sin has no legal nor regal power over you, it is dethroned. You can choose to yield your body to God everyday and every time as your enthroned monarch.

Prayer_Bead: Great Monarch of Zion, thank you for revealing to me that sin has no power over me. Help me to choose you daily by your grace and power. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: Sin remains a dethroned monarch, don’t let it bully you.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

“Jesus said to all of his followers, “If you truly desire to be my disciple, you must disown your life completely, embrace my ‘cross’ as your own, and surrender to my ways.” [ Luke‬ ‭9‬:‭23‬ TPT ]

Many of us go about saying we are disciples of Jesus, in other words, true followers of Jesus, but here, Jesus shows us the blueprint for becoming His disciples. The statement Jesus made in the above verse was to all who were following Him at the time. In fact, the people were referred to as His followers. But they were not all disciples then. And so, Jesus puts out the description of who His disciples were. So that anyone who fell into that description can be referred to as a disciple of Jesus. So, in the large body of “believers”, among people who claim to know the Lord, there are those who are actually His disciples. The requirement for becoming Jesus’ disciple is to disown your life completely, not partially, embrace Jesus’ cross [burden/death] as theirs and then finally surrender to Jesus’ ways. What a criterion for joining the school of Jesus’ disciples. Interestingly, the criterion is still the same in our day and time. To disown our life completely means relinquishing every right we have over our lives to choose what we want and what we don’t want. When we lose that right over our lives, then we are ready to start a journey with Jesus because there is a life He offers which will not compromise or compete with our selfish, sinful life. And then, the next thing is for us to embrace His cross—His sufferings as ours. When we do not hide or excuse ourselves from His sufferings and shame, then we are ready to surrender to His ways and become His true disciples and followers. Being a disciple of Jesus is not a statement made with the mouth but a loss of one’s life and putting on Jesus’ life.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord, thank you for the grace and opportunity to become your disciple. Help me to follow the blueprint in your word in Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: A disciple is a man or woman who gave their identity up for Jesus’.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

“This means that, contrary to man’s perspective, the Lord is not late with his promise to return, as some measure lateness. But rather, his “delay” simply reveals his loving patience toward you, because he does not want any to perish but all to come to repentance.” [ 2 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭9‬ ‭TPT‬‬ ]

Many people in the world have made it a habit to ridicule believers anytime they speak about the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. To them, it is a joke. Some say if Jesus was going to come He should have come all these years. Others go to the extent of saying even if Jesus was walking to earth, she should have gotten here by now; these are the very people who are not even ready for the Lord’s coming. Unknown to them, the delay of the Lord is actually the exercising of God’s patience. If we look carefully into it, we will understand that the delay of the Lord is an expression of his loving patience towards us. So, contrary to the world’s perspective, the Lord is not late or delaying but rather, He does not want anyone to be lost to sin but that we all may come to repentance while He waits. What a manner of love. God loves us so much He does not want any of us to perish. Whenever God makes any promises, He fulfills them. In the time of Noah, it took so long for the flood to come that many people began to think that Noah was going crazy. But because God does not lie nor is He late with His promises. He was giving the people that much time so that they could repent, but they didn’t listen nor receive God’s invitation. Throughout Bible history and records, God never sends judgement upon any people except He first gives them ample time to repent. So, the more Jesus waits, the more He is exerting patience for those left who have not had the opportunity yet. May we take advantage of the patience of God and come to true repentance.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord, thank you for your patience and love. Help me and the world to truly repent as we await your coming for the righteous.

Wisdom_Quote: Jesus is not late with His promise to return. His delay is a love strategy.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

““In the past God tolerated our ignorance of these things, but now the time of deception has passed away. He commands us all to repent and turn to God.” [ Acts‬ ‭17‬:‭30‬ ‭TPT‬‬ ]

The sophistication of the world and the easy accessibility of knowledge has broken the fence of ignorance among many cultures and societies. There is barely a society in modern day, where there is no access to public knowledge. In the past, this was much difficult because there was no civilization and no internet. Today, the world has taken a gigantic leap forward. But apart from these scientific and technological advancement, nature itself holds evidence of God’s existence and power. For these reasons, all creation is without excuse for not knowing about God and submitting to Him. This is what makes the whole thing so intense, the Bible records it. “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”(Romans 1:20). And again in our anchor verse, it says the time of deception has passed away. The time of deception was the time before Christ brought us the good news of the kingdom of God; the gospel of our salvation. And because the light has come into the world, God employs us to repent and turn to Him. Before the good news, God tolerated our ignorance but when opportunity came to know the truth, that tolerance wouldn’t be there anymore. In fact, when John the Baptist realized that the promise of the father had come—Jesus, he began to warn the people to repent, not before then. God’s command still stands for us to repent and turn to Him like the prodigal son did.

Prayer_Bead: Our father in heaven, thank you for your mercy and your love. Help me to turn to you sincerely and faithfully. In Jesus’ name.

Wisdom_Quote: There is time for everything on the calendar of God.

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