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[The Glory Unveiled]

If you will listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments which I command you this day, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. ( Deuteronomy 28:1 )

This charge was given to the nation of Israel, almost before they crossed the Jordan into the Land of Answered prayers—Canaan, the land of promise. God had named so many good things that would happen to the Israelites and many things He would do for them once they are in Canaan but we would discover quite later that these promises rested on covert conditions. Most times, God will only spell out the good things He would do for them making the conditions implications. Just as baits for fishes have hidden hooks, so the promises of God have hidden conditions that must be met. In our anchor verse of Scripture, God through Moses expressly mentions that “if you will” to tell that what comes after will only be done after a certain condition is met. God was telling them that He will set them above all nations if they obey all His commandments. They will not automatically be set above other nations. Our individual uplifting is tied to the conditions that we meet in our walk with God. A true walk with God is not coincidental, it is well intentioned by the Believer. So, if we want to be set apart for God in these times, then we must obey the Lord in all things; in all things.

Prayer_Bead: Prince of peace, Lord of Lords, you are worthy to receive praise, honour and glory. Thank you for giving me a willing heart to obey you and to live for you.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

So that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the LORD has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it. ( Isaiah 41:20 )

Every act of God right from the Old Testament into the New Testament displayed in the presence of people was intended to make people know and understand that the Almighty is God and there is no other. In this very prophetic book of Isaiah it has been recorded countless times how God is unique and without coequal (Isaiah 45:5, 6, 18, 22; 46:9 etc ). When Elijah met the Baal prophets in 1 Kings 18, it wasn’t about the display of the power of the prophets as it was about the power and uniqueness of the God/god of the prophets. So Elijah made a notable statement while he made his prayer to God on that day, “Answer me, LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” (1 Kings 18:37). Elijah desired that the people will discover that God is God and beside Him, there is no other. Anytime this becomes the sole purpose of a people, God announces His power and glory. God will only do the incredible if it will hallow His name among people. His deeds are always to this end, directly or indirectly to announce that He is the Lord and there is no other like Him. In these days, God is willing to fill the earth with the knowledge of His glory as the waters fill the oceans. And He will do it speedily if we will allow room for Him to show Himself.

Prayer_Bead: Almighty Father, the Lord who is God alone, have your way in our day. Show forth your glory among us and announce your sovereignty. There is no one like you and there never will be. Let the world see your glory, Lord as I make room for you.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” ( John 4:10 )

One afternoon, as Jesus was sitting by a well, a Samaritan woman came to fetch water and Jesus asked her for water. The woman didn’t quite see why Jesus will ask her for water because the Jews and the Samaritans don’t associate. And then Jesus found the occasion to talk to her about eternal life [the gift of God] and the grace that makes it possible. The account of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well is like when Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac his only son. Just as Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for water, God asked Abraham to give His only son [Abraham didn’t oppose the request] and when he was about to give him up, God intervened and gave him a sacrificial lamb instead. Unfortunately, this woman didn’t give the water nor attempt to give it. Jesus would probably have stopped her or taken the water and then given her eternal life (living water) if she had attempted to give Him the water. That not withstanding, Jesus still got through to her. Most times, God will require from us what He has in abundance because He wants to bless us with it. Yes, it seems that God has this principle to bless us with only what we are willing to give out. Joseph gave up the privileges of living in Potiphar’s house and God gave him the privilege of ruling Egypt. What we give out becomes the seed of what we reap. Some demands of God are only baits to lure us to His grace. Don’t reject the grace of God when it comes in the cloths of heavy demands.

Prayer_Bead: Merciful God, Loving Father, thank you for the privilege to be your child and to enjoy the fruit of your grace. Teach me not to reject your grace that is packaged for my glorification.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ( Colossians 1:16 )

Christ Jesus being the word of God made flesh (John 1:1) is the essence through whom both the visible and the invisible world came about. There is nothing in heaven and under heaven that exists outside Him because all things were created by the Word of God. We will agree that nothing, both visible and invisible is created without introducing the word of God. The next verse [17] says, He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the reason why things are and without Him nothing is. The Father created everything He created through the word of His mouth. Fortunately, we have that creative power in us through Christ Jesus. We have the power of the Word through faith to create and order the course of our lives. We are able to pave way for ourselves and our children and their children’s children after them through the Word of God—Christ. Through Him [Christ] all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made (John 1:3). We can only follow after the template of the Father if we want to have the results of the Father. If this is the case of the Believer who engages the Word of God, then all things are ours indeed (1 Corinthians 3:21). And while we remain in Him, we partake of all the things that are in Him by faith.

Prayer_Bead: Omnipotent Father, Creator of the Universe and all that consist in it, thank you for the opportunity to partake in the blessings of the Word of God and making me a joint heir with Christ.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

Then the anger of the Lord blazed against Moses; He said, Is there not Aaron your brother, the Levite? I know he can speak well. Also, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be overjoyed. ( Exodus 4:14 )

God could and will choose whoever He would choose to do whatever He wants done. We could think of the likes of Jonah and Paul. In this book of Exodus, God decided to choose Moses, a man who had speech problems to lead a nation and to be His spokesperson. God knew about all the weaknesses of Moses and even those Moses didn’t know about himself. He knew the things Moses could do and those He couldn’t do. Moses thought God needed someone who could do what God needed done but actually God didn’t need someone who could do those things. All God needed was someone who would allow God to do what He said He would do through them. In other words, God only needed a receptacle for His acts. A vessel to channel His supernatural acts through. This is why when Moses gave God all the excuses he could find, God mentioned the name of someone whom Moses thought could do the work better—Aaron. God admitted that Aaron could speak well but He decided to choose Moses instead of Aaron for an assignment that Aaron seem naturally gifted for. Whatever God called you for, you are able to do it excellently not because you may be good at it but because God will work through you for His glory. All that God will require is for us to trust and obey Him all the way.

Prayer_Bead: Loving Father, Omniscient and Omnipotent Lord, thank you for calling me out into your kingdom and sending me out as an ambassador of your grace and kindness. Thank you for trusting me with all the responsibilities you trust me with and help me to allow you to do all your works through me.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

But Joshua son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. ( Deuteronomy 1:38 )

The fuel for most great achievements, most of the time is encouragement. Even though the weight of responsibility has the ability to decelerate the most ambitious man or woman, encouragement helps a lot. Moses was the set man of the leadership of Israel in their historic journey. He had had a lot of encounters with God to know the ways and the desires of God but the people he was leading wearied him so much to the point of disobeying God, something he always preached against. Moses taught the people to always obey God even under very challenging circumstances but at one point the people pushed him to disobey God and then he lost the opportunity to enter the land of Promise ( Numbers 20:12). And so Joshua, Moses’ assistant had to take over the leadership role of Moses but he couldn’t do it without encouragement. With all the things he had seen and experienced, he was afraid he couldn’t do a good job. Hence God instructed Moses to encourage him. What we also need in the heat of challenging situations is the encouragement of God’s word. We have the grace and the ability to do what we are supposed to do but we need the refreshing encouragement of God’s word to actually do them. So stay with the word.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, thank you for the encouragement of your word. Teach my hands to do what you have given me the ability to do and give me the power to fight the discouragement of fear and doubt.

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[The Glory Unveiled ]

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. ( Ephesians 2:10 )

Our relevance comes from Christ as our source. A product cannot be better than its source or materials. And because we were created in Christ, the Lord Jesus becomes the confines of our relevance. Outside that circumference, we are underutilized. What kept Adam “useful” in the garden was His determination to remain within the boundaries of God’s commands. As long as He was within the parameters of God’s word, everything was working well for Him. He had no need of anything. But immediately he went outside the protective covering of God’s instructions, even the elements begun to work against him. Now in Christ, we have another privilege to live the full life that God intended for us except it is only possible within Christ. It also goes to mean that we can only do what is described as “good” as long as we remain in Christ. There is nothing good outside His person because everything was created in Him and for Him; without Him, nothing was made that was made. So, without Him, we miss even the good works that had been prepared in advance for us to do, and then we end up doing something other than what we have been called to do. A word of advice to us then is, stay in Christ, remain in Him.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord, I know fully well through your word that I have been created in Christ Jesus to do the good works you called me to do. And without You as the boundary of my life, I cannot fulfill that calling and so I ask that you help me to remain true to You in all things.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. ( John 8:28 )

But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away (2 Corinthians 3:16). There is this veil that covers the understanding of people who have not seen the crucified Christ. It is in the lifting of the son of man (crucifixion) that we get to see and know the Lord. Unless we have come to believe in His birth, death and resurrection, nothing about God will make meaning to us even if we read them over and again from the word of God. This is why there are Atheists and Apologetics of other religious groups who have read the Bible so many times and yet, they still have no understanding because they have not seen the Lord in those pages yet. But when the Holy Spirit furnishes the realities of Jesus’ person and works in us by faith, we do not only know and understand but we become one with Him. The lifting of the Lord Jesus Christ in our hearts removes the veil that hitherto covered our understanding and knowledge. So, whenever we go out to evangelize, we must first of all, show the people, the crucified Jesus and then the veil will be torn apart in their hearts. Instead of showing the unbeliever the reigning Lord, we must first show them the crucified King._

Prayer_Bead: King of Kings, Lord of lords, thank you for dying in my place and taking the penalty of my wrongs. I believe you were crucified, died and rose again for my justification.

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[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 )

Maturity in Christ, just like maturity in any field of study comes at a cost. It is always a deliberate decision to make. But babies don’t have to work or cook to have milk to drink. By their default state of being babies, they have milk to drink. Their caretakers or mothers will feed them. Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness (Hebrews 5:13). The teaching about righteousness and right standing with God is solid food. It has to be prepared through conscious efforts, putting ingredients together. The solid food of God’s word is a state in our walk with God where we constantly fellowship with the word. And through the consistency of that fellowship with the word by the Holy Spirit, we begin to understand the mysteries that serve as the backbone of our faith. But without consistency, one cannot mature in the word of God. Usually, milk comes almost at no cost for the infant but solid food requires painstaking effort. If any believer will change their diet from milk to solid food, they will have to be married to consistency. We cannot occasionally study the word of God if we want to grow in the word; to the stature of solid food. We will need consistency in the word.

Prayer_Bead: Father in heaven, my great redeemer, thank you for the wonderful opportunity to grow in your word. Teach me your statutes by the help of the Holy Spirit. And guide me to transcend from milk to solid food.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” ( Luke 22:31-32 )

And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter)— John 1:42. The Lord Jesus, upon His first encounter with Simon in the Gospel according to John, changed Simon’s name to Peter. Simon means a reed (unstable) but Peter means rock (stable/firm). It is rather shocking that after the changing of Simon’s name, Jesus still called him Simon on some occasions. Unarguably, these were occasions where Peter behaved like a reed (Simon). Just before he denied Jesus, he was called Simon. In another place when Jesus found Peter sleeping while he should be praying with Him, Jesus called him Simon (see Mark 14:37). The point is this, our name is who we are. This is why when Jesus took our place on the cross, God now calls us His children (see 1 John 3:2). We are partaking in His name because we partook in His identity on the cross. This is our new and actual identity. We must therefore live in sync with the realities of our new identity in Christ. For as He is, so are we in this world.

Prayer_Bead: I am an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ. I am of the bloodline of God for the blood of Jesus flows through my veins. I cannot be sick, I cannot fail, I cannot lose for I am victorious through Christ Jesus.

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