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[The Glory Unveiled]

Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright. ( Genesis 25:34 )

One may know the price of a thing but not it’s value. Esau priced his birthright at the cost of a lentil stew. But he didn’t exactly know the value of that birthright. He didn’t ascertain the worth of what he was carrying as a firstborn child. And because he didn’t know the value, he abused [despised] it. Dr. Myles Munroe always said that, when the value of something is not known, abuse is inevitable. Esau only knew the price of his birthright, Jacob knew the value. He knew that getting that birthright would give him the right to have what belonged to Esau naturally [by birth]. In our individual private lives, we play out these twins. The value we place on the things or people  in our lives and the price or cost of getting such things or the people come into our lives are not one and the same. The cost of a thing does not always expose the true value of the thing. For a example, a very valuable ornament [which is ideally] supposed to be sold expensively could be sold at a very low price. Maybe because the seller knows the buyer or because the seller is in dire need of money. In that case, the cost will not determine the value of such an ornament or jewelry. But God has actually tagged our value to the price on us. We are valued at Christ Jesus to the glory and praise of God. So that it took the cost of Christ to pay for our sins. We must endeavor not to lose the valuable things God has for us because we mistake their price for their worth. You are worth everything. Esteem yourself.

Prayer_Bead: Heavenly Father, open my eyes to the true value of the things you have given me. Help me to appreciate all that you have given me.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel–all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.” ( 1Kings 19:18 )

Sometimes when we come to the crossroads, where all hope seem lost and nothing seem to be working, God preserves remnants of hope for us in the shadows. When it seems that there are no jobs, God still preserves jobs unknown to us for us. When it seems no man or woman is available [or interested in you] God still has a “remnant” for you. When it seem you’re the only one left in a perverse and crooked generation, God still keeps His remnants. No matter the economic turbulence, the social unrest, God is keeping something going for you in the background. Elijah felt alone, He felt abandoned, he felt His family was killed but God kept a company for Him. Elijah had given up on life, he wanted God to take his life because he thought he was the only prophet left (see verse 4). Don’t give up on life yet. God has preserved [opportunities, blessings, grace, jobs, breakthroughs] for you. When it seems all hope is lost, when it seems that the only option is to flee to the mountains, that is when to call upon God. Because sometimes, that may be your kairos moment. That very moment is when God will announce His supplementary plan to you. It is never too late when God is your travelling mate. Even though it may seem that all the other prophets were killed, in reality God hid some people for Himself. In the same way the crisis we see is just an illusionary representation what really is. God is keeping all that we think we have lost. He has preserved it all for us. Nothing is lost. Chill, relax give God praise.

Prayer_Bead: Jehovah Jireh, the Lord my provider, thank you for your provision and preservation.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

So I have come down to rescue them [Israel] from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey–the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. ( Exodus 3:8 )

It seem that God does not see obstructions [impossibilities, blockades, thorns, battles, giants, troubles etc]. The Israelites had been in captivity for 400 years. It seem then that the only freedom they knew was hardship. And then came a word from God saying He was going to get them out of slavery into freedom. This news sounded too good to be true and too powerful to be ignored. So the exodus begun to the land that was to be flowing with milk and honey. No sooner had they started the journey than they wished to go back to the only “freedom” [slavery] they had known–Egypt. We all know that when the 12 spies were later sent to scout the land, they gave a complete report of the opposite of what they had been dreaming to see. They also discovered empirically that the land was inhabited. One would wonder, did God not see these? God did not mention the real challenges they were going to face. He didn’t tell them of the giants in the land, he even didn’t mention the sacrifices they would have to make to enter the land. Like the Israelites, often when God calls us into the land of our destiny, He does not disclose the sacrifices we need to make and the giants we need to slay in order to possess the land of promise. But we must arm ourselves with this mentality, that there is a price to pay, a sacrifice to make for the land flowing with milk and honey. The next time you read or hear a sweet promise from God, pray for grace to pay the price because the price is inevitable. And with God on our side, we don’t see the obstructions stopping us.

Prayer_Bead: Lord of lords, God of gods, King of kings, thank you for the promise of my land of milk and honey, please give me grace to pay the price and make the requisite sacrifices.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

In him [Christ Jesus] and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. ( Ephesians 3:12 )

When Adam and Eve sinned through disobedience to God’s counsel, they hid themselves because they lost the freedom and confidence to approach God (Genesis 3:8-10). The barrier of sin had put them in that situation where they could not boldly meet with God even when God came looking for them. And from their time until the realities of the Cross of Christ crystallized, all of humanity became victims of their error. But thanks to God, at the Cross a remedy was made available to us by which our relationship with God could be restored. But even though the remedy is available, many are still held behind the curtains of condemnation as a result of ignorance [unawareness]. They are still unable to approach the Father of all Lights. The reason is found in the verse above. We come into fellowship with God only in Christ. And through our residence in Christ by faith, we are able to confidently approach God. There is no other substitute for this statute. There is no way around it but through this institution. So Romans 8:1, says there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ. “In Christ” is the only grounds that permits freedom and access to God. And in Him, we are shielded against the world’s system that is designed to fight our relationship with God. We have access now to God in Christ through faith. Glory!

Prayer_Bead: Father of all creation, lover of my soul, thank you for the grace to come to you in Christ and through faith in Him.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ( Genesis 22:9 )

All the way through scripture are records of situations that demanded a leap of faith. Anytime it seem that God was making a demand on us that we could not “ordinary” meet, He was calling on us to take a leap of faith. Most of the time, to act in faith will mean that we thrust out into the deep without a deep revelation nor a full understanding of why. It means to take a step even when the stairs are not fully in view. Abraham took a leap of faith to attempt sacrificing his only son. Queen Esther leapt in faith to approach the King who had not asked for her (see Esther 4:16); this in their day and time was a punishable offense. But she was willing to go all out in faith regardless of the outcome, saying if I perish, I perish. The apostle Peter also leapt out in faith when the Master Jesus asked him to come to Him on the water. Peter probably thought of the laws of nature he would probably have to ignore in order to take that first step just as Esther had to ignore the laws of Shushan that demanded that no Queen visited the King unless called upon. Abraham while he bound Isaac up had to ignore the opinions of the people around him to move out in faith. A leap of faith always requires of us to ignore some laws that may work against the actualisation of that goal. Leap out in faith today. Hang on the promise of God, don’t look on the laws of life that are screaming “impossible!” at you. It is possible.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, Author and Finisher of my faith, take away my unbelief, fears and doubts. Help me to take a bold leap of faith.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. ( Galatians 3:14 )

Abraham, the man of faith [as verse 9 of the same chapter calls him] earned that name on the ticket of walking in obedience to what he had not yet seen. Without faith [absolute trust], Abraham could not have obtained the promises of God. The premise on which God entertains us is that of faith (Hebrews 11:6). The new covenant, established with better promises closes up everything in Christ Jesus, so that without coming into Christ by faith, we are exempted from the privileges of the promise. It is not enough to confess the promises over our lives just because we attend church and fellowship with Believers. Just as no one can use another person’s passport or visa to access passage into a foreign land, likewise we cannot enjoy the promises of Christ because of our relationship with another person who has access into Christ. We need to come into a personal relationship with Christ Jesus from which we are qualified for the promises. By faith we receive the manifestation of the promises of God. But this manifestation is carried out by the Holy Spirit so that once the demands are met, there is a supply of what was promised, regardless of what challenges or threats may be posed. Do you have a working personal relationship with Christ?

Prayer_Bead: Spirit of Truth, thank you for the revelation of your promises and access to it by faith in Christ. Lead me into the full expression of faith.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. ( John 6:63 )

Words carry with them realities that transcend the discerning of the flesh. The Holy Spirit gives life. And so we are alive not because our bodies are able to perform the seven or so basic life functions–movement, respiration, growth, excretion, nutrition among the rest. We are alive or begin to live when we become one with the Spirit that gives life. Life is given through intimate fellowship. Just as life is given to a new born baby through intercourse–the fusion of two people as one until there is a release of life force. In our participation of this life, we receive His life by becoming one with Him through His words. Anytime a word proceeds from God, it is as an arrow shot with potent force. God’s words to us is spirit. So that we benefit from it by discerning the spirit of it and not the letter. Often the letter may be bitter, impossible, ridiculous or just what we think it could be. The Spirit of God in us gives life to the word of God to us but anyone without the Spirit profits nothing from the word of God. The word will seem to count for nothing because the flesh becomes the reception. But we have opportunity to speak the word of God to any and every situation until we see the results promised. With the right protocols and rules of engagement, the spoken word of God gives life to any situation. Let us engage the spirit of God’s word.

Prayer_Bead: Spirit Divine, gracious and Everlasting Father, thank you for the life giving Spirit I have received. Let your Spirit profit me in all things. Give life to the dead situations of my life.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ( Romans 12:9 )

Love in these days and time, is a very rare commodity. Yet without love–or any other kind of love except the love of God–the very foundation of the earth fails to stand. Naturally, we are created to love and to be loved so that if we are prevented [whether by ourselves or circumstances] we begin to malfunction. Another problem with the kind of love that is nurtured in many of us today is one of insincerity. To this, many say they have been fooled, hurt or disappointed many times and would not wish to be entangled in any “sincere” love loop again. But dear reader, the truth remains undiluted and unchanged. The fact that you or anyone you know has had a bad experience of love is not a yardstick for your insincerity in love. We must remember that God judges motives. Love, the Bible says must be sincere, not leaving room for determining conditions. That explains that we are to love everyone, sincerely in truth of heart and motive. Where there is insincerity, evil can be done to the other persons in the love relationship. But where love is sincere, goodness is expressed even to the most unlovable person. Let us cleave to this kind of love.

Prayer_Bead: Lover of my soul, thank you for the grace to love anyone unconditionally even as Christ loves me. Help my love to be more sincere.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ( Romans 13:11 )

We have journeyed so far on this pilgrimage that many have become complacent and unconcerned about the road signs that are intended to guide our movements. But in today’s devotion, Christ by the Holy Spirit is giving us a wake up charge. What we are to do pertains to the the times of our present course. Gone are the days when slumber was tolerable and a few blemishes were ignored because somehow they did not immediately attract attacks. But we are about to take a new course and somehow God is giving us an opportunity in the abundance of His grace to make amends and to prepare ourselves for what lies ahead of us. It seem that current conspiracies and world events, has opportuned us to prepare ourselves in knowledge and prayer while we wait for the coming of the Lord like the five wise virgins in Matthew 25. Preparation had always preceeded every great awakening. We cannot walk sluggishly into a new territory. What is the sign that our salvation is nearer than before? It is the beginning of persecutions. Because somehow in the wisdom of God, He will draw us unto Himself through persecutions. But unless we are prepared now to be able to stand the persecutions of tomorrow, we cannot endure what will come, and then there will be a falling away of many who do not have enough oil in their lantern (spirit) as the five foolish virgins. We need to make time, consciously, to prepare for the next phase of our journey. We need to be fully awake to the things of God and walk circumspectly. Let us wake up and trim our lamps! (Matthew 25:7)

Prayer_Bead: Shepherd and Overseer of our souls, thank you for this wake up call. Quicken my prayer and Bible study life. Give me understanding of the times that I may number my days.

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