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[The Glory Unveiled]

8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.

Effective and fervent faith is always sponsored by an understanding that can withstand a thunderbolt. The verse eight alone may be quite vague in revealing the true potential of the Centurion’s words. The understanding that underlined his confidence is revealed in the next verse where the centurion explained that he understood authority and delegated power. What proves the effectiveness of prayer is conviction in one’s spirit and results but what guarantees effective faith is unwavering understanding. Fear is reason to believe the unknown will affect you negatively whereas faith crystallises an understanding and reflect that understanding both in deed and in words. You truly believe what you profess if your attitude says the same thing as your mouth. The centurion in the verse above did not only say what he said in the verse 8 but proved in verse 9 that he lived by that understanding. Jesus called his faith great in verse 9 because it had all the ingredients that could make demands on heaven to meet his needs. Have the Centurion’s kind of faith.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, the hope of all hearts, please open the eyes of my understanding, that I may stand firm, unwavering in my convictions.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. (Genesis 3:6)

Every temptation we face as humans come in three shades as stipulated by 1John 2:16. The devil had always subscribed to that approach in his presentation of temptations. The three arsenals are *lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and pride of life*. He imployed the same tactics when He tempted our Lord Jesus in Matthew chapter four. So the apostle Paul said in his epistle to the Corinthian church, “…we are not ignorant of the devices of the enemy” for they are evident in the approach the enemy uses. You’d agree that every temptation you face is one of these or a combination at every point in time. We are tempted when enticed by our desires and lust for the things of this world. After Eve fell for the deception of the Usurper, she became a channel to reach to the man who was actually the target of the attack–he was given the instructions as the leader in the Eden Community–and not Eve. A noteworthy lesson; we need to discern the things of God even when presented to us through a ‘verified’  channel, because even those channels may be compromised.

Prayer_Bead: Jehovah Jireh, the Lord my provider, make the way of escape from every temptation evidently clear to me. Give me a fresh desire for you and your word.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'” ( Matthew 4:7 )

It is not enough to know only what is written but what is “also” written. If all the scriptures you know personally and experientially are unable to help in a particular situation, what other mechanisms do you have in place? If, for instance Eve knew more than all she divulged, she probably wouldn’t have fallen for the devil’s schemes but unfortunately all she knew was not enough. The need for ‘extra’, cannot be overemphasised. What would have happened if Jesus didn’t have an “it is also written” scripture at his disposal? It is crucial to have an extra oil in our lamp always. Like the prominent ten virgins of Matthew 25:1-10, five had an extra oil for the hard but crucial times while the other five had nothing extra to keep them. And we all know how that story ended. All believers need an “it is also written” in their spirit at all times. Our faith walk is not always “it is written”, sometimes “it is also written” is what actually brings results.

Prayer_Bead: Omniscient Father, give me the fortitude to study the word of life as a workman who needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

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[The Glory]

I slept but my heart was awake. Listen! My lover is knocking: “Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.” ( Song of Solomon 5:2 )

The text used in today’s devotion may be misconstrued by many as unspiritual, as it speaks about two lovers. But “my lover” as used in the verse connotes the personality of the Holy Spirit while “my sister, my darling, my dove and my flawless one” represents you–the reader. Our hearts must be spiritually awake at all point in order to hear the knocking of the Spirit of God on our hearts. The Holy Spirit will whisper to our conscience through the door of our hearts to teach us what we do not know. Like the lovers in the text above, the Holy Spirit always knocks on our hearts by prompting us to do or not to do certain things. It is the state of our hearts–whether asleep or awake–that determines whether and when we will hear Him. The Spirit of God will not forcefully break into any heart. He will knock, and we are to hear and answer the call. Let us awaken our hearts to the call of the Holy Spirit in obedience to God’s word.

Prayer_Bead: Holy Spirit, lover of my soul, awaken my heart to your call and whispers. Let my heart yearn for you as the deer pants for water.

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[The Glory Unveiled ]

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. ( Hebrews 11:3)

There is no level of spiritual growth that can be attained without faith. There is no divine understanding that can be received unless by faith. There are certain mysteries that we cannot comprehend just by reading about them. Such can only be understood through faith. Literally speaking, one would ask how could God create the vast universe by the word of His mouth. And how could he call something out of nothing? The human mind is just incapable of holding some celestial truth. But when faith subdue the ideology and thinking trend and pathways of man, we begin to understand and believe what other people—whose gods are their bellies and eyes—cannot substantiate. Faith takes the full weight of eternal truth and compress it to the assimilation of time for the glorification of divinity. This is the mystery of faith.

Prayer_Bead: Father, who in time past called light out of darkness and still calls eternity out of us, break the captivity of my understanding. Let the eyes of my understanding be opened by faith in Christ.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

“It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.'” ( Luke 19:46 )

Our bodies are temples of the living God and in these temples, prayer and supplications are to be conveyed to heaven. Like the tabernacle of old, the body of man is a house of prayer and communion. So, Jesus in redefining and refining the desires of God for His house used the words, “…..true worshippers will worship in spirit and in truth.” This emphasized the revelation that our bodies which houses our spirits and soul—the aspect that appreciates the truth of God’s Word is truly the temple of the true worshippers. Don’t let anything, activities and rituals rob you of the true benefits of recognizing and making use of your body as a temple of prayer. The body is made for God and not God, for the body. So let us submit God’s temple to His influence and power of fellowship in order that we may see the manifestations of God.

Prayer_Bead: Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for opening my eyes to the truth of your word. Teach me to repel and resist the robbery of this world and its systems.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

Look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was but one, and I blessed him and made him many. ( Isaiah 51:2 )

Our spiritual ancestors laid a foundation and a precept for us to walk in. From the records carved by the lives they lived, we can have a well defined path for our feet. So God speaking through the prophet Isaiah said we should look to Abraham and Sarah–as a pattern and an example of the Patriarchs–in our walk. God called Abraham as an individual but through obedience and commitment, he became a nation of many people—through his seed. There is power and life  in the blood of every animal, so that our source always has a vital role to play in the outcome of our lives. This is why we need to disconnect from any system that will not allow us to learn. Everyone needs a teachable heart because the world is full of unknown truth. So is the need for a mentor or a father figure.

Prayer_Bead: Holy Spirit of God, lead me in the path of the Patriarchs. Help me to humbly learn their precepts and submit to your ways by their examples.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ ( Jeremiah 33:3 )

In times of need, who do we first turn to? The people we first call on reveal a lot about our priorities and trust. Likewise, our priorities tell the kind of person we are and what we want from life. Do we turn to friends or Google before God? “Call to me” means God is ready, able and willing to listen to us and also provide the help we need. But the prerequisite is to call on Him. Make a call of prayer today. Dial those ‘heavenly numbers’ and connect to the towers of Heaven through the portals of Jesus’s name. Don’t tell Jesus only after you think all your options have failed you or may fail you. We need to learn to turn to Jesus in all and every circumstance. Mostly, we worry because we do not know the future, but the Lord Jesus who knew our future before we were born is certainly well equipped to help and rid us of fear and worry.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, teach me to trust in you and to call to you in all things. Save me from my fears and doubts. Teach me how to prioritise right in making decisions.

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[The Glory Unveiled]

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. ( 2 Corinthians 3:18 )

What aspect of the Lord does the world see in you? There is an aspect of God impressed on our spirit that comes alive when we behold His glory. No one encounters God and remains the same, especially when they see (experience) His glory–the tangible influence of His nature. We are transformed into the very image of God when we don’t veil our faces from the astonishing glory of God revealed to us through fellowship. When Moses descended from the presence of God, the glory of God remained on Him, so that the Israelites became afraid and Moses had to cover his face. But mysteriously, If they had stared at Moses they would have been affected by the same influence because the influence of God’s glory is contagious. The Spirit of God will cause the glory of God expressed through us as a result of our encounter with Him to increase from one level of glory to the other until the whole world is filled with the knowledge of God’s glory. Hallelujah!

Prayer_Bead: Spirit Divine, unveil the glory of your presence in me. Let the world see your glory as I fellowship with you.

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[ The Glory Unveiled ]

When they had all had enough to eat, he [Jesus] said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” ( John 6:12 )

NB~[Jesus made this statement after feeding 5,000 men with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes.]

Most humans seem to have a helpless inclination to being wasteful. We love to discard things so easily. The filth around us reiterate the truth of this statement. Once we get what we want from someone or something, we discard them. We don’t seem to think the afterwards. Jesus, our model is not wasteful. As a good Shepherd, He will leave the 99 and go after the one. This is the nature of the man we imitate and hope to be like both on the inside and outside of ourselves. He has an attitude of love, compassion and possessiveness. We need to hold in high esteem anything and everything under our care. Multiplication comes by faithful stewardship in the economy of our kingdom. Let nothing be wasted.

Prayer_Bead: Lord Jesus, the Shepherd of my soul and spirit, instill in me the attitude of management and responsibility.

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