Tag: #ChooseChrist

[The Glory Unveiled]

When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied. ( Matthew 9:28 )

Every miracle; healing, prophesy and spiritual manifestations in the earth realm are endorsed on the ticket of faith. Do you believe? Faith is the assurance given to our dreams as inevitable. It is the gap between whatever Jesus did in Bible days and continue to do right now and what we hope to see done in the world and in our lives. In the story of the blind men who had wanted Jesus to heal them, Jesus didn’t exempt them from the underpinned protocols. He didn’t say that, o well, you guys are blind so forget about the need to have faith, just be healed! No, Jesus still went ahead to ask them whether they believed. Faith is the inexcusable element that permits performance of things. Without faith, nothing of heavenly origin happens on earth. Faith creates the pathway and the runway for the move of the supernatural workings of God. Faith gives man the audacity to demand of heaven and heaven the opportunity to give to earth. So that without faith, righteousness couldn’t have been attributed to Abraham. For without faith, it is impossible to please God. Finally, do you believe that God is able to do what He promised? If you do, then don’t give up because nothing will stop Him.

Prayer_Bead: Father in Heaven, thank you for the grace to believe you. I thank you because you are always true to your words. Let it be unto me according to your will.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” ( Luke 10:41–42 )

In this life as well as in the one to come, many things don’t so matter as the few that are capable of adding to our purpose for existence. Often we are faced with so many alternatives to life’s alluring lies which compete for our attention. And some of us try to possess as many things as we can, thinking that, effectiveness in life is dependent on our strength and possessions. We may chase after many things hoping they will satisfy our void but from the Master of our souls we are told that only one thing is needful. This truth strikes a cord in the old testament book of Ecclesiastes, where the preacher says, the conclusion of the whole matter is that we should fear God and obey His commands (Ecclesiastes 12:13). The book actually mentions so many things that could be done under the sun, so many things that men give their strength to. And then in the conclusion of it all, it says only one thing matters, fear God and obey Him. Isn’t it amazing to know that of all our striving and desire to leave indelible prints on the earth, only one thing matters? What could that one thing that matters in all the chaos that surrounds us be? Jesus opens our eyes to it. It is our love for God. Mary found that, she loved the Lord and her love made her disregard all else for Jesus. She put every other thing aside. It’s time we put everything aside for the Lord and to return to our first love.

Prayer_Bead: Father in heaven, thank you for the grace to choose the one thing that is needed in all of life and may it not be taken from me.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money19 and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” ( Acts 8 :18-19 )

The apostles were working miracles by the power of God and then came a man by the name Simon, who thought he could buy the anointing of God with money. In verse 21, the apostle Peter made a profound statement. He said that the heart of Simon was not right so he could not partake in the miraculous ministry. Like Simon in the text above who was denied the anointing, many Believers profess “genuine” hunger for the anointing and the miraculous workings of the Holy Spirit but underneath that euphoric expression of “true passion and desire”, is a thick layer of misplaced motivation. The driving force for their desire is mostly self gratification. They want to be recognized and celebrated so that people would know that they too have the power of God upon them. Maybe our situation may not be of same grandness but no matter how small or hidden the ulterior motive is, it will be the reason for our denial into the realm of the supernatural. Admission into the supernatural workings of God demands that our motives are refined by the word of God and a sincere love for God and humanity. But until that happens, self gratification and glorification will be the ultimate end which will be our own ends as well. Let us examine our motives for desiring the things of God, is it for the expansion of God’s kingdom and influence or for our own selfish gains?

Prayer_Bead: Lord of all creation and generations, thank you for your word. Search me o Lord and know my thoughts, try me and know my motives, help my motives for desiring to do your work.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. ( Matthew 12 :28 )

The Holy Spirit substantiates the influence and tangibility of the kingdom of God. Without the Holy Spirit, the kingdom of God cannot be experienced here in the earth sphere and now. So that when we see or perceive the Holy spirit at work, then the Kingdom of God is here. If we express any gift of the Holy Spirit, we are actually manifesting the Kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit gives expression to the intents of God. He works the desires of God in ways that can be felt, heard and or seen. He paints the pleasures of God on the canvas of time so that the glory of God can rise from every dust. But the Holy Spirit is not a free lunch. He is not a free ticket either nor a free ride to the land of our sensual indulgence. He is a principled Being of God-class gentleness and attributes. Without the presence and workings of the Holy Spirit, God cannot be known as He is. So that without the Holy Spirit no man knows anything about the Kingdom of God. No wonder the Israelites of old couldn’t appropriate divine realities. They kept stumbling on the man Jesus because they didn’t know the Holy Spirit who would unveil Christ to them. Thanks to God, our case is different. We have the Spirit of Truth in us and with us, manifesting the Kingdom of God in our everyday experiences.

Prayer_Bead: Thank you Holy Spirit for expressing and demonstrating Christ Jesus in my everyday experience. Teach me to let the world see your Kingdom.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

So he [the owner] said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ ( Luke 13 :7 )

Today’s Scripture for meditation emphasizes the need for fruitfulness. The metaphoric fig tree in the verse above refers to us. God planted us when we accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour. He also graced us with His word which is able to help us grow to maturity. The word of God is supposed to give us nourishment. So that we become like trees planted by rivers of water, whose leaves do not wither (Psalms1:6). God does not entertain wastage. The Bible tells of the feeding of the 5,000. After they had been fed, Jesus asked that the disciples should collect the fragments [so that nothing would be wasted], see John 6:12. God would always ensure that we have all our needs for life and godliness met.  But after God has done all there is for our sustenance and stability, we need to produce the results that merit God’s input. After many opportunities of God’s grace and patience, God demand significant output from us. But sometimes, the grace of God makes it seem like God does not demand any accountability from us whereas in reality, He does. Let us not receive God’s grace in vain (2 Corinthians 6:1). As we endure the watering and prunning of God, our lives must produce corresponding evidence of that working of God’s Holy Spirit in us. The workings of God’s grace produce in us the ability to reproduce His nature and attributes. Let the grace of God speak.

Prayer_Bead: God who does not speak in vain, whose words do not return void unless they accomplish that for which they were sent. Lord, let your word produce results in me.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. ( Jude 1:20 )

Most automobiles these days have turbo boosters, planes use turbofan engines to boost their thrust. We humans, use drugs to boost our immune systems. When something boosts another thing, it does not create a new thing but helps that other thing to function at its maximum capacity. Spiritually, there is a mechanism in place for us to boost our spirit. We are then able to build up–boost–our most holy faith; function at the peak of our faith. But the fact that the possibility of building up our faith exists does not mean that it is automatic. Like the Vitamin C drug that we take for boosting our immune system, one may have the vitamin C but its medicinal components are only explored when we take them. Likewise, we need to do something concise in order to build up our most holy faith and that, we are told it is praying in the Holy Spirit. Now, praying in the Holy Spirit means praying by the Spirit of God. The Apostle Paul says when we pray in tongues, we edify ourselves (see 1 Corinthians14:4). So also we boost our spiritual faculties intentionally by the speakings in the Holy Spirit. We unravel mysteries when we mingle our spirit with the Spirit of God through the language of the Spirit in genuine fellowship. No man builds anything by mistake. Let us intentionally build up our faith. Begin to build even right now by praying in the containment of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer_Bead: Precious Holy Spirit, the expression of God’s divine attributes. The revealer of the thoughts and purposes of God. Baptize me afresh with your holy fire and awaken a fresh desire in me even as you quicken me by giving me utterances.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. ( Isaiah 43:19 )

There is no denying the fact that we are in very sensitive and critical times–and well, many people may argue that preachers had always said these things but the Christ is still “not in view”. All of creation including inanimate things are yelling out words of caution to an unconcerned world. But like the proverbial ostrich, we seem to have buried our heads in the sand of modernisation and humanism, carefully crafted by unassuming men to defraud and rob people of destiny. But we are admonished to  perceive the new move of God. Throughout scripture, challenging times always came with a sort of deliverer or an awakening of some sort in the souls of people. In these times, God is doing a new thing. He is honouring–using–the dried places and the wastelands. So that what is unimagined, the undeserving and despised people and places of the earth will be used to the praise of God’s name. God is giving the part of the body that used to be hidden and unrecognised, preeminence. God is indeed doing a new thing in our generation. He is raising up mighty warriors for His end time agenda. Don’t look down upon yourself, you’re a worthy candidate of His army. You are to manifest His [treasured] glory.

Prayer_Bead: God of Creation, who does not speak in vain. Heighten my spiritual receptacles to receive from the pinnacles of your throne. Teach me to discern what you are doing in this season. And please don’t do it without me.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Then God opened her [Hagar’s] eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy [Ishmael] a drink. ( Genesis 21 :19 )

The verse of Scripture is an excerpt from the account of Hagar’s banishment from the family of Abraham. On her way, she and her baby Ishmael ran out of water. Now, at the very point where Hagar had despaired and gave up her search, that was the very area where her solution was. The well of water was very close to Hagar but she couldn’t see it. Sometimes, in our search for things–peace, protection, security, food–we quit [give up] before we are opportuned to see breakthroughs. Hagar, like most of us came to her cross roads, she felt she couldn’t go any further. Particularly in these times, we are faced with very challenging crisis on every side, issues beyond our ability and control are fast demanding our attention. And unfortunately we don’t have the solution to most of them. We frantically sometimes do all we could to alleviate our situations but to no avail. In the split of a moment, let us put ourselves in the position of Hagar, imbibing her fears, anxiety and worries. What would you do when you have done all you could do? What else will you say when you’ve said all you could say? What will you do when you find yourself all alone in a crisis, in the middle of no where [figuratively]? The solution is in our dependence on the Lord by trusting His faithfulness and integrity. Let us trust the Lord impartially.

Prayer_Bead: Lover-God, thank you for your love and your grace. I ask that in my crisis, help me to look up to you as the Christ. In my mess, come through for me with a message as my Messiah.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

So he [the owner] said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ ( Luke 13:7)

Today’s Scripture for meditation emphasizes the need for fruitfulness. The metaphoric fig tree in the verse above refers to us. God planted us when we accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour. He also graced us with His word that is able to help us grow to maturity. The word of God is supposed to give us nourishment. So that we become like trees planted by rivers of water, whose leaves do not wither. God does not entertain wastage. The Bible tells of the feeding of the 5,000. After they had been fed, Jesus asked that the disciples should collect the fragments [so that nothing would be wasted]. God would always ensure that we have all our needs for life and godliness met.  But after God has done all there is for our sustenance and stability, we need to produce the results that merit God’s input. After many opportunities of God’s grace and patience, God demands a significant output, otherwise He is obliged to cut us off. But sometimes, the grace of God makes it seem like God does not demand any accountability from us whereas in reality, He does. God’s grace is not in vain. As we endure the watering and prunning of God, our lives must produce corresponding evidence of that working of God’s Holy Spirit in us.

Prayer_Bead: God who does not speak in vain, whose words do not return void unless they accomplish that for which they were sent. Lord, let your word produce results in me.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? ( Luke 24:5 )

Faith is the underlying substance of our everyday realities. The women spoken of in the verse were women who had been with Jesus. They had heard Jesus tell them that He would be betrayed, crucified, buried but raised on the third day. So if they had believed that Jesus would be raised on the third day as He said, they wouldn’t have gone to Jesus’ graveside with spices and perfume to anoint His body and to preserve it. They went with things needed by a dead man not a man who was alive. If they had believed that Jesus would rise on the third day, they would have sent something denoting of that. Often as Believers, we look for our solutions in the wrong places. We sometimes seem to look for life in places of death, hope in hopeless places, joy in places of pain and freedom in prisons; we look for things in places they cannot be found. And this is largely or mostly because of a lack of faith. With the Spirit of discernment, we are able to discern where we need to go to find what we need. There are hidden treasures positioned for our glory. But the glory is revealed when we discover these treasures. We need the understanding of the Spirit of Truth and the eyes illuminated by revelation to see what is ours and where to find it. Let us look right.

Prayer_Bead: Jehovah-Bara, thank you for the revelation from your word. Guide me into my inheritance and the hidden riches of dark places. Open Lord my eyes and mind

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.