Tag: #ChooseChrist

[The Glory Unveiled]

And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. ( 2Kings 6:17)

Faith is the platform that allows for accessing what exists but is invisible. It is the assurance that, what exists behind the curtains of the spiritual realms is able to translate into the physical realm. But there is another reality that prevents the eyes of faith from seeing. This reality is fear; being anxious that what we dislike may happen. But believing gives the heart an opportunity to see what the optical eyes cannot see. Elisha and his servant [mentee] had been surrounded by a physical army. Terrified by what he saw, the mentee called out to his master for refuge. Now, unlike the mentee, Elisha had seen what was not visible to the ordinary eyes but was spiritually tangible. The mentee could probably not see the angelic beings who had encompassed them because he was afraid. Fear always robs us of any spiritual advantages that are available to us. His fear became a scale that interrupted his sight until the man of God prayed for him. If we must see with the eyes of faith, then fear must not be allowed around us. Hebrews 11:3 says, [paraphrasing] what is seen is made out of what is unseen. The visible things of this earth have their foundation and source in the invisible realm, so that if it does not exist first in the invisible realm, then it cannot manifest in the physical sphere. For this reason, much importance should be attached to the things of the spirit if we want anything physically expressed. The spiritual must always take preeminence over the physical.

Prayer_Bead: Author and Finisher of my faith, thank you for the grace to see through the eyes of faith. Teach me to attend to the spiritual as much as I want to change my physical circumstances.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Reveiled]

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” ( Genesis 22:2 )

Without reasons to debate, Abraham was a man of unquestionable character especially when it had to do with the things of the LORD. Abraham had an attitude of trusting in the Lord with such commitment and dedication. The verse that follows our focal verse says, early the next morning Abraham went to carry out what he was asked to do in this verse–sacrifice his only son. In another place, [Genesis 12] where God asked him to leave his father’s house to a land He would show him, Abraham obeyed the Lord promptly. His attitude of being committed to the Lord are persistent. Whenever Abraham was asked to do something by the Lord, he did it without questioning the intentions of God. On the day God asked him to circumcise his household males and himself, the scripture says on that same day he circumcised every male in his house including himself (Genesis 17:23). He was a man who acted promptly to the promptings of the Spirit. He was not one to hesitate or question God’s reason for His actions. It is a sign of one who trusts so much in the God he had pledged his allegiance to. He trusted God enough to want to sacrifice the most precious thing to him, Isaac. Throughout the book of Genesis, anytime Abraham had to carry out an assignment or instruction by God, he did it without hesitation, fear or doubt. He had his absolute trust in God, giving him an assurance of hope [faith]. As a result he could not be dissuaded from what he believed. If ever we would pray for the grace and blessings of Abraham, we should [rather] pray for his attitude. Because it is difficult to keep the blessings without the right attitude.

Prayer_Bead: God of Abraham, my Father and Lord, thank you for showing me the ancient paths of your son Abraham. Guide me to walk in them.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. ( Ephesians 4:26-27 )

The will of man is a complex matrix who can fathom it? It’s a vast ocean what can encompass its breadth? There are so many things we do by the dictates of our will, yet attribute to the actions of external forces. One of such things is being angry or loving someone. The scripture says we should not sin when angry. It further explains that anger becomes sin when forgiveness is not released (in time). Anything that makes us angry for a long time–until the sun goes down–is sin and it gives the devil grounds to carry out his schemes. If the Bible says we should not let the sun go down on our anger, then that makes anger a choice. Anger is a choice we make; we decide whether to let the anger remain for a long time, or whether to forgive our offenders immediately they offend us. The scripture actually says, “in your anger do not sin”…”in your anger”. Sometimes we feel that when we are angry we lose control of our will and senses and so we cannot control what happens around us. We allow ourselves to do whatever we want to do and them when the anger dies down we are filled with remorse. While others try to justify their actions with the fact that when they were angry they couldn’t control what they said or did. But the truth from God’s word says that anger is a choice. We can choose how long we want to be angry or even if we want to be angry in the first place. Choose not to be angry.

Prayer_Bead: Father of Love, thank you for your love for me and your forgiveness. Draw me closer to you and give me a heart that forgives easily as you strengthen my will.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. ( Deuteronomy 8:18 )

It seem quite easy to forget when we are comfortable and self-sufficient. When the Israelite were in captivity in Egypt, they cried out to God very often and so intensely that their cry went up to God in heaven. And then God had to send help to them, a deliverer. God through the deliverer delivered them from servitude and slavery. Now on their way to the land of freedom, most of them forgot their past; how helpless and hopeless they had been. They had forgotten how they were so poor they had no property of their own. They had forgotten that the graciousness of God towards them was actually no effort of theirs. It was the covenant promise of God that was taking its own course. Here in the chapter above, the Lord was cautioning his people and reminding them of the necessity to always remember that it is He (God) who gives them the ability to make wealth. God is saying to us today, through His words to the Israelites that we should not think that we are responsible for the good we have in our lives, particularly our wealth. Our “own” ingenuity is actually the workings of the grace of God. The ideas and abilities that bring monetary value are given to us by God as a confirmation of His covenants. If it is good, then it is God’s.

Prayer_Bead: God of all creations, thank you for giving me the ability to make wealth and to prosper. Teach me not to trust in myself or my efforts.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. ( Genesis 26:2 )

Anytime God told us not to do something, it was meant for our protection, goodness and joy. The laws of the old covenant as numerous as they were, was given to protect God’s people and to usher them into the blessing. The blessing was promised Abraham and his lineage but the blessing came with conditions. Later in Deuteronomy, the prophet and leader, Moses had reiterated the need to adhere to the commands of God. He had mentioned a long list of blessings that would come upon the people but he continously stressed the need to obey. The enjoyment of the blessings promised was dependent on the obedience to the commands. So here in Genesis, Isaac was in a foreign land which was experiencing famine. He thought, everyone is leaving the country to seek greener pastures, he would also go. But the word of God came to him that he should not leave the famine. In that same land of lack God would bless him and make his name great. Now, in the verses that proceeded, he read that Isaac became so blessed and wealthy that the people feared him. But what would have happened if he had disobeyed? What would have happened if he had gone to Egypt for greener pastures? Certainly he wouldn’t have experienced the success we read about. Spiritual instructions are consequential. We must always endeavor to obey them if we would enjoy the promises they carry.

Prayer_Bead: Loving Father, thank you for the grace to know your commands and to obey them. Help me to “live” where you want me to live.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.