Tag: #ChooseChrist

[ The Glory Unveiled ]

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. ( Psalms 119:105 )

The word of God is light to our path and lamp to our feet. It is food for the soul, manna for the spirit and it is good for correction and admonition. The reason why it is mandatory for the believer to study the word of God everyday and ideally every morning is this verse of scripture. God’s word is a lamp for our feet and light for our path and so without the word, we walk in darkness. Before we set out to go into the world every day, we need to ensure that we have lighted our path with God’s word. Just as the five virgins in Matthew 25, who did not carry extra oil with them were regarded foolish, so is anyone without a daily dose of the word of God. Because even though it may seem that they are walking in the light of day, they are unapologetically walking in thick darkness. The psalmist also said, he has hidden God’s word in his heart so that he will not sin [walk in darkness], emphasizing the importance of the word of God in our lives. There are so many things the Believer can do without, but the word of God is not one of them. As a result, the word of God is the measure of the amount of illumination in our lives. So let us illuminate our lives daily with the word of God.

Prayer_Bead: The word of the Father, beginning and the end, thank you for making your word available to my soul, spirit and mind. Illuminate my path as I meditate daily on your word.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

But on Mount Zion will be deliverance;

it will be holy, and Jacob will possess his inheritance. ( Obadiah 1:17 )

The inheritance of the Israelites was in Canaan; the land of freedom and abundance of every good thing. But the Israelites were stuck in Egypt; the place of slavery and bondage. So that, even though the promise of a land flowing with milk and honey had gone ahead of them, it didn’t create or translate them into that reality. This means that it is possible to have had a wonderful prophecy or word concerning our destiny and ministry, family or marriage and yet not experientially partake in that reality. In the verse above we see that Jacob will only obtain his inheritance when he visits Zion, the place of deliverance. Until, he is delivered from captivity he cannot have what is freely given to him. Before we scream and jump about the prophecies and wait in anticipation, we must first of all visit mount Zion to ensure that deliverance has taken place first. Because, until deliverance has taken place, the inheritance will only seem like a mirage. This also gives reason to the many Believers who are still struggling even though they confess that, the lines have fallen unto them in pleasant places, and they have a goodly heritage. The reality of the Believer is not activated or experienced by mere confessions and declarations. The need for deliverance from strongholds and manipulations is the agency that guarantees that we enter into and enjoy our inheritance. So, visit mount Zion first, through the word and prayer.

Prayer_Bead: Father in heaven, thank you for the opportunity to come to mount Zion, please deliver me from every weight and iniquity that besets me so that I may actualize my inheritance.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[ The Glory Unveiled ]

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. [ 1 Corinthians 2:14 ]

The verse of scripture for our meditation today will take us to the world of Information Technology. The scripture says that the natural person—one who is not born again; of the spirit—does not have in them the facility and the faculty to receive the things of the spirit. Like a piece of electronic hardware, hardwired to receive electronic impulses (signals) of some sort from a particular device. The mobile phone for instance, is wired to send and receive electromagnetic waves by converting the signals into audio waves from one receiver mast pole to the other. Our anchor scripture says that the natural man is not able to understand the things of the spirit because the things of the spirit are discerned by the Spirit. Unless a piece of electronic device is designed to understand a particular code or electronic language, they cannot function when that code or language is transmitted to the system of that device. No matter how advanced or sophisticated the device is, that language will be meaningless to the device. It is like trying to send electromagnetic signals to a piece of wood, the wood cannot receive nor understand it. In the same wise, unless we are born [again] by the Holy Spirit, we cannot receive the things of the Holy Spirit. The rebirth experience reconfigures our spirit structure and reconnects the umbilical cord of our relationship with God, receiving nourishment from God.

Prayer_Bead: Father in Heaven, Author and Finisher of my faith and destiny. Thank you for Your Holy Spirit in me, teaching me to receive and understand the things of God. 

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”  ( Genesis 3:9 )

_Positions matter to God as much as locations. So God would tell Abraham to go to a place He would show him to sacrifice his only son. He lured Moses to a definite place; a sacred place in the mountains where He (God) can carry out His dealings with Him. In another place He instructs His children to come out from among the heathen and be separated unto Him.  There is a definite place in the spirit atmosphere where the signal of God is strong and fellowship is carried out without stress. The Samaritan woman in a dialogue with Jesus would argue that a location (temple) was prescribed for meeting God. But in the reconstruction of the temple through the body of Jesus, we will discover a new location and position for our interactions with God; a new path created in Christ. Adam’s response to God when God asked Adam where He was, meant that God wasn’t asking for his geographical location. If it was a matter of geography, Adam wouldn’t have spoken of “hiding” and “fear”. The command was that the day you eat of this fruit, you shall die. So it means that when God came into the atmosphere of man, He “could not sense” Adam’s life. He had died spiritually. It were as if Adam and Eve had been deleted from the spiritual atmosphere of God. So that God would ask where they were in that regards. Were they on His side or the devil’s, were they in glory or outside it? Today, the question to us also is this, where are we in the agenda of God?

Prayer_Bead: Elohim, Adonai, King over all kingdoms, thank you for positioning me in Christ Jesus who is in You. I live in the flesh for your glory and honour.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

Going through the motions doesn’t please you (God), a flawless performance is nothing to you. ( Psalms 51:16 MSG)

Imagine spending so many hours to prepare a meal that the person you prepared it for, does not eat. To a large extent, the faith walk of many of us has become like that, just a show, if not a fun fair. This is largely because of social media and the desire to want to fun aflame our ego. Many of us are going about so empty but camouflaging as people of substance. Such empty people, portraying to be people of substance, go through the motions—the routine, drills and activities of effective stewards—but without any significant impact to show for it. In our current world of show-the-world-what-you’ve-got, almost everyone is pressured to prove a point, many people are secretly bitter and sad within because they have not yet laid hold on what they proclaim. The truth has spread its legs in the Psalms of David above; going through the motion does not please God. God who is almighty and Spirit cannot in the natural sense be carried away or overwhelmed by any human performance no matter how flawless it is. In that understanding, we will do ourselves a lot of good if we stick with God and ignore the comments of people; their praises and condemnation until we are fully baked in the oven of the secret place. Moses descended from the mountain of God as a new man, exuding the glory of God.

Prayer_Bead: Father of all men, creator and sustainer of all living things, galvanize my walk with you. Deliver me from the thirst for men’s approval in Jesus name.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

I have hidden your word in my heart

that I might not sin against you. ( Psalms 119:11 )

The inherent sin problem which became our nature through the disobedience of our ancestors, Adam and Eve were dealt with in the body of Jesus by the Spirit of God. That not withstanding, until this body is done away with, each one of us still has the tendency to indulge the flesh in the activities of the old nature. The apostle Paul calls them works [acts] of the flesh [see Galatians 5:19]. In the scripture above, the Psalmist said that he has hidden God’s word in his heart…This means that the Psalmist at this point knows the Lord. It also means that knowing the Lord does not exempt us from the tendencies of the flesh if we do not continually look unto Jesus. Another thing we could discover from this verse of Psalms is the fact that he said he has “hidden” the word in his heart so that he might not sin. It is not just lying around in his heart but hidden. We need to conceal the word in our hearts. So that the cares of this world will not choke the word of God. When it is hidden, it cannot just be easily trampled upon and trashed by the world and its system. We all know that it takes an intentional effort to hide something. We cannot just sit idly around and expect the word of God to fill our hearts. We need to make that conscious effort to learn the word of God and to meditate on it. Like the Psalmist of today’s scripture, let us endeavor to hide the word of God in the inner chambers of our hearts so that we would not grieve His Spirit.

Prayer_Bead: Holy Father, righteous King, thank you for showing me the secret to keeping myself away from the acts of the flesh and the sins that easily entangle me. Help me to hide your word in my heart.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[ The Glory Unveiled ]

Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” ( Luke 1:34 )

Naturally, the mind begins to question the “how” and the procedure involved in the actualization of any great thing we are told we could become or shown to envision. The mind is very skeptical about anything it is unfamiliar with. So much so that it creates in us fear; fear of going all out to explore that uncharted path. Mary, like any of us was told that she would give birth to a child who would be the Saviour of his nation and the world. The mere thought of how great that news was, compared to how “small”—lowly; a virgin and an unmarried lady—she [felt she] was, threw her off gears. Mary thought that since she did not know any man, it was impossible for her to have a child talk less of having a child who would be the son of the Highest. But the Angel that had conveyed the good news also gave Mary the solution to her fears and doubts. The Angel said that for this great wonder to come to pass, the Holy Spirit will come upon her and the power of the most High will overshadow her (see verse 35). Beloved, *the only way we can become who God says we would become is by the Holy Spirit*. Is the vision for your life too great? Is God’s call upon your life too stupendous and seemingly impossible? Does it seem that what God said cannot happen to you or in your life time? Then know this for sure; it is only the Holy Spirit that can help fulfill what God said. Without the Holy Spirit, that which God said cannot take effect. So instead of asking “how could this be?” We should ask for the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit and His presence in our lives. He is the only agency for the manifestation of God’s word and intentions.

Prayer_Bead: Gracious Lord, thank you for your calling and purpose for my life. Strengthen my belief and overshadow me with the power of the Holy Spirit.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[ The Glory Unveiled ]

And there was handed to Him [the roll of] the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened (unrolled) the book and found the place where it was written, [ Luke 4:17 ]

Destiny must be discovered. Like a precious mineral, far beneath the dust of the ground, inconspicuously hidden from the optical eyes.    The destiny of the born again individual is enshrouded in the word of God. But unless we open the scroll that holds the blue print of our predestined purpose and calling, we would live a life that strikes no cord in the database of eternity. Without proper alignment to the pattern of life designed for us in eternity, our lives will not make any noticeable impact on the scene of the earth. This is one reason why many a people are busy about so many things, like Martha; the sister of Mary, at the feast of Lazarus’ resurrection, but are not recognized by the Master to whom we shall all give account. Jesus knew that while on earth, he needed to discover his purpose from God’s word because so many things on earth will call for your attention and time. So many things will call on you but only few matter. Jesus by the leading of the Holy Spirit discovered His purpose and assignment from God’s word. The Psalmist records in Psalms 40:7; and 139:16, that our destinies are set in the word of God. And the onus lies with us to search it out with the help of the Holy Spirit. Jesus discovered His purpose and calling and without doubt, the world is yet to recover from His discovery. Discover yours and set the world’s teeth on edge.

Prayer_Bead: The I am Jehovah, ancient King, father of all spirits and souls, thank you for the grace to discover my purpose and calling in your word. Light my path as I search with Your Holy Spirit.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[The Glory Unveiled]

But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy and loving-kindness and gave him favor in the sight of the warden of the prison. [ Genesis 39:21 ]

The Lord Almighty loves all his children and His handiworks. But his [tangible manifest] presence is not with all his children. This truth is perfectly mirrored in Moses’ life, against the background of the rest of the people of Israel. The presence of God was always with Moses while the remaining citizens of Israel had no idea who God was and what He could and couldn’t do.  Their knowledge of God was only a creation of their imagination and not experientially from their dealings with God. This defect in their relationship with God is largely due to idolatry; replacing God with another. The sin of idolatry hinders the presence and acts of God probably more than any single evil. Anytime we make obeisance to another god, we are saying in effect that, that god is God and Lord. It means we have given our love and passion to that thing or deity. Love releases and allows the presence of God into our lives. Our love for God forbids us from giving his place to another and so God will also not give our place to another in intimate fellowship with Him. The presence of God with any man nullifies anything that could go wrong with that person. God’s presence creates a wall of defense around the person so that nothing evil will damage the image of God in them. With the presence of God, all the seemingly impossible and negative confrontations of life are only a ladder to reach higher heights.

Prayer_Bead: Holy Father, lover of my soul, thank you for your presence with me that opens doors for your loving-kindness, mercy and favour. 

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[ The Glory Unveiled]

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. ( John 15:2 )

Almost every business is pursued with the motive of making profit, or at least that is the secondary motive. God, in the verse of scripture above is also portrayed as a businessman. He is looking for returns on his investments in us by giving us nourishment and support. God in love and mercy, gave His only begotten son to die for our sins, so that we may be redeemed from the punishment of sin. Jesus then becomes the vine and we are the branch. Without Jesus, we cannot receive life and nourishment. And ultimately we cannot, bear fruit. Our fruitfulness is tied to our oneness with Christ. In isolation, no branch can bear fruits on its own. We need to be connected to the life line of the vine to live the life of the vine. While on earth, we have every opportunity to live a fruitful life in the confines of God’s grace. And because God is making grace available to us, He demands accountability from us. God would want dividends from His investments. It also means that God is watching out for our fruits and not just our lives. If God had just wanted us to live an empty life, we all probably wouldn’t be born. But each one of us is a unique package from God intended to be exhibited on the earth scene to showcase the glory of God. Let that seed of God’s love and grace bear fruit to the praise of His name.

Prayer_Bead: Jehovah, the Vinedresser, thank you for your grace that keeps me in the garden of this world. Prune away every debris of the world from me so that I may bear more fruits.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.