Tag: #GNews

[The Glory Unveiled]

I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. ( Romans 6:19 )

Nothing “dilutes” the truth of God’s word like our human limitations. Could the apostle have been talking about something deeper and wider than slaves and slave masters? Certainly yes. But in order to get it to the people of Rome, he had to tone it down for them. The people could not have received what he was saying if he had said it as the revelation was given to him. Dwelling in the realm of the flesh limits the reception of our spirits and disrupts the flow of the spirit among us. The realm of the flesh is not our dwelling place. Anyone who dwells there does so to their own disadvantage because they would benefit less than they would if they switch to the realm of God. No one can receive from the Spirit of God, except by the Spirit of God. In the same vein when spiritual truth is communicated, one must be in that realm to have the ability to decode what is conveyed. The apostle Paul says we should offer ourselves to righteousness in such a way that we have no rights of our own but the rights of righteousness which leads to holiness. Becoming the slave of someone means ceasing to live for oneself. At the point anyone becomes a slave, that moment forward, they cease to have their own agenda and goals but the goals of their master and to please that master whoever they may be. Jesus would say His food is to do the will (righteousness) of His father and He did all His life because He had the spirit of God in Him. We can only become slaves of righteousness by the Spirit of God.

Prayer_Bead: Sovereign Lord, Owner and master of my life, thank you for the grace to open up to your ways and your will. I enroll in the school of righteousness by your Holy Spirit.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[ The Glory Unveiled ]

My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. [ Proverbs 1:10 ]

There are so many things in the world today that seek to entice us and to draw us far away from the plan of God for us. Many of us have been lured by the bait of the desires of the flesh or the pride of life. You see, if the devil does not entice you, he cannot enter you. The only access of the devil to anyone is enticement; toying with your desires for the things that are temporary. But the truth is that, anything the devil is able to attract you with, he is also able to distract your destiny with. If that is the case we need to re-examine the things that are attracted to us but are not the will of God for us. When the devil attracted Eve to the forbidden tree, he also distracted her from her true eternal destiny, unknown to her. But another noteworthy thing is the fact that, being enticed is not exactly equal to iniquity or sin. The problem arises from consenting to the enticement. So the Psalmist advices his son not to consent to the enticement of sinners. Because once they consent, they are in the devil’s web. The solution to the challenges of enticement to sin therefore is being resolute in the word of God and refusing to consent to whatever urge or desires that are contrary to God’s word.

Prayer_Bead: Awesome father, Omnipotent King, thank you for teaching me the secret to not falling prey to the devil and his schemes. I pray for more grace to stand firm in your word and your love.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

[ 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.