Tag: #GNews

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Shipwrecked faith


[The Glory Unveiled]

Holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith. ( 1Timothy 1:19 )

Faith is the bedrock of our relationship with God in Christ Jesus. Without which it is impossible to please God (see Hebrews 11:6). But in the ocean of life, our human nature and frailties will need an anchor to attach the ship of our faith to. The apostle Paul teaches that there’s no better anchor than a good conscience. The thing about conscience is that all humans have it; regardless of race or gender, faith or tribe, we all have a conscience. But conscience alone is not enough. What will stand the storms and test of life’s ocean is a good conscience. That not withstanding, a good conscience is not automatic. A conscience becomes good only after it has fraternized with the word of God by the Spirit of regeneration. Without a good conscience our faith, though faith, will suffer shipwreck when the tides become strong and deadly. A good conscience has a voice foreign to the status quo and the current trends of the world. It’s voice is synchronous with the word of God and what the Spirit of God will permit. But the scary thing is that, a good conscience can be rejected just as the Spirit of God can be resisted (rejected). A good conscience can be resisted and rejected through the hardening of hearts and ceasing to hear the good word of God consistently. May we not be counted among them that reject a good conscience and whose faith is heading for an irretrievable loss.

Prayer_Bead: Author and Finisher of our faith, thank you for the wonderful opportunity of your word. May my faith stand the storms of life as you refine my conscience by your word.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Draw near!


[The Glory Unveiled]

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded. ( James 4:8 )

The distance between us and God is proportional to the distance between God and us. This means that God is as close to us as we are to Him. The relationship between God and Moses [we would agree] was different from the one between God and the rest of the people of Israel. But why was that? Was God being partial? No, the apostle Peter says in the Acts of the apostles that there is no partiality with God. The only explanation to why God would be closer to one person more than He would be to another is because the earlier person has decided to be closer to God than the later. Just as in any relationship, our relationship with God requires work; consciously committing to the responsibilities that would make the relationship intimate. God is only obliged to draw near to us when we draw near to Him in desperate and exclusive need of Him. God will not share our hearts with another (between two). So it says to the double minded (anyone concentrating on two things or people) to purify their hearts. Once our hearts are properly aligned, our minds will pick up the effect and depend solely on God. God is not far from us, we are rather far from Him. So let us draw near to God and He will draw near to us!

Prayer_Bead: Gracious Lord, loving Father, thank you for your word. Strengthen me to draw near to you. Pitch my heart in your Holy presence and keep my gaze on you.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Everyday Choices

[The Glory Unveiled]

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” ( Joshua 24:15 )

Everyday we are faced with a responsibility we cannot shirk; making choices. Choices are so compelling and mandatory that we cannot avoid them. So that deciding not to decide is a decision. This is why no matter how spiritual we become, wealthy or poor, we will still have that non transferable responsibility of making choices. The Israelites under the leadership of Joshua had to make a very important decision; one that was going to separate them into two distinct groups. The choice of who they were going to serve. Yes, even the Israelites who were (are) the chosen nation of God and the firstborn among nations had to choose to serve God. Serving God wasn’t automatic or imposed on them. They had the opportunity to choose if they wanted to be with God or a god. And then Joshua goes on to make his choice. No matter who we are or what level we are, we daily have to make choices. But to save ourselves a lot of heartaches and pains, it would be better to seek the mind of God in every issue, even the smallest of them all. The Holy Spirit is our guide, meaning He can show us the right way to go [but He will not choose it for us.] Knowing the right thing to do increases our chances of choosing the right thing. As we decide today and everyday who we shall serve through our actions and words, may the Spirit of God guide us.

Prayer_Bead: Jehovah is your name, Mighty Father, thank you for the opportunity to choose to serve you and to live for you. Supply me strength and grace to live for you alone.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Not disadvantaged

[The Glory Unveiled]

Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. ( 2 Corinthians 2:11 )

Ignorance is a powerful tool in the hand of the devil. Throughout the Bible we see how the devil has been using ignorance to destroy God’s people. In Hosea 4:6, the Bible actually records that God’s people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (ignorance). An athlete can be very good and experienced but a novice will outrun him if that novice is more advantaged. What the devil seeks to do sometimes is not to stop us from praying or the things of God but to add a weight that will disadvantage us in spite of our busyness with the things of God. This is why many believers are busy about the work of God, running up and down but not effective. Ignorance of the devices of the enemy gives the devil an undue advantage. Imagine having to fight with someone whose battle strategies and ammunitions you do not know. How are you going to fight that battle successfully? Yes, it is true that we are not exactly fighting with the devil but claiming the victory of Christ for ourselves through faith in His finished works. But it is also true that ignorance of the schemes of the enemy puts one in a very compromising situation because it delays our experience of these realities we claim by faith—we would shout or sing of the truth of Jesus’ works and yet not experientially partake in it. So how do we know the devices of the enemy? The word of God exposes the devil, his lies and his schemes. So we become aware of his schemes in the word of God. Let us study the word to show ourselves approved and placed in advantage.

Prayer_Bead: Alpha and Omega, Father of all spirits, thank you for exposing the devices of the devil through your word. And by your word, let your glory be seen through me.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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The power of consistency


[The Glory Unveiled]

They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. ( Acts 1:14 )

Many visions and goals could not see the light of day and the euphoria of fulfillment because of a lack of the word, “consistency”. Mastery and quality is achieved through consistently doing a particular thing. Consistency refines anything you define and are intentional about. The head of our government and our Lord Jesus, while on earth invented a pattern that His disciples at the time couldn’t imitate so well. It was written about Christ Jesus how he daily went out early before dawn to pray. He did it constantly; the prove was evident in His ministry through the constant miracles and healings. There was nothing to argue about the results Jesus’ consistency yielded. In our anchor verse of scripture, all the disciples had come together to pray, not occasionally but constantly. And we see the results of their consistency when the Holy Spirit decided to pay them a visit on the day set apart as Pentecost. Beloved, if there is anything and any area of our lives we need to maintain the word “consistency” in, it would be in the area of our prayer life. Prayer connects us to God and all that God is and has. Without prayer, we become unaware of the current affairs and events of the kingdom.

Prayer_Bead: Awesome God, Mighty Lord, thank you for the grace to be constant in prayer and relentless in the study of the word. Fan ablaze in me, a desire to know you more.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Don’t edit what God has custom made.


[The Glory Unveiled]

Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage. ( 2 Kings 5:12 )

Like Naaman, the single reason for the delayed breakthroughs, blessings and opportunities in the lives of many people is enshrouded in this verse of scripture. Many people have predefined how the solution to their problems should come about and they wait for years in anticipation of that miracle to come to them through that door of their imagination and creation. It is like they stay all their lives in wait that their answers will come through a particular door and until something comes from that door, they feel it is not God. Prophetic instructions are supposed to be followed to the letter without editing. Unless prophetic instructions are followed to the letter, instant results may be delayed. God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not like ours, so whatever comes from God to us, whether it makes sense or not, just do it. When Jesus told the servants at the wedding in Cana to fill the wine-holding pots with water, they might have wondered if Jesus knew exactly what was needed for the occasion, but Mary told them to do whatever He tells them [even if it seem senseless—implied] (see John2:1-10). Naaman delayed his healing because he thought he could have customized his healing to suit his understanding but it failed. Has God instructed you through His word or [genuine] prophet, then the distance between you and the fulfillment of that word is your action. Act upon God’s word!

Prayer_Bead: Father in Heaven, thank you for showing me through your word that I should submit to your word for genuine results.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Everyone needs a guide


[The Glory Unveiled]

This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ ( Jeremiah 6:16 )

There is nothing new under the sun, says the word of God. This means that whatever we experience in life for the first time is actually not the first time it appeared on the earth scene. So that though it may be a new thing in our experience, it had always been there in the experiences of other people. Whatever we are yet to learn or do had already been learnt and done by someone else. For this reason, we all need guides. Whatever field we find ourselves, we can still find someone to guide us to the top. One sweet thing about guides or mentors if you’d like to call them so, is the fact that they minimize your weaknesses and challenges, and maximize your ability to quickly reach your goals. They show you the pitfalls in your area of interest as they had gone down the road before you. They are better equipped through their experiences to show us what to do and what not to do. The scripture above is a statement made by God. Showing us that God approves of mentoring and learning from experienced people. If you need help don’t keep quiet about it. Stand at the crossroads; the place where many opportunities and experiences interject and find what you need. Ask leaders in your area or field for counsel because every one needs guidance.

Prayer_Bead: Father in Heaven, thank you for showing me through your words that I need to be guided. I ask that the great Counselor, even the Holy Spirit will guide me unto all truth.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Sow it all the same


[The Glory Unveiled]

Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. ( Psalms 126:5 )

Sentiments are natural [from God] and they are good if appropriately expressed, but they can be very bad if misused. So that God is not exactly moved by empty sentiments where principles are a necessity. In the verse of scripture, we see that an emphatic statement is made about sowing and reaping—input and output. We also see that it wouldn’t matter how the input is made, according to the spiritual principle expounded here. So that even those who sow in tears will reap. Once the seed is viable, it wouldn’t matter how or what condition the sower is in, it will yield. One would think that the scripture should have read, “those who weep or cry will reap…” A big “No” is the response. Crying and weeping will not strike any significant cords in heaven if we willfully ignore spiritual principles. So don’t use your tears and teary situations as an excuse not to sow the seeds that need to be sown. But unfortunately, many of us are in that category of people who would rather want to be pitied and patted at the back for being mediocre. The four lepers at the gate of the Arameans still had to make a move (effort)—walk—for their footsteps to be amplified by heaven. They had to sow a seed of taking little steps of faith. Beloved, we cannot ignore the principle of sowing if we want to reap.

Prayer_Bead: Father in Heaven, thank you for the grace to understand this principle of sowing. I pray that you cause me to reap in joy according to your word.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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The voice of circumstances

[The Glory Unveiled]

And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. ( Genesis 25:40 )

Everyday, many life altering decisions are made on the altar of circumstances. And usually as a result of these circumstances, most of the decisions are not objectively made. The wrong decisions made under the wrong circumstances could have been the best decisions for the moment under the right circumstances. Sometimes your breakthrough and best testimonies are only a breath away from enduring that circumstance. Saul should have waited for Samuel to come and perform the rites but he attended to what he shouldn’t attend to because of circumstances (see 1Samuel 13:8-13). Esau gave up his birthright at the beck and call of discomforting circumstance. He sold his destiny cheap, in the market of circumstances. Imagine what would have happened if we endured a little more  even though circumstances seem to be against us. Joseph’s life stories paint a beautiful picture of what happens when we refuse to make a theory or a doctrine from our experiences [that become blockade to our breakthroughs]. Instead of building walls around our lives because of our experiences, we should rather just learn from them. So that whatever the circumstances may be, we will not sell our destiny to Jacob!

Prayer_Bead: Jehovah Jireh, thank you for my life and the trail it’s making in the sand of time. Thank you for the grace not to sell my destiny cheap because of circumstances uncomfortable to me.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.

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Are you equal to the task?


[The Glory Unveiled]

To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? ( 2 Corinthians 2:16 )

The wise win souls. Soul winning is a task that demands spiritual sensitivity and wisdom. Anyone who has dealt with humans would agree that, it is a very demanding venture. The apostle Paul says that the nature of the work of ministry demands duality of some sort. So that to one we are the smell of death, our words and messages would bring death to some people if they become aware of the truth and yet denounce or deny the Lord as their Saviour. While our message of the good news will bring salvation to others—-sweet fragrance of life. The kingdom mandate of every redeemed person is to set themselves as vehicles with which God could reach the unsaved. It is then become a responsibility of all believers to go out into the world to preach the gospel of the kingdom and to invite people into the kingdom of God. The labour is indeed plenteous but the laborers are few. No one can have faith except they have received the word. They cannot receive the word unless it is preached and it cannot be preached unless there is a preacher to preach to them. Are you equal to this task of love; labouring in love for others to also see and receive the light of salvation? Tell someone about the love of God today.

Prayer_Bead: Lord of the harvest, lover of all souls, thank you for this mandate and commission to do what you would do and to labour for as many people as your grace will permit.

#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.