Starting out… stepping out… – The God who Hears
Kingdom Greetings to you in Jesus mighty Name…
I do believe that God has done you well. He has promised that He is going to hear us whenever we call on Him and I believe this is a promise that you and I can cling and hold on to this year as we Start out and Step out in Faith.
2022 is here with us and if there is anything that we have to do is make those bold steps, start out doing what we couldn’t or haven’t done in the last two years and Step out in Faith. Have you ever realized that anything you do in this world is out of Faith. Do you realize that what you do every day is that you sow seeds of faith in whatever you do and the expectation that you and I have is that there shall be a bountiful return and harvest that will sustain us.
Solomon writes and says,
“Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.” (Ecclesiastes 11:6 NLT).
I love the Message Version; it says “Go to work in the morning and stick to it until evening without watching the clock. You never know from moment to moment how your work will turn out in the end.”
You see, right there, the charge unto us is not to be idle at any given moment… but we have to keep sowing our seeds, keep working without looking at the clock or time or growing weary… for any moment can be our moment of reckoning and change in out lives. This is the same spirit that Paul was encouraging the church in Galatia reminding them saying:
“So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.” (Galatians 6:9-10 MSG)
There is a lot of emphasis on us getting to work and not laxing or slacking down. With every opportunity we get, it is a moment for us to so a seed, to get to work, push ourselves out of the comfort zone and do something extra that we can whenever we have an opportunity to. Solomon writes again and encourages us saying:
“Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, [be diligently active, make thoughtful decisions], for you will find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, or even [divide it] to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth.” (Ecclesiastes 11:1-2)
The call upon us this yea is not to lax, or grow lazy, but to rise up and do something. Go out… and God is going to be with you.
In my previous post (Read here), we realized that God knows the seasons that we are in and He has everything figured out. What is for us to do is align with Him and His will and purpose for our lives and eventually, everything will fall in place as He has planned and purposed. He says
“As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” (Jeremiah 29:10-11 MSG).
That said… He speaks to the children of Israel (and this is my anchor scripture) and tells them…
“The Lord said, “I have in fact seen the affliction (suffering, desolation) of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters (oppressors); for I know their pain and suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand (power) of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a land [that is] good and spacious, to a land flowing with milk and honey [a land of plenty]—to the place of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. Now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me; and I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them.” (Exodus 3:7-9 AMP)
The boldened and underlined phrases speak to me:
In my previous post, I expounded on the God who Sees you and me; and it is important for you to realize that you are not an isolated case before God. He knows you by your name and knows everything about you. Isaiah 49:16 should be your assurance… you are inscribed in the palm of His hand. He cares and minds about you!
The Second is… God Hears!
Have you ever tried to call on your friends when you are in trouble and one or none came to your rescue? I am sure in the last two years, like me, you have redefined friendship levels and I am sure, there are some friendships you have lost, there are others you have gained and there are others you have to work on… I believe you know the category you are in and where your friends are. But I want to remind you that God is not like a man with whom, today you are a friend and the next moment, (s)he has abandoned you. He is always there till the end till he accomplishes that which He purposed for your life.
He speaks in the light of the children of Israel in Egypt and tells Moses, not only have I seen their affliction, I have also heard their cry. Most times, when we are in desperate situations, and God is silent; it might come out like He has forgotten us or He doesn’t care. Remember the disciples of Jesus while they were in a storm and Jesus was asleep in the stern? His disciples woke Him up and asked… “Master.. don’t you care that we perish?” (Mark 4:38) but Jesus rose and calmed the storm.
I want you to know that God sees where you are now and He is more than willing to come and help you out of the situation that you are in. Do not even dare think for a moment that in the last 2 years He has forsaken us… NO! He is right here where we are. We may not see Him, or feel Him or see Him working… but trust me.. He is!!
Consider this…
Apostle John speaking to the church reminds us the confidence that we should have whenever we approach God.. He says: "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, He hears us." (1 John 5:14). There is nothing that beats this assurance… that it doesn’t matter where I am, the moment I call on Him.. He will hear!
In this life, we are constantly plagued with doubts, wondering if He hears us or listens to our prayers; even David, the man that God testified that he is after His own heart reached a point that he doubted and asked God questions…
“How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart day after day? How long will my enemy exalt himself and triumph over me” (Psalm 13:1-2)
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest." (Psalm 22: 1-2)
After such cries before God, David would write again and celebrate God who Hears… he says:
“I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:1-3 KJV)
He also says…
"I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!" (Psalm 66:17-20)
This is just but an experience that David had with God. Despite the moments that he felt that God wasn’t there, he later gives a testimony of God’s awesome presence and response after God heard and answered him. God has promised in His word that He will hear you when you call upon Him. Remember… “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry… The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.” (Psalm 34:15,17 NKJV)
God has given us this promise that even before we call, He will hear us… He Speaks through prophet Isaiah and says “Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.” (Isaiah 65:24, ESV). This is the assurance we have. Again He says… “Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart…” (Jeremiah 29:12-13 NRSV). The condition thereof for God to hear us is for us to seek Him.. and we have to seek Him with all our hearts.
The problem is not that God doesn’t hear us… the problem is How we seek Him. Most times, when it comes to us seeking God, we do it when we are in need, but not consider Him as a necessity or a vital component of our day to day lives. The Message Version puts Jeremiah 29:12-13 in a way that baffles my mind. It says…
“When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. “Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” God’s Decree.” (Jeremiah 29:12-14 MSG)
The take home for me from this text is pretty simple… How desperate, how hungry are you when you seek, pursue and call on God? Is it that you can not do without Him or you just want Him to give you a hand past a season that you are in and then you are back to your normal ways without Him?
If you are desperate enough for God to hear you, then, you will pursue God like Bartimaeus did. He Cried out to Jesus and increased his voice for Jesus to hear him because he knew, if Jesus left Jericho without him getting his sight, his goose was cooked (Mark 10:46-52). When we are desperate for God, we will be like the woman with the issue of blood. She was an outcast because she was bleeding, but she wasn’t bothered by what people would say, all she needed was her healing and thus, she pursued till she got to touch the hem of the garment of Jesus (Luke 8:43-48).
In this year… how I challenge you as I challenge myself…You can purpose to pursue God more than anything else you have pursued in your life. He is the very vital necessity that you need in your life. If you have Him, then you can be sure that you have everything else that you need in your life.
He is a God who Hears you and He has committed Himself to hearing you and answering you even before you call out to Him!
He knows you… Do you?
#SecretsOfHisPresence
©28th Jan 2022
Starting out… Stepping out! – The God who Sees me!
It is a new year… 2022 is here with us… January is fast running and almost biding us goodbye… the question is.. How have you started out? How have you stepped out from 2021 into 2022? They say, a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step… Have you made that maiden step to start that journey? I know most of you as you read this.. you will answer me with a strong Yes… but take a pause, do not answer yet… let’s me take you through a journey for a few minutes and then you will answer yourself if you have started or stepped out already!
Allow me to start with a question as we delve deeper into this… Has God ever called you to step outside your comfort zone and start to walk in unchartered territory? Have you ever felt unsure of yourself and your capabilities especially when you are starting out on something new and you are not really sure of what is ahead of you? I believe that’s how a new year feels. It is like having a new canvas to paint on and you have just but a blurry picture of what you can draw up on that canvas… what does this mean? It simply means, God has granted you a new opportunity to have a new start, a fresh start, a new opportunity to not only trust Him for where He is leading you but also to trust Him to unveil what He has in store for you in the new season and dispensation that He has brought you into.
Do you feel this for this new year or it is just me who is feeling so? After 2020 and 2021 came and brought with them a share of their ‘character development’ that they had especially on the front of our faith and trust in God…I am just surrendered unto what God has in store for me this year.
Take a look back…
When you look back at where you have come from, how has it been? How was 2020 and 2021 for you? To some of us, we were snatched from the jaws of death, depression, stress, sickness, despair, we almost gave up because we were not seeing light at the end of the tunnel… but you know what.. You made it despite everything. I am sure, at some point in the last two years, you doubted whether God would come through for you. If you are like me, you asked God a couple of questions that went unanswered and others answered… but all in all… He remained God.
Imagine, this is where the children of Israel were for a number of years; not once, not twice but over and over again. The always cried to God and He would rescue them. At one point, God speaks to them through prophet Jeremiah and He reminds them:
"This is God’s Word on the subject: “As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” (Jeremiah 29:10-11 MSG)
God says, “He knows what He is doing.” It doesn’t matter what you are going through.. He has it figured out and planned out. All you have to do is trust Him. Wherever and whatever has happened to you in this Covid-19 pandemic season, God knows and I want to remind you.. God has promised that it is a season that will come to an end and He will show up, He will take care of you and me and bring us home as He promised. All you need to do is Hope and wait on His perfect time. He will not be late.. not a day before or after.
Consider this…
God speaks to Moses in regards to the children of Israel in (Exodus 3:7-9 AMP) and says
“The Lord said, “I have in fact seen the affliction (suffering, desolation) of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters (oppressors); for I know their pain and suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand (power) of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a land [that is] good and spacious, to a land flowing with milk and honey [a land of plenty]—to the place of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. Now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me; and I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them.”
The boldened and underlined phrases speak to me and I pray they speak to you too:…
First is.. God sees:
It is not that He is not aware of what we are going through and neither is it that He can not save us or shield us from the same, but the truth is that, He knows and He has allowed it to come to us. Thus, it is paramount that we understand that what we are going through, what we have gone through in the last two years, God sees.
The bible reminds me “But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love. He rescues them from death and keeps them alive in times of famine. We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.” (Psalms 33:18-22 NLT)
God’s eyes are and have been upon you so far and He has preserved you throughout the two years. In famine of money, opportunities because of the pandemic and also lockdowns, He has preserved you and most of all, you are alive. He has preserved you from death that you can be reading this.
Hagar had been kicked away from the house if Abraham by Sarah because she was expectant and she started disregarding Sarai and later, she runs away when Sarai treats her badly. It is while she is fleeing, she encounters God and she is asked to go back and submit to her mistress. The angel tells her…
“You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the Lord has heard your cry of distress…Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord,
who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” (Genesis 16:11-13 NLT)
What is that thing, situation or circumstance that has overwhelmed you in the last couple of months that you tend to feel God has deserted you.. Trust you me… You are not forgotten.. God has got you. God can and will neve be caught by surprise by what you are going through… Nothing happens behind His back.
He speaks through prophet Isaiah and asks: “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!” (Isaiah 49:15, NLT)
God cannot forget you. He has your name on the palm of His hand (Isaiah 49:16); what then should you fear or be afraid of? He has promised you that He can’t abandon you like a mother would to her baby.. so my challenge to you.. as you step out in this new year… Trust Him. This is the thing I would love you to know… “You are exactly where God intended you to be, so, be calm and wait for His manifestation. You will be grateful for this season.”
Remember… “The LORD watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love.” (Psalm 33:18, NLT) – in whom are you relying on in this new year 2022? Purpose to rely on God no matter what! This is the promise of His word… “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.” (Isaiah 26:3-4, NLT)
Thus, I would challenge you this year… Determine, make a resolve, be intentional and purpose to fix your thoughts on the God who sees you and as you do this… remember…
“… the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. (Amen)” (Psalm 121:8, NIV)
Thank you Jehovah El Roi – The God who sees me!
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#SecretsOfHisPresence
©22nd Jan 2022
Make that Move
One of the greatest desire of every human being is to have progress in every thing that they put their hands to do. The greatest challenge that we all encounter is stagnation. No one likes to be stagnant at any given point or moment but we find ourselves in those moments and seasons in life.
Amazingly, I have come to realize that the only difference between your moment of stagnation and your next big move lies in you making that bold move and taking a risky step of faith that you and I really dread to take. Another thing that I have realized is that, most times, we are waiting for God to make a move towards us whereas, He-God, is waiting for us to make that bold move of faith and then He takes over. But most times, it is so unfortunate that God will have to use circumstances and situations to cause us to move from our comfort zones to the next level and move that we ought to make. The moment that we can’t take it any more, we then make that painful move after it has cost us time and sometimes resources.
Jesus gave the great commission to his disciples in Matthew 28:19-20 and asked them to tarry in Jerusalem until they are endued with power (Acts 1:8), but when the power from on high came, they became comfortable and continued to stay in Jerusalem till a persecution arose in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1); that’s when they all split and ran away in different ways and thus the gospel was able to spread. But realize that God had to cause a stirring for them to get to start running away from the persecution and thus started fulfilling the great commission.
I challenge you today, as you read this… do you realize that you do not have to wait for God to shake you up, but you can make up your mind and collaborate with God and partner with Him and make that move when it is the right time to make the move. The Bible encourages us to always keep connected to God and when we are connected to Him, you can be sure, we wont be hang on what we need to do because, He will always speak to us and order our steps. The bible says “the steps of a righteous man are ordered by God.” (Psalms 37:23). The catch is, you have to hear His voice and obey for Him to be able to lead you. Paul reminds us, that it is not us who travail to seek to know the mind of the father, but “the Holy Spirit searches even the deep things of the father and prays in accordance to His will and purpose for our lives.” (Romans 8:26-27). We have a helper whom we have unfortunately neglected so much and thus, we have lost the touch with the father.
I want you to realize that the only two things that are required from you whenever you desire to see God partner with you and work with you are obedience and faith. The truth is that God is always speaking to us but we hardly hear Him because we have confined ourselves and him to a certain way and dimension that He ought to speak to us instead of us being open and know that God is an ambidextrous God and can use anything to speak to us. Thus, the moment we hear Him speaking to us, we ought to obey. Our obedience to his command and leading is the trigger for our faith in Him. We have to have faith that if God spoke, then He will do what He spoke. He is always keen to perfect and accomplish that which He starts in us (Philippians 1:6)
One thing about Faith is getting to that place you understand that God doesn’t give you all the details to your destiny! He only asks you to take the next step and trust Him! Everything that you need in this life is given and hidden in the word of God. The word of God is the compass that you need to read and locate your directions and follow it. David writes and says “Your word is like a lamp for my feet and a light for my path [it shows how life should be lived].” (Psalm 101:105 EXB). You may not the full view (light for the path) of the path that you are walking in, but you can have faith that there will be enough light for you to see your next step (lamp unto the feet). This is the part where we ought to walk in faith trusting God in everything.
My father in faith told me "Faith is the obedient action in the direction of what God is saying" and you will agree with me that the opposite is absolute disobedience. How many times do we disobey when God is speaking to us by saying that we are waiting for God to show us the way whereas He already has showed us it is us who are growing cold feet. Allow me to take a few examples of people who made some moves that brought about their deliverance and opened doors that stood locked before them.
The 4 lepers:
"Now there were four men who were lepers at the entrance to the gate. And they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die? If we say, ‘Let us enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. So now come, let us go over to the camp of the Syrians. If they spare our lives we shall live, and if they kill us we shall but die.” So they #arose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians. But when they came to the edge of the camp of the Syrians, behold, there was no one there. For the Lord had made the army of the Syrians hear the sound of chariots and of horses, the sound of a great army, so that they said to one another, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to come against us.” (2 Kings. 7:3-6 ESV)
Most times, our salvation and our breakthrough lies in that risky move of faith that we take boldly.. The 4 lepers were in doubt of what would happen if they took either of the options they had.. To go into the city or into the Arameans camp. What they didn’t know is that God was waiting for someone to Make a Move and then He takes over because He had spoken a word through his servant Elisha on the provision of food the next day. If the lepers never took that move of faith… They would have remained at the city gate and died and the nation of Israel would have remained without food.
Realize that there are some Faith moves you take.. Not for you but go a generation. Your obedience or disobedience will determine the fate of a generation. Choose wisely.
The widow of Zarephath
“And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’” So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.” (1 Kings 17:13-16 NKJV)
There is so much famine in the land that is meant to last three and half years. This widow here has nothing more than a handful of flour and oil to make the last meal for her and her son and then wait their fate as the famine had ravaged the land. Then comes the same man who declared the famine and asks for a morsel of bread and water. The woman explains it is her last with the son, but the man asks for his share first. She heard what the Lord spoke through the prophet and obeyed and the bible tells us that as per the word of the Lord… the jar of oil and the flour never ran out until the famine was over..
Again, see how obedience to the word of the Lord turned things around. This woman had given up hope of living in a time of famine, but a simple act of obedience changes everything and not only preserves her and her son during the famine but also the preservation of the man of God who later revived her son when he died (1 Kings 17:17-24).
A simple act of obedience will not only preserve you from the storm, but will also, preserve your life from destruction and premature end of things until you fulfil that which God ordained for you.
The woman with the issue of blood:
“Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.” (Mark 5:25-29 NKJV)
There is nothing as hard as being in a bondage of any form. It is like being in a prison that you got locked in and the keys were thrown into the ocean. The only way out is for God to have Mercy on you. This is where this woman with the issue of blood was. For 12 years, she was cut out from her family, lost her wealth in search of a cure and she was very malnourished as well. But one thing that she kept alive was her hope that one day she would be made whole. This is a message she preached to herself daily and the moment she heard that Jesus was in the village, against all odds and even the customs, she pushed the crowds until she touched the hem of the garment of Jesus and received her healing.
Her persistence and faith that she had that she would be made whole pushed her beyond her limits to get her healing and restoration. Just imagine for a moment if she never obeyed her inner voice that had the conviction that she would be healed? It was her obedience to her inner voice that led to her freedom.
Never ignore that inner voice that is speaking inside you. It is a witness that God uses to affirm His purposes for your life and leads you to the path which you should take.
Obedience is very key to what you do in life. This is the one thing or key that God desires of us and through that we can access all the blessings and breakthroughs that we desire to have. But the issue is that we are always looking at the risk involved and the cost of taking that move of faith and it is very unfortunate that most of us lose whenever we fail to make that move of faith because, we fail to realize that on the other end of our step of faith is God waiting to glorify Himself through your step of faith.
Remember, He has sworn by His word that “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11 NKJV). The question I leave you with is this… “Can you dare take that step of faith and make that move trusting that God will hold your hand?”
Time fails me… I could speak of the widow of the prophet who with a little oil was able to redeem her sons from being taken as slaves; talk of the 10 lepers who were told to go show themselves to the priest and on their way, they received their healing. Talk of the four friends who lowered their friend in-front of Jesus from the roof; talk of Peter’s miraculous catch of fish after a night’s vail toil…. all these were desperate moves of faith and Obedience to a word that was spoken over them.
Someone said “Learn to move because your life is a moving process even when you don’t, life still moves on. Take that million $$ step and everything else will follow.” The moment you count too much of the risks involved, you lose your faith to trust God.
I dare say again… “Dare to Trust God and make that move.”
©24th May 2021
SecretsOfHisPresence
Your presence… My mark of distinction
If there is anything that everyone of us desires in this world is to Stand Out and not just to blend in. We all strive to make the things we do, how we work, live and act be distinct from others… Why? We all want to be different and cut out a niche for ourselves.
The children of Israel have left Egypt and they are enroute to the promised land and the place where they are going is already occupied by other nations and God clearly instructs them not to Blend In with the other nations (Read Deuteronomy 7:3) because they were a different nation, a royal priesthood and a people belonging to God (Read 1 Peter 2:9).
Moses understood this clearly and thus, he was careful to remind God who these people were every time He wanted to do away with them (Exodus 33:5). He therefore makes a prayer that stands out for me and a prayer that everyone of us should make today and everyday that we are alive. Moses understood that they were just a people like any other, stiff necked and a sinful nation yet God loved them… but there was something more that they needed–God’s Presence.
He therefore prays "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.” (Exodus 33:15-17 NKJV)
My friend, as you read this, I want to submit the you this moment… You do not need to dress well to stand out. You do not need make up or good grooming (as much as this is important) to stand out; you do not need to be rich, live in a posh estate, drive the best car in the market or the best career to stand out; you can attain all this and even get the best education one can attain but Solomon says that "it is all vanity." (Ecclesiastes 1:2,14; 12:8.) All the above will pass away. They will only give you a seasonal gratification and cause you to stand out. All you need is the Presence of God.
Moses realized that the people he was leading had no big difference with the people God was asking them not to intermarry with and the only mark of distinction would be His presence. Realize this; You and I, no matter our background or status, we are ordinary beings. The only mark of distinction that can come upon your life is the Presence of God in your life.
The best prayer that you can make every morning whenever you wake up is not to God to give you money, promotion at your place of work, increase or anything… Please note that am not saying all these are bad, but they are not as key as when you ask God for His presence to be with you! When you have the presence of God, you have everything that you need. This scripture-the words of Jesus sum it all for me… "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33 KJV). The presence of God will come with everything that you need. This simply means, He being the Creator of the world and everything in it, what will be hard for Him to provide the you of you first make Him a priority. The problem is our priorities are twisted.
Jesus was God all by Himself and He had all the power that He would need to prove anything that He would have need to prove.. but He exemplified one key thing that we all need to see and strive to attain to achieve. He took note of His relationship and fellowship with the father more than the work that was to do everyday. And thus, we are read a number of times that Jesus would retreat to a solitude place and spend time with the father and then He would come to the public.
The fact that Jesus spent time with the father before anything else He did in the day distinguished Him and thus, because He had been empowered by God through their fellowship, He was able to do good wherever He went. When He appeared in an area where the demons were, the man in the tombs pocessed by the demons (Read Mark 5:1-10), they could feel and sense someone with a higher power had arrived. Jesus is speaking to the people in a house, men realize that Jesus is there and know it is time for their friend to be healed and thus, they find all ways to get the man inside and they had to go to the roof (Read Mark 2:1-5). Jesus is walking heading to the house of Jairus and a woman with the issue of blood comes and touched the hem of his garment and she receives her healing (read Mark 5:25-34)… I could write of many others… but we can clearly see that Jesus walked with the presence of God with Him and thus, the miraculous were inevitable in His life.
The catch is here my friend even as you read on… The presence of God will not come just like that.. you have to Pursue the same. One thing that I can tell you boldly is that God has promised us His presence whenever we pursue the same. God’s presence was given to His servants throughout the Bible like Moses (Exodus 3:12), Joshua (Joshua 1:5), and Jesus’ Disciples (Matthew 28:20). God would be with them as they accomplished the tasks He gave them to do. And this promise of God’s presence has not been taken away from you. God speaks to the children of Israel through prophet Jeremiah and reminds them “Then you will call upon Me, and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear and heed you. Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:12-13 AMP).
There are three key things in this scripture… One; you have to Pray to the Lord; secondly; you have to seek the Lord, and thirdly search of the Him as a Vital necessity in your life. And at this point, allow me to ask you… how vital or a necessity is God in your life? How we value Him is what will push us to seek Him and pursue Him more than anything in the world that we are in. This is where Matthew 6:33 comes is… Prioritizing seeking the kingdom first.
If you look at Exodus 33:7, the Bible says “Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the LORD went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp.” And this reinforces the fact that, it is a personal initiative to seek and pursue the Lord God. No one will do it for you… but you have to pay the price of pursuing him. So, make that decision.. Pursue His presence more than anything.
Dunsin Oyekan says “I do not know about you, but I must Carry God in all His fullness for my Generation – At all Cost.”
Let me tell you something… The moment you pursue God with all that you have, remember… you are not doing this for yourself but you are doing it for a generation. Moses would not go to the tent of the meeting because of his own family, but for the Children of Israel. Thus, you need to realize that your life is not your own but a seed for the next generation and what you sow today, the next 4 generations will reap off that seed. Consider the life of Enoch in Genesis 5:21-27. The Bible says…
“21Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. 22After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 23So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. 25Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech. 26After he begot Lamech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and had sons and daughters. 27So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died.”
From this, we can see that Methuselah was able to reap the blessing of long life because the father had a good fellowship with God. From Methuselah, Noah and his family were chosen to be the ones to build the ark, and through his son Shem, we see Jesus was born. See the generational blessing that started with Enoch.
What am I saying in short… when you set your heart to pursue God and the longing and yearning for His presence become your heartbeat, then you can be sure that you will find Him as He finds you as He has promise. But it has to start with you! Do you desire to have that mark of distinction and difference in your life? Then purpose to pay the price and the cost for the same. And that price you pay will be a seed for the generations after you.
Change your priorities today and everything else will fall into place! Seek to get the mark of Distinction on your life!!
Shalom!
© 17th May 2021 – #SecretsOfHisPresence.
The presence of God: Don’t lose it
Have you ever wondered why there will be two people ministering in the same meeting, read the same scriptures, sing the same songs yet there will be one whose ministry will impact people more than the other? Ever asked yourself why in the same conference, one session will be attended yet, in the same conference or convocation, there will be a session that will be full to the brim and even have overflow? The answer to all these questions is simple… The secret of success, victory and unusual exploits that anointed servants of God’s achieve lie in the fact that God’s presence is always with them. Do you want to overcome great problems? Do you want to fulfill your divine destiny? You need the power of His presence.
In Exodus 33:13-15, Moses prays; “13Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You [progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with You, perceiving and recognizing and understanding more strongly and clearly] and that I may find favor in Your sight. And [Lord, do] consider that this nation is your people. 14And the Lord said, My Presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest. 15And Moses said to the Lord, If Your Presence does not go with me; do not carry us up from here!” (AMPC,)
Moses was asking or inviting God to go on the journey with him. Moses did not ask for signs and wonders or miracles; he asked God to show him His way. God answered by saying that His presence shall go with him. I pretty well know that if it were some of the preachers of this generation, we could have asked for fire so that we can prove to that indeed we are powerful and we were with God to others.
Many of us as Christians are completely ignorant of the presence of God. Many ministers and pastors know nothing about the power of the presence of God. Anyone who has not experienced the power of God’s presence has no right to stand and talk about Him because such people don’t know Him. The question I would like to ask you as you read is this: Do you have the presence of God with us? Or have you lost His presence? More than anything else this year; ensure that you have His presence with you always.
Having the presence of God with you is worth more than riches or fame or power. We can go anywhere when the presence of God is with us. I can go to many places because His presence is with me. I don’t care what direction it is, if the presence of God is there, I will go. A sleep is dangerous when the presence of God is absent. David reminds us that “In the presence of God, there is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11) but out of His presence, there is frustration, multiple demons, discouragement sorrow, fear, sickness, sin, suicide, distress etc..
We need to have the presence of the Lord in our lives; it is a wonderful experience. It is essential in our everyday life. In Psalm 51:11, David prays “Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.” In this powerful prayer, the Psalmist is trying to say that if at all God wants to take every other thing from him, He can, but God should allow him to always be in His Presence.
The closer you are to fire, the hotter you are; the farther you move away from fire, the cooler/colder you become. The closer you move to the Lord, the more of His presence you have; the farther you move away from Him, the closer you are to the devil. It is a wonderful thing to be in the presence of the Lord and it is a dangerous thing to be far from Him. This is a very serious issue and I would advise that you pray the presence of God into your life today.
In Genesis 4:16, the Bible records “And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.” Earlier on in vs. 13, we see him saying to the Lord that his punishment was greater than he could bear. It is a great punishment to be out of God’s presence. It is good to pray that you will not undergo this kind of punishment. Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and he allowed envy to push him out of the place of blessing – from the Presence of the Lord.
In Genesis 3:8 the Bible says “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.” The Lord God used to go into the garden, in the evenings, to have fellowship with Adam and Eve but when they sinned against Him, they could no longer behold His face. They had to hide from His presence. They used to live well but sin broke their relationship with God. They were pushed out of the garden, from the presence of the Lord because they disobeyed God and refused to put the blame where it belonged. Jonah went out of the presence of God and he paid dearly for it. All men and women, who had ever made progress in the Lord, had at one time or the other had an encounter with Him.
Moses got to a point where he wanted to see God. He saw just the backside and the glory of God shone upon Him and when he got back to the Israelites, they could not behold his face. It glowed and they had to put a veil on his face. When you see the Lord and have His presence with you, no demon or witchcraft power can harm you. You need to pray to the point of having an encounter with the Lord so that His presence will always be with you.
Child of God, no other thing should be important if you have not seen the Lord. Groom up your spiritual life and have an encounter with Him. Drop any other thing that will hinder you from seeing the Lord. If you had no encounter with Him, and all that should die in your life is still alive in you, you have not started. When you see the Lord and you are continually in His presence, you will not be bothered about the world or what people say about you or do to you. Isaiah, Jacob, Moses, etc., encountered the Lord and their lives never remained the same. When you have His presence around you, no power of darkness can stand before you.
What do I need to do so as to experience and not lose the presence of God? I know you are asking that question… Here are a few ways which have worked for me.
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Do not joke with your quiet time: – You must plan to have a quiet time with the Lord daily and regularly, it is the time when you will pray meaningfully, study and memorize the word of God diligently. The Bible says that Daniel prayed three times a day (Daniel 6:10). You too can. You can however choose the very early hours of the morning when every where is quiet. You must plan to follow. You should also decree the word of God throughout the day from time to time.
- Do not neglect the corporate fellowship/gatherings: – Do not be the Christian who misses services, Bible study, cell groups etc. This is what Paul urged the early church in Hebrew 10:25 not to forsake the gathering together and breaking of bread in fellowship. Do not be the one who only attends church services when there are special programs. Have a consistent attendance of God’s fellowship with other brethren. There is growth in such spaces. The Bible says “Iron sharpens iron.” (Proverbs 27:17).
- Always hunger and thirst for God: – Live a yielded life unto God and always seek the things of the Lord. God is by your side; there is no distance between you and Him and He is always ready to listen to you and hear your pleas. Worship Him in spirit and in truth; go before Him the way He wants you to. Jesus. (Consider Matthew 5:6, Psalm 63:1, Psalm 42:2, Psalm 143:6)
- Follow a consistent program of prayer: – There is nothing else that build intimacy with anyone other than communication. Prayer is the only open line that we have as Christians to talk to our father. Utilize it and build intimacy with God. Jesus maintained a consistent prayer time in the morning. Severally we see the bible say, “early in the morning, Jesus went to pray…” (Mark 1:35, Matthew 14:23, Luke 6:12)
- Learn to be intimate with the Holy Spirit: – Treat Him as a Person reverently, not as a thing. Learn to meet Him and commune with Him every day. (Consider Ephesians 5:15-18,)
- Pray that He should show you His way: – When the fire of God’s presence is with you, it will melt away every wickedness around you, the way a flame will melt a candle. The little time you spend in His presence, and when His presence is upon you, will clear away every confusion from your mind. No matter how confused and confusing a situation is, the presence of God will bring order into that situation. As Christians, we should carry His fire about anywhere we go.
Child of God, there is nothing that can ever be substituted with the presence of God. This is one thing that you can not fake of force His presence and his presence or absence will be noticed. I pray even as you finish reading this post, that you will be filled with the hunger and thirst to pursue the presence of God and prepare your heart and life to host and carry the presence of God with you.
Shalom!
©11th April 2020
Intents and Motives
A couple of years back when I was actively blogging, typically every morning, I remember I did write a post that I titled “Relationship or Working? – (Click to read)… and God was typically challenging me on setting my priorities right and making sure that I am not lost in the minute and not so important things in life and miss on the crucial and important aspects
of life and relationship with Him.
One of the things that God has challenged me on in the last couple of days is on my intents, better call it Intentions and motives or motivation that I have towards doing something in my life or even in the spaces that I find myself in. I have been privileged by God to be in some spaces that most people crave and long to be in and also hang around some people that are
hard to get to but God has graced me with access to such… but the greatest question that I have asked myself from this is… “Should I brag of the proximate access and connection that I have to and with these ‘big shots’-if I could call them so or I should more or less capitalize on what I am able to draw from them and pass it on to others after it has blessed my life?” It is unfortunate that the generation that we are in and even our country Kenya, I would rather brag of who I know and who is on my phone book yet there is nothing that I can show of substance having gained from such a
connection.
What are you talking about Dennis? This is what I mean…. Motive is the moving power which impels one to action for a definite result, whereas intent is the purpose to use a particular means to effect such result.
A couple of months ago, my wife and I got a chance to be in a fora where there was a pitch being made and the person allocated to us wasn’t able to give a convincing pitch enough for us to buy into the project. All the guy did was to paint a picture of how through the project he had been able to visit several countries abroad, where the kids school and who is who that he had met and even showed the contact on his phone… but there was a disparity between his words and atleast his dress code at a minimum… not to judge… but his intent (according to me) was not to convince us but to brag to us. What was my intent in sharing this… this is to show us how as human being are and how we often act… we want to kind of show off and people to know who we know and have access to.
Picture this… there were many people who thronged and pushed Jesus as He was walking to the house of Jairus. I am sure, most of them bragged of how close they were to Jesus then, but there was one woman with an issue of blood, who had the intent to be close to Jesus, not for anything but to touch him and receive her healing. In Luke 8:42, the bible mentions that the crowds were pushing hard against Jesus. I am sure, if there was some media coverage, everyone wanted to be seen in the media that he/she was very close to Jesus… but the bible clearly diverts and gives us the tale of this woman who seriously wanted to touch Jesus and get her healing. That was her intent… not to be seen. And as Jesus notices that some power had left Him, He stops and asks who touched Him, and Peter kinda rebuke him. vs 45, Peter tells Him, “but master, the crowds are pushing hard against you…” like, how can you ask such a question man (in the mind of Peter.) But Jesus tells the lady after she came forth “Daughter, your faith (your confidence and trust in me) has made you whole. Go (enter) into peace (untroubled, undisturbed well-being)” Her faith made her whole.
Take a look at this bunch of intelligent guys who came up with the first engineering plan. In Genesis 11:3-4, the bible says “And they said one to another, Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly. So they had brick for stone, and slime (bitumen) for mortar. And they said, Come, let us build us a city and a tower whose top reaches into the sky, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered over the whole earth.” This was their prime intent and motive… not to reach to God, but to make a name for themselves. And it is at this point that God decided to come down and confuse their plans. God speaks in vs 6-7 and says “And the Lord said, Behold, they are one people and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do, and now nothing they have imagined they can do will be impossible for them. Come, let Us go down and there confound (mix up, confuse) their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”
God saw their intent and motive behind building the tower and he decided to come down and halt the building because it would have been successful. Scripture says that they were one language and they were one… this signified Unity and oneness of mind and intent, and thus, God said, Nothing would have been impossible to them and it was just but the beginning.
One thing about intents and motives is that, there is a greater force than you that drives you to make sure that you achieve that which you intend to achieve and no amount of convincing can stop you. The desire to see what has been conceived in your heart fulfilled is what will push you to go beyond the stumbling blocks that you meet on your way and achieve that which
you have envisioned to achieve… but the question here is…what is your driving motive and intent? Are you out to please God and have Him get all the glory or it is a self-seeking intent? The lady with the issue of blood didn’t (Luke 8:43-48) care whether Jesus would lay His hands on her, all she desired was to touch the hem of His garment and she knew she would be made whole. Her intent was not to cause a show as she was already an outcast, but she dared to defy the odds and pursue her healing at all costs.
Remember, God’s desire and intent is to receive glory through you and me as He works through you and me. This is what Jesus told His disciples “When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine” (John 15:8 AMPC). And by this… are you producing fruits for His glory or for your own glory? Vs. 7 of John 15 tells us that we can ask of whatever we need from the father and it will be granted unto us, but then, you realize, most of us are very selfish when we ask.
I was listening to a song and the singer said, he went to visit a friend and another friend joined them. The host had a good music system and thus, the other guy said, he would love God to bless him with such a system and then, he would use it to play very loud music till his neighbours don’t sleep. The host told him that if that is the intention, then God can’t and will not bless him as such.
This is what James addresses when he writes to the church in James 4:1-3. “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Isn’t it because there is a whole army of evil desires within you? You want what you don’t have, so you kill to get it. You long for what others have, and can’t afford it, so you start a fight to take it away from them. And yet the reason you don’t have what you want is that you don’t ask God for it. And even when you do ask you don’t get it because your whole aim is wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.” (James 4:1-3 TLB)
I love this specific passage in the Amplified version. It says “What leads to strife (discord and feuds) and how do conflicts (quarrels and fighting) originate among you? Do they not arise from your sensual desires that are ever warring in your bodily members? You are jealous and covet [what others have] and your desires go unfulfilled; [so] you become murderers. [To hate is to murder as far as your hearts are concerned.] You burn with envy and anger and are not able to obtain [the gratification, the contentment, and the happiness that you seek], so you fight and war. You do not have, because you do not ask. [Or] you do ask [God for them] and yet fail to receive, because you ask with wrong purpose and evil, selfish motives. Your intention is [when you get what you desire] to spend it in sensual pleasures.” (AMPC)
As I land this, this scripture above has been my yardstick whenever I go before God to ask of anything from Him. I am very careful to first evaluate my intents and motives in everything that I desire or even want to achieve… I throw this same
challenge to you as you read this… what is your intention and motive to do what you are doing now and what is your
intent?
To be Continued….
He sees you! – Don’t abandon your boat
1NOW IT occurred that while the people pressed upon Jesus to hear the message of God, He was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret (Sea of Galilee). 2And He saw two boats drawn up by the lake, but the fishermen had gone down from them and were washing their nets. 3And getting into one of the boats, [the one] that belonged to Simon (Peter), He requested him to draw away a little from the shore. Then He sat down and continued to teach the crowd [of people] from the boat. 4When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon (Peter), Put out into the deep [water], and lower your nets for a haul. 5And Simon (Peter) answered, Master, we toiled all night [exhaustingly] and caught nothing [in our nets]. But on the ground of Your word, I will lower the nets [again]. 6And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish; and as their nets were [at the point of] breaking, 7They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and take hold with them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.” (Luke 5:1-7 AMP)
The crowd was pressing on him, these people were ready to have an encounter with Jesus, though, maybe most of them couldn’t agree that He was the Messiah, but you will notice that they followed Jesus because of the miracles that He did. Most didn’t follow Him because they wanted to know him at a personal level, but they were after the miracles that He performed. You will realize that if Jesus showed up, blind eyes would see, deaf people could hear, the dead he raised them, many miracles; thus, they pressed on him. They wanted a connection with him, a physical chat. They came with all of their needs, ready to meet with Jesus so that He could help them out.
The bible says in vs. 2 “And He saw two boats drawn up by the lake”. The key words in this verse are “He saw”. I want you to realize that even as you read this, be encouraged and know that no matter how loud the people are around you, He (Jesus) sees you. You are not lost to him. He knows that you are coming. If Jesus could see Simon Peter, thus tells me that He also sees me. Simon had abandoned his boat; he had given up on his assignment. How many times have you abandoned your boat and given up on your assignment? Is it the fact that things have become very hard and nothing seems to bear fruits in all that you are doing and you have ended up abandoning your boat? I challenge you even as you read on, “Do not throw in the towel. Hold on and fight on.”
Have you ever realized that God has so much to do and take care of for the entire humanity in the universe yet He knows you by name? The bible reminds me that He has engraved my name on the palm of His hand, (Isaiah 49:16). He is mindful of you and cares about you and everything that concerns you (Psalms 8:4). He has numbered the number of hairs on your head (Matthew 10:30) and I could list more and more… Imagine this God who has every detail of you. What else do you need my friend? Even as you read this and you think that He doesn’t know what you are going through now, He knows, nothing catches him by surprise.
Realize that you do not have to do anything so that you can catch God’s attention. Look at Buddhists; they have to climb 268 stairs to reach to their god and give pilgrimage to it. If I had to travel all across the universe to reach out to this god, hell no! I wouldn’t do it. Would you? But GOD comes down to my situation, to my issue and He speaks to me right there in my need and gives me not only Hope but He helps me out of the same. Not one tear of your eye gets lost on the carpet of your bedroom, He knows and sees it. He knows and cares for every detail of your heart. A GOD this big, the CREATOR of the whole universe and everything in it has time to come to you. God has millions upon millions of kids, but you are his favorite, he sees you and he cares about you.
Simon and his friends were washing their nets, and this means they had given up for the night and it was day. According to fishing experts, during the day you cannot catch any fish, thus, most fishermen work overnight and during the day, they wash and mend their nets ready for the evening and they go fishing again. Simon and his friends had rather an unusual night as they caught nothing. I am so sure that they were discouraged and were wondering what they will take to their families for breakfast. You can figure that with me even as you read this.
How many times have you washed your nets after a disappointing night in the lake trying to fish? How many times do you just allow the happenings of everyday “slow or dishearten you?” When everything is so slow and not working out in your timing or even advantage, what do you do? I personally tend to give up and throw in the towel and wash my net. We are always encouraged to try one more time. We ought to go back and fish again. The amazing thing that I notice here is that Jesus saw and knew all what was going on and realized that Simon was done, yet he didn’t rebuke him. The act of Simon washing his nets meant he was ready for tomorrow. After you have failed today, are you preparing for tomorrow or you are just lying there in the dust with self pity and apathy? It is time you rose up, dusted yourself and prepared for the next opportunity.
Do you realize that most time you and I allow something that is temporal tie us down and we become captives of the same. It’s not like we are escaping our reality but at times, we are just tired of the “slow pace” in which things seem to be working out. I am 30 years, not yet married; Am still in between jobs; He sees you. I encourage you, wash your nets, and don’t sell your nets. Simon and his friends did the washing of the nets; thus, you also need friends to sharpen you. Remember iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17). Real friends will not allow you give up; they will help you prepare for the next opportunity that is coming your way.
In verse 2, we see Simon is out of the boat; verse 3, Jesus gets in. See the contrast in a very short space of time. There is something that happens when we surrender. The moment we surrender all our cares, struggles and issues unto God, He will use them to glorify himself through you and them. God has a way of seeing the things that are making you frustrated, depressed and stressed. Jesus sees that thing/issue as a pulpit for him to use to reach out to the multitudes. That which you look at and see or feel as if it is useless, Jesus is making it USEFUL for His glory. That discouragement is what Jesus will use as a testimony to preach to crowds of people. Realize that God is always looking to find the right platform to display his glory; and the least of the platforms that you think He will use, is YOU.
I need you to realize this even as you read this. Surrender is not easy. Before you get to release that which you are holding or you value very much will take your courage… but the moment you do, God glorifies himself. Remember the window of Zarepath in 1 Kings 17:7-16, the moment she surrendered that little oil and flour that she had left to God to feed Elijah, she had enough to sustain her family till the famine was over. What is that thing or issue that is troubling you that you find it hard to surrender and allow God to come in and take over? I challenge you even as you read this to take a minute, pause and think about it and say a quick prayer to invite God into your situation.
In the university or the PTA you are involved in your school or the department in your church that you are a shepherd… that’s your platform to tell them your courageous story that “I had nothing, but look what the Lord Jesus has done” God is sovereign. He is in control of every single thing that has happened in each spectrum of time. This means in your life, He has seen every part of your lifetime and all of the days in it. What happened to you last week was a shock to you, not to HIM.
As I sum up, David speaks in Psalms 46:10 and encourages us to “be still” meaning: – chill out, relax, sit down, shut up and know that I am GOD. God will step into that situation when you give Him space in the boat. Stop filling the boat with all your stuff, your fish, your things, where will He stand to preach? If Simon had caught fish that night, Jesus wouldn’t have spoken word to the crowds that were pressing to hear his word. God allows you to go through some seasons so that He can use your experience to minister to someone else. Can you allow Him in your experience and your season so that He can turn it from a test into a testimony!!
My friend He sees you, He will use that part of your life that seems not working for his glory.
About the writer:
Jael Mzaeh Lucy is a worship leader and minister at House of Grace Mombasa under Pst. Pascal Amboka. You can link with her on Facebook www.facebook.com/wali.jael
When the well runs Dry: Divine Placement & Positioning
“Trusting God completely means having faith that He knows what is best for your life. You expect Him to keep His promises, help you with problems, and do the impossible when necessary.” ― Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here for?
One of the greatest lessons that I have learnt in my journey with God for the few years I have walked with Him is that “God is a God of seasons. He ordains things, circumstances, occurrences and even human beings and nature to flow according to His plan and purpose for the season.” The problem with us as human beings is that we tend to think that we are smarter than God and thus, we try and fit God in our routine thinking that this is the way that He wants things to flow, but NO! He is sovereign and we have to align to His purpose and not Him aligning to ours!
The moment that you align with God and follow His will and purpose for your life, I assure you without a doubt that you will not struggle in any way. I know you are reading this and you are telling and asking yourself… I have prayed, heard God and obeyed what He has commanded me to do, but why are things not the way they should be? Why am I seemingly rotating at one place over and over and over like a tethered cow and there is no progress? This is my answer to you… God will never allow you to get to the place where you are meant to be before you are well prepared and ready for what He has for you. He might have revealed your purpose and calling and even shown you your destiny and how it will be… but until He has tested and tried, groomed, moulded and trained you adequately, you will still be at that place till you learn the lessons he want you to learn because every lesson you go through is vital for you in the place where God is taking you. He will not release you to your place prematurely because, it can break you if you are not ready.
Joseph knew his destiny and what God had in store for him (Genesis 37:5-11). God revealed to him his purpose on earth was to be a ruler but He never told him how or when he would get to the place where he would be a ruler even over his brethren. I am sure that if God had revealed to Joseph the cup that was awaiting him, he would told God – “I do not want to be a ruler, let me remain in my father’s house.” But God took him through one season after another. David writes of Joseph in Psalms and says “until the time came for him to fulfill his dreams, the word (Lord) tested Joseph’s character.” (Psalms 105:19 NLT). My friend, as you wait for what the Lord spoke over your life to come to pass in this year 2017, know and allow the Lord to test your character and establish it before He releases you to the next level of your life, purpose and destiny.
In my previous blog, I mentioned and said that there is a place that God has ordained you to be at a specific time and period in your life and there, He has ordained ravens to provide for you. The problem is that many of us do not know that and what happens to us is that we stick to the comfort zone that we are in and in the long run, we end up struggling whereas some ravens are waiting for a signal that you are positioned to start their duty! Today, I want you to go back to your closet and ask God to show you the place where He has ordained you to be and your place of divine placement and provision.
After living in one of the renown estates in Nairobi’s Eastland’s area for over 7 years, I was had been working for a prestigious organization and I had everything that I needed as a bachelor then. I travelled to the places I wanted to then with so much ease. 2013 started when all was well but Mid year, I didn’t have a job. (Shared this in the first blog – When the wells run dry: Lift up your eyes)
In this estate where I was living then with my young family, things started going haywire and nothing seemed to make head or tail. The taps (water) started drying up and I would buy water month in mouth out. Rent went up yet the services there were pathetic, yet I still stayed in this premises simply because “I had lived there for long” and the house was big enough for me then. What I didn’t know was that my season to be in this estate was over. I remember the month that I moved from that house (February 2015), I had just come from work and was going to show the caretaker the sms after depositing the rent via mobile money and he tells me, “I have given your wife a letter from the landlord.” On reading the letter, it was a notice to vacate within 26 days as the landlord wanted to continue building a flat from where he had stopped.
You should have seen how annoyed and disappointed I was. I starting looking for a house as I worked and my wife also was trying on the other end. I remember speaking to my bestman and he told me to go to the area where he lived and I would get a good house. For sure I went and all the houses I got were either small or expensive. We ended up settling in another house same estate. One month later, I lost my current job that I had then…. I want you to notice the sequence at which the well is drying up.
In this new house, the rent was higher with around Ksh. 5000 of what I was paying previously. I ended up withdrawing some of my pension savings to pay rent and secure our livelihood for a couple of months before we got another job. I didn’t manage to get a job but God gave my wife a job whose pay was exactly enough to pay rent and an excess of Ksh. 2000 for her fare to work and back the following month. Mark you, we haven’t even tithed this money, thus we opened a loophole for the enemy (Malachi 3:8-9). We struggled for another year paying this rent until another eviction letter came. And I remember us getting on our knees with my wife and we asked God “Where next?” I do believe to date, that evening was the turning point of our lives and breaking out of the vicious cycle that ha entangled us for two years plus.
A week later, with 3 days remaining for our vacation notice to come to an end, I woke up and the Lord was clear… “Leave the house now and go look for a house.” I asked where Lord? I went ahead, we prepared with my wife and left the house. Got into a car and God ordered our steps and in a span of 2 hours, we had a house, half the rent were were paying then, a quiet and serene environment to raise our 5 month son then and there was Adequate supply of everything we needed there. There were some specific things we had prayed and asked God for where it concerned the raising of our son and the house God gave us met all the requirements we had asked God for.
What am I saying in the above testimony? I am underscoring these words: there is a place that God has ordained you to be. Above all, realize that when you are at the place you are supposed to be divinely placed, then, that is your place of Divine provision. I can testify that since I moved from where I was to this place, I have experience some breakthroughs that I never had in the other place I had. A few months later, I got a job that was able to push us up again and we were able to stand on our feet again. God brought about destiny helpers, ravens that supplied us with shopping, we were being sent cash often than not, my wife got a pay rise at her place of work and I also got another better job than the one I had before. I had gone for an interview 6 months before my job offer came. My relocation brought about some change in my life and I am now at peace because I am where I am supposed to be.
Isaac found himself in a position like I was. There was famine in the land and his reserves were drying up and as a man, a husband and a father, he had to make sure that his family was well provided for in the famine. Genesis 26:1 tells us that “there came a famine in the land other than the one that was in the days of Abraham and Isaac went down to Gerar, to Abimelech the king of Philistines.” but verse 2-3 changes everything. “And the Lord appeared to him (Isaac) and said “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I tell you. Dwell temporarily in this land, and I will be with you and will favour you with blessings;…”
Let me ask a quick question here: if you were Isaac, how would you have reacted to these instructions in such a scenario? Think about it. Remember in the previous blog, one of the take away lessons was “Your breakthrough is in your OBEDIENCE and WORKING OUT the word that you hear from God. That’s the only source of your breakthrough.” Thus, verse 6 tells us that Isaac obeyed and stayed in the land. Take a look at verse 11-12. The bible says that in the same famine, “Isaac sowed in the land and in the same year that he had sowed, he received 100 time as much as he had sowed and the Lord favoured him with blessings. And the man became great and began to prosper and continued prospering until he became very prosperous.”
Try and think with me for a moment. How would it have been if Isaac had gone down to Egypt like his father did in Genesis12:10 – 13:2? He wouldn’t have had a bumper harvest like he had when he obeyed the word of the Lord. Perhaps in Egypt, he would have been under the mercy of the Egyptians giving him food rations during the famine, but here he gained and harvested more than he had planted. This is what God does when you are rightfully positioned and placed in your place. He makes sure that you not only have what you need, but more than enough. He elevates you to your place of divine overflow and supply because of your obedience and being rightfully positioned. In 1 Kings 17: 7-9, God supplied Elijah with food at the place where he had asked him to be.
Had I stuck in the estate where I was, I would be struggling even this moment, but because I obeyed, I got to my divine placement and position and thus, I am able to enjoy the blessings of the Lord and provision. The problem comes in because many of us do not want to get out of our comfort zones and other times we do not want to try new things neither do we have faith enough to believe that where God is taking us, He is more than able to sustain us as He has promised despite the fact that what we see on the face value doesn’t seem like God is making sense.
I have read this post over and over in the social media that “God will never take you to a place where His grace will not sustain you.” but how many of us believe this statement? I must say that most times I was the children of Israel infront of the Red sea. (Read Exodus 14:10-12). When we see what lies ahead of us verses where we have come from, we tend to forget the promise that God has given us and we prefer going back to Egypt (our comfort zone) rather than pushing on and fighting on so that we can get to our Canaan (our future and place of purpose.) I want you to realize this moment that the devil has no problem with you when you are at your comfort zone, No! He has a problem with you once you get off that place you are and you are pursuing your purpose and calling that God has called and created you for (read Jeremiah 1:4-10). Thus, the devil will fight you with all that he has and can so that you wont get there because he knows the impact you will have once you get there.
Are you struggling with something in your life? Are you finding yourself not enjoying your work? Are you dissatisfied with some things that were giving you satisfaction before? Are things going haywire where you are now and you are wondering what is happening and what you might have done wrong? You do not have to stress yourself. The greatest question you need to ask yourself is “Am I in my divine placement and positioning?” Is my season of being here over? Because the moment you extend your say in a place where your season has ended, you will just be delaying your purpose and fulfilling that which you have been called for because you are trying to fetch water from a well that has already dried up.
Before you continue reading, please Refer to my opening quote up there….
The moment you arrive at your purpose and positioning in life, you will know it. Things will start working out. This is where you hear someone saying I am in my purpose. Your purpose is where you are contented with doing something whether it is giving you money or not. This is the place where you stop working for money but you work because it is your passion to do what you are doing and amazingly, God provides because you are in your placement and positioned in your purpose. Within your purpose, God has integrated your provision for the same too and thus, you do not struggle.
As I pen off, I want you to realize that your divine placement and positioning is not the place that you live, work or even fellowship in church, but your divine placement and positioning is your purpose. As long as you are outside your purpose, you will forever struggle, be unhappy, be in a place of unrest, discontentment… name it. But when you are functioning in your rightful place and positioning, there is no struggle. You will be like Jesus saying “Jesus said to them, My food (nourishment) is to do the will (pleasure) of Him Who sent Me and to accomplish and completely finish His work.” (John 4:34 AMPC). Once you accomplish and finish the work of He who created you, then you attain your satisfaction. You will never get into rest and satisfaction until you get to your place of Purpose.
I challenge you as you red this post, to get to know your ideal purpose here on earth. Your God given positioning and purpose and pursue it relentlessly, thus, you will have entered rest and pursuit of many things which will not give you satisfaction; and this can only come when you are well settled in your purpose!
I end with this quote:
“Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning. Without meaning, life has no significance or hope. Thus, you cannot fulfill God’s purposes for your life while focusing on your own plans. You got to let go of your plans and embrace God’s plan and purpose for your life. If you have reached a place where you have felt hopeless, hold on! Wonderful changes are going to happen in your life as you begin to live it on purpose.”
Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here for?
© 30 Jan 2017
Uniquely You
Just the other day, I was in the supermarket doing some house shopping and as I was busy picking my shopping list, I felt thirsty and I went to pick a bottle of water and as I was there, I was kind of spoilt for choice on what brand of water to pick since the brand of water that I take was not on the shelves. One of the attendants came and a discussion ensued and he tried to convince me to take another brand but I was hesitant on why I wanted that specific brand of water. Luckily, another attendant brought another consignment of my brand. I went ahead and showed him the content listed there and and we compared with another brand and another. He finally tells me, “Thank you for opening my eyes to see this..”
You may ask what he meant by saying I opened his eyes.. you see, the mineral content in every brand of water is different and thus, you need to know what you are downing every time you buy that bottle of water. Where am I going with this? I want you to realize that everything in this earth is totally unique and different from each other in many ways. Even when you look at cars on the road, you will realize that you are driving a Mercedes Benz C200 and another same model across you, but if you both stopped at a pit stop and compared, you will realize that the cars are totally different.
“To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one–to each in proportion to his own personal ability. Then he departed and left the country.” Matthew 25:15 AMP
When you study the scripture above, you will realize two things:
- Everyone was given something.
- Everyone was not given similar or equal amount of talent.
Realize that when the master gave them the talents, he went on his way and he never told them what they were to do with what he gave them, but when you read on (vs. 16-30), when the master came back, everyone gave an account of what they did with what they were given and each of them had gave an account of what they did. This is the same way that God deals with us. He has given each and everyone of us something. Paul reminds us and tells us that we have been given a measure of grace (Romans 12:3) and this measure of grace is according to the gift of God in us (Ephesians 4:7)
I want you to realize that “when God gives an assignment, he also gives the skill. Study your skills, then, to reveal your assignment…” Our Maker gives assignments to people, to each according to each one’s unique ability. As He calls, He equips. You may look at your life and wonder what you have been gifted/graced in and wonder what is your skill? I challenge you to look back over your life. What have you consistently done well? What have you loved to do? Look at you. Your uncanny ease with numbers. Your quenchless curiosity about chemistry. Others stare at blueprints and yawn; you read them and drool. “I was made to do this,” you say. What am I saying- stand at the intersection of your affections and successes and find your uniqueness.
You will realize that God has gifted you uniquely and there are things that only you can do. God made one version of you. He custom designed you for a one-of-a-kind assignment. Mine like a gold digger the unique-to-you nuggets from your life. You are the only person in the world who can live your life. No one else can live your life for you, and no one else is in competition with you to complete the task Jesus gave you. Take a deep breath, and rest in the truth that God created you with such a unique mix of spiritual gifts, passions, abilities, personality, and experiences that only you can be you. No one else can duplicate you, and you cannot, should not, imitate another. You are an original masterpiece from the Master’s hand.
Your uniqueness means you’re the only one who can fulfill the mission that God assigned for you to complete. Paul, says, “I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24 NIV). We shouldn’t waste a precious minute of life doing things that don’t matter if that means the most important thing we can do is left undone. It is never too late to start faithfully pursuing the mission God has set before you — the one he designed you to complete. You may think you don’t have skills God can use, but the truth is, God designed you with the very skills he needs in you to do what he asks of you. You are uniquely, wonderfully, and fearfully made.
Today I remind you… even if you may forget everything else, remember this: You are created unique and special. God is the potter and we are the clay. He made us all perfect having our own uniqueness. Some people have blue eyes, brown eyes, some people can do this, some people can do that, some people are right handed, some people are left handed. You were made for a purpose. God has a plan for you and we are all an individual member of the body of Christ. You are a masterpiece as you grow more and more as a Christian you will truly see how special and unique God created you.
Consider these scriptures and be encouraged as you seek to know what is your specific uniqueness and use that to fulfill your purpose.
“You alone created my inner being. You knitted me together inside my mother. I will give thanks to you because I have been so amazingly and miraculously made. Your works are miraculous, and my soul is fully aware of this.” (Psalms 139:13-14)
“You made me; you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands. May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy, for I have put my hope in your word.” (Psalm 119:73-74)
“However, you are chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, people who belong to God. You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God, who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)
“What is the price of two sparrows–one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29-31)
“The LORD gave me this message: “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:4-5)
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)
“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” (Psalm 139:16)
Remember… you are Uniquely Unique! Stand Out, do not blend in!
© 16 Nov ‘16
Taste and See for yourself.
I have been/still doing a study on the gospel of John and there are some deep truths and insights coming out of this gospel. Let me share this among others. In chapter four of the Book of John, Jesus encounters a Samaritan woman at a well preparing to draw water; a conversation then develops with Jesus comparing the water He had to offer to that of the water in the well “Jesus answered her, All who drink of this water will be thirsty again. But whoever takes a drink of the water that I will give him shall never, no never, be thirsty any more. But the water that I will give him shall become a spring of water welling up (flowing, bubbling) [continually] within him unto (into, for) eternal life.” (John 4:13-14).
Upon hearing this, the Samaritan woman became excited about the prospect of receiving the water Jesus had to offer; however, she made the mistake of thinking she would no longer have to come to the physical well again and her life would be that much easier. And in a haste, she asks Jesus for the water. It is at this point I realized a mistake that most of us as Christians we make or have made. As Christians, we often get off-track thinking that when we come to Jesus that our lives will just become a flowery bed of roses, when this is clearly not the case.
This is why many individuals today often associate their salvation to the Christian experiences of other relatives and people; and since they are connected to these relatives and/or individuals, in their mind, this means they too must be in right-standing as well when this is far from the truth. And rather than allowing the challenges of the Christian walk to mature and develop them, they prefer to live vicariously through another. James reminds us saying… “But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.” (James 1:4 AMP). And this is the process most of us evade.
You need to know that what your grandfather, father, mother, auntie, uncle, etc. did may have been good for them and kept them in the grace of God at that particular time; yet this does not equate to salvation or abundant living for another individual. In other words, an individual can’t live the Christian life based solely on someone else’s experience; we must each have a personal encounter with the Savior for ourselves.
Therefore, in order to grow and mature, we must individually receive a daily helping of God’s spiritual food for ourselves. Peter tells us “Like newborn babies you should crave (thirst for, earnestly desire) the pure (unadulterated) spiritual milk, that by it you may be nurtured and grow unto [completed] salvation” (1 Peter 2:2 AMP). However, we must move from just receiving milk to the meat of the Word as we develop in our faith. Daily spiritual nourishment can be received through the Word (Jesus Christ).
Consider these scriptures:
“Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits.” (Hebrews 6:1-4)
“Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.” (1 Corinthians 14:20) Paul contrasts maturity to that of being children but not in being child-like. he writes to them in the scripture above and urges and reminds them and us that we are to be like Children as far as our faith is concerned (Matthew 18:2-4) but not childish in the sense of being foolish like children are at a young age (Proverbs 22:15). The context of chapter 14 is that the church at Corinth was trying to say that they were superior to others because they had certain gifts that the others didn’t. This is similar to two young boys saying “my dad can beat your dad up.” Paul doesn’t want the Corinthians to feel superior to the others who had what they thought were superior gifts compared to the other church members. At the same time, he wanted them to be child-like regarding what is evil in the sense that they were to avoid it but in their thinking, act like an adult and not like children who can sometimes argue over who is best
“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:12-14) Many of us in the church are apparently satisfied with the “basic principles of the oracles (teachings) of God” and Paul here is comparing them to babies still drinking milk and they are not growing up in “the word of righteousness.” This is a type of laziness. This may be due to the fact that we are not reading or studying the Scriptures on a regular basis. Anyone still drinking milk is not going to grow and will forever remain “unskilled in the word of righteousness” and by remaining immature, you will not be able to “distinguish good from evil” or sound biblical doctrine from apostate or evil teachings of the many false teachers that are around in this day and age today. Regular, consistent Bible study gives us spiritual discernment and the ability to distinguish true biblical teachings from those that are false.
“There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:16-18) i must say, being a student of the bible, sometimes it is difficult to understand some places, but the Holy Spirit gives insight. Those who are ignorant of the Scriptures can take text out of context to create a pretext and a false one at that. One way to avoid this is to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord” which means that since Jesus is the Word (John 1) we need to be in the Word. If you are in the Bible the Bible gets into you and then you can rightly divide and discern what the context means when reading difficult verses.
As I finish off, the Samaritan woman had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ that forever changed her; she then had spiritual food and drink that would last an eternity. And once she was changed from the inside out, she encouraged others to not just take her word, but challenged them to come see the giver of unending spiritual food and water for themselves (John 4:29). Once you are mature, you realize that the experience and encounter that you have with God is not just for you alone but you have to share the same to others so that they can experience what you have experienced.
We each need a personal encounter with Christ; however, as the Samaritan woman did, she called others not only to take her word, but to have an encounter for themselves. Thus, I end by saying, Don’t just take my word, come TASTE and SEE FOR YOURSELF!
Shalom!
The Word…
“May my life always Radiate thy Glory oh Lord!”
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and Lo! I am with you always till the end of the world.” AMEN! (Matthew 20:19-20)
This is the greatest commandment that we have ever been given. “Go ye therefore…” When you got saved, you were not taken to heaven directly, that’s why you are here so that you can help someone else know the truth just as someone else helped you and you came to the light. Many of us think that this call is just for the people in the five-fold ministry just as I used to think, but Jesus was speaking to you and Me. We have no excuse of not going out there to share the love of Christ to the nations. Jesus said, the fields are white and ready for harvest, but the labourers are few. Once you and I avail ourselves to go and be part of the labourers, we will fill out the empty pews in the church and the devils kingdom will be on the losing end.
Word of Life is a site whose aim and agenda is to equip you daily with the word of God and encourage you to fulfill the mission and purpose that God has called you to do here on earth. I don’t want us when we reach heaven to be told that… you had this soul to bring to the kingdom and now it is perishing…. NO!!! I want a situation whereby, we will all be commended by God for a work well done “Good and faithful servant….” That will be my joy when we will all be gathered together to celebrate our Victory.
This is a call I am making to you who is reading this blog, don’t just benefit, inform your friends, family and everyone else and let us help each other in this journey of faith till we reach our heavenly home.
Yours in Christ’s vineyard,
Dennis.
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