Search!

Search!

With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. Isaiah 26:9 NKJV

As always, seeking God is never a joint effort but a personal experience. It is not a journey for 'us' but a journey of one with God. God does not call a multitude; He calls that one man who will impact the multitude, but He deals with that one man in the secret place, behind closed doors, away from prying eyes and inquisitive minds or doubtful haters. God doesn't need to convince the world; his acts and dealings with man will speak at the right time.

For the man here in today's extract, there is an understanding of the One who is calling. The writer here knew God and was going to give up anything, as long as he was able to see God. The question is: what is my most important life consideration? Is it power, is it possessions, is it position? What keeps my attention? Is it human applause or popular opinion? No matter what my response is right now, the truth is, this is a question that my life is answering right now. When I wake up in the morning, what are my priorities? All through the day, what are my thought-investments? What do I devote time and energy to? 

The writer here has made God his one and only pursuit, whether it was daytime or night. Do I have compartments where I have limited God to, or does He control and dictate the totality of my life? You see, God is God, not because I say so, but because He is, no matter what my opinion is. He is in charge of all the earth, no matter what the physical realities look like now. He is both Judge and Advocate, and He will judge the earth. Whilst I still have time, I must submit to His Lordship and Authority. A time is coming when the power to choose Him will be taken away, and all knees will bow to his judgment. You can do it now willingly. The only other option isn't worth considering. His time of favour is here.

In Secret!

In Secret!

But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: Matthew 6:3 KJV

The secret to a blessed life is always in that hidden place, beyond prying eyes or inquisitive minds. It must be as personal as your left hand not knowing what your right hand is doing. Sounds almost impossible since both hands belong to the same body taking the decision, but with God, the secret to all of His treasures is in the knowledge of how he works and what he blesses. Not everything that the world applauds is His pleasure; you get to know what he likes by seeking out what He wants from you and doing it the way He directs. 

The decision to impact or bless lives is first personal. I am yet to see where God forces a person against the exercise of his/her free will. The decision to impact or bless lives is also based on knowledge. How would I know how to live right if I do not seek out the right kind of knowledge from the One who knows all things? And when I have sought and found it, I must seek to obey the instructions that come with that knowledge.

So, whatever it is my hands find to do, I must be conscious of the HOW and the WHY behind those actions. The glory of God and the promotion of who He is must underpin the HOW and the WHY behind what I do. As I seek to impact lives, I must not do it for selfish motives or the praise of men. These are temporary and of no eternal value. Doing things God's way is the only way that guarantees that all will end well and that eternal rewards wait at the end of the endeavour. You do not want to get to the end of your life and discover that you had pursued the wrong things. His time of favour is here.

Process!

Process!

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV

For every experience God allows me to undergo, there is adequate provision and support for me to stand up under it and be victorious at the end. For all of us, the destination is the same but the journey and the scenery along the way will not be the same. For others such as John the Baptist, he was beheaded for speaking the truth to power. For Paul here, there had to be a thorn in his flesh to remind him to constantly depend on God. 2 different physical ends, but there is no doubt that God was glorified through the lives of both of them. 

The law of demand and supply, similar to economics, also applies here. For all who want to amount to anything in the hands of God, you have got to seek God out and tap into his never-ending supply. For all who will impact this generation for God, what you need isn't so much about what you are but how much of God you allow to flow out of you. What makes me a blessing has nothing to do with what I do but the One who empowers me to do all I do. That is so clear in today's extract: I can do my best by my own strength, but it will not amount to much unless God is backing me up.

And the response of Paul is instructive: I will keep highlighting my weaknesses, so that more of God's power will be made manifest in me. The more of God is promoted in and through me, the more of God is known. That is the foundation for impact and the fuel of manifestation in any generation. The audience God sends you to belongs to Him; the message that will impact lives belongs to Him; even the vessel that is to be used belongs to Him; where then is the place for pride or a sense of importance? I depend on God for all I hope to become and I depend on Him for daily sustenance so I can in turn flow out with the resources that this generation needs. His time of favour is here.

On Top!

On Top!

Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome (master) evil with good. Romans 12:21 AMPC

The heart's focus helps to make daily choices. Daily choices lead to lifestyle choices. Lifestyle choices lead to eternal destinies. Everything that is of eternal value starts with an understanding of the things not mostly seen or tangible: a commitment to do good, to obey God, to love other people, to serve as best as you can. None of these decisions can be 'seen' or 'touched', but there is no doubt that a life with all the above in place will always stand out.

You do not stumble upon a Godly decision by error. It is the product of a consistent lifestyle of seeking to know God's mind on any matter and being careful to obey. Today's extract charges us not to be overcome by evil. The only way this works is to be so full of good that evil has no place in you. Output is always a function of input; you cannot shortchange or game the process. With God, being smart means nothing if it does not result in a life that blesses other people.

If I will overcome evil with good, I must know and have good in me. God alone is the One called good; no man by himself is able to sustain much good. Life will deal you all sorts of hands; it will serve up all sorts of experiences, but the one thing I must keep doing is seeking good. How can I do this: it is by knowing and following the one called Good. You see, nothing can sustain good like Good Himself. He is the One who supplies strength in the face of pressure; he gives grace in the face of grave pain. If I do not have Him, I may not last the distance. 

As I submit to God, I become a master of my emotions. I may not be able to control the situation, but I can control how I react. By submitting to God, I become a master of situations and circumstances. That is the secret to mastering evil with good. So, who is the master? Who are you submitting to? When pressure comes, what flows out of you? Questions, with answers that will reverberate through eternity. His time of favour is here.

Not Condemned!

Not Condemned!

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:17 KJV

Let's place today's extract in the right context. From Biblical history, there appears to have been several dispensations on record: there was an age of complete good, the dispensation of sin, with the knowledge of good and evil; the dispensation of the law, the silent years and of course, the dispensation of grace. In all of these dispensations, we see God's hands moving through the times, working in the lives of the people in these dispensations, proving His power and wisdom even in the face of their limitations. 

In all the dispensations, one thing remains clear: the standard of God remained the same. The wages of sin has always been and still remains death. That principle applied to Adam and Cain, as well as to Achan at Jericho, to Daniel and the 3 Hebrew boys as well as Israel and Judah in exile, to Judas Iscariot and to our own generation also. It really doesn't matter what popular opinion is or what people have generally come to accept as the norm. If God didn't excuse a thing then, nothing now would change His mind.

However, this is where the greatest gift given makes a difference. The standard is holiness, but no one could achieve it by self-discipline or labour, so the Son was sent. It was God showing his mercy, but also his judgment at the same time. He was sending out the only channel of salvation for the whole world, but He was also reminding the whole world that this same channel would be the basis for judgement. Think of it this way: the gift is given to remind man that he had lost his way and needed to return to his maker. The gift is the way back to the maker. All who accept the gift are reconciled to God. Of course, the opposite would also be true. If I reject the gift, I simply tell the giver that I do not need his gift and can take care of myself. 

God's purpose in sending the Son was to draw the world back to Himself. Sin had done extensive damage; in fact, sin had done eternal damage. But through the Son, we have all been given a way back to God. The law of Moses and other dispensations could not address the issue of sin, because they could not address the foundation of sin. But the blood of Jesus goes to the heart of the matter, touching the core of our nature and dealing with the roots of sin. That is why the two words: salvation and condemnation are mentioned in the same verse above. It all depends on what your response to the gift is. God would not force Himself on you; your response to Him must come from your heart. He is waiting on you; in fact, eternity is waiting on your decision. His time of favour is here.

Eternal Effects!

Eternal Effects!

O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever! 1 Chronicles 16:34 AMPC

Let's put today's extract in the right context. Just a few months earlier, David had carelessly placed the ark of God, recovered from the Philistines, on a new cart driven by oxen, and tried to bring it into Jerusalem. We all know how that went. The oxen stumbled, a man reached out his hand to 'help' the ark, and God struck the man dead. Of course, the journey couldn't continue and Obed-Edom became the unwilling recipient of the ark of God. Fortunately, the man knew and understood what he needed to do, and he ended up being amazingly blessed. In this, leasons abound. When you are dealing with God, ignorance of who He is and demands can be fatal. You cannot drag God down to your level; you must rise up to his standard if you will enjoy all He is and has.

Daivd knew he had done wrong and he took steps to remedy it. He ensured the rightful people were assigned to carry the ark, and he prepared a special place for the ark to dwell. Anyone who carries the Presence of God does not live anyhow or carelessly. God is a Holy God, and he DOES NOT toy or excuse sin. No matter the laxity or freedom any generation assumes is its, it must remember: God is the same yesterday, today and forever. If he calls something wrong then, my opinion wouldn't count now. It will still be wrong if it is wrong.

David had learnt his lessons. In bringing in the ark, he appointed praise leaders and singers and they sang and danced before the Lord. Today's extract is part of that song. No matter the evil going on in the world, God is good. His nature and person is good. The fall of man has introduced evil to the earth, but God continues to shine through the darkness and hurt. Is my life a vessel through which God is shining? David also speaks about the mercy and loving kindness of God as being eternal. As you look through your life, wouldn't you see instances that convince you that you are alive simply because God made it so? We all have had earth-moving experiences, which could have taken the lives of other people, but here we are, alive. It is never about what we have done, but about who God is. David understood this; it is no wonder he is called 'a man after God's heart'. 

Praise must be a natural outflow from a life that knows what it has received isn't from merit but from grace. And it does not matter whether other people see it the same way; David's wife despised him when she saw him dancing with all his might before the Lord and she despised him in her heart. Nobody was there but the God who sees all judged and she ended up barren all her life. Don't live to please people; strive to please God. He is the One who has eternity in His hands. All who come to Him enjoy all He is and has. Like David, let us learn about who God is and what he has done. The natural output will always be praise and thanksgiving. Don't forget: God is eternal. It doesn't just end down here; all of life is a preparation for the real life, which is eternal life. His time of favour is here.

Password!

Password!

You can pass through his open gates with the password of praise. Come right into his presence with thanksgiving. Come bring your thank offering to him and affectionately bless his beautiful name! Psalms 100:4 TPT

Fairly long piece, but the lessons are important. In placing today's extract in the right context, we need to cast an eye over the tabernacle that God commanded Moses to build. Moses was specifically instructed to ensure that he followed the exact pattern as he had been shown. Recall this: They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the tabernacle, God gave him this warning: "Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain". Hebrews 8:5 NLT. 

What was the pattern? First, there was a need for God to reveal his Presence, Power and Potency, and what better way for him to show himself to his people than through a system of worship? Note: God is not limited to walls, but He wants to reveal Himself. The whole essence of worship is to meet with God. If all I do is enjoy songs and melody, without a corresponding experience of the power and presence of the One who makes it worth it, then I have just wasted my time. 

Secondly, there is a structure and process and order to how things are done: looks like a two-part worship process: with praise preceding worship. The outer court was the place of praise and the inner courts was the place of worship, consecration and service. You had to enter into the outer courts through gates, which were always open. Funnily, a password is mentioned. It tells me that being present in the location of the temple does not guarantee you an experience of the God of the temple. You have to know and use the password to get access into His presence, and that is Praise. That outer court is a place where you lay yourself bare before God, confessing your sins and humbling your heart before God. You cannot access the inner courts with sin in your heart. The penalty for such at the time was death.

And then comes the approach right into his presence. Thanksgiving for all He has done and the new life He has given become the basis of this experience. In the inner courts, the table of showbread, the altar of incense and the golden lampstand all point to the Word of God, his Presence and a reminder of His holiness. You cannot but be humbled by that experience. 

Could it be that the reason why we do not have the regular demonstration of God's power is because we have lost our awe of Him? We come now to show off our gifts, forgetting that all we are and have come from Him. We come out of a sense of duty or boredom, just looking forward to the end so we can go about our daily life. We must go back to God and ask Him to reveal Himself again to us. If God were to deal with man as He dealt with Israel in the old testament, I wonder how many of us would be alive to this day. 

As we live our lives from day to day, let us be reminded: God has not changed. If this pattern is the heavenly format, the standards have not changed. Let us return to God and learn his pattern for worship and praise. He wants to show Himself strong in our lives but we must let Him. Jesus is the embodiment of all that the old tabernacle was: He is the Gate; He is the door; He is the Lamb of sacrifice that has cleansed us from our sins; He is the Word of God; He is the Light and the Lamp; and He is the access into the Holy of Holies, where God waits for us. What else is left? Why would we want to do church and leave Him out? His time of favour is here.