Month: March 2013

Morning Dew

 

Key Passage: Galatians 6: 11-17

 

Key Text: Galatians 6: 14 – “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

 

Nobody actually knows what happened on the day after Jesus was crucified. It must have been a very silent day and for the disciples a solemn one. We know it was a Sabbath day, so they were not at work, so they must have had time to really reflect and consider what had just happened. I wonder if they were just in shock and horror of the brutal way their leader was killed. I wonder if they just sat there in fear, not knowing if the Pharisees and Sadducees we were going to come after them next. Perhaps they began to doubt that Jesus was truly the Messiah. Why would He die like that? I am not sure they had time to contemplate all that Jesus said to them and the Torah and the Prophets they had studied, to find meaning in their predicament. Today, let me show you some vignettes of the cross from the bible, so that whoever is in doubt that this was an orchestration of God, would finally have to surrender and accept that God was at work even as Christ was being crucified.

Let’s go right to the beginnings and see the creation of man. In Genesis 2:21-22 we read “So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.”  This is one the first pictures of the cross we see in the bible. How God put Adam to sleep and out of his side He pulled out a rib and formed the woman and brought her to Adam. God put Jesus to a deep sleep and out of His side flowed blood and water, which we have now learnt was the birthing of the church, which is the bride of Christ, much like Eve was the wife of Adam.

Moving on in Genesis 22, we read the account of God telling Abraham to take Isaac up a specific mountain range and offer his only son as a sacrifice to God. We see that as Abraham went up the mount of Moriah, his son Isaac asked him about the lamb for the offering and Abraham answered that God himself will provide the lamb. Abraham bound Isaac up and was laid him on the wood on the alter and was about to plunge the knife into him, when God stopped him and said he should not offer Isaac, instead God showed him a ram with its head caught in a thicket, and asked Abraham to offer that instead of his son. Jesus said in John 8:56 – “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” God told Abraham to go up to the mount of Moriah, we understand that this is the same mountain range on which Calvary stands and Jesus was crucified. Isaac was Abraham’s loved child, so is Jesus. Abraham was to offer him up as a sacrifice, God offered His son up for the redemption and salvation of man. Finally the ram with its head caught in a thicket, is the picture of Jesus with the crown of thorns on His head, bound by God to suffer for humanity. He was our replacement. Abraham saw this and rejoiced. This was another vignette of the awesome cross of Jesus Christ.

Next we consider the deliverance of Israel from Egypt and the night we now know as the Passover night. God told Moses to tell the Israelites to take a lamb and kill it at twilight and put its blood on the lintel and door posts of their houses and then eat the lamb with unleavened bread that same night. God told them that the Angel of death will pass through the land of Egypt killing all the first borns of Egypt, both man and beast, but the angel of death will Passover the homes of the Israelites where the blood has been applied. This event is loaded will pictures of the cross and the redemption and deliverance of mankind from the power and dominion of Satan. The Lamb is a picture of Christ. Pharaoh is a picture of Satan. Egypt is a picture of the world of sin. But just consider this simple truth. If you were to join the bloodstains on the doorposts with one straight line, and then join the blood on the lintel with another straight line, you would have a cross. Was this a coincidence or God speaking?

Time and space will not allow me to write on the gallows of Haman, built to destroy Mordecai the Jew, but became the place Haman was hung and met his end; the death of Samson between the two pillars of the Philistine temple and the killing of all the Lords of the Philistine in his death; The Tree of Life; The Tree that Moses put into the bitter waters of Marah to make it sweet; The clothing God made for Adam and Eve, immediately after they sinned; The curse God placed on the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring;  he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel”  Jesus is the seed of the woman, and the serpent bruised His heel by putting Him on the Cross, but on that same Cross, Jesus crushed the head of the serpent , Satan; The striking of the Rock to bring forth water in the wilderness; The story of Jonah in the belly of a whale for three days and three nights; the Esther fast for three days and nights to deliver the Jews from Haman’s plot to destroy them; The day of Atonement in the book of Leviticus and the high Priest entering the Holy of Holies with the blood; and so much more.

 But I will close today’s reflection on the Brazen serpent on a pole; the people of God began complaining and grumbling against God and Moses and God sent serpents among them and the serpents began to bite them and some of them died. God then told Moses to make a brazen serpent and put in on a pole and whoever looked at it will be healed.

We all have been in some way or another been bitten by the Serpent, Satan and have all fallen short of the glory of God, but God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be saved by His righteousness. This is a clear picture of the cross, the Brazen Serpent on a pole is a picture of Jesus on the cross, taking upon Himself the sinfulness of man, and anyone who looks at the cross and believes will be saved in that instant. Jesus referred to this event in John 3:14-15 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

Need I say more!

 

Let’s Pray: Father God, your word tells us “the fool has said in his heart there is no God”. Help us not to be fools, but wise by believing the scriptures and submitting our lives to serving the living God. Again today, I simply want to say Lord I believe. I believe in Jesus Christ. I believe He is God’s only Son. I believe He came and died on the cross. I believe He died my death and gave me His life. I believe He rose from the dead. I believe He ascended into Heaven. I believe He is seated at your right hand. I believe He will come again. I believe He has prepared a place for me in heaven. I believe I will spend eternity with Him. I believe He has made me your son too. I believe I believe. In Jesus name. Amen.

Morning Dew

 

Key Passage:

1 Corinthians 1:18-25 –For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

 

Key Text:

1 Corinthians 1: 23 – “but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,”

 

The only wise God, decided in eternity past, before the foundations of the earth, that He would redeem man, through a most unusual way. The cross. Today the message of the cross deserves a special revisit and hopefully a fresh apprehension. Many have had the opportunity to review the events of the cross and more precisely the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and some how fail to see the message and dismiss it as a mere event in history, that has no real significance in human destiny. What a tragedy!

In our text today, God clearly had an agenda in the message of the cross, apart from it being the only message through which man can be saved (because until a man acquiesces at the cross, and completely surrenders himself, he can never really accept the salvation God provides), God also clearly intends to employ the message of the cross to destroy or dismantle the wisdom of the wise and thwart the discernment of the discerning.

The message of the cross, the message that Jesus Christ, the Righteous, the sinless, the holy, the pure and the Son of God was crucified and died this ignoble way, as a substitute for man, is a stumbling block to the Jews. The Jews always look for a sign. They could not understand the event or get past the fact that the Messiah would die on a cross. For them this was unthinkable. It was not what they anticipated.

They were looking for a sign. A wonder. An act of power. They wanted a Messiah that would ride into town Cavalry style, overthrow the Romans, set up His throne and reign over them. They could not see God’s wisdom of God or the sign and wonder of God. They could not understand that instead of a cavalry, it was Calvary. They missed the ultimate act of God’s power, which is to humble himself to the point of death, even the death of a cross.

The Greeks on the other hand, were philosophical and logical and always looked to the power of reason to relate to anything. So the cross was just simple foolishness to them. In fact the word they used was moronic. It did not make sense, so they just laughed at the thought of salvation coming through a condemned man who could not save himself. I can just imagine some high intellectual saying words like, absurd, preposterous, ludicrous, laughable, comical, and foolish. But the joke was really on them, as they could not understand the wisdom of God.

At the centre of the message of the cross is this simple fact; man has sinned and become a condemned, and there is no way man can make himself good ever again, man is completely depraved in his heart and mind, so it would take an intervention of God to redeem and save man. God chose to do this by entering the world of man as man, then going to the cross to suffer the punishment and die the death apportioned for man, so that in His just way, He can also grant man His forgiveness and His righteousness, since He has also borne their sins and sinfulness and taken the full weight of the punishment and judgement man deserved.

This is not the human rational way of solving problems. Yet it is a supreme demonstration of the superiority of God’s wisdom. There fore, if one is to become wise, one has to become a fool. And if one thinks himself wise, then he is actually a fool. Because, the message of the cross is both the power of God and the wisdom of God.

We all must come to the place, where we see with our naked eyes, our sheer hopelessness and helplessness, we must agree that we cannot save ourselves and we can never attain the righteousness of God by our own efforts and then this reality must force us to drop down on our knees, abandon all our self saving plans and look at the crucified Christ and somehow submit and trust that what He did, He did for you and I, and, recognise that that is all that is needed, then stretch out our hands and fully accept God’s provision of God’s grace and mercy and ask for the full provision of this vicarious act to be released to us. Only then can you my friend be saved and redeemed. Only then can you become wise. Only then can you understand and see the sign.

Let’Pray: Father God, words fail me at this time as I once again look upon the cross of Jesus Christ and behold the incredible, incandescent light that shines from it. I am simply in awe of your wisdom and I once again submit myself to You and Your mercy. And I shout Lord, I believe. I believe that Jesus Christ came in the flesh as man and died on the cross for me. I believe that He died my death and through His death He released His life to me. I believe He rose from the dead. I believe He justified me by His resurrection. I believe my sins are forgiven and wiped away by His shed blood. I believe He has made me a child of God. I believe Lord and I thank You so much. In Jesus name I pray.  Amen.

 

Morning Dew

 

Key Passage: Luke 21: 28-40

 

Key text: Matthew 21:40 – “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

 

 I love the ecstatic shouts and noises that follow a goal being scored by my favourite team. Nothing beats a live performance. If you have never seen a live performance on stage, I recommend it. There is something about the ambience, the energy in the air and the sheer anticipation, that you are viewing history right there.

The entry of Jesus into Jerusalem was God orchestrating a live event that would be remembered all through time. God was behind the entire proceeding and somehow, it would not have been complete if the crowds did not show up to welcome the King into his city. The King of kings was entering into His city and there would be no welcome party? Unthinkable. So God made sure that there were enough people in Jerusalem that day to give the King a befitting welcome.

The loud praise, proclamation and adulation from the people really made the scribes and the Pharisees very angry and they asked Jesus to shut them up. Jesus answer was something like, ‘Interesting, even if they don’t praise me and honour me, even the stones here will shout out and start praising me.’

The issue here is that we must recognise that whilst we must always praise God, there are times when we cannot afford to hold back praise at all, because God will raise others who would praise Him instead of us at that moment. If God can’t find other humans, then something else will take our place in praising Him, even lifeless stones and rocks will start crying out and worshipping him. Much like the star footballer scoring a goal and there is no ecstatic, euphoric response from a crowd, or one that comes when the moment has passed.  Some things cannot wait. ( I actually believe that creation wakes up to the praises of God, the birds, trees, plants etc. every living thing praise the Lord.)

God must be praised, whether things are going well or not, but there are moments, when we MUST praise Him. Where we cannot wait to do it later. Such was this moment in history. The King was entering His city. He just had to be praised.

What has He just done around you? Gave you a job? Praise Him now! Just gave you a child! Praise Him now! Just healed you? Praise Him! Just rescued you? Praise Him now! Has He just saved someone around you? Praise Him now! Has He blessed you with a spouse? Praise Him now!

Don’t let a rock or stone sing to our Lord, when you can. No rock should sing in your place. I would not allow the rock to take my place in shouting, singing and praising the Lord.

Somebody shout hallelujah and sing a new song unto Him who alone is worthy of all praise.

 

Let’s Pray: Father God let me never pass up an opportunity to praise and worship you. Let me praise you when it is right and when it is appropriate. Let me praise you at all times, but let me never miss the moments that you demand and call for praise. Those moments that heaven is waiting to hear praise on the earth. Let me be ready and present and able at those times. In Jesus name. Amen.

 

Morning Dew

Key Passage: Matthew 21:1-3

Key Text: Matthew 21: 3 – “If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, The Lord needs them, and he will send them at once.”

Have you ever looked at something and wondered what its function is. You are looking at it and wonder if it is not just a useless item occupying space. I sometimes wonder about something’s. I have a plot of land somewhere in the swamps and every time I visit it, I find that it is overgrown with a very healthy looking reeds and grass. I just wonder, why this grass? What is its use? I once was in a Mediterranean country and went out to the sea in a boat. We went so far that there was no land in sight in any direction. At this point I asked God ‘why so much water?’

In our text today, Jesus sent His disciples into the city to bring to Him a donkey and its foal. He said they would be tied and they should loose them and bring them to Him, and if anyone should ask what they were doing, they should say “The Lord needs them”. The gospel of Mark, tells us that no one has ever sat on the colt. I’m sure there are people who would be wondering what was the use of this tied up donkey’s colt. They may have even thought it was sick, useless or even just unable to serve.

The bible teaches us Colossians 1:16, ‘For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” This simple verse tells that there is nothing useless. All things are useful to God. You are not useless. You were created for a godly purpose. Though no one had ever ridden this donkey, he was reserved for a very special purpose. To carry the Lord into Jerusalem. This was a special donkey, destined to carry the King of Kings. God will use you for a special purpose in Jesus name.

Jesus asked that the donkey be loosed and brought to Him. God will loose you from all entanglements and bondages, so you can serve Him. He will make His claim over your life and destiny. He said His disciples should tell anyone that tries to stop them loosing the donkeys, that “The Lord has need of them”. God will answer all who oppose you. He will let them know He is the Lord and He has need of you.

Later on in the same chapter we read that when they brought the donkey to the Lord, His disciples took off their clothes and put them on the donkey and the Lord sat on it. Then people spread their clothes and palm branches on the street and were shouting Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! Jesus sat on the donkey. What must that feel like, for God to sit on one? I don’t want to imagine the feeling. But I can say one thing; there must have been some serious deposits into that donkey. Healing, grace, favour, wealth etc etc. The donkey must have felt really honoured and privileged to be the one carrying the Lord into Jerusalem. This is just so funny, because many ministers receive a lot of adulation and honour from men, but quite honestly, this is not our to enjoy, they are for the Lord that we carry and it is because of Him that there is any significance in any of our lives.

Today God is still looking for ‘donkeys’, men and women He who would volunteer and allow Him to use them to move into the hearts of other men and women. Are you ready to be a donkey for the Lord?

The Lord has need of you!

 

Let’s Pray: Father God, the creator of the heavens and earth. I want to be a donkey for you. Lord Jesus I was created for your glory and for your service. Come and sit on me and ride on me to reach the hearts of men for your Kingdom and names sake. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

 

 

Morning Dew

 

Key Passage: Matthew 21: 1-17

 

Key Text: Matthew 21:15 – “Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.”

 

God has a distinct way He speaks and acts and His signature can be discerned throughout history.

This week as we focus our attention on the Passion Week, I want to look at some of the not often spoken of events that happened this week. It is so instructive to study and see what some of these activities were. Today I want to look at Jesus entry in Jerusalem on a donkey. Why did the King of Kings choose such a lowly animal to enter Jerusalem with?

To really understand this, one would need to go into the Old Testament and examine the inauguration of another king. In 1 Kings 1, we read the story of David in his old age and last days on earth. His son Adionijah, the son of Haggith, the younger brother of Absalom, decided he would cease the throne.  The Bible says it like this; “.Now, Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king. And he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.” He colluded with Joab the head of the army and Abiathar the priest and seemed to have executed a perfect coup. But David’s long time friend and prophet, Nathan went and told Bathsheba the mother of Solomon that her life and her son’s life were in danger and she needed to go and see David quickly, to let him know what Adonijah had done.

When David heard, his response and instructions on the issue were quite revealing. And the king said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon. 34 And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet there anoint him king over Israel. Then blow the trumpet and say, Long live King Solomon! 35 You shall then come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, for he shall be king in my place. And I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.”

David could have asked Solomon to be put on one of his finest chariots, get the entire special forces to accompany him and all the priest in ceremonial outfits to counter what Adonijah had done. Instead he chose his mule or donkey and asked for a very simple procession to Gihon.

Adonijah was a self-appointed, self-proclaimed king. Solomon was the God appointed, God proclaimed king. The image of the mule or donkey had to do with humility and servant hood, contrasted with the image of chariots and horses, which speaks of dominion and oppression.

Solomon was taking to Gihon, whilst Adonijah went to the Stone of Zeholeth by En-Rogel. The Stone of Zeholeth, also means the serpent’s stone, an image of Satan and rebellion, whist Gihon means spring of grace, which is an image of God and Christ.

The second area of the old testament that helps us understand the significance of Jesus coming into Jerusalem on a donkey, can be found in Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey”. This is one of the clearest prophecies about the person of Jesus Christ and the Jews in Jerusalem on that day, were not lost on the importance of the ‘King on the donkey’.

The donkey was a sign of His humility. The donkey was a sign of His servant hood. It was also a statement that though there is a self appointed king, in this case Herod, who is a type of Adonijah; He is the God appointed and God proclaimed King like Solomon; And He is not an oppressor, but a servant leader, who will bear the burdens of the people. 

This is why as Jesus was coming into Jerusalem; the people began to shout

 

“Hosanna to the Son of David!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest!”

 

They were saying our king please come and save us now!! They knew this was the promised Messiah and the promised deliverer. But the donkey he rode on was the real proof that He was the one.

God chooses the humble!!

 

Let’s pray: Dear Father, thank you for opening my eyes to see the Messiah. Thank you for letting me know Jesus your son. I ask you to please empower me to be humble lowly like the Lord Jesus. Help me to abhor all forms of self-appointment and self-proclamation. Father, I need you grace to be who you have called me to be. I want to be like my king on a donkey, serving humanity and bearing my brothers burdens. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. 

Morning Dew

 

Key Passage: 1 Chronicles 4:9-10

 

Key Text: 1 Chronicles 4;10 – “Jabez called upon the God of Israel,”

 

People are sometimes limited by the definitions of others. In other words, some people cannot rise above the spoken words of others about them. Don’t misunderstand me. These spoken words can be so powerful, that it literally controls the person’s destiny. If these words were spoken by people in authority over that person, they can be even more powerful. Parents, teachers, bosses, older siblings, legal guardians, pastors and clergymen fall into this category. So we all ought to be considerate and measured before we pronounce a word over anyone to define them. These words could make or break a human being. There is a very interesting passage in the book of Genesis, where God created the animals and brought them to Adam to name them, and whatever he called them, that was their name. (Genesis 2:19).

Jabez found himself in such a situation. His mother bore him in pain and so gave him the name Jabez, meaning ‘He would cause pain’. Imagine living with such a name and curse over your life. That such person would always cause pain. This is a serious limitation that can totally make nonsense of all Jabez’s attempt to do anything good. But Jabez did not accept his fate and say que sara sara (what will be will be). He refused to be limited by the words of men over his life. He sought the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel.

The bible captures the prayer of Jabez in its entirety. Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, ‘Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!’ And God granted what he asked.

He cried out to God. First point here is never look to man to change your destiny. Only God can make you who He wants you to be. Men have used this lack of knowledge to manipulate and control other men for ages. God is our creator and He is our maker. He is also the owner of our destinies and futures. So please learn from Jabez, cry out to God, not man.

He asked God for specific things; That God will bless him. What He was asking for was that God will speak another word over his life. Blessings are words, so are curses. The great mystery here is that the power of the blessing is greater than the power of the curse. Even if someone curses you and God blesses you, the curse will turn to a blessing. The blessing swallows up the curse.

He asked God to enlarge his territory or border. Jabez had seen that the word spoken by his mother had brought a limitation to his life. He knew he could do more, but somehow felt constrained under the pressure of his name. Limitation is a very demonic thing. It robs people of their potential and purpose. It makes dwarfs of giants. Jabez asked the only person who can change things to move the lines of his borders outwards and enlarge them. The bible says in Psalm 16:6, “ “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places, behold I have a good inheritance.”

He asked for God’s hand to be upon him. He requested the presence and backing of God for his life. The bible tells us, ‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’

Lastly, he asked God to keep him from harm so that it would not cause him pain. Only God knows how much pain Jabez had to bear before getting to this point in his life? But Jabez was sick and tired of pain, so he asked God to keep him from evil and harm. He asked that God would make him secure. If he did not experience harm or pain, he would not cause pain to others. Hurt people, hurt others. So in this prayer, he showed a deep understanding. If evil does not come his way, he cannot be a giver of evil. So the effect of the name, “Pain” will never materialise.

The bible tells us God granted him what he requested. Jabez was a more honourable man that all his brothers. Jabez got the needed breakthrough to set him apart in a generation. He spoke to God and God sorted him out.

Today, you may be in a similar position. You are plagued by disaster and you just can’t seem to get things working for you. Its time you did what Jabez did. Cry out to God and ask Him to change your situation. God always answers. He is Omnipotent and kind.

Let’s Pray: Father God, I thank you for the story of Jabez. It is a big encouragement to me. I ask you today to please bless me. Pronounce your blessings on my life. Thank you for the promise, that I am blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. Father, enlarge my coast, my territory. Give me more. Father, let your hand be upon me. Back me up and empower me with your Holy Spirit to succeed. Lastly father, keep harm and evil away from me and don’t let me cause anyone pain. Let me be a person of blessing and joy. Let people experience your goodness through me. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Morning Dew

 

Key Passage: Proverbs 3:9-10

 

Key Text: Proverbs 3:10 – “then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.”

 

Honour is a word often misunderstood, misapplied and sometimes misplaced. People who don’t deserve honour are honoured. In Nigeria, there is a real thirst and craze for honour. People pay to be honoured and therefore create a mockery of the word. Biblical honour involved not just respecting or holding someone in high esteem, but much more. It involves giving. Giving of preferences and giving of substances. A person who is honoured is given something by the person honouring him. That’s how it works in God’s kingdom.

Today’s passage instructs us to honour the Lord with our wealth and with the first fruits of all our increase. Let me quickly say here, that this passage could be subject to abuse by Church leaders, who want to fleece the people of God. So they make the demands on the people as if it is compulsory. It is not compulsory, but wise to do. If you decide to honour someone, then you also are inviting that person’s honour into your life.

Scripture speaks about honouring God in many ways, but this issue of the first fruit is most likely a very controversial one. To honour God with our wealth is to esteem God through our giving and what better way to show this by giving God your first fruits.
God is into honour. He is BIG on honour and we need to know this. The issue with Cain and Abel came from this issue. Cain brought the produce of his field and Abel brought some of the first born of his flock.  The key word here is first. Who should get the first cut?

As an African, we have a practice in our tradition that made me understand the concept of first fruits a bit better. Once you get your first job and you earn your first pay or salary, it is your responsibility as a well brought up child to bring your whole salary to your parents and present it to them. They in turn divide it up and share among all the elders of the family. (They give you just a small bit to tide you over till the next month). All the elders are now compelled to pray for you that you would be a success. I wonder where they got that from?

God commanded us to “Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” You must give to your parents if you honour them. But honouring God is everything. We must see this from His perspective. Please let me take you to a passage of scripture that shows how God views honour and perhaps, we could all gain a heart of understanding. In Malachi 1:6- 9, God said;

“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you,

O priests, who despise my name. But you say, How have we despised your name? 7 By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, How have we polluted you? By saying that the Lord’s table may be despised. 8 When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil?

Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts. 9 And now entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will he show favor to any of you? says the Lord of hosts.”

This scripture is quite revealing. God asked the questions, If I am a Father and Master where is My Honour? He went on to say, that those who offer lame animals to Him, would they dare offer such to their temporal rulers, their governors etc? So we see that God also looks at the quality of our gifts to Him. We need to think more clearly about what we give to God. Its all about honour.

Now the bible promises that those who honour God with their wealth and first fruits, will have their barns full and their vats overflowing with new wine.

If you decide to honour God in this way, God will make sure you are not broke or in dire need and also, He would ensure nothing will rob you of your joy.

Three years ago, I was about to turn 50 and I decided to honour God with my first salary of the year. That was at the end of January. On the 1^st of February, just a week to my 50^th birthday, I was coming back from out of town on a speaking engagement, when my 4WD vehicle somersaulted and crashed. We were four in the vehicle and no one was even slightly injured, the jeep was a write off. God saved our lives. But I could not help but relate this escape to the first fruits I gave just a week before. Instead of mourning we had joy and that birthday was gloriously celebrated.

God is into honour and He has promised to honour those who honour Him.

 

Let’s pray: Father God, I thank you for opening my eyes to the honour issue. Help me to be careful about who and what I honour. Also help me to honour you with my first fruits and my wealth. Help me to remember that this comes with a promise, much the same way that honouring my parents comes with a promise. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Morning Dew

Key Passage: Judges 20

Key Text: Judges 20:18 – The Lord said, “Judah first!”

 

 

God is a Master strategist and a Master planner. Everything He does has significance even sometimes beyond the obvious. The Jewish rabbis always tell us that the word of God has many layers and we should try to understand the scriptures on as many layers as we can understand. Like most African names, there are deep meanings behind biblical names and somehow, God superintends the names of biblical characters, so their names reflect something of God’s destiny over them. God changed the name of Abram to Abraham; from exalted father to father of a multitude.

Today’s passage reveals something quite profound and I feel is a strong direction on how we conduct warfare and gain victory over the enemy every time. God is a Man of war and He has never lost a battle, so if we follow Him into battle, we can never be defeated. In arranging the tribes of Israel, he told Moses that the tribes are to be arranged in a specific order. In this order, Judah, under the banner of a Lion with Nashon as leader. Judah is not the firstborn of Jacob, but God placed him first. Why?

Judah is a combination of two words, the first part speaks of God and the second part is about praise. So in essence, Judah simply means God is to be praised. So God told Israel that in marching out or going into a battle, Judah must go up first. Praise to God must go up first. If you are going to be victorious, you must learn the act of praising God first.

In 2 Chronicles 20 we read the story of how the people of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir came against Jehoshaphat the king of Judah. Judah was outnumbered and there was fear in the camp, but God told them that He would give them victory. He gave them a simple instruction to let the singers and the musicians go ahead of the army. Once Isreal set the praise team loose and they began to worship God, God took up the battle and set ambushes against the enemies of Judah and they destroyed themselves, without Israel firing one arrow from their bows. They enemy completely obliterated themselves and Israel went in to the valley to collect the spoils. It took three whole days to collect the spoils. The valley was called the valley of Berachah, which means blessing. WOW!!!

Praise is a most powerful weapon in the hands of a believer to upstage and defeat the enemies of God in our lives. The bible says in Psalm 22:3 – ‘Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.’ God inhabits or dwells in the praises of His people. So whenever we start praising God, He comes down and when He comes down, well you know the devil is in big trouble.

In the book of Joshua, we see that God repeated this order again, when He instructed Joshua the general, to arrange the army in a specific order, with seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams horns or shofars leading the charge. They were to blow continually. It was when they blew these horns and the people shouted that the walls of Jericho fell down. Praise is powerful.

One last thing, praise is not just singing, though a lot of it is singing. Praise is confessions, proclamations, thanksgiving and declaring the truth about God and His attributes.

Praise is the breaker. It breaks open and releases God into the situation. That is why God said Judah First! Praise First!

Before you panic, Praise First. Before you Pray, Praise First. Before complain of grumble, Praise First. Before you accept the bad news, Praise First. Before you give up, Praise First. Before the test, interview etc, Praise First. Put Praise First and you would see God come through the door of Praise.

Judah First; Praise First or First Praise God. Have you tried Prayze?

 

Let us Prayze: Father God, You are awesome, all powerful, and incredible, You are so amazing. You are faithful, You are good and You are Kind. You are Holy, You are Just and You are Merciful. Father, You do all things well and You perfect all things that concern me. You are the Alpha and the Omega, The First and the Last. There is no one beside You. You are worthy of all honour, glory, power and praise. You alone are God and You alone deserve the glory. You are the God who never fails. You are the God of signs and wonders. You are the God who acts and no one can reverse it. You are too much. Father You make everything beautiful in its own time. Thank you for everything. In Jesus name I pray. Amen

Morning Dew

Key Passage: Isaiah 6:1-8

Key Text: Isaiah 6:8 – “Here I am! Send me.”

 

God creates for a purpose. Everything in His creation has a value linked to its preordained purpose. There is nothing useless, we just probably have not discovered the purpose of God for it. Into this thought, it has to be said that no one was created useless. God created every human being for a specific purpose. There are special purposes, that God has already created people to fulfil. There are breakthroughs in technology, science, medicine, sports arts, agriculture etc, waiting to be unravelled by the God appointed people.

There is no challenge human beings are facing that God has not endowed another human being to solve. Somehow, God always looks ahead, see the challenges humans will encounter and He would then create people fit for purpose, to meet the needs of that generation. Moses was created by God to deliver Israel from Egypt. Esther was created with such beauty, because God had preordained her to be a queen that would deliver the Jews in her generation. Paul the Apostle was created by God and endowed cerebrally to grapple with the church doctrines and write all those epistles. Einstein was created to solve the issue of relativity, Leonardo da Vinci, Archimedes, Newton, Gates, Jobs, Usain Bolt, Zuckerberg etc are all gifted by God to solve certain human issues.

Sometimes, we don’t even realise why we are on earth. We just drift and hope we would find fulfilment in time. God also allows us to choose what we want to do in this world, with the abilities and talents He has endowed us with. But there are those defining moments, when through providence and God’s immanence, we come face to face with a conundrum, a situation that demands a response, a great need, an unsolved problem. Whatever this thing is, we are so drawn by it and here we weigh the costs and gains of throwing our all into this purpose. We feel to walk away would be a denial of what we truly feel. These points of great personal conflict and inflection are points of what I would like to call “divine discovery”.

Today’s passage reveals one of those moments. In the life of Isaiah, the king Uzziah had just died, perhaps his mentor or uncle, he was now forced to look up and find some answers to the problems of Israel, at this point He saw a vision of heaven and God and came to a realisation his how unclean he was and how so small he was in the context of the Almighty God. God was looking for a messenger and a prophet and manoeuvred Isaiah into this position. Isaiah was confronted with a heavenly question? Whom shall I send, who will go for Us?”  God did not just say to Isaiah, I want you to be my prophet. He just let him hear His need?

Most times, God is looking for a volunteer for His purpose, but don’t think He does not understand who you are and what He has endowed you with. He simply wants the ‘penny to drop’, that you are the man or woman for the purpose. I think this has something to do with God’s desire that man would be responsible and would volunteer for His ways and purposes.

Isaiah’s response to God’s question is quite revealing. He said “Here am I! Send me.” Here am I? That means, he recognised he was actually made to fulfil this purpose, but perhaps was reluctant. He stepped us and released himself into the hands of God.

What has God called you to do? What are you hiding from? What burden is in your heart that you are hoping someone else will come and solve? What are you staring at that has been disturbing you, yet you are reluctant to act upon? How do you know that this is not a divine assignment? Step up to the plate and then you would most likely hear God’s call come through loud and clear. Many are called, but few are chosen, the bible says; but I have discovered to be the chosen of God, you must be willing to volunteer for those God appointed dilemmas and conundrums. Who knows what greatness awaits you as you volunteer?

Here am I Lord, Please send me!

Let’s pray: Thank you Father, for your love and grace. Thank you for giving me sensitivity and a heart to sense your burdens. Lord please give me the strength to recognise those things you have left for me to do for your Kingdom and help me to overcome my fears and volunteer for those roles. Lord, I pray today, Here I am, please send me. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. 

Morning Dew

Key Passage: Romans 8:31-39

Key Text: Romans 8:33 – “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.”

 

Courts are set up on earth to uphold justice. They are also ports of final recourse for the resolution of conflicts. They are quite intricate in their set up, and not being a member of the judiciary, I must not profess to know or understand the inner workings of the courts. But one thing I do know is if you are called to appear in court for an offence or an infraction of the law. You immediately become afraid and you begin to weigh up your chances. You would not want to be convicted, because you know the courts have the power to incarcerate you, punish you and even in extreme cases the courts have ordered people to be put to death. So courts are not places for triviality. Most of all, you do not underestimate the power of the judge in pronouncing a sentence. All the apparatus of government would back up that judge in his or her pronouncements.

Well, there is a court in heaven. I am sure the earthly courts are somewhat structured along the lines of the heavenly court. God is the judge. According to Hebrews 12:23, we see that God is the Judge of all. He is the Judge of all judges. He is the supreme head of all judiciaries, whether earthly or heavenly. Every judge will someday account to Him and come under His final judgement for their judgements on earth. So Judges beware!

Secondly, there is an accuser. The devil is the accuser of the brethren according to Revelations 12:10-11, we see that Satan accuses the saints before God day and night. Thirdly, we have the accused. We the children of God are the accused in the courts of heaven. We are in the ‘dock’ as they say. Our confession can either acquit us or make us guilty. Fourthly, we have the Advocate. Jesus is our Advocate, according to 1 John 2:1 – Jesus Christ is our Advocate. What is an advocate? If you are summoned to court for an offence, if you are wise, you go and employ the services of a reputable lawyer and let him stand before the court and argue your case for you. They are normally skilled in the law and understand the loopholes that can get you off the hook. So a case can be won or lost based on the quality of the lawyer or the advocate. Praise God, we have an Advocate, a most knowledgeable, experience and committed one, who knows the workings of the courts of heaven better than anyone.

Lastly we have the witnesses. In most cases, the Judge asks for witnesses to corroborate the case for the defence or the prosecutors. In the courts of heaven, the witnesses are other saints who have gone before us and can testify of what God has done for them. In Hebrews 12:1. We see that “we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.”

Now looking at this court, we can see that it is completely skewed in our favour. We are the only ones that can make the courts issue a verdict of guilty against us, when the enemy accuses us. The Judge is our Father, The Witnesses are our family members, The Administrator of The Heavenly Court is the Holy Spirit, our comforter and counsellor, and The Advocate or Chief Counsel is Jesus Himself. The Senior Advocate of Heaven (SAH) or Senior King’s Counsel (SKC). So the only one standing against us in heaven is the Devil. He is the one accusing us.  By the way the Police force of heaven are the angels of God and they are our ministers, sent to minister to us.

This is why our testimony is so vital and important. We must testify of what our Lord has done for us. We must speak in accordance with His accomplished works. We must point to Jesus as our advocate and let Him speak for us, if we do not know what to say. Our confession is very vital. That is why we must say what the word of God says about us, not what we feel we are? We are redeemed. We are saints. We are free from sin. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. We are forgiven. We are children of God. We are rich. We are healed. We are justified etc, etc.

One last thing, in court, there is what is called evidence. (The evidence of a crime committed or the evidence for proving that the accused is not guilty). Normally the Advocates present the evidence. In the courts of heaven, our Advocate, Jesus the Righteous, bears on His body the evidence for our acquittal. He shows the nails scars on His palms and feet. He shows the stripes on His back. He shows the marks of the crown of thorns on His head. He shows His pierced side. He carries all these evidences into court, so the Judge who is in the fullest knowledge and perfect understanding of these matters, will always pronounce us “NOT GUILTY”

Hallelujah!

 

Let’s pray: Father God, I really want to thank you for the freedom that emanates from the courts of heaven towards us your children. Help me to always remember that my confession is very important and that I can be trapped by the words of my mouth. Jesus I thank you for being my Advocate and I completely trust you to dismantle any and every case brought against me. Thank you Lord. In Jesus name I Pray. Amen.