Category: ARCHIVE

Wanna Receive From God? Here’s How (Part 3)

Do you remember the story involving Jesus and Lazarus’ sisters in John 11?

In the previous installments of this particular topic, I remember sharing with you how having an understanding of God’s love for you, and taking God’s Word as your ultimate reality could go a long way in positioning you for receiving from God.

Let’s revisit the story to see what more we can glean from it.

John 11:6 says,

‘…He abode two days still in the same place where He was’

That may look like an ordinary verse…but it contains the very heart of what I’m trying to communicate to you.

When you consider the fact that the original Greek manuscript, in which the New Testament was first written in, had no commas…look at what one comma would do to that verse….

So, instead of having: He abode two days still in the same place He was….

We now have: He abode two days STILL, in the same place He was….

That verse is telling us more than the mere fact that Jesus continued to stay in the same place He was for two days.

No, what that verse is saying is that Jesus stayed STILL for two days.

STILL…as in, calm in His Mind!

Hmmn…I see a lot of folks rolling their eyes!

You see, while He was on earth, Jesus was 100% Divine and 100% Human.

He was in every sense like us.

He slept, cried, got tired, got hungry, got thirsty, and so on!

Because of this, it’s my belief that Jesus must have felt strong emotions for the sick Lazarus and his sisters. Furthermore, I believe He must have been very eager to go down to Bethany and get Lazarus healed.

I think that’s the whole significance of John 11:5 which tell us that Jesus deeply loved Martha and her siblings.

However, if Jesus had made a move to get to Bethany instantly, it would have been a merely impulsive emotional response, rather than the leading of the Spirit!

Does this mean that emotions are evil?

No. They aren’t.

In fact, like your imagination, your emotions can be a tool that could glorify God…when used appropriately.

Jesus Himself was often moved with compassion before He ministered healing, provision and deliverance (Matthew 9:36, Mark 5:19, Luke 7:13 are a few examples).

The problem is just that when your emotions become your life’s driving force, you are at risk of totally missing out on God!

That, my friend, is not good enough.

I believe Jesus had to stay two days in the same place, so that He’d be solely led by the Spirit.

Another thing I should add here is that the fact that Jesus stayed still (calm) in the same place did not mean that He disconnected Himself from all that was going on around Him. It doesn’t mean that Jesus became a monk or hermit.

Rather, it simply means that Jesus didn’t allow His emotions drive Him around. I believe He chose to be Spirit-led and Spirit-conscious, even as He was interacting with His disciples and associates for two whole days.

You might be wondering how all these applies to you.

It’s simple: Don’t be dominated by your emotions!

God has empowered you to be in charge of your emotions.

You have to bring your emotions under your control.

Before you met Christ, your emotions reigned over your entire conduct.

But once you gave your life to Christ, you became a new creation! The old has passed away, and now you can rein your emotions by the power that’s at work within you.

Isaiah 26:3 says, ‘You will keep in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee’.

When your mind (will, emotions and intellect) is totally established on God and subject to the Spirit, you will find it easier to let the perfect peace of God position you to receive from Him.

It’s that simple.

It’s A New Year: Get Understanding

It’s with great pleasure that I welcome you to this brand new year. Indeed God has been faithful to us and we give Him all the glory for what He has done, what He is doing, and what He is set to do in our lives, both collectively and individually.

As we embark on the journey into the new year, I’ve come to realize that understanding would be a key for the uplifting of many this year.

What then is understanding?

Understanding is a supernatural discernment and perception of reality from God’s point of view. It is the experience of knowing and identifying whatever, whoever and wherever God’s Presence has vetted per time.

The truth is that by understanding, you cannot be confounded, depressed, confused or at a loss this year. Why? You have the benefit of a supernaturally elevated perception – one that is backed by the very breath of God.

By understanding, you are tuned into the dynamics of the spirit and your comprehension of actions, events and intentions becomes razor-sharp.

To me, the most outstanding feature of understanding is that it is applicable to EVERY aspect of your life. That includes your physical well-being, career, social life, relationships, spiritual walk with God, emotional intelligence, financial health and so on.

Proverbs 8:9 says, ‘They are ALL plain to him that understandeth’

Understanding makes all things plain to an individual.

Understanding is all-encompassing.

When it’s in full manifestation in your life, you understand the ways and timings of God, you undestand people, and you understand things.

Therefore, this year:

1. Apply your heart to understanding (Proverbs 2:2)

Your heart is the core of your being, as an individual. It’s where your values, principles and worldview are developed. That core is the seat of understanding. By applying your heart, you are attached to understanding – to the point of spiritual and emotional involvement. The truth is that you cannot and will not grasp understanding, if your heart is not involved. The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart. No heart involvement, no understanding! The goodnews is that the more you apply your heart, the more you experience a phenomenon called ‘largeness of heart’ (1 Kings 4:29) which means that your capacity for understanding is even stretched more.

2. Lift up your voice for understanding (Proverbs 2:3)

This year, you cannot afford to be ‘gentlemanly’ in matters concerning understanding. You must not be ashamed of your need to get understanding. Shout for it. Cling to God in desperation for the manifestation in your life.

3. Bow your ear to understanding (Proverbs 5:1)

Ears that are submissive to the dynamics of understanding are key for its manifestation. The truth is that the hearts of many are hardened, and as a result, their ears cannot be sensitive to understanding. However, if your heart is in the right place, your ears would be sensitive to understanding. And if your ears are sensitive, you’d always hear and understand what others do not! That’s what distinguishes the extraordinary ones from the ordinary.

It’s my heartfelt prayer for you this year that you would not only possess understanding – understanding would also possess you!

Happy New Year.

Wanna Receive From God? Here’s How. (Part 2)

In the last post, I wrote about how love was one of the key ways you can receive from God.

Before I go on to the next point, I need to emphasize on the fact that these keys I’m writing are not to be taken as a ‘3 steps to reach God fast’ or ‘7 ways to make God do as you say’!

Religion preaches laws and rules; God desires relationship. Yet, we are always eager to ‘do’ something to merit receiving from God.

The Father says,
“I want to enjoy you”

We respond,
“I know, so what must I do?”

The thing is, Are there 3 steps you have to take to talk to your earthly dad? Of course not!

What there is, however, is a mindset and disposition that you need to have before you meet him, right?

That’s simply my goal with this post.

The truth is that all 3 keys I’d be sharing are all intertwined within each other. For any one you decide to pick, the other two keys automatically join up by default.

So, without wasting time, let’s move to the second key to receiving from God:

See God’s Word as your utmost reality!

That sounds so simple. Yet, so many of miss it.

In John 11:4, look at what Jesus said regarding Lazarus’ sickness,

“This sickness is not unto death…”

Well, if you’re familiar with the story, you’d find out that Lazarus ACTUALLY died!

So, does that make Jesus a liar?

No!

The thing is that the Word of God is the REAL reality!

See, Jesus had said that Lazarus’ sickness would not lead to death. And that was an unchangeable truth.

Even after Lazarus had physically died, as far as Jesus was concerned, the man was not dead.

Even when Lazarus had been wrapped and placed in the tomb, as far as Jesus was concerned, the man was not dead.

Even when Lazarus was in the tomb for 4 days and 4 nights and had started decaying, as far as Jesus was concerned, Lazarus was not dead!

Here’s why:

Hebrews 1:3 says,

“…and upholding all things by the Word of His Power”

This implies that God holds up the whole created universe by His Word. Meaning that EVERYTHING – man, animals, planets, sun, moon, stars, galaxies – is sustained by the integrity and veracity of God’s Word.

Wow! That’s profound. I really hope you get this.

The whole creation was implemented by the veracity and truthfulness of God’s Word. The reason creation could successfully occur in the first place is because God’s Words are TRUE!

Get this:

The day God lies, all His Creation would self-destruct!

That’s why God cannot lie! (Titus 1:3)

That’s why God does not joke with His Word.

If He has spoken it, it is already a reality!

So, when Jesus said, ‘This sickness is not unto death….’, sincerely speaking, it was not unto death!

Despite the fact that the prevalent circumstances were looking contrary to what Jesus had said, it still was not the real Reality.

Jesus’ Words were!

The truth remains that until you get to the place where you can see God’s Word as your ultimate reality, you’d find it hard to receive from God!

Sincerely.

Unless you start seeing God’s Word as your ultimate reality, you’d remain stuck in your current predicament.

Unless you start seeing God’s Word as your reality, you’d be tossed and swayed to and fro by anything that the devil and your circumstances throw at you!

Now, am I saying that you should live in denial because you want to see God’s Word as reality?

No! Of course not!

Denial is a refusing to acknowledge that the devil or your current circumstances exist.

Denial is living a lie.

Denial is a carnal and philosophical fantasy. It’s not scriptural, because the devil does exist, and we live in a corrupted world, where circumstances and challenges would arise.

On the other hand, seeing God’s Word as your reality means that you choose to focus on the scheme of things FROM GOD’S VIEWPOINT.

That’s very important!

You’re not denying the fact that there are needs to be met, or problems and circumstances to tackle. However, because you are seeing the reality from God’s viewpoint, you can also see the superabundance of provisions available to cater for all your needs.

Consider Genesis 39:2,

“And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man…”

Now if you read the text, you’d find out that Joseph had just been sold to Potiphar by the Ishmaelites.

He had no mother.

No father to rescue him.

Jealous brothers who hated him.

He was probably without any clothes, because slaves were sold naked back then.

Yet, God’s word concerning Joseph was that he was a prosperous man.

Joseph saw himself from God’s viewpoint, regardless of his current challenges or the ones that lay ahead of him.

Joseph was secure in the reality of God’s Word for him…and he ended up becoming the Egyptian Prime Minister.

So, are you in a dire need for change, freedom, relief, provision?

Yes?

Then you really need to stop magnifying your current circumstances or the devil!

Instead, get into God’s Word to see reality from God’s viewpoint.

It’s that simple!

Receive From God: Here’s How (Part One)

It seems like many of us would be willing to do ANYTHING to be able to receive from God on a consistent basis. Whether it is guidance you need for that life-defining decision you’re planning to make or it’s provision you desire for that pressing need in your family, I’ve got good news for you….

God is ALWAYS more than eager to meet you at the point of your need. But the question remains this: Are you able to receive?

As time goes on, I’d be sharing some of the principles (or keys, if you like) that would place you in a position where you can easily receive from ANYTHING from God.

So, let’s start.

The very first key that would place you in a position where you can receive from God is this:

Be assured in your mind that God LOVES you!

That’s simple. Yet, it’s very, very profound.

The truth is that you will never be able to make any demands from your Heavenly Father if you are not secure and assured in His Love!

If you keep seeing the Father as One Who is always watching out for your shortcomings, flaws and faults, you’d never be able to approach His Throne of mercy to obtain grace and mercy.

Is that God’s fault?

Of course not!

It’s my belief that generations of exposure to dead, routine religion has totally blinded us to the fact that God delights in us and desires to have a Father-to-child relationship with us.

Listen, if you can just grasp this point now, you’re already receiving from God!

Consider the message that Lazarus’ sisters sent to Jesus in John 11:3,

“…Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick”

As innocent as that statement may sound, it contains the totality of all I’d be saying in this post.

Note that the message to Jesus was not…

“…Lord, behold, if You had loved him, he would not have been sick”

You know why?

Simple.

Lazarus’ sisters were fullly assured in the deepest core of their being that Jesus loved them!

Did you get the gist?

They were already secure in the Love of Jesus, and that was the reason they were in the perfect position to receive from Jesus.

Note again that Mary and Martha did not tell Jesus…

“…Lord, behold, he who loves you is sick”

They did not put any effort to try and impress Jesus about the warm heart that Lazarus had towards the gospel and the kingdom of God.

Sounds blunt, eh?

But it’s true.

Personally, I think all Christians could learn from this.

We now live in an age where the focus is on what we can ‘do’ for the Lord. We go about impressing people with our zeal and zest for the things of God. We put up such a good performance and pat ourselves on the back on how we are showing our love for God. We even try to hold God to ransom, telling Him things like,

“God, you know I’ve done many things for your Name and Kingdom, so, You have to move in my life NOW”

Please note that I’m not against a display of energy and passion for
the things of God! God forbid.

I just want you to pay attention to your motivation for doing these things. As far as some people are concerned, their public display is a mere selfish bid to earn points with God.

Mary and Martha’s message to Jesus did not contain any of that!

They were totally focused on the love they knew Jesus had for them!

That love did not have anything to do with Lazarus’ presence or absence of requited Love.

That love did not have anything to do with whether or not Mary had put a good religious performance or not.

That love had nothing to do with Mary’s, Martha’s or Lazarus’ input towards Christ’s ministry.

That love was God-initiated and God-inspired!

Little wonder Romans 5:8 says,

“But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”

What manner of human love can ever attempt to trump that?

My advice? Don’t even try to trump it. Just follow Mary and Martha’s example and secure yourself in God’s love for you.

Rest in God’s love for you! Don’t even attempt to deserve or earn it, because you can’t!

The thing is that until you get to the point in your heart that you are convinced that the Almighty Creator of the Heavens and the Earth is interested in you, you’d continually find it hard to receive from Him.

Rest and enjoy His Love and see yourself finding it extremely easier to receive all you need from the Father!

That’s not all. Watch out for Part Two of this series.

Grace and Peace.

Will The Real Lights Please Stand Up?

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but a candlestick, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven”

(Matthew 5:14-16)

So many times, we read from this passage and it means absolutely nothing to us as a result of our overfamiliarity with it.

Yes, it is true that we are the lights of the world.

It is also very true that our lights should not be hidden but rather should shine so brightly so that men would see our good works and glorify God.

However, the truth of the matter is that so many people know that they should be lights of the world, but they do not know how to be lights of the world.

The good news is that the Bible shows us how exactly to be lights of the world.

Genesis 1:14-18 says,

“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good”

In the passage, we notice that God creates everything for a purpose and a reason. From Genesis 1:14, we understand that God spoke these lights into being for these three reasons,

One, to divide the day from the night,

Two, to serve as signs, as well as season-, day-, and year-markers

Three, to give light upon the earth

The manifestation of those creative Words of God came this way,

One, to give light to the earth

Two, to rule over the day and night

Three, to divide the light from the darkness

Now, let’s examine the first function of light that God spoke and its subsequent manifestation:

God created the lights to shine upon the earth.

Why? Because in the dispensation in which we are living in right now, the earth is in gross darkness (Isaiah 60:2). You see, the funny thing about darkness is that it causes confusion. Now, take a look around you:

In the economic sector?

What about the health sector?

What of worldwide politics?

The thing is that the international policy makers and top government officials are all at their wit’s end.

Why? Because conventional human wisdom cannot cater for the challenges that the whole world is facing right now.

The problems of the world just cannot be solved by the people of the world

Why? Because their minds have been blinded by the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4)

So what happens as a result? The best they can provide are temporary fixes that cover up the deep systemic flaws.

On the other hand, as believers – as Christians –, God has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God (2 Corinthians 4:6). Into where? Into the gross darkness that is in the world out there.

You see, the thing about the light of the glory of God is that it doesn’t struggle with the darkness of ignorance and confusion. The universal and irrevocable truth is that once light steps into a situation, darkness flees. Darkness simply cannot understand or comprehend the light (John 1:5). And as lights, God has mandated us and consequently expects us to put an end to the crises and confusion that is in the earth today.

The second function of light that God spoke and its attendant manifestation is to serve as a sign.

Now if you notice, the funny thing about this function is that there is a kind of discrepancy between God’s command and the manifestation of the command. However, inasmuch as we recognize that the entire world is held together by the integrity of God’s Word and His Word would not return to Him void (Isaiah 55:11), so we know that God’s released word actually came into fruition.

It’s interesting to note that despite the fact that God gave the command that the light should serve as signs, the manifestation was that light should rule over the day and night!

This is very, very profound!

The sign to the world that you are a light is to rule and have dominion. God created you to be a sign. He created you to be a wonder (Isaiah 8:18). You are not an ordinary individual. You are not created to be just a part of the general statistics. You were not created to blend and be a part of the background. No! God created you to rule in your sphere of influence. If you are in the gathering of believers, God created you to stand out in your own area of calling. See, the truth is that every believer is a light. And because you are a light, you have your area of calling. Let’s check out Genesis 1:16 again,

“And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also”

As a church on the whole, we were made to be the very reflection of the Sun of Righteousness – Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Malachi 4:2), in the same way that the moon does not produce any light on its own, but rather reflects the light produced by the sun. Furthermore, note that the stars were also part of the heavenly bodies that God spoke into being. We all seem to forget that point at times!

The truth is that we have been made to sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6) just the same way the stars are found in the firmament of the heavens. See, you were specifically made to stand out with your own outstanding brilliance unique to you. Beloved, the individual brilliance of each star in the firmament of the heavens does not hinder the brilliance of other stars.

God created you to be a sign and that sign is to rule over the day, in the midst of other believers also shining their own individual lights in their own areas of calling. Furthermore, He made you to rule over the night, in the areas where there are no believers.

And that is the scheme of things in the kingdom of God.

The third function of light that God spoke and its attendant manifestation is to divide the light of the day from the darkness of the night.

 

Now, the truth is that we have been translated from the kingdom and power of darkness into the domain and kingdom of light (Colossians 3:13). Furthermore, as believers, we are a chosen generation that has been called to tell others about the night-and-day difference that Christ and His kingdom made for us – transforming us from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted (1 Peter 2:9-10). We have been called to divide the light from the darkness. We have been called to divide the day from the night. By our lives, we have been called to show the world how Christ – the Living Word of God – has divided through our entire spirit, soul and body. We are to show the world how Christ – the Word of God – has totally permeated everything that concerns us. We have been called to be living, walking and breathing epistles of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:3), that other people can read through and be converted into God’s kingdom.

You are the light of the world. Stand up, arise and shine like you should!!!

Overcoming Temptation

Temptations are normal experiences that every believer would face at one point in time or the other. However, there is no need to be afraid of them for the following reasons:

First of all, God’s faithful not to allow us to be tempted above the level of grace we are conscious of at the moment. 1 Corinthians 10:13 explains it further,

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it”

Furthermore, we Jesus as our High Priest who can associate with our temptations since He was tempted in every way, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15 tells us,

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin”

In addition to that, the tempter (the devil) is NOT wise. He does not possess a bag of limitless tricks. In fact, the summary of every temptation that we would ever face as believers can be found in 1 John 2:16,

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (Emphasis mine)

The truth is that every form of temptation we would ever face in our lives would either be in the form of pride or lust!!!

This is very profound.

Check out the nature of Eve’s temptation in the Garden of Eden,

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” (Genesis 3:6 Emphasis mine)

If you look carefully at the text, you’d find striking similarities between 1 John 2:16 and Genesis 3:6,

Lust of the flesh (1 John 2:16) = Good for food (Genesis 3:6)
Lust of the eyes (1 John 2:16) = Pleasant to the eyes (Genesis 3:6)
Pride of life (1 John 2:16) = Desired to make one wise (Genesis 3:6)

And if that is not enough proof, check out Luke’s account of the temptation of Jesus Christ,

“And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve
And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (Luke 4:3-12)

Again, we find the same trend in the manner in which the devil tempts,

Lust of the flesh (1 John 2:16) = Command this stone that it be made bread (Luke 4:3)
Lust of the eyes (1 John 2:16) = Shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time (Luke 4:5)
Pride of life (1 John 2:16) = Cast thyself down from hence (Luke 4:8)

So, it is very apparent that the devil is always going to try to deal with you in the area of lust and pride. It is simply non-negotiable. He did it with the first Adam, he did it with the last Adam and would in the same way try to make you fall into sin with these weapons.

Now, in order to know how to overcome temptation, it is expedient for us to know the mechanism through which temptations work. Knowing this would make us better prepared in dealing with temptation.

A portion of the Bible that deals with the mechanism of temptations can be found in Acts 5:3-4,

“But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God”

Here Peter asks Ananias two main questions:
The first was pertaining to why Ananias allowed the devil to fill his heart to lie.
On the other hand, the second was why Ananias himself conceived the idea in his heart.
These questions, as innocent as they may look, contain the mechanism through which temptations lead to sin.

In Biology, we are taught that a man fills his wife with the seed of copulation before the wife eventually conceives and gets pregnant. Although, it is not every time a man fills his wife with his seed that she conceives and gets pregnant, we were taught that every time a man meets with his wife, there is always a chance of the wife conceiving and getting pregnant.

The funny thing is that the same principle happens in the course of a temptation!!!

The devil continually tries to fill our minds with evil thoughts. There are times we are able to consciously ward these thoughts away. But the truth remains that if we continually put ourselves in a vulnerable position where the devil can continue to bombard our minds with these evil thoughts, we increase the chances of an evil conception occurring in our minds that would eventually lead us to committing sins.

James 1:15 says,

“Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death”

So, the million dollar question now is this: How do we overcome temptations???

And the answer is very, very straightforward:

Continually fill your heart and mind with the engrafted, quick, alive and powerful Word of God which is able to save your soul.

The truth is that you can only be tempted with you think about.

James 1:14 says that one is tempted when he or she is drawn by what he or she lusts after. So, if you continually fill your mind with the Word of God, it would be totally impossible for the devil to suggest evil thoughts because your heart and mind is already filled with the Word of God.

Little wonder 1 John 3:9 tells us this:

“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God”

Whoever is born of God does not commit sin because of the Seed of God (the undiluted Word of God) is in him/her and such individual cannot (is totally unable to) sin, since he is born of God.

This is God’s plan for every believer!!!

HALLELUYAH.

Quick Thoughts: Matthew 16:21-25

“From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me”
(Matthew 16:21-25)

To fully grasp the truths in the passage, we have to understand what happened just before this instance:

Peter had just received a revelation from God concerning Jesus’ divine Personality. Peter had just proclaimed Jesus to be the Son of God. At this point, it is safe to say that Peter was on a “high” in his walk with Christ. In fact, Jesus had openly declared that He would build His Church on the foundation of the very truth that Peter had declared by revelation. Surely, it must have felt very good to be Peter at this point in time.

However, just a couple of moments later, the picture couldn’t be any more different. Jesus began revealing to His disciples that He would be killed and on the third day, He would be raised up from the dead.

Jesus was going to be killed and Peter’s mind could not grasp how that could be God’s will.

How could Jesus, the Christ (the Anointed), the Son of the Living God be killed?
How could the One Who performed so many miracles and did signs and wonders be killed like a criminal?

All these thoughts and perhaps more made Peter to start questioning the veracity of God’s Will for Jesus.

It led to Peter putting two and two together and start reasoning about the purpose of God about Jesus. All these did not seem logical to his mind. It simply did not make sense at all.

If the Anointed Messiah was going to impart His generation and the ones to come, He had to live a longer life, not a shorter one…

And this where we all have to be careful.

You see, the truth is that the very moment we turn on our physical sensitivity (our minds and senses: taste, smell, hearing, sight and feelings) at the expense of our spiritual sensitivity, we give the devil a chance to step in.

Little wonder Jesus had to say,

Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
(Matthew 16:23)

That might have sounded very harsh, but Christ was showing us a truth we should pay attention to.

The word translated ‘savourest’ in Jesus’ statement to Peter contains some nuggets for us:

Savourest = to exercise the mind, that is, entertain or have a sentiment or opinion ; by implication to be (mentally) disposed (more or less earnestly in a certain direction).

So, in essence, Christ was telling Peter, and by extension, Christians today, that the moment we exercise our minds towards the things of men (i.e, the logic and the senses), we are giving room to the devil to operate in our lives.

At this point, it is imperative to state that our logic and senses are not evil in themselves! Common sense and logic tells you to wash your hands when they are dirty. If you do not, you are at risk to ingest germs into your body and fall sick.
Your senses tell you to dress warm when you are feeling cold.
The truth is that the senses and logic are not evil in themselves, since they are pathways of interaction with the physical world we live in.

The problem arises when we trust in what makes sense to our logic and senses OVER what God has said to us. Whenever we do this, we give the devil a foothold in our lives.

The truth is that the devil does not stand a chance against us when we walk in the realm of faith in God, especially when it does not make sense to our senses and logic.

The Bible tells us that much:

“Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it,they would not have crucified the Lord of glory”
(1 Corinthians 2:8)

When we operate in the realm where we exercise our minds (savour) the things of God, rather than those of men, the devil is totally clueless regarding us. He is not in the know!

Now, true to the style of the Greatest Teacher, note that Jesus takes this opportunity to teach us some additional lessons. You see, in order not to give room to the devil, we have to follow Christ.

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me”

Christ explicitly spelt out how not to give the devil a foothold in our lives.

We see Jesus’ teachings mirrored here:

Deny the wants of the flesh (i.e, your senses and logic)

Kill/crucify the flesh, embracing the means (the cross)

Follow the path that Jesus Himself trod.

The truth about our goal in the Christian walk is to be absolutely lost in Christ to the point that He permeates everything that the individual is about.

Our goal is to let our logic and senses to be Christocentric!

That is God’s will for us…

When A Man Sees God…

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Two verses of the Scriptures that is generally quoted on the issue of seeing God include,

Genesis 5 verse 24: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

Exodus 33 verse 20: And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

However, a strange twist in the plot occurs in Amos 5:4 which says,

“For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live”

These three scriptures have raised questions in my mind, over and over again.

How could God – Who specifically told Moses that no man could see Him and live – later on tell the Israelites that if they sought him, they would live?

Wasn’t it Enoch’s seeing God that led to his ceasing to exist?

These and other similar questions roamed around my head.

The answer can be found in Colossians 3:5a,

Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth”

The word “mortify” in blunt and plain English means “to kill“. So, in essence, Paul was telling us here that we should KILL our members which are upon the earth.

Note that the Bible never said, “And therefore, the LORD thy God will assist thee in mortifying thy members…”.
Rather, the Bible orders us, “Mortify, therefore your members…”. It is apparent that the initiative is with the believer who wants to follow God.

This is where Jesus’ statement in Matthew 16:24 becomes much clearer,

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross (the instrument for his mortification), and follow me.”
(Brackets mine)

Little wonder Enoch was able to successfully walk with God.

To understand the depths of Enoch’s walk with God, we have to understand his dire situation as a man.

Genesis 5:1 says,

“This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him“

When God created Man, He was created as a type – clone, if you like – of God’s Own Perfection and Divine Nature.

However after the fall of man from the state of Grace, note what happens,

“And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth”

Adam’s offsprings were no longer in the likeness of God. They were now in the likeness of the Fallen Man. They were now types of the Fallen Man, carrying his sins and fallen nature. Man changed from a state of God-consciousness to that of Self-consciousness.

It was in this predicament that Enoch found himself.

Even, his walk with God did not start automatically,

Genesis 5:21 says,

And Enoch LIVED sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah.

As innocent as that verse may sound, it contains a powerful truth.

Even Enoch lived in the manner that was normal for every man born in the likeness of Adam – the Fallen Man.

At this point in his life, Enoch was the master of his own life and destiny. At this point in his life, Enoch LIVED and was the Chief Executive Officer of his Self-controlled life.

This brings us back to Genesis 5 verse 24:

And Enoch WALKED with God: and HE WAS NOT; for God took him.

Notice how Enoch took the initiative in walking with God. In our walk with God, God is never the variable. He is the Constant One Who is the same yesterday, today and forever. We are the variable factors in our walk with God. The moment you are ready, you will find God.

Now, the key to understanding how Enoch WAS NOT is found in Galatians 5:16-17,

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”

Note here again that the Bible does not say, “And the LORD thy God will help thee walk in the Spirit…”. No, that verse is telling us as Christians to take the initiative and walk in the Spirit. It is telling you to use your gift of freewill and choose to walk with God.

This is what Enoch did in that timeless battle between the God-conscious spirit and the self-conscious flesh.

This was what Enoch did in Genesis 5:24. He choose to walk with God to the point that there was no more of “himSelf” and then God took him.

This was the point that God was passing on to Moses in Exodus 33:20. In essence, God is saying that no man can see Him and still be alive…to the flesh!!!

And that is why God’s plea to the people of Israel (and to us by extension) in Amos 5:4 is so passionate:

Seek Me [by dying to the flesh] and live [life everlasting]

Quick Thoughts: Romans 4:20-22

“He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform

And therefore it was imputed unto him for righteousness”

Romans 4:20-22 (KJV)

The first thing we note is that Abraham did not waver at all concerning God’s promises for him. James 1:6-8 explains that anyone who wavers is not walking in faith and as a result, such person cannot (that is, totally unable to) receive anything from God. Abraham refused to waver. Instead, he grew stronger as a result of his being empowered by faith. And how did Abraham get empowered by faith? He gave praise to God!!! Abraham arrived to a point where he was established and firmly rooted in his faith in God. He abounded and multiplied in that faith as a result of thanksgiving to God. Never underestimate the power of thanksgiving and praise, they go a long way in helping you release your faith in God (Colossians 2:7).

Romans 4:21 then makes us understand that Abraham was fully confident and assured that the same God who had promised him was also able and mighty enough to keep the Word that had been promised…

Now, check out verse 22 of Romans 4,

“And therefore it was imputed unto him for righteousness”

It was this particular verse that completely blew me away.

Due to the fact that Abraham believed that God was able to do what He had promised, God declared Abraham to be a righteous man!!!

This is a very, very profound truth that is about to be shared. If you can just grasp it now, this truth has the potential to change how you view God’s righteousness. This is a verse that shows God’s grace at its best.

It’s amazing how people can easily believe that God spoke the entire world into existence.
It’s amazing how people believe that in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1).
As believers, we find it easy to believe that in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God (John 1:1).
Infact, we find it relatively easier to believe that God’s Word “became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14).

Yet, when it comes to righteousness by faith, we find ourselves at our wit’s end.

See, Abraham only believed God’s Word that he would inherit the world,

“For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law but through the righteousness of faith (Romans 4:13)”.

All Abraham did was to believe Go
d’s Word and God looked at Abraham and said, “YOU ARE A RIGHTEOUS MAN!!!”

Do you know what I consider to be the most amazing thing about this truth?

It is the promise itself!

See, the promise that God gave Abraham wasn’t that he would be saved or won’t go to hell! Let’s check the story together in Genesis 15:1-6,

After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am your Shield, your abundant compensation, and your reward shall be exceedingly great.

And Abram said, Lord God, what can You give me, since I am going on [from this world] childless and he who shall be the owner and heir of my house is this [steward] Eliezer of Damascus?

And Abram continued, Look, You have given me no child; and [a servant] born in my house is my heir.

And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, This man shall not be your heir, but he who shall come from your own body shall be your heir.

And He brought him outside [his tent into the starlight] and said, Look now toward the heavens and count the stars–if you are able to number them. Then He said to him, So shall your descendants be.

And he [Abram] believed in (trusted in, relied on, remained steadfast to) the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness (right standing with God).

It was on this note that Abraham was put in right standing with God as a man who had righteousness imputed into his account.

Friend, if God could do this mighty for a man who believed God’s promise for a son, why do you still find it difficult to relate with the truth that God’s grace has saved you and you have received God’s righteousness by faith?