|
The theme of this year, 2022 is Spiritual awakening and the theme scripture is Ephesians 5:1-14.
The significance of looking up is in two fold. One is repentance, conversion, getting back to the relationship with God. This year is a year for us to anoint our eyes and visions. We have to be constantly conscious of what the Lord is saying. In 2Cor 15:5 the bible says the faith in this verse means whether you are still a child of God. You have to examine your life to be able to answer that question. If we let God have His way there will be refreshing seasons for us this year. In Philippians 2:12-13 the bible says "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed- not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence- continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose". we can see from this passage that God has His own part to play and we have ours as well. We are looking at people who treated grace with levity but with the spiritually awakening of certain persons, God stepped in. The first person is Elijah. In 1Kings 18:21; 30-33 the bible says But now Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, do not know about it. He has sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the king's sons, Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant. My lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to learn from you who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. Otherwise, as soon as my lord the king is laid to rest with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be treated as criminals" I will surely carry out today what I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place. Then Bathsheba bowed low with her face to the ground and, kneeling before the king, said "May my lord David live forever!" King David said, "Call in Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah son of Jehoiada". When they came before the king, he said to them: "Take your lord's servants with you and set Solomon my son on my own mule and take him down to Gihon. This scripture shows the importance of not faltering and having divided beliefs but believing only in God. If you’re going to enter into the fullness of the blessings of God for your life, your spiritual altar has to be repaired. Spiritual awakening is what will trigger divine manifestation. The second person is Samuel. In 1Samuel 7:3 the bible says "And Samuel said to the whole house of Israel "If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then rid yourself of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines". the enemy has access to you when your life is not right with God. When you are a part of God’s team, He fights your battles for you. The third person is Jehoshaphat 2Chronicles 17:3 the bible says The LORD was with Jehoshaphat because in his early years he walked in the ways his father David had followed. He did not consult the Baals but sought the God of his father and followed his commands rather than the practices of Israel". The first thing he did was to introduce the people back to God. Our knowledge of the word of God must go an inch higher than what it was in 2021. If you read the Bible like a newspaper you will not be able to fully grasp the blessings of the Lord. You have to go into the Word to know what the plan and purpose of God is for your life in every situation and your expectation will not be cut off. We also have to take prayer seriously as prayer is the Christian’s vital breath. Always remember that everything answers to spiritual awakening. Isaiah 60:1-7 says
Gods wants us to shine in spite of the darkness across the the land. When light appears darkness does not have a chance but to disappear. You cannot shine or make an impact to the people around you when you live like them. God wants us to shine in the midst of darkness but when you want to do it your own way He will let you. We will look at the lives of Esther, Shadrach, Meshack and Abed-Nego on how they were able to shine in the midst of darkness. In the book of Esther, the King on the prompting of Haman made a decree that all the Jews be killed. Esther fasted and prayed and was able to step in for the Jews. The decree was reversed and Haman was the one who ended up being killed. Many people then became Jews as a result of the Jews being delivered. So from the scriptures we can see that light will always bring multiplication. Therefore, be the light wherever you find yourself, be it your workplace, school or neighbourhood. In the book of Daniel chapter 3, Shadrach, Meshack and Abed-Nego refused to bow before the man-made god. They were thrown into a fiery furnace but they were not consumed rather the people saw a fourth man in the fire with them. The King, Nebuchadnezzar, blessed God and declared there was none like Him; he also promoted Shadrach, Meshack and Abed-Nego. It is important to stand for what you believe and what God has instructed. If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for everything. When you pass through the water or a fiery furnace, God is with you. God will always be with you so do not be shaken. You can only invoke the manifestation of the power of God when you decide to be a light in this dark world. You however have to be consistent, consistency matters a lot, do not waver in your faith. So keep the faith because God never fails. Every human set up is designed to move you to a new level. Do not hide your Christian identity whether at work or school. Expose your light to the world and see what God will do. As we go into 2022, make up your mind to worship God because of who He is and not what He gives you. Thanksgiving is an expression of gratitude for favour received. Gratitude is the feeling of sentiment of kindness. We are living in a world that does not give God glory; self love is replacing God love. There is a sense of ingratitude in the world today.
Glory is honour, praise, worship and thanksgiving to a deity. Philippians 4:6 says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving. Whatever you focus on magnifies so focus on thanking God. The ultimate description for thanksgiving is sacrifice that’s why the Bible says in Hebrews 13:15 "Through Jesus, therefore let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise- the fruit of lips that confess his name". When you see pain as punishment it will be painful but if you see it as a process to your promotion you will endure it. So, have an attitude of gratitude, in that challenge give God thanks and you will definitely come out victorious. Learn to appreciate what you are, who you are and the God you serve; and He will reward you. Three things that thanksgiving does:
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. So be careful what you hear! What you hear determines the presence of faith or indication of fear. What we mediate on determines what we speak; Luke 6:45 says "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the over flow of his heart his mouth speaks".
What you are speaking is affecting the outcome of your life so listen to the right words. Words are spiritual containers, they carry death or life. Be careful what you allow into your mind because what you mediate upon in abundance determines your future. So, if you mediate on failure that will be manifested, in the same vein if you meditate on success it will also manifest. In Proverbs 4:23-24, the Bible says "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life, keeping you from the immoral woman, from the smooth tongue of the wayward wife. Learn your identity as kings and priests, recognize that the words you speak carry power. If you leave your life to chance then you don’t stand a chance, so you have to take charge of your life. When you keep quiet, your destiny keeps quiet with you. God wants you to use your mouth to make decrees and it will come to pass. What you are convinced of determines what heavens does in your life. The word of God is so easy, just act on it. You have to be qualified by being a child of God to have access to the blessings. So if you’re reading this and you’re not a child of God yet, send us a message and we will lead you in the prayer of salvation. Obedience to God is doing God’s will, God’s way in God’s time. Sometimes it is difficult to obey God fully but 2 Corinthians 12:9 says: “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” So therefore, as children of God, our obedience to God should be our priority because we have the grace to do so.
In 1 Samuel 15:3 God instructed Saul saying: “Now go attack Amalek, and destroy all they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.” In verse 9, the Bible says: “But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.” In verse 11 God said: “ I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed my commandments.” From the above scripture, it can be seen that Saul obeyed the instructions given to him partially by destroying the worthless things and keeping the appealing ones. It also happens to us sometimes as well, where there are some lifestyles, habits or things that appeal to us that we don’t want to let go of, irrespective of the fact that we’ve given our lives to Christ. We should obey God totally leaving everything that is not of God behind. Don’t try to rationalize what God has told you to do, just follow it and you will be blessed. There are different ways we can learn obedience and they include:
Obedience to God is beneficial to us as it releases miracles, triggers opposition and brings restoration. It is the key to your breakthrough. What is that instruction that God has given you? It is time to follow it. Trust God and follow the process He takes you through because you will come out victorious, do not use shortcuts. The words we speak are very important because we are products of such words. We have been authorized to dominate our circumstances, meaning that, we can decree a thing and it shall be established.
Ecclesiastes 5:6 Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands? From the scripture above, you can see that it is the words you speak that angels perform. So ask yourself, “What kind of words am I speaking? You have to be careful of what you say and even listen to because it has effects on your life. Another striking revelation is that success is not defined by the system. In other words, it does not matter the economy, challenges or shortcomings of the country you are in, your ability to be successful is not affected by it. One of the major determining factors for success is your mind. This is why Romans 12:1-2 says “ I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Following from the scripture, it is important to study God’s word because it renews the mind. Remember, life and death are in the power of the tongue, so be mindful of the words you speak. Speak the right words always, speak words that are consistent with God’s word and you will be amazed how you life will be! |
AuthorPst. Paul Omonua Archives
June 2023
Categories |
RSS Feed