Knowing Your Authority

A king that does not know his authority has robbed himself of his value.

Walking with God is a huge learning curb. Day by day learning more and more about Him and by extension who you are in HIm. Life can be complicated and you can get lost trying to work out how to navigate situations. You ever get a new job, in a management position. Maybe at first people don’t always listen to you and you have to understand, just how much authority you have. What you can expect, who you can command, what you can and can’t demand. What decisions are in your hands.

I am learning that more than ever. It is a huge learning curb for me. Growing up I struggled with a bit of an inferiority complex. Always thought I wasn’t smart enough or talented enough. I didn’t always think I levelled up. You put yourself in a box, limit your ambitions and expectations of yourself. With a lot of work and God showing His Hand, I have largely worked through that. But coming from that perception of self to embracing leadership is not a straight line.

You limit yourself, when your perception of self is less than God’s perception of you. How you perceieve yourself will dictate how you let other perceive you. If you walk like you lack the capacity for something, don’t be surprised when people doubt what you have to offer.

Beyond perception of your capacity, do you know what you have the authority to do and not do? Since being ordained it has been the greatest learning curb. What has changed, what are the expectations, what does the calling demand, what authority does thecalling come with. You will always second guess yourself if you don’t know your authority. A king that does not know his authority is just a figurehead.

The biggest biblical example of this is the prodigal son’s brother.

““Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭15:25-28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The prodigal sons brother, was the good one, he stayed with his father (In the presence of God) and was obidient, but he had not relationship with him. When something happened, the first person he ran to wasn’t his father, but a servant. What do you get when you go to a servant? You get a servant perspective.

The prodigal son’s brother, was those people doing church to say he did church, not for a real relationship. because he didn’t. Have a real relationship, and had the perspective of a servant, who owns nothing, he didn’t know what he could and could not do. He didn’t know the authority that comes with sonship. So he gets bitter and angry at his father.

““The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ “ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭15:28-31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

He had the authority to do all he was jealous of, the authority to direct and guide the servants, but he thought of himself as a servant. He was limited by how he preceived himself.

By the blood of Christ, we have gone from servants of God to sons of God. We have the authority that comes with sonship, by the blood of Jesus. There are things we need to stop tip-toeing about and start to wield the authority we have to manifest the power of the Holy Spirit.

Your Standard Of Love

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know you are My disciples, if you love one another.”

John 13: 34-35 NIV

First things first, love is a command. We far too often treat it like just another option. I love who I want to love, hate who rubs me the wrong way. People must earn your respect, they don’t have to earn your love.

Imagine if we had to earn the love of God! Where would we be. What would our lives look like. How would we toil and toil just to earn His love, only to keep on falling short. Because, guess what, there is NOTHING we can do to earn the love of God. It is outside of mine, or your capacity to earn God’s love.

It is evident through the law, when the Word says, ‘Keep ALL my commandments and get ALL my blessings, but if you dont keep ALL my commandments you get ALL my curses.’ And men kept on falling short. Why? You cannot achieve the things of God through the capacity of the flesh. Our flesh is limited.

So God sent one, fully armed with the capacity of heaven, to show us that His standard could only be kept by His strength. Jesus died for us and equipped us with the Holy Spirit, empowering us to live up to His standards.

In the same way, by Godly standards He loved us outside of our deserving it. And commanded us to do the same, love without boundaries, love like He loved, the kind of love that died on the cross for the ones that sent Him to the cross.

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:44-46‬ ‭NIV

The Standard of God’s love is love that is for all, love that see’s no colour, no tribe, no gender, no age, no religion, to political party. The love of God is for all, for those who wish you well and those who wish wicked on you. That is where change is birthed in the heart of men, you show love without measure to all men, let your love overcome.

When you doubt your capacity to love, look to the love you receive from God, completely unworthy and He pours love out in measures we can not begin to assess.

God’s standard of love is beyond a feeling or emotions, God’s standard of love is actions, lifestyle. God’s love gives to those who are taking from you. God’s love embraces those who hurt you. God’s standard of love withstands hurt to help.

It’s easy to love those who love you, how do you treat those who hurt you, who attacked you when you couldn’t defend yourself, those who speak badly of you and stain your name in places you wish to go. What is your standard of love.

Contend With God

I always struggled to understand the favour Jacob received from God. Everyime I read the story of Jacob he comes across, stubborn, snide and cunning. Jacob takes advantage of Esau’s hunger and used it to cheat him out of his birthright.

“Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom. ) Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?” But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭25:29-34‬ ‭NIV

After that he also goes on to with the help of his mother decieve his father to ensure he gets the blessings intended for Esau. How is all this the making of a man that God chooses to bless and favour.

‬‬“Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.’ Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.””

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭27:6-10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So it made me ask why is it that God favoured Jacob, that He changes his name to Israel, the name God gave to His chosen people. Whenever I have thought of the story of Jacob, i thought he contended with an angel but in actuality he contended with God, how is it possible for man to contend with God and win?

“And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok. He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip. Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob’s hip in the muscle that shrank.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭32:22-32‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Why would God name His people Israel, which we know means “For you have struggled with God and with man, and you prevailed.”

God started to show me that sometimes we have to be willing to persist in HIs presence for the blessing He has for us. Often we sit, we pray and when we don’t get what we want straightaway, we give up, blame God, claim He doesn’t answer our prayers.

Sometimes it will get uncomfortable and our immediate reaction can be to blame the devil, but sometimes it’s God, He wants to see how much we will persist in the trial for the blessing we claim we want.

When I was young and my parents gave me money, it was easier to spend it wrecklessly on anything I wanted because I didnt toil for it and so I didn’t value it. But since i started working and earning money it is harder to spend money wastefully. God wants you to contend in His pressence for your lessing, so that when you get it you value it.

One of the misconceptions we have about this faith, is when we give our lives it’ll get easy. Jesus warns us of the opposite, “…because they hated Me, they will hate you also.” We need to be more prepared to face the trials and not take it as a sign that something isn’t meant to be. With God the victory is assured but the trial isn’t annulled. We have to learn to persist in HIs presence and at HIs feet for the blessing he has for us.

Grounded In Your Identity

“The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.

Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12:12, 14‬ ‭NLT

There is so much importance highlighted in unity in the church. We know it, we talk about it a lot if churches, but since we talk about it so much, why are we failing to achieve it. I talked recently about how pride seems to get in the way of unity so often, we get caught up in ourselves. This can be true but there is another side to the coin…

CRISIS OF IDENTITY!

Unity is harmed when we don’t know who we are. If you don’t know who you are as an individual, if you don’t know what God has called you , what He has said about you, how can you be aligned as a body.

Look at your body, would you choose to cut off any part of your body? Is there i any part of your body, that you don’t see or recognise it’s value. Just as it is in the body of Christ, every member and every part of the body has his/her value. The Questions is do you know your worth?

‬‬“Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12:14-17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We need to learn and be grounded in who we are and the role we have to play. So that when we come together as one body, we are not comparing ourselves to one another and undervaluing our role in Kingdom work. This only comes by having a personal and intimate relationship with God.

It is important for the body of Christ to have an ear, or how would the body receive direction and hear the Word. We should never underestimate the value of any part of the body. Performing the role God created you for is how the entire body functions in unison.

“But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.””

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12:18-21‬ ‭NLT

Every part of the body, needs the other parts,. No part of the body can function well on its own. Once you know your role and how to perform you can be effective as a part of the body. If the eye receives vision it can not leap out from the body and walk, it see’s the vision and the legs run with it. The legs too can not walk without guidance and direction.

‬‬“In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12:22-24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It may seem like you are out of sight, that your role isn’t honoured or valued. Like others are of more importance than you. THIS IS NOT THE CASE. God honours what is done in the secret place.

Do You Believe In Miracles?

When it comes to miracles sometimes I take convincing. I’m not that guy that shouts miracles at the top of my lungs, it’s been a real battle with God on this front. I believe miracles happened, I believe miracles happen, but if i’m honest when people talk about miracles happening to me personally and or happening by my hand, i unconsciously turn my nose up to it.

Often we read the miracles in the Bible, and we don’t look at it from a lens of the reality and truth of it, we picture them as old stories and we don’t hold on to the magnitude and the power of them all.

Then when we hear of modern day miracles, we are blown away in concept but chuck it up to coincidence if we can’t put a logical reason to it.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS COINCIDENCE WITH GOD

Jesus worked a host of miracles that were a show of what is possible when we are in alignment with the Holy Spirit;

“Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.””

John 11:39-44 NKJV

There was an expectation on Jesus that He could heal Lazarus before he died, because people had seen Him heal dying people. However once Lazarus died, they thought that had to be the end they had never Jesus raise the dead. There are certain miracles Jesus worked so that we would see that it was possible.

Often we lack faith, not because we doubt the power of God, but just cause we haven’t seen it before.

“As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.”

John 9:5-7 NKJV

Sometimes, the miracle comes at a price, sometimes, the miracle comes grimy, sometimes you have to do something to activate the miracle that has already happened. The blind man was desperate for his miracle. Imagine hearing Jesus consistently spit in dust till it could turn to mud, and letting Him put that on your face. Are we ready to go through discomfort for our miracle? After hat, he didn’t see immediately, Jesus had done HIs part, but now the blind man had to obey, and wash it off in the river of Siloam.

One of the most powerful miracles to me in the Bible was the feeding of the multitude. What I find so amazing about it, is that the miracle happened in the hands of the disciple, not in the hands of Jesus.

Jesus prayed over the bread and fish, then he gave it to His disciples to hand out, it was while they were feeding the multitude that they found that the bread and fish exceeded the need.

Why is this important?

““Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

John 14:12-14 NKJV

Jesus was showing us our capacity to carry our miracles, by our hand, in HIs name.

I have heard first hand miracles, a friend whose brain tumour disappeared from nowhere, with no explanation from doctors of how it could happen.

Sometimes we don’t see miracles, not because they don’t happen, or because we don’t believe, but because they are still an alien experience to us. if there is anything you want to be or do, surround yourself with people that are or do that thing. Let it become normal practise to you and what manifests will shock you.

There are four people in the bible, other than David that defeated David, and the all came from the line of David. They were in the company of a giant killer, so it no longer seemed like an impossibility.

MIRACLES STILL HAPPEN, BELIEVE!

Safe In Vulnerability

It comes to mind that we run away from the safe place in Christ because it frightens us. The place that is actually there to comfort us from the outside seems intimidating. So we find ourselves running from what will save us.

“He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and He is the glory of your people Israel!””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭2:32‬ ‭NLT

We see that Jesus is the light of the world, ‬‬but it is scary to get in the presence of such a potent light, because that same light will reveal our blemishes and we are ashamed and would rather hide our sin that be vulnerable in His presence.

So the light that was sent to unify us all as one has the potency to divide us at the level of our heart.

“Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭2:34-35‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4:12-13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Word makes it clear Jesus in the Living Word and the Word cuts like a two-edged sword, through to your soul and reveals your inner thoughts and desires. THIS is why we fear the light of God, we are scared of our hidden flaws and sins being exposed. But the bible also says “…Everything is naked and exposed before HIs eyes…” so whether we come vulnerably into His presence or not, He sees and knows it all.

Thatbeing said, what is there to gain in hiding from His presence. We fear the idea of being vulnerable in His presence, because we fear Him knowing what He already knows. In reality the please of true vulnerability is in this place where we hide from His covering.

In this place of false security, we are actually most vulnerable. We all make mistakes, all at time fall into sin. Sin opens the door for the evil one to get a foothold in your life. While you continue in pride and, believe you can hide your sin from God, so you don’t lay it at His feet. You leave that door open for the devil.

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5:8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

But when we take the bold step of being courageous in His presence, though it feels vulnerable and weak, Our weakness is made strong in His presence.

“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. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

‭‭II Corinthians‬ ‭12:9-10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

When we embrace His light, we become encased in His grace and His covering from the attack of the enemy. The vulnerable place of His presence, is the safest place to be!

The Sin Built Into Our Flesh

“Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. “By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones. “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you. “You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you.”

Ezekiel 28:11-18 NKJV

The sin that got Satan booted out of heaven, pride.

Satan desired worship, believed he had the capacity to carry praise that only God was worthy of. Lucifer was a high ranking general, an esteemed angel, with authority and trusted by God.

You ever heard the expression, give a man an inch, he takes a mile. This is an epidemic in Nigeria, we see it with police men and bribes. You give someone a little bit of power and be weary of how he will wield it. This happens so often even with good men, or men who lead with the best intentions. How many African leaders were voted into power because of their desire to change the path of their nation and to do good, but with the power turn into dictators and authoritarian leaders with little time for counsel.

It happens so quickly, it’s hard to spot where the change came. It happens with people with the best hearts ad well as those with evil motives. It is why there is an urgency for change in the church, it happens even with those with the burden of Christ. Pride sets in, and it’s hard to not make all the excisions, to listen to counsel, to not want to be seen as the one doing a good work.

It starts so simply with, Where is you focus? So many people are caught up praying, ‘God what is your purpose for me? What do you want ME to do?’ When the real focus should be, ‘God, I want your Kingdom purpose to be done, I want your will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’

We get so lost in, I want to be the one doing God’s will and not, i just want God’s will to be done.

“As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.”

2 Thessalonians 3:1 NIV

The big picture is more important than you role in it. That thin line is what I call;

THE SIN BUILT INTO OUR FLESH

Satan was in the Garden of Eden, when he was cast aside, the bible says the tumbrels and pipes fell off him, that he was burnt to ashes upon the earth. Lucifer’s purpose was to adorn worship to God, and when man and woman were made, it was so that we would worship God. We were made from the dust that lucifer was cast into, with the anointing that was upon him, with built in pipes and timbrels to worship God.

With that anointing to worship came flesh. Flesh is the reason we could not be made blameless until the blood of Jesus Christ. By His sacrifice we have with us now the Holy Spirit. The one whom when we focus on Him and His agenda enables and equips us to overcome our fleshes desire to try and carry the glory, to deceive ourselves that it was by our strength.

Sometimes your desire is good but your motive is off. God teaches us to humble ourselves, think of ourselves last. Take this focus of your role in the work, what your personal purpose is and fix your eyes on the big picture. My alignment with God is good, but what does it do if the entire body is not aligned. One of the final prayers Jesus prayed before going on the cross was for unity in the church. We cannot afford to focus just on ourselves. Pray that Kingdom mandate is fulfilled, that the body of Christ is in alignment.

Pray for the vision more than you pray for yourself.

Humble Yourself

I’ve been battling this thought for a while. What is it to truly humble yourself before God?

It’s so easy to get lost it what humility is meant to look like we spend more time acting humble as opposed to actually being humble.

One of the most jarring things I felt God tell me in recent times was “dead people feel nothing.”

”Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.’”

Luke 9: 23

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭2:20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

DEAD PEOPLE FEEL NOTHING

That statement rocked me. When it comes to true humility and ridding yourself of pride, you must truly be dead to self.

When someone offends you, what are they offending? You or the God in you? Because - dead people feel nothing.

When you take actions in response to hurt or offence, what is motivating it? Your ego? Because - dead people feel nothing.

When you get accolades for work well done, who do you give honour to? Yourself or God? Because - dead people feel nothing.

Pride is one of the biggest indicators of areas in your life still controlled by your flesh. Pride lets you know what you need to kill.

True humility is being able to honestly lower yourself, think of God first and make all decisions with Him at the centre and not self.

“Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

‭‭I Peter‬ ‭5:5-7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Often we take humility as how we respond to a compliment, or saying, ‘na God o’ when someone asks just how we did it.

God is teaching that true humility is… humbling yourself under the mighty hand of God.

Recognising the authority of the Holy Spirit. Whenever the Bible refers to theHand of God, it is referring to the Holy Spirit. Humility is recognising the power and authority of the Holy Spirit.

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.

But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14:16-17, 26-27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When Jesus went to the cross He said He would send another, one who will guide us in all things, teach us all things which He hears only from the father, one with all power. The Holy Spirit is our access point to the wisdom and power of God. We enter pride once we begin to depend on ourselves more than we depend on the Holy Spirit. Once we think we don’t need His guidance or direction, once we get comfortable and believe we have authority independent of Him.

Humility is not being soft spoken, or feigning modesty. It is possible, like David to be bold and courageous and still be humble at the same time. We often mistaken confidence for pride or arrogance. So as Christians we start to think it is arrogant to speak with authority and decisively.

The real question is what do you have confidence in. David was humble because he recognised his authority was from God. His authority was not his own, he didn’t think he was better than anyone, he just knew his God was the ultimate authority. To humble yourself under the mighty Hand of God, is to be sure that you recognise His authority in your life and are doing His bidding and following His guidance and not your own.

We cannot go into warfare feigning modesty and acting soft, you humble yourself to God not to the enemy, you come against all things that are not of God with Godly authority and confidence. It is not prideful or arrogant to know the authority of God, it is prideful when you think the authority is your own.

Water Walking

I’ve had no bigger impression than that this is a year of Water Walking. It seems like such a radical statement, and an even more inconcievable statement. The impression on my heart is a highly frustrating one if I’m honest. It comes at a time when I have been more deliberate than ever about wanting, a step by step directional and booklet on His plan for me in 2019, and that is when He sees fit to call me to blind faith.

First things first, What is Faith?

Is faith, knowing or hoping?

We religious Christians have a way of talking that make faith seem so easy and steady ground so factual.
I can tell I’m going to have to be very exact with my words to make sure I’m not misrepresenting my views, but this for me is the heart of the thought, “Do you ever really know for SURE?”

We spend so long as Christians talking in such factual statements, that can make people struggle with their faith cause they find it intimidating.

But really and truly, do we ever really know.

“About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here! ” Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭14:25-29‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Can we say that Peter knew without a shadow of a doubt that when his feet hit the water he wont sink in it? I don’t think we can. The reality of faith, is we never know without a shadow of a doubt, or it won’t be faith. Faith is taking a risk. It’s choosing to believe in spite of the circumstances and the odds being stacked against you.

Faith is knowing God can and hoping He will! There is always a little doubt, or uncertainty, STEP OUT ANYWAY!

Faith comes with boldness, your actions reflect your faith, even when sometimes you question it, stepping out shows God despite your doubt you trust Him.

Often the times we talk about our faith with such confidence and certainty is on the other side of it, when the waters are calm and the grass is green. Faith is easy to have when it’s not needed.

One of the most powereful revelations on faith I encountered in 2018 was that of Peter walking on water.

““Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭14:29-31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

My greatest lesson on faith in 2018 was the “O ye of little faith”, lesson. I don’t think we’ve stopped to question how ridiculous sounding it is that Peter would have the faith to WALK ON WATER and ‘cause he start to sink, Jesus would say he has little faith. We blindly accept it, but, I mean, hol’ up, how is THAT little faith.

Peter walked on water!!!!

The statement was never about the size of his faith. If the bible says, faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains, then it’s not the size of it. I don’t believe faith has a size. Faith is faith! You believe or you don’t believe.

The statement was about the endurance of his faith. Faith is purposed for the storm, it is easy to have faith when things are easy, but does your faith endure in the midst of the storm. Peter got distracted by the storm, took his eyes off Jesus and his faith diminished.

As hard as things are for this country and impossible as it may seem to find a solution, the purpose of my faith is for the storm, the storm shouldn’t distract me from my faith but push me to focus more on Jesus. So the nations problems are only more reasons to act in faith.

Water walking, is the decision that in spite of the storm, in spite of my uncertainty and doubt, I will take the step with many eyes on Jesus. Faith isn’t ‘I KNOW’, if you know you don’t need faith. Faith is, even though I don’t know I trust, and I’ll act on that trust , against all odds!

Faith is for the storm!

Faith acts in uncertainty!

Welcome to the year of the Water Walker!

It's Not About You

"It's Not About You!"

This Statement right here, when you realise God is about to stress you out in 2018.

We often start the year with resolutions, things we want to do better, to achieve, ways we want to 'Kill 2018', for lack of a better way of putting it. I have been so excited for this year, in my career and my personal life. I finally landed some major roles in what i anticipate will be big films this year, so rightly so I'm excited for my 'blow', then God comes and every word I seem to be getting while I'm studying the Word for different things is this...

"It's Not About You"

“Then He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow Me.””

— Luke 9:23

The logical thing to do when given a task is to look at your skill set and personal ability to accomplish the task. Failing at that, the next step would be to look at the resources at your disposal and if we lack at that we deem the task impossible. This is logic, but this is not God.

This is what we do to God, He gives of a calling and we start looking at it with logic, It can't be done because I don't have what it would take to do what you are asking of me God.

"It's Not About You"

If God have giving you an instruction, don't look at your own abilities, you are the vessel you're not the doer, God is!

For some reason we say God is bigger than all things, is omnipotent, and nothing is impossible for Him, then in the same breath we limit Him by the standards of the world.

We lack courage because we think it lies in our achievements. Access to the Holy Spirit means we get to work off of God's CV not our own.

And even when you've been obedient and you've done God's will and you see things turning around and you are bearing fruit...

"It's STILL Not About You"

“Take the stage Lord,
And have Your way,
I’m justa vessel,
And nothing more,
And when You’re done,
Please take the glory,
I’m Satisfied, just to see You glorified”

— Take The Stage - Nathaniel Bassey

We have to get to a place where it has nothing to do with us, where we can melt into the background and realise it's all about God, it's all about His Kingdom. Where I don't feel the need to be the one on the face of the breakthrough.

It's not easy, we love to be acknowledged, the ego is one of the hardest things to put under control. I want to be seen, I want you to know I did this. It's not about you.

“Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind...”

— Romans 12:2

The battleground for suppressing the power of the enemy is in your thinking, you will notice I have repeated it many times, it's time to beat it into your thinking...

"It's Not About You!"

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

— Matthew 6:24

I got caught up in a very lively debate about when Jesus says, "If anyone comes to Me and doesn't have his mother, father and even himself, they can't be my disciple." - I paraphrase. But the question is what does it mean to hate yourself in order for you to love God. But the Bible says we can't serve to masters and the bottom line is this, we will come to crossroads in our Christian walk where we have to choose between ourselves and God and we have to be able to choose God above ourselves.

It's ease with the day to day decisions to think it's okay to choose ourselves and think it doesn't mean we don't love God, but that is being lukewarm, and Jesus says he would rather we were hot or cold than lukewarm. To be lukewarm is to try to deceive God about what you really are.

If the choice was die for Christ or live for self that choice is final. I challenge you to look at the easy, everyday choices as just that, final! Will you be able to remember...

"It's Not About You!"

Catch Your Breath And Look Up

Sadly, one of the easiest things to do as a Christian is to turn your back on God. It happens so slyly, so unconsciously we don't notice until the distance seems insurmountable. But for God, the distance is never insurmountable.

I don't know how many times I've said it, or how many times I'll say it after this, maybe when my heart has fully learned the lesson that my head has.

There is danger in comfort!

It is easier to know to be guarded when there are attacks, when you see the devil coming after different areas of your life, you stop, you pray, 'Jesus take the wheel!' The danger i find is when things are going well, God is blessing you, doors are opening and you suddenly feel like you got good at God. Next thing you know, you're reading the Word less or not at all, pray is a lackadaisical activity and no longer a conversation, hearing from God seems like an impossibility, but work is still flowing and provision is still there so you don't take the time to fix it. Satisfaction is a painful place to be, we can never know all of God, so we should never feel like we know enough, keep seeking deeper, richer relationship with God.

Lately I've seen God show up for me in different aspects of my life, all across the boarder, but I've had to acknowledge less time spent in the Word and in prayer. I got comfortable, the blessing was a sign I was doing well.

Lesson number one! God's blessing is never deserved, it's not a gift or reward for good deeds. "The Lord giveth and He taketh away." It is the work of His Wisdom, He chooses to bless us and it is not based on who came top in Bible Study class.

God's gifts on earth can always be applied to purpose, they are never just a trophy for your mantelpiece.

The one thing we need to remember is the thing that counts most here, is the will of God and we can only align ourselves with that through a continuous love relationship with God.

There is no shame in backsliding, it happens to EVERYONE! Shame is what the devil uses to make you distance yourself from God, because God will never distance Himself from you. Simply take a breath, and set your eyes on Him, return to Him in prayer, in time spent in the Word, show HIm your thirst for Him and God will NEVER disappoint.

It doesn't happen overnight, this walk is a continuous test of your patience, are you ready to wait on God. To let Him show you all He has in store for you and not just settle for good enough.

Look past the pain, the trial, God is ALWAYS at work. It's never too late and you're never too far gone.

I recent went to and watch the play Gula! The powerful story of this hardened criminal who self confessed has killed over 100 people, eaten human flesh, robbed countless people and while in prison,  met former President Obasanjo and gave his life to Christ, and is now a pastor and in strong devoted relationship with God. It is truly never too late, God's love will always meet you wherever you are.

The Power Of Your Thinking

God has really been taking me through a process and showing me the power our thoughts have over our results and how susceptible we can be to the things we perceive.

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

— Romans 12:2

Some of what I say may seem ridiculous but there is so much power in what you set and let influence the way you see yourself. I have spent some time dealing with feelings of inferiority and like a wave it have come to me how deep seeded those thoughts and feelings were.

When I was younger I was never really good at PlayStation games, to be honest I''m not really any better now. I was that guy who never won, no matter what kind of game it was, FIFA, Call of Duty, Mario Kart. I mean, I even struggled against computer. Though now, this seems as irrelevant at a young age it sewed a seed of inferiority in me.

From there I'd go to school and was never the best academically and that would of course add a new layer of self doubt. Especially with siblings who thrived academically, it could make you feel like you never lived up. That asides, I didn't seem to do all that well with a lot of other things I tried. It resulted in me becoming quite lazy, cause i didn't believe putting in effort would make a difference cause I naturally just wasn't good enough.

Then I found acting and it seemed like the place for me, It gave me a place where I finally seemed to fit in and something I was good at. But the negative seeds of inferiority were already in me from all the things I let shape my thinking.

So even with acting I had a lot of things that made me feel unqualified. Mainly I did a lot of theatre, it is what I was trained in but the first thing people think of when they think theatre is, musical theatre. Unfortunately I can't sing, like I can't sing to save my life. So it meant during any musical I'd get into which was always the biggest play of the year at school, I'd have a very small role, so I grew to feel self-conscious and insufficient even in the place where I felt called to.

Your eyes are in constant communication with your brain therefore they influence the way you think so dramatically.

i studied photography and our eyes kind of work like a pinhole camera. you put a sheet of photo paper into a pitch dark container with a hole at the front that is closed off. when you uncover the hole light floods through, but the light from above enter and goes to the bottom of the image and vice versa, so when you process the image it is upside-down and you simply turn the picture the right way up.

Our eyes work like a pinhole camera so receive images upside-down, the fact we see them the right way round shows how quickly our eyes communicate with our brains to make sense of what we see,

I spent so much of the time when I was young seeing myself fail to measure up in things that weren't meant for me, but i had lent a level of importance to them that it all clouded my perception and made me feel inferior to others.

God realised the power of the things we see. Saul was so taken by the things he saw and his perception of the faith that he could not see any other way. He went out of his way to kill and imprison those who followed Christ.

Jesus saw the only way for Saul to really see the truth was to blind him to everything else.

We have to learn to guard our thoughts and what we let ourselves perceive, the people around you are hugely influential. What you surround yourself with you will become.

“Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.””

— 1 Corinthians 15:33

Your thinking dictates the decisions you make, enter a place where your thought are positive,

Facing Disappointment

“For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”

— Habakkuk 2:3

Disappointment is a hard thing to deal with, we always want to believe we can immediately move on from a disappointment. As Christians we want to be able to say 'if all things work for the good of those who love Him, and this didn't work then it wasn't His will.' but that is easier said than done. Emotions aren't so easy to circumvent.

When you have already begun to picture something it’s hard not to be hurt when it doesn’t come to fruition.

When that happens where do we turn.

It's important to point out that I am searching for answers as I'm writing this, not saying I have them. Disappointment and I are well acquainted.

As soon as it came to me to write on 'Facing Disappointment', Habakkuk 2:3 came to mind, "...Although the vision tarries, be patient it will not tarry."

The verse seems to contradict itself, which, the Word of God, I’m told, does not do. So I read the two preceding verses.

“I will stand my watch
And set myself on the rampart,
And watch to see what He will say to me,
And what I will answer when I am corrected.
Then the Lord answered me and said:

“Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.”

— Habakkuk 2:1-2

Theres are a few things clear from reading these verses.

1.     Have you had a vision?

a.     You need to have a clear vision, often we get disappointed because we put all our hopes in something on a whim, or based on what should be good according to the worlds standards.

2.     Where did you get your vision?

a.     We need clarity on the source of our vision.

b.     Have you confirmed your vision with God? Have you prayed and spent time meditating on that vision?

c.      Is it from God or is it from man?

d.     If your vision is from man, or you don’t have a vision, seek God face and ask Him to give you a vision.

3.     Have you written down your vision?

a.     We are scared of sometimes writing down our vision because it creates accountability, we like to play things down in fear of disappointment or failure.

b.     When you write your vision down it is an action and statement of determination. Action is how vision becomes manifest!

c.      Writing your vision is a reference point, when ever you go astray it will refocus you.

d.     Writing down your vision helps you remember what you are seeking, it’s easy to get lost otherwise.

4.     Are your goals in line with your vision?

a.     Are you disappointed in a goal that isn’t actually in line with your vision?

b.     Or are you trying to make something fit that never did?

- We also need to get our goals from God. It's natural as humans to try and set goals we believe will lead us to our God given vision, but God works in ways we cannot fathom, don;t limit God by your thinking.

5.     There are people attached to your vision

a.     "...Write down your visions people that see it can run with it." If you proclaim your vision the helpers God has for you will hear the call and come.

b.     You can’t do it alone.

6.     You can always show it back to God.

a.     If God said it He MUST do it.

b.     Gives you reassurance that just because it didn’t happen this time, doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.

Disappointment will come but it is only a matter of when, not a matter of if. God is not man that He should lie, so whenever you're disappointed lean on that truth. God’s Word will surely come to pass, so once we realise something is not happening the way we wanted it to, or when we wanted it to, doesn’t mean it's not happening.

This verse that seemed like a contradiction isn’t one, its just God talking about two different locations, the earthly realm and the Spiritual one.

Something may seem to tarry on the earthly realm, because we live in time, so we are always waiting for something to happen NOW. Joseph waited 13 years for the dream to become manifest, we need to learn patience, just because you had the vision today doesn't mean it's meant to happen today.

But it will never tarry because God’s word has already come to fruition on the Spiritual and when it manifests on the earthly realm it’ll be just as God purposed.

Always bring yourself back to your written down vision and take solace in God's sovereignty.

Together In Christ

I've written this blog post before, and when I first wrote it, it was titled 'From Babylon to Pentecost'. I wrote the post and then lost it all. At the time I took as a sign not to write it at all, but today God reprimanded me so here I am writing about what I learned about togetherness in Christ.

God is quickly teaching me that we can't do things alone. I am learning to not be ashamed to ask for help. As Christians, often we try to do things alone and this can often happen for two very opposite reasons,

• The first reason is an inferiority complex, at times we don't want to share our ideas or our visions because we are scared we are not good enough for them and we don't want to be laughed out of the room.

“Then the LORD answered me and said, ‘Write the vision and engrave it plain on clay tablets so that the one who reads it will run.’”

— Habakkuk 2:2

But in the book of Habakkuk, God tells Habakkuk to write down his vision clearly. When you have a vision you should not be afraid to proclaim it, so that those who see it run with it, this taught me that there are people attached to your vision. Accomplishing your vision requires other like minded people. 

Don't miss the people God has sent to help you because you were scared to reveal what God has put in you.

• The Second reason we often try to do things alone is pride. This is one of the biggest pitfalls we can enter as Christians, pride, wanting the glory for something all to ourselves. We don't want to share it with others ,when in reality ALL glory belongs to God.

Now for me to explain how God used 'Babylon to Pentecost' to teach me these two things.

In the time of the Babylonians, the whole earth spoke one tongue, and this gave them all the ability to work together asthey could all communicate with one another.

The first thing to point out here is the worlds willingness to work together.

So the people of Babel all came together and said;

“...’Now let’s build a city with a tower that reaches the sky, so that we can make a name for ourselves and not be scattered all over the earth.’”

— Genesis 11:4

There's something we can be ignorant to as Christians and that is the power of working together to effect change. The Babylonians were not ignorant to that, and neither is the world. The Babylonians realised to achieve something great it could not be done alone but their pitfall was pride. They wanted to build a tower so high it would reach heaven, because;

1. They wanted to make a name for themselves, they wanted the glory for themselves and not for God.
2. They wanted to evade God. God had already planned to spread the people over the face of the earth.

When your motive is for self, and contrary to the Kingdom of God, it cannot succeed, God saw what the Babylonians were doing and the heart with which they did it, so He came down and took away their ability to speak in the same tongue and therefore their ability to work together.

Flash forward to 'The Day of Pentecost' we see the language differences reversed by the Holy Spirit.

“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there was a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.”

— NKJV Acts 2:1-2

I love how the NKJV puts it, '...They were all with one accord in one place.' That speaks to the fact they were not just in the same location but of the same heart, they all had a heart for God and the Kingdom and that gave them all access to the Holy Spirit.

Powerful things happens when you or more are gathered with a heart for God!

The Holy Spirit did two things for them. Firstly He gave them the ability to communicate in the tongue of heaven, communicate in the heavenly realm, and secondly the ability to understand one another though they all spoke different tongues.

When you are operating in your God given purpose, working with a sense of togetherness, giving all glory to God you will receive supernatural access.

Being A Working Vessel For Christ

One of the first thing we have to come to realize is that everything we have is a gift from God and it all has a purpose; to build His Kingdom.

We must learn to use all Christ has put in us to serve Him and others.

It is important not to get caught up in things of this world, not to use our gift for vanity.

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in it’s various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power forever and ever.”

— 1 Peter 4:10-11

One of the first things is to realize, we have done nothing to deserve the gifts we have given to us, they are just that gifts that God has chosen in His wisdom to bestow on us. Steer away from vanity and believing you have earned what you have been given.

Something I love about Elevation Church in the US is their motto ‘See what God can do through you.’

We have become to self-centred, we spend so much time worrying about what God can do for us and not what we can use what He has given us to do for others.

There is a difference between having the Holy Spirit and filled with the Holy Spirit.

When we give our lives to the Christ we receive the Holy Spirit, but we pray to God to fill us with the Holy Spirit and when we are filled we are called to spend of the Spirit.

The Manifestation conference by Ignite was one of the times where I really felt myself spending of the Spirit, where I came to this deep realization that ‘this is not about you’, it’s all about God and about being a vessel for His Kingdom. It is not easy, it is uncomfortable at time, draining and exhausting, but the faith requires sacrifice. Sacrifice increases your capacity to be filled up.

When I think of a vessel, i think of a blood vessel, blood vessels are open on both ends because blood isn’t meant to flow to it, but through it.

With people that have sickle cell, what happens to cause a sickle crisis it that because the blood cells are shaped almost like a banana, the cells can get caught on what another, stopping them from flowing through, causing a blood clot which leads to a crisis.

Like this if you receive but are so caught up on holding on to the gift, be it money, talents or anything else as opposed to using it for good, it can lead to a crisis in your life. Holding onto the things you’ve been blessed with takes your focus from the giver to the gift and that will always damage your relationship with Christ.

When you begin to focus on the gift you make that thing an idol and put it over God.

The Israelite's did the same thing in Exodus 32 when Aaron told them all to gather all the gold they had gathered and they turned away from God.

Lessons In The Silence

This has been a very weird period for me. Since I begun this Faith Blog. I have been determined to post once a week and had managed to do that consistently. For someone lacking certain structural disciplines I can tell you I was proud of that.

My immediate concern when I said I would post weekly, was that I want this to be Spirit-led and not me writing for the sake of putting something up. I do believe that can also slip into being an excuse for laziness, so I went ahead with that commitment. I was consistent and God always left me with something in mind to say...then came silence.

The funny thing about the quiet period for the last month is it happened when I felt I should have more to say and not less. So recently the Ignite fellowship of my church, Guiding Light Assembly started a show on InspirationFM, IgniteGLA on the Radio, which I co-host along with two other members of the Ignite team. After one of our shows we sat down together for hours in fellowship and light was shed on a lot of things for me. It felt like God had really been dealing with things for me that I was blissfully unaware of and I had this certainty of 'I know exactly what I'm speaking on next', swiftly followed by an inability to write about it or anything else.

I felt like I had this huge thing God wanted to use me as a vessel to talk about in the open but God gave me nothing to say. It was perplexing.

There are things to learn from the silence. I may not have a word just yet, but I know when God gives it to me it will be a force for His Kingdom. You have to learn to trust God's timing and process.

Lessons in the Silence

1. Dealing with arrogance - For me one thing I've learned is not to get proud and believe God's doing is actually your own doing. Time and time again in the Bible we see God use people in their weakness, it makes it so evident that it couldn't be, if not for God. There is a danger when you see God use you again and again that it is because you are somehow worthy, or more deserving than others. When the silence comes and you find yourself devoid of answers you will fall on your knees at the feet of the King, knowing it could only be Him.

2. Leaning on the Word - It can feel at times like God has gone silent and we struggle to hear His voice, but there is always His Word. Spend time with the Master, reading and studying His Word, praying according to His Word and being obedient to it. Too often we want God's step by step directions on the intricacies of our daily lives, but are we even being obedient to His directions in the Word. The Word is the foundation for relationship with God for a reason. Start with what is in the Bible, the rest will come.

3. Determining your Relationships - There is always a reason for silence. Between the Old and New Testament there was a period of silence, where the Jews did not hear from God for about 450-500 years and this period was prophesied in Amos 8:11, "The time is coming when I will send famine on the land. People will be hungry, but not for bread; they will be thirsty, but not for water. They will hunger and thirst for a message from the LORD. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken." It is important to in that period look at your relationships, the people around you, the things you surround yourself with and what could be deafening you to the voice of God, look at your actions, lifestyle, habits, test them against the Word, against the foundation.

Based On Logistics

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

— Matthew 6:24

Money...

This thing can drive a wedge between you and God if you're not careful.

When serving God leaves you standing with no idea where the paycheck is coming from, will you do it? I was having this conversation with a friend, serving money over God isn't about wanting more than you need, sometimes it's just about wanting enough to survive. Then God in all His wisdom will call you to do work for which there is NO monetary gain, to step in boldness into no salary.

It's one thing when God is asking you to foresake the money that'll get you that 3rd G wagon, but when He is asking you to foresake the money that'll pay your rent!

Yes I am in the world but not of it, but Baba-J as long as I'm in the world some things cost money? no?

Often obeying God defies all logic.

I am a man, yes I am single, but you have to live thinking towards the future. Based on logistics, you have to be ready to provide for someone, and then a family, take care of a home, be prepared for emergencies. These things require finance. If i say no be money wey I go take do am, wetin I go take?

But this Mighty God we serve says He is our Provider, provision is not necessarily finances! It is easy to get wrapped up in the money, but we are using money to pay for something. If God can give us the things without giving us the money, is there still a problem?

The problem is we are stuck, thinking the way the world thinks, believing money is the key to the resources, but God is. God is the ultimate source!

I am currently in that stalemate with God, we are looking each other eye to eye. He's just waiting for me to step confidently into purpose, See God knows when your obedience is dressed in fear, "God I'll do what you're asking, but let's take it slow, not dive too deep into anything.."

I am excited about where God is taking me, what He has planned for me, what He is doing and will do through me, I want to be obedient and live in that purpose, but to let go of salary...? "Slow down G, how about we find a way to negotiate some finances into all this?"

I am scared, not so sure I'm ready, but I will be obedient, I will be bold and courageous, I will step unashamedly into the purpose God has for me, I will do this incredibly stupid act of faith. I have decided to follow Jesus.

I'll tell you what motivates me to be obedient at this point. My fear comes from the thought of needing finances to provide for the future, whoever and wherever she is, but that future is nothing in comparison to THE future, eternity! And if the decisions I make out of fear or logic lead me to miss out on that eternity, then who was the stupid one? There is a bigger picture than this worldly existence, this is just the waiting room.

Don't lose sight of the most important thing, because this life will trick you into thinking this is it.

Fighting Fear With Humility

Making decisions can be a painful process. There are people for whom decision making is a skill, faced with an issue or even an opportunity and instinct kicks in and it's done. I do not fall into that category, the decision process is a long and winding road.

Fact is, more often than not, we may know what the right decision is, but there are always those little deterrents that make it hard to take the necessary steps. In short, the dilemma is fear, but many things can lead to fear.

Fear to me is the absence of faith, you can't do the two things at the same time, it's like trying to serve two masters, they live on the opposite end of the spectrum; to act by one is to evade the other.

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other...”

— Matthew 6:24

Truth is, in life things are rarely ever that black and white, they exist in the grey. It is a battle everyday to choose one or the other and fear is a very powerful and intimidating foe, who knows just how to push on the right buttons.

Sometimes reading the bible is a big 'wowuu'. The men of faith were truly tried and tested and it is so hard to imagine taking the leaps of faith they did.

Abraham was so faithful and obedient, that after the impossibly long wait for a son, he was trusting enough in God that he could carry Isaac and bound him up ready to make that sacrifice to God.

It's impossible to talk about faith and not talk about Job. Job was living a good, honorable life, obedient and in service of God and simply because Satan challenges God, that Job isn't in fact good but only obedient for sake of reward, God takes everything and everyone from him. The same God that Job had learned was a fair God, took it all away when Job did nothing to deserve it and yet Job still praised God in spite of it all.

Job-like faith.

But it's like, let's get serious, how real could these people be, if I were Abraham I would quickly doubt that it was this good God asking me to sacrifice my son, I mean why would God ask that of me. The same way we get confronted with situations and if we don't see the profit in it, it's like well, will God want this for me. The world has programmed us to see the cost of things and let that overwhelm our vision.

It's hard to leave something that you are comfortable in to challenge yourself where the reward is unsure. Risks are scary, when it comes to crunch time, how can you leave a 9-5 where there is a sure income to chase something unsure, you have responsibilities. I spent time in prayer lately on going forward with certain things in my life I believe God has purposed me to, but taking the risks that come with it is not easy.

“Look at the birds in the air, they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

— Matthew 6:26-27

It's easy to read the bible and see these words of guidance and encouragement, but action is a lot harder. The Bible will tell you to trust in God and not worry about where your next meal is coming from, but the world will tell you it is irresponsible. Faith by the world's standards is foolishness and its hard to kick that feeling sometimes. How do we get to the point where obedience comes to us like it did to Abraham, Moses, Job and Joseph?

I want to take another look at Job, because we talk so much of 'Job like faith' and his trust in the Lord in spite of his circumstance, but it is deeper than that. And as long as we talk about that, with talking about his moments of doubt and His questioning God we make it seem like fear means we are failing.

Job was good, obedient, diligent, yes after he lost everything he continued to praise God but that wasn't all. The grey existed for Job too. Job doubted God, went through a season of resentment towards God, he questioned God, 'What did I do to deserve this? God can't be Just!' His friends accused him of all sorts of sins, that God is just so you must have done something and Job denied it all, Job was innocent yet he was suffering. Job ultimately challenged God to explain himself, accusing Him of being unfair and corrupt, he was tired. And when God came to answer Job, there was no direct answer but in fact this elaborate long story, where God showed Job the vastness of the world, and asks Job if he could run or understand it for just one day, showing him how detailed the universe is, so much so we could never understand, but God does. God then shows Job two beasts, beasts that would kill without a thought, and says these aren't evil they are part of my design.

See, from Job's perspective, God is not just - but God works from a grand perspective we could never understand. The wisdom of God is beyond anything we could understand and this is what Job comes to understand. The good things he had were not reward for his obedience and the things he lost were not punishment either. So when Job gets double of everything back, he knows that this is not reward or anything I am deserving of.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
In all ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

— Proverbs 3:5-6

So this is what Job-like faith is, it is humility, accepting that no matter what comes, good or bad, we can trust in the wisdom of God. It is not chasing reward or expecting it. So obedience to God has to come from a place of service, not expecting anything. It means putting aside worldly expectations, financial gain or reputation. If we can accept this and put these worldly expectations aside, taking the leaps of faith will become easier.

Keeping Your Focus On Christ And Staying Diligent

To Break Or To BreakTHROUGH?

I've learned lately that perception accounts for most of the battle. There's an interesting thing about prayer when done right;

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭100:4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

When we start praying if we do so first by thanking God for what He has done it gives us perspective on all the things we have worried about before that God has seen us through, from there we praise Him not for what He has done but for who He is, and this is where the shift in perspective really kicks in. Our human nature is to go straight to God with all our requests, and the problem with that is, we enter His presence with our focus on our problem and not on God. We've made our problems bigger than God. By praising God for who He is we switch perspective. We start to see that not just has God done great things for us, He Himself is bigger than any issue. That by the time we are laying our requests at His feet we don't have the doubt and desperation we had when we first got on our knees.

I see now more than ever that when the challenges seem more unending or the pressure feels insurmountable it is because the breakthrough is closer than you can imagine. The Bible never tells you it is easy to be a Christian, the challenges are greater in fact, you get attacked more when the devil sees the light you carry. 

“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1:6-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It's good to take your trial as an opportunity to grow in relationship with God and be strengthened in faith. Nothing advances when things are easy. Ease is the greatest enemy to progress. There are two options in trial, to break, or to breakTHROUGH. Your perspective dictates the option you choose, is it too much for me? Or is it just enough for me to withstand? We often want God to change our situation when we really just need Him to change our perspective. 

Prayer is the greatest catalyst for a shift in perspective. We need to shift our focus to the I Am that I Am, the One who is whatever we need Him to be and take it off the mountain we've let convince us is immovable when through Christ nothing is impossible. See your breakthrough not your breakdown!