CAST ALL YOUR CARES UPON HIM AND RECEIVE REST

I WALK WITH MY FATHER

The cracks are many

Hard to absorb, hard to resolve 

The path is long

Hard to cover, hard to run through  

Seems uneasy but easy                 

Adequately, on standby                                   

Has Abba been

I walked through the cracks 

And my feet didn't crack 

I look back on the path 

Surprised to have gone a long way 

The way ahead  seems far

I still worry about the cracks ahead 

But I’m gonna walk to get ahead 

Like they never were there 

I've mused, refused and been fussy 

But his loving grace has been copious 

My hands he never lets go 

Still, he squeezes in affirmation of his love 

Ahead of me he goes 

Ahead of me he has worked it out 

I shall hold on to my Abba's hand of rest 

To my destination of purpose 

Yep! It's a new month. Happy new month beautiful people. God has gone ahead of you this month. 

I was reading an anatomy text on tuesday evening, I had a lot to read for my upcoming exams of which the date is not certain yet, so it could be announced anytime. I was a bit worried, this is just a part of the story as I've had other challenges this week. I thought about everything and realised God's hand has been evident in my life and his continuous assurances too. I decided to just let him drive while I sit back, relax and remember the sky is beautiful. That was the night I wrote the poem above by inspiration. Come to think of it, I remember several times when I am tempted to worry about something and I hear God telling me clearly " So how has worrying helped you? tell me. I'm still here you know" . Funny right? but true.

Maybe, you just finished NYSC and you are wondering "What's next?" , You just got a new job and you are so worried how the journey will be, you are about to get married and you feel so anxious about it, you are about to be a parent and you are so scared of failing or how you are going to provide for your child. Maybe you are about to graduate and you are scared of how life will be after that. You could be in a stage of transitioning from one point of your life to another. It could be financial challenges and you are worried about what you are going to eat tomorrow or you have a situation that you can't tell anyone about or you think no one can understand and people will think you are crazy. Trust me, God understands all of it! 

Mathew 6 vs 25-34

25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

26 Look at the birds of 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?

27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

This is all I can put here. Read till verse 34. If God brought you this far, he can take you through it. Thank him for how far he has brought you and relax.

A particular night I was browsing through YouTube for messages. I came across Pastor Steven Furtick's message  "When anxiety attacks". He talked of how overwhelmed he was during the Elevation church ten years anniversary week, he worried if he had what it takes to take the church to a higher level the next ten years. He said it was common among leaders who have walked with God after reaching a certain level to feel pressured about taking the church or ministry to another level.

 "I don't know if I have what it takes to take this church to a higher level" that's what he kept thinking. He prayed to God about it, read the scriptures and then God spoke to him  "The letter in the center of the word anxiety is an "i" which is your pride. You are at the center of your anxiety, you think you can handle everything yourself. Listen to yourself when you worry, all you said was "I can't, I don't know if"  its been I, I and I. You are not the one who sustains the throne I (God) do. Humble yourself and give me the upper hand".

Men choose to bear weights they are not meant to bear. God also asked him if he had what it takes to take the church through the last 10 years and that he God was the backbone of the church the last 10 years not him Pastor Steven. So there was no need to worry. After that God went ahead to say the letter in the center of the word pride is an "i". Man's pride was a major reason why they worry about so many things and that man's pride won't let him surrender all to God. One of the reasons why we are anxious is because we refuse to be obedient and cast all our anxiety on God. Once you surrender, your pride and anxiety goes. Never be anxious in an attack too. He gave this scripture 1 Peter 5 vs 7-8

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Finally, I want to let you know Christ bore your burdens on the cross. He was thirsty for all your burdens on the cross, to finish and put an end to it. If God protected you in the womb even when you were not conscious of yourself, through childhood and then adulthood. What can't he do? In fact, if he saw you through yesterday and this is another day, what can't he do? I was praying one day, I lifted my two hands up in surrender to God. He told me "If a child is in need of his/her mother's care or attention or they want to get away from what they perceive to be danger, they lift up their hands as a sign to be carried. When you surrender to me when you have challenges that's how I see it. I will carry you through it, you are my child and I will always protect you. Allow me to." I believe this message is for someone. Just drop it at his feet and walk away free. 

I pray that everyone of you reading this will accept God's rest for you. Amen.

 

UNCLOUDED

Hello awesome people!

As Christians, is it possible to have the zeal (passion, fire burning for God) without having it according to knowledge? Yes it is. Romans 10 vs 2
As a believer understanding who God is, is important. A desire or zeal towards something/someone should make you want to know more. In other to really know, you have to come in terms with understanding it or them and how they function because, it is possible to have a zeal without proper grounding knowledge, this can result to a whole lot of misunderstanding, misleadings and mistakes. 

It's important as Christians to have that longing and readiness to understand who God is. A lot of christians are scared of going deeper in thier faith because they think the deeper you go, the more challenging or difficult it becomes, so they remain lukewarm. That's the lie of the devil. The deeper, the less challenging life is and the more richly adorned you will be with the knowledge of the beauty of God. More revelation of who God is beautifies your life more.
To know God more, we have to let the Holy Spirit guide us in this path and open our spiritual eyes of understanding. Never lean on your own understanding or let rational thinking lead you or your mind guide you.This applies to reading the bible as well. Proverbs 3 vs 5 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;". When the spirit of God is teaching you, make yourself teachable and ready to learn. Do not rationalise with the mind or fleshly thoughts. This is where alot of issues arise from misunderstanding the bible, especially if it doesn't suit the worldly intelligence, it disregarded and interpreted carnally. It's worse if this misinterpretation is relayed to followers. That is why it is important to study the bible personally. God's word might seem unreal to the flesh but it is more real than we think. God is spirit, so working in the flesh is a limitation, you won't understand how God works. In order to fully access the blessings from the word of God, you need an understanding of the word. Pray for revelation knowledge and let the spirit of God guide you.

When we read or hear the word of God, we have to believe in our hearts what we've heard and then confess it. Activate it in your spirit through confession. It doesn't matter what the situation or circumstance is at that moment, the word of God works things out. Regardless of what the world is saying about that situation.
When God told Abraham to leave his country, kindred and his father's house to a foreign land with great promises attached. Abraham obeyed God, check Genesis 12. His kindred or the people around him must have thought he was foolish or insane for obeying and believing God. It must have seemed unrealistic, but it was God's word and command. When Abraham eventually arrived Canaan, there were challenges (famine) and other set backs. At this point, most people might think they heard wrongly or God probably told them wrongly and turn back but, he is that God that will allow you pass through fire and come out unhurt. After all of that, God blessed Abraham that till today, it beats man's imagination. One important thing to consider again is OBEDIENCE with believing and confession of the word of God, we must obey God's instructions when he speaks to us.
The resources at the beginning might be small, the way may seem rough, you may fall a couple of times, it might not go how you thought it will go at first, but know God is right there holding your hands and lifting you through it. God is not that father who will abandone us or get distracted to guide us through. "It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." Deuteronomy 31:8.

Another thing is to be PERSISTENT, be persistent in your believing, confession, obedience and prayer. Even when that sickness stares you in the face, be persistent in refusing it. Refuse to settle for anything less than what God has planned for you.

You are the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus, 2 corinthians 5 vs 21. It is not through your works or you trying to make yourself righteous before God or seem righteous to people, Christ has made you righteous, it is sealed. God knows you are righteous because you've accepted Christ. Romans 10 vs 3. Trying to or believing you can make yourself righteous is not submitting to or accepting the righteousness Christ has given to you. This is unbelief in the work which Christ has already done. Christ fulfilled the law, you don't have to fulfill it. You are righteous through faith in Christ.
According to John 3 vs 16, God SO loved us and sent his Son to die for us. It's not something you and I worked for. It's grace. God's saving grace is not based on your works or limited to your shortcomings. Jesus paid the price!. When you are in Christ, you are new, old things are erased completely like they were never there. No matter the fingers the world points at you, you are righteous as far as you have Christ. God's promises are true, his word never fails! God is in love with you.

SONSHIP

Genesis is the first book of the bible, Genesis 1 entails of God's creation of Heaven and Earth. There was a reason why the account of Creation was revealed. It wasn't just about having knowledge of how the Heavens and the earth were made, it also gives us deep insight about God's plan for man and a revelation on how man can fulfill God's plan for him.

God made the Heavens and the earth. Therefore, it means everything in Heaven and on earth belongs to God and is under his authority. This might not be a perfect example but i hope it helps. A man buys a piece of land and then builds a house on it. It means, he is in charge of that property and he is responsible for the regulation of the activities in the house and the people who live in it. The children of the man have authority as well through their father except he disowns them or doesn't include them in his Will. God after making the earth, everything in it and right after making man, gave everything under the authority of man to watch over, possess and subdue. You and i are in charge! that's the good news. Right from the beginning, God made us to be in charge of everything.

Everything was planned out. Sin came in and there was a strain, man was still given power but that power was greatly limited. The relationship God had with man was strained too. Christ came to bridge that gap, he came to reconcile us to the Father. Through Christ we became the sons of God, through Christ we have an unlimited authority. We are joint heirs with Christ in the kingdom. Everything was planned out. Man in the beginning was placed in Charge of the earth but Christ's death, resurrection and ascension into Heaven to sit at the highest place, where we now sit with him has made our authority unlimited beyond earth because we are now Sons. We have everything. When he ascended, we ascended with him, this shows our authority is beyond earth. The place we sit with Christ is the highest level. Christ is sited at the right hand of the father, we sit with Christ there, that's the highest place.

In order to effectively operate in this son ship, we need the Holy spirit. The Holy spirit is our guide and comforter, he leads us right. The Holy spirit knows the mind of God and works ahead for his manifestations. He is a conveyer of the presence of God, he makes the presence of God real to us. According to Genesis 1 vs 2, the Spirit of God stirred the surface of the water and then God said ''Let there be light'' and there was light. The Holy spirit is like a seal and evidence that we have received Christ. The Holy spirit came upon the disciples during Pentecost and gave them power to do the work in which Christ sent them to do, Acts 2 vs 1, Romans8 vs 2. The spirit is a stirrer for manifestations, he teaches, restores and works in us, for us and through us. As sons of the Kingdom, we need to obey and follow his guidance for our effectiveness.

God spoke the earth into form. To be effective as a son, deep rooting in the word of God is very important. The word of God reveals the mystery of God. The word of God makes us knowledgeable of kingdom principles and ways, it reveals to us how deep God's love is, it gives us awareness of everything, It enlightens us of our place through Christ, One of the major ways God speaks to us is through his word. John 1 vs 1 " In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God". The word was there in the beginning. vs 14 ''The word became flesh and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father) full of grace and truth - John 1 vs 14. The word is Christ, he is the truth. We need to know the word, speak the word and act the word. John 1 vs 3;''through him all things were made, without him nothing was made that has been made''. The word helps us STAND against the evil day- Ephesians 6 vs 11-13. Psalm 119 vs 105 says that God's word is a lamb unto our feet and a light to our path.

As sons, we need to work by faith and our faith produce works. 

 God decided in Genesis 1 vs 20, to make man in his image and likeness. When the bible described man, it further identified in reference to both male and female - Genesis 1 vs 27. Both male and female were made in God's image.  You are a reflection of God. Your  sonship should  be evident in every area of your life. Multiply in your finances, bear fruits spiritually and physically etc. Genesis 1 vs 28. God saw that all he made was VERY good, especially after he made man. If you check the verses before when he made other things they were 'good' but after he made man, everything was VERY good. Let nobody or anything tell you or make you feel you are not good enough. If you were made in the image of God, you are as beautiful as he is.
 Ephesians 1 vs 5 "He predestined (To determine or plan in advance) to adopt us through Christ Jesus with accordance to his will and pleasure". From the beginning, it was part of God's plan, you and i were part of his plan. Galatians 4 vs 4-7 "Because you are sons, God sent forth the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying ''Abba !Father!'' Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then an heir of God through Christ". God is our father, our provider, protector, confidant. '' Abba'' signifies a close, intimate relationship between a father and a child.  We have this privilege only through Christ when born again. God oversees our comfort, well being, health and needs as our father. We must understand that as sons, we have a personal relationship with God and we should work with that understanding. A son knows the personal businesses of his father.

 

THE MANNER OF LOVE (PRAYER)

NEEDFUL
On a wooden slack lies a famished soul
Mercilessly beaten by the rain
Lies endlessly in the raging cold
A word of prayer can help this soul

On wet pillow lies a crying soul
Eyes flushed by draining tears
Soaked regardless in raging turmoil
A word of prayer can help this soul

On a dirty stone sits a hungry soul
Eyes puffed at passing beings
Confusingly, leaves a raging head
A word of prayer can help this soul

On a rusty rail leans a jobless soul
Throat knotted in frustration on another lost Loo
Eyes deemed by the raging sun
A word of prayer can help this soul

On a cold floor sits a deprived soul
Helplessly disengaged from a missing soul
Heart knotted by raging grief
A word of prayer can help this soul


 I remember the night i laid on my bed thinking after reading somewhere about a person who died from a terminal disease. I had so many thoughts, that was the night i wrote the poem above. I thought about the pain (physical, emotional etc) she went through before dying and what the family was going through at that moment. I thought about so many people who were hopeless at that moment, the kids who roam the streets in search of food, the people who sleep under the bridges, the sick, broken hearted etc. Please go through the poem, i believe God will speak to someone through that poem. its a message. A lot of people pass through so many challenges, even billions of people we don't know about, you might not be able to reach out to everyone physically but i know praying for them is one way of doing that.
 1timothy 2 vs 1 "I urge, then, that, first of all ,requests, prayers, intercessions,and thanksgiving, be made for everyone".


The unbelievers need our prayers as well to believe, even the unbelievers whose faces we don't know or whom we've not met or we are not able to approach. God is a way maker. Pray for them to have an encounter with God. You might have tried all you can, praying for them will change things. There are believers in church who are going through a lot. Most times they can't tell people about it and you can't read it from their faces because they wear the happy look when coming to church or going out, pray for this people. Let's follow the guidance of the Holy spirit regarding prayer, the Holy spirit can minister to you to pray for a particular person, please do not ignore, even if its a short prayer, pray for them. Do not be selective of the people you pray for instead, be guided by the Holy spirit.

Pray for the people in authority instead of criticizing the people there, lets pray for them.  proverbs 21 vs 1 "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will".

 Pray for God to guide them to do well. Pray for strength for them, they get tired too or frustrated. Sometimes, they feel pressured. Pray for God's sufficiency for them, they have needs too. Pray for church leaders and members. Prayer strengthens the church.

Take out time to pray for people you don't know. Just mention the needs this people might have to God in prayer. you might not know everyone's needs but you can commit them to God in prayers. Hold hands with people and pray for them, sometimes they might not be going through anything at the moment but just bless them and thank God for them.

I remember one morning, early in the morning, i was woken from sleep by the Holy spirit about a revelation to pray for a lady, to pray against death for her. From the image i saw, i wasn't sure i knew her. My eyes were full of sleep, i was so tempted to sleep back. God kept speaking to me about it that moment, i thought to wait till i finally wake up but i knew i had to pray, so i woke up still feeling sleepy and i prayed, i made sure to pray in the spirit and then i slept back when i woke up finally that morning i almost forgot about that revelation but God reminded me and i prayed again. My point is, even when it seems uncomfortable for you at that moment and the Holy spirit ministers to you to pray for someone or people, do it. Don't let it slip because its not you or a loved one. God has a reason for it, someone might be in a critical situation and needs your prayer at that moment. What if it you forget to pray and it becomes too late? i pray it doesn't get to that point, What if you procrastinate and forget to pray? 

Love yourself enough to pray for yourself too. Do not take things for granted. God is that father we can talk to about anything.
Everything can be going on well with your spiritual life, you feel alright within, but if the Holy spirit tells you to pray about your spiritual life and be vigilant or sensitive in the spirit, maybe he says you need to pray more or be extra vigilant do not ignore no matter how well things are going at that moment. A lot of Christians ignore this and before they know, they let themselves get overshadowed by situations and then they will be wondering what happened like '' i was fine just last week, what happened?''. God sees what's ahead and wants to guide you from it. He will.

Mathew 18 vs19-20 " Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20..For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am i in the midst of them''. Pray with people, pray as a family, pray in church with others. For example, you need to get a Biro from the floor, if you try lifting with your toes without looking and lying on the bed, you might keep tapping the floor and its more difficult though can be successful but if you, sit up, bend, use your eyes to search for it, and finally lift it with your hand. that's putting virtually half if not all of your body at work. Another example is trying to clear a field. One person doing it alone can take hours but two or more people doing it together might take just minutes to complete the work. one person is a force on his own but together, its like putting  many forces together. We are one body in Christ who work together to grow as one.  Another persons issue should concern you, if you feel soreness in your feet, your hand rubs it continuously till it feels better. God loves unity, togetherness and bonding as a family even through prayer. Romans 15 vs 5-6'' May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ''.


Prayer is important. Be sensitive in the spirit. I pray for God's increase in our prayer lives in Jesus name, Amen!

LOVE (THE MANNER OF LOVE: CHARACTERS)

Hello beautiful people
We are still on the topic of love. Love is a beautiful thing. It is strong. It's God's will for me to write to someone out there about love and the manner of love. Love is from the father. There is a reason why you are reading this right now. God has different ways of speaking to people. Be blessed by this message. If you haven't seen the second part of this topic, please go through it. God has alot to reveal to you through it.
Our text majorly is from 1 corinthians 13.  Please make sure to go through it.

Love is patient, patience means to wait, to tolerate, to be in constant pursuit, to persevere , to bear.

 Love is being patient with a person through thier moodiness. People display different attitudes when moody, most times we could misunderstand it to be thier show of dislike towards us, they might be going through a lot they can't reveal. In fact,  the attitude might be as a result of anger towards something else not you. Moodiness could be hormonal/biological in both men and women. Love people even when they seem really angry all the time, Love can change lives or inspire. Love tolerates. Show love to strangers.

 Love is being patient to help another out of a mistake they are about to make due to ignorance despite thier refusal to listen or waiting around to pray and hoping they come to realization of the truth. Love is when you wait to hear the side of a story of a person after you hear a rumour about them no matter how bad and believable it is. Love is not judging them. Loves is waiting till you marry to have sex wit your partner. 

Love is not envious of another. Love celebrates another's success even when you started the journey before them.
Love does not envy because the other person you feel superior to has accomplished what you accomplished. Love does not envy because your husband/wife is earning more than you at work. You are one body.

Love doesn't brag. It doesn't go about telling people what they have done or how much they have done for other people. Love is not reminding people or your partner how much you've done for them or how much they owe to you with the intention of making them feel indebted to you, worship you or feel owned by you. Love doesn't rub success on people's faces, it's a sign of weakness and insecurity. Love doesn't discriminate, nobody is inferior. Christ died for all, regardless of tribe or nation. Differences in race shows how diversely and richly beautiful God is through creation. We are one body in Christ. No part of Christ body is inferior. Everything God made was good.

One has not love if they allow thier temper to be an excuse in hurting people's feelings. If one has love, they will work on it. Bad temper ruins relationships. Proverbs 29 vs 11  " A fool always loses his temper, But a wise man holds it back" 

Proverbs 16 vs 32 "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city".

Love is not self centered or selfish. It doesn't regard one's need to be more important than another's. Love doesn't argue/fight with another to win, love is considerate to see another's hurt in disagreements or fights. Love doesn't live in the past. Before, people used diaries to record hurts and offences but it's recorded in the heart now for easy access. This leaves more hurt. It's like reopening a wound. If a wound is hit again, it becomes worse. When this people are hurt again, the old wound resurfaces and gets wider with the new one. It is choking to build up hurt or anger. It is a world of continous pain. A physical wound being hit or reopened can get infected, leave constant pain, take long to heal or there could be deadly consequences. Thus, the wound bearer suffers it. It's never worth it. It is a restriction of personal growth. A lot of psychological drainage occurs too. There is no happiness or peace. It then becomes difficult to love or accept love. Sometimes it becomes hard to see God's love and enjoy it. The devil takes advantage of small things to build them up into something worse. Jesus loved the people who betrayed him, hurt him, rejected him enough to die for them. Even at the point of death he still loved by asking the Father for forgiveness on thier behalf. Even at the point of being very hurt he accepted a thief nailed with him into God's Kingdom. The deciples denied and deserted him when he was captured but he still reached out to them when he rose from death.

Love and evil don't attract. Love resist evil. A world full of love is a world with less evil. Love sees the truth and rejoices with it. Love is genuine. Love protects, this can be seen in God's abundant protection over us. Protection isn't only from physically harmful things or persons. Protection can be by defending someone when the whole word condems or accuses them. Protect someone by actually not hurting them through emotional or physical abuse. 

Love perseveres, your love for something leaves in you the spirit to pursue it regardless of obstacles on the way. This is how you accomplish goals in life. Love trust, trust is believing in something. When there is trust, relationships won't be shaken or tossed around. Believing in/trusting your partner is loving them. Love hopes for the best in people no matter how bad thier situation might seem. Some people want to be encouraged to get through difficult times. Seeing that another person has hope for them is strength to get through.

Love doesn't fail or dissapoint. God doesn't fail or dissapoint us because he loves us dearly.

Love is devotion.  Romans 12 vs 10. We make out time for the things or people we love. Devotion is sacrificial. You make out time no matter the schedule if there is love.

Love serves. Service in humility. Serving is helping out, volunteering, taking care of, putting things in order for other people, catering for others, looking out for the needs of others.
Love is serving your people honestly when in  political power or an organisation.
Love is service by sharing knowledge, helping another to grow spiritually, looking out for the unbelievers and winning souls( genuine concern for another's soul). Love is serving another with our God given gifts 1 peter 4 vs 10
" Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms".

Love should be in our hearts when working in the house of God. Godly people are not rude, judgemental, unkind, unwelcoming or proud.

Let the church be an example of love to the world and not the world's principles of love ours.
Love conquers imperfections.

Love doesn't bring fear, for those in relationships,courtships, marriages. A partner who puts you in constant fear from threats or by being hit doesn't love you. It doesn't matter how much they lie to you about loving you. Love is not abusive, love takes no advantage.

 Love yourself. You were made in the image and likeness of God. He lives in you. You are the evidence of God on earth. You are so loved by God regardless of who you are or what you do. You don't need to work or impress God to gain his love. It's a special gift from God to you. God's actions are because he loves you. Don't try to impress or bribe people to love you. You are that special! In Mathew 22 vs 39, the bible says love your neighbour as you love yourself. You have to love yourself first to be able to love and accept love. You are a member of Christ glorious body.

Some people might be wondering how possible it is to love this way. It is possible. Once we've accepted Christ, he lives in us and he works in us and through us to transform us. You just need to believe and allow the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

1 corithians 3 vs 18

"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit".

 Ephesians 5 vs 1-2

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma"

Love should be expressed not locked up. Love is commitment.

Let the love of Christ fill you up. Be blessed in Jesus name. Amen