Concealment

Inherent in sin is the will to conceal it.

I consider this a profound truth. Sin comes with a pre-packaged or in-built self-preservation or self-concealing ability. When sin comes, it also comes with a desire and a will for it to be kept secret.

Sin is the number one reason why our world is what it is today and it is the reason Jesus came. It is one of the reasons for which grace is given to man. It is the sole reason why there is a hell and the only condition to qualify for it.

When you consider Adam and Eve, you will discover that their first reaction to falling into sin was to take cover, that is to hid.

It is your first reaction when you sin too. Be it lying, envy, sexual immortality, stealing etc. We see people engaging in these things daily but they would not readily admit it and when they admit, they still have folks or institutions they can admit it to.

Sin's in-built concealment software sort of installs in any man that sins thereby making such unwilling to admit their wrong.

This however is Sin's self-sustaining plan. With this Sin can perpetuate, sustain, preserve and improve itself in a man's life. This is Sin's power.

Sin prospers (grows, improves, increases and multiplies) when concealed or hidden. But the person who conceals it will not........

Proverbs  28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Concealment is Sin's staying power. Opening up is what destroys its hold. Don't let Sin have dominion over you. Speak out. Expose it.
I hear someone saying "you want me to expose myself?" Yes! Expose yourSELF! Expose your SELF! Expose SELF! Mr Self or if u like Mr Flesh must be exposed. He is a friend of Mr Sin. Don't hide him much longer.

Get on your knees, pray and talk to God and look for good folks and undress the sin that easily besets you.

God bless you.
SHALOM.

Investment

I have being experiencing some pains of late, because i have being putting some resources into some areas of my life in order to reap some gain in the future. It is painful now. It is not comforting now. It has tightened my budget and sometimes makes me exasperated. I want to shout sometimes when i drop more resources into it. But then there is a hope ahead. The hope of an harvest. This hope keeps me going, keeps me investing, keeps me keen on the investment.
But sadly many pray and hope for harvest and gain where and when they have not invested. You have to have invested before you can dream of gain. When i was going for fitness training in a gym some time ago, the instructors often say "no pain no gain". The investment is the pain of the fitness regime, while the gain is the fitness attained.
What are you investing in yourself and in your life? You can invest in your personality, in your finances, marriage, education, relationships, ministry, family, etc. Lets make sure we are planting or sowing something for the future. The future depends on the actions of today.
It is not only money that can be invested, but it is the only thing we think that matters and can be invested. I have discovered we all have something to invest. Lets act now. Sow now. Invest your time, money, prayers, words, energy, etc, into what will culminate into fruits harvestable in the future. You have a seed to invest.
A sower went out to sow his seed............ Luke 8:5 NKJV
Investing answers to the law of cause and effect. Investing creates an effect every time, maybe not immediately but surely.
While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest,........... Genesis 8:22 KJV
Shalom.

And You Shall Call His Name Jesus.

  

But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. Matthew 1:20-21 NKJV


It is well stated in this passage the reason why the Son of God's earthly name is Jesus. Jesus means Savior. And the primary thing that He came to save us from is SIN. That is what Adam fell into that initiated all the death, darkness, ignorance, decadence, evil and chaos we see today. It striped man of Glory. In order for man to be restored and for all these chaos to be removed, the source of the decay which is SIN must be removed also. Hence the arrival and redemptive work of Jesus.

I repeat, the primary reason why Jesus came, and is called Jesus is to save from sin. If He saves you from sin, then the order of decadence, lust, poverty, death, curses, etc will dry up and cease. Don't seek prosperity, deliverance, and blessings, rather seek Jesus for freedom from the hold of sin. Then blessings can flow. Don't put the cart before the horse.

If Jesus' primary reason or objective or purpose for coming to us is to save us from our sins then irrespective of our callings, sin should be a primary thing we should seek to address and save ourselves and people from. As ministers, Pastors, Prophets and God seekers, sin should be the foundational issue we must seek to deal with. Irrespective of if we are called to teach or preach Prosperity, faith, healing, deliverance, discipleship, music, grace, holiness, prayer, evangelism, relationships, marriage, miracles, anointing, etc sin must be the primary issue we must seek to uproot. With sin in the lives of the people or ours, how effective is our message? What can we achieve with people whose lives are well controlled by sin? Our message will not bear fruit in them if sin is not addressed when we preach faith, grace or prayers to them. All our work in people's lives must have sin removal as a primary objective. I believe we will fail in our callings and fail our Lord who called us if we do not seek to address sin consistently in the discharge of our call.

It was and is still Jesus primary objective and so it must be yours and mine too.

As brothers and sisters, we must not relent, sin must not have a hold on us. It is possible to live free from the hold of sin, God demands it and we must obey Him. He is the source of power, lets seek Him and find Him till He makes the name Jesus (savior) real in our lives by saving us from all our sins.
Shalom!

Do Not Stir Up Love

Song of Solomon 2:7 MSG
Oh, let me warn you, sisters in Jerusalem, by the gazelles, yes, by all the wild deer: Don't excite love, don't stir it up, until the time is ripe—and you're ready.

Songs Of Solomon 3:5 & 8:4 repeats this divine instruction. When something is written in scripture, it has to be taken seriously. What if it is written thrice? The funniest thing is that this scripture is not one that is taken quite as it should.

Most relationships today starts with or because of emotions. By emotions i mean feelings of love and attachment. Whereas, it should not be the alpha of any relationship. Emotions should not be allowed until you are ready. Emotions at best will confuse you. It is unstable because it changes and often hinders Godly insights from being adhered to. This scripture show that the pattern here is the direct opposite to what the world system goes by. And isn't God's way always different? Don't go into that courtship until you are ready folks.

So what exactly does the bible mean by being READY? It means when all protocols and backings have being sorted out. It is not proper brothers and sisters for you to start an affair without God, parents and spiritual authorities over you permitting you. Without these backings and protocols observed, you are not ready. Don't let emotions lead you, let this pattern guide you. With this you will not miss it. God cant lead you astray. If He backs it the other authorities over your life will follow in time.

This pattern is like the process of purifying water to make it ready for use. The importance of its use will determine the more care and scrutiny that goes into the purification. Water for drinking is the most important and is the most expertly purified. Can i ask you.......how important is the person you will marry? He or she is not just a colleague, a casual friend, or neighbor who do not need the most serious scrutiny before you relate with. He or she is like the water you will drink, and it is important that you check that he or she is not harbouring a poisonous substance. Just as some poisons or impurities cant be found by the naked eyes so also the true nature of that brother or sister cant be known by our senses. Hence we need God. Please check with Him and also receive guidance from appropriate and necessary quarters.

When all protocols are duly observed then you are ready. Shalom.

Come Closer To See Closely.

Recently my designation changed in my place of work, and this meant that i had to leave the over two hundred people I oversee to go elsewhere and manage another bunch of people. Interestingly I looked back to the over two years i spent in that assignment and the several hundreds of lives that have passed through me during these period. It was saddening to realize my life had touched a little number of them EFFECTIVELY. I know I could have made a greater difference in these lives.

Why such a minimal impact?

I realized that a lot of them didnt realize who i am and what am capable of and thus couldn't take advantage of what i can offer.
A lot of them didn't know the gifts and abilities that I have and so could not connect to or take advantage of it.

So why did they not know?

Because they didn't come closer. A lot of them didn't bother to look closely. They judged me by my looks, dressing, demeanor, position, age, tribe, class, rumors, gossips, etc. And subsequently missed out on what my life could have poured into theirs.

Some people were college or childhood friends of very outstanding people today but they didn't see what they were capable of then. I now see how a lot of people would have passed through a lot of influential people without knowing. Only Heavens know those people you have allowed to slip away with content that could have accelerated your progress in life.

I felt sad as I attended the send off party held for me. I could have offered more and helped so much more. "What could I have done differently" was the thought in my heart. I was on the verge of blaming myself until I remembered Jesus. He reached out to everyone but few came close, and it was those few that later caught the revelation of Him as the Son of God. They didn't know until they came close. Those who didn't come close couldn't know. He called some, like the rich young man but he couldn't come because of his riches. After a three-year ministry whose impact thousands of years later, we're yet to recover from, Jesus left only a few close people on the earth. People who truly knew Him and in whom He poured much into were few. 

Others won't come close because He was regarded as one who performed miracles through Beelzebub. Some where discouraged by the rumors peddled against Him. A lot just criticized Him for His success, some because He challenged their religious beliefs and others because He associated with the poor.
Do you know you might be criticizing people you ought to be close to. You wont understand and see them properly from a distance. Same way a lot of people may have criticized and misrepresented you.

How many people have you failed to connect with or harness their potential because you stayed afar of? Whereas if you had moved closer they could have been a pivot for your lifting and destiny. God uses people, and there are people positioned to help us, all we have to do is "come thither".

Shalom!

ASSUMPTIONS

Gen 16:2  And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it MAY BE that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. (KJV)

Rom 14:5  One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

Heb 11:13  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Rom 14:23  And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin. 

The first time I noticed the phrase MAY BE in Genesis 16: 2 it struck me instantly as a word filled with probability and therefore void of Faith i.e an absence of God's word. This is a family of Faith who have left their home and relatives and so on to pursue God's promise to them. They were living in Faith until this moment. There are always moments like this in a Believer's life, when his or her Faith in God's word is pressurized by situations, circumstances, friends, comments, social, economic, physical and cultural realities. Friends, family and very close confidants will question what God has convinced you of. Paul said we must be fully persuaded. The heroes of Hebrews 11 were also fully persuaded. And you too must be. You must revisit and solidify the belief you have in the teachings, instructions and promises God has made to you. Never make a decision with a "MAY BE". It is a doubt based word and not a faith based word. Never execute an action not knowing if it is within God's will and plan for you.

Don't change location, jobs, church, ministry, etc with a "maybe" it is God's will mindset. Please be sure. God has spoken to you about His will for your life in marriage and simply because he has not approached you about it you begin to have doubts and you begin to move away. Who told you God Has not spoken to him too. Who told you it is not you that he is thinking about even though it SEEMS to you that it is another he is watching. God is true to His word. Relax. He has shown you a vision of tomorrow yet you doubt it because of what today looks like. Dont worry. Please dont take a wrong step out of doubt.

Sarai made an ASSUMPTION! "MAY BE this is the way God will do it" "MAY BE this is the guy i will marry, he SEEMS a nice person". "MAY BE i should go into this business or that". ASSUMPTIONS are not of Faith elements and consequently any action taken throught it is a SIN! Romans 14: 23.
Assumptions are always in the direction of the easiest or most sensible or obvious options. The Faith option is the God ordained way for us. Revisit what He said and stay on it. If only Abram and Sarai did that, there wont be Ishmael and consequently none of the issues and wars in the middle east.
What is the consequence of your "MAY BE" going to be in the future? That action you are taking via assumption, what will it result in? That business, that relationship, that marriage, that change of job or location, what will it lead to in the future? It will certainly take mercy for it not to result in an unpleasant end. Let's be wise friends.

Never again assume God's will. Be sure of it. Don't agree with an assumption of God's will like Abram did when Sarai came up with it.
BE FULLY PERSUADED BEFORE YOU ACT.
Shalom.

FIREBRANDS

Judges 15:3  And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure. 
4  And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails. 
5  And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives. 




The post today is for people like me who desire continually to carry something of God with which they can be effective, extraordinary and outstanding in their lives. I will not publicize this post through social media platforms because it is for a few. A few like the 300 men of Gideon, or the 315 servants born and trained in Abraham's house, or the 300 foxes caught by Samson, or yet like the 120 disciples who tarried for fire in the upper room. If you find yourself reading this post today you might just be one of those few that Heaven is calling.

Are you like me who thinks that the supernatural and the extraordinary move of God's Spirit is now scarce? Unbelievable, jaw dropping and unfathomable miracles and manifestation of the Spirit are clearly scarce, few and far between. All we see now is talk and more talk. And the talks and messages are regrettably void of the supernatural. They are void of Unction and the saving grace of God. That was not what we saw in Acts Of The Apostle and the Gospels. We saw power, we saw extraordinary things, we saw the demonstration of the Spirit. That is how Paul came into the cities he won, that is how the Apostles turned the world upside down and that is how we will fulfill our callings too.

Looking at the story of Samson here, i began to pray that God will place firebrands on me that i will run with. I began to pray daily that His presence, power, Spirit, unction, fire and grace be so strong on my life that as i run through this world, the crops, vineyards and plantations of God's enemies will be burnt down. That as i go about my work, studies, ministry, marriage and so on, His fire will continually flow through my life to cause healing, salvation, deliverance and miracles.
I went out to a friend's house carrying a measure of God's presence, it was evident, it wasn't imaginary, He was there with me. You can sometimes tell if He is on your right, left, front, back or all over you. I got to my friend's house a sat down in the palour, he greeted me from his bedroom and stayed there for awhile. Within a few minutes he started sobbing and crying, when i heard i walked to meet him in the bedroom, there he was completely overwhelmed by God such that He began to confess his sins. I didnt preach to him, i was just privileged to bring in God's presence into his house and God did the rest. That is a measure of what we are talking about. Charles G. Finney will walk into CITIES and everyone will be arrested by God's presence. This is a greater measure. I do not know how you desire to be used of God, but if it is not at the same level with Jesus or more, you are still very far behind. Greater works than what Jesus did is what He promised us, how can we settle for a measure that does not supercede the wisdom of men. 
I want to see singers who minister and men are slain in the spirit, healings and miracles breakout every time they minister, i want to see drama ministers who will do one act that will bring hundreds of thousands to their needs before Jesus. I want to see producers, directors, script writers, media personnel, doctors, bloggers, Facebook, google+ and twitter users who carry such an unusual Unction of God's Spirit that they bring supernatural endowments to bear in our physical day to day lives and thereby show the Glory Of God to our world. Will you be that individual?

The foxes knew they carried something and that fire is what kept them running. They knew they carried fire. My prayer is that God will pour so much of Himself in my life and yours that it will be tangible, feel-able, manifest and evident. I pray that God will place a fire in our hearts and lives that will make us continually go about doing His will. You cant rest with so much of Him in and on you. You will always want to pray, fast and study. You will not be bored or lazy in the place of prayer when you receive His fire.

4  And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes,
 
It is my prayer that God will catch me. Samson had to Catch the 300 foxes. God needs to arrest some of us from other pursuits that are not His will for us. May He interrupt us from pursuits that do not have eternal value. May He constrain us to the path of destiny and purpose in the name of Jesus. I hope that brothers and sisters reading this will pray this prayer, because any pursuit outside His will is void of reward, provision and grace. May God grant us all understanding.

I hope i have been able to share the burden of prayer that is in my heart with you. I pray that God will grant increase to His word in your hearts. Please do pray.

Finally Samson said  
Judges 15:3  And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure. 

I will leave you to interpret that.

God Bless You. Shalom!