FACE TO FACE WITH A LION – MY ENCOUNTER

Sometime ago, I, some of my siblings and friends went to visit my elder brother. While we were there at his house, we noticed that he had a trained lion that roams his compound unchained. We were so concerned about this that we all started advising him against it. We even told him of the popular story of a man who also had a trained lion in like manner which later killed and devoured him. All these we said to convince him about chaining the lion but he seemed so confident in the fact that he had been with this lion for such a long time that it would be impossible for it to come against him. Well, we have done our best to convince him to no avail. Now, after spending much time with him, it was time to leave. As we stepped out of the main house into the compound area, we (I particularly, on behalf of others) asked him to be sure the lion was chained, at least while we were there, especially since we were strangers to the lion (more like meat to it, not friends like my brother). Well, he confirmed that it was chained because of us. Then we walked out of the compound to the car. While we were by the car, a close neighbour of his (my brother) came to him to ask for a favour which he granted. Then my brother gave this neighbour a key to go into the compound and access whatever it was he had asked for. Before this neighbour went into the compound, I asked my brother again to confirm the key again to the neighbour since it was a bunch of keys and the key that unlocked the lion’s cage was among them and what the neighbour wanted was just around where the lion’s cage was and the locks where somehow connected. So he casually assured me that the neighbour knows exactly which key to use since he was not a stranger to him (most likely he had done that before). However, I was still scared and concerned for this neighbour’s life, just hoping he doesn’t make a deadly mistake. Then the unthinkable happened! While the neighbour went in to get what he wanted, my brother gave me the key to the main house to get something for him. I didn’t like the idea of going inside since I didn’t want that neighbour’s problem to become my problem (guess you understand!). Well, he’s my big brother and I have to obey him. So I managed to summon a little courage to go in. All the way into the compound, the thought that filled my mind was “I hope that neighbour doesn’t make that mistake I’ve been thinking about to mistakenly open up the lion and it confronts me while I am within the compound.” So I walked to the front of the main house fearfully looking around for any strange signal to run off fast. Well, I managed to get to the front of the main house to open the door (very scared) and for some reason I decided to look back (just checking). Guess what I saw? The lion unchained in front of me! Finally it has happened! Suddenly my brain stopped working. I didn’t know what to think. The lion looked at me for a very brief moment and then lowered its head as though grazing. Well, I had enough sense to know that lions don’t graze. The thought that filled my mind was what I had previously heard here and there about the way of a lion, that sometimes when a lion sees a prey it doesn’t attack immediately; it simply takes its time and then suddenly pounces on the prey. Here I was in-between two lines of thoughts: “Has the lion been so trained that having seen me with my brother earlier in a friendly mode it knows not to devour me?” or “Is the way of lions which I have always heard of about to play out?” Well, even if a lion is not hungry, it devours its preys, right? Well, I felt the gate of hell had been opened against me. I had opened the door of the house partly before I saw the lion and since the lion was playing cool (not sure what was in its little crafty mind – I didn’t trust it either) my thought was to completely open the door gently but fast and then run into the house for safety first since it was such an emergency! But I was so paralysed by fear that my hands became so heavy to do anything. Guess what happened next? I woke up!! Men! It was a dream! Thank God it was a dream! So I started laughing and wondering what would have happened if it was real. But what I noticed was that I still had the feeling of that fear I felt in the dream for a while before it dissolved. However, the first thing that came to my heart when I woke up was: “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.” (Job 3:25). A big lesson indeed. Fear paralyses! It makes what you are afraid of to actually happen to you. Several years ago, I was told that, even scientifically, it is proven that when you are afraid, your body secretes a particular fluid, it is so real that even a dog can sense it. You might not even look afraid or simply pretend not to be but a dog can tell that you are afraid because it is sensitive to the fluid. Fear is not just an emotion, it is a spiritual substance. In fact, the Scripture calls fear a spirit – an evil spirit – in 2 Timothy 1:7. It’s a force just as faith is. Fear is corrupted faith. It is faith in the devil’s (or whatever the subject of fear) ability to hurt or harm you. Fear is a trademark of the devil! Fear actually empowers your fears. It makes it real! What faith is to God, fear is to the devil. If the devil can get fear into you, he can carry out his evil work (steal, kill and destroy) in you unchallenged because fear creates a conducive atmosphere for him to operate. When God says to fear not, He actually meant for us to fear not! As believers, His guaranteed presence with us is the basis for us to fear not! He says “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” (Isaiah 41:10). What are you afraid of today? Never allow fear or phobia of any kind in your life. Never talk fear! Treat fear the same way you treat sin. Challenge every fear in the Name of Jesus and it will flee! Glory to God! The antidote to fear is faith in God. And faith in God is faith in His Word. And faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the Word of God (Romans 10:17)! Also, fear comes by hearing and listening to the lies of the devil. Therefore, be careful what and how you hear. Hope the suspense was not too intense. Of course, you should have known how it turned out. If I was devoured by the lion I wouldn’t be writing this piece anyway. Hahaha.

A NEW THING

Is the Lord done working? Did He stop working after He created man on the sixth day? I have heard lots of views along this line. I have heard people say that since the Bible tells us that God rested on the sixth day, it means he stopped working. And I have believed that myself for a while until the light came on. You see, we don’t rest because we wouldn’t work again. That isn’t the purpose of resting. In fact, that wouldn’t be resting but giving up! But then, we rest every day, after the activities of the day, we all go home and sleep at night in preparation for the next day – that’s the meaning of rest. We rest to work again or continue our work, as the case may be. Let me state here that work is never a bad thing at all. It wasn’t a result of the fall. It is a good thing – a blessing! We were meant to work from the place of rest, just as God does. Work is about fulfilling a purpose and we all have a divine purpose to fulfil here on earth. God never and has never stopped working since creation! He has a purpose for the earth that must be fulfilled and He isn’t about to give up on His purpose and plan for the earth. There was a reason why He created the earth and put man in it to govern it. In fact the Lord Jesus declares in John 5:17 “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” Also 2 Corinthians 5:19 tells us that “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself...” (AMP). God has been at work on the earth! You see, there are two dimensions to the creation of the earth – the direct and the indirect. On the sixth day, God simply finished the direct creation of the earth and rested, not because He was tired, but because He was done with that phase of creation. This was also to show His Man the need for rest. We don’t only rest because we are tired, rest is very important if we must keep our productivity intact. Rest is so important to man that God gave the law of the Sabbath to the Israelites. The earth God created directly (in Genesis) was the seed-earth. Understand that many things God created between Genesis 1 and 2 were in their seed form. Even man (Adam and Eve) was the seed for populating the earth with human beings like you and me. The earth God created was simply the blueprint for man to continue the creation of the earth. God was going to continue with the next phase of creation – the indirect creation through His man. He created Adam in His own image, as a speaking being to speak forth new things into being just as He did in His direct creation. God put His creative ability into His man to continue His creation upon the earth. In other words, Adam was not the end of God’s creation, but a means to the end of it. That was actually the next phase of God’s work and He is still at it till date, as long as this earth remains. That is why the earth has been constantly advancing. Today, we are in a technology age. It hasn’t always been this way! When you do a proper study of Genesis 1 and 2, from God’s purpose for creating man and His instructions to him, you’d clearly see these facts. However, when sin entered the world, this plan was interrupted. Man fell short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 tells us “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (NKJV). Influenced by the devil, men started using this creative ability from the Lord to accomplish their selfish and evil purposes. Unfortunately, this is still happening today among the unsaved. But thank God, through Jesus Christ, He reconnected us back to the original plan. Today, every man that is born again is a New Creation in Christ. The New Creation is God’s new thing upon the earth. It changed everything! Now, the glory of God has been restored back to us! When the Glory of the Lord is upon a man, he produces new things! He becomes a wonder to the world. We’ve become New Creatures in Christ and have been empowered to keep God’s agenda for the earth in motion (2Cor. 5:17, Eph. 2:10). Ephesians 2:10 says “For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].” (AMP). Praise God! The Lord declares in Isaiah 43:18,19 “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” So, we often sing: “Do something new in my life, O Lord” and we go to bed unaware that this would happen in partnership. When we recognize the power that has been divinely vested on us, we’d rather start creating new things through our words in the same way God did in the creation of the earth. Do you want to see a new thing in your life? Then declare a new thing into your life and the power of God would make it happen! God is actually waiting on you. He is waiting for your words to establish it. Job 22:28 declares “Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.” Glory to God! Therefore, we’ve got to recognize our roles in the things the Lord is presently doing on the earth. Just like God worked through the Lord Jesus Christ while on earth to reconcile the world to Himself, He wants to walk through you to bring about new things on the earth. I speak to you, in the Name of Jesus: Get ready for new things! New things are going to spring forth for, from and through you. Great things never seen or heard of before would show up through you! When men hear what the Lord is doing in and through you, their ears would tingle. All these would happen because the glory of the Lord is upon you! Concerning you, it shall yet be said: “Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, She gave birth to her children.” (Isaiah 66:8 NKJV). You are going to birth new things never heard of before. Keep those divine visions and dreams alive because they would come to pass in grand style. Like the Psalmist, you’d yet say “I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.” (Psalm 71:7). Glory to God! Watch out for it. Give God the praise. Glory!

LIGHT

In the account of creation, we see that the first thing God created was light. A careful study of the creation account shows us the fact that God created both spiritual and physical light. He created the spiritual light first and then the physical (see Genesis 1:3 & 14). Of course, the spiritual always gives birth to the physical. The entire physical world was birthed by the spiritual substance called: words – The Word of God! Our focus in this discourse is on the spiritual light. The mere fact that God created the light first is a clear indication that the light was top priority to Him. However, when sin entered the world, darkness also entered the world. Man began to grope in darkness – searching for reality. This darkness affected man’s whole being – spirit, soul and body. Humanity was plunged into darkness by the sin of one man – Adam. That’s the reason the world is the way it is today. That’s the reason for the misery, wickedness, corruption, mishaps etc. in the world today. People without this understanding blame God for these bad stuff. Well, God is not the Source of evil, but good! God gave man the power to choose and when he chose to sin against God, he equally chose what sin offers. The coming of Jesus Christ into the world was the return of light! The birth of Jesus Christ was the legal birth of light into a darkness-doomed and dominated world. Jesus said “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.” (John 12:46). Also He says in John 8:12 “…I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” Christianity is simply walking in the light. I John 1:7 says “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (NKJV). The world had been in darkness ever since the fall. What is light and what is darkness? Light is anything that reveals, illuminates, exposes and expels darkness. Light is simply revolutionary! Its presence anywhere brings about radical change and transformation. On the other hand, darkness is misery, bondage, confusion, futility, etc. and it is brought about by the presence and influence of sin. The Word of God clearly tells us the reason many are not saved today: “whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Cor. 4:4,6 NKJV). This is the reason we do not only preach to the lost but also take time to intercede on their behalf before God so that their minds would be flooded with the divine light brought about by the Gospel we preach. The devil loves to have and keep men in darkness because that's the only way He can keep them bound and under his control. He makes men to love darkness just as the Lord Jesus declares in John 3:19: “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” (NKJV). But thank God there's hope in Jesus Christ. When the truth of the Gospel is believed and received, it brings light and liberation from the claws of the devil and there is a birthing into a new kingdom just as Colossians 1:13 says “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,” (NKJV). Glory to God! However, it is also possible for a believer to walk in darkness. So many believers are walking in darkness in one area or the other of their lives. Ignorance is darkness. You see, you are actually in the dark in whatever area you're ignorant. The Word of God takes away that darkness. Psalm 119:130 says “The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.” (NKJV). God wants us to walk in the light in every area of our lives. In which area of your life are you in the dark? Is it in your health, finances or is it in your life in general? Jesus wants to invade your life with light. And the good news is that He wants to do it right now! He is so eager to do it right away! That's why He came (See John 12:46). That's why you're reading this right now. He has purposed to bring the light into every dark area of your life. Simply expose your heart to God’s Word and let Him turn on the light and bring illumination into every area of your life! Now, no matter how great the darkness is, it can never stand the light. Darkness can thrive anywhere but as soon as the light is turned on, it disappears. In John 1:4,5,9 we read “In Him [Jesus] was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.” Glory to God! Jesus declares “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” It is very important for every Believer to know that we are not just the ones needing light but we are the light of the world just as Jesus was while He was physically on earth. Jesus said it Himself in Matthew 5:14 and 16 “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid... Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” We are not called to hide but to shine forth the light of Christ in us. We must shine as God's dazzling light in a world full of darkness! All we need do is to let God use us to bring the light into the dark areas of the lives of the people we come across every day. The effects would be salvation, healing, peace, prosperity, restoration and all the blessings of the Lord. It's a divine responsibility for you to reflect that divine light in you if you have it. And if you don't have that light, YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN! God is saying to you today: “Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.” (Isaiah 60:1-3, NKJV). Glory to God! So what are you going to do about this? It’s time to shine. Blessings!

THE RESURRECTION POWER

Did you know that at the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, God made the greatest display of His power? The Word of God tells us so. It says: “And what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,” (Ephesians 1:19,20, NKJV). Can you carefully read that Scripture again and observe the construction. Weymouth New Testament renders it this way: “and what the transcendent greatness of His power in us believers as seen in the working of His infinite might when He displayed it in Christ by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His own right hand in the heavenly realms,” It simply tells us that the power which God exercised in this operation (the resurrection of Jesus Christ) exceeded every other display of His power! No wonder if any man be in Christ he becomes a new creation, a new breed full of resurrection power, full of the God-life and nature! He dominates everything. He becomes master over satan, his works and all the evil forces of the universe. Glory to God! Can you imagine what Jesus' resurrection was really like? Can you imagine what happened at the resurrection? The resurrection power is God’s miracle-walking power. Everyone who is born again has experienced that power. It is the same power responsible for the new birth, it is the same power that produces the New Creation in Christ. God didn’t produce a powerless New Creation! As a Christian, there is an anointing on your life, but it might not do much until you recognize it and function in it, in the same way a man who is fully equipped with dangerous weapons could be defeated by a weakly equipped individual simply because the former is ignorant of what he has or how to use what he has. Do you know what you've got? Do you know that the resurrection power is at work in you? Thank God Jesus Christ is alive! Thank God He didn’t remain in the grave! And guess what? You are just as alive as Jesus is because the Word of God tells us that it is the same resurrection power that raised up Jesus from the dead that raised us up too. Ephesians 2:6 says “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” Glory to God! The Scripture tells us in Romans 8:10-11, “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Praise God! The good news is that, of a certainty the same Spirit that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you if you are born again! That means eternal life has taken control of your whole being. Eternal life is at work in you now. No dead thing can thrive in your domain. No dead thing can thrive in your whole being – spirit, soul and body. Things simply come alive when they are connected to you. Your words become life-dominated. When you speak, dead things come alive. Glory to God! This is the kind of New Creation God produced in Christ. With such knowledge of the Word you become a wonder! Sickness and disease cannot thrive in your body. They simply can’t be accommodated, they’d simply be crushed by that resurrection power of God. Praise God! It is very important we meditate on these things (ponder on and confess them regularly) and give ourselves entirely to them and our profiting would be so evident before the world (1Timothy 4:15). Then the world will see our good works and glorify the Father in heaven by coming to Him. Glory to God! The Lord Jesus declares in John 10:10, “The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” (NLT). The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the very foundation of the Christian Faith (1Cor.15:16-20). The big thing about Christianity is the resurrection – both of Jesus Christ and of us (believers). The Christian life is not an ordinary life! We must register this in our spirit. We are not called to live an ordinary life. We are called to express and display the eternal-resurrected life of God here on earth. That’s why Jesus came. He came to give us this kind of life and to have us live it, not just in the sweet bye and bye, but right here in the rugged here and now! Jesus said His purpose for coming was to give us this class of life in all its fullness. Hallelujah! Remember, in the mind of Justice when Jesus our Perfect Substitute died, we (believers) also died with Him, we were buried with Him, conquered Satan and the demoniacal forces with Him, were raised together with Him victoriously and are right now seated IN HIM in the heavenly realms (positionally), far above principality and power! And now “…we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10). Praise God! Christianity is simply living the Resurrected Life by the resurrection power at work in us. It is Christ Himself, living His life in and through men. In Galatians 2:20, Apostle Paul declared by the Spirit “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” It’s our call as Christians, to experience and express the resurrection life and power in every area of our lives. We must earnestly desire and hunger to manifest this resurrection power in everything we do and everywhere we go just as the Lord Jesus exemplified on earth. The Apostle Paul again declares by the Spirit “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection...” (Philippians 3:10). This must also become our desire. When this resurrection power of God is at work in us, we become alive to God (Romans 6:8-14). We would have resurrected visions and dreams. We would have resurrected economy just as the early Church had (Acts 4:32-35, 2Corinthians 9:8). We would simply live in a life-dominated world where anything dead cannot survive. We become aromas of life (2Cor. 2:14-16). Glory to God! May the resurrection power which God exerted on the Lord Jesus Christ when He raised Him from the dead be operative in you – spirit, soul and body and in the lives of everyone connected to you in Jesus' Name. Amen!

WHY WORSHIP?

There is no telling of how much God can do in and through the life of a worshipper. The Lord Jesus Christ tells us something so amazing about this, something we must cling to and see as an opportunity all the days of our lives here on earth. He says: “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” Jesus’ discourse with the woman at the well in John 4 reveals so much about what God thinks of worship and what He wants in worship. Jesus tells us that we have come into a new season where there is a redefinition of worship to exactly what the Father has always wanted. There’s a new order. Things would henceforth be done differently. Worship will no longer be just an outward show but an experience that flows from the spirit of man to the outward part of him. The Father is seeking for a new breed of worshippers and these new kind of worshippers would worship the Father in spirit and in truth. These new kind of worshippers are first new creations born of the new covenant! This new order of worship is totally different from that of the old order in the Old Covenant. Praise God! We must pay close attention to this if we must come to the climax of true worship. Worship that the Lord receives is done in spirit and in truth. What does it mean to worship the Father in spirit and in truth? To worship the Father in spirit means to worship from the heart (not the part of you that pumps blood). The heart here means the central part of a man which is his spirit. This is because worship is first a spiritual thing and God is a Spirit and so must be worshipped accordingly, not in the flesh. To worship in truth simply means to worship according to God’s Word, not just as we choose. Remember Jesus’ Words in John 17:17, He prays to the Father: “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” (NKJV). God’s Word is Truth. And Jesus also adds that this kind of worship is not limited to a particular mountain or location, but can be done anywhere and everywhere. Praise God! I’m always blessed by the words of this song by Michael W. Smith: “When the music fades, and all is stripped away, and I simply come, longing just to bring something that’s of worth, that would bless Your heart. I’d bring You more than a song, for a song in itself is not what You have required. You search much deeper within, through the way things appear, You’re looking into my heart.” Oh! What a song! Before we can know why God wants worship, why this quality of worshippers or even why we worship God; we must first understand what worship really is. Worship is more than a song! It’s so unfortunate that singing is all a lot of Christians know about worship. Personally, I find the best definition of worship in the prayer pattern which the Lord Jesus gave His disciples during His days on earth: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10). He thought His then disciples and us today to pray after this manner for one purpose: for there to be a partnership or a sharing of God’s passion for the earth with men. God had a purpose in this! So worship is coming into partnership with the Father to see His Kingdom come and His will done on earth just as it is in heaven in any way and in every way – but in spirit and in truth! Singing to the Lord is an act of worship but not all there is to worship. Presenting our bodies unto God as a living sacrifice (to do His will only) is an act of worship but not all there is to worship (Romans 12:1, Hebrews 10:5-7). Obedience to God is an act of worship but not all there is to worship (Genesis 22:1-5). Over the years, the Church seems to have placed so much emphasis on the acts of worship as against the art of worship which is priority. It is foolish to keep doing things without even paying attention to whether you’re doing it the right way or not. Worship has a singular purpose but the acts of worship are so vast, multidimensional and unlimited. But one thing is central to all acts of worship – the essence of worship. So, why is worship so important to God? Worship does something to the spirit of a man that enables him take his rightful place in God and in His grand plan or agenda for the world. Worship conditions our spirit to take our rightful position in God. Worship makes us the connector between the natural and the Supernatural. Worship brings a man into a divine synchrony with God’s passion for the earth. His passion becomes our passion. It brings us into a holy oneness with God’s purposes on the earth. Worship brings such a Divine order in the lives of men. Worship gives God His rightful place in our lives. We were created to worship! In absolute worship to God we find our completeness. In worship we give our best – our heart, our entire selves! Once your heart is given you have given your all (2Cor.8:5). The foundation of true worship is that it is coming from the heart and it is according to God’s Word – it must be in spirit and in truth. It is important we understand that whatever act we carry out in the spirit of worship can only be authentic and acceptable when it is coming from the heart and is according to God’s Word – in spirit and in truth. Apostle Paul understood this truth and hence his words: “For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son...” (Romans 1:9). Not every service or worship is acceptable, but every service or worship that is done in spirit and in truth is always accepted because that is what the Father wants! The Father has told us what He wants in worship and how He wants it, we must then stop giving Him what He doesn’t want! If it is for Him, let’s just do it His way! Worship is a decision – true worship is never forced! All over the world, people worship all manner of things – physical and spiritual. Permit me to say that whatever you’re living for is truly your object of worship. Where your heart is, what your entire life is more focused on and what you are preoccupied with daily defines who or what you’re actually worshipping. This is the reason Jesus counsels us: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33). Worship brings us into oneness with the object of worship – We eventually look like what we worship (Psalm 115:4-8). The more we worship God the more we get a revelation of who He is. The more of the attributes of God we acknowledge, the more we see how He wants to reveal these attributes through our lives. Worship begins when we acknowledge God for who He is and start relating with Him in that light!

THE SPIRIT OF REVELATION

All over the world, people – saved and unsaved – read the Bible for various reasons. Some read the Bible for the right reasons, some for the wrong reasons, some just to satisfy their quest for knowledge. There are those who even read the Bible to use the principles therein to better their lives or advance their selfish purposes but don’t want the God of the Bible. However, millions of Believers read it daily to draw strength and inspiration for life. Whatever the case may be, the Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, was written to reveal to us God’s thoughts, purposes, will and intentions. The Psalmist rightly declares in Psalm 119:130 “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” You see, everyone can read the Bible but not everyone can ‘see’ what is written therein. Why? Because it takes a revelation (an unveiling) that comes by the Holy Spirit – The Author – to understand it. Beyond the letters, there is the spirit of the Word. The Word of God tells us “for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” (2Cor.3:6). Take note that the word ‘spirit’ here doesn’t refer to the Person of the Holy Spirit or to a spirit being but to the activity or ministry of the Holy Spirit in helping us receive the revelation of the Word. It’s just as the Lord Jesus says in John 6:63 “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” He wasn’t referring to the Person of the Holy Spirit here, but to His activity or ministry in that regards. You’d also observe from the King James Version that all these verses (Including Eph.1:17 and 2Cor.4:13) have the word ‘spirit’ in small letters. There is what is called ‘the spirit of revelation’! Why is this so important? If we must fully understand the mind of God as revealed through His Word, we must understand the nature and role of the spirit of revelation. It is the Holy Spirit Who imparts the spirit of revelation. This spirit of revelation is given for one purpose – to deliver into our hands what has been written, to take the written Will of God and make it a happening Will of God in your life or that situation! God’s desire for His children is that they not just become readers, hearers or receivers of His Word, but the manifestation of His Word – the manifested Word just like Jesus was the Word made flesh (John 1:14)! From the words of the Lord Jesus in John 6:63 and 2Corinthians 3:6, we can clearly see that the revelation of God’s Word makes the Bible a living thing to us – it is lifeless and dead to the man without a revelation knowledge of it. That’s why when the Word of God is preached, taught or received by revelation, it simply begins to happen! The purpose of revelation is to make the Word of God not just a written text but a happening experience! The purpose of revelation is manifestation! Praise God! You can read the Bible and only get the sense knowledge of it just like you can read any book, magazine or newspaper and learn something. However, it is yet another thing to get revelation knowledge of what has been written in the Bible! Once you receive a revelation of the Word, faith is stirred up automatically to receive the delivery of that Word (Romans 10:17). Just like in creation, whatever God does, He does by His Word. God’s Word is His material for creating anything! The moment you can see it by revelation in the Word, you have it! All you need is to see it! However, we have a role to play to experience the spirit of revelation. It’s not going to happen just like that. There is cooperation with the Holy Spirit on our part. We must go beyond just reading the Bible for reading sake to studying it with a purpose and strong expectation of the manifestation of the spirit of revelation. We’d do this if we are truly hungry for the revelation of God’s Word. If we are really serious about receiving the revelation of the Word, we must learn to NEVER READ OR STUDY THE BIBLE WITHOUT ASKING THE HOLY SPIRIT TO REVEAL IT TO US! The Bible is the only Book that requires the presence of the Author to actually understand its content. Therefore, whenever you have a need, get to the Word! Find out what the Word of God says about that situation (God’s Word has an answer for every single situation!), then stay with that Word until you receive the revelation of it. You’d certainly know when you’ve received the revelation of that Word! Never be in haste or just run off prematurely, the answer to that situation is in the revelation of God’s Word! Once you receive that revelation, you have that need met! This is how God wants us to have all needs met! In Ephesians 3:17-19, we see something amazing! It says: “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,” To Paul, this was a prayer, but to the Holy Spirit, this is what He wants to manifest in the life of every saint right now through the spirit of wisdom and revelation! Remember, the sole purpose of revelation is manifestation! You receive the revelation of God’s Word for the purpose of manifesting it! Now, understand that the spirit of wisdom and revelation always work hand-in-hand. While the spirit of revelation shows you what it really is, the spirit of wisdom shows you what to do and how to act or apply it to manifest that Word – all by the activity and ministry of the Holy Spirit! Jesus’ Parable of the Sower gives us great insight into this subject (Study Matthew 13:1-23, Luke 8:4-15, Mark 4:1-20). Jesus says, if we don’t understand this parable, we can’t understand any other (Mark 4:13). The sole reason the devil makes people receive the seed of the Word by the way side, on stony places or among thorns is just for them not to receive it on good ground – the place of revelation and manifestation – so he steals the Word-seed before it can be understood (Mark 4:15)! Every seed has the potential of producing its fruit, when planted! More revelation equals more manifestations. No revelation equals no manifestation, plus a great loss (Matt.13:12). Even the devil understands the value of the Word-seed of God. Treasure the Word of God – it produces what it talks about! Develop a great value for the Word of God – that’s where to begin! When you see it, you automatically have it. It’s time to start manifesting the Word!

THE SPIRIT OF FAITH

The Word of God is voice-activated! This could just be the missing link in the effectiveness of your faith. God’s Words remain potentials in our lives until we speak them out. When you speak His Words, you are coming into agreement (partnership) with God and His Word in your life and the power of the Word can now manifest what it talks about! Amos 3:3 says “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Therefore, for you to work with God, you must come into agreement with Him via His Word. Thank God we can. It really costs nothing to just voice out the Word of God, saying the same thing with God, just making God’s Word your word and it pays off as sure as God’s Word is true. Praise God! “What’s the big deal about speaking God’s Word?” You may ask. “Isn’t God’s Word so potent to work without me having to speak it out with my mouth?”, “Can’t God’s Word work in my life independent of me?” Well, these are great questions and the Word of God has the answers. 2Corinthians 4:13 says “We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;” Now, understand that the word ‘spirit’ here isn’t referring to the Holy Spirit or a spirit being, but to an attitude – the attitude of faith – the same the psalmist who Paul quoted had. He believed and spoke out (Psalm 116:10). It’s just like saying: “that’s the spirit of the game.” We need to understand this because it tells us on whom the responsibility is placed. For instance, if you think the word ‘spirit’ is referring to the Holy Spirit, you’d be waiting for the Holy Spirit to do the speaking or even think He has to do ‘something’ before you can say something. Simply put, you’d become irresponsive about your responsibility. Well, if you’ve been on this faith walk a while, you’d have discovered that God wouldn’t play our roles and we can’t play He’s! He has His role and we ours. Therefore, we must take the responsibility of speaking out what we believe in God’s Word. 2Corinthians 4:13 makes it so plain that Bible faith has an attitude, a characteristic. We can see that there is a way Bible faith operates. We can actually identify Bible faith by a definite sign: Bible faith speaks what it believes! That’s the sign of Bible faith – it speaks! Faith is active and not passive. Faith has a voice – our words. Your words is actually your faith speaking. Your words are the first expression of your faith before even your actions. Faith always speaks what it believes! A lot of ignorant people mock this principle of confessing the Word of God to their own hurt. They think it is just blabbing some things, they think it’s just positive speaking or talking oneself out of ‘reality’, unknown to them that this is the very principle by which God does things. Yes, I know there are erroneous teachings on this subject, but we have the Bible to see for ourselves what God says about the matter. God created the heavens and the earth through Words – faith-filled words (Genesis 1). In fact, Hebrews 11:3 tells us “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” You see, words have creative abilities. Words are so powerful! Hebrews 1:3 tells us that the whole world is sustained and kept in order through words – the words of His (Jesus’) power. Can you just imagine that for a moment? God created man in His own image and after His likeness and gave man that creative ability through the privilege of words – no other creature has it. You know, sometimes we make faith look so mysterious. But when you study the Word of God carefully, you’d find that faith is never mysterious, men make a mystery out of it! Without faith it is impossible to please God and so God makes the subject so clear, clear enough for anyone to function in and with it. What is faith? “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1). However, Romans 10:17 tells us how faith comes. It says “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” This is exactly how we receive faith for the first time (salvation) through the Gospel-Word preached to us and this is still how we stay in faith as believers – hearing the Word of God. Every believer ALREADY HAS FAITH (Romans 12:3)! Now then, the more of the Word of God we hear or receive, the stronger and more effective our faith become. Acting on the Word is acting in faith. Your actions tell so much about your faith life. When you do the Word, you’re walking in faith. So you can know whether you’re in faith or not. It is not so much about the size of your faith as it is about WHAT you do with your faith. Even a mustard-seed-size-faith can reposition a mountain, Jesus says in Matthew 17:20. Just use your faith! Every Christian has got faith, otherwise they are not saved (Eph.2:8, Rom.10:9). We use our faith by speaking God’s Word. You can speak words without faith but you can’t operate in faith without speaking words! That’s the attitude of faith! Faith is a force, it causes you to speak! When you’re actively functioning in faith, you just find yourself speaking words! The attitude of faith is to speak what has been spoken, speaking the same thing with God. We must develop the habit of confessing God’s Word daily and in every situation we find ourselves. That’s really how to come out of problems. Simply find out what God has said about what you’re going through and begin to confess or declare it to yourself, instead of confessing what you feel about the situation because that won’t help the situation but gets it complicated and remember you eventually have what you say (Mark 11:23). God said something so that we could say something and have it manifested (Heb.13:5,6). The proof that you are actively in faith is that you are making God’s Words your words – you’re confessing His Words instead of yours. You can create your world through faith-filled words, just like God created the universe (Heb.11:3)! So, what do you want in your world? Oh! I’m so excited that God gave man the opportunity to create his world, to fill it with what he wants. If you speak bad words, that’s what you’d have in your world because your words is your faith speaking! Wisdom demands that you start by creating a salvation-dominated world by confessing with your mouth the Lordship of Jesus Christ (Rom. 10:9). That’s the foundation and then you can make God’s Words your words and just speak those words into your world and create heavenly realities in your world. Praise God! The Lordship of Jesus is the Lordship of His Word!