BE THANKFUL

Someone once prayed “Lord, summarize all my prayer points to thanksgiving”. This is quite ridiculous! Well, I guess what this fellow didn’t understand was that he was responsible for that summary, not God! Thank God we can summarize our prayers to thanksgiving as our faith is actively on God’s Word! A thankful person will always have his tank full and running over. Thankfulness is not conditional; it’s an attitude – a powerful attitude that brings increase and multiplication! It’s a Kingdom principle that we see over and over again in Scriptures that whatever we are thankful for multiplies. The Word of God expressly admonishes us to be thankful as an attitude. “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful” Col. 3:15 (NKJV). God wants us to be thankful because that is the lifestyle of faith and the Righteous ones shall live by faith (Rom. 1:17). As the year is fast coming to an end, there would be lots of temptations to want to consider what and what and what has not been accomplished. But you can choose rather to consider what and what and what and what and what has been accomplished and be thankful for them! Praise God! Always find a reason to be thankful. Thankfulness is an attitude of the Kingdom citizens. It is a conscious positioning for the miraculous. That’s right. Whatever you are thankful for will multiply naturally. It’s a spiritual law. This is why the devil will never remind you of what the Lord has done but only what seems not to have been accomplished. We must not give him that attention. How did the Lord Jesus multiply the few loaves of bread and fishes for several thousands of hungry people to eat? How did He raise Lazarus from the dead? Check these out, it was through thanksgiving. This is so because thanksgiving is the highest expression of unwavering faith in God and His ability to perform. So many people are confused about what and what to be thankful to God for. “Are we to thank God for all the good, the bad and the ugly?” It is very important that we get this straight. We thank God only for what He has done and not for the works of the devil. Ephesians 5:20 tells us “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;” By just reading this casually you may think the word ‘for’ suggests that we thank God for everything – good, bad and ugly. But that’s not what it means. It says “...for all things unto God...” Now the phrase ‘unto God’ suggests that we give thanks to God for all things that are God-ward, meaning for all things that come from God. You see, God is never going to take the credit for what He hasn’t done – it’s not in His nature to do that. That would be called stealing! The Word of God shows us over and over again that all good and perfect gifts come from God. God doesn’t give bad things. God is not the source of sickness, accident, failure, lack etc. No! He is a good God! He may permit it but He never commissions it. God cannot give sickness because He doesn’t have it. He cannot give misfortune because He does have it either. Same with everything evil. He is good, not only by action but by nature. In Psalm 145:9, the Scripture tells us “The LORD is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works.” (NKJV). Praise God! In I Thess. 5:18 we read “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (NKJV). That means in whatever situation you find yourself – good, bad, ugly – you must maintain a thankful attitude towards God. Why? Because of Romans 8:28. It says “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Praise God! We are not thankful for the bad things but we are maintaining an attitude of thanksgiving to God even in the midst of the storm. Why? Because we know how it’s going to turn out. We trust God that we shall come out of the storm better. We know that everything is working together for our good. We know that God is for us and not against us. We know that if God permits it then it’s a miracle in disguise. Praise God! We know! We are confident of this very thing! We are too persuaded to be troubled about the situation and so we give thanks! That’s the Spirit of faith at work in us! Never let situations affect your thankfulness! Even in times of trouble you can be thankful. Glory to God! We serve a good God! So you see why you should never deprive God of thanks even in the midst of odd circumstances? He is good to all. He is not just good by works but goodness is His nature. So how do we give thanks? We give thanks to the Father in the Name of Jesus. All through the New Testament we see that everywhere we are admonished to give thanks, we are instructed to give thanks to the Father in the Name of Jesus. Hebrews 13:15 is very instructive in this respect. It says “By him [Jesus] therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” We see some other references in Eph. 5:20, 1Thess. 5:18, Col. 3:17 etc. It is also very important for us to be thankful to people through whom God has brought a miracle or good things our way. Thankfulness will build good relationships and bring good things our way. Ensure that you say ‘Thank You!’ not only to God (of course, this is the ultimate) but also to people God has sent our way every single day! So friends, be thankful and enjoy a life filled with the fullness of God!

UNDERSTANDING HOLINESS

The first thing we must understand and establish about holiness is that it is the nature of God. God identifies Himself so much with it all through Scripture – from the Old to the New Covenant. Therefore, if holiness is this important to our Father God, then it becomes necessary for us to properly understand it in order to function in it. There is so much noise today as to what holiness is or is not. I believe the devil labours so hard day and night to see that there is a misconception of it in order to cause believers to live short of the divine nature we received at the new birth. Thank God we are not ignorant of the devices of the enemy. In order to define what holiness is, it is important to first of all state what it is not in order to get a better picture of what it is. Holiness is not just an act; it is actions streaming from a nature. It is not an outward show; it is rather an outward manifestation of what is already in the heart (spirit). It is not trying to show our superiority over others, it is rather showing the superiority of the ways and standard of God above the ways and standards of this world. What then is holiness? The word ‘holy’ is translated from the Greek word ‘hagios’ which means to consecrate or set apart. It is two-dimensional. First, it means to be set apart unto God. Secondly, it means to be set apart from the world (the world system). At the New Birth, a man is set apart unto God and then he becomes a New Creation, his spirit is now holy – this is automatic. Remember that man is a spirit being, he possesses a soul and lives in a body. However, the second aspect that deals with his separation from the world is going to involve him personally because this aspect deals with his unregenerate soul and body. This is why we are told what to do with the soul and body after the New Birth. We see that in Romans 12:1,2. It says “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind [your mind is the same as your soul – the seat of your will, intellect and emotion], that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Holiness and sanctification mean the same thing. They both mean to be separate or set apart. Holiness is two-fold. First, the presence of the Holy Spirit in a man’s life is what makes him holy. You can never be holy without the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life no matter how right you live. Understand that you can never impress God with your good works. The Holy Spirit is the Sanctifier (1Cor 6:11); He makes us and our spiritual and physical services acceptable to God. Even the Lord Jesus Christ had to offer Himself to the Father through the Holy Spirit (See Heb. 9:13-14). We receive the Holy Spirit at the New Birth. In Exodus 2 we read of Moses on Mount Sinai before the burning bush. When the Lord spoke to Moses, He asked him to remove his shoes because where he was standing was holy ground. What made the ground holy? What did the ground do to become holy? It was actually the manifest presence of the Lord on that ground that made it holy. So it is also with our lives. Praise God! Secondly, practically living according to the Word of God – doing the Word. This second part is progressive and as long as we live on earth we will still be under this operation, we are only perfected when we meet with the Lord. This is just like righteousness. First, we are made righteous by the finished work of Christ but it doesn’t stop there, we must then take advantage of our righteous nature to produce good works in righteousness – not in self righteousness as sinners do. That is actually what the breast plate of righteousness signifies. So then, we must not be confused when we see words like “Be ye holy; for I am holy.” 1Peter 1:16. The Lord is simply asking us to walk in the holy nature we have received because if we don’t it is only going to lie dormant inside us while the devil takes advantage of our unregenerate soul and body to lure us into living in sin as though we are still sinners. Every believer in Christ has been empowered to live right. The Righteousness of God that was imparted into our spirit at New Birth is actually an empowerment to live right. So we don’t live right to become righteous but rather we have been empowered by righteousness to live right. Praise God! It is therefore, not natural for a Christian to sin! Sin is not the problem of the New Creation in Christ because the nature of sin has been replaced by the nature of Righteousness. God has dealt with the sin problem in Christ so that we can walk in liberty – free from sin and its effect! It is now a choice to sin and that is why we are going to be held accountable for our actions on earth. In summary, walking in holiness is walking in love. Walking in love is walking in God because God is love. Holiness is all about the love walk. If we love God and people we would live right and treat people right. The more loving you become, the holier you become in the sense that you manifest more of the nature of God in your life and then, your fellowship and dealings with the Lord deepens. God is love and we, His children, are sons and daughters of love. A practical way to walk in love is to live a life totally dominated by the Word of God. If we do the Word we are actively walking in the love of God and it will affect every area of our lives. So wherever you are in you walk with God never give up. Keep pressing on because the Father believes in you. Never listen to the voice of condemnation. The moment you notice you’ve erred, go before the Lord in genuine repentance and receive His forgiveness. 1 Peter 3:15 says “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts...” that means give Him the centre stage, His rightful place. That’s where it all begins. “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1Thess. 5:23. Amen!

A WORD FROM MY LOVER

I was quite younger when I first read through a book of the Bible titled Song of songs or Songs of Solomon as some call it. I was so surprised that this book was part of the Bible. I thought it shouldn’t. I mean, God is a HOLY GOD, why in the world should He permit such to be included in the ‘Holy Bible’? I thought. In fact, I felt like hiding it (can you imagine that?). But I will eternally be thankful for the ministry of the Holy Spirit as the Teacher of the Word and all good things. Not long from the time I had read this book of the Bible, I was on transit on a certain day (the best place to get my attention) and the Holy Spirit brought this book to my remembrance and removed the covering veil from my mind. He made me remember what my name ‘David’ meant (David means ‘beloved’) and that was it! Bearing in mind that Song of songs is partitioned into ‘Lover’ and ‘Beloved’ communication, I got the picture. God is the Lover and I am His Beloved. Wow! That meant everything in the world to me. I thought to myself, so the Lord would dedicate a special book to describe our love relationship? I was changed. Something happened to my heart that day that still remains in me to this very moment. I’m so captured by the love of the Lord for me. He’s not just a God to me. He’s my Father and He loves me so dearly. What a thing to know! Ever since I have read this book in a different way, a new perspective. And I have come to believe that it takes a personal revelation from the Holy Spirit to understand the Bible and all the matters of life – no other way. Understanding the book of Song of songs has always been an issue of who is reading it and from what perspective is he seeing it. Is he reading with the spirit of revelation or with sense knowledge interpretation? Is he reading as a carnal man or a spiritual man? The reader best answers these questions. If some believers have a chance they’d want to vote out this book from the Bible, they think it shouldn’t be there. But thank God they don’t have a chance for that. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable – none is irrelevant (2 Timothy 3:16,17). Check this out: “Lover: My dove in the cleft of the rock, in the hiding-places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom. Beloved: My lover is mine and I am his; he browses among the lilies. Until the day breaks and the shadows flee, turn, my lover, and be like a gazelle or like a young stag on the rugged hills.” Song of Songs 2:14-17 (NIV). Christians believe that Song of Songs is meant for married couples and could also be used as a picture of the love relationship between Jesus Christ (The Groom) and the Church (The bride). However, I have come to discover that the key to experiencing the revelation in this book is studying it from the perspective of one who is in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It’s about a love commitment. You’ll get to see how that the Lord Jesus is personally committed to having you experience His love for you which was expressed on the cross and you will also experience how that agape-love of God spurs you into going the extra mile for the Lord. Hence, you will understand words like “If you love me keep my commandments” (John 14:15) and “For the love of Christ compels us.” (2 Corinthians 5:14). The Word of God tells us “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1 John 3:1-3, NKJV). The love of God gives us hope. Have faith in the love of God for you personally and remain in His love!

HONOURING THE LORD IN YOUR GIVING

It is one thing to give to the Lord and it is yet another thing for the Lord to be honoured by your offering. A huge number of givers are not even recognized before God. They throw away their substances in the name of giving. Our pursuit in giving should be to honour the Lord with our substances and not just to give the Lord ‘something’, for He’s not in need. The harvest we get in return when we give is not as important as the Lord honouring our offering first of all. Proverbs 3:9-10 shows us something we must never forget if we must honour the Lord in our giving. It says “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” It is either the Lord is honoured by your offering or He is despised by it. There’s really no middle ground! The Lord would rather have you give nothing than to dishonour Him with your offering. Honour always comes first when it comes to giving to the Lord. Many believers think that so long as there was a harvest after giving to the Lord that means the Lord honoured their offerings – not at all. The fact that there was a harvest in return after giving is not a sign that the Lord honoured your offering. The law of sowing and reaping works for everyone – both sinners and saints alike. God initiated that cosmic law. It is a law that functions here on earth (as long as this earth is still in existence) and doesn’t only relate to giving but to every action or decision we make in this life. Genesis 8:22 shows us God’s declaration to that effect. It says “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Also we see that in Galatians 6:7-9 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Glory to God! Note what is says “whatsoever a man soweth...” ‘a man’ there doesn’t refer to only the saints but to every man (and woman). So you can see that this law works for whoever puts it to work. However, there is the Bible way to give an offering that honours the Lord and that the Lord honours! It is found in 2 Corinthian 9:7. It says “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” The Amplified Version renders it this way: “Let each one [give] as he has made up his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, ``prompt to do it") giver [whose heart is in his giving].” Wow. This is amazing. I recommend, if possible, that we always read, study and meditate on these portions of Scriptures before giving to the Lord and stop despising the Lord and wasting your substances. Giving is a serious business before God. It’s a matter of honour. Remember what the Lord says in 1 Samuel 2:30 “...but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.” It should be our quest to honour the Lord in all we do. The whole purpose of giving to the Lord is to honour Him and once that is not in place the whole essence is lost. Just like in the old covenant, God gave the Israelites various specifications for their offerings and sacrifices. If they followed these specifications their offerings were accepted but if they didn’t then their offerings weren’t accepted. It was more of the issue of honour than it was the gifts or offerings. So it is also in the New Covenant. We must always remember that in whatever we do, God is always focused on the attitude of the heart with which it is done – He’s not a man! Why was Abel’s offering accepted and that of Cain rejected? It was for this same purpose. It appears as though we have wandered away from the foundation or basics of this principle. We seem to lay more emphasis on the size of the offering or even the currencies in which they come instead of focusing on the Kingdom’s essence of giving. Have you ever asked yourself why giving is such an important part of the Kingdom principles? I mean giving in all ramifications – time, talent, treasure, service etc. Giving is one major way we show value and honour. What’s the difference between a $10 and a $10millon offering? – The heart! Before God it has nothing to do with the size! Now when it comes to the issue of what to give, it is very important that we listen to the Spirit of God. God doesn’t honour emotional giving. He never touches whatever comes from the flesh. He only receives what comes from and through the Spirit. Even Jesus Christ offered Himself through the eternal Spirit of God – the Holy Spirit (See Heb. 9:14). What the Lord provides for you is either seed for sowing or bread for food (2 Cor. 9:10). When you don’t listen to the Spirit, you will do dumb things – eat the seed and sow the bread. Check out how the Macedonian Church gave. Paul speaking by the Holy Spirit in II Corinthians 8:1-5 tells us. In verse 5 particularly, he said “And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.” Wow. We must follow their example. In the Kingdom of God, giving has never been a money or material issue. It has always been a heart, honour and attitudinal thing. So will you follow the Macedonian example or will you do it your own way? If your goal of giving is to truly honour the Lord with your substance, then you must do it the Bible way. “Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.” Ecclesiastes 5:1. Blessings!

REDEFINING PATIENCE

I woke up one morning [July 17, 2012] just wanted to start talking to the Lord but amazingly He started speaking to me. It was such a beautiful moment and I will never forget it. I mean, the Lord started the gist for the day! I shut up and just listened. And the Lord said something to me that virtually staggered me. This is the best way I can describe what He said “Patience is not just waiting but working while waiting.” He immediately gave me a picture that further explained it. It’s the picture of a farmer who had finished ploughing a field but now is waiting for the rain. Meaning that God’s definition of patience is to busy ourselves with doing what He has already empowered us to do while we wait for Him to do what He alone can do. That is so powerful! I immediately began to think about many believers who say that they are waiting on God but with unploughed fields, they might as well have to wait all their lives and nothing will happen for them except they catch this revelation and navigate appropriately. Friends, there is the Kingdom way of being patient: We work while we wait. There is no pausing moment with the Lord. A lot of Christians wouldn’t even spring into action in service to the Lord because they claim that they are waiting on the Lord while time is ticking ever so quickly. Hey! Wake up and get to work – do what you’ve been empowered to do. As you work the Lord would be working on you too. This is the right way of positioning ourselves for the supernatural. There is no dull or idle moment in the Kingdom. Hebrews 6:12 says “That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” That doesn’t sound like it means for us to just sit down and wait, expecting to receive the promise. The devil always takes advantage of lazy and idle people. Never give the devil that opportunity. A lot of Christians talk about waiting for revival, but I have never heard of any revival that ever happened without someone stepping out and taking faith-filled action to propel its manifestation. While they waited in anticipation of what the Lord would do, they kept working at it – doing their own part. This is why revival is God’s response to the expressed desire of men. Revival doesn’t just happen! Sometimes we say we are waiting for God while God is actually waiting for us. Revival doesn’t come by waiting but by doing what Elijah did. He prepared the sacrifice, prayed and he didn’t have to wait for long before the fire of God fell to burn-off the sacrifice and announced the supremacy of God to apostate Israel. This also applies to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. We can’t just fold our hands and say we are waiting for Him, but we must busy ourselves with ensuring that everyone hears what God has accomplished for man through His Son Jesus Christ. We must press on with this Gospel of Jesus Christ till everyone hears it and have the fair opportunity of accepting of rejecting it. This is a call to action!

LET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE

Light is so important to God and humanity alike that the first thing God brings on the scene in creation was light. He spoke forth those powerful words: LIGHT THERE BE LIGHT and that was it! There was light. While Jesus was on earth, He made staggering declarations which the people of His day couldn’t handle. I mean, Jesus was an enigma. They couldn’t just figure out what manner of man He was. He was just different. He confounded the ‘know-it-alls’ of His day. He said words like: “…I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12). “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:5). Also in John 12:46 He says “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.” Wow! Power-filled declarations. But then He knew that in a short while He would be leaving the earth and He must transfer this responsibility to the New Creations, the results of His redemptive work. The Lord Jesus made a profound statement in Matthew 5. He said “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16). He transfers the light commission to us. What a privilege to be God’s light bearers! In verse 14 Jesus lets us know who we are. He let’s us know our true identity on earth – the light of the world. He also showed us our position on earth, He lets us know that we are a city set on a hill and we cannot be hidden. The Believer in Jesus Christ is the illumination the world needs today. The earlier we come to acknowledge this the more effective and influential we become. In verse 15 of Matthew chapter 5, the Master addressed the issue of hiding our lights. It’s really amazing when you hear Christians – the lights – complaining of the world situation. There is so much darkness in the world today simply because the lights are not shining. The questions are: who turned off the lights? Why is the light not shining? Who is to blame? And the answers to these questions are in the Church. The word ‘let’ simply means to consciously and willingly allow something or someone. When Jesus used the word ‘Let’ in Matthew 5:16, it is for us to know that it’s our responsibility to allow the light to shine before men. That means we can either allow the light to shine through us or we can inhibit it. It’s up to us! Someone rightly said that the only condition for evil to thrive is for the good people to do nothing. One thing is always certain: Darkness can never over power the light. In the real sense, darkness doesn’t even exist! As a matter of fact, darkness is only the absence of light. So when the light refuses to shine, the natural result is the presence of darkness. In verse 16, the Master calls us to action. He said “Let your light so shine before men…” in other words, take action! This is a call to action. He didn’t just say that our light should shine, but He specified the degree to which it should shine. He said “Let your light SO shine before men…” In other words, get radical about your light! Let your light shine with a shout! Get to work with your light and expel every darkness with your light! I know in our world today we do a lot of things with light like designs; special effects etc. but suffice me to say that the number one purpose of light is to shine and get darkness out of sight! Light is for shining! Light is for illumination! I believe John the Baptist understood this demand of Heaven. The Lord Jesus tells us in John 5:35 that John the Baptist was a burning and a shining light. That’s just about what it means to let (allow) your light to SO shine before men. Just as John’s light did, our lights ought to shine with some special effects – I mean with heat! Men cannot ignore this manner of shining because they would either see it or feel it! That’s the attitude Jesus had. Glory to God! When your light shines in this manner, men wouldn’t only see your light or good works but they would also feel it! I strongly believe the Lord Jesus spoke as a Prophet here, resounding the very words of the Father God on the lips of the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 60:1-3 which says “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” This is to say, we’ve been empowered to shine forth the glory of the Lord all over the world! And this light would attract men to the Lord. Remember that the sole purpose of our shining the light is not for selfish purposes but that men would see our good works done in Christ and glorify the Father Who is in heaven. No wonder 1Peter 2:9 tells us “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:” It is right about time for us to get loud about the light we’ve got. We’ve got something to shout about! So how do we get to work with this? By heralding the Gospel of Jesus Christ everywhere everyday! Never be silent about that which we’ve been called to preach. The world needs it. The world is desperate for a Saviour. As we shine forth the light, they would be pointed to the One who has shined upon us and whose light we reflect. In conclusion, it is also important for me to say that good works matter. Faith without works is dead as the body is without the spirit. Our good works done in Christ matter a lot and the Lord promises to reward them both now and in eternity!

MANIFEST!

Manifestation is one word the Church needs to come to terms with if we must fulfil our eternal destiny. It must become our watchword. It must become the inspiration behind all our kingdom work. Looking through the Scriptures, especially under the New Covenant, we see that God gives the Church a perfect picture of what is on His mind. After the Lord Jesus Christ had finished all the work the Father had committed unto Him, on that cross He said these 3 staggering words “IT IS FINISHED” and really that was the end of the eternal work. Now the Divine commission for the Church is simple: Manifest what Jesus Christ had already accomplished for the world – show it forth! This is the very reason the Holy Spirit is at work on the earth today. This is the very reason the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the Believer. The Holy Spirit is the Manifester of the finished work of Christ and He manifests this through the Church! The summary of the great commission is: Go and manifest Jesus everywhere! This is the reason why the Gospel must be preached everywhere. The Gospel is not for hidden corners, it’s for the rooftop. This is the reason why the Gospel is not to be whispered in secret but declared with every authority and audacity. Because of the power the Gospel releases when declared out loud, the devil would do anything possible to silence those who herald it. But we’re not going to give up or give in. We have set our hands on the plough and there is no looking back! This is it! The Word of God tells us in Colossians 1:27 “...Christ in you, the hope of glory.” The word ‘glory’ here means manifestation. In other words, Christ in us is the hope of manifesting, revealing, showing forth, displaying etc. What are we manifesting? The grace of God within us! The work of Christ in us! The Father always desires to show forth Himself through His children. And He so desires to do that through you and me today. We must let Him do so in and through our lives. How do we let Him manifest in our lives? We see that in Isaiah 60:1-3. It says “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” It’s time to arise. It’s time to get up and shake off the dust. We are the light of the world. We are the salt of the earth. We are the yeast of the world. I sense in my spirit the Lord is saying to us: “This is the time to let my grace be displayed to the world through you.” Praise God forevermore! I Peter 2:9 says “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:” The Spirit of the Lord tells us through Apostle Paul that “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” (Romans 8:19). Saint, the world needs to hear this Gospel today. The Word of God on your lips would change destinies and determine the eternal destinations of many. Just like Paul the Apostle, we must never be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ “...for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Romans 1:16). So, Manifest Jesus everywhere everyday!