In Genesis 1:26; Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;
God is Spirit so He created man in His image. We are spirit first and foremost before soul and body. The express image of God.
In Genesis 2:7; And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
Adam did not have a soul until God formed him out of the dust and breathed into him the breath of life. Then man became a living soul. That became the template for creation after Adam. The dust became the container (body) for the Spirit and soul.
The soul of a person is the repository of their emotions, their intellect and their will. Your mood at any time is influenced by your emotions which is also influenced by your five senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch). So how happy or sad you feel is influenced by the complexities of the various gates to your soul. Yes your read right, I said gates, your emotions (and all it encompasses) your will, your intellect and all that it encompasses are gates to your soul. The body and the soul relate very well that sometimes their union is inseparable. That is how God has designed us.
In Psalm 103 David said “Bless the Lord Oh my soul and all that is within me bless His Holy Name…”
So you see, loving the Lord with all your soul requires every facet of your soul which includes all your will, all your emotions and all your intellect. True love consumes and so love must transcend your will, your emotions and intellect. The will is one thing God gave to His creation that has often worked against Him. If the Lord had not given creation a will, we would still be in the garden of Eden, fulfilling the original mandate God had given, Lucifer would still be in heaven singing praises to God, all the fallen angels would be at post fulfilling their purpose. But not so, God gave all of creation a will so He can tell apart those that love Him truly.
To will to love God is not child’s play. Your will is a great force that influences your decisions, actions and ultimately your destiny. Great achievers have one thing in common, the will to succeed. Any one who has succeeded in climbing Mount Everest must have had some strong will. People who pursue the Love of God have one thing in common, they will to bless the Lord at all times and will to continually maintain His praises in their mouths. It will take will power to seek God and even dare to make Him the object of your affection. Lovers of God are conscious about what enters or leaves the gates of their soul. They are conscious of what they listen to, what they say, what they eat and what influences them. Psalm 1 calls these people blessed!
Psalm 1:1; Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
All these things point to influencers of the soul. And so by being conscious of these you position yourself to be in compliance and obedience to the Lord. A Christian bought by the precious precious blood of Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit of God cannot be like the world. Your resolve always is to be pleasing to the Lord. To please God requires you stay away from all that displeases Him.
The soul and the spirit are powerful influences in the life of every person. God is Spirit and so loving him requires us to worship Him in spirit and in truth. There is this inner conflict between the soul and the spirit. The evidence of this is our outlook as Christians.
“Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh—and these are contrary the one to the other—so that you cannot do the things that you would. But if you are led of the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (of sin that appeals to the flesh) Galatians 5:16-18
Our yearnings and desires often comes from our soul. In the case where our spirit is not in charge of our being our body and soul will drive and lead us. We need to master the soul and body in order for the human spirit to lead. God relates to us through our human spirit. This He created in His image and likeness. So in order to please God as the object of our love, our soul must be directed and inspired by our spirit where we can command our soul to bless the Lord.
At another opportunity we will look at duality and how it affects our love for God. Loving God requires loving Him with all your soul.
The Bible has often related love with treasure in many instances. For where a man/woman’s treasure is there is their heart also. So the treasure of your heart is the object of your love. To love God requires us to value Him above all else. A song writer wrote “something more than Gold, I found something more than Gold, if all I have is Jesus, Jesus is more than gold”.
You see treasure is hard to find. People work in mines to seek for treasure in deep places sometimes for months. To love God requires seeking Him.
With all my heart I have sought You; Psalm 119:10
Seeking the Lord goes beyond association. Many times many believers like to belong as a sign of their worship for God. You cannot seek God with your family or your friends or your mates at church. Seeking is a journey for self discovery. Because when you find God you find yourself and your purpose on earth. Seeking goes beyond searching, a search can end when you don’t find what your are looking for, seeking however will not end till the object of love is found. Seeking goes beyond your comfort zone and pleasure, seeking requires all your heart, all your soul , all of you. Seeking God guarantees Him being found.
The assurance we have in seeking God is that He has promised that if we seek Him we shall find Him. The command is after you have found God, love the Lord with All your heart.
“With my whole heart, with my whole life, and with my innermost being, I bow in wonder and love before you, the holy God!” – Psalms 103:1 TPT
The relationship between the Spirit and heart is the heart is the gate to your spirit.
God is spirit and they that worship (love) must do so in spirit and in truth. The only way one can access your spirit is through your heart. And so what consumes your spirit is what your heart is attracted to (the object of your love). For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21
It is therefore important for us to guard our hearts from things that become treasures. We should beware of things that can steal our affection.
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23
The amazing thing is you can actually measure the content of your heart. By considering what consumes your heart, your get to know where your treasure is and where your heart is also.
Overwhelming feeling will express itself in speech; originally with biblical allusion to Matthew 12:34, ‘Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”
If your affection is on God, if the object of your love is God, if you have sought Him and found Him it will be evident in your speech.
I have often wondered how a man could be called a man after God’s on heart.
And how it is that God can give a testimonial about how He (God) has searched The Whole earth and found this person.
For a man to be found in this position must have meant David was doing something really exceptional that the creator of the universe liked.
David the shepherd boy
A spiritual father of mine once said in order to please God you must find out what He likes and try with all your being to do those things, the converse should also be done ( stay far from any and everything that The LORD dislikes)
Today I want to share with you one of the mysteries why David was a man after God’s on heart.
Let’s start our journey by looking at what God requires as far as loving him is concerned. I have discovered that when it comes to what God likes He gives us hints and most of the time He is explicit about what is required. Let’s look at one instance where the Lord was explicit and concise with the requirements for Loving Him.
“Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul “
Deuteronomy 10:12
In Matthew 22:34-39 GNT, The Bible says;
“When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they came together, and one of them, a teacher of the Law, tried to trap him with a question. “Teacher,” he asked, “which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and the most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’”
I believe many of you reading this post have read or seen or heard about this scripture at some point in your life. But you see very often we read the scriptures and leave it at that without searching to find revelation.
From the discourse above, the lawyer came asking a very important question that pertained to how to relate with God. He thought he was tricking Jesus but how fortunate for us, because Jesus revealed to us the greatest relationship mystery of the Kingdom of God.
Starting from what Jesus said, because truthfully that is where this kingdom mystery is revealed.
Jesus said “ Thou shall Love the Lord your God
1. With all your heart
2. With all your soul
3. And with all your mind
4. And love your neighbour as yourself.
I believe many of us have at one point in our lives sang love songs to God declaring our unending love for Him, sometimes with tears in our eyes. Oh boy! What an awesome feeling that brings.
The subject of love always has an object of love and there is the giver of the love. For God (the Giver) so loved the world (The object of love) that he gave (action leading to sacrifice) His Only Begotten Son(The Sacrifice)… John 3:16
Love both as a noun and verb has to do with great affection for someone or something. Simply put a great interest and pleasure in someone or something.
You see loving the Lord Your God requires more than emotionally expressive words. To love the Lord your God requires knowing the object of your love, the pursuit of love is hinged on relationship. To know God involves having a revelation of who He is. Hebrews 11:6b Anyone that comes to God must believe/know that He is…
Believing that who God is depends on your revelation of who He is.
A few years ago while in church during a time of worship I realized there were some congregants sitting and on their phones while others were standing with lifted hands praising God. The scene disturbed me quite a bit, so on the drive home I was asking God in my heart why some of His children are some way. I had passengers in my car so all this was going on in my heart. Immediately after asking the question the Lord spoke and said “YOUR REVELATION OF WHO GOD IS DETERMINES YOUR WORSHIP”. This made me fear God the more, reason being until you know the object of your love and worship, your love is misplaced. In order to love someone requires you knowing them. Loving God involves effort in doing what pleases Him, it also requires staying far away from things that displease Him. Love requires effort, it requires looking beyond oneself.
There are some who have spectacular experiences as far as revelations about God are concerned, but for the average person who has not had any encounters and is seeking to know God, the only source of reference for God (His nature, His attributes, His words, his actions etc) is His Word, the Bible. It is required of creation to love the Lord our God, loving requires knowing, knowing requires seeking, and those that seek God find Him, love is always directed towards an object of love.
Let us look at what it means to love the Lord with all our hearts. Quite often when we love someone there is this feeling of always wanting to talk to them, and be around them, always trying to do things that make the object of our love happy. For some it’s a real emotional journey with a feeling that only those who have been in love can explain 😀
Let us look at this scripture which I believe shows the basic requirements to loving God:
Deuteronomy 11:1 “You shall therefore love the Lord your God, and always keep His charge, His statutes, His ordinances, and His commandments.
The proof of your love for God is in keeping His Charge (His instructions). If you claim to love someone openly but you disregard their instructions and do the opposite of what they like then you don’t really love them like you claim. If outwardly we declare oh! I love you Lord, and do what he doesn’t like, where is our love?
The primary test for our love for God is in obeying His instructions and having proper respect for the things that He likes and dislikes.
The proof of your love for God is in keeping His statutes. The statues of God are law. The things decreed by God are law which we need to have a proper respect for. The subversion of any institution or decree by the Lord Almighty is a breach and a show of lack of proper respect for Him.
The proof of our love for God is in the regarding His Ordinances. The God of the Bible has a way of doing things, The God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob …. and now of Ron does not change, His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are highly exalted above ours. We cannot expect the same results the people of old got by doing things differently. He said I AM THE LORD and I CHANGE NOT.
The proof of our love for God is in obeying His commandments. Obeying commandments and instructions is hard work and often requires a conscious attempt to obey. Our love is tested each time the instructions of the Lord are concerned. A few years back I was in between jobs and my bank accounts were empty, I was strategizing my movement and eating and living by Accra plan😂😂😂. As a bachelor then, anything that came in was for sustenance. Someone gave me GHC50 as a gift and I had the money in my wallet as I went for a Sunday evening service. During the service as my custom is I like to worship God and say thanks, while singing some love songs to Him. I believe I had said thanks to God for the gift of GHC50 that night. While the preaching was ongoing I heard the LORD say to me “GIVE ME THE GHC50 IN YOUR WALLET”
This, dear reader, was the first test of my love for God. Imagine all the stews I can make with that GHC50, oh like my the fave corned beef stew and spaghetti? But you see I had been fasting and praying for months for God to show me mercy and take me to my next appointed place. And God had heard my prayer and had spoken from eternity into time to test and prove my Love for Him.
Deuteronomy 13:3b
“…for the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul…”
I obeyed the voice of God instantly when He spoke, I took my precious GHC50 put it in an envelope and got up to drop it on the altar. Now this is the amazing part. I didn’t realize that the GHC50 I had was my sacrifice, I didn’t realize that by putting it in an envelope I was packaging it, I didn’t realize that in dropping it on the altar, I was presenting an acceptable sacrifice as a proof of my love because I obeyed the voice of the Lord. Immediately the envelope touched the altar the preacher stopped preaching and came straight to me and Said “God said to tell you that for being obedient I will settle you with a job and that multi nationals will come looking for you”. I said Amen. In three weeks I had four recruitment agencies from four countries informing me of a position available in a company starting in Ghana. Long and short of it is that God settled me and the salary was exactly 💯 fold of what God had required.
Deuteronomy 19:9
If you carefully observe all this commandment which I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in His ways always—then you shall add three more cities for yourself, besides these three.
Lessons I learned from that experience were that whatever you have that cannot sustain you is a seed or sacrifice, give it to God. Secondly obedience to the instructions of God guarantees hundred fold blessings. Thirdly the outcome of every test from God if passed is glorious.
“The events that make your blood boil reveals what matters most to you. Anger rises when your core values are in jeopardy. With reflection, it becomes a mirror for seeing your principles more clearly. With action, it becomes a map for making change to protect what you hold dear.” Adam Grant.
The world has many perspectives on how to deal with anger, how to manage your emotions, 3 steps to do this, four ways to make that and so forth. Many mask their decision not to forgive with tales of protecting their peace of mind or the most popular one lately, “Self-care”. Have you however taken the time to understand what the Bible says about anger and unforgiveness?
“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil… And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. – Ephesians 4:26-27;32
I had an incident with my 3 year old during our bedtime routine; she kept crossing my path while chattering and trying to get my full attention. I pushed her aside in order to grab a pair of socks she had dropped in the process and she suddenly exclaimed, “Mummy you pushed me! Why did you do that?” I responded saying that we had to hurry and get to bed so we can have enough rest for the next day and continued on to apologize. She came closer, patted me gently on my back and said: “that’s alright mummy”, and then instantly continued her conversation from where she stopped as though nothing had happened.
It might seem like a little incident that is almost meaningless but she made me understand why our Lord Jesus endears us to be like little children. Be like a child. They forget that they ever got hurt and go right back to playing, sometimes going right back to doing the same thing that caused them the hurt or pain.
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” – Hebrews 8:12
Being backstabbed or disappointed by friends or even family can be a pain. And if they side with an external party against you that cuts even deeper. Abusive words and hurtful actions have the potential to scar us only as deeply as we allow them to . As the saying goes, “to err is human but to forgive is divine”. It is essential that we learn to let go as fast as we can before that state of being upset and hurt grows into bitterness and resentment.
Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. – Matthew 18:21-22
When you habour unforgiveness, it is nearly impossible to love again or show kindness again if you don’t intentionally become vulnerable again. Learn from the hurt and pain to be wiser but do not let the pain harden your heart and damage your ability and willingness to love as God has commanded us.
In the Old Testament of the Bible, the 10 Commandments given as instruction can be split into two parts. The first 3 commandments admonish us on things to do/not do towards God. The remaining 7 suggest things to do/not do against our Neighbour. Jesus makes it easier for us in the New Testament by firstly asking us to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls and minds. Love your neighbor as yourself is the second instruction that our Lord Jesus summed up the other half of the 10 Commandments into.
You will not abandon yourself just because you made one mistake. That will only mean letting yourself down while you forfeit achieving your God-given mandate and purpose. Be gracious to others because you are neither perfect. Let the Holy Spirit be your guide.
Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins. – Proverbs 10:12
The message today is simple. Be like that little child. LET IT GO! Drop that weight of unforgiveness. Quit depriving yourself of love you could so readily give and also enjoy because you have built walls to shield yourself from reliving past pain. Remember seventy times seven. If you indeed aspire to be like Jesus, He gave a glaring example by washing away your sins into the sea of forgetfulness. As far as the east is from the west, He let it go never to be remembered again. He has given us the grace to do same; to love without restrain, to be vulnerable again!!!
Calvary greetings to you precious ones. In my last write- up, I spoke about 3 keys that can make a believer have access to greater power/ glory in this year and beyond. These keys were, prayer and fasting, very rich and consistent word study life, and fellowship with the Holy Spirit via the instrumentality of intense worship (music).
What’s the fourth point? It’s the sacrifice of a pure and a holy life.
1 Thessalonians 5: 22 declares “ Abstain from all appearance of evil”. This means any man or woman born by a woman on this earth has got a will which is so powerful to the extent that Jesus Christ Himself respects it.
That’s why He said “ I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I‘ll come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” Revelation 3:20 KJV.
You see, our will is so powerful to the extent that until we open the door He (Jesus) won’t be able to enter. If you really want to be powerfully used you will to do things that will attract God’s glory upon your life. This has nothing to do with the five fold ministry dear children of God. This is about believers.
By sacrifice, you may have to cut off some things which may not be wrong like some associations, outings, addiction to social media among others. You know in biblical days, men of God didn’t appear any how. You didn’t see prophets in town any how. You could only see them when they had a message for a people or an individual. Where were they? The were always hidden, seeking the face of Elohim. And by so doing, He was manifesting Himself to them.
It’s not an easy task believe you me. But if you make that sacrifice (for example sacrifice to always spend an hour or two in God’s presence in word and prayer before you come out and create boundaries) you’ll see a giant rise out of you. This giant can rise up in you in any area of life.
Make relevant sacrifices in marriage, relationship, finances etc and you will see how things will turn around. Push God and see his Hand at work within your life in a way you have never experienced before.
The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the LORD of hosts.” – Haggai 2:9
To access greater power from God, you need a very rich and consistent word study life.
As someone in ministry and a worker, I sometimes find it very difficult to sit down and read and meditate on the word. What do I do when I am late for work or wake up late or have to catch a bus or something? Until I open the Bible God may not speak to me and I may not also know what to do to get power, what to do to manage the power I have or increase it. In the court of heaven, it’s a felony not to read the scriptures. So, I download audio Bibles on my device and listen to them as I take my bath or sleep and sometimes while I sleep my spirit picks up signals from the scriptures I am listening to and power is generated. You know faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Faith, love, confidence, and power envelops me as I listen to the audio materials.
You may also make good use of devotionals or use Bible study plans (for a year or more). Also, use your money to buy rich Christian literature that will aid your spiritual growth. You don’t have to be a pastor or Christian leader to do that. As a Christian desiring power and knowledge, you can’t afford to disdain this principle. Live by the principles enshrined in the word of God and the kingdom of darkness will see the light of God shining brighter and brighter unto the perfect day.
To access tremendous power and glory you also need too learn to fellowship with the Spirit through intense worship. I mean music. When you worship God, you create an atmosphere for the Holy Spirit to operate. He loves music. He is enthroned on the praises of His people. Go to the YouTube and download “Best Worship songs” and convert them into MP3 and listen to them daily and see if you won’t be lost in His presence. If you do that consistently, your room or wherever you choose for worship will become an altar- a place where consistent sacrifice is made.
In worship, the Lord can give you a prophetic message or even give you a spiritual gift. As you worship, pain disappears, you have visions and dreams and scriptures are given to you. Sometimes, you see yourself crying or trembling before Him who sits upon the throne. And when He sees you in that mood, He comes and rewards you for “It is impossible to please God without faith for he that must come to him must believe that He exists and is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
You will receive power and other blessings as a reward as you worship him in the beauty of holiness.
In our kingdom, power and glory are in dimensions. The scripture speaks of “the latter glory becoming greater than the former”( Haggai 2:9).
Nothing in this kingdom happens on the platform of luck. Even the kingdom of darkness is not ignorant of what to do to access greater demonic power. To access such power we always (Christians or unbelievers alike) have to do certain things that will cost us a lot.
David said “ I will not give the Lord that which won’t cost me anything “. Failure to sacrifice to attain greater heights renders us as mere men but remember you are not a mere man as a Believer in whom resides the Spirit of God Almighty.
To attain greater power and glory we need to make prayer and fasting a part and parcel of us. Luke 4:1-2; 14. Prayer and fasting are a must if we want to carry corrosive and acidic power to bless lives and undo the works of the devil. Jesus said “when you fast “ and not “if you fast”, meaning prayer and fasting are a part of our Christian walk. It’s not optional; it’s a must.
Fasting and prayer open us up for great things to happen in our lives. Jesus said “this kind comes out only by prayer n fasting“. This simply means some situations or demons only respond to serious fasting and prayers. We may have tried other arsenal in this kingdom to deal with some situations to no avail. This is not the time to argue over whether we need to fast in our era or not . Brethren, the scriptures enjoin us to fast and pray.
In fact, prayer and fasting open us to the voice of the Spirit. The Bible says in Acts 13: 2-3, “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, seperate unto me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away”. From this scripture we notice that it was through the prayer and fasting that they heard the voice of the Lord. Why didn’t God speak when they did not pray and fast? You want to go into a particular business? You want to marry and you don’t know who to choose from your potential suitors? Brethren deploy fasting and prayers and you will not only receive power and glory but the Lord will surely speak to you as you do that spiritual exercise consistently and with the word of God.
Fasting and prayer also brings boldness. The Bible says “ The righteous is as bold as a lion”. After praying and fasting the disciples received greater power, glory and above all they were clothed with unspeakable boldness. Peter is a case in point. When the people saw the boldness in them (the disciples) they confirmed they had really been with Jesus Christ. Brother, you who can’t speak in public or propose to a woman to marry her, you who are timid,I prescribe prayer and fasting for you as medication. Do that and see the fearless spirit in you ride. You will attend that interview and look your interviewers in the eyes and answer their questions by the aid of the Spirit.
To be a man replete with greater glory and power, please fast at least once a week (the day you were born) and support it with the word of God and prayer. Let your prayer life be rich with His word. Are you sick? Look for scriptures on healing and pray with them!
Nevertheless, I don’t advise you fast and pray when you have health issues. The Lord knows how to grace you with acidic power when He sees you wish you could fast and pray but you can’t because of your health. He’s a merciful God.
I see you swimming in greater power and glory in the name of Jesus.
He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And He said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 18:2-4
Children soak up both verbal and nonverbal messages like sponges – indiscriminately. They listen to their parents, and they imitate their parents’ behavior. Because they have little frame of reference outside the family, the things they learn at home about themselves and others become universal truths engraved deeply in their minds.
Susan Forward.
It had been a couple of weeks since I had been moved to a new team within the department of the organization I worked for. Prior to that, I had always been very laid back, frolicking very little with my colleagues. I was ‘reserved’ many would say. Some even thought I was stuck up. Hmmmmm. Before this move, I had questioned severally if I belonged in my work environment because it had been a year and oh did I struggle to fit in. My previous job was great, had an enabling environment as far as personal growth was concerned but the “brass was bad”.
The move was mainly motivated by the hope of a steady income and career growth. Little did I know that God had other plans. On this day a colleague was sharing a funny incident and we were all laughing so hard. “You are like a sponge”, my boss said to me laughing as she walked off. I lifted my head, utterly confused. What does this woman mean?, I thought. I started wondering,a sponge! Why a sponge? Wait, what kind of sponge!? What does she mean? What could she be communicating? Did I do something wrong? No, no, she actually said it with a smile. I let it slide and went on with work.
It was hard to forget the statement she made however so I pondered over it much later and then it all came to me. I googled ‘sponge’ and I’m going to share my findings with you. I found three key definitions of a sponge:
1. a primitive sedentary aquatic invertebrate with a soft porous body that is typically supported by a framework of fibres or calcareous or glassy spicules. Sponges draw in a current of water to extract nutrients and oxygen.
2. a piece of a soft, light, porous absorbent substance originally consisting of the fibrous skeleton of an aquatic invertebrate but now usually made of synthetic material, used for washing and cleaning.
3. (slang) A person who takes advantage of the generosity of others (abstractly imagined to absorb or soak up the money or efforts of others like a sponge)
There are so many other perspectives and definitions out there but I will stick to these three to discuss the point I want to make. At a closer glance, we notice that all three definitions emphasize one main thing; the ability of the sponge to absorb. In my opinion the ability to absorb signifies tolerance, resilience and even resolve.
*Disclaimer: I do not endorse “sponging” per the third definition because it is a toxic trait.*
It takes tolerance to be able/willing to embrace the existence of opinions or behaviour that one dislikes or disagrees with. A sponge absorbs such fluids as it touched be they pleasant or not.
It takes resilience to cultivate the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness. No matter how filthy a liquid substance is, one washed appropriately, the sponge able to restore its previous state (debatable but almost always the case).
It takes resolve to express your firm determination to do something and actually execute it. A sponge does not possess the ability to be selective with what fluids/liquids it absorbs (unless the viscosity of the fluid doesn’t permit it to and most definitely in whose hands that sponge finds itself).
[Viscosity is a physical property of fluids. It shows resistance to flow. In a simple example, water has a low viscosity, as it is “thin”. … The word viscous comes from the Latin root viscum, meaning sticky.]
People notice it when you show respect and embrace new tasks, people and environments seamlessly. The only challenge is they often tend to misinterpret it and those who get it may have the tendency to exploit you. A person who has the fruits of the Spirit and who intentionally exhibits them possesses the ability to thrive regardless of where they find themselves. The word of God makes grace and direction available to live an exemplary life. Respect therefore is shown when you adapt yourself. Anyone who adapts to you is showing you respect.
Genesis 41:14 – Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.
Ruth 3:1-3 – Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor. Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.
Esther 2:12; 15 – Now when every maid’s turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women;) ; Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her.
Joseph, Ruth and Esther all exhibited characteristics of absorption from the above texts. Joseph cleaned up himself and dressed appropriately before meeting Pharaoh. Ruth trusted Naomi’s direction, prepared herself and obeyed every instruction she was given to the letter. Esther heeded to Mordecai’s guidance as well as Haggai’s recommendation. Her willingness to embrace only what what required caused her to be preferred above her corrivals. Judging from the texts, they acted as such based off of the respect they had for Pharaoh, Naomi/Boaz and Ahesuerus/Haggai/Mordecai respectively. By inference according to these cases and my analysis Absorption implies Respect.
By all means have a filter to sift what you allow into your space (spirit, soul and body). Avoid toxic people and as much as you can do not compromise on your values. Know your limits/ boundaries however always show kindness and respect to others. Your reaction to any situation says more about you than it does others even if they were/are in the wrong. Be the salt and the light wherever you go. You don’t need to be an open book to show respect and spread kindness. Just be a sponge in the right hands; what better hands than those of The One who made you.
Looking back today I’m still uncertain what message she might have been conveying but I sure did couch my own perspective. I am to plant, water and nurture that lesson to spur growth for myself as well as make an impact. I pray the Holy Spirit leads you to do even better each day and no matter where you find yourself.
For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes. – Proverbs 24:16 (NIV)
“Will you say yes to the dress?”, Dante was asked. With a beaming smile she shrieked “YES!” as a tear rolled down her left cheek. Her heart was filled with joy that she was doing this again, hopefully and finally for good. She had already been married twice (obviously both must have been terrible for her to have opted out).
The scenes played back in her head as she imagined what the next few weeks of her life would be liked. She was so certain there would be dramatic changes for herself and two children but she knew in her gut that this was not going to be like the previous two. It had been over two years since her last divorce and she was tired of wasting her life away sulking about the past. For so long she carried around a burden of guilt and shame because she felt that she was to blame. She was the one who couldn’t make a marriage last.
The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand. – Psalm 37:23-24 (ESV)
Now engaged to be married for the third time, it was obvious that despite all her failures with marriage she still believed in love. Nonetheless she was anxious, jittery, terrified to say the least. But somewhere deep down in her heart, she knew and believed that the prayers she had said to God in her low moments had been heard and were beginning to manifest. If God was able to help her find love again, then He definitely was more than capable to give her a lasting and blissful one this time around.
Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. – Micah 7:8 (NLT)
Pause a moment and reflect on your life and how each month of this year has been as far as serving God is concerned. Just as a trader or business person will take stock to assess how viable their business has been or like how workers in the corporate world would measure performance and juxtapose it to the targets they set for the year, we also need to weigh the worth of our life spend towards loving God and doing His will and His work this year.
Just like Dante, no one gets married with an elaborate plan to get a divorce and set themselves up to failure (unless of course you’re some sort of psychopath, a gold digger or you just have an incessant ulterior motive that needs satiation). Similarly as human as we are, we may set of on a course with all the right intentions and our zeal and passion up the roof. However along the line “forces of nature” and circumstances may distract us and shift us off course.
We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. – 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (NKJV)
Never allow circumstances of life deter you from living in its fullness. Also don’t shortchange yourself of all the wonderful experiences you could have and the impact your life could make on others. You are not broken. You are not baggage. You are not unlovable. Like Dante said yes to the dress, yes to love, yes to a new chapter of her life, say yes to the invitation of Jesus Christ. Say yes to a new life filled with His unconditional love. Say yes to His will and leading. Say yes to the privilege to serve him, to be his child and redeem your life from the flames of hell.
If you haven’t already surrendered your life to Him and accepted Jesus as your Lord and personal saviour, kindly say this prayer with me now!
“Dear Lord Jesus, I thank you for the opportunity to read your word and to be presented with the knowledge of your love. Please cleanse me from all my sins and write my name in Your book of life. I receive Jesus as my Saviour and my Lord. Thank you for saving my soul from the grips of hell and death. I love you Jesus. Satan from today I bind you and reject you . I will not serve you, follow you nor do your bidding again. I belong to God and I will serve Him alone . In Jesus Precious Name I pray, Amen.
If you believed this word with your heart and declared this prayer with your mouth, you are born again. Congratulations. The next steps we would advise would be for you to find a Bible believing church where you can fellowship and commit to serving God for the rest of your days here on earth. I pray you find your purpose and walk in it. I pray that the Holy Spirit will order your steps in His ways and that you will find peace, joy and fulfillment that surpasses all understanding in Jesus Name.
Now always remember this: God has got your back. He always and will forever have your interest at heart. Just keep saying yes to Him.
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” – Mark 9:24
It is not that I do not believe. It’s just that this situation has dragged on for so long! It’s not that I don’t believe, it’s just that the recurrence and persistence of this negativity has wearied my heart, weakened my resolve and punctured my rock faith.
How many times have you been to the hospital because of this same ailment? How hard have you worked to land that job promotion? How many relationships have you been in that didn’t end well? How many times have you tried to get pregnant? How long have you hustled to find green pastures? How many tries have you attempted that examination? How many letters have you written, and how many doors have been slammed in your face? How long have you waited and coped?
Life happens, and it happens to the living. What you are going through is not over and beyond your capability to handle and take in your godly stride. The wearied father of the child cried out with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
God is limitless so this pimple can disappear. God is infinite goodness, boundless love, and unending mercies, thoughtfully caring even to your minutest detail such as the exact vehicle you will board and where that car will park. Oh! I believe! Help me to believe more.
It will take time, but you will break through -if you keep at it and do not give up. Keep the faith no matter how long. Believe and take action that belief. You will break even. This setback will not lock you down. Lord, I believe- help thou my unbelief. This seeming plateau I have hit in my life-nothing going on, finances, health, relationships and career all halted- Lord I come to You to revive me. I look to You to heal me. I trust You for restoration and count on You for provision. Holy Spirit you and I will weather it out! I have faith; make my feeble faith stronger.
I do believe but this procedure is quite tough. It is not easy. But I’ll yet believe, -and in the moments when my resolve will fall and my faith will fail Lord, help my unbelief. Make my feeble faith stronger, help me believe more. When I feel helpless in the face of illness and disease, God – help my weak faith. Strengthen my belief that You will heal me by Your stripes, that this disease will soon pass and the gaping, hurting wound will heal.
Help my faith Lord, when complexities darken my pursuit, increase my faith LORD when hardships hit my relationships. Let me know that it will be well with me at the end, for my Redeemer liveth. Help me to believe again that joy will come by morning, lest I give up in this night of weeping. Oh, I believe, LORD GOD, I believe that You can do all things. I believe that Your plans for me and all that concerns me are good. I believe that because you live Lord Jesus I also live, and can face tomorrow. I believe that You hold the whole world in your hands and You order my steps. When life happens to me, and I pass through the avenue of Time and Chance, help my feeble faith stand firm. I do believe. Help me overcome my unbelief. (Mark 9:24)
What impossibility is challenging your faith now? If you can believe, says Jesus, all things are possible to him who believes. I believe my child will be healed, and I will get the job. I believe that sister will get married happily and that friend will give birth safely to a bouncy baby. I believe brother will pass the exam and we shall overcome this hurdle also. I believe that funds will be released and the travel will be safe. I believe that the permits will be given and the final ruling will be in our favour. I believe that this law will work out for our advantage because we belong to God. I believe that I will rise up from this bed of affliction, and that your long-awaited breakthrough will come.
Dear believer in Christ Jesus -hold fast to your faith in Him, waver not for He has made available to us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. (2 Pet.1:3) Doubting displeases God- but faith attracts His favour and good pleasure. A double minded person will not be blessed. Lord I believe. Help me to believe more. O unbelieving, faithless generation -what at all do you think is difficult for the Lord under this sun? Believe, absorb godly content -that is how your faith grows, and overcome your unbelief! LORD I BELIEVE.
The Bible continues by saying in Exodus 23:26 that “ There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of your days I will fulfill ( KJV). Look at the way the NLT version rendered the same verse “ There will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land, and I will give you long, full lives.” Glory be to God. The word of God is indeed replete with conditional promises. If you serve me, I will bless your bread and water, take away sickness away from your midst and now the Bible says there will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land. The bitter truth is that from the platform of scriptures, most miscarriages or infertility of any kinds ( barrenness, impotence, low sperm count) among others are spiritual issues. The Bible records that the Lord opened the wombs of Sarah and Hannah, Elisabeth, John the Baptist’s mother but He the same God shut the womb of Michal, David’s wife and she died barren because of her own attitude (2 Samuel 6:23).
We all know how it feels like to be barren especially as children of God ; the mockery, embarrassment,pressure from in-laws when the problem is obviously from you. What do you do in such a situation? After spending colossal sum of money in hospitals and at herbal centers to no avail why do you sit at home and give up? You may have lost lots of babies through miscarriages sponsored by evil spirits without your knowledge. But now, may you receive the light of God to see beyond the physical realm. Hear this, there is nothing like “I am not compatible with my wife or husband that’s why we can’t have children”. Through deception, we go out and try it with other people and get children and we confirm it’s indeed true we weren’t compatible”. There’s nothing like that in our kingdom. If you are thinking along those lines know that that mentality isn’t from God. Satan is only deceiving you and wants to make you a polygamist. It’s a pattern that he wants you to repeat in your family. You shall not be a victim of that plot in Jesus name!
What did Hannah do in her deplorable condition? 1 Samuel records that she yearly went to the temple at Shiloh to seek the face of the Lord but nothing seemed to be happening. One day in verse 10 of the same chapter the Bible says “ she was in bitterness of soul and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore” and the summary of this story is that the Lord favored her with a child known as Prophet Samuel. Now, this woman went to the temple or the presence of God yearly and prayed. She was serving Jehovah in His house. Is it wrong to pray in our houses? No! But in His house, we quicken the manifestation of our miracle. You may have served the Lord in your house and not been seeing His finger at work. Why don’t you try His temple? Why don’t you join the prayer team of your local church and become a consistent prayer warrior till something happens? May your spouse join you in that spiritual exercise for a quick manifestation for where two or three people gather in my name, I am there says the word of God. You can make make it despite your age, status or social status. No woman is permitted to be barren in His house forever. Any woman who is below 90 can still give birth trust me. Sarah gave birth at 90 and if that’s the case your situation is nothing at all before God. Are you 90 years?
A woman in my local church had been barren for years until she discovered this kingdom mystery I am talking about and when she applied it to her life with total dedication, the Lord opened her womb and she now has her child. You know what? This woman is still serving the Lord in the capacity of a prayer warrior and the Lord has blessed her with the gift of prophecy. This is how we have to behave even after receiving our miracle and the Lord will do more for us.
Christian service brings about long life as well. Premature death and unusual death patterns can be averted through Christian service. Refer God to His word and He will honor his side of the bargain as you prove to Him that you love Him.
I see you receiving your miracle as you serve God in any capacity the Spirit leads in. I declare upon your life “ You are not barren or impotent. You are only a mother or father expecting your miracle children”.
And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.
Calvary greetings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In my last write-up, I mentioned that if we serve the Lord, He will bless our bread and water ( v 25) which simply means, He will provide our needs for us. When we serve the Lord with all our hearts, mind n strength, He does an amazing thing for us just to reward us. In the same verse 25, the infallible word of God says “and He will take sickness away from the midst of thee.” Wow! I just can’t believe this!
What’s sickness? Sickness according to Apostle Johnson Suleman of Omega Fire Ministry is something that takes away your ease. That’s something that makes you uncomfortable. I totally agree with him. I hate sicknesses and diseases with every iota of my being. There are some sicknesses that don’t respond to medical treatments. In fact they defy them. When you find yourself in such a situation, what do you have to do? You may have tried herbal and medical treatment to no avail. Your pastor too may have helped you in prayers and fasting and the situation may remain the same. Why, we don’t use the same spiritual arsenal to handle every spiritual problem. In our kingdom there are mysteries. No need to say , “I’m not the church type, I cannot do anything in church, I’m shy etc “. I’m sorry to tell you that you are not right. Whose report do you believe? That of God or that of men? He said if you serve me I will heal you. That’s simple!
As you serve Him in a capacity you deem fit for yourself, I advise you do it consistently, seriously and with all your heart so that you can move God’s hand in your favour. He takes delight in the prosperity of His saints (Psalms 35: 27). He really wants you to be made completely whole. That’s His plan for you. But until you serve Him, you may not get that healing. He didn’t put that sickness on you and He will never do that; for the Lord is good and His mercies endure forever.
As you serve the Lord look for scriptures that speak of healing and pray with them. Also, as a church worker, keep reminding Him of the fact that He said “I am the Lord that healeth thee or I will take sickness away from your midst”.
Challenge Jehovah Rapha, our healer, with His own words and He will heal you. God responds to His word and not empty words or words bereft of His divine word. Read materials or listen to audios or watch videos on divine healing and believe you me, you will never remain the same.
As a child, I used to be sick a lot. I mean, I was familiar with demonic oppression but when I discovered this principle of service, I made that sickness uncomfortable by serving and exposing myself to the presence and power of God and that devil gave up. Since then, I have been serving Jesus than ever before. What are you waiting for precious one? It’s time to be healed.
Virtuous Living 