Sunday, September 30, 2018

The Alpha of Knowledge

3074/10000 The Alpha of Knowledge
For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding
Proverbs 2 v 6

True wisdom, knowledge and understanding comes from God. The Lord gives wisdom to those who revere and honour Him. In contrast, knowledge acquired by man on his own in this world is a mixture of good and evil. It can be put to good use and to bad use. Human knowledge can be creative or destructive. But spiritual knowledge is wholesome, totally creative and holistic, affecting the quality of our spirits, minds and bodies. Our personal knowledge and relationship with the Lord gives us the leader’s edge or advantage. We may not know our future but we know the One who holds our future. He knows our past and yet forgives and loves us. He is present with us all the time as Counsellor, Guide, Comforter, Teacher, Leader, Ruler, Provider, Protector. Such knowledge of the Lord is the most empowering and awesome experience a human can have.
The Lord enables us to optimise our happiness and our holiness, the desire to enjoy life and the desire to be right in the eyes of God. He gives us the spirit of discernment of right and wrong, good and evil. He gives us the grace to choose life over death, good over evil. The image of Jesus in the book of Revelation as One with a sword coming out of His mouth is a metaphor for the Word of God, a double –edged sword. It separates good from evil, truth from untruth, grain from chaff. It kills or destroys the negatives and gives life and expression to the positives. We gain wisdom, knowledge and understanding by meditating constantly and applying all round the word of God.
Knowledge of the Word of God is a most powerful weapon of offense and defence. It enables us to know the mind of God or of Christ. It transforms our perspectives, our attitudes and our character. We can ask and receive more and more wisdom and knowledge from the Lord. Through the word, the Lord sends His eternal light into the darkest crevices of our hearts and minds, enlightening our lives, equipping, empowering and building us.

Friday, September 28, 2018

The Alpha of Kingship


UV 3073/10000 The Alpha of Kingship
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:
I Peter 2 v 9

Unlike the Philosopher-King concept of Plato, the Priest –King is not in constant quest of answers to his questions but have found most of the answers settled in Christ. In Christ, we not only claim and have kinship with God but we inherit kingship. We are kings and priests in the sight of God. We are priests to declare His praises for choosing us out of our generation, separating us from the darkness, drawing us into the marvellous light of truth, power and love that emanate from His presence and His word. As kings, we have to reign on earth, reining in the powers of darkness. As kings, we proclaim His greatness and aspire to magnify His name on earth. As kings, we execute justice, peace and righteousness in all we do. As kings, we expand His dominion and influence of the kingdom of God. As kings, we act always with a sense of dignity as behoves royalty. As priests, we conduct ourselves such that we are blameless and holy in all we say, think or do. The power of the king in us is derived from the foundation of holiness of the priest. Together, as royal priests, we have unassailable and unshakeable authority on earth. As kings, we exercise power while as priests we seek wisdom.
As priests, we offer sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving since Christ has obviated in His death on the cross the need for any more sacrifice of life. We offer the sacrifice of Abel. We offer ourselves as living sacrifices, setting aside our own desire for glory or greatness, our own priorities, our lusts. We no longer revel in the works of darkness that we formerly used to enjoy. As priests, we intercede for those who now live in spiritual darkness. We claim and declare healing for the sick and afflicted. We become instruments to bring comfort to the hurting and deliverance to those in need of it. As Ministers of God, we have different portfolios or responsibilities to execute here on earth. We study His laws and see how best to carry these out in our lives. The paradox is that as kings under the King of Kings, we are placed above all the kings and authorities of this world but as priests, we are servants of all mankind. As kings of God, appointed and anointed by Him, He supplies all we need to govern or to rule. As kings of God, we are required to bring more of heaven on earth and more of earth in heaven. We take steps to end disorder and lawlessness here on earth and usher in the peace and rule of God.
We are extraordinary people with extraordinary gifting, qualities, powers. We are a holy nation placed above all the nations of the world to seek, to speak and execute the will and word of God. The standards, motives and values that we espouse are distinct from the children of this world. As priests, we make confession to the Lord for our own shortcomings and those of others. As priests, we wear the robe of salvation while as kings, we don the armour of God. As Sons and Daughters of God, we have supernatural abilities or gifts of the Spirit, supernatural characteristics or the fruit of the Spirit.

Thursday, September 27, 2018

The Alpha of Kindness

UV 3072/10000 The Alpha of Kindness
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
2 Peter 1 v 7
Just as Jesus is our Keeper, our Good Shepherd, we are to be our brothers’ keeper. We are to genuinely love all people and especially those of the brotherhood of faith. Instead of competing with each other for honour or recognition, we should give precedence to others. We should take steps to meet the needs of our brothers in cash and kind and not merely show lip service to the needy. The evidence that we truly belong to God and to Jesus is that we reflect His love for our fellow beings in practical ways. Jesus had compassion on the people wherever He interacted with them as recorded in the gospels. If He saw that they were hungry, He multiplied the few loaves and fish to feed them.

Brotherly or fraternal love is many splendoured and has many qualities. We are to be patient with the weak in faith. We are to be forgiving to those who hurt us without reason. We should not retaliate in the same coin but be ready to bear the pain. If someone asks us for help, we should be ready to go the extra mile to give them a hand of assistance. We should keep a record of all their kindnesses to us and learn to forget or let go the harm they caused us. We should not exploit them for any selfish reason or take advantage of them.
We should be careful in the words we speak to others and not insult or humiliate them in any way. We should regard them better than ourselves in many ways and try to learn from them and not consider ourselves superior. It is said that a kind word can keep a person warm in winter. Much of kindness depends therefore in how we relate and communicate with others. For the rest, acts of love and charity to the poor and needy constitute practical ways of being kind to people around us.

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

The Alpha of Jealousy


UV 3071/10000 The Alpha of Jealousy
For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
2 Corinthians 11 v 2

The Bible is the only book that says that God is like a husband to His people. As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so the Lord rejoices over His chosen, the believers in Christ. He loves us as no one else does and can. He loves us with a godly jealousy even as Paul regarded the people he led to Christ. While satanic jealousy prompts a person to take that which is not one’s or to desire it, godly jealousy is about zealously guarding the faithful, of building them up in perfection of faith and love. Satanic jealousy is a kind of rage or madness that provokes people to acts of violence and irrationality. The enemy of our souls wants to make us his own though we were not made by him or we do not belong to him.
Ungodly jealousy can often be witnessed among even those who profess to be faithful. It manifests as rivalry and competition. It is unhealthy and needs to be guarded against. Godly jealousy in contrast prompts us to be caring, diligent and wise. Since God is a jealous God who does not share His glory with anyone, we do not attempt to take the glory for ourselves but humble ourselves to attribute anything good in us or anything good happening in our lives to the Lord and to the Lord alone. This is also the reason we do not have any other mediator or intermediary other than Jesus to approach the Lord.
Love gives rise to godly jealousy while lust gives rise to ungodly jealousy. It is said that there is no cure for ungodly jealousy. But Jesus can rid us of all such feelings of jealousy if we take it to Him. We notice a feeling of jealousy even among the disciples of Jesus. The mother of two of them wanted to know where they would be seated in the kingdom of God. Jesus replied that the greatest is the ones who seek to serve and not be served. Godly jealousy implies that we have to do our best to present ourselves and those who we are responsible for as persons who are reflections of the character and love of Jesus.





Tuesday, September 25, 2018

The Alpha of Justice


UV 3070/10000 The Alpha of Justice
He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
Deuteronomy 32 v 4

The character of God gives us the templates of our conduct. He is described as the Eternal Rock- for He is unchanging and consistent. His character has a certain shape and is strong and powerful. The essential characteristic of God is that He is just and righteous. He is passionate about the truth and detests untruth, injustice and evil. He is just in all His ways- His judgement, His word, His decisions. He makes manifest His judgements- in other words, He reveals and make known His decisions. The fullness of His character is manifested in Jesus whose work and whose word is perfect. Jesus asked us to be perfect and just like His Father. But when we emulate Jesus, we are modelling on our Father in heaven.
We too are to be rock-like or strong, determined, consistent in putting into practice the principles Jesus teaches us. We will not err and be unrighteous if we practice the teachings of Jesus. We are to aim for perfection in terms of integrity in our work. We cannot soil our hands and our conscience with wrongful gain. Jesus taught us that godliness and contentment is the only true gain. In other words, we should strive to be like Jesus and contented with the blessings He has given us on Earth. We should throw our weight on the side of the weak and disadvantaged against the powerful and wicked.
We are to be just in all our ways including our judgement of others. We need to be fair in the way we speak of , speak to and treat others. The plumb line we need to measure both our conduct and our communication against to check for righteousness or justice is the Word of God. The Holy Spirit is our Helper who reminds us when we are at risk of going wrong and helps us come back on track.

Monday, September 24, 2018

The Alpha of Joy

UV 3069/10000 The Alpha of Joy
Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength
Nehemiah 8 v 10
When we make the Lord our chief joy, we are greatly strengthened. We rejoice in Him as our all knowing and all powerful Maker, our wise Ruler or King and our Good Shepherd and Best Friend. When we delight in what the Lord delights in – we are filled with joy. Knowing that we will not suffer the second death or the death of our souls or spirits, fills us with eternal joy. Knowing that He is with us as Immanuel all the time, fills every moment with joy. Knowing that our sins are forgiven fill us with the peace of God. Our joy is not dependent on external circumstances. The joy we find in the Lord is not acquisitional or achievement-based but relational. Our personal relationship with the Infinite, Almighty, Perfect Lord gives us greatest joy.
The joy of salvation is a special kind of happiness that helps us endure all kinds of difficulties in this world. It makes us resilient and strong. The assurance that we are saved by the grace of God through Jesus lifts our spirits. The vacuum in our souls is filled completely. We have a sense of purpose in life and we do not have to lament that all is vain. To know that all things happen for good and it is not by mere chance or accident gives us comfort and hope. The promises of the Lord fill us with hope. One cannot be joyful without hope. When the hope is fulfilled, we are also filled with joy. We enjoy all the blessings of the Lord and the familial and material provisions He has blessed us with. We are filled with joy when the Lord enables us to enjoy the fruit of our labour. When our prayers are heard, when the desires of our hearts are granted, we are also filled with joy.
The songs of praise and thanksgiving we sing are the sacrifices of joy that we give up to the Lord. It is sacrificial as we need to remember, take time to give thanks and exult in the victory He alone has given us. We are thankful to the Lord for the victory He has given us over the enemy of our souls. He vindicates us even in our struggles with our mortal enemies. When we are healed of our afflictions, of diseases, we are filled with joy. The joy of the Lord is not ephemeral unlike the joy of the world. It is lasting and instead of fading, it grows on us. ha to Omega or the A to Z of our lives if we only let Him and ask Him to do so.

Sunday, September 23, 2018

The Alpha of Jabez

UV 3068/10000 The Alpha of Jabez
And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested
I Chronicles 4 v 10

Jabez was an unwanted child and his name means “sorrow” or “trouble.” His mother had named him so as she bore him in much pain. Ironically, that helped Jabez trust completely in the God of Israel. He cried out to Him to keep him from pain for evil might bring short term pleasure but long term or eternal pain. The prayer of Jabez contained in this uni-verse is a model which we all can adopt and learn from. Jabez committed the totality of his life into the hands of his permanent parent- the Lord and God of Israel. He prayed that He would bless him. Whatever be the mess we find our lives in, the Lord can bless it and turn it into a message to humanity to trust Him.

Jabez also asked the Lord to enlarge his territory or his influence in this lifetime. We can pray to the Lord to use us to extend His kingdom or His rule on earth to more hearts and minds of our fellow beings. Jabez also asked that the Lord’s hand be with him, to protect him, to guide him, to provide for him, to lead him, to strengthen him, to support him, to feed him. That alone would keep him from evil, from falling into temptation, from being caught up in this world. He prayed that he be kept from sorrows or grief. This reflects the power of prevailing and proactive prayer, the power of prophylactic prayer wherein we pray ahead of coming events, temptations, sorrows. When we pray in this manner, we are acknowledging that the Lord is sovereign and He has control in our lives, that we ourselves have no control over events that transpire. The name and circumstances in which Jabez was born predicted a life of sorrow and suffering. He did not wait for sorrow or suffering to happen but prayed ahead of time, exercising his faith in the God of Israel. Jabez’s ancestor, the patriarch Jacob had struggled to take his destiny into his own hands and even struggled with God. But Jabez just yielded himself, his life, his future, his well being into the hands of the Lord.
The climactic part of the uni-verse is that the Lord heard his prayer and granted him what he requested. It is a sign of the Lord ‘s favour and grace when He hears our prayers and grants it. The Lord was pleased with the humility and faith of Jabez. He turned his potential pains, sorrows and troubles into joy, blessings and victory. He turned his tears into laughter and thanksgiving. The Lord knows even our sighs and silence. When we align our lives and our hearts and minds with Him, He is pleased to hear our prayer and grant our requests. He keeps us from pain, shame and sorrow. He keeps us from disasters and diseases. He strengthens us from within, inspires us to extend our area of influence. His hand is always upon us as a loving, doting parent or Father. He controls and directs the Alpha to Omega or the A to Z of our lives if we only let Him and ask Him to do so.

The Alpha of Dealing with the Issues of the Heart

3067/10000 The Alpha of Dealing with the Issues of the Heart
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Proverbs 4 v 23

The human heart is naturally deceitful. Out of the human heart come the evil issues of violence, murder, covetousness, lust, pride, adultery, theft and other crimes, injustice and untruth. We are responsible for the maintenance of our own hearts to keep it free from all such evil and to keep it in tune with the will and word of God, our Maker and Redeemer. As our Maker, He knows our hearts and sends the Holy Spirit to help us guard it from evil. As our Redeemer, He gives us grace to resist temptation and lust and overcome evil. Good and evil are constantly knocking at the door of our hearts. It is our decision which one to let in. Studying the word and applying it diligently will help us consistently make the right choice and even when we fall or fail, to return as soon as possible to the God-intended and designed equilibrium.
The issues of the heart are related to our conduct, our motives, our attitudes, our emotions, our communication, our relationships, our priorities, our core beliefs. We are to align these with the word and will of God. Our motives should be kept pure. Our relationships should be based on love and not on selfish considerations of what we can gain from it. We are to be on our guard all the time for when we let it down, the enemy attacks like a prowling lion. We need to keep clearing our hearts of the baggage from our past like guilt, bitterness, anger, hatred and so on. Instead, we need to treasure the good things the Lord has done for us or spoken or promised in our hearts.
The new testament or covenant made possible by Jesus that draws us into a deep and intimate relationship with the Lord, the Triune God of the Bible speaks of the circumcision of the human heart. Our hearts are to be stripped of anything and everything sinful or displeasing to the Lord. The Word is the double edged sword that cuts away anything extraneous or superfluous or insincere from our hearts. The Holy Spirit is the surgeon who does the life-long surgery on our hearts. He plants or sows the seed of righteousness in our hearts. He begins the flow of the rivers of life –giving water or the eternal issues of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self control in our hearts. We do not allow our hearts to be hardened or set in our ways but to always be strong as well as flexible to keep changing so that we conform to the image of Christ. Like our physical hearts stay healthy and fit with much exercise, we need to undertake various spiritual exercises like meditation, prayer, fasting, celebration, giving, worship in order to burn any deposit of unnecessary life threatening and artery blocking factors like fat or cholesterol. These spiritual exercises need to be built into our daily schedules and not undertaken only once in away.

Friday, September 21, 2018

The Alpha of Divine Inspiration


UV 3066/ 10000 The Alpha of Divine Inspiration
But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
Job 32 v 8

There are inspired works of man, inspired by the spirit of man and of this world. This spirit can cause a man to shine or excel, to write great novels or poetry or carve great sculpture. But human inspiration is limited and it can happen only in fits and starts. It is the inspiration or taking in of the Spirit of the Almighty that gives us wisdom, true knowledge and understanding. That spirit is the Holy Spirit. The same spirit inspired men and women of God through the ages to write the word of God. When we inspire or take in the Word of God, therefore, the Spirit of God is needed to interpret it rightly, apply it correctly and fully.

The books of man ‘s knowledge and wisdom cannot teach us how and why the Earth and all creatures on it have come into being. The Bible, however, lays bare the mystery of creation and the purpose of creation. It also inspires in us the power to realize or fulfil the purpose of God in our lives. Jesus is invested with the seven fold spirit of the might of God, the wisdom of God, the knowledge of God, the understanding of God, the spirit of counsel, the wonder-causing spirit and the spirit of the fear of God or of utmost reverence. The inspiration of the last mentioned spirit kept Jesus from wilful error or sin. That same spirit can keep us on the straight and narrow without allowing the enemy to divert us on to the path of red herrings. The spirit of might of God gives us the inner strength to overcome the limitations of circumstances, to do that which we intended. Our mere speaking the word will set things in motion in this world. We believe that nothing is impossible for the Lord. The spirit of counsel will enable us to seek and accept good advice as well as to give wise advice to those who need. It will help us to take well considered and correct decisions or choices.

The spirit of wisdom that the Almighty inspires in us is pure, peaceful, gentle, easy to persuade, full of good fruit of love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self control, not partial or insincere. The spirit of knowledge of the Holy One will teach us to emulate Jesus in our daily lives. We understand what the Lord wants us to do. We understand the love of God in its various dimensions. Such wisdom, knowledge and understanding is transformational it affects the inner working of the spirit of man. In contrast, human knowledge, wisdom and understanding are informational and does not affect the inner working of the spirit of man. The spirit of the Lord will always keep us learning and growing. There is no limit to learning and growing.

Thursday, September 20, 2018

The Alpha of Instruction



UV 3065/10000 The Alpha of Instruction
To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity
Proverbs 1 v 3
Instructions regarding knowledge of the material world are received from our books and our schools and higher institutions of learning but instructions regarding godly wisdom, justice, integrity, judgement of righteousness and sin and equity or fairness are received from the Lord through His word. Wisdom is about our duties to God and to ourselves, Justice is about our duties to others, judgement helps us in our decision making while equity again is about our duty to others. Only a fool will despise such instructions. The wise will apply their hearts to learn and apply the instructions of the sovereign Lord. They will incline their ears to hear the word or alpha daily and go forth into the world and apply it all round – the application aspect is omega. Blessings flow from merely hearing the instructions of the Lord but greater blessings follow those who hear, remember, meditate, teach and obey the instructions of the Lord in the details of their lives.
We show that we truly revere or respect and hold the Lord in awe when we seek out His wisdom, diligently study it and apply it in all aspects of our lives. The Lord also instructs us through other godly persons in our lives. He instructs us through the agency of the Holy Spirit. The instructions of the Lord keeps us safe from many follies, temptations and unnecessary troubles and trials. It trains our character so that we follow the templates of behaviour, decision making, communication and relationship which are described in scripture. For the Lord, our templates of conduct are as important as the temples of worship. The instructions of the Lord are compared to a lamp in terms of illumination of every step we take, a strong foundation in terms of strength and stability it gives to our lives, our feelings, thoughts and behaviour, precious metals like gold or silver in terms of purity, value and beauty, wholesome food to give us health and energy of life, medicine to cure us of all ills, path ways of truth, a map to navigate life.
To conform to the patterns and principles of the Word is to be transformed from within. The instructions of the Lord are not meant to confine or restrict us but to give us more spiritual freedom to grow and enjoy the presence and the blessings of the Lord. Each instruction is connected with obtaining the blessing of a particular promise. Without the instructions of the Lord, we are like the blind leading the blind, not knowing where we are heading to. We neglect His instructions to our detriment. With His instructions, we have a clear sense of vision and direction.

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

The Alpha of the Invisible


UV3064/10000 The Alpha of the Invisible
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse
Romans 1 v 20
A man of God once told me a very insightful truth that the real world is the invisible, spiritual world and the physical world is just a shadow of the invisible. This truth is echoed in the uni-verse above. The invisible attributes of God are seen in visible creation. His infinite nature seen in the vastness and size of the stars in this universe, His love seen in the provision of all things needed to sustain humanity and all creatures in nature, His goodness seen in all the bounties of nature, His beauty seen in the landscape and the water bodies, the rising and setting of the sun and moon, His wisdom seen in the mysteries of nature and of human nature, His knowledge manifest in the works of the hands of man, His power, judgement , mastery and sovereignty revealed in the various awesome phenomena of nature that modern science and technology cannot rein in.
Today, with much of the modern world being controlled invisibly by electromagnetic waves which are invisible, it should be easier for man to believe the reality and power of the invisible. It is more vital that we learn to manage our "invisibles" than the visible factors like finances, machines, other people, governments, corporates and so on. Seeing is no longer the only or primary way to believe. We cannot see the invisible but we can feel or experience the effects of the invisible. We experience the harm caused by the invisible forces that are evil and the good caused by the invisible God. He also made it plain to mankind through the manifestation of all of His power and qualities through His visible image – Jesus Christ who is the fulcrum of human history. He split history into two- BC and AD, human nature into two- good and bad, godly and ungodly, human destiny into two- temporal or worldly and eternal, wisdom into two- earthly and sensual and spiritual or heavenly wisdom, the outer form of religion and true religion, worldly communication and wordly communication.
The Lord opens our inner eye of faith that we can perceive Him who is eternal, immortal, invisible, wonderful and glorious. Through that inner eye, we obtain supernatural grace and power to live victoriously. We can be supernaturally natural and naturally supernatural. There is a balance between the invisible and visible elements of our lives, between the natural and supernatural elements, with the invisible predominantly influencing our choices, our decisions, our priorities.

Monday, September 17, 2018

The Alpha of Integrity

UV 3063/10000 The Alpha of Integrity
He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil
Isaiah 33 v 15

The person of integrity walks in righteousness. He lives in accordance with his beliefs. It means that every step a child of God takes we need to be right with God. Every word we speak needs to be right in the hearing of the Lord. The person of integrity hates wrongful gain. He does not desire to prosper by exploiting or cheating others or by taking bribes. He keeps himself away from even contemplating violence and aggression. He keeps his senses and chiefly his eyes from being stimulated by what is palpably evil. Every thought and emotion is directed to please the Lord. He strives to keep the commandments and precepts of the Lord in letter and spirit. He is in other words a slave of righteousness and has no option but to obey the Lord and His word.
Integrity then is alignment of the totality of our lives – our minds, our mouths, our hearts, our habits, our desires -with the Word. We need to constantly examine our souls so that no corruption or perverse thought or desire creeps in. The person of integrity needs to be sensitive to the move of the Holy Spirit in his life. He is constantly trying to be perfect as His Father in heaven as well as the Son Jesus in His heart are perfect. There are many blessings that come to the person of integrity including generational blessings for his children. He enjoys a good conscience, peace of mind, peace with God. He is just and tries never to wrong others. He is strong and resilient. He is generous with the needy. He does not say no to God-sent opportunities and blessings. He works hard to utilise every talent, skill, opportunity and resource placed in his hands. He is a person of strong faith, knowing that he would certainly have to pay for the principles he believes in but knowing that in the end, he would be vindicated by the Lord.

Since we are living in a fallen world with a hyperactive enemy working on trapping or causing us to fall, the person of integrity may occasionally fall or stumble on these principles of righteous living. But he seeks the grace or help of the Lord not to allow him to remain in that fallen state. He rises to his feet and endeavours not to ever commit the same mistake again. Joseph and Daniel are good examples of integrity in scripture. Despite much hardship and trials, both of them were able to withstand temptations and endure in victory.

Sunday, September 16, 2018

The Alpha of Dealing with Ignorance


UV 3062/10000 The Alpha of Dealing with Ignorance
As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
I Peter 1 v 14
Personal knowledge of God gives us freedom from our former ignorance. That kind of ignorance held us in spiritual blindness and we were trapped or ensnared by our lusts and foolish pride. Now that we are in a personal relationship with the Lord, we are to live our lives as obedient children of God. The Lord fulfils our legitimate desires and satisfies our needs but we are to subject ourselves to His discipline as a child to his parents in the area of our lusts. Our understanding of the requirements of the kingdom of God will help us lead victorious lives even in this dark world. We are no longer alienated from the Lord. We can learn from Christ and lean on Him for understanding and guidance by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The word of God, the gifts of the Spirit of the word of knowledge and the word of wisdom act as chisels to shape our inner character and personality in the mould of the first born Son of God – Jesus. We can pray for spiritual wisdom as St James exhorts the believers to do so. The Lord can anoint us with the seven fold wisdom of Christ- the spirit of God, the spirit of knowledge, wisdom and understanding, the spirit of might, the spirit of counsel and the spirit of the fear of the Lord. We are to see everything in the light not of a temporal or earthly perspective but from the heavenly, eternal, spiritual perspective. It does not however mean that we cut ourselves off from this world and cease to be practical and real. In fact, such knowledge, wisdom and understanding will make us even more effective in our workplace and in our homes.
A pot cannot fashion itself but needs to yield to the touch and movement of the hands of the wheel and the potter’s hands. The pot does not know the final design and purpose to which the potter is going to put it to. Likewise, we cannot shape ourselves but we should from day to day and moment to moment by sensitive to the move of the Holy Spirit. Even our knowledge of ourselves and the world is as good as ignorance in comparison with the infinite knowledge and wisdom of the Lord. We need to unquestioningly, unreservedly, wholeheartedly submit to the leading of the Lord in our daily lives, to His higher knowledge, deeper wisdom and greater understanding and not to our darkened understanding or impulses. In the story of the prodigal son, Jesus is narrating the story not of the disobedience of just the younger son but that of the disobedience of the older and apparently more obedient son. Both the sons did not have a full knowledge of the love of their father. The Lord looks not just for an external compliance of His instructions but for conformity of our inner thoughts and emotions of the heart. The ultimate knowledge, wisdom and understanding comes from understanding the agape love of God, the unconditional obedience of the Son Jesus.

Saturday, September 15, 2018

The Alpha of Idols

UV 3061/10000 The Alpha of Idols
For all the gods of the people are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.
I Chronicles 16 v 26

The God of the Bible proclaims that He is the living God, the everlasting King, the creator of heaven and earth, of all things bright and beautiful. He cannot be replaced or substituted by idols made with human hands of wood, stone , iron or precious metals for unlike these, He can see, He can speak, He can move, He can smell, He can feel, He can hear. He made the stars infinite in number and beauty and power to reflect that He is infinite and cannot be confined to a particular shape or size. We can understand Him but we cannot comprehend Him. We can relate to Him but we cannot confine Him. He is a living Person with attributes similar to us. We are derived from Him and not He from us. We cannot find meaning, power, purpose apart from Him but we can find all this and more in Him. Though He is invisible and beyond human senses, He makes Himself known in many ways, through nature, human nature and chiefly through His Son Jesus who is the visible image of the invisible God.
Our most significant relationship in this life and the life to come is with the Lord. We need to be able to move from doubt to faith like St Thomas when He had the revelation of the Holy Spirit and He declared, “My God and My Lord.” The repetition of “My” shows the deeply personal and intimate relationship He invites to, every individual who has ever lived and will ever live. As He is “my God”, we worship Him. As He is “My Lord,” we obey Him. Worship and obedience goes hand in hand. Like the ozone layer of O3 provides protection from harmful ultraviolet rays, His omniscience, His omnipresence, His omnipotence protects, provides, leads, guides, strengthens, counsels, blesses, equips all who are in such a personal relationship.
The primary way a person relates to another is through communication. The most precise and permanent communication is in writing. Hence, though the Lord communicates in other ways, His primary mode of communication is the written word. In the beginning, man broke faith with God by mistrusting His word and believing the word of the enemy of his soul. Now, the means of restoring faith and personal relationship with God is again the word. The means of understanding His ways is also the word. We have manuals for using every product but the manual for man to live his life right is the word. God is no longer beyond man’s reach and access but He is Immanuel or God with us. He sees us, He feels us, He smells us, He touches us, He hears us, He moves mountains or barriers in our way, He inspires us, He blesses us, He encourages us, He teaches us, He corrects and refines us for He loves us.

Friday, September 14, 2018

The Alpha of the Image of God


UV3060/10000 The Alpha of the Image of God
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Genesis 1 v 26
Of all His creatures and creation, God made man alone in His likeness, in His image. He gave man mastery over all other creatures. Man was made similar to God in terms of his subjection to a higher moral law, in terms of his leadership qualities, in terms of his ability to relate to fellow beings and to God. We are also spiritual beings even as God is spirit. We are made in the image of His Son Jesus even as Jesus is in His image. We are renewed in His image or made to conform to His image by the Holy Spirit. We are made glorious and we reflect His glory. He reserves the crown of glory and honour for us. We live and move and exist in Him and by Him and for Him. We find our purpose of life in Him.
All the glory, greatness, goodness, beauty, wisdom of the Lord is in us in seed form. The purpose of our life is to grow that seed to maturity and fruitfulness. The faculties of God like His creativity, His ability to communicate, His power to lead, His quiet influence, His ability to discern good from bad, His righteousness are present in some form in every human being. The emotional nature of God also exists in us in that like Him we can be glad, sad, angry, pleased, displeased, regretful. God is all powerful, capable of doing all things. Likewise, man is made powerful. Like God, man is autonomous and can make his own choices. In short, at our point of origin, we have the DNA or divine nature of the Lord. God wants us to image or reflect His glory and not to imagine Him.
The similarities end somewhere for man sinned and lost his pristine glory. We now take on a mixed character with some of the qualities of the father of lies- the enemy of our souls. We can be devious, lustful, immoral, wicked, proud, arrogant, unrighteous, vicious, short sighted and even spiritually blind or dead. We can lose our power to choose freely and be addicted to dead habits. In our blindness, we started to make God in our own image and in the image of other creatures. The enemy has sown these weeds in us when we were spiritually asleep or dead. As we willingly submit ourselves to the leadership, rule and guidance of the Holy Spirit, He will guide us into all truth and uproot the weeds sown in our nature.

Thursday, September 13, 2018

The Alpha of Avoiding Idleness and Being Industrious

UV 3059/10000 The Alpha of Avoiding Idleness and Being Industrious

She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness
Proverbs 31 v 27
At whatever age and whether man or woman, we are expected not to eat the “bread of idleness”. The apostle Paul said that if we do not work, we should not eat. Our minds should be occupied by the word of God or else the enemy would occupy it. Imagine a land occupied by the enemy- the people in that land will not enjoy the fruit of their labour, they will be oppressed and their liberties trampled upon. Likewise, if we stay idle, we will not fulfil our God-given purpose and potential. We will become busy bodies , carrying tales and indulging in gossip and matters that do not concern us for the idle mind is the devil’s factory.
We need to enjoy working creatively, using all of our skills, our resources, our talents and our time. Work is not drudgery but a form of worship of the Lord who worked hard on all of us that He needed to rest on the seventh day. The word says that the Lord does not slumber or sleep but watches over us day and night. We need to be mentally alert, disciplined and diligent in our work life. Whatever we do, we need to do as if we are doing it for the Lord, with all the power at our command and all the grace the Lord will provide us in response to our earnest prayers to bless our efforts. We need to factor in planning, wisdom and knowledge into all of our efforts.
We need to live with a sense of responsibility to all of God’s creation and creatures. Responsibility implies responding in accordance with our God-given abilities. It involves being good stewards of whatever He has placed in our hands. We should work not just to meet our own needs or the needs of our families but to help the needy and poor as the Lord leads us. However, it does not mean that we turn into workaholics with no work-life balance, with no quality to time to spend with our near and dear and on the important issues of life. We need to redeem time by settings aside time for godly priorities like having a regular devotion time, for fellowship, for Bible study, for worship. We can also redeem time by delegating what needs to be delegated, by working smarter and not necessarily harder.

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

The Alpha of Healing


UV 3058/10000 The Alpha of Healing
And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.
Exodus 15 v 26
The only way to know what is right in the sight of the Lord is to study His word diligently. His word is the voice of the Lord. We need to incline our ear always to hear the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit reminding us of what the Lord has spoken to us in the past. This injunction to listen diligently to the voice of the Lord, to hear and obey His commands is followed by an amazing promise – that He will not allow any of the diseases to come upon us. He will preserve us from all such afflictions, the ten plagues released by Moses on Egypt. Not only does He promise us health, He also promises us healing in the event of any of us being so afflicted or affected by any sickness.
God has revealed Himself as Jehovah Rapha- the One who has authority and power to heal all types of diseases. While diseases came into this world due to the fall of man from the moral and spiritual order ordained by the Creator, the Lord redeems us from all types of sickness when we repent and cry out to Him. Jesus is the new covenant’s equivalent of the Balm of Gilead. He is the Physician who can heal broken hearts and mend broken minds and lives. Healing then is not just physical. It is spiritual, psychological, mental, personal, social and national. He can cure nations of their afflictions if the people humble themselves, repent and turn to Him for healing of the land.
When Job was afflicted with severe skin disease, the Lord restored his skin to resemble that of new born babies. No disease, no sickness, no affliction is beyond the healing power of the Lord. Jesus proved this beyond doubt when He healed incurable diseases like leprosy, healed people born blind or deaf or mute. When we study the Word of God diligently day after day, our faith expands and we are ready to believe and receive our healing. It is not the Lord’s will that any man suffers but it is also His sovereign will how and when He heals those who are afflicted. There are many instances of people being healed when doctors had given up hope. There are also instances where the Lord chose not to interfere with the progression of the ailment. But we should seek comfort and find strength in the fact that one of the identities that come from a specific expansion of “ I am who I Am” is “ I am the Lord who heals you.” Healing is a promise that flows from our covenant relationship with the Lord.

Monday, September 10, 2018

The Alpha of Avoiding Hypocrisy


UV 3057/10000 The Alpha of Avoiding Hypocrisy

Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Matthew 23 v 28

The Lord is not impressed with our outward appearances. He searches our hearts and minds. Jesus showed mercy to repentant sinners including thieves and prostitutes but He was severe in His judgement and words towards the Pharisees, the priests of Jewish society who had the outer form of religion without its inner power. He did not mince words and called them a “brood of vipers”, white-washed sepulchres and so on. He prefers a broken sinner to an apparently pious religious leader. The Lord is interested in doing a deep work of transformation in our lives and is not content with mere appearances.

The Lord measures our faith not just by our words but by our actions. Are we putting into practice sincerely the teachings of Jesus? He desires that we be without guile or self deception. He wants us to be sincere and earnest in our devotion to Him. We cannot be double -minded but we should aim to serve Him with an undivided heart. We have to evaluate ourselves on the basis of the Word and take sincere steps to develop a Christ-like character. We need to seek His forgiveness and help to overcome in the areas of our weaknesses and failures.
Instead of hypocrisy and sin, we should be filled with the fruit of righteousness by the power of the Holy Spirit. Every day we need to be growing in one or more of the dimensions of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self control. We need to be strict and severe in judging ourselves even as we are gracious, forgiving and non judgemental towards others. The Lord should see that we are zealous for having our own inner temple being cleansed from within, that we are mindful of our shortcomings and taking diligent efforts to overcome these with His help.

Sunday, September 9, 2018

The Alpha of Humility

UV 3056/10000 The Alpha of Humility



Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

I Peter 5 v 5



Just as much as pride displeases the Lord, a spirit of humility pleases Him. Pride is the original sin and lusts are derived therefrom. Humility comes from correctly assessing ourselves, understanding our limitations while appreciating the possibilities when we are connected with the Lord by humbling ourselves to acknowledge Him as our loving , all knowing Creator and Redeemer. Grace is not available for the proud. It is freely available and in abundance for the humble at heart. Humility is reflected in submission to the Lord and in mutual submission. We are exhorted by St Paul to clothe ourselves with humility. In other words, humility covers our nakedness and gives us dignity in the presence of the Lord. As clothes tend to get dirty and need to be washed, we need to renew our attitude of humility on a daily basis. No part of our being should be left uncovered by the garment of humility implying that in every aspect of life, we humble ourselves before the Lord. Even as we lower ourselves or humble ourselves under the Lord, He lifts us up and honours us.

Humility is manifested in many ways: how we respond and honour those who are older than us, how we respect each other, how we repent and have a spirit of brokenness before the Lord, how we do things to serve the body of believers. Humility unlike modesty is not an outward show but an inner attitude of lowering oneself before the Lord. We have nothing to boast about or be proud about except our relationship with the Lord. Humility lies in remembering that though we were in the miry pit of this world, it is the Lord who has chosen us and lifted us to place us as His royal representatives on Earth. Humility is acknowledging our limitations and appreciating the infinite power and deep love of the Lord.

Humility is not the same as having low self esteem. We esteem ourselves as we are restored by Jesus to the very image of the Lord by His grace and not due to any of our efforts or personal qualities or abilities. We are not therefore to regard ourselves better than any one else. Like St Paul, we are to regard ourselves as the worst of sinners but saved purely by His grace.











Saturday, September 8, 2018

The Alpha of Honesty


UV 3055/10000 The Alpha of Honesty

Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.
Hebrews 13 v 18

A good conscience is like a moral compass pointing us in the direction we should be moving each moment of our lives. It also points out to us the direction that we should avoid. It helps us navigate the uncertainties and complexities of life. It is also a lighthouse that illuminates the shore rocks that could wreck our lives. We need to steer clear of such perils in life. We need to pay the cost of honesty for its rewards are greater than the cost. There is a price to pay in terms of limiting the options we have to take short cuts or do things that seem to benefit us in the short run. We should count this cost and be willing to pay the price of honesty.

Paul defines honesty as having a good conscience before God and man. It implies that we need to do all that we need to do and avoid all that we should not be doing, that the Lord has commanded us specifically not to ever do. Our wills should be submitted to the control and leadership of the Holy Spirit to live in accordance with His word. To begin at the thought level, we should consistently think only thoughts that are worthy of the Lord, that are honest and not producing a feeling of guilt that we would want to hide from the holy presence of the Lord. Adam and Eve hid from the Lord after they fell into sin. We who are in Christ should hide in the Lord who both justifies us and sanctifies us.
We need grace in order to walk honestly without being ensnared by the enemy of our souls. If St Paul needed prayer of others so that he could live honestly before God in all things, how much more do you and I need prayer for such grace of the Lord. If there is something we have fallen short of the glory and goodness of God in our daily walk, we need to confess and obtain mercy of the Lord for that shortcoming and to receive grace to avoid that failing again.

Friday, September 7, 2018

The Alpha of Hope


UV 3054 -10000 The Alpha of Hope
That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Hebrews 6 v 12

This uni-verse throws full light on the ingredients required in a person to sustain and fulfil hope. If we are slothful and not diligent, hope cannot be realized. Scripture states that we ought to be not slothful in our business or profession, fervent in spirit and serving the Lord. We are to serve men as if we are serving the Lord. We need to work as if everything depended on our efforts and hope as if everything depended on God. That leads us to the the second ingredient - we should be full of faith that God is able to do that which He has promised us. We should emulate the patriarch of faith, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses, the apostles and above all the example of Jesus who persisted in faith till the very end, His last breath on the cross when He committed His spirit into the faithful hands of His Father in heaven and His last drop of blood for the absolution of all humanity. Finally, we should be patient to wait with expectation and thanksgiving till we inherit the promises.

Hope then is a flame that rises from a tripod of diligence, faith and patience. The Holy Spirit adds fuel or power to the flame to keep it brightly lit. On our part, we need to be diligent in whatever we are attempting –whether it is studying the Word or attending our daily work, in pursuing the goals we have set for ourselves. Slothfulness is detested by the Lord and He equates it with wickedness and lack of faith. Whatever time, talent, resources, opportunities we have, we are to use it wisely and not squander it. We do so with the hope that the Lord will bring it to fruition and reward our painstaking efforts.
Paul evokes the image of the athlete who is focussed on winning the crown, soldier who trains for battle in order to obtain victory, the farmer who waits patiently for the harvest out of the seeds that he had sown, watered, fenced and cared for. Like the athlete we have to strain every muscle and nerve to reach for the goal. We need to be highly motivated like the Olympic athtlete who trains for four years for a ten second event. Like the soldier, we have to endure hardship, sacrifice and pain of training daily. We need to be bold and brave, casting out every fear. Like the farmer, we need to add the fertilizer, the manure, the other inputs like water and minerals and hold onto our hope that the rains will come in due season and that it will be sufficient and not scarce or excessive. We need to put a fence or pray prophylactically against all work of the enemy, the predator of our souls. We need to look for the gaps in the fencing that would allow the little foxes to creep into our lives and destroy our spiritual fruit.

Thursday, September 6, 2018

The Alpha of Honour


UV 3053/10000 The Alpha of Honour
If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work
2 Timothy 2 v 21
We honour God when we purge ourselves by His grace of all youthful lusts, of all that contaminates the pure spirit and character of man. When we do so, we become vessels of honour to carry the message of the Lord effectively to the rest of humanity. When we honour God in this manner, He honours us. The Lord will give us wisdom, insight and understanding in all things so that we are not ensnared by the enemy. We are constantly being refined and polished like gold and silver to remove the dross or impurities in us. The precious or valuable has to be separated from the base or evil. It might involve the pain and anguish of trials, troubles and tribulations. The words of the Lord also burns in our hearts and minds to purify us from within.

In this manner, we are prepared to do every type of good works that glorify the name of the Lord. We do not mix with the affairs of the world even as soldiers keep away from civilian matters to focus on their duties. We are to avoid arguments, quarrels and conflicts that arise due to the clash of egos. We are to pursue righteousness, faith, peace and love. We should aim to be approved workers of the Lord, skilled in teaching the word accurately. We should remember teachers of the word are judged more strictly and conduct ourselves accordingly. We are to be patient and gentle with those who oppose or criticise us.

A vessel so sanctified and refined is a vessel of honour. We are to remain humble as we are only the container- the content is provided by the Lord. The honour is meant for the Lord who alone deserves praise, glory and worship. We are only shining in His reflected glory. But, the Lord being pleased with us will endorse us by calling us, “ My good and faithful servants.” In the parable of talents, the faithful servant who multiplied the five talents given to him was most honoured as he used the influence of his character, the influence of his communication, the influence of his contacts, the influence of his competencies, the influence of his conduct for the kingdom of God. The Lord honours us by multiplying these manifold and in many ways.

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

The Alpha of Holiness


uv 3052/10000 The Alpha of Holiness
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
I Peter 1 v 15

The human concept of morality is derived from the attribute of holiness of God. Our sense of right and wrong emerges from the fact that we are creatures of a God who is absolutely and uniquely holy. Jesus exhorts His followers, “ Be perfect as your Father in heaven in perfect.” Christ provided us the model of perfection. We are to aim for Christ-like perfection in all of our conduct, thoughts, words and actions. We should strive to be blameless in how we behave, in what we say and what we do. We have the help of the Holy Spirit in this process of sanctification.

Once we are redeemed by faith in Christ, we are deemed to be perfect in the sight of God by grace but at the same time, we have a responsibility to be perfect in real time by seeking continual improvement in our character, our conduct, our speech, our reactions and our actions. We are called to be holy or blameless in all of our conduct. The Holy Spirit will point out to us the areas where we need to change or improve. When we pray earnestly and seek the Lord’s grace to perfect ourselves in these areas, He helps us overcome our weaknesses and become Christ-like.
The practical way to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the process of sanctification or perfection is to focus on one area of change of our character or conduct at a time. The most important aspect of our conduct is our communication. We should aim to always communicate in such a way as to build up others, not to harm them or hurt or malign others. St James wrote that if a man learns to control his tongue and never errs in his conversation, he is perfect or blameless. The tongue has power of life and death in it. We must speak in such a way that it releases consistently the power of eternal life. In short, words that reflect and enhance love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self control should only roll off our tongues. A life that is perfected is full of such spiritual fruit.

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

The Alpha of Help

UV 3051/10000 The Alpha of Help
My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121 v 2

The God of heaven and earth is so humble and gentle that He positions Himself as the Helper for His creation- man. Without God, we are helpless. With the help of God, nothing is impossible for us. We have hope as our help comes from the Lord even in the seemingly most helpless and hopeless situations of life. Since He is the God who created heaven, earth and the seas, all the resources of heaven, sea and earth can be marshalled by Him on our behalf. There is no limit to the extent to which He helps us.

The Bible promises us that in our most troubled moments, the Lord is present with us, ready to help us as we call out to Him. He operates through the natural as well as the supernatural to help us. We can find help in the very name of the Lord. One of His names listed in the Bible –Ebenezer means Helper. The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity is also our Helper and Comforter on earth. We find help with the angels- the heavenly servants of the Lord as well as people of God on earth- His earthly servants. Often, we just need to still our racing minds and hearts and know that God is indeed in control. The mere prescence of Jesus in the boat during the storm should have assured the panicking disciples that nothing untoward or disastrous would happen to them. We ought to know that whatever happens, the Lord’s safety net or His hands are waiting to catch us as we fall. In heaven, Jesus helps us by being the Advocate on our behalf. On earth, He sends the Holy Spirit, His angels and His servants to our assistance.

In the course of my life in several critical situations both in personal space as well as in professional career, I have found the help of the Lord in real time. He turns the odds in our favour. He gives us a miraculous resolution of crisis in our lives. He strengthens us from within to endure suffering and challenges of life. He sends powerful and formidable foes of the spiritual world as well as natural world scurrying when they attack us. He helps us to prove that He is no wisp of imagination but that He is a real person at our side. He helps us face the uncertainties of life with confidence and courage. The word “help” also means that we need to take responsibility for our lives. The Lord will not do for us what we can do ourselves. He will lend us a helping hand when the load is too heavy, when we are faltering, when we are overwhelmed.

Monday, September 3, 2018

The Alpha of the Human Heart

UV 3050/10000 The Alpha of the Human Heart
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

Ezekiel 36 v 26

The Bible is one book that speaks often of the human heart. The word “heart” in the biblical context means the very core or center which is the source of our deepest thoughts, feelings or emotions and desires. In the beginning, when God created man, his heart was good but when pride entered- the desire to be equal with God, the heart became wicked. Pride gave way to lust of life and lust of the eye. Pride of life, lust of life and lust of the eye became vestiges of the enemy vested in the human heart, making it stony and sensitive. The Word from God could not take deep root in such a heart and therefore, the human person could not be fruitful. The Lord needed to do a circumcision of the heart and peel away the layers of sin that made it stony and insensitive. He gave us a new heart- the heart of Jesus when we placed our faith in Him. He works from deep within our hearts to transform us. He poured a new spirit upon us- the Holy Spirit who moves within us to sanctify our hearts.
Scripture warns us to guard our hearts for out of it flow the issues of life. Like a river has a perennial source, the heart is the source of everything good and bad in our lives. We need to guard our hearts zealously using the teachings and precepts of the Lord contained in His word. We can seek the help of the Holy Spirit who can make the rivers of life-giving water to flow from our hearts- rivers of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self control. Our hearts now resonate to the very heart beat of the Lord. We seek to do what is His will, what pleases Him. We trust Him with all of our hearts implicitly and explicitly. Our hearts are now responsive and sensitive to His ways and His words.
Jesus said that our hearts are where our treasure is. Hence, we need to give top priority to our relationship with the Lord and treasure it above all else. Even as believers, however, pride of life, lust of the flesh and lust of the eye surfaces from time to time. The enemy attacks us when our guard is down or when we are caught in a weak moment like King David who though a man after God’s heart fell to the temptation of adultery and murder. We need to discern these relapses to our old nature and invite the God who had purchased peace for us to crush these vestiges of satan in our hearts.

Sunday, September 2, 2018

The Alpha of the Handwriting Against Us


UV 3049/10000 The Alpha of the Handwriting Against Us
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Colossians 2 v 14
The written law which is the commandments of the Lord stand as ordinances against us to the extent we have not carried these out in letter and spirit. Based on the law of God, we are weighed and found wanting. Our days are numbered. Our ranks are divided as indicated by the writing on the wall done by the hand of God to forewarn the king of Babylon of his own impending end. But thanks be to Jesus who by His shed blood blotted out our transgressions, our curses, our failings, our shortcomings. These charges that stand against every human born are nailed to His cross and the penalty paid in full, not in part. We stand restored by faith and grace and the incredible love of the Lord to the glory of God as children dearly loved by the Lord. We walk no longer in the shadow of eternal death or separation from the Lord. We walk no longer in hamartia or failure but in fulfilment of His call upon our lives. The handwriting of the law against us has been cancelled irrevocably and for all time to come.

The recognition of this truth should fill us with joy, with gratitude, with grace. We have been set free from our chains and shackles and the threat of the same. We have absolute freedom in the Lord along with a a sense of responsibility to conduct ourselves as children of the Most High God. What we speak and think and pray are virtually ordinances of the Lord. He has given us authority in heaven and earth as His redeemed children even as the prodigal son’s father gave him a new set of royal clothes, shoes to travel to places he sends him to advance His business, a signet ring to sign on His behalf. We are now weighed and found not wanting. Our days are not numbered but we live for eternity. We are united with all fellow believers around the world as brothers and sisters in faith.

The DNA of man is the handwriting of the Lord. Formerly, when we were in a state of sin, that handwriting went against us in many ways in terms of the propensity for disease, for malfunctioning. But, now the divine nature (dna) of Jesus begins to form in us. We no longer see things as we did before. We no longer think or act or speak as we did before. We are new creatures in Christ. The handwriting of the new covenant works not against us but for us and in us. It works to equip us, to empower us, to enable us to do the will of God on earth even as the angels do His bidding in heaven. Instead of fear of the law, now we find strength, hope and confidence in the law of the Lord. While formerly we were subjects of the Eternal King, we are now children of the Lord. While formerly we obeyed out of fear and our disobedience caused even more fear of punishment and judgment, we now obey out of love and seek forgiveness based on His promise of love for every act of disobedience.