Monday, December 31, 2018

Our Double Anointing as Priests and Kiings

UV 2143/10000 Our Double Anointing as Priests and Kings
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

Peter 2 v 9 which speaks of believers of Jesus being a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a special possession of God when co- related with 1 Corinthians 2 v 9 shows us how the Lord does the unheard of, the unseen, the unimaginable or incredible and amazing for those who live by faith and not by sight, who do not judge by what they see or hear or imagine but in accordance with the word and the spirit of God. We are chosen out of this generation to serve God as kings and priests. We are a nation ruled by the law of the Lord, the rule of love. Our standards, goals , values, aspiraitons and principles are different from those of this world. We are formed and transformed to be the people of God out of disparate individuals who were living to satisfy their own appetite. Now, we give priority to declaring the excellencies, the love and the perfection of the Lord. The irony of history is that those who are chosen by God are often rejected by man. But the powerful double anointing of kingship and priesthood enables us to overcome the opposition, the hostility, the persecution of this world. As kings we command the spiritual powers of darkness. As priests we stand in the gap between God and man, interceding for the latter and appealing to the former. As kings , we are to be brave and strong. As priests, we are to be meek and broken. As kings, we are firm and determined while as priests, we are flexible and open to the will of God being sovereign and supreme in our lives. As kings, we are ambitious to advance the glory or manifestations of the greatness of God while as priests, we are contented and like a child who has been weaned and has no other desire than to please God with our lives.

Prior to us coming to know the Lord we lived in darkness or ignorance. Now that we live in the spiritual knowledge of God and His word, we are no longer in darkness. We are therefore, promised that our experience of life would not be merely sensate, cognitive or natural but would be miraculous, awesome, wonderful, out of the ordinary. Our vision of life and its purpose, our concept of power and strength would be re- defined. It will be in many ways beyond prediction and imagination.


As spiritual kings, we wield power and authority delegated to us by the Lord. As priests, we experience the presence of the Lord. As a chosen race, we have a different destiny. As a special possession of God, we rejoice in Him even as He delights in us. We have a dual identity in Christ : as kings and priests, we are to combine authority with humility, power with grace. We are to be firm and strong as kings and gentle and wise as priests or sages. As kings we take pleasure in finding out the secrets or treasures in the Word of God and apply it to the world. As priests we seek the revelations and visions from the Lord. As kings we seek the happiness of the people we serve and as priests we seek the joy of the Lord. If we believe and obey 1Peter 2 v 9, we will enjoy the promise contained in 1Corinthians 2 v 9 These are the wages of righteousness: peace of a priest and joy of a spiritual king by the Holy Spirit

Tuesday, December 25, 2018

The Alpha of True Riches, Power and Fame

UV 2142/10000 The Alpha of True Riches, Power and Fame
Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.
I Chronicles 29 v 12

David at the end of his reign, before he handed over the kingdom to his son Solomon acknowledged the real ruler is God Himself and that he like all of us are mere shadows representing Him on earth. David acknowledged the ownership of the Lord of all things in heaven and on earth. He acknowledged the sovereignty of God. He also acknowledged that all strength and power belong to Him. Worship is acknowledging what belongs to God. It is acknowledging and bowing before Him in all aspects of our lives. The Lord is the source of all riches and honour and greatness and strength. True success comes from the hand of the Lord. We need to know like David that everything that we offer to the Lord actually belongs to Him.
Like a man’s shadow follows him everywhere and remains in the background, giving prominence to the man himself, so also we should follow Jesus in all that we do. He is the real king of hearts and rules over our minds and our bodies as well. David proved that he is a man after God’s heart by opening all that was in his heart to God before all his people. He was not ashamed to acknowledge that the source of his exaltation from shepherd to king off Israel was God, the source of all his riches, fame, power and honour came from the hand of the Lord. David in the course of his lifetime had tasted the greatness and power of the Lord to exalt and to humble, to reward and to chastise, to bless and to deliver. God manifests His strength on behalf of those whose hearts are perfect towards Him. Hence, the Lord enabled David to defeat his many foes throughout his life.
The riches the Lord blesses His children are durable riches, everlasting or eternal riches and not the riches that moth and rust can destroy or what thief can steal or what time can erode. Likewise, the fame is not the fickle popularity of this world but the greatness of the Lord that lifts us from the dung hill of mediocrity and ordinariness. The Lord strengthen us with His might and resurrection power by means of His Holy Spirit. The power of the Lord is so great that His shadow or presence has more power than the sceptres of the mightiest of history or any of their weapons. We just need to be famous with the Lord by always walking close to Him, walking in His paths described in the Word, walking in His favour. As somebody said, “One day of favour of God is worth more than a lifetime of labour.” It does not however mean that we do not have to set goals, make plans and work hard to plan. It does not mean that we do not use our own intellects and talents. But at the start and end and during any work we do, we acknowledge the amazing provision, guidance and ownership of the Lord. He determines which seed we planted would yield how much fruit. The Lord will then enables us not only to taste true and holistic success but to enjoy the fruits of our labour, the recompense of our work. To Him(praise, thanksgiving), through Him(His enablement) and for Him( for eternal purposes, kingdom).

Friday, December 21, 2018

The Alpha of Overcoming Weakness

UV 2141/10000 The Alpha of Overcoming Weakness
For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.
2 Corinthians 13 v 4
Jesus embraced absolute weakness as He hanged on the cross. God Himself taken captive. He did not lift a finger to prevent His flogging, His being mocked, His being nailed to the instrument of execution- two wooden beams. In so doing, He removed the beam blocking our vision- our own blindness and weakness. We no longer have to hide our weaknesses or hide from the consequences of our weaknesses. Jesus had before the crucifixion declared Himself as no one else ever did as the Life and the Resurrection. The very same resurrection power freed Him from His state of absolute weakness- death and the grave. That same absolute power or strength is at work in us who believe to help us aim for perfection, to overcome our weaknesses that cause us to yield to evil.

We now live by the absolute power of God that perfects all things and all who believe. We die to our weaknesses and live in the strength of the Lord. Thereby, we overcome our weaknesses of spirit, mind and body. We can now live the 5 D life of devotion to God, dedication to serve man in the name of God, determination to set goals and achieve these, discipline to cut out whatever is unnecessary and to focus on our goals and our ultimate vision, diligence in studying the word in order to excel and shine for God in this world of darkness. The resurrection power of the Lord not only helps the prodigal son come back but also deals with the inner attitudes and motives of those who have apparently not strayed away like the elder son. Jesus the elder Son becomes the One to go and bring back all the prodigal sons and daughters even at the cost of His own life. The power of the Lord is able to deal not only with overt acts of rebellion or disobedience of God but also the very heart and spirit of disobedience or weakness. For obedience of God is strength and power while disobedience is weakness.
When we rejoice or delight in the word of God, the name of the Lord and in the Holy Spirit, we experience the strength of the Lord, the absolute power of God surging through our veins. We now have the power to break the jaws of the spiritual lion or predator of evil and to surrender to the Lion of Zion-Jesus. We have the authority to stamp on serpents and scorpions- the forces of darkness that are more subtle and hidden. The Resurrection power that brought Jesus back from death is able to make us return from the brink of crisis, failure, defeat and death. We are now supernaturally natural and naturally supernatural. The Lord has tagged us for a miracle of His supreme power, nay He has tagged us to be the miracle ourselves in this life and beyond.

Thursday, December 20, 2018

The Alpha of the Heart and Mind of Man


UV 2140/10000 The Alpha of the Heart and Mind of Man
If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
Genesis 4 v 7
The human mind is not one organ but the intersection of our core thoughts, emotions and will. Scripture gives us the key to the human mind in this uni-verse. How can we harmonise our spirits, thoughts, emotions, motives, desires, decisions, words and actions ? At the same time, we have thoughts and emotions as well as desires and choices that add up to our well being and our doing well with both God and man as well as those that harm our well being and keep us from doing well. The enemy who is an external force becomes an internal force waiting at the intersection of our thoughts, emotions and will, to prompt us to make the wrong choices and to do badly and feel bad about it in terms of guilt. The enemy is a specialist in marketing. The enemy makes evil more attractive than good. He makes it appear that it is for our own good.
Jesus restores the image of God in us when we believe and receive Him into our hearts or the intersection of thoughts, emotions, decisions. The truth sets us free to make the right choices again. Even then, the enemy has access to our hearts but his voice becomes dimmer and dimmer as we listen to the voice of Jesus, the whisper of the Holy Spirit, the word of God. The Word is Jesus in print. Hence, as we imbibe the word and consistently make the choices in conformity with the word, we change at the speed of God. Instead of the curses that Cain inherited from his bad choices, we inherit the blessings of the Lord.
Jesus said, “Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect” meaning, “Do your best to resemble your Father’s character or heart.” A person who never makes a wrong choice of thought, word or action is perfect. Such a person is Jesus and Jesus alone. But, we who believe are called to maximise our right choices and minimise our wrong choices. When we act on a positive thought or with a positive emotion or motive, it is creation. When we act on a negative thought or with a negative emotion or motive, it is a reaction. We are to maximise our creations and minimise our reactions.

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

The Alpha of Overcoming Faliure

UV 2139/10000 The Alpha of Overcoming Failure
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall
2 Peter 1 v 10
Man encountered failure first when he disobeyed or rebelled against God. The image of God in man was distorted. We suffer failure in health, business failure, failure in relationships, failure in decision making, failure in communication, failure in realizing our dreams and goals, failures of leadership and management, failure of envisioning , failure in meeting targets, personal and professional and so on. But God 's plan for mankind was not to harm him but to bless him, multiply him, crown him with success and joy. He therefore paid the price of our collective and individual failure through His Son Jesus. Once we know that Jesus is absolutely wonderful, wise, powerful, loving and peaceful, our response should be devotion, dedication, discipline, diligence and determination. If our right hand ‘s five fingers symbolise the five qualities of Jesus, our left hand should symbolise the five qualities of devotion, dedication, discipline, diligence and determination. Devotion implies our whole hearted obedience of the two commands given by Jesus that sum up in a positive way the Ten Commandments given through Moses, namely to love God passionately and to love man compassionately.
Our devotion should lead us to the next D- dedication. Whatever work we do, however humble or great, we should do it for the Lord. The Lord God is not excluded from any part of our lives and no part of our lives is excluded from His involvement as Friend, Partner, Master, Parent, Guide, Leader, Ruler. Dedication naturally implies that we discipline ourselves, our use of time, our habits and lifestyle, our organs like the brain and the tongue, our emotions so that we are not overpowered by anger or bitterness or hatred. The Word clearly states that the next D – the diligent study to uncover the principle of righteous living embedded in the Word is the key to succeeding and not failing. Diligent or careful study should be followed by diligent practice or application of these life-giving and enhancing principles and insights of scripture. We should diligently seek the purpose of our lives, the general as well as our specific purpose, the calling or the vocation or the work that He has called us to do for Him in our lifetime on Earth.
Determination is the practical fifth dimension of our response to the five qualities of Jesus. It is written that Jesus set His face like flint towards the cross. He was determined ot fulfil His mission in life- to offer Himself as a sacrifice so that all mankind will find salvation in Him. Likewise, we should set or determine goals for ourselves at each stage of our lives, that we pursue with total determination. If we live life on these five dimensions, we will never fail. We will have overcome hamartia or the Greek word for shortcoming or failure. We will migrate in our spirits to the economy of God of abundance or hyperbole. Even if we suffer apparent failures, the Lord will turn it to our good.

Monday, December 17, 2018

The Alpha of Overcoming the World

UV 2138/10000 The Alpha of Overcoming the World
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
John 16 v 33
The word that Jesus speaks to us is the source of our victory, peace, the secret to our overcoming the world. Life, many would characterise to be a series of troubles, trials, tribulations. The enemy of our souls is always busy trying to stir up trouble from either within us, among our near and dear, amidst our co-workers, amidst strangers as well as friends. Sometimes, even a friend would turn into a fiend. But the word (Jesus) promises to save us for He has proved Himself greater than death, sin, troubles, trials, tribulations, persecutions. His word internalised would give us shalom or peace, well being, success, breakthrough, blessings, wholesomeness, health, deliverance, victory.
We overcome the world with its many pitfalls by knowing, understanding, meditating, remembering and habitually applying the principles of the word to facing any challenge the world poses to us. Our inner world is the first challenge we face and a consistent challenge throughout our earthly sojourn. We need to overcome our weaknesses, our frailties, our natural tendencies towards pride and lust. The Holy Spirit whom the Lord Jesus sent to us after His resurrection will help us overcome the inner world, the passions of our own minds and bodies. I once wrote after a particular moment of weakness in my youth, “ Weakness is a part of my nature. The power to overcome comes from God.” Indeed, the power to overcome our inner self comes from the word as interpreted to us, reminded to us, explained to us by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus warns us of trouble that is endemic in this world but asks us in the same uni-verse to be cheerful, joyful, confident, optimistic, bold and faithful for greater is the One inside us than the one outside us. We need to just cooperate with the Lord, submit to Him in establishing the kingdom of God within us, the rule of love in us. The best that the world offers is rule of law in democracies of the world but the Lord establishes the rule of love in us. The love of the Lord being perfect casts out fear or the things that limit us. We have the model of the Lord Jesus of overcoming the world and we need to just emulate Him. Every one whose spirit is truly re-born by faith in Jesus will overcome the world even as He overcame.

Sunday, December 16, 2018

The Alpha of Spiritual Struggles

2137/10000 The Alpha of Spiritual Struggles
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places
Ephesians 6 v 12
This is an amazing verse and revelation received by Paul. There are no knock out blows in a wrestling match. It is a continual struggle with sometimes our opponent gripping us, sitting astride us and sometimes with us coming on top. Jacob instead of struggling with his own inner desires that were trying to dominate him was wrestling with the spirit of God. Saul, the king was also wrestling with flesh and blood and even kicking against the thorns hurting himself in the process. This uni-verse points out to us with utmost clarity the range of forces of darkness, of evil, of the enemy of mankind, the killer, the robber, the thief of our peace, our shalom, the thief of the glory of God, the thief of our health, success and well being. The enemy is described as the lord of the power of the air, the one who rules over the governing authorities and ruling powers of the nations of the world.
In the run up to this verse, Paul exhorts the believers to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. It does not tell us to use our own strength but to be clothed, filled, endowed with the strength of the Lord. We need to have a conception of the infinite power of El Shaddai or Almighty God. The psalmist states that the nations are but a drop in the bucket for the Lord, that the great oceans and universe itself can be held between His palms. We have a demonstration of the power of Jesus throughout His ministry on earth and to this day through testimonies of people who have been raised from the dead, healed of incurable diseases, set free from bondages. We should clothe or saturate ourselves with such great power, strength, authority of the Lord and exercise it effectively to set people held captive by sin and curses, demonic forces, evil habits, evil influences and alliances. In order to do so, we should always wear the internal spiritual armour that the Lord gives us in the form of His sword, the shield of faith to defend ourselves from the attacks, assaults, missiles of the enemy forces. From head to foot, we need to be protected so that our vulnerable areas are not exposed, no weaknesses or chinks in our armour that the enemy’s weapons can penetrate.
We do not have to physically fight for the Lord will fight our battles for us. We should only stand, pray, praise, worship and thank the Lord for imminent and certain victory over the forces of darkness. The Lord will crush the enemy under our feet. We are declared more than conquerors for we do not have to shed our blood, we do not have to raise our arms to defend ourselves or to attack. Whether our struggles are against many or few, the Lord will give us victory in Christ. What we declare in faith with our mouths will become spiritual reality. It is as if our tongues have become spiritual swords of fire to drive the darkness away, to throw the forces of darkness into utter disarray. Under the old covenant relationship, Joseph fled from the adulterous advances of Potiphar’s wife. Under the new covenant forged by Jesus, the enemy flees from us. Often our mere presence will resolve contentious issues. Our whole being becomes a sharp edge axe of the Lord to cut at the root of evil in this world. Our stance of faith will change circumstances. In these spiritual battles, Jesus as Commander –in-Chief of the armies of heaven will depute angels and chariots of fire in our aid and defence. The Lord like an effective judo champion will turn the strengths of the enemy against himself, the weapons of the enemy will turn against him like the waters of the Red Sea drowned the horses and chariots of Pharaoh as they were in hot pursuit of an unarmed Israel fleeing on foot. The Lord is our strength and defence. His strength will manifest in our areas of weakness and vulnerability. He determines the strategy that will deliver victory into our hands.


Saturday, December 15, 2018

The Alpha of Help from All Forms of Troubles


UV 2136/10000 The Alpha of Help from All Forms of Troubles
Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man
Psalm 60 v 11
Scripture runs counter to the vain thinking of mankind. The idea of Uber Mensch or Superman who can solve all problems and needs no help of the Almighty led to the rise of human monsters like Adolf Hitler and various other dictators like Joseph Stalin in Russia. Scripture tells us that the help of man is vain or useless or meaningless. We need the help of the Lord. The very presence of the Lord will cause our troubles to break like bubbles. His help is certain and reliable for He declares Himself to be Ebenezer- the Helper. The Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised to send to His followers is also described as the Helper.
We need the help of the Lord to clarify our own thinking. We need His help to deal with the sinfulness or wickedness and lusts of our own inner nature. We need His help to deal with the inner enemy as well as the external enemy. Which battle we are fighting at the present moment determines and defines who our enemy is ? The presence of the Lord or our personal relationship with the Lord will cause the enemy to melt like wax. Even as the wax of a candle melts, it gives out light. Hence, as the battle waxes, as we confront our personal, professional, familial challenges, we learn the truths of the Lord that strengthens us from within, equips us with the spiritual armour of a warrior ready to take on any enemy.
At the height of our personal battles and even on the cusp of victory, we realize that we are zeroes without Christ and heroes with Him. We are confident that unlike human beings, the character, the resources, the love, the faithfulness, the ability of the Lord to help us is hundred per cent dependable. To paraphrase St Paul’s famous statement, “ I can face all things with Christ who strengthens me.” The One who won victory over human frailties, deep temptations, intense troubles, extreme pain, utter shame, absolute sin, total failure, spiritual death, conspiracies, betrayal and all manner of persecution and suffering is more than able and willing to help us.

Thursday, December 13, 2018

The Alpha of Disciplining the Tongue

UV 2135/10000 The Alpha of Disciplining the Tongue
I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.
Psalm 39 v
The horse is said to be on the average ten times more powerful than a man. Likewise, the tiny tongue in our mouths belying its diminutive size is ten times more powerful in terms of potential for good and evil than any other part of our bodies. Like a horse is controlled by bridle and reins, we need to use the word of God to control our tongues so that it gallops, trots, walks on His paths. A horse even if bridled needs a rider. The rider for our tongues is the Holy Spirit but we need to invite the Holy Spirit to sit on the bridle and ride our tongues, making it move in the direction He wants us to move.
There are times when the horse is muzzled so that it cannot open its mouth. Likewise, we need to discern the times when we need to keep silent and not utter a word. The trouble is that the spur or provocation that causes us to often speak are the words, barbed insults, sarcasm, mocking statements, demeaning, proud, lying, malicious speech of others within our earshot. We need to discipline ourselves to either remove ourselves from their vicinity or learn to muzzle our own mouths.
The fruit of eternal life flows like a fountain from the spirit-controlled and led tongue. When we love eternal life in Christ, the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self control flow into and overflow into the lives of others. Conversely, if we love eternal death or a state of being separated from the Lord forever, we will enjoy or rather suffer the opposite consequences. James asks us to aim for a six sigma speech pattern where we commit no error even of speaking when we should remain silent or of speaking inappropriate or offensive words that hurt or harm others. We need to speak to build the faith, hope and love of others. It is the tongue of the messenger of God that blesses him from head to foot. The tongue instead of being the natural source of destructive fire and sparks will be the source of supernatural and creative fire as nothing else can. This is perhaps the reason that the anointing of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost descended on the early believers and disciples as tongues of fire. We need to yield our tongues to the Lord to cause us to speak what He wills even as the pen of a writer yields to him to write precise, concise and beautiful words that make sense and meaning of life.

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

The Alpha of Patient Perseverance


UV 2124/10000 The Alpha of Patient Perseverance
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved
Mark 13 v 13
In all periods of history, the believers of the word and work of Jesus have been hated and persecuted. Jesus warned His followers that they will be hated and reviled for the servants are not greater than the Master. He set an example of patient perseverance of all kinds of persecution that He Himself faced right from His birth. But He patiently endured it all knowing it is His Father’s will. Before His trial and crucifixion, He even shed sweat drops of blood in His agony but He prayed, “ Not my will but Yours be done.”
When we undergo suffering for the faith we have, we should not wilt or draw back. We should not complain or expect pity or sympathy but emulating the example of Jesus and the apostles, drink the cup of suffering willingly. When we endure suffering till the very end, we are victorious in Christ. Whatever we give up for the Lord, we will be rewarded in the kingdom of heaven. The early followers of Jesus went to their violent deaths torn apart by lions, burnt at the stake and so on with thanksgiving and praise on their lips. The hope in the promise that they would receive a crown of glory sustained them through the pain and suffering. They valued their faith more valuable than their lives, eternal life more valuable than earthly lives. Prayer, praise and thankgiving even in their dying moments seemed like an effective anaesthetic for their extreme pain and suffering. Their testimonies endured while the tyrants who ordered their unjust killing have gone into oblivion and eternal suffering.
Having begun the race of faith and grace well, we should continue running till the very end, regardless of the hurdles and obstacles we face. We may not be popular or esteemed by people but the Lord esteems us. He gives us the strength to endure, the patience, the perseverance, the tenacity, the resilience to withstand the trials and tribulations that our faith exposes us to. The Lord is with us in our times of intense suffering even as He was with Daniel’s friends in the burning hot furnace to shield them from the searing flames. They held onto their faith stating that they believed God will save them but even if He chose not to, they would not turn their backs on their faith.

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

The Alpha of Paradise


UV 3123/10000 The Alpha of Paradise
In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Revelation 22 v 2
Though fallen man was expelled from the paradise on earth- Eden, a place of pleasure for both God and man, Jesus restores us to paradise on earth and in heaven. The tree of eternal life that is removed from the earth by the Father is restored to earth that we may take and eat of its fruit. The word is the river of eternal life that never dries up. Its source is the throne of God and of His Son Jesus. The trees on either bank of the river are the people of God who are living on earth and in heaven. The twelve types of fruit are the fruit of the spirit that manifest in our lives. The leaves are our anointed words and prayers that are uttered to bless people of all nations and all communities. These leaves never dry up and continue to bless and heal people in succeeding generations.
The Word is of supernatural origin as it originates in the sovereignty of the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit reminds us, teaches and interprets the word in specific situations to the seeker and the believer even as Philip, the disciple explained to the Ethiopian official. The word is crystal clear as it does not complicate matters but makes transparent and absolutely clear the truths of the Lord. The Word refreshes our spirits. It renews our spiritual strength. It reinvigorates our faith, hope and love. As we grow on the earthly bank, we should allow our roots to grow, expand and reach the river. We are continually fed and nourished by the word we have already consumed. We are to meditate on the Word and on Jesus, who became the Word so that our thoughts, intentions, actions, reactions, words, emotions are a blessing to the nations.
Just as we are continually nourished by the Word, we should continually bear a variety of spiritual, intellectual, emotional and creative fruit. While natural trees bear fruit only annually or seasonally, we bear fruit every month. We should set goals for ourselves on a month to month basis and seek the help of the Lord to convert these goals into results. The awesome grace, wisdom, power, love and peace of Jesus is at work in us in the form of the Word to bring our goals to fruition. He waters us continually and He shines on us continually as the Sun of Righteousness. As His satellites, like the moon we only need to reflect the bright light of His face upon all we encounter daily. It will heal the nations of the pursuit of vanity, purposelessness, the anaemia of power and a weak will that makes them susceptible to all kinds of weaknesses and afflictions, the love of money and hedonistic godless pleasure.

Monday, December 10, 2018

The Well Watered Walled , Strong, Challenging and Fruitful Life

UV 3123/10000 The Alpha of the Well Watered, Walled, Strong, Challenging and Fruitful Life

“The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”

Isaiah 58:11 NIV





Life is like an uncharted sea. The word of the Lord acts as buoys and channels to guide us through safer waters to the shore of eternity. While we journey,He promises to satisfy our needs. The sun might scorch us with its heat but the Lord will shelter us like a rock in the desert. He will strengthen us spiritually so that we can confront physical, intellectual , emotional , financial and relational challenges.



We will not have to rely only on occasional inspiration like seasonal rain but He will water us from deep within like an eternal spring that will never dry. He becomes our source of all resources and fountainhead of life. Our roots will be kept moist so that the sap of His love will feed every part of us. We will be like the trees in heaven supplied with healing light and abundant water from the river of life. We will produce a variety of internal and external fruit.



Our thoughts, words and feelings will make us a perfumed garden with the scent of many flowers, the very aroma of Christ. Christ in us which is the hope of a glorious salvation will produce joy in us and our beholders. Our actions and qualities will make us a fruitful garden abounding in all kinds of delicious fruit. The high walls of Jesus will protect us from predators, little foxes and fierce winds and storms. We only need to turn to the wall and pray. The resurrected Christ was mistaken for the gardener but in fact, He is the caring, loving, skilful, creative, compassionate Gardener of our lives. He prunes or disciplines branches or parts of our lives that are not fruitful or not producing to potential to satisfy the need , eternal and earthly of others.

Five Dimensions of Our Relationship with God and Man


UV 3121/10000 Five Dimensions of Our Relationship with God and Man
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9 v 6
This uni-verse throws the five dimensions of our relationship with God that Jesus made manifest among us. Wonderful – the Happiness, Awe, Joy, Excitement dimension.
Counsellor- the wisdom dimension which is very significant in the pursuit of happiness. Our decisions or choices determine the direction of our lives. Mighty- the power dimension which is the subtle dimension in any relationship. Everlasting Father- that signifies love, concern, provision, protection. Prince of Peace- the peace dimension for we need peace with God that is a precursor to peace with self and others.

A balanced and impactful life will reflect these five dimensions in our own relationships with our spouse, children, extended family, friends, foes, strangers, neighbours with one or the other dimension dominating at any given time. When we discipline our children for instance, we are on the power dimension though love is the motive behind our acts of disciplining. Effective Leadership also requires us to be skilful or well versed in using all these five elements appropriately. Jesus rules and reigns over the lives of believers in terms of these five dimensions. Sometimes we go through great hardships to discipline us or to strengthen and mature us in faith, to prune us and enable us to be more fruitful in terms of our inner qualities of heart and spirit and mind. Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Christians are ordinary people with extraordinary claims." Actually, we are ordinary people with an Extraordinary God with us, in us and for us. This is what makes us wonderful, wise, powerful, loving and peaceful people.
God governance or indeed, good governance should be a judicious interplay of the five dimensions. Everything Jesus did was a blend of wonder, the spiritual wisdom of the Holy Spirit, love, power and peace. Many wonders were performed at the birth of the Christ child- Jesus : His immaculate conception but natural birth, mighty God becoming a vulnerable child, kingship at birth, greatness at birth. His childhood and growth also doubtless had been wonderful of which we have no record but the verse that says that the child grew in wisdom and stature and favour with God and man. He did numerous wonderful miracles to help and bless and heal people. The wisdom and holiness of God sent His Son to a miserable death on the cross but He had a wonderful resurrection from death. Similarly, modelling on Jesus, what we speak and do should evoke a similar wow or wonder effect. Jesus promised us that if we truly believe we would do greater wonders than even He did during His earthly sojourn. We need to use all the five elements or dimensions in order to overcome the world and fulfil the word. Wonder should be tied to wisdom, wisdom to power, power to love and love to peace.

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

The Alpha of Watching and Praying


UV 3121/10000 The Alpha of Watching and Praying
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Matthew 26 v 41
The Lord exhorted His three disciples, Peter, James and John who had fallen asleep even though he had asked them to stay awake and alert as He prayed in the garden at Gethsemane to prepare Himself for the greatest tribulation of His life on Earth. He had asked them to stay awake for only one hour while He prayed. The disciples also knew that His heart was heavy with sorrow. But the disciples slacked off and slept, unmindful of the state of mind of the Lord. Jesus chided them with the words of this uni-verse.
We are to watch the world and pray for whatever ills affect the world. We are to watch ourselves and pray for grace to resist temptation and to endure suffering. Our intentions will remain pious aspirations unless we are willing to subject ourselves to hard discipline as Jesus did. We can overcome the weaknesses of our bodies if we watch our own thoughts. We can ask the Lord to send us the Holy Spirit to strengthen and help us combat the temptations and to endure trials. The enemy crouches at the door of our hearts all the time looking for an opportunity to enter our lives. We need to be watchful to keep him at bay and drive him away.
Like an eagle watches the ground and spots the movement of any serpent, we too need to have a watchful eye and keen ears. We need to watch our habits, our decisions, our relationships so that we walk in alignment with the will and word of God. We are to be both vigilant and agile so that we spot any threat and move quickly to neutralise it. Jesus taught us to pray, “ Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” The Lord never tempts any man but it implies that the Lord should not allow us to tempted by the enemy. We seek His deliverance from all our troubles. When we are spiritually alert, the enemy cannot catch us unawares. Apart from the three great common temptations of wine, women and wealth, we need to set up personal alarms to alert us and show us red flags when we are disobedient, negative minded, bitter, sullen, angry, unfaithful, unforgiving, backsliding, ungrateful, doubtful. We should not be ensnared by the enemy by the words we speak or the thoughts we think. Our inner attitudes should not trip us but enable us to trump the enemy. We need to watch our words so that we do not invite the enemy to be an influence in our lives, unwittingly or willingly.



Tuesday, December 4, 2018

The Alpha of Zeal

UV 3120/10000 The Alpha of Zeal
And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.
Numbers 25 v 13
Manna applied is alpha. It is spiritual God-given and inspired food that has been consumed and is at work in our spirits, minds and body. As we meditate on the Word- the manna that never spoils, the manna which whether we gather in small or large quantity is never too little or too much, it becomes the Word applied or alpha. In this uni-verse or unique verse or rhema verse that the Lord has spoken to us specifically, purposefully and personally, Phinehas, a grandson of Aaron, the first priest anointed by Jehovah, the spokesman appointed to aid Moses, is described as zealous for his God. Phinehas felt the pain of God at the sin and rebellion of Israel while at the same time, he felt compassion for the people of Israel out of fear of the consequences of their rebellion. His sense of ‘ sempathy’ or spiritual empathy led him to atone for the sin of Israel as if it were his own. In this sense, he became a type of Christ, a forerunner for Jesus made Himself sin so that all mankind be redeemed.
The zeal of Phinehas for God, his identification with the holiness of the Lord, his understanding of the weakness and fragility of faith of the people of Israel, moved him to prayer and fasting on the latter’s behalf. The Lord was pleased with his whole hearted devotion and intercession that He re-affirmed his covenant of everlasting peace with Phinehas and his descendants. When we intercede for others, we show at once our reverence for the holiness of the Lord, our appreciation of His love, mercy, justice and grace. The Lord seeing our zeal, blesses us and our descendants with a covenant or everlasting commitment of Shalom or holistic peace affecting all aspects or the alpha to omega of our lives.
Just because God grants our prayers, we cannot take Him for granted. We cannot be casual or lukewarm in our relationship with Him. He is priority No. 1 in our lives and this sense of priority should be reflected in our lifestyle, our relationships, our decisions and our attitudes. We need to optimise our natural desire for happiness and a lesser degree of suffering with reverence for the holiness of the Lord. We cannot disown our responsibility for the spiritual well being of our people, of our nation, of the church at large. We need to atone or offer spiritual sacrifices not only for our misdeeds but for those of our families, our wider community and our nations. Such zeal will find favour in the eyes of the Lord. The Lord will not only bless us but pass the balance forward to our future generations, too. The word “ seed” in the uni-verse does not imply only our children or descendants but our words, our ideas, our projects, our efforts, our desires, our hopes.

The Alpha of the Lion Leader

UV 3119/10000 The Alpha of the Lion Leader
Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.

Numbers 23 v 24
The people of God have the strength of a wild ox as their faith in Jehovah who has led them with great miracles and an outstretched arm gives them both courage and joy. Courage and joy on the emotional and spiritual plane are the equivalent of our physical muscles. The more we work on our courage and the more we work up our joy in the Lord or our sense of rejoicing that we are saved by the hand of the Lord, saved by the blood of the Lamb, saved from the captivity of “Egypt” – a metaphor for death and misery, the greater is our strength. We will rise like Jesus rose from death. Even in death, Jesus was imprisoned with a boulder at the mouth of the cave of the grave, the Roman seal on the huge boulder and a Roman strong guard in front of the cave. But, like a Lion, He brushed aside all of these, folded the shroud that covered Him for three days and rose to rule over the universe again, to head the church, the body of true believers through the generations to come.
When the Holy Spirit came upon the fearful disciples hiding in Jerusalem, they became fearless as lions. From fearful, reluctant, disobedient followers, they became transformed into leaders- lion leaders. Likewise, as we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the equivalent of the strength of Samson fills our whole being. The enemy cannot prey on our minds with worthless thoughts or emotions or motives. When we pray, the enemy hears the roar of the Lord and he scurries for cover. Like Samson, on account of the unlimited spiritual power and courage that fills us, we can with our bare hands, break his jaws and cause something good to rise out of every plot and attack he plans against us. As we pray, the enemy cannot prey on us. He is afraid of our silence, our roar and our words. The Lion Leader goes for the jugular, for the kill as he deals with evil in this manner.
A wild honey bee hive grew within the carcass of the lion that Samson slew. Likewise, the promises of the Lord contained in His word are tastier than wild honey. Every time we squeeze the word in our mouth like a dripping hive, power, strength, grace and everything we need to be victorious in our lives begin to flow in us. No weapon can rise against us, no tongue can condemn or curse or judge us. We are lion leaders, led by the ultimate Lion Leader- the Risen Christ. He was led to death as a lamb but He rose as a lion. We belong to the same brood and breed. We share His DNA or divine nature. The last part of the uni-verse is also symbolically true for believers of Christ drink of the blood of the slain Christ. Pussilanimous leaders pass on the blame for failure to others while the greatest Lion Leader of all took the flak for all humanity upon His shoulders. Therefore, the government of the world should rest on His shoulders for He alone proved by His deeds and His word that He alone is capable of leading all of humanity back to God.

Saturday, December 1, 2018

The Alpha of Spiritual Supplies


UV 3118/10000 The Alpha of Spiritual Supplies
And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants digged a well.
Genesis 26 v 25
Since Isaac had a covenant relationship with Jehovah based on faith like his own father Abraham, God was with him. He did not have to fear anything since God was with Him. The Lord God promised to bless him and to multiply his descendants. Likewise, when we are faithful to our commitment to the Lord based on our faith in Jesus, the Lord promises to be with us, to bless us, to preserve us from all fear, to multiply us. Isaac responded with a heart of worship which he manifested by building an altar of thanksgiving. He called upon the name of the Lord. We, too should turn our hearts into an altar of worship of the Lord.
Isaac pitched his tent where he worshipped the Lord at the altar. The worship of the Lord is the focal point of our homes and our lives. There is no separation of home and church. The Lord is tabernacled in us. Scripture provides the templates of the living temple not built with human hands where alone the Lord dwells. We therefore, experience joy for the word states that “ I hear the voice of rejoicing in the tabernacle of the righteous.” We are declared righteous by faith in Jesus and then, we manifest that righteousness as the fruit of that faith. The place where we worship is also the place where we dwell. The place where we worship is also the place of our life’s work and the source of our provision for there, Isaac’s servants dug a well. We call upon the name of Jesus who is the Yes and Amen to all God’s promises.
Scripture is the source of the water of eternal life. We need to dig deep into it and draw from it the water of life that will keep us from becoming spiritually dry. Scripture is also the source of the oil of eternal life. It is an oil well too for we are anointed as we dig into scripture, our minds are anointed by the Holy Spirit to understand, our ears to hear , our eyes to hear, our hands to do, our legs to go places for the Lord. When we study and meditate on scripture and examine how we can apply it to our lives, we are digging the well of eternal life. When we apply the revealed truths of scripture to our lives and manifest its power, we are drawing the water therefrom and drinking it to nourish our souls. Our souls prosper as we drink from the fountains of the Lord even as we are blessed with physical, intellectual, material, familial and social well being. We can agree with St Paul ‘s statement, “My God shall supply all my need according to His riches in glory.”