Soul of Abundance

UV 3662/10000 Soul of Abundance I will satisfy the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people will be satisfied with My goodness,” says the Lord. Jeremiah 31 v 14 The ultimate and true abundance that we should seek is the abundance of the soul. In this uni-verse, the Lord promises to fill our souls to the brim with His abundance, an abundance of peace, joy, love and the other fruit of the spirit. But our attitude needs to be that of a priest, humble, repentant, faithful, kind, loving, compassionate. We, the believers are the priests of God. We are to reveal the goodness of God to the people. By our words, are many lives to be saved forever. By our knowledge of God and His ways, the people will become aware of the goodness of the Lord and will not depart from it. Jesus is our High Priest who made known the goodness and love of God. It is a mystery that though He is God in Himself, He is also priest. We have access to the abundance of the soul and spirit through Jesus. Humble and gentle, He offered Himself as a sacrifice to absolve us of our shortcomings. Hence, He said, “ I have come to give you life and life in all its abundance.” We are set free from a mindset of scarcity and shortcoming and transformed into a mindset of abundance. Having a soul of abundance implies that we, as priests of the Most High God, are always thankful, grateful, always engaged in praise and worship. Our lips are engaged in thanking the Lord when they are not busy in making known His goodness to people. Our cup is neither a half filled one or a half empty one but an overflowing cup of joy. We rejoice in the presence of the Lord in our lives, we rejoice again in the blessings that flow from our relationship with Him.

The Breaker

UV 3661/10000 The Breaker The breaker ( the Messiah, who opens the way) shall go up before them ( liberating them). They will break out, pass through the gate and go out; So their King goes on before them, The Lord is at their head. Micah 2 v 13 At one point in my life and career, there was a serious obstacle to my progression. It was placed on my path by the very persons who should have removed it. It was placed by the very persons who told me that they were only interested in my career and life going ahead. They did it stealthily, without my knowledge, behind my back. At that time, the Lord spoke this uni-verse to me. He sent a pastor or a shepherd to share this promise with me when I was disturbed and upset. It implies that the Lord Jesus goes ahead of us to clear the path of huge obstacles, hurdles that keep us from going on the path. Usually, the leader’s men or king’s army will go ahead of the leader or king to remove the obstacles in his path, but in our case, the King, our Leader Himself goes ahead of us to remove the hurdles in our path. He is therefore, the only true Leader. He has wisdom, power and strength to remove the obstacles in our paths, whatever these may be. The Lord plans for our breakthroughs and break outs so that we do not miss any opportunities intended for us that magnify His name. Most of the time like sheep are not aware of the moves by the shepherd, we may not even be aware of it. The important thing is that we should be the sheep in the fold, the sheep that listen to His voice, the sheep that follow Him and His word diligently. Today, it seems that there is only one sheep that obeys the shepherd 100 percent and ninety nine have strayed. We should be like that one sheep in the fold, not the ninety nine who strayed. We should be content to graze on the pastures of the Lord( His word), to go where He lead us. The Lord promises in His word that He will drive our enemies away, that He will be an implacable enemy to our enemies. He will send the hornets ahead of us to drive them away. But He will not do it in one year. We need to be patient. He waits to allow us to go stronger and more numerous. We need to be on our guard lest the enemy deceives or ensnares us to think that the grass of the world is greener. The prophet Isaiah states that the Lord is our Messiah in all our distresses and not just from sin and death. He saves us from dangers, risks, losses, shame, famine, pestilence. We find our rest in Him. He rebuilds the walls and restores our nest or our tabernacle. The bricks that the Lord Jesus uses to build are human lives and hence, He sends human assistance to us in our difficult moments. He also sends the angels from His presence to help us, to break through in tight situations. He carries us when we are not able to walk like the eagle carries its young on its pinions. We should be careful not to rely on the opinions of others or fall for their traps or compromise. It is not for us to compromise with the world but to rely entirely on the promise of the Lord.

Dual Power for Every Duel

UV3660/10000 Dual Power for Every Duel Let the high praise of God be in their throats, and a two-edged sword in their hands, Psalm 149 v 6 The godly should exult or enjoy praising God. The praise of God is always in their throats and is its very lubricant. Not ordinary praise but high praise, praise of all the extraordinary things God has done, created, redeemed. The wonderful ways He has blessed and saved us. We rejoice or exult in Him as our Maker, our King or Ruler, our Father, our Saviour. As we humble ourselves unlike the rest of humanity to worship and acknowledge Him in every way, every day, every moment, He beautifies our lives with His salvation. He takes pleasure or delights in us as a father in His obedient and grateful children. The praise we give to the Lord is reserved for Him alone. The two -edged sword that brings life is the Word. We are to grip the Word with both our hands. We are to be in the word and of the word, not of the world. The word is to be studied and applied in all aspects of our lives. Like the volunteer army of builders of Nehemiah, we hold the tools of our respective professions in one hand and the two edged sword of the spirit in our other hand. One edge is meant to bind the kings of darkness with spiritual chains to keep these forces from perpetuating evil, to execute judgement on their executives and restrain them from their acts of wickedness. The other edge is meant to set us free from our own chains and fetters, to train us in godliness and righteousness, to equip us for every work that God has called us to do. When we do the above, our intentions, thoughts and words are primed to do the work of the Lord in this world. The word that is bitter in our mouths will become sweet as nectar in our stomachs. The word in our mouths will be like an unsheathed sword. At the end of each day, we can look back and sing for joy as we lie on our beds, reflecting on the day(s) gone by. We will be able to execute the will of God on earth, we will fulfill the purpose for which we were brought into being. The power of praise and the dual edged power of the sword is to be witnessed at work in our lives, every single day. In praise and the word, we have dual power to use in every duel we face in life.

The Pilot and the Plot

UV 3659/10000 The Pilot and the Plot Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me. Psalm 138 v 7 David confesses in this uni-verse that the Lord being in His midst, and though he walks in the midst of troubles, He will revive him. The Lord shakes His mighty hand against the plans or plots of our enemies, mortal and spiritual, temporal and eternal. His hand is upon us and He will save us. Though scores and hundreds or even a battalion rises against us, the Lord is with us as a mighty fortress. We need to be humble and faithful and the Lord assures us He will be with us. His power will be manifest, His grace will be released. The next verse states that the Lord will accomplish that which concerns us. It implies that whatever we attempt, it is the Lord who accomplishes it in our lives. He will never abandon us nor fail us. We need, therefore, to be bold, fearless, confident, faithful and submissive to the will of the Lord. The Lord will subdue in due time the envious, the wicked, those who speak and do evil against us. He is our glory or the source of our greatness and upliftment. Our enemies will melt like wax or become weak in the presence of the Lord. The Lord will neutralize their weapons and judge their tongues for unjustly condemning or accusing or attacking us. We are called to be in the world but not of the world. We should not imitate the ways of our enemies by reacting in the flesh or acting or speaking as they do. Instead, we should be in the word and of the word. The word will straighten our attitudes or our hearts. The word will teach us the ways of the Lord. If the world can be compared to a leech that sticks to our skin, the word is the salt that makes the leech to release its tentacles on us. The word helps us navigate all terrains and landscapes of life. The Lord pilots us and does not plot against us.

The Shepherd's Covenant

UV 3658/10000 The Shepherd’s Covenant I will make them and the places around My hill (Jerusalem, Zion)a blessing. And I will make showers come down in their season; there will be (abundant) showers of blessing ( divine favour). Ezekiel 34 v 26 The picture the prophet Ezekiel paints is quite pastural. First, he talks of the Messiah being a shepherd like David. He is no ordinary shepherd but the prince among shepherds. He is the chief Shepherd. A shepherd walks where the sheep walks and Jesus has walked where humans have walked. Like David stayed and defended his father's sheep from predators like a lion and a bear, Jesus stays with us and defends us. Just as David broke the lion's jaw with his hands, Jesus defeated the roaring lion, the enemy of our souls who roams around to see which soul he can devour. Whatever the killer, the lion throws at us or attacks us with, Jesus brings something sweet out of it like the dead lion's carcass in the Samson story. He either gives us immediate victory or ultimate victory and often both. He will judge between the well fed sheep and the lean sheep, the well behaved sheep and the not so well behaved and aggressive ones that gore or butt or harm others. He will rescue His flock from being a prey to the predators. He will eliminate the predators from the land so that we ( the believers) will live live securely, be fed and sleep safely in the woods. We would have plenty of water ( divine blessings) to quench our thirst or meet our every need. He will renew our source of water in the due season or on time. We will not be victims of famine or pestilence ( read Covid 19). We will not have to face or endure the insults of people of different nations who revel in mocking us or our faith. By these means, we will know or we have evidence that the Lord is with us, His favour is upon us. He has made a covenant of peace with us. He has broken the bars of our yoke and set us free from every sin, fear and curse. We have moved from spiritual poverty to spiritual abundance. Jesus is the Prince of peace who seals the covenant with His own blood and spirit. It is inviolable. It is our guarantee of eternal life, of hope, of peace, of security, of provision. While we humans are looking to the summits of achievement, of worldly success, of prosperity and security, of promotion in the scale of society, the Lord is preparing a safe place for us in the valley. The low times of our lives are the times He is closest to us. The reality and intimacy of His bonds of love with us comes through in such valley times. On the hills and mountains of attainment, we might feel exhilarated and taken in by our own success but it is in the pastures of the valley that the river of God’s grace flows. It is where we can drink to our fill of His grace. In the valley where we are vulnerable and open to attack by the predatory animals, we most sense His loving protection and care. We are not to be afraid of the predators but being aware of these real threats, risks and dangers, we should always walk close to Jesus, the good Shepherd. Jesus has proven Himself capable in human history to restore us from death, to defend us from death, to equip us against falling prey to the subtle predators and to avoid the more brazen and bold ones. He has proven Himself able to provide for our every need of spirit, mind and body.

The Sacrifice Required of Us

UV 3657/10000 The Sacrifice Required of Us Through Him, therefore, let us at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name. Hebrews 13 v 15 Since Jesus has offered up, once and for all, once for all, the perfect sacrifice of atonement as He alone could, we now have to only offer up a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of our lips in combination with the sacrifice of godly deeds like giving to the needy. With the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts we please God with a spirit that sacrifices our own egos on the altar of God. With the fruit of our lips, we help to save lives, we inspire people to follow the example and teachings of Jesus, we acknowledge the Lordship of Christ and confess our faith in Him. With our good deeds, we glorify His name. We should not therefore, neglect using our mouths and hearts to worship or adore the One who atoned for us, the One who sent Him to atone for us- the Father in heaven who waits with love for us to return to His fold and the Holy Spirit who teaches us to pray, worship and comforts as well as strengthens us in our afflictions. God is 360 degree x 365 x x, implying that in all matters concerning our lives, He is concerned, all year and all our lives. Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever, implying that even as He healed the sick, He is here with us today to heal us, to protect us from the ravages of Covid 19 and beyond. He is here with us today to lead us, to teach us, to guide us, to bless us. “ I Am” is with us. Hence, we should neither fear, nor faint, nor be dismayed, nor doubt God. We are called to live a life of sacrifices and devotion to Christ but not one of renunciation. Christ has done it all for us on the cross. Hence, He said, “It is finished” or His mission to save mankind is successful, complete, nothing left to do by God or man. We are not saved because we offer praise and worship or sacrifices. Rather, we offer praise and worship continually and offer sacrifices of our time, energy, talent, treasure or goods and cash as we are saved by Christ. These are acts of love and gratitude, not of justification.

The Work of God

UV 3656/10000 The Word of God Jesus answered, “This is the work of God: that you believe (adhere to, trust in, rely on , have faith) in the One whom He has sent. John 6 v 29 In this uni-verse, Jesus tells us that the work of God is synonymous and identical with the word of God. Jesus is also called in the book of Revelation and in the first verse of the gospel of John as the Word of God. If we believe, trust, rely on, adhere to, have faith in the Word of God and that Jesus is the Word, we are doing the work of God. When we believe the Word, the work of God happens in us and through us. Miracles are set in motion. The Word both frames and expands our faith in all directions. Jesus is the son in the parable of tenants. He is sent by the Father and Lord of the universe to collect His rent that the people of this world have stopped paying. In other words, He is the One sent by the Lord God to turn the hearts of mankind back to Him. We had broken faith with God after the fall of man but now Jesus, the Word restores us to a right and intimate relationship with God based on trust and faith. We need to stop believing in the broken systems of this world and with a broken or repentant heart receive the Son, Jesus. Therefore, the only “work” we now need to do is to hold onto our faith in Jesus. He is our Advocate on high and will turn the Father’s judgement and anger away from us . He is the Word made incarnate. He is the word of compassion. He is the word of truth. He is the word of justice. He is the word of love. He is the word of grace. All our spiritual as well as holistic needs are met in Him. He satisfies our hunger for eternal life. He meets our need for forgiveness, for healing, for deliverance.