Do you love the blessing or the giver of the blessing?

Abraham desired to have children but his wife was barren.

God intervened and they had Isaac. It was a great miracle considering their very old age.

I believe Abraham adored his son, Isaac. He was his dream come true; proof of God's love and faithfulness.

Sarah equally must have doted on Isaac. His birth had brought such joy and laughter to her.

God can give us all blessings that pertains to life and godliness. Is anything too hard for Him?

But do we love God simply because of what we can get from Him? Or do we love Him whether He blesses us or not.

Abraham proved he loved God with or without the blessing. He demonstrated this by willingly obeying God to sacrifice Isaac. That was giving God back His blessing and saying - " I will worship you with or without being blessed."

How many children of God have this heart in this age and time? Please reflect on this.







WHAT IS NEXT?

Utter trust.

Abraham had no children and then out of the blue, God promised him one. He waited for this promise which was fulfilled when Sarah had Isaac.

God thereby proved Himself faithful. He caused Abraham and Sarah to laugh in their old age by blessing them with a son.

Then suddenly this same God chose to instruct Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac unto Him. Why would God want to curtail Abraham's joy?

In God's books, what we lay before Him in sacrifice, though sown in tears, is reaped in joy. When we lay down our lives for Him, we gain it back, and in an even more glorious state.

Matthew 10:39 If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.

Jesus knew this principle, so was not afraid to give up His life. He got it back in an even more glorified state.

Philippians 2:8-9 He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names.



WHAT IS NEXT?

When God appears to fail us

All through Scriptures, men who loved God faced trying times, and felt forsaken by God.

David who loved and trusted in God faced periods when he believed God had forsaken him. He could not understand why God was not hearing his cries, or was not heeding his call for help. Psalm 22:1-2 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me,

so far from my cries of anguish?

My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,

by night, but I find no rest.

Job faced great trouble and was of the opinion that God was slaying him. Even though Job suffered great loss and pain, his simple faith in God made him cry out - Though he slay me, yet I will trust in him; but I will defend my ways before him. Job 13:15

God sometimes allows pain and suffering for His greater purpose to come to pass. It does not mean that He has stopped loving us, or is less faithful.

He allowed Jesus to go through pain for the greater good of mankind. Romans 8:32 God didn't spare his own Son but handed him over [to death] for all of us. So he will also give us everything along with him.

But even though Jesus suffered and  cried out on the cross that - "My father, my father, why has thou forsaken me?" He still believed and trusted in God, and handed over his spirit to God - "Into your hands, do I commit my spirit."

Similarly, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.



WHAT IS NEXT?

The unreliability of man

Jeremiah 17:5 
This is what the LORD says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the LORD.

The songwriter proclaimed - There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus, no not one, no not one.

God is a faithful friend. The Word of God describes Him as there being no shadow of turning with Him. James 1:17 He never changes, always stays the same.

Man cannot control all of his circumstances,  and can therefore make promises in good faith,  and yet fail to honour the promises due to circumstances beyond his control. Why place your entire trust in something so fleeting?

Lean on God alone, for all other ground is sinking sand.







WHAT IS NEXT?

Claiming and enjoying God's promises

To redeem and actually enjoy God's promises, we must search for them through God's Word, believe them, and claim them.

But that is not all, we need to have the right attitude when claiming God's promises. Peter unveils the appropriate attitude to exhibit when claiming God's promises as follows:

2 Peter 1:5-8
In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. 

Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

WHAT IS NEXT?

Lingering in Battle to claim your Godly Rights - Part 2

Daniel, through studying of the scriptures, realised that God's children were supposed to be out of captivity. He lingered in prayer and fasting. His answer was released but restrained in the Heavenlies.

But as Daniel continued to pray, God deployed another angel as reinforcement, to retrieve Daniel's answer to prayer. Through persistent prayers, Daniel got his answer to prayer, an answer for God to deliver Israel. Daniel 9,10

Jabez used prayer to illustrate how we can alter our destinies and align them with God's promises. 1 Chronicles 4

When Peter was imprisoned and awaiting execution, Christians arose in prayer to God on behalf of Peter. This caused an angelic rescue operation. Peter thereby escaped death and prison.
Acts 12:5-17

This goes to show how we can through prayer change and claim what is ours and release ourselves from various prisons of life .

WHAT IS NEXT?

Lingering in Battle to claim your Godly Rights - Part 1

In Ghana, where I come from, there are a lot of legal disputes related to land entitlements. These disputes can go on for years and years, with each party claiming ownership. The truth is, there is definitely one clear owner,  but that owner must be able to prove beyond reasonable doubt his ownership, before the land can be legally his.

Similarly, there is a dispute on Earth. God gave man dominion over Earth, but man through Adam and Eve, sold this right. Just like Esau, the right of man was sold for food - an apple.

Man, as a result received in exchange, death and hades. However, God through Jesus, overcame death and hades, and freed man to his original status.

Hebrews 2:14-15 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

The devil who through deception acquired and enjoyed man's rights for a while, wants to continue to deceive us, and make us think we do not really have any such rights.  But if we grasp the revelatory truths of what happened on the Cross, we shall begin to understand our rights, then we can claim and walk in them.

2 Peter 1:4  And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.




WHAT IS NEXT?

Demanding your rights in Christ

God, for instance, has not given us a spirit of fear, but that of power, love and a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7

So if you happen to be in dread of tomorrow, fearful of everything around you, afraid of life and of death, and living in complete fear, then there is a contrary spirit at work. It is certainly not the work of God's Spirit.

We must learn to claim what God has given to us. We have to study God's Word to know what God has given to us, so we can discern what is not from Him. When we appear to manifest what is not one of God's promises unto us, such as poverty, sickness and fear, we must stand boldly as Children of God, declare and claim what is rightfully ours in Christ Jesus.

In poverty, we must claim the riches and prosperity that has been promised and given to us. For the Word of God teaches us that Christ became poor that we can be rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9

We therefore ought to pray like this - "In the name of Jesus who became poor that I might be rich, I refuse poverty. I ask God to enlighten me, and grant me an understanding of what practical steps to take to enable me walk in the riches and prosperity that is rightfully mine through Christ Jesus."

Be bold as a Child of God,  take what is rightfully yours in Christ Jesus!







WHAT IS NEXT?

The Benefits of the Cross

2 Peter 1: 3 - 4 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Our faith in Jesus and His good work on the cross, on our behalf, does not end when we accept Jesus as Lord and Personal Saviour.  The cross is the entrance into a new world - a world of all possibilities and great wonders.

Ephesians 1:18 - 20  I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.

And his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.

God has a lot of goodies for us, but just like money in an account, it is safe and cannot be used until we make an attempt to withdraw from it.

We have divine health by Jesus' s stripes but can live in grave unhealth if we do not draw from this finished work.
1 Peter 2:24

We must know what is ours through the work of Jesus. For instance Christ became poor that we can be rich.
 2 Corinthians 8:9. 

Cursed was anyone that hang on a tree. But Christ became a curse that we might be blessed. Galations 3:13 - 14

Unwrap the great treasures that is yours via the Cross of Jesus. Explore what is assigned to your name as a Child of God! 

WHAT IS NEXT?

Three Significant Happenings

Matthew 27:50-53 Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 

The earth shook, rocks split apart, 

52 and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. 53 They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.

The death and resurrection of Jesus is very significant. Heaven, hades and the earth all acknowledged it.

There was a curtain that set apart the Holy of holies. Only the High Priest could go behind the curtain to make appeasement for the sins of God's children.

God tore the curtain when Jesus died, to symbolize the forgiveness of man's sins through the Blood of Jesus. He was the perfect sacrifice that cleansed us eternally of our sins.

There was an earthquake to symbolize the changes to the world of men. When Jesus was sacrificed on behalf of man, his blood spoke our deliverance and acceptance into God's family. Tombs opened as a result, for death and hades had been conquered.

At the resurrection of Christ, when Jesus had gained the keys to death and Hades, the raised bodies of many godly men and women that had died came out of the cemetery and showed themselves to the living souls.

These were the freed souls from Hades, they could now ascend into Heaven. The way had been paved by the Blood of Jesus. Righteous men could now inherit God's Kingdom - Heaven.

As Christians we have died with Christ and will be raised with him Romans 6:8. Our citizenship is now of Heaven - Philippians 3:20, and we are simply ambassadors on Earth -  2 Corinthians 5:20. We are spiritually seated in Heavenly places with Christ Jesus - Ephesians 2:6. Glory to God!


WHAT IS NEXT?

The Great Victory

When Jesus died he descended into Hades or Sheol, and when he had conquered death and hades and got the keys to man's freedom from these, he led the captives free and ascended with them into Heaven.

1 Peter 3:18-22 Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.

19 So he went and preached to the spirits in prison— 20 those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood. 

21 And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

22 Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority.

Because our Saviour has conquered death and Hades, we must have no fear of these. Those who were in Abraham's bosom, like poor Lazarus can go on to Heaven because Jesus through his death and resurrection has reconciled man to God. Righteous men can therefore come into the presence of God and reside in Heaven where God lives.

Revelations 1:18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Ephesians 4:8-10 This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people." 

(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)

This is our victory through Christ - we have overcome the sting of death and hades!

WHAT IS NEXT?

The darkest hour

It is darkest just before dawn. Just before sunrise, we face the darkest time.

Jesus died on a Friday.  On Saturday, his loved ones, I suppose really felt his absence.  "Jesus is truly no more," they might have muttered.

When all hope was lost, three women decided to go and preserve his dead body as he had been dead for three days.

Unknown to man, God had been up to something all along. His silence was not a sign of inactivity.  God sometimes does His best in silence.

He had caused Jesus to descend to Hades to claim the keys of death and Hades. Jesus had gone to Satan's Kingdom to reclaim man's stolen inheritance. And afterwards had been raised from the dead by God's Spirit.

If you are waiting on the Lord for a new beginning and for a change in your circumstance, do not grow weary.  God is working on your behalf. This dark night will soon pass and usher in daylight. Do not fret! God is in control.  

Just like Jesus, you will awaken from this dead condition with newness and with fresh glory. For God is faithful.



WHAT IS NEXT?

What the cross stands for.

As Jesus was on the cross, the Father could not look at him for he stank of the sin of the world.

Sensing his Father's abandonment, he cried " Father, father, why has thou forsaken me?"

His Father, loving His son, showed His frustration. He darkened the skies and caused the curtain in the temple to be torn into two. God the Father acknowledged that the perfect sacrifice for the atonement of men's sins had been made by the lamb without blemish - Jesus Christ of Nazareth!

Man therefore needed no more sacrifices of atonement. Man no longer needed the Holy of Holies, nor a high priest. The curtain that served as a demarcation to the Holy of Holies was torn as it was no longer needed.

We now have free access to God through Jesus. We have the forgiveness of past, present and future sins. We are free to be called the children of God. Acceptable and pleasing in His sight.

The spotless lamb took our shame that we may know glory. He bore our sickness that we might know health. Let us freely take all that the cross has offered to us.




WHAT IS NEXT?

Dead to self

When we die to self, all we see is God and what pleases Him. We become insignificant so He can become significant in our lives. We decrease so God can increase.

The three hebrew boys - Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were dead to self. Therefore,  they were able to choose God over their own lives. God to them was priority - the most important.

Daniel and his friends chose God over a luxurious lifestyle. They would not eat food sacrificed to Idols. Do we choose worldliness over Godliness?  We must reflect on this!


WHAT IS NEXT?

Dying to self

Acts 7
Stephen was being stoned. He had really done nothing wrong except to share his opinion of whom Jesus was, in the form of the Gospel.

And what a painful death he had to endure. Being hit by stones, until dying. Stephen actually died before he breathed his last.

Before he died physically, Stephen had died to self. He died to his selfish desires. He died to pride and earthly gains. Stephen did not care about his ego and worth. He faced danger and suffering squarely, so he could gain Christ.

And because Stephen loved God and His purposes more than his life, he was able to see beyond the pain inflicted on him. He saw the lost souls that were stoning him in their ignorance. He saw the sad fate awaiting them if they did not repent.

Knowing and loving God, Stephen knew God's heartbeat was for all to be saved, and none to perish.  For this reason, Stephen thought it wise to ask God to forgive those stoning him. This was at the apex of his pain. He asked God to forgive those inflicting him with pain.

When we die to self, we put God first and others , second.



WHAT IS NEXT?

The voluntary death sentence!

Death is not a pleasant word to most human beings. It is a word that evokes feelings of loss, sadness, abandonment,  pain, emptiness and expiration.

John 12:24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

Death however can denote something good.   Paul said while still alive - I die every day! That is as certain, brothers and sisters, as my boasting of you—a boast that I make in Christ Jesus our Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:31

Our new life in Christ Jesus is a life that came about when we died to self and rose up in righteousness.  It came about when we gave up on our lustful and sinful desires and took up the life God gives.

Colossians 3:3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Living in the flesh as human beings and responding to our lustful desires feels absolutely human. When we give up our carnal ways, it is painful and feels like death. The straight and narrow road is a road of sacrifice.  We virtually sacrifice and kill our will, to attain God's Will.

We die to adultery,fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders,drunkenness and revelries.

And awaken to love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness,faithfulness,gentleness, and self-control.


WHAT IS NEXT?

Be Still Before the Lord.

Sometimes we have to be still and know that God is Lord.

Just be still in God's presence and let Him minister to you.

Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!

WHAT IS NEXT?

Walking in righteousness.

Ephesians 6:14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place.

We are in a battle on Earth, unknowingly or knowingly. We are fighting against unseen forces who throw arrows at us consistently.

Our main targeted area is our heart. A breastplate is a piece of armour that covers the area around the chest.

Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

Our human hearts dispel evil. Jeremiah 17:9 -10 "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?

But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve."

We are born with the sin of Adam that makes our hearts unrighteous and evil.  What we do not want to do, we tend to do. And what we want to do, we cannot do. This signifies an ongoing battle within us.

God has caused Jesus to die in our place to exchange our hearts of stone for a heart of flesh. When we accept the
work of Christ on the Cross, we obtain God's righteousness that changes our hearts and fills us with God's Spirit.

Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.


The devil knowing this will try to corrupt our new hearts. If we do not guard God's righteousness upon us by being sensitive to the Holy Spirit and bearing the fruit of the Spirit, wickedness and carnality will spring out of us and cause us to be defiled.

Without our righteousness of God intact, Satan and his team will just knock us about, and cause us to jump at their every whim. So guard God's righteousness on you. Walk in the Spirit and live holy, for this is your breastplate!

WHAT IS NEXT?

Walking in truth

Ephesians 6:10-18

Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. 

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 

For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 

Wherefore take up the whole armour of God that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. 

Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 

and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 

withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. 

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 

 with all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints, 


This is one of the most elaborate scriptures I can find in the bible that talks about how we can stand and fight the good fight for our freedom and to maintain that freedom.

My favourite bit of that scripture is the verse 13, ‘having done all, stand’.

Previous verses talks about putting on the whole armour of God because our fight is not against men but against kingdoms, thrones, principalities etc, but then Paul goes on to say that after knowing that you fight against Satan and his host, you should put on the whole armour which is your only weapon.  And then he says, having done all, you should stand.  That tells me that freedom does not end with one battle won, it’s an ongoing battle, and each day, we fight to stand. Then he goes on to show us how to stand.

To stand he says, we must put on the armour of God.  Being a new convert, I used to always pray with Ephesians 6 saying I put on: and I go on the mention the armour one after the other.  But as I grew in the Lord more I came to understand that the armour stands for more than just spiritual attire we put on.  The armour is a lifestyle that ensures us continual freedom in our fight. To understand this better, let’s take the armour and break it down one after the other.

1. The belt of truth

‘Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth’ (Eph. 6:14a).

I once made this analogy of this scripture to a man wearing a loose trouser without underwear running around without a belt.  That is a huge disgrace waiting to happen.  The chances of him going naked are very high, why, because the belt is supposed to hold   his trouser up and keep his dignity intact.


 It’s the same thing that this scripture teaches us.  Truth keeps our head high and our dignity intact and does not give the enemy grounds to ridicule or shame us.  Truth does not just mean saying the truth all the time, but living in truth as well.  It means choosing everyday to follow Gods truth according to his word and being honest with yourself and others and not being ashamed to admit when you are wrong or when you have made a mistake.  This is the only way you can live blameless so the enemy won’t have cause to hold something against you or petition God to take what is yours away.  Remember Satan is the father of all lies, so anytime we live in a lie we give him grounds to step into our lives to manipulate us.


To be continued....

Written by Aba Dadson





WHAT IS NEXT?

Surrender to God

God sometimes brings us to a point where He desires our fullest full. He desires that we give our all to Him, withholding nothing.

Just like God required from Abraham to give his beloved son Isaac to Him in sacrifice, so God often requires our all, and our best.

Sometimes God tests us to find out what is in our hearts. To test if we have idols in our lives. Do we love anything more than we love God,

Please reflect on this question!





WHAT IS NEXT?

Dealing with false accusations

God is the final judge, and not men. He sees what is done in secret and will give each person a reward/ punishment according to their deeds and thoughts - Galations 6:7. Paul and Silas were falsely accused and flogged, and yet they still praised God.

Praise God when you are falsely accused. Sometimes anger can make us want to prove a point that we are being accused falsely, and treated unfairly. But do not succumb to anger, for God shall fight for you.

Desist from condeming yourself. This is another of Satan's strategies. Note: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1

When Job suffered for being righteous, his three friends accused him of sinning somewhat against God. Beware, as a child of God, do not place labels on another child of God's suffering, until you are absolutely sure you know the reason for their pain. If not, unknowingly,  you could be acting as Satan's agent - an accuser of the brethren.

Satan recruits right in the church. He uses people who avail themselves, sometimes even unknowingly.  He used Saul, a servant of God,  against David. He used Judas a disciple of Jesus against Jesus.

The old serpent still uses his old tricks. He uses those closest to us to hurt us. He uses those full of jealous traits like Saul. And those envious like Daniel's accusers. He uses the self righteous like Job's friends. The list goes on and on....

Deal with false accusations on your knees.  For if you try to fight it on your own, you will get yourself into a rut of one accusation after another. The devil never gets tired!

Job tried to answer his accusers but they wore him out with further accusations, until he paid heed to what God had to say about his situation and prayed. Then deliverance and restoration came. Job 42


WHAT IS NEXT?

Shut out the accuser's voice

Satan is the accuser of the brethren. He comes against the children of God in diverse ways.

Revelations 12:9-11  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Satan through other human beings, came against Daniel with accusations - accusations that led to him being thrown into a lion's den. For no other reason than for praying to God.

Joseph was accused falsely of attempting to rape Potiphar's wife. Then came the subtle accusations of Saul against David. Saul in his heart,  hated David for stealing his thunder. He accused him wrongly for David did not have any such intention. It was simply the Lord lifting him up.

There are some people that the devil will place around you to accuse you falsely, even of things that glorify God. They will label you evil for standing up for truth. Do not forget that this happened to Jesus. The truth He spoke led to His Crucifixion.

Prayer pleases God, and yet Daniel's prayer gave rise to accusations. Joseph acted rightly towards Potiphar's wife, and yet he was placed in prison for that.

When the enemy floods his accusations, you suffer wrong for doing right. Do not be tempted to swap position, to be hardened up so you begin to endorse and live wrongly, for fear of being accused and persecuted. SHUT OUT THE ACCUSER'S VOICE AND STAND UP FOR THE TRUTH.











WHAT IS NEXT?

Vision helpers or killers

In life there are people that will help you to either fulfill your vision, and those that if you allow, will kill your vision.

In the Book Of Nehemiah, the King whom Nehemiah served under as a cupbearer, helped him graciously to fulfil his vision of building the wall of Jerusalem. He provided him with all the building materials, etc. - Nehemiah 2:7-9

7 Furthermore I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah,

 8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.”

 And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.

Sanballat and Tobiah however were vision opposers who opposed Nehemiah throughout. They opposed and jeered at him, mocking and taunting him. And even when Nehemiah succeeded, they openly showed anger at his success.

Nehemiah 2:19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?”

Nehemiah 4:1-3   But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews.

2 And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones that are burned?”

3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall.”

Watch out for these two kinds of people in your life. There are those who will encourage you to achieve great things in your life. They will offer you all the help you need and connect you to people and point you to places that will aid your vision. These people simply believe in you and are encouragers. These people are vision helpers.

There are others that will discourage you every step of the way. They will tell you that you cannot achieve your dreams, and when they see you making progress, they are angered and become jealous. These people are vision killers.

Cleave to vision builders, but flee from vision killers!



WHAT IS NEXT?

Fill your tank

Matthew 25:1-13 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ 

7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 

11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. 

We need God every step of life's journey. We need to re-fill our tanks each day with His Word, and power(Spirit). We have to be steadfast in prayer, not being slack as Chistians, for there are events of life that can suddenly overtake us, like bereavement and loss - loss of belongings , a marriage or job. Life is full of uncertainties, and during such times, what can cushion you is the oil in your vessel...the Word of God you have hidden in your heart, the prayer that fortifies you, and the anointing of God that strenghtens and empowers you.

Do not be like the foolish virgins - unprepared and not thinking ahead of time. Always prepare for tomorrow, by the grace and will of God. Prepare in the Lord, not out of the Lord. Prepare with the help of God's Holy Spirit - your helper! Listen to Him as He leads you















WHAT IS NEXT?

Tapping into favour

Even though God has assured us He'll favour us, sometimes our faith and ways can cause us to tap into His favour.

Nehemiah needed favour from the King so he prayed for it - O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

For I was the king’s cupbearer. Nehemiah 1:11

In Nehemiah chapter two, Nehemiah gave us a secret as to what to do to tap into favour. He had prayed earlier and he kept praying. 

Nehemiah 2:4-5  Then the king said to me, “What do you request?”

So I prayed to the God of heaven.5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”

We ought to take note of how Nehemiah spoke to God, before speaking to man - So I prayed to the God of heaven.5 And I said to the king.

When we fear God and constantly fellowship with Him, He shall cause His favour to drip on us. We shall experience it at every level.



WHAT IS NEXT?

God's favour

Favour is being shown preferential treatment of some sort, beyond what is due you. God desires to favour His children, and to cause them to be treated in no ordinary manner.

Psalm 5:12 For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.

Psalm 84:11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Joseph received favour in Potiphar's house when he was put in charge of everything.
He likewise received favour in prison as he was put in charge of his other prison folks.

God bestows favour on those that love Him. Even in trying times, He finds a way to make His children feel special. Joseph was going through a difficult time. He had been falsely accused, but God continued to show him tender loving care.

Do you love God? Then expect His favour, for the set time to favour Zion is now.






WHAT IS NEXT?

The waiting period.

Psalm 105:19 Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the LORD tested him.

The promises of God sometimes do not come on a silver platter . God keeps to His words and promises. The Bible says that has He said it and will He not do it? 

God does what He says. We can vouch on His Words, for He watches over His Word to perform it. And yet still, we ought to understand that sometimes the period between when God speaks and when His promises come to pass can be trying.

David went through turmoil before he sat on the throne as a King, even though God had promised and anointed him as King when he was young.

Abraham had to endure many years of waiting before God came through with His promise. Abraham slightly became impatient and had Ishmael, but overall, he stayed in faith. His heart trusted in the Lord.

During David's waiting period, he proved that he respected divine authority,  he would not touch God's anointed. This was a trait God so much needed to see in the next King because the previous had no regard for divine authority. King Saul had shown contempt for divine order and had sacrificed in place of God's Prophet.

The waiting period in our lives are testing times to unravel what is truly in our hearts. It is a test of our faith. We must learn to stand on God's promises and keep trusting till we see them.



WHAT IS NEXT?

Waiting in expectation

When we receive a word from God, that Word will try us. Concerning Joseph,  it was written in Psalm 105:19 Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the LORD tested him.

The NLT Version puts it this way - Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the LORD tested Joseph's character.

God desires a heart that is sold out to Him. He wants us to worship Him in spirit and in truth. God allowed Job to be tested and tried to ascertain his true heart. 

God had boasted earlier on about Job's faithfulness, but then the devil dared Him to remove all that was pleasant in Job's life, and see if Job would still serve Him.

Do we serve God because of His promises, or because we love Him? Are we after the gift or the giver of the gift? God had revealed his plans about Joseph to him as a young boy. Joseph therefore knew he would become great by the grace of God.

 God needed to know if Joseph truly loved Him, or whether he was only after what God was going to make of him. Joseph was faithful to God through thick and thin. He proved his heart was for God, and that holiness was what he strove for.

His trials exposed his real character - his true self! Are you being tried? Stay faithful! You are writing a test. I do hope you pass it. Encourage yourself in the Lord!  











WHAT IS NEXT?

God serves just deserts

I love the Lord....He sets the stage beautifully for us to be glorified right before the eyes of our enemies. Our table of goodies is laid before our haters. God did not end at mocking Haman by glorifying Mordecai his enemy through his hand . God also worked through Esther to deliver the Jews from Haman's wicked plans. 

In the end, the King was angered and commanded that Haman be hanged. He was hanged on the tallest gallows which he had made for Mordecai.

Are you swamped by enemies? Stay put and pray, just like Esther and the Jews prayed, God shall fight for you and cause your enemies to make a mockery of themselves. Hallelujah! 

WHAT IS NEXT?

Our enemies shall make a mockery of themselves.

Haman was harbouring great hatred for the Jews. He nursed this hatred and planned to exterminate all Jews. His hatred for the Jews came as a result of a dislike he had for Mordecai because he had refused to bow to  him - Esther 3

Haman had been promoted and he allowed the promotion to go to his head. He tried to harm God's anointed. Haman's wife ill advised him in Esther 5:14 to build tall gallows to hang Mordecai on.

Well after, God's great sense of humour set in. He caused the King to stay awake. He simply could not sleep, and so he ordered for the book of the records of the Chronicles. He read them and  realised that at a point in time Mordecai had helped to save his life.

The King called on Haman - Esther 6:6-12  So Haman came in, and the king asked him, “What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?”

Now Haman thought in his heart, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?”

 7 And Haman answered the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, 8 let a royal robe be brought which the king has worn, and a horse on which the king has ridden, which has a royal crest placed on its head.

 9 Then let this robe and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that he may array the man whom the king delights to honor. Then parade him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!’”

10 Then the king said to Haman, “Hurry, take the robe and the horse, as you have suggested, and do so for Mordecai the Jew who sits within the king’s gate! Leave nothing undone of all that you have spoken.”

So Haman took the robe and the horse, arrayed Mordecai and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!”

12 Afterward Mordecai went back to the king’s gate. But Haman hurried to his house, mourning and with his head covered. 

WHAT IS NEXT?