Sunday Mornings

So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. Genesis 32:24 This is the common story we all know that Jacob encountered God and his name was changed, and his destiny was set clear. Due to the nature of the promise on the life of Jacob, God had been looking for several means of getting his attention. In Genesis 28:12-16, God went as far as engaging him in a vision we all know of, where angels were descending and ascending on a stair way linking heaven and earth. God spoke eventually to Jacob, but the man of God was not sensitive enough to engage God back. In fact, when he woke up, he was shocked to have found out that God was there and he knew not. God had been looking for several other opportunities to engage Jacob, and 4 chapters later, another encounter was on stage, but Jacob was going to miss out yet again. God came to Jacob when he was alone according to our anchor text, and suddenly a struggle began. Some of us are also engaged in this struggle with Go...

“ What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. “Teacher,” the blind man answered, “I want to see again.” Mark 10:51 Last week, God was showing us practically how we can experience Him. This week, He is taking us further through this very dramatic story of the blind man that He healed by the way side. The way that this blind man, just like everybody that ever had a recorded encounter with God got his is similar to that of Moses and his burning bush experience. Jesus was passing by [just as Jesus has always been passing by in our daily devotion periods, in our several churches during service and bible studies and prayer meeting] ; unfortunately and sad enough, Jesus passes by and never gets noticed by us most of the time. The blind man would have no rest till he cried OUT . This is the first issue that God wants to point to us from this experience. Many a times, we cry, but we cry to ourselves, but God is challenging us from this passage to cr...

So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses”. Exodus 3:4 Just like Moses, we have all had our “burning bush” experience. When we think about divine encounters we are always expecting God to come down in clouds of fire and visit us, but do you know that there are everyday activities that occur that God wants to use our “ curious ” nature to attract us to Him. When Moses saw the burning bush, he wanted to turn aside to see the great side, but that is not when the call of God was voiced out. God began to speak when “ He [the LORD] saw that he turned aside to look”. Faith without works is dead [also]. James 2:26b Without faith it is impossible to please God, but James is telling us that faith is not complete without works. That was the significant of the step that Moses made by actually turning aside, and not just perceiving it in His heart. As we go through this wee...

Romans 7: 21-25 21-23. It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. 24. I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question? 25. The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different. Jesus is the only one that can save us from the power of sin. If we surrender our lives completely to him; letting go of those pleasures and evil deeds (immorality, envy, pride, drunkenness, lust, lies, covetousness, unholy speech etc), HE will set us fr...

“those who come to me cannot be my disciples unless they love me more than they love father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and themselves as well.” Luke 14:26 ( GNB ). It will be shocking to know the group of people that Jesus was talking to in the verse of scripture that God is challenging our hearts with today. This on its own makes it a very sensitive matter that I feel everybody that is running this race of faith should be careful of. Luke 14:25 tells us that a large crowd was walking with Jesus, so he definitely was talking to the members of that crowd. The first issue that God will be bringing to us this week is the crowd syndrome. Most men that became heroes of faith that we refer to today in scriptures were never men of the crowd. They were not following Jesus in the crowd manner . It is very simple to be satisfied with the collective anointing in a crowd experience , and just because you are there, you benefit from heavenly out pouring, yet ...

“you are that man,” Nathan said to David. II Samuel 12:7a ( GNB ) Many times when we read the scriptures, it has no effect because we are not reading it as a medium through which God speaks to us as a man speaks with another man. We read the Bible like a regular novel. One of the potent ways that God speaks to us is via His written Word in scriptures. God’s Word is His comprehensive equipment for changing lives; meaning that God’s Word is for changing lives, but only at the point that you comprehend it. The Word of God was coming to David, and David was feeling that it was about a ‘certain man’, but through the help of God’s prophet, he was able to be corrected in his perception of the message. He got to know that he was that man. And God is pointing to us today, that it is us He is referring to on a daily basis when we study scriptures. The days of Abraham and Moses, and Paul are over. Reading about them, and just ending at knowing how thei...

“…In the same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 ( GNB ) What a responsibility on the head of every believer- to be a light. Light is only needed in darkness. Light makes a difference. The preceding verses, as illustrated in The Message Bible shows the depth of the responsibility more clearly. It is as though God is speaking emphatically to us, saying : “the place that you are is your “mountain”, the very mountain that I [the LORD] placed you on, what you are to do is just shine.” This mountain may include our intellect, our charisma, our beauty, our substance, our skills and talents, our place of work, our department, school, and so many to name; just anywhere you find yourself. It means that every place, and position that we find ourselves in (by God’s grace) is a strategic stand point that God has placed us, so that we can affect lives....