WHEN FELLOWSHIP BECOMES A STRUGGLE

 So I will ask us, 

What does fellowship (with God) mean to you?

What are the major areas of application for believers?

Samson - Fellowship is being "fellows" with God - There is a relationship where you and God share  and discuss stuff, you know him as Father and he knows you as son/daughter. Fellowship with God is our identity as believers. We can't say we are believers if we don't know he who saved us. It involves every area of our lives

Ayodele - Fellowship, for me means time spent enjoying the presence of God and just worshipping. The overall totality of my relationship, defined by worship. Its like my own personal time with the Holy Spirit. Bonding time

Debola - Building a relationship with him. Talking to him

Sumi - For me Fellowship is spending quality time with God

If fellowship is communication, what are the areas of application

Samson - As I said, it should be applied in every area of our lives. Fellowship is not just when we go to church and praise is going on and we are happy. Fellowship with God is also during our lowest moments, decision time, when having dinner, when watching a match...it is the constant connection to the Father at every moment/stage of our lives

Sumi - In all areas. From directions and instructions in all areas. For example Work, choices etc

When Fellowship becomes a struggle

Application area: Prayer and Studying the word

How many of us have struggled with fellowship (in terms of this application areas) or are currently struggling? What is it like?

Samson - Thank God for daily sharing on Word alive and daily prayers. 😩 Sometimes before you know it, you never do personal bible study for 3 days

Ayodele - me! Sometimes I am just tired or lazy. Some other times, I am distracted by too many  things. Work can be overwhelming but I realised that in the midst of that 'busyness', I still find time for other recreational things.

Precious - I have. The struggle is real, there are times when I get carried away with work, Bible study and prayers become a struggle, sometimes when I need something and it's not fourth coming it becomes a struggle to pray, other times I'm just tired internally

Remi - Me too, I will answer. There are times the struggle is like every Eke market day 😭 Some times, I'm praying fire but struggling with studying.  Also, struggling for me is not the absence of these things o. It is the zeal and energy involved. Like I'm praying and studying but I know I'm not really praying and studying. Everything is just lifeless and forced somehow

Sumi - Me. Most times tiredness and sleep. And procrastination too

First, I will like us to know that You are not alone

That struggle to come to God, that period of prayerlessness, you can read all the novels in the world but the minute you open bible, you are tired.

You are not alone

When it comes to fellowship, here are the struggle areas I've found so far:

- Distractions

- Consistency

- Time management

- Lack of Zeal

- Feeling disconnected

- Sin and Guild

- Laziness 

- Hope Deferred 

Pearl - Sin and guilt is it for me, along side fear of failure, due to past failure. Like what's the point of starting again now, when I know I won't be consistent?

I'm sure every believer (including our pastors), have experienced one area of struggle or the other in their walk. You probably can relate to one of these things or even all. Maybe you are currently struggling with prayer or studying the word. Or even both

Please note that the word struggling is not just the absence. That's another thing the devil does. You still have your You Version streaks so yes you are on course. But deep down, you know that something is not balanced.

Struggling is not just the absence of fellowship. People can be in a marriage and struggle to make it work

Acknowledging where you are in your fellowship with God is a great starting place. You can't move forward without it. And no, it is nothing to be ashamed of.

For some of us, we are "prayer warriors" o. In fact, as we are finishing prayers like this, we are updating everybody on status with "Rhema"

In fact, it is the Rhema that pushes us to fellowship. We are trying to feed the world but deep down, we neva chop belleful (for the non Nigerians, this means we have not eaten to the full ourselves)

Prayer warrior but deep down, you know you are struggling

One thing the devil does so well is help you to believe a lie to massage your ego. As long as you have made yourself believe there is no problem, you will keep going down that line

The worst will be spiritual leaders or those with spiritual gifts. In seasons of prayerlessness and not studying the word, you will be surprised you can raise the dead.

The grave will still listen to you and tear open when you speak, so you pat yourself on the back that all is well but all is not well

And then you back this lack of fellowship up with work.

You try to substitute work with fellowship but they are not the same.

The time we spend with God should be way more than the time we spend ministering God to people.

Our first step is acknowledging that this is where we are. A lot of us are still doing hard guy with God

There is nobody that walks in love with God not marked by vulnerability. So first, acknowledge that there is something wrong

This helps me a lot 

I can tell you that since my prayer life peaked between 2016 and 2017, I'm not sure I've stayed struggling with fellowship for more than a week. I'm quick to spot that something is wrong. 

I do not think that I'm bigger than something being wrong

So immediately something is wrong, I see it and get back on track

I'm going to share a story

I'm sure I've shared it with you guys before but I will again

Dec 31st 2015, watch night service.

After the service, everyone had gone to the city centre to watch fireworks. I stayed behind with my pastor and church keyboardist and we started praying.

We prayed for about 2 hours that day and my pastor asked all 3 of us to commit to praying everyday at midnight for the next 6 months.

Almost 6 years after, I have not stopped

That same December, I had broken up with the person I was dating for no reason. Little did I know that God was calling me into something deeper and distractions had to be cut off. You know I said me and my pastor prayed for 3 hours the first night. As we left the church, all 3 of us set an alarm for 12 midnight.

So the next day, I had to continue alone.

I prayed, prayed and prayed. Prayed for like 10 hours, opened my eyes to check time and it was still 12:05am

So all that long prayer was just 5 minutes 😭😭😭 I wanted to die. It was easier to pray for hours with other people cos we can take from each other's fire. In fact, after we left church that day I remember getting home to continue praying and I stayed there for long.

I basically was fueled up from the group prayers

But as it remained only me, fuel finished and 5 minutes felt like 5 days

It was at that time I knew I was in for a ride

But I was also ready for the ride

Another sad part to this my story was that my tongues vocabulary was really low. Na just one sentence I sabi then. I'm not sure I had up to 8 syllables 😭

Tongues help a lot in prayers as they cover all the things our human minds cannot. But me I was limited at that time. So I had to make do with the language of man. Tough ride o but I rode still.

Day 2, same thing.

I was still struggling

I had roommates then, so it was also very distracting.

We are watching originals together and my alarm goes off (one thing I never did was choose any other thing over my prayer time).

I will stand up and go start prayer in my corner but I'm hearing someone shout "Klaus has killed him, eh God". I'm thanking God but I'm also longing to know who Klaus killed.

Or I'm praying and I open my eyes to somebody kissing their boyfriend in the room.

It got to a point, I wrote on a stick note "Remi you will die if you don't pray" and placed around me. Cos it looked like the devil was working hard to ensure I don't pray

5 minutes

5 minutes turned to 10 minutes, then 15 minutes.

And then 1 hour

Sometime in 2017, I found out I had prayed for over 5 hours on my own unplanned.

Like I had just stayed in fellowship, enjoying  God

I cried that day, cos I knew where I was coming from. 5 hours turned to 8 hours then 24 full hours, 2 days non stop....Without fuel from other people

How did I move from struggling to pray and study for 5 minutes to fellowshipping for hours? Yes, the 5 minutes included bible study, praise and worship and prayer 😂.

It was that bad for me

Intentionality

This was my number one step

I wanted God, I wasn't even sure of all the details. But I knew that I wanted Him so I took that step

You will have to be intentional with choosing Fellowship.

Life is busy

There is so much noise around us

So much dragging for your attention

You have to make that choice yourself

Be intentional with studying the word and praying.

If you can read this and you currently struggle with consistency in any of prayer and the word, immediately go to your alarm. Fix a time you know you are mostly free and can be alone. You can fix both together or fix them separately.

Let me tell you a truth, you won't survive by vibes.

You have to be intentional about being consistent and this is your first step

Pick a time and make it a date with God.

Pick it now

Don't procrastinate

Jesus had a habit of fellowship with God

A few days later, Jesus went out to a mountain to pray. He stayed there all night praying to God. Luke 6:12 ERV

After he said goodbye to them, he went up into the hills to pray. Mark 6:46 ERV

Word Alive daily prayers will not replace your own personal fellowship. The daily reading schedule can serve as your personal guide though but you must read on your own too even as you come online to check what others share.

My alarm was set for 12 midnight, I remember days when I'm watching movies with my roommates.

Before my alarm goes off, Martina is already telling me it's almost 12 o, you will not go and pray.

Sometimes I want to continue the movie with them but I had unknowingly built a habit that the people around me had also noticed

So I'd stand up and move to my bed. There were days I'd go into the toilet to pray if I was feeling too distracted 

There were days I'd go out in the snow and take a prayer walk. If you know me well, you will know how much I dislike twitter but not even a -15°C could stop me

I used to miss class cos of cold 🙈 but not prayers.

I went all out for it (and yes, I had the help of God. I was so mightily helped by God. Will explain this part next week). So yes, fix a time for your prayer and study. Can be same time and can be separately.

But pick a time you are sure you will be free and set that alarm now.

Name it as you would

If you find yourself struggle, remember that it is normal. 5 minutes was 5 days for me for a long time.

Let that be your motivation

For those of us scared to start over again. You've been here before and it feels like you keep coming back

Hmmmmm.

I will share a story again

Between 2009 and 2011, I was in an organisation called FECA (myself and Precious). At some point, we were praying 1am everyday. Note that there was no zoom then.

I had a torchlight phone in 2009. I set alarm for that time, stand up, read the bible and pray for 1 hour.

I didn't have YouTube to play music in the background. So it was just me and my paper back bible

Somehow, life happened and I stopped praying

I was still praying o

I was praying in the midst of brethren

I was doing those rush prayers (plus Jesus minus Satan every morning)

I was opening my bible when the church/fellowship opened bible

I was even praying alone too but vibes and when it entered my head or I wanted something from God

Between 2012 and 2015, I moved from this to struggling to pray for 5 minutes

It can happen to anybody. Be ready to start prying again tomorrow. If I stop praying today, I will start praying again tomorrow

If I notice that I stopped reading my bible today, I will start again tomorrow

I will share a secret with you I do not think of myself as one that cannot struggle with fellowship

Nobody is bigger than it. So when it happens, e don happen be that

Holy Spirit, where do we start from cos my strength has failed as usual. Carry me

It's really this simple

And I move on

The early days of starting back may be difficult but I don't send

I know I will get back fully on track

Don't beat yourself over it

Even the 3 closest people to Christ slept off when they were meant to pray. God did not beat them over it. Stop holding it over your head

That's also a tactic of the enemy to keep you from God. If you fail, you start again and again and again. If you find it difficult to start over yourself, get someone to kickstart you.

Join prayer groups and refill there

Speak with a friend to join you in your fixed prayer time for a short while till you are able to stand on your own

But that feeling that you will still fail again at it so no need to try again, please let it go.

If you don't have a study plan, you can start with the reading schedule for Word Alive.

Be faithful with it and you will see growth.

You will hear God speak to you.

The "biggest" Rhema I've gotten is while reading from the schedule.

And it's amazing cos it's just random, there is no topic in mind.

I'm reading the word, open mindedly through the lens of Jesus.

You can also check You Version for devotionals or church devotionals

Just make sure you start.

GOD'S PLAN ARE BLESSED

1. When God guides, He provides
What God directs, He protects.
Blessings untold are waiting for you,
As God guides and directs the things that you do.

2. Trust in the Lord with your heart, I say,
You will hear His voice, "This is the way."
Desires from Him, they will come,
Your heart bears witness, this is the one.


3. Vision accomplished, desire achieved,
Results of a heart, willing to believe.
God's plans unfolding as a dream in the night
Your acceptance guarantees His power and might.

4. The struggle is over, the battle is done,
When you've waited in prayer, to hear from the son.
His voice is clear, the captain has spoken,
'Go forward now! - the enemy's power is broken!'

5. Rest - for you a way of life.
Gone are the days of worry and strife
You've come to the place of knowing His way,
God's plans are blessed, for you to believe and obey

Today, with this confession as a guide (it was actually shared as a poem or so, not as a confession but it became by confession), we will be talking on God's plan with the reminder that His plans are indeed blessed

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord , thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Jeremiah 29:11 KJV

Sometimes we are in doubt of the plans of God for us, but here is a reassurance from God. He is very sure of the plans He has for us, He knows definitely that they've not changed.

They are of Good and not evil. They are blessed and aimed towards a future filled with Hope

 We all know that truly God's plans are blessed. We know our papa loves us so much. This is so easy to agree with when things are going well and visible in accordance with what we know about God's plans for us individually

But what happens when everything is not looking like the plan and it is repeatedly so.

The vision we've been given and our current realities are so much far apart.

We are even beginning to question if we are truly running with the right vision or we missed something along the line

you've just been diagnosed of this life threatening disease and it's changing your whole life

You got to work last week only to meet a dismissal letter

Your parents' health just went from 100-0. You might need to crowd fund to take care of them. Chances of survival are still slim

You've been searching for a job tirelessly, yet nothing

So much debt hanging on your neck but inside the plan that you've been told God has for you, you are the one lending to nations

Your friends have progressed in life/left you behind  and it seems like everyone is deserting you

You and rejection mails have been 5 and 6 for a while

The partner you've been praying with for years just worked out on your relationship

For someone, the Lord has said do xyz. You've been so faithful to it but it looks like nothing is coming from it.

You wrote down the vision. You are sure you heard it clearly.

You've been running by it but things keep going wrong.

You take 1 step forward and it feels like a win only for something to happen and drag you 10 steps backwards

Any spiritually minded person sees you and immediately they tell you: you are such a great person. God's plans for you are amazing. He will use you so much for His glory

It's sweet to hear but you've heard it so many times, it is becoming tiring. For decades, messages like this have come but nothing has come out of it.

Truly, life has a way of throwing challenges, so much that we are trusting o but we are not really trusting.

We are "frustratedly trusting"

Don't know if anyone can picture this or understand what I mean

I can relate to these things.

I've been here a lot of times

I get really tired and I'm wondering, when exactly will this thing happen

Especially when it feels like I'm close to something and everything scatters. I look at the vision and I wonder again, did I miss anything?

Because at this point, local man is tired.

I don't know where you fall in all of these. I don't know what is going on in your life. But the Lord has sent me to you, He has sent me to me. He says His plans are blessed, they truly are, even with all of these plenty challenges.

I'm reminded of Joseph. At 17, he dreamt of becoming king. He was sure of the vision, so sure that He even told it to his brothers. It took 22 years for this dream to come to pass (His brothers coming to bow before him).

First, he had to be a slave then next a prisoner.

This was not in the outline he received.

All he saw was his family  bowing before him.

I wonder if Joseph ever thought of his dream  while in prison. How did it make him feel? How much of an irony that'd have been.

Some things happen to me and I'm just there like, God we didn't discuss this part. Is this one supposed to be part of the t & c too cos I'm tired.

God's plans are blessed

Let's look at the story of Daniel briefly. The King had gathered young men in the city to learn the language of the Chaldeans. Daniel and his friends were part of these young men.

(Daniel 1:17).

If we read the chapter fully, we see that God gave Daniel and his friends special ability that others learning did not have.

In the second year of the King's reign, he started having dreams.

None of the Chaldeans and wise men the king was training people to be like could tell him his dream or interpret.

But Daniel and his friends prayed to God who revealed to them.

This led to Daniel becoming the Chief Magi. He was to train all magis in the reading of stars, interpretations, dreams, vision etc since the wise men and Chaldeans were not up to the task

Daniel began a new "school" sort of for training magis (of course he'd have done it as God wished)

600 years before Christ but all of these was a setup towards the acknowledgement of Christ as king and the visitation of the magis. Magis trained in the ways Daniel had laid down would someday see a star in the sky and know exactly what it means.

They'd leave all and come in fulfillment of scripture to bow before the one born king.

Did Daniel know this? No!

Was it part of God's plan? Yes

We see that truly God's plans are blessed and even they span over time.

When God guides, He provides

 What God directs, He protects.

Blessings untold are waiting for you,

As God guides and directs the things that you do.

When God guides, He provides

We see the story of Abraham. God asked him to satisfy his only son, Isaac. Abraham didn't question, not because he was not sad but he had been in God's plan for a while. He had walked in it and he understood that there were blessings in it no matter how absurd the instruction is. No matter what the next step took from him. He knew that regardless, God had a plan and whatever it was it'd be to his advantage.

Then Abraham noticed a ram whose horns were caught in a bush. So Abraham went and took the ram. He offered it, instead of his son, as a sacrifice to God. So Abraham gave that place a name, “The Lord Provides.” Even today people say, “On the mountain of the Lord, he will give us what we need.”

Genesis 22:13‭-‬14 ERV

The ram was not provided at the point where Abraham got the instruction. He was already on the move when the ram came.

He did not know who was bringing it before time. Abraham was not busy trying to figure it out. He went out with the instruction.

Also, I believe the ram had been there before Abraham got to the place.

He just did not see it. The bible says "Then Abraham noticed a ram.. "

I don't know what God has asked you to do and probably it is looking like there is no resources.

God has told you xyz but no provision to accomplish

Know this: On the mountain of the Lord (Inside the plan of the Lord), there will SURELY be provisions

The Lord will give all that you need, when you need it

(not one minute late)

When God directs, He protects.

We see that Elisha was following God's direction. Even the people benefited from the protection that came from following God's directions

But the man of God sent a message to the king of Israel. Elisha said, “Be careful! Don’t go by that place, because the Aramean soldiers are hiding there!”  The king of Israel sent a message to his men at the place that the man of God warned him about. And the king of Israel saved quite a few men.

2 Kings 6:9‭-‬10 ERV

Because of the directions God gave Elisha, the king of Haram sent an army to surround and kill him.

But God protected Elisha still

Elisha’s servant got up early that morning. When he went outside, he saw an army with horses and chariots all around the city. The servant said to Elisha, “Oh, my master, what can we do?”  Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid. The army that fights for us is larger than the army that fights for Aram.”  Then Elisha prayed and said, “Lord, I ask you, open my servant’s eyes so that he can see.” The Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and the servant saw the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire. They were all around Elisha.

2 Kings 6:15‭-‬17 ERV

Sometimes, we are like these servants, crying : "Lord, what shall we do"

But the Lord is telling us to look around, we are protected

For the remaining days of this year, our eyes are opened to God's protection that is always around us.

Amen

Trust in the Lord with your heart, I say,

You will hear His voice, "This is the way."

Desires from Him, they will come,

Your heart bears witness, this is the one.

Like Abraham, put all your trust in God. Knowing that He will provide, that He will lead, guide and direct

Knowing that truly the vision is for an appointed time. Though it tarries, surely it will come to pass.

Though everything happening is not looking like the vision, trust that God's plans are truly blessed

March 2018, the Holy spirit showed me something.

I was sitting on a stool, no handle or place to rest my back.

The stool was placed at the edge of a cliff.

The Cliff was very high, like really high and tiny.

All around it, deep waters.

Then the Spirit told me to rest my back.

Me: on what?

He told me to lean backwards

On what?

I'm already so scared sitting on that cliff, now I should lean completely as if there was a chair I'm relaxing on?

I'm going to fall inside the deep waters, that was certain.

I couldn't even look down properly cos I was scared. Now I should lean.

Then the Spirit told me, that this is what it is to depend on God, trust in His word and know that His love will not let me fall inside that water waiting to swallow

This is what it means to trust.

You know that leaning is the end of you but you also know that the one you lean on will not allow such end

It is very difficult to allow ourselves fall back with hope that someone will come and hold us.

From personal experience, I've come to know our trusting in God is our last resort

Like we've tried other cards that didn't work and it's just the God option left. Just like the woman with the issue of blood, she had exhausted all resources before Jesus. 12 years of carrying that problem.

Sometimes, we prolong some phases inside of this blessed plan of God for our lives, because we refuse to trust completely.

Our realities, natural senses, situations etc tilt us to walk by sight.

But you see God's plan, as blessed as it is, human sight cannot catch a glimpse of the process..

It takes trusting the one that gave the plan

Ignore your reality

Ignore the doctor's report

Forget the economy and absence of "provision"

Leave yourself at the complete mercy of God.

It's sweet to talk about o but very difficult. I know this because the decision to trust is daily. Even I sometimes forget to.

I know I'm to trust God but a problem comes up and I'm worried. I'm springing into action trying to fix or work it out.

Hmmm. God's plans are blessed but you need to trust Him to work it out. And you will hear Him when you do. He will show you the way. You will be certain of the steps to take.

I will leave verse 3 & 4 for us and jump to the last.

This is the most beautiful part of this confession for me. 

Rest - for you a way of life.

I changed the you on the paper at some point to "me".

When we learn to believe that truly the plans of God for us are blessed, that He will provide, protect and all we need do is trust, we experience peace.

We come to a place of rest.

Gone are the days of worry and strife

We are not worrying or struggling, not because there is nothing to worry about but because we are at the complete mercy of God.

The plan does not belong to me. If it looks like it is not working? The owner of the plan should do the worrying 😁

You've come to the place of knowing His way,

And when we stay here, we already have expo. It becomes easier. Struggles are no longer struggles. We are almost cruising through it all.

People will look at you and wonder how you have it all together but you know you don't have it all together, only God does.

God's plans are blessed, for you to believe and obey

Hmmmm..

Indeed, God has plans for you. God has plans for me.

And they are really blessed plans

Regardless of circumstances, please believe this. Never ever doubt it

Life will tell you otherwise o. Things will not make sense but don't ever doubt

God's plans are blessed, first for you to believe then obey the instructions He gives.

If you do not believe and obey, you can't walk with the plan talk less of enjoying the blessings from it.

I will like us to google William Cowper. This man had life deal with him seriously. He was heavily depressed. Nothing made sense to him. He had experience a whole lot of pain, a whole  lot. Life had no meaning. He became a believer through John Newton (author of amazing Grace) and it was John who encouraged him to write poems to be Sung by the church.

God moves in mysterious ways was written by William Cowper. He didn't write this song when everything became rosy.

If we look at this hymn from the pain Cowper was going through, just maybe we will understand the hymn better.

(funny enough, my dad sent same hymn to me 2 days ago)

“God Moves in a Mysterious Way” by William Cowper

God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform; he plants his footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines, of never-failing skill; he fashions up his bright designs, and works his sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints fresh courage take, the clouds that you much dread, are big with mercy and will break in blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust him for his grace; behind a frowning providence, he hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour; the bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err, and scan his work in vain; God is his own interpreter, and he will make it plain.

The verse 4 says to judge not the Lord by feeble sense

The Lord says, “My thoughts are not like yours. Your ways are not like mine.  Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8‭-‬9 ERV

Whatever is going on in your life, God's purposes will ripen very fast. Don't forget to trust God's plan and His wisdom to see it through.

God's plans are blessed. He is the interpreter of His plans and He will make it plain.

Let us Pray

Spirit of the Living God, we thank you for teaching us so much in such little time. 

Lord, we thank you for your blessed plans concerning our lives.

We thank you because we know that despite all that might be going on, we are safe inside of your plans.

Help us to always knows this

Help us to trust in you be at your complete mercy.

Help us to follow your lead and rest in your promises.

Help is to never forget that truly we are inside of your blessed plan

Amen

SPIRITUAL VULNERABILITY AND SINCERITY

A lot of people see vulnerability as a bad thing cos when we are vulnerable we are at risk of being hurt the most. We see it as us giving allowance for people to hurt us.

But being vulnerable goes beyond this.

Vulnerability is the core of all true emotions and feelings

It is us taking the risk to expose ourselves emotionally, allowing ourselves feel truly, being willing to expose our truth, being willing to allow ourselves be seen just as we are without fear or shame of the reality of who we are

There is something about exposing our truths, usually they are shameful, scary, they are things we'd rather not open up about

A lot of us pretend to be all that we are not and this happens for so long that we live in denial of our reality.

We start thinking ourselves to be all we are not

To be vulnerable is to be exposed without wanting to cover up, holding nothing back.

Ready to face the (our) truths that confront us in this place.

It is the courage and strength to see ourselves as we really are even as we depend on God's Grace in becoming all that we've been called as

To be vulnerable is to strip ourselves, to let loose our guard.

It is in the place of vulnerability that we share our brokenness in order to display the  surpassing power and sufficiency of Christ and the gospel.

It is in this place of vulnerability that we are transformed increasingly into the likeness of Christ

Let me break it down,
To be vulnerable is to accept your weakness enough that it points us to the sufficiency of Jesus and our strength in Him - "We cannot accept strength if we do know that we are weak"

Vulnerability in itself is not what is bad, it is what we see when we are vulnerable that we usually don't like

Why are we talking about Spiritual Vulnerability and Sincerity?


It is a big part of our Christian life though most people don't know

Especially for those of us that have grown to a certain stage in our spiritual walk

We do not know how to be children anymore before God.

We can't believe that with all of our knowledge, we still did certain things so we cover up or pretend those things didn't happen

Sometimes we give excuses for those things

We forget in these moments that we actually do not have any strength to do the right thing

We forget that Christ is our sufficiency and especially in days as these, we should hold on to Him

We forget that we are open before God, nothing is hidden and He still loves us regardless.

Instead, we form hard guy, hard guy

We lose our spiritual fervor. We realize we've not been praying, though we still hear from God and get revelations whenever we study but we know there is no fellowship.

We can't just accept "a whole us" is going through this, so we pretend as if all is well

And when we speak with people, we lie about our spiritual lives too. This one comes very easy

We do not open up, Not to God, not to humans or communities we belong to

Same with when Christians make mistakes/sin

We shield ourselves

We hide in our weakness instead of baring and allowing Christ be our strength

Looking back now, I just wonder

Did I really think God wasn't aware? Like who was I deceiving?

What was I protecting or hiding?

Hebrews  4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Gen 3:9 God called to the Man: "Where are you?"

10 He said, "I heard you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked. And I hid."


11 God said, "Who told you you were naked? Did you eat from that tree I told you not to eat from?"

Not one thing is hidden from God. Not even our thoughts

Imagine going to a doctor and lying you have fibroid when it is pregnancy

Does that stop the pregnancy from growing?

If you insist from now till next year that it is fibroid, does it change the baby to blood clots

Pretending that pregnancy is fibroid  does not change the pregnancy is fibroid

Man had sinned

And the first instinct was to run into hiding.

Sin always wants to be covered.

Of course it is shameful and the enemy uses this as a tool to help us cover it well

But we are not doing is covering it, we are actually hiding in it.

Now look at God's reaction to sin from the verse we shared.

While sin is saying hide me, hide me

God is calling out, Where are you?

He really is not seeing your lust issue. He is not seeing your anger issue. He sees beyond that


Because of Christ's covering, He sees Him in you. And though He knows all that you think you are hiding, He is not focused on that. His Where are you? is not to beat you up for all you've done wrong

God is calling us to stop trying to cover our sins cos that's a failed attempt even before we start

He is calling us to Christ as our covering Garment


There is a reason Adam and Eve still hid after covering themselves with fig, the fig was not enough covering.

Even the hiding place they found did not take away the feeling of embarrassment and shame


Christ is our only hiding place

When we allow ourselves to be vulnerable. We see how our lost condition. But God confronts us with something so much better, the truth of who we are in Him


It's like me coming to Nonso that I don't have clothes. All I have to wear is rag. (Note that Nonso has bags of expensive clothes in my name). He will not shout at me for wearing rags.

He will show me the clothes that belong to me

These are your clothes, the belong to you. Put them on

He will help me put them on

I will leave better than I came, with expensive designer wears instead of the rags I came with.

I leave knowing I am much more than I thought I was

Back to Adam, If Adam's response to God's call was Sincerity, we might not be here to be honest.

Adam refused vulnerability and Sincerity and that itself is a sin problem.

When we try to cover up, pretend or make excuses for our sins, we allow ourselves wallow deeper in sin

Some of us take this to our secret place. The place of prayer, which should be the place we open up to God totally, where we hold nothing back. Like even God is not holding anything back o.

Some of us hide there too


The secret place is no place for secrets. Whoever comes to God must come with a plain heart, ready to bare it all. I don't call my friend, Precious, to meet me at a secret place only to end up telling her lies.

Does that make sense?

Is that friendship?

God knows us. He sees our darkest parts even more than we do. He understands us more than anyone else, more than we do ourselves. So what is there to hide?

If God already sees all, why do I still have to be vulnerable and sincere? Can't He just fix all without us talking or going over this?

God knowing those dark areas is not an invitation to shine His light in the darkness.

Without us opening up, His light will be meeting a shielded wall.

We have to come before Him plainly.

Judas had a stealing problem, more like not contented. Though He saw Jesus daily, that problem wasn't fixed. Of course Jesus knew Judas' problem

Judas pretended. I'm sure he acted like he really loved people and wanted to help from the purse he was keeping. He refused to admit or give that part of him up.

How can Judas, that went with other disciples to cast demons come out to say he touches the offering he is keeping?

How?

He rather kept that dark part and it consumed him

God wants us to pour our hearts to Him

This secret brought a certain kind of closeness I can't explain to my prayer life.

Am I liking a boy and I don't really like the way my thoughts are drifting? Bet I'm telling God in prayers.

You'd actually think I was talking to My girls

Sometimes I get tired of praying and I just struggle and struggle cos I must pray. I go back to God. I really can't do this on my own.

I've learnt to never be ashamed before God.

To lay it all bare.

Have you noticed this, when you discuss something secret with your friend, it redirects your relationship. It feels like it opens them to you also. Everyone starts pouring out their hearts

I've seen this play out in my prayer life. I tell God the darkest secrets I have and He shares deep secrets I'd never have known with me.

Secrets about Him
Secrets about Me.
Me in Him
My identity in Him

And I'm just there like, so this is who I am.

Like this is really who I am?.

When we open up to God sincerely, He responds by opening up to us also. We tell Him a secret, He reveals a secret (revelational truth) about Himself or our identity in Him.

Being sincere and vulnerable before God is not spiritual weakness, it comes from a place of trust and deep intimacy.

Knowing we can tell God anything and we will leave the secret place better than we came.

God wants us to be like little children with Him, wanting to share every area and aspect of our lives with Him.

 God wants us to gist with Him about everything as we do with our most intimate friends. Sweet part, He also wants to reciprocate this gesture.

In pouring out our hearts (all of it), we establish intimacy.

Make the decision to open up to God sincerely (in every area), like a baby, in loving abandonement. Be vulnerable and sincere before Him. Allow Him draw you close to Him, Lifting your burdens, covering you with a cloak of comfort and pulling you into His warm embraces.

Psalms  62:8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Our out your heart longings. Pause in His presence and just pour it all out

God is the safest place! Don't be afraid of what you will be revealing in vulnerability. He is safe

Trust Him at all times.

Allow yourself to be vulnerable at all times

Come as a child at all times (as that is what we really are)

When we refuse to be vulnerable, it is not usually fear that God is not safe. Sometimes it is pride
Some other times, it is shame. That shame of seeing ourselves as we are

But you want to know how Safe God is, He doesn't even allow us feel that shame when we come to Him.

Christ becomes our covering

He doesn't shame us or go over our mistakes 100 times

He clothes us with the Christ Garment

If you are finding it difficult to pray, speak with another Christian. Pray together with them

My friends and I do this always. Things people would never believe anyone of us can do, the day it happens, no hiding.

We come open.
We pray together
Encourage ourselves with the word.

I keep shouting accountability here, it is because it has helped me greatly.

I don't know how to hide myself o.

Here is to you all

I really do not know what you are struggling with, but I want you to know that God is a safe place. Don't be scared to be vulnerable with Him

I pray for everyone that this teaching is not just read and pass for us.
That we make efforts to do this, the enemy doesn't succeed in tricking us into hiding.

I pray that the revelational truths that hit us change our lives forever and even those that meet us.

Amen

REPENTANCE

We will be talking on REPENTANCE today and our teaching will be interactive

A lot of us have heard: Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand
Some of us even use it.
What really does repentance mean to us?
A change of heart after the realization that one is wrong.

Wikipedia defines it as the process of reviewing one's actions and feeling contrition towards past, and *this is accompanied by commitment to change for the better*

I love this so much.

Repentance is not just me checking my actions to see if they align with God's word.
It is not just me feeling bad for those actions
But rather making efforts to change and being commited to this decision

Let's read Matthew 3:1-2

When it was the right time, John the Baptizer began telling people a message from God. This was out in the desert area of Judea. John said, “Change your hearts and lives, because God’s kingdom is now very near. ” 
Matthew 3:1‭-‬2 ERV 

John's message was a call to repentance.
Like I said, repentance is not being sorry about your mistakes.
It is okay to feel sorry but don't stop there

Repentance is not a feelings word but an action word.

It is a charge

A charge to make a change of  heart/direction.

Now I want to ask, Is Repentance something we must do before we come to Christ?

It's a YES and NO.
Repentance is totality of what coming to God looks like

Repentance is the first call to Christ.
First from John, Jesus, Paul and even the disciples when they were sent.

Another thing about John's message, He didn't say You are a sinner, so you must change your ways.


It says: Change your ways because the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand
Our repentance is a response to the message that the kingdom of heaven is here.

Another thing, the call to repentance is not a suggestion.
Everytime it was mentioned, it was (is) a command.

Turn away!
Stop what you are doing!
Change!

In the old testament when people repent, we see them tearing their clothes, tearing down idolatrous statues

Is Repentance only for unbelievers? Nope Everybody



Great.

The call to repentance is for everyone.
If we do not see anything wrong or a need to change, then we cannot change.

You can't turn back unless there is a Conviction you are moving the wrong way.

So if we as Christians do not constantly check ourselves, we might keep doing certain things the wrong way

So we can basically say, one of the first step to repentance is laying that sin bare, keeping it in the open.

Do we remember when Prophet Nathan came to David after he sinned?

Repentance didn't happen until that sin was brought open and acknowledged by David.

So before we can be delivered from something, we must first undeceive ourselves


You cannot stop watching porn if you do not treat it as the sin that it is

You cannot stop lying if you take it as just and it's not really a big deal

And this is why I keep hammering on Christians covering or hiding their sins.

It makes it harder to stop.

We should always check ourselves for spiritual fervor, faithfulness, alertness, love, obedience, purity and growth.

.
Our spirits should always search diligently if there is anything we need to repent of (change or turn away from doing)

God has a purpose not just for you or me as a person but for US.

And when I say us , I mean God and I, you and God

It's a partnership

And partnership calls for responsibility on our end

Call your sins in the worst possible terms, exactly how bad it is so you know why you need to stay away from them.

As Christians, we should master the art of repentance.
We should be quick to it

Don't argue or try to defend your shortcoming.

Especially when we are faced with the truth of the word of God.
This one pierces so much
Let's allow it change us
Don't run away from it

I believe Christians should focus very much on iniquities.
A lot of us feel because we don't commit fornication, steal or we are not gay, we are better

You see all those faults hidden in subtle areas of iniquities, they are worse

You see even pastors and leaders guilty of them and this is because most people don't know.

Pride, covetousness, envy, unbelief, rebellion, selfishness, overambition

All these things in their littlest form are as dangerous as the "worse sin" you can ever think of.

Some of us don't know we are proud
A whole lot of knowledgeable Christians are actually but we don't know.

Always Wanting what others have in a self seeking manner.
You see a Pastor healing the sick and you want to heal too, not because of the sick o but also because of how that will make you feel or people revere you

These little little things, are Big.

They shouldn't be overlooked

We should acknowledge them as what they are

Repentance is not to focus on sin or kill ourselves over it

When you notice and acknowledge, what is next?

Repentance

And making a conscious effort to change

Yes, you make changes.

But on our own, we will struggle
So here we are back to God

Fix your gaze upon Him, see Him in the beauty of His Holiness
When you gaze long enough, you See your true reflection in God

You see all what He has called you to be in Him

When we fix our gaze on God, we see God's unconditional acceptance of us. We see His wish, dedication and commitment in making us just like Him.

Then our lives start reflecting all that we see gazing upon Him

*The Call to repentance is the call to fix our Gaze upon God*

To be conscious of how He sees us, of His Grace, His changing power and love

Let us pray.
Thank you Father for your word.
We pray that you reveal to us those subtle areas we need to repent and change from.

Help us to keep our gaze fixed on you always
To be conscious of your Grace.

Amen

HEARING GOD

 Today, we will be talking about something very important : HEARING GOD

 There have been a lot of questions as regards this and we try to answer then bit by bit but today we will talk about it fully

 *Have you heard God speak before?

 *Have you felt it that God is asking you to do something before?

 *You hearing from God personally and God using others to speak to you,  which happens more often?

*Do you sometimes find it difficult to know if it's God speaking?

  One thing I've come to see about most Christians is this,  we talk to God always (more like talk at)  cos we usually don't expect a reply or wait for any.
Even if He gives one,  we are not certain if it's God speaking or it's just our mind.
I think every Christian has been here at a point In their life and so many of us are still there

I'm reminded of the altar erected by the Greeks in Acts 17, with the inscription "TO AN UNKNOWN GOD"
A lot of us still relate with God this way

As if He were unknown
 One of the greatest benefits of the coming of Christ Is a relationship with God,  one where we get to rub minds together. Both parties sharing themselves with one another

 That image of the strict father that wants to send you to hell the minute you mess up,  first of all cancel it.

That's not what Christ came for.
He is the loving father that wants to gist with us,  wants us to know Him and even though He already knows us,  He still allows us to tell Him things about Him

He carefully pays attention while we talk with so much love and adoration.
And He expects same from us.

What Christ brought is Intimacy.

 But what is Intimacy when it's just one person talking every time?

For all our questions about hearing God,  it's never a case of God not speaking.  It is usually us not hearing (more like not listening)

 Game of thrones is showing every Monday from tomorrow.
  If I fail to tune in to watch,  does it mean the show is not going on?

 If I fail to tune in to Bond Fm's daily morning show,  does it mean the speaker did not come or did not speak?
No

God transmits,  He speaks.
The problem usually lies with the receiver.

Sometimes,  we go to God,  ask and ask and ask.  Then we end.

Praying without listening is like switching off your phone after calling for help.

The people you called for help,  how do they reach you?

Like AW Tozer will say: It is God's Nature to speak

 In hearing God,  We need to check the following things. If we do not understand them,  we might have a challenge hearing

•  Know that God speaks and that you can hear

The first step is knowing and accepting that you can hear from God.  If you do not believe that He can speak to you,  you will most likely not hear whatever He has to say to you.

John  16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

 The Holy Spirit,  the seal of our relationship with the father,  our engagement ring,  When He comes (He is here already), His job will be to guide us into all truth.  He will tell all we need to know

All that the Father is saying.

It did not say The Spirit of God will speak to a select people

Everyone of us can hear

My own sheep will hear my voice and I know each one, and they will follow me.*
John 10:27 TPT

So first,  know and accept that you can hear God speak.  Don't doubt it.
Don't think it's just for some certain people or leaders in church.

• Understanding that hearing from God is not a luxury.

Now we know we can hear (from) God but we also should know that we NEED to hear God.

Because,  the Shepherd will always speak to guide the sheep, it is very important for the sheep to hear

 We don't just wait to stumble upon hearing God.

 Hearing God is a must for as many of us that call ourselves sons.

When you meet your partner or your friend and you talk to them,  do you think in your mind,  "maybe he will talk.  Maybe he will not talk?"

No,  you don't.

If you say something while you are talking on phone and the person on the other end says nothing,  you will be worried

 Are they okay?
Is this person ignoring me?
Is something wrong with the connection?

The same way we know we have to hear our friend's voice when we are gisting,  is the same way we know that we need to hear God.

Let's Read Romans 8:14

Romans  8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

It says,  For as many as are led.
If we say we are children,  then there has to be a leading.
To lead is to direct,  to guide,  to show.
"Follow this path"

"We might not be able to follow that path again o,  the road is bad. we stop at that junction and turn left"

 "Let's wait for the car to pass before we cross"

 I don't know if we've had encounter with a tour guide before.

They are always speaking

 "You can't climb this part of the Olumo rock at so and so time"

"If you take that route,  you will get lost"

 And sometimes,  the tour guides even gist with us outside the instructions on what to do and what not to do

 The tour guides are not just there for decoration or so you have someone to gist with.
Usually,  it is to avoid mishaps

This is another reason why we NEED to hear God.  To avoid certain things happening to us.
To help us walk through this journey of life smoothly.
To tell us stop,  move,  wait,  hold on

 It is very important we know what God is saying about every situation in our lives.

Now you know that you can hear Him and you need to hear Him

Next is:

• Listen to God and expect to hear him.

 If you are expecting someone to speak, you wait for a minute and just listen to hear what they have to say

 Even when they don't speak immediately. As long as there's an expectation, you wait

Let's read Ecc 8:3a

Do not be in a hurry to leave the king's presence/sight

 God gave me a book late last year for 2019 (unpublished yet)  but I will be sharing from the book in this part.

One thing most Christians are yet to understand is sitting and waiting in prayer.
Prayer is communication,  a 2 way street

We are having a conversation.
Expecting the other to day something and listening to what they have to say is just as important as the part where we talk.

For most people, prayer is just talking. God is not dumb, He speaks (in so many ways). Imagine meeting with a friend and they go on and on about themselves, every time you try to say something they are still speaking. You wait for them to finish so you can speak but they pack their bags and leave the date as soon as they are done. If anyone does this to me, I won’t meet with them again. Sadly, we do this to God always. Always in a hurry to leave His presence.

 Then the Lord said to Elijah, “Go, stand in front of me on the mountain. I, the Lord, will pass by you.” Then a very strong wind blew. The wind caused the mountains to break apart. It broke large rocks in front of the Lord. But that wind was not the Lord. After that wind, there was an earthquake. But that earthquake was not the Lord. After the earthquake, there was a fire. But that fire was not the Lord. After the fire, there was a quiet, gentle voice.*
1 Kings 19:11‭-‬12 ERV

God told Elijah,  go to so so so place,  I will speak with you.

The same way God is telling us,  I want to speak with you.  I want you to listen
 Elijah gets there,  wind blew,  No God.
Earthquake,  No God.
Fire,  No God.
Before the still voice of God

 This brings us to one thing.

*Waiting to listen*

Don't be in a hurry to leave.

 Elijah could have left after the wind blew and nothing.
"Ah!  God I went there o,  but no show"

 A lot of us do not wait long enough to hear God most times.

We should never forget communication is both ways. Be open to listening to Him speak.  Cultivate the habit of listening (total silence in your mind, no activity whatsoever) and you will surely hear God. He could respond with a hug, a word of knowledge, scripture, peace, an assuring conviction or you could even hear Him loud and clear like He is sitting right in front of you.
Till you do, sit quietly, no matter how long it takes.

Also,  in our expectations to hear from God,  it shouldn't be for when we are in difficulty only

Does the tour guide speak only when you are in danger?  No.
He speaks even before you get there (of which,  he is the only one aware of where Danger lies,  that's why he is guiding you in the first place(

We should be willing to hear God on any and every thing.
Not just when there is trouble,  we are desperate or need something

God craves relationship

He wants to walk with us.

 And we benefit so much from hearing God.
It is not Him benefiting
We are saving ourselves from a whole lot of suffering,  troubled minds,  tribulations etc

And we are also building intimacy with Him.

Sometimes,  He is not telling us turn left or turn right.  He is just there reminding us we look beautiful today

 Same way,  the tour guide can randomly tell you your hair is nice or you have a lovely smile

 Sometimes,  He is reminding us of His love.
Of our identity in Him.
Or He is asking us to help someone else (probably by praying for them)

 He also reveals Himself to us in the place of hearing Him.

They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.
Romans 1:19 NLT

 Now that we know why we need to hear and the things to have in mind

Let's move to the big question.

HOW DO WE HEAR FROM GOD?

 I once tweeted years ago that God is a speaking God and someone replied that He is not.  He already said all He has to say in the Scripture.

Truly,  the Scripture is very complete,  it is God breathed and our number one source of all we need to know.  It is also a check for whatever we hear from God.

 But there is a danger in assuming that God doesn't speak other than Scriptures.

We will not be paying attention to other ways He is using to speak with us

Imagine that I assume the only way I can communicate with my partner is written letters 😓

 What we do is limit ourselves and our hearing Him

 I remember hearing a testimony.

God told a certain pastor to go back and change his clothes,  to a blue shirt and a suit.

Someone in church asked this as a sign from God

The pastor didn't know why but He obeyed.
That someone in church has a very large ministry today.  Gave their life to Christ

Let's imagine the only way God can speak is the Scripture,  please where did they wear blue shirt and suit in the Bible,😂

 So first,  God speaks in so many ways and we will be learning about them tonight

1. THROUGH HIS WORD

The word of God is God. To hear from God,  we have to understand and know Him,  His character,  perspective,  how He does His things.
All these is made available in Scriptures.

 Sometimes,  you are going through something and you pick your Bible.  You are reading John 3:16.
You've known this verse all your life o but somehow you get a new revelation in relation to what God wants you to know at that point

 And you are wondering if this is the same verse you've been reading all along

And you are wondering if this is the same verse you've been reading all along

Don't know if we've experienced this

Are you sick?  God has a word for you in His word

Are you tired?  Same

Are you happy?  Same

The word of God is the most powerful book ever because it is God Himself

 You want to hear God speak?  Then hear what the word (which is God)  is saying.

 This is the easiest and most common,  everyday means of hearing God.
It is a must

You can't say you hear God and never through His word.
That's a big problem

 2. THROUGH OUR THOUGHTS

This is the part where people get confused.
"I'm not really sure which spirit is speaking o"

 "Maybe it's my mind or the Holy Spirit"

"Or I'm just over thinking things"

 This is where the place of our *inner witness* comes in.

The reason we tag it thoughts is because we are not so sure it's the Holy Spirit talking.

 Listening to our thoughts,  inner witness or conscience can be very tricky. I miss it sometimes too.
It takes a lot to be able to able to recognize this


Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking.*
Colossians 3:15 aERV

Let Christ's peace control your thoughts.

 If there is no peace in what you think you are hearing,  then safe to say you cancel

Another way to check is the written word.
If you are not sure it's God saying this through your thoughts,  take your Bible and check what God has already said

If you are still not sure,  ask God to speak more clearly.

I do this and it works

If I'm not certain about what I'm hearing God say.
I go back to Him and ask Him to speak more clearly in a way He cannot be misunderstood

If your teacher says something and you don't get it,  a simple "Excuse me ma,  please can you come again and probably break it down" does the magic

 Whenever you are in doubt,  ask God

           3. CONVICTIONS

Some people call this Sanctified desires.
Like you just know in your heart that you have to do xyz.  You just have that strong desire towards this.

We need to understand that there is only one spirit in us,  the Holy Spirit.
You can't have evil spirit and Holy Spirit at the same time

 So we need to learn to trust that He is leading.

 But the Helper will teach you everything and cause you to remember all that I told you. This Helper is the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name.
John 14:26 ERV

He will cause you to remember. That knowledge will just come.
You just know it

 But how do you know it's the Holy spirit that is talking?

The sinful self wants what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit wants what is against the sinful self. They are always fighting against each other, so that you don’t do what you really want to do.*
Galatians 5:17 ERV

 The Spirit will never lead in the direction of the flesh

So trust it whenever you get that leading or conviction.

4. THROUGH THE SMALL INNER VOICE

And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
Isaiah 30:21 KJV

Sometimes,  you hear a voice inside your head.
Like someone is speaking to you inside your head and only you can hear.
A lot of us should have experienced this?
That's the Holy Spirit.

5. THROUGH THE AUDIBLE VOICE

Very few people hear God this way.
You hear a voice in real life but you can't see this person and you know it is God. You are the only one hearing also


 Some Pastors I know of got their call this way.
It's okay if you don't hear this one.

Remember God speaks in diverse ways,  as long as you are hearing.

 Other ways God speaks to us

• Through Others
• Dreams,  Visions,  Prophecy and trance
•  Nature,  surroundings
• Circumstances

You can add ways you've heard God speak to you also

 To end the teaching.
The place of Obedience in hearing God

Obedience happens one step at a time.

I wanted to tell you everything I knew and give you all my knowledge, but you didn’t listen to my advice and teaching.
Proverbs 1:23 ERV

It doesn't stop at us listening.  Obeying opens us to hearing more and trusting more.

We show that we are His intimate friends when we obey him

You show that you are my intimate friends when you obey all that I command you.*
John 15:14 TPT

 And this brings more intimacy,  more ability to hear clearly.

 If I talk to you and you never do what I say to you,  I will most likely lock up.

Continual Disobedience is us out rightly saying we don't rate God or whatever He has to say

 Staying in this phase affects our hearing

Now that you know that you can hear God,  please take out time to (in the place of prayer also) and obey all that He tells you.




◦

GOD'S LOVE

So my topic for today's teaching is going to be titled God's love

 I know this seems like a very "redundant" topic and some might say, obviously everyone knows God loves them, but we move still because every now and then we need to be reminded of the magnitude of God's love for us, how encompassing God's love for us is. Basically, I don't think I'll be talking much or doing much explaining but rather highlighting scriptures that talk about God's love for you and me.

Basically we'll start from the very basic but important John 3:16 which says that God loves us so much that he gave his only begotten son for us so that we won't perish but we will have an everlasting life. I believe this transcends beyond the physical life but dwelling with him in heavenly places. When you truly believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and has come so that we might be saved, you have eternal life.

Now, let's talk about His love for us in difficult times. Sometimes, it might feel like God is hiding or He’s not listening, but He is in the midst of the storm with you and I. He has not left your side and neither has he forsaken us. He’s holding your hand, hold on to him to be your peace in the midst of the storm. He’s crying WITH YOU over the heartbreak and difficult time you’re facing. I think that it's important to make conscious efforts to remind ourselves that He’s with us in whatever it is and that can be what gets us through today and everyday after that.

 Also, God never promises a perfect life. He does promise that He will be there every step of the way. God loves us and he knows our story and his plans for us are of good and not evil to give us an expected end.


Don’t be obsessed with money but live content with what you have, for you always have God’s presence. For hasn’t he promised you, “I will never leave you alone, never! And I will not loosen my grip on your life!”
Hebrews 13:5 TPT

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

For hasn't he promised you that I will NEVER leave you and He won't loosen his grip on your life.

Just take note of this
Someone who does not love us will definitely not care so much about you to give you peace

A preacher said "God’s supply of grace will ALWAYS exceed our life’s demand for it.” His grace is enough for you and I and His power is made perfect in our weakness.

Matthew  11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

There is something about God’s power in the confession of our struggles. Vulnerability breeds honest community, and it is in that safe space that we receive healing. The secrets we keep create shame, we should  confess them to one another and to God and in that the power of shame is taken away and replaced with the power of our healing God.

Pastor Steven Furtick in one of his sermons explained that breakthrough comes at the point where everything seems darkest, when it seems like you're underground and you're covered. He used the illustration of a seed that has been planted by the farmer and stays underground for so long before it germinates and brings forth fruits. But the catch of this, is that the seed has everything it needs to survive underground. Everything, food, nutrition whatever it needs to bring forth fruit. And so do we, we have everything we need to survive at our darkest moments. Not only to survive but to thrive and grow and bring forth fruits. God loves us too much to leave us stranded.
 And on this note, I want to let us know that you are not an afterthought, you are part of a beautiful story, a part of His beautiful story. God knew you before you were born and has you in the palm of His hands and wants us to be happy and also grow too and know that growth is never easy or comfortable or what we want in some cases but it's what we need.

 Romans  8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,  8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.*

 For I am certain that not death, or life, or angels, or rulers, or things present, or things to come, or powers,

 39  Or things on high, or things under the earth, or anything which is made, will be able to come between us and the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

With this Bible passage, I end it, reminding us that nothing can separate us from God's love. This topic is always quite personal to me and I can go on and on talking about God's Love because I know how just reminding myself of His love has gotten me through so much and how amazing it feels to know He loves me that much and how I feel so powerful and confident knowing that His love is here to stay regardless of anything. I also think everyone should feel that type of love and know that it is available to them without conditions really and we as humans very often need to be reminded of this love that God has for us. He sees the depth of our hearts and loves us the same.

And songs does wonders to remind us of this love so please and please listen to music that just reminds you of his love or how amazing He is really. I could always help with that.

I want us to whisper a prayer for everyone with a hurting heart on this group and our loved ones not on this group. May God heal them and meet them at the point where they need Him most. May they understand the magnitude and depth of His love for us and may they always walk in that love too.

Thank you Lord for your word and we thank you that the entrance of your word brings light and understanding and we pray that may your word resonate deeply with us and transform our lives. Amen.