KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WILL

I'll be speaking on the Knowledge of His will

Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 
Ephesians 5:17 NKJV

So don’t be foolish with your lives, but learn what the Lord wants you to do. 
Ephesians 5:17 ERV

What's a will?

Will:- To express desire, choice, consent, willingness, frequent customary or habitual action, natural tendency/disposition, Capabilitysufficiency,insistence, persistence
Command, exhortation, injunction

All connotes and explain will according to Merriam Webster

What's the association between God and Knowledge?

God is a God of knowledge, a knowing God. He knows all things; past, present, future.

“Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the Lord  is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed. 
I Samuel 2:3 NKJV

He was pleased when Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge. 2 Chr 1:11-12

He walks with us according to our knowledge of Him, He works with you on your level and desire.

He doesn't appreciate ignorance.

“Who is this ignorant person saying these foolish things?
Job 38:2 ERV

“Who is this that darkens counsel [questioning my authority and wisdom] By words without knowledge?
JOB 38:2 AMP

My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children.
Hosea 4:6 NLT

Therefore my people have gone into captivity, Because they  have no knowledge; Their honorable men are famished, And their multitude dried up with thirst.
Isaiah 5:13 NKJV

All things created of him reveals knowledge

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. 
Psalms 19:1‭-‬2 NKJV

He teaches, so we can know. 

He who instructs the nations, Does He not rebuke and punish, He who teaches man knowledge? 
PSALMS 94:10 AMP

Knowledge is embedded in His very core.

The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence]; But arrogant  fools despise [skillful and godly] wisdom and instruction and self-discipline. 
PROVERBS 1:7 AMP

The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness. 
Proverbs 15:14 NKJV

He uses knowledge to increase our strength.

Wisdom makes a man more powerful. Knowledge gives a man strength. 
Proverbs 24:5 ERV

Knowledge keeps us in love with Him.

And this I pray, that your love may abound more and more [displaying itself in greater depth] in real knowledge and in practical insight, 
PHILIPPIANS 1:9 AMP

Knowledge is power😀

Why is His will important?

I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ 
Isaiah 46:10 NIV

Because He's God, knows all, sees all, owns all...

It's His world, we are His creation

We exist because He willed it 

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” 
Revelation 4:11 NIV

In Greek, will thelema means desire, pleasure,  choice, purpose.

What's God's will
- That we exist. Rev 4:11

- That all men be saved 
- that the saved men come to the knowledge of the truth 

who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 
1 Timothy 2:4 NIV

Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord God , “ and not that he should turn from his ways and live? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God . “Therefore turn and live!” 
Ezekiel 18:23‭, ‬32 NKJV

His will is that we understand him in truth.

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
I John 5:20 NKJV

That we live for Him.
To me, the only important thing about living is Christ. And even death would be for my benefit.
Philippians 1:21 ERV


so that he can no longer spend the rest of his natural life living for human appetites and desires, but [lives] for the will and purpose of God.
1 PETER 4:2 AMP

 God's will is that we become sons through adoption.

He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will—
EPHESIANS 1:5 AMP

That we become one as He is.

He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, with regard to the fulfillment of the times [that is, the end of history, the climax of the ages]—to bring all things together in Christ, [both] things in the heavens and things on the earth.
EPHESIANS 1:9‭-‬10 AMP

His will is that we live in thanksgiving. 

in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
1 THESSALONIANS 5:18 AMP

His will is that we see His as our savior and we live forever as He would and is.

For this is My Father’s will and purpose, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him [as Savior] will have eternal life, and I will raise him up [from the dead] on the last day.”
JOHN 6:40 AMP

His will is that we be delivered from evil.

who gave Himself [as a sacrifice to atone] for our sins [to save and sanctify us] so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, in accordance with the will and purpose and plan of our God and Father—
GALATIANS 1:4 AMP

Why should we do His will?

We receive direction. 

In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:6 NKJV

In it we find satisfaction. 

But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
John 4:32‭, ‬34 NKJV

We judge rightly by it.

I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.
John 5:30 NKJV


We find purpose by doing His will 

Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.
Acts 22:14‭-‬15 NKJV

We prove the goodness, acceptability, and perfection of His will by doing it.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:2 NKJV

We abide forever by doing His will.

And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
I John 2:17 NKJV

We receive our request by asking according to His will.


Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
I John 5:14 NKJV

Why is His will important?

Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’
Isaiah 46:10 NKJV

 Because he knows the end.

Why is his will important?

It's access to his kingdom.
“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.
Matthew 7:21 NLT

 What's God's will for you?

That we be saved, know the truth, which brings the liberty and freedom of our predestinated sonship

 That's general for all believers

 What's His specific will for you?

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you [who are willing to learn] with My eye upon you.
PSALMS 32:8 AMP

 God's specific will for you:

That you walk worthy of Him, pleasing Him, you are fruitful in every good work, that you increase in the knowledge of Him

How do you know His will?

- Receive His word.
- Obey His word
- Study His word
- Pray 
- Give yourself to service (for/to/in Him)
- Ask Him
- Have the desire to know
- be steady with him
- Follow through with his leadings

 Lastly

Pray Colossians 1:9-10 till it drops🌚.

So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

Colossians 1:9‭-‬10 NLT

START OVER

So tonight our topic is START OVER

We talked on Keeping the fire burning last week

We continue from there today with Start Over

It's really very easy to sit in my bed and type telling everyone not to miss their prayers, to make sure they are active spiritually.

Everything is of course easier said (typed 😄) than done

You receive a message and you are so charged up.

Your spiritual life goes from 0 - 100 immediately

You are excited about your walk with God

You are looking forward to meeting with Him daily

Then all of a sudden there is no zeal to continue.

The last place you want to be is in the place of prayer.

You are so busy and there is really no time and this seems like a valid excuse

Or probably:

situations in your life are bad, really bad there is no energy to pray.

You are sinning and you are waiting to stop that thing so you can continue

You've procrastinated so much that you are not even sure you know how to do this prayer thing again

For some of us, we can't even spot the problem. We just know we are not praying.

We can feel the gap being created

Some of us go ahead to pretend that all is well.

While others just give themselves to isolation in this lack of Holy Zeal

For some people, the word of God becomes boring when it is preached

Or you listen to worship songs and they are just words meaning nothing, stirring nothing in you

Where ever you belong in this long list (which I know extends beyond), you are not alone

At different points in our lives, we feel this way

Starting over is a part almost everyone struggles with.

But we like it or not, it's a place we always have to come back to whenever we notice our spiritual fervour is not there or on days we are low

I've read books on prayer (will surely be reading more till I die).

I've been to trainings of prayer.

I've given sermons and taught others about prayer

But even I sometimes stop praying for a while, sometimes it's tiredness, boredom, no zeal, sin or even social media distractions

Before, it used to take me a long time to come back but I've learnt one secret in the past few years: God wants to meet with me even more than I want to meet with Him

💣💣

And He really is not looking at all the things holding me back

He also understands them

Infact, He understands my reasons more than I do. My high priest is in touch with my reality

Let's read Hebrews 4:14-16

Hebrews  4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.  4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.  4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

We do not have a high priest that is not in touch with these feelings of infirmities, inadequacies, sins, name it

14-16 Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help. MSG

Whatever it is that is keeping us away, Our High priest understands it perfectly.

He doesn't berate us for it.

What does His understanding do?

Come to me and take what I am so READY to give

Take the mercy. Accept the Help

When He says we should take and accept, it means this help has been available even before we lost it.

He actually knew we will (might) lose it along the line

So Help has been there even before we ever missed it

He keeps stretching His arms to us with Help, take it, accept it.

Stop struggling

Don't stay down

It's alright

Just accept my help and let's start again

There is nothing you have done that God cares about. NOTHING!

He is not holding you to it one bit

Especially when it comes to sin and guilt

A lot of us stay away from praying cos we don't feel adequate

So we postpone till tomorrow when that guilt is off (sometimes it's even very little things o)

I've been here plenty times

But check this scripture out

All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. But sin didn’t, and doesn’t, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it’s sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that’s the end of it. Grace, because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life—a life that goes on and on and on, world without end.

Romans 5:20‭-‬21 MSG

God's forgiveness is Agressive. Heyyyyyyy 🔥🔥🔥

When whatever it is you have done stands where Grace is, it is knock out.

Grace always wins, hands down

The winning is even more superb than that quick beating AJ received

Probably you are thinking,  Christ doesn't know how the guilt of sin feels like.

He carried the sins of the world, of everyone at once.

Forget, He is in touch with this reality too.

Trials, tribulations, temptations, lack, name it

Let's read 2 Peter 1:5-9

(we focus on verse 9)

2 Peter  1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge 1:6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;  1:7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.  1:8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  1:9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

Look at the last sentence

Those that lack these qualities, it is because they have *forgotten* they have been made whole, they've been cleansed

They've forgotten God doesn't count scores

He doesn't hold our wrongdoings

Even when we are praying for forgiveness, God is just there like okay, can we continue from where we stopped

Nothing like, let me think about your sins first if it is forgivable

Let's just continue

A lot of us forget this part and it keeps us away from praying, from pursuing intimacy with God.

We feel we've not really been active or doing as we should, so we just shy away

Hey you Help is calling out to you. Accept it today.

Don't wait till tomorrow. Don't postpone it

If you ever hear an accusation, it is from the devil

Sometimes you want to even open this WhatsApp group but because you've missed for 5 days, you just leave it.

It's the devil

Same with church. You stop going for some days and the day you really want to go, you don't because of the days you didn't go

The enemy is the only one that makes us feel we are not enough or adequate for anything God.

He makes us think we are not Holy. Even if you did bad thing or sinned, And so?

The good things we do is not what makes us Holy. Holiness has little to do with how we behave or act right. It is not about the quality you possess, it is about your proximity to the Holy one (Intimacy!)

Holiness is more about where you are than what you do.

So it's fine if you've not been doing it well

Because our high priest is a correct guy, He doesn't leave us to find our way to where we need to be, He helps us to.

Where you are determines what we do

The seraphim are called Holy ones not because of who they are but because of where they are: they abide in the presence of the Holy one

So when the enemy tells you, " you've sinned, you can't pray.. You didn't pray yesterday you were watching Yoruba film bla bla

Tell yourself " Yes, I have sinned. Yes, I have missed prayers for stupid reasons. Yes I am down mentally. I am not even Holy at all, I need help that is why I have to come to God to take what He is ready to give: Mercy"

For some of us, the reason we don't pray is because we like sleep too much.

I know plenty Christians that are here. The minute it's time to pray, sleep must knock sha 😭😭

Let's go back to when Christ asked the disciples to pray and 3 times he met them snoring away

Matthew 26:40-46

Matthew  26:40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?  26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.  26:42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.  26:43 And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.  26:44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.  26:45 Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.  26:46 Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

Jesus woke them up 3 times. One would think Jesus would be angry at them

Ordinary pray and don't sleep, they cannot do and they were His disciples.

Maybe you've been sleeping off every time you try to pray or when it's time and you feel bad or guilty, watch Christ's reaction to the disciples.

He didn't punish or send them away

He didn't say I'm tired of you

He woke them up and picked up from He stopped. He even shared with them what is about to happen: The betrayer has come

Look at Jesus sharing revelation with people that were just asleep

No matter how long you've been away, your high priest is trying to wake you up, trying so hard to draw you back, hoping that you accept the Help and mercy He gives, so the relationship can continue

No accusations in between

Tonight, I beg us all

If for any reason we've stopped praying as we should or our intimate walk with God is not as it should be, *START OVER*

Start Over wherever you are, no matter how imperfect your worship or prayers might be at that point. Just start!. Your imperfect is lost in the ocean of His perfect

You just allow Him take your hands and help you. Receive the help that He gives

Don't forget, if you ever miss it at any point: START OVER!

Let us pray

Dear Lord, we thank you for your word
We thank you for your help that is ever available. We pray for everyone reading this that is stuck or moving backwards, they accept your help and pick up with you. They are strengthened.

And for those that do not need this teaching at this moment, Spirit of God we pray you be their reminder on the day this message will be valid for them.

This is not just a preaching for us Lord, it is a call to action. We respond adequately.

Amen!

KEEP THE FIRE BURNING

So I'll be speaking on a verse I came upon in Leviticus

Leviticus 6:12 And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings.

Here, the Lord gave Moses instructions on how the priest should conduct certain sacrifices

But what I'm particular about is the part where it says the fire should not be put out

The priest must add wood to it every morning

Day and night, the fire must be burning

Two things I got from there

1. The continual burning of fire is integral to the priest's relationship with God

2. The job of fueling the fire with wood is the priests job. God won't come down or send angels to do it.

Leviticus  8:36 So Aaron and his sons did all things which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.

Here, we see the priests abiding with the instructions.

So, how does that apply to you and me?

To us, the fire is not physical. We are not expected to make a physical fire unto God

The events in the Old Testament are shadows of what's expected in the New Testament

The fire, to us, is the fire of the Holy Ghost

The fire, to us, is the fire of the Holy Ghost

I'll share some Scriptures

Matthew  3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

That's John speaking to the children of Isreal

Acts  1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth

That was Jesus Christ, right before he ascended into Heaven, promising the baptism of the Holy Ghost

Acts  2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.  2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Right there is the fulfilment of prophecy.

Hallelujah. The promise of the Holy Spirit has been fulfilled. The Holy Spirit is God resident in us. God living in and through us.

That means we have a whole lot of work to do.

As it is in the days of old, so it is now. The fire has been initiated in you. You are you keep it burning

Dormancy is not expected of you as a child of God

You carry something in you that needs to be nourished at all times

Oh...you might say shebi it's the job of priests to keep the fire burning.  🤷🏿‍♂

You are a priest fam. And it is *mandatory* to keep the fire burning

Revelation  5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;  5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

So what do you do? How do you go about it?

For fire to keep burning, it needs fuel. Mainly wood and oxygen

How do you maintain the fire of the Holy Ghost in you?

1. PRAYER

Let's talk about Jesus for a minute

Before we do that, we've established two things...

. The continual burning of that fire is important to our relationship  with God

2. To ensure that fire burns continually is your personal responsibility

There must be a deliberate, consistent, daily stocking of the fire with fuel.

You don't wish it. You don't imagine it. You don't aspire to perspire to acquire it. You stand up and get your hands dirty

It is hard work. Day by day. Consistent. Doing what is needed. Keeping the fire burning

The Holy Spirit can prompt you. But He won't carry you to do what you need to do

Lemme give an example

We are coming back to this soon plis 😁

Acts  8:26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.  8:27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,  8:28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.  8:29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.  8:30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?

The Spirit told Philip: Go near

And what did he do? He ran

To keep the fire burning, you have to do the work

Be involved. Be deliberate.

So let's talk about the first fuel

1. PRAYER

Luke  6:12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

Jesus understood what needed to be done. And he did it 🤷🏿‍♂

If Jesus did it, I should did it. You should did it. Everyone should did it.

Don't joke with prayers.

If you want to remain on fire for God, you must pray

Look at Jesus again 👇🏿

Matthew  14:22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.

Matthew  14:23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

Loool. Jesus sent the disciples and  multitudes away. He SENT THEM away. Because he wanted to pray. He shut out all distractions. He knew the fire ought to be kept burning.

He forced his disciples into a ship and sent the multitudes, so he could pray

Some of us, our phones are by our side when we want to pray. TV on. Zlatan Ibile is playing on the radio. Food is cooking. We are even expecting visitors

Shut out all distractions and pray

Prioritize spending time with God in prayers plis dears

2. Fuel number 2, STUDY

Do you spend time with the Word?

Lemme give you a hint of what the Word does to you...

Let's talk about the guys on their way to Emmaus.

Luke  24:31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.  24:32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

That's what the Word does to you

Opens your eyes

Sets fire in your bones

Scatters your dada

The Word of God..

Read it. Study it. Meditate on it. Turn it over in your mind. Fill your heart with it. See the fire burn

2nd Tim 3:16-17 MSG - There's nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.

See what you miss out when you don't study 🤷🏿‍♂

John  6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life

Hebrews  4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Are we following? 🤔

3rd fuel, FELLOWSHIP

There's strength in numbers. Corporate anointing. If you can't pray for 30 mins on your own, it's very possible to hit that target when you are in the midst of people that pray for 2 hours regularly

Hebrews  10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Don't forsake fellowship

What you lack, someone else has and can help you with and vice versa

Whether online offline, church or just a small group, as long as the central authority is Christ, please partake

Personally, it's very hard for me to pray for an hour on my own. I know I'm getting there though

But I can't count how many times I've  prayed for an hour on Zoom.

Sometimes even more than an hour

Just because I'm praying with people that consistently pray over that amount of time

That's the beauty in fellowship

We read the Bible here and share. You receive revelations of your own. Then someone shares and boom!!!! You get hit with another rhema

From the same text

Beauty of fellowship

Pray. Study. Fellowship. Keep the fire burning

As I conclude...

Guys, this calling we have as Christians is bigger than most of us see it. It is work. No be play play matter

See Jesus. See the Apostles. See Paul.

Look at how they prayed. How they studied. Look at how they worshipped together. Even hiding in the upper room. They understood the assignment. They knew that they needed to be deliberate about it

We can't afford to be lazy. We can't afford to wish the fire to keep burning. Or faith the fire to keep burning

You have to do the work fam

Consistently and deliberately

Keep the fire burning

God bless us 🙌🏿 May the Lord bless his Words in our hearts

I'll leave you guys with this

James  1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.  1:23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:  1:24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.  1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

INTIMACY

Today and for the next couple of weeks, we will be talking about something.

Something very important to our walk in Christ

It is actually our walk in/with Christ: INTIMACY

What is Intimacy?

To be intimate with someone is to have a certain closeness with them.

It's the experience of knowing another truly and being known by them also.

Intimacy goes both ways.

It is mutual knowledge in a deep way

Have you ever felt intimate with another person?

If yes, what did you think made you feel that way

For all the answers we will come up with, some things are underlying :

friendship, closeness, spending time together, trust, getting personal...

Which brings me to us and God's desire. A lot of us have impersonal relationships with God

We are His children but everything is just there, out of duty and obligation. We read our Bible, pray, go to church but that's just it, nothing special, nothing deep, all ritual.  f most Christians are asked to describe their relationships with God, intimate might be the last word you will hear. You'd hardly hear someone say I'm a friend of  God. 90% of those that use that phrase say so cos it's normal to.

In reality, no friendship with God.

We know the Lord

We've given our hearts and lives to Him

We spend time praying and studying everyday

But...

Our "thing" with God is a big chunk of obedience

For some worship, Others service, Some even fear.

 But very few will say intimacy.

All these things are good, But it's not where it ends. It's not even where it starts. God created us to not just fellowship with Him but to experience Him, to know Him intimately.

And He wants this experience to be daily, every minute, every moments of our lives.

One would say:

"Oh! But we already have a relationship with God. We are sons"

Well, you have a relationship with your dad, he is your father

I have a relationship with Oyin, she is my sister.

Does that translate to Intimacy? NO.

A lot of us read the bible, we study everyday to learn some truth, understand biblical principles, probably fulfill all righteousness and tick of our daily bible reading or to truly gain insight.

Of course, we will leave with knowledge.

I leave with something every time we come together to share, even when I study personally.

But something is missing: Our knowledge is increased but there is nothing deep going on.

We read about Jesus daily but here is a bigger and better offer.

We know the book, we take time to learn what is written in the book daily but we miss out on the chance to be with the author and focus of the book.

Here is God calling us, every one of us His children, to walk with Him (as Enoch did), to know Him truly, to share something really deep with Him.

God wants to pleasure us as much as we want to pleasure Him.

He wants to delight in us and us to delight in Him also. And this intimacy goes beyond our normal activities.

“You are busy analyzing the Scriptures, frantically poring over them in hopes of gaining eternal life. Everything you read points to me,  yet you still refuse to come to me so I can give you the life you’re looking for—eternal life!

John 5:39‭-‬40 TPT

We stay studying and searching about Christ yet we have an opportunity to actually get to know Him directly. Everything we read, from Genesis down to revelation points to one person: Christ.

And here is a free opportunity to actually know Him.

Imagine writing a dissertation about someone as a student. All the time and research put into it, then you get a chance to meet the person you are writing about

Not just meet, but fellowship and you pass.

How does that sound?

Now here is the thing, the problem is not that we don't want intimacy with God.

We want it, but most of us want it on our own terms alone.

We want to be friends but we don't want to make friendship sacrifices.

We don't have time

We are too busy

We are not ready to go all out

Friendship is not duty. It is never obligation. Imagine beings friends with someone out of obligation. Who has that time?

And this is why prayer does not equal intimacy.

We can read the word and pray out of obligation. It's the right thing to do as Christians. But you see intimacy, it is something we long for. It runs deeeeep.

Here’s the one thing I crave from God, the one thing I seek above all else: I want the privilege of living with him every moment in his house, finding the sweet loveliness of his face, filled with awe, delighting in his glory and grace. I want to live my life so close to him that he takes pleasure in my every prayer.

Psalms 27:4 TPT

I ask only one thing from the Lord. This is what I want most: Let me live in the Lord’s house all my life, enjoying the Lord’s beauty and spending time in his palace.

Psalms 27:4 ERV

A lot of us know this scripture. I've known it forever but it hit me differently one day. This was David's prayer shortly before he was anointed King.

And you could see something in it.

David wasn't praying this out of obligation

There was  hunger for a conversation, friendship with God borne out of love and intimacy.

It wasn't a means to an end.

It wasn't so he could defeat nations or do ministry better.

It wasn't asking so God could give him answers he had been waiting for.

David was in love with God!

I could feel the butterflies in David's tummy that day

Here was David (translated in my understanding);

I long to be in the secret place, you and I alone. Have the privilege of living with you DAILY and communing EVERY moment. I want to find the sweet loveliness of your face, touch the fine lines on it, gaze upon your beauty, stay in awe of how wonderful you are. Delight in your glory, think of your greatness and just revel in it. I want to just ponder on your Grace and burst into tears at how amazing you are. I want to live so close to you that we both find pleasure in this friendship.

I cried the day I wrote this down.

David just wanted to BE in God's presence. 

Be here is not just stay, he wanted to just have his being there, his whole existence. He wanted to just marvel and stay enjoying God's beauty.

 This is love. This is intimacy!

Take me away with you! Let’s run off together! An elopement with my King-Lover! We’ll celebrate, we’ll sing, we’ll make great music. Yes! For your love is better than vintage wine. Everyone loves you—of course! And why not?

Song of Solomon 1:4 MSG

Look at the bride in this verse: Let's elope together

Do you know how love struck and lost in the sauce you must be to want to run away, to crave the presence of another only?  Just like a newly wedded in a hurry to go home to their partner.

We are the bride of Christ, this should be our outlook.

We should study the word

We should pray also.

Prayer is warfare, yes

But prayer is way more than that.

It is most importantly Intimacy

We are laborers in God's vineyard, the harvest is plenty so we have work to do.

But know this, Jesus didn't die just for you to become laborers or soldiers in His army, He died for us to become His bride.

Do you delight in the presence of your groom?

Next time you come to God, come as a Bride.

Come with/in love

Come with intimacy in mind

Forget the war,

Forget the battles, they've been won already!

Come and just BE in His presence.

Come gazing upon His beauty.

Don't look left, Don't look right. Just gaze upon Him.

Their faces looked like this: In front a human face, on the right side the face of a lion, on the left the face of an ox, and in back the face of an eagle. So much for the faces. The wings were spread out with the tips of one pair touching the creature on either side; the other pair of wings covered its body. Each creature went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit went, they went. They didn’t turn as they went.

Ezekiel 1:10‭-‬12 MSG

They went in any one of the four directions they faced, but straight, not veering off. The rims were immense, circled with eyes. When the living creatures went, the wheels went; when the living creatures lifted off, the wheels lifted off. Wherever the spirit went, they went, the wheels sticking right with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. When the creatures went, the wheels went; when the creatures stopped, the wheels stopped; when the creatures lifted off, the wheels lifted off, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

Ezekiel 1:17‭-‬21 MSG.

Look at the creatures, their gaze does not shift from God. It is focused on the throne.

The elders, their focus is on one person only; The one on the throne.

Here is what God is calling us to, Intimacy with Him

And as I said this is borne out of love for God.

Love so deep we want to leave every other thing and run to our quiet place, just elope with God.

Gazing upon the beauty of His love and just being in it.

God wants us to meet with Him from a place of love.

Love fuels intimacy

Now, we can't love God if we do not come to a knowledge of His love for us.

Our love for God I creases as our knowledge of His love for us increases.

When the love of God hits you hard, the only way you can respond is by loving Him back

David knew the love of God, he came to an understanding of it and his only reaction was love.

Talk to God, allow Him show you His love in a way you've never known and watch yourself respond to Him.

Spend time with Him you bride, your marriage to the groom is kept alive here.

Just BE in His love!

I pray as we all dedicate time to God this way, His love hits us hard. It leaves us in tears. It ignites our relationship with Him. 

Amen

THE FINISHED WORKS OF CHRIST

When he had sipped the sour wine, he said, “It is finished, my bride!” Then he bowed his head and surrendered his spirit to God.
John 19:30 TPT

John.19.28 - Jesus knew that everything was now finished, and to fulfill the Scriptures he said, "I am thirsty." 

 John.19.29 - A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. 


 John.19.30 - When Jesus had tasted it, he said, "It is finished!" Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. .NLT

[8:16 PM, 4/21/2019] Iya Kekere: Let's start from verse 28.

Jesus knew that everything was now accomplished

But Jesus had not died so what was accomplished?

How was it all finished when He had not entered the Grave or resurrected?

The purpose of His life was death
He lived to die

His whole life was orchestrated towards His death

And Him defeating the grave.

The life He lived determined the outcome in the grave.

Jesus already won before He entered the Grave.

He knew this before He died

He had passed. He had checked all

Everything was accomplished.

All the wrath and judgement of sin was now upon Him.

He had become the target

He was set

For Him to carry this wrath, He had to be blameless

He had to die with it, as the price


Then rise as The Christ, the one who truly lived blameless

In verse 30, He goes on to say It is Finished, Bride

I like the TPT for this.

When he had sipped the sour wine, he said, “It is finished, my bride!” Then he bowed his head and surrendered his spirit to God.
John 19:30 TPT

Who is the bride?

In those days, when you marry a woman into a family, she stops belonging to her old family

She stops identifying with her old family.

It is what they share in her new family (husband's house), that now belongs to her

She is entitled to it fully

Dear bride, it is finished.
You can pack your load in
Papers have been signed fully.
It is finished

IT IS FINISHED!!!

What exactly finished?  Is it His suffering?  Or the world's suffering?  What exactly happened or transpired on the cross that led to this statement? Did Jesus do all that needed to be done? Do we have a part to play?  So many questions rising from this

To be able to answer all of these questions and know exactly what FINISHED,  we have to look at all that transpired on the cross THROUGH the eyes of God.

How did God see all of these?

What finished in His own eyes as He looked at Jesus give up His soul?


The story of the cross isn't just about Jesus dying,  it meant something to God and until we understand what it meant to God,  we will never fully understand what it does for us.

I will be dividing these works of Christ into 3 major parts as I've come to understand it over the years.

- ATONEMENT 
On the cross,  Jesus became a means of appeasement/propitiation. More like He became the appeasement itself.

I'm reminded of a phrase my pastor used to say back home in Yoruba (Ohun si ni etutu fun ese wa).  Jesus was a means of satisfying a requirement.
He satisfied perfectly the requirement for the debt we righteously owe God.

So many would say that God is a loving God and doesn't need our sorry to forgive us BUT God is more than loving,  He is a RIGHTEOUS GOD.  Righteousness ALWAYS demands a recompensation,  hence God sending His son Jesus to die as a recompense.

Now when Jesus said IT IS FINISHED,  He meant not only am I a recompense for your sins,  God is COMPLETELY appeased and satisfied.

For every time you are accused before the judge, do you know the verdict?

Not Guilty

The only way you are declared guilty is if Christ was not price enough

For the man in Christ, even when you ere, never forget this YOU ARE NOT GUILTY

It's like a package in a box.
The box standing as the package.
The box is what is being seen by all

And definitely what will be judged by all

As long as Christ paid in full, then you know the verdict

Never let the enemy call you who you are not. Never let the enemy declare you guilty, he is not the judge.

Whatever it is you have done, whatever it is you will even do in the future, the man in Christ comes out Not guilty always

Someone already became punishment for that sin.
He paid the price in full.

You can't be punished twice

There is no sin so great that was missed out on the cross

Every time the enemy accuses you, just look at him and say:.....that meins...

He will wait and get tired for that guilty pronouncement

2 people cannot be declared guilty and sentenced twice over one sin.


- REDEMPTION

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"—
Galatians 3:13 ESV

To redeem is to buy or pay off,  to release by paying a price

This has been on my mind since morning.

Jesus, the curse

So many Christians thinking they are still bound by whatever curse it is in their families

Then when you explain, someone tells you
Ah, you don't know what my forefathers did
In my family, they die early

In my lineage, all the first girls don't give birth

Bla bla bla

Don't you understand what happened on the cross?

Don't you understand that you were bought at a price?

Those ties were cut as you died with Christ

Are you saying your family/generational curse is more potent than the blessing of Abraham?

Don't you know you now belong to the bloodline of Christ?

We will have to render the blessing of Abraham useless, the price Christ paid not enough. This is the only way any family curse will stand for the man in Christ.

The next time you hear anyone talking about this, clear them please.

Tell them whose bloodline you belong to

If a man buys a Slave from his master and pays the price in full. Is the slave entitled to 10 lashes of cane apportioned to slaves of that master?

No

Because he is not part of them anymore.

There is a thing with knowing and also killing fear.

Some of us already know these things but there is fear

Everybody in your family married after 40.

You are getting close to 30 and no man, in your mind you are thinking already, What if?

There should be no fear concerning this. No iota of doubt about where you belong to

(for game of thrones lover)

When Daenerys shouted to the unsullied to kill all the Masters in the city, they obeyed immediately.

Their former master told them to stop but they didn't listen to him. You know why? The Dragon mother paid their price already

Stop acting like Jesus is still owing debt. He paid it all

Another part to redemption,


This curse Christ released us from is not just the curse from "our village people" as many Africans would like to interprete,  rather He gave us IMMUNITY and COMPLETELY  released us from the curse of the law brought upon us all by sin.  A price was paid to give us immunity,  not to the devil but to God as demanded by His righteous government

(The sweet part is,  it is the very person man sinned against/violated that also looked for a way to clear the sins)

So yes,  we are COMPLETELY redeemed and all our sins atoned for.

Don't ever think that a curse is active in your life due to any situation.

Don't ever!

Always remember whose family you belong to

- RECONCILIATION

that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:19 ESV

In other words, it was through the Anointed One that God was shepherding the world, not even keeping records of their transgressions, and he has entrusted to us the ministry of opening the door of reconciliation to God.
2 Corinthians 5:19 TPT

I'd like us to take note of this phrase;  "Not counting their trespasses against them".
Not keeping records

That is one of the things Jesus finished.  God does not see iniquity in us.  When He looks at me,  He sees me as He sees Jesus

God in Christ reconciled us to Himself.  At the point of the death of Jesus,  a new relationship was opened.  God brought us back to the original plan which is to have fellowship with man

 The work of RECONCILIATION was also FINISHED on the cross.

 This simply means,  God doesn't give little or move closer to us based on how much we move closer to Him.  He doesn't meet us halfway
Or get closer as we do.

(He doesn't run away from us.
"I will never leave nor forsake you" was established in this contract)


Rather we as humans are the ones that run far from  Him,  doing things our own way,  thereby working against ALL  God has given to us by that which Christ FINISHED on the cross

So Nothing like God is far away from me as a believer.  CHRIST ALREADY PAID THE PRICE IN FULL so God cannot move away from me

IT IS FINISHED; 
He became an ATONEMENT for our sins (completely appeasing God)  thereby REDEEMING us fully from the curse of the law and RECONCILING us totally to God

It is finished

This was not a tired cry but a victory shout.
Jesus was happy saying that.

When you hear It is finished, remember He paid in full

He paid a price for the law to be shattered

For that table to be broken

He paid a full price for your freedom from self/sin

He paid a full price for God's satisfaction in you and justice

He paid a full price to render the devil utterly powerless.


This is important.
A lot of us still ascribe certain powers to the enemy. That is why when people do things, they say it is the devil. This is to mean that the power was more than them so they couldn't control themselves

Big, fat lie

The devil is powerless before you that is in Christ. Stop giving him power he doesn't have

All that Christ finished is not  based on how much we work for God or love Him. But it is only accessible to those who Believe in it. And in Him

So YES,  We are healed,  the devil is already a defeated foe,  we've been delivered (from the authority of Satan and the kingdom of darkness)

We've been redeemed so Satan (SIN)  has no dominion over us anymore

We ALL have authority over Satan. He already canceled our debt/sin (not because we are good or act right). 

He HAD Mercy on us already over 2000 years ago!

GLORY!!!

Jesus already PAID THE FULL PRICE.  All we have to do is accept and believe so we can collect receipt for that which He paid for

God wants us to see the truth and stand in the light of that which has already been done so we can go forth in power

Most times we wait on God to do something,  sorry He HAS ALREADY DONE IT

I can't wait to walk with God in Heaven and chill


But God already brought Heaven to Earth and is walking with as many that believe and accept all that Christ did

We were Reconciled: Fellowship

Emmanuel - God with Us.
Even God couldn't wait for us to come to Heaven to walk and talk with Him,  He made a way.
That's one of the things Jesus completed on the cross.  God is now with me
I can gist with Him and talk with Him

What Christ finished on the cross already says I am NOT a Sinner.  I have DOMINION over sin

Now this brings us to a very important part,  Christ DID ALL does this mean I don't have a part?

Now if I have dominion over sin and I constantly continue to sin thereby making Sin to have more power,  have I truly accepted or believed what Christ FINISHED?

Am I not indirectly saying Christ did not finish or complete well? Am I not saying He was not price enough?

Probably we need to crucify Him extra so everything can be finished

This brings us to 2 more points

THE PRESENT

THE CONTINUOUS

When we become born again,  it is our spirit that dies and gets reborn,  our body and soul remain

THE PRESENT

This is provision of Grace as an enabler, flowing from that which Christ already FINISHED

We have to deliberately put off the old behavior and God knew we can't do this on our own,  so He gave GRACE and we have to choose/accept this Grace ourselves.

God has already done all that needs to be done,  it is our response to that which He did that will determine how much we receive

We have life in full but we will never know how "full" it is if we do not live it

If you accept all,  you receive all

- God has done everything so I can do as I like❌
- I need to do a lot/work fully so God can do all for me ❌

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:22‭-‬24 NIV


God already created a new self for us all.  He did that 2000 years ago.  And He has been waiting for us to put on this new self.

When we become born again,  there was a permanent change in our spirit and it is only when we reject Christ that we go back to status quo

We received an ongoing river of grace to help us be more like Him.  And this is not automatic (we are not robots).  Hence we have to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice (daily,  every moment as we live), we have to cooperate with Grace

Don't forget that is is not automatic,  so please don't beat yourself over it or see yourself as less of a Christian.  Just keep cooperating with the Grace made available,  you won't know when you will stop all.

THE FUTURE

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Ephesians 4:11‭-‬13

This is the goal; maturity in the knowledge of God,  manifesting His spiritual completeness in us

It's a continuous process. Till we die actually, we keep growing in Him. We are to put our faith and rest in that which Christ has finished

We are to put our faith and accept the resulting River of Grace that already flows over our lives

We are to put our faith in the continual supply of this Grace until we come to the fullness of Christ

Never forget all Christ did for you. Never!

Walk in it

Live it!

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