I trust that you are having a wonderful day and you are beginning to experience the creative power of God in a new way over your life. Today, I would like to share with you, a truth I learned a while back. This truth has not only increased my faith in God but also has totally transformed my life and I pray that you experience the same.
A while ago, I studied Genesis Chapter 1 and during the study, I took time to highlight the phrases “God said” and “and it was so. Amazingly, everything God said was so. There were no exceptions, everything was fulfilled.
I hope you agree with me that God is as eager to speak as He is to fulfill His promises concerning you. I say this because 2 Corinthians 1:20 says that all the promises of God in him are yes, and in him Amen. Of course, you know that yes is a response that indicates affirmation. Amen, on the other hand, which means “so be it” or “it is so”, comes from the Hebrew root meaning “surely, steadfast and faithful”. So whenever God speaks or says a word, He sanctions and then settles it; however, what we receive depends on our cooperation with Him. Therefore, let’s consider these reassuring words from the writer of Hebrews.
Hold fast
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23 (NKJV)
This scripture has first adjured us to be steadfast with the confession of our hope through which we can obtain God’s promises. It has also mentioned one attribute of God that can be traced to the book of Exodus chapter 34. Here God was manifesting His Glory to Moses according to his petition and at the same time proclaiming His attributes. Faithful is one of those that He mentioned. So what does it mean?
I know you’ve heard interpretations like: God is trustworthy, He’ll never lie and so He’ll never fail you. These are all true but I’ve come across two words that concisely summarize this.
Sure Unsure is an adjective used to describe something or someone who is unable to confidently demonstrate ability. God is not uncertain or inexperienced rather He is so competent to do over and above.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. Ephesians 3:20-21 (NKJV)
So He can actually do for you what He said He would.
TrueIn this life, many things have remained unproven sometimes because of the inconsistency of statements or lack of evidence but that’s not the same with God. He is consistent, accurate, verifiable, and lasting. Who said God hasn’t passed his security check? Check His track records, He’s been proven to be faithful through generations and He still is.
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Psalms 34:8 (NKJV)
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever” Isaiah 40:8 (NKJV)
God has done it before; He can do it again and again and again to His glory and for your good. I don’t know what He has said to you in the past years or even this year; but this one thing I know, It is so! You just have to hold fast your confession and await the manifestation of those promises. Yes, I know that you’ve held on so long and you feel that everybody but you has been remembered, blessed, and promoted; this is not the time to quit. Listen, God will do it, He will fulfill his promise. Hear this; He will fill to the full every single word that He’s spoken over you.
Now loudly make this confession:
I hold fast my hope confession And I await the manifestation Of the promises of God to me I believe that God is true I believe that God is sure And If He said it, It is so.
Go ahead and worship Him. Halleluyah!
God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? Numbers 23:19 (NIV)
Last week, we looked at the Elohim factor’ in relation to your ‘new beginnings’. We learned that God has the power to create (bring into existence) as well as the power to make (give certain properties to) something out of nothing. I trust that He has caused the things that may be you, or others have considered dead in your life to come alive by the breath of His Spirit. Are you ready to learn more about Elohim?
In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Genesis 1:1-2
The first phrase we see in the study text above is “in the beginning” meaning originally, initially, from the start, at the onset. This tells me that God is not a copycat neither is He a copywriter; Instead, He is a Master originator, creator, and builder of things. He owns the master copy of everything we can touch, hear, see, feel and experience in this world. No wonder the scripture says this:
The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Psalm 24:1 (KJV)
God is the owner of the whole world. He has boldly claimed it and named it as He’s because He made it; just as we often lay claim to things we produce. The good news about this is that God can always release to you what He has already created. See, how the psalmist put it:
By the opening of your hand, every living thing has its desire in full measure. Psalm 145:16 (BBE)
You give to them, they gather it up; You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good. Psalm 104:28 (NASB)
Another thing is that you have a share in all that God has created and this applies if you receive Jesus and boldly confess him as the Lord of your life. Only then, will you become a child, an heir of God, and a joint heir with Jesus (Romans 8:17).
The next phrase in the text is “God created”. The word created here is the Hebrew root which means “to form, to fashion, to produce, to create”. What I get from this is that God can make even to the exact shape whatever you need. He can stage and arrange anything into any format just for your good. Isn’t Elohim wonderful?
Of course, you know that God is excellent and everything He does reflects His nature. The earth became dark and void because of the war between Michael and his angels against Lucifer and his fellows due to his evil conspiracy. I could almost hear God laugh and speak as He puts things back in order.
I am that I am, the creator of the ends of the earth, I, even I, am God alone; I have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all its host, the earth, and all the things that are in it, the seas, and all that is in it, and I preserve them all; and the host of heaven worship Me. The heavens declare My glory; and the firmament shows the work of My hands. I will always be Elohim, Creator God. And yes, forever He will be.
As we’ve come into this New Year prophetically tagged ‘a year of new beginnings, I know that you have a desire for God to do a new thing in your life. He will and as a matter of fact, He has begun. In His omnipotence, He is creating (by bringing into existence) and making (by fashioning something already in existence into) something new for you. And wherever there is a void, dis or malfunction, disorder, the absence of anything essential to your living, His spirit is hovering over it to bring peace and order. In this year, you will not struggle, you better say Amen! I speak order into your life and anything missing or broken, today is restored and made whole in Jesus name. Amen
I am glad that you made it into this year strong, and well able to start afresh in the avenues that God has created for you. Go in this your might and do exploits.
Happy New Year! Now, let’s get to the word.
Sometime in 2006, I was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write a song entitled Elohim. The song outlines some of God’s wondrous deeds that I’ve either experienced or discovered.
Elohim is the name of God that declares Him as the creator and judge of the universe. It comes from the Hebrew root meaning “Strength” or “Power”. Aren’t you glad that you have a God who is great in might and limitless in power?
A line of the song says that God has the power to create. And indeed God has; He can do anything and everything. Nothing is impossible for him (Mark 10:27). Another line says that He can make something out of nothing and we see Him illustrate this in the book of beginnings. Let’s read it.
Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. Genesis 2:7 (NASB)
The Bible unequivocally mentions that “Man was made out of the dust of the ground” meaning that you and I are a product of a dry, lifeless particle – dust. A substance people trample upon and do all sorts on. That’s the raw material from which we were made. Only Elohim can – no one else! Once more, in John chapter 2 we read that Jesus attended a wedding where the wine ran out; and just like His name reads, He made the best tasting wine out of water. A tasteless, colourless liquid became a delightful drink that almost everybody rated ten out of ten for its uniqueness and taste. That’s what Elohim can do; He has the power to make something out of nothing.
Don’t take lightly or consider irrelevant your current situation because God will make something glorious out of it. I want you to begin this year bearing the Elohim factor in mind. He can and will create for you that which is His will for you, be it opportunities or the solution to your needs. Elohim can. Confidently say it with me; Elohim can! Go ahead and give Him praise because soon you’ll experience the creative power of God at work in your life. Halleluyah!
I was recently spending time in God’s presence and I heard a word for you. That word simply says that “Your hour is now”. Have a good read.
You will arise and have mercy on Zion; for the time to favour her, yes, the set time, has come. Psalm 102:13 (NKJV)
One evening, my dad sat me and my sister Peace down to teach us how to read the clock and tell the time. It was a ‘blessed’ day. I vividly remember the passion and the holy anger he had as he taught us and I’ve been thinking if my dad was so concerned that we understand how the clock functions and at the same time be able to tell the time by reading the clock, how much more God?
The scripture says in 1Chronicles 12:32 that the sons of Issachar understood the times and knew what Israel should do. These people had some sought of knowledge perhaps by reading the books, by discerning, or just by being sensitive to the move of God during their time; whichever means they used, the key thing is that they understood the times and they knew what to do. You see, if you don’t have an understanding of times, you will not understand seasons and you will miss your hour of visitation because the hour is within time, and seasons proceed from time.
Have you noticed that Jesus our model and example did nothing except his hour had come? During the wedding at Galilee, his mother was trying to hasten him to perform a miracle before his time, and he answered her “My hour has not yet come”. His brothers during the feast of tabernacles urged him to go to Judea for the festival. “You can’t be famous when you hide like this! Go where more people can see your miracles!” they scoffed but again He answered them “My hour has not yet come”. Jesus, in His own time, went to the festival and as He preached, the Jewish leaders sought to arrest him; but no one laid hands on him, because his “hour had not yet come”. Are you gaining something out of this? I want to let you know that when it’s your time, doors will open of their accord and no one can do anything to hinder it. Could it be that the reason why you’ve been struggling is because your hour has not yet come? Here’s what Galatians 4:4 says: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son”.
Moses prayed in Psalm 90:12, Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. This is another way of saying, Lord; give me an understanding of the times that I live in, so that I know what to do as each day unfolds.
The set time is a moment or season marked out, set apart for a definite purpose. It is appointed, fixed, set for you to experience God’s blessings; it’s a time of favour. It’s a moment that must not be missed. Do you get it? So your understanding of times will determine how you apply your heart to wisdom, simply put the actions you will take.
Ladies have regular monthly visitors. I’m I right sister? I’m sorry brother, if you need a deeper revelation, turn to the book of Biology from chapter nine onwards. If a lady does not know the time of this visit, it is bad and if she knows the time but does not know what to do, it is equally bad and a preventable disaster can occur.
Do not run ahead of God. He’s never late; His word declares that He will make all things beautiful in his time. Don’t allow anybody to deceive you into believing the lie that it’s never going to happen for you anymore because it’s too late. Your hour has come and it is now, This is your due season, your set time of favour , you will be healed, you will marry, you will have kids, you will pay off that debt, you will buy that car, you will buy that house, you will get that job, your unsaved will come to know Jesus. If you believe it, say it out loud – My hour is now.
Esther 9:1 Now, in the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, the time came for the king’s command and his decree to be executed.
Did you notice the first word in this passage, ‘Now’! The Lord’s decree over your life is about to be executed. The hand of the Lord will be upon you to bless and upon your enemies in judgment. Your hour is now!
Jeremiah 52:31 Now it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month that Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison.
A prison is a place of confinement; it’s a place of limitation where liberty is minimum or in many cases absent. The scripture says that God made the evil king Merodach favour Jehoiachin and released him from prison. God will do the same for you; He will make people who don’t even like you help you.
I declare today that you are loosed and set free; this is your hour of visitation, your time of refreshing, your year, and your due season to experience the Lord’s favour, the appointed time for your blessing. Your hour is now.
It’s been a while since I sent you my weekly journal and that’s the reason I’m overly excited about sending you this one. I also want to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued prayers and words of encouragement. May God bless you!
I trust that God has been doing an awesome work in your life through his word. Before I continue with the story of the lame man, I want to share something with you from Acts 12. Here, we see Peter, the same Peter who helped the lame man up was bound in chains with guards surrounding him. As long as he was bound, he had no control just as the lame man could do nothing about his lameness in and of himself. In verse 7, the Angel of the Lord stood before Peter. Watch this; the Angel was doing exactly what he wanted Peter to do. He stood, he did not squat, he did not lounge, he stood. God sent him to lead Peter out of the prison, but you see Peter had to cooperate with him for that to happen; he did not nag, he wasn’t doubtful, he was full of faith and he obeyed. Then the Angel of the Lord said to him arise quickly; get up fast, rise up! Right after this, the chains binding Peter fell off.
Here’s a word for you: the times of being lame, asking for alms, and bound in chains is over, act on the word that you are hearing. Rise up so your chains could fall off, rise up and be free, rise up and walk into the destiny God has planned for you.
STUDY TEXT – Acts 3: 1- 10
1 Now Peter and John were going up into the temple at the hour of prayer, [being] the ninth [hour].
2 And a certain man that was lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the door of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;
3 who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked to receive an alms.
4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him, with John, said, look on us.
5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something from them.
6 But Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but what I have, that give I thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.
7 And he took him by the right hand, and raised him up: and immediately his feet and his ankle-bones received strength.
8 And leaping up, he stood, and began to walk; and he entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.
9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
10 and they took knowledge of him, that it was he that sat for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.
I have learnt by study and experience that God is a God of process who through times, and seasons, would work in steps and stages, or in a sudden and speedy manner as we see him do in this passage.
Most people go through the movement stages of stretching, bending, twisting, shaking, creeping, crawling, standing, walking, jumping, and leaping; yet, we see that the order of movement by this man is not in accordance with this; in fact, it is the exact opposite of what you’d expect from someone who’d never walked. I believe this is mainly because God accelerated his recovery process. I could almost hear God say to him, you don’t have to start from stage one – creeping; this is not the time for gradual progression, Leap! Lift yourself off the ground. Stand. There’s strength in your ankle bones, walk. Exercise your feet, by the way how are you enjoying being able to use them?
I want you to see what this man did, immediately he was able to stand, he headed for the temple. The temple is a place of worship. Standing is an act of praise; it is also a posture that portrays soundness and alertness. Can you picture the transformation? Before he was lame, weak, and poor but now he’s standing, sound, and alert. His expression and attitude were that of appreciation, resounding praise, and a declaration of God’s faithfulness. He knew the reason for his healing
You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy. That I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever. Psalms 30:11-12 NLT
So he praised, the people heard him and knew he was the beggar they had seen so often at the gate. They saw him (in the temple) where he’d never been and doing what he hadn’t done before (standing), and they became amazed – absolutely astounded and in awe at what the Lord had done. This is exactly what God’s going to do in your life. Your breakthrough will ultimately bring him glory.
When this situation started harassing you, God could have easily rescued you then than now, but for his glory, so the world could see, and so that you would be a point of reference, he allowed you to experience the challenges you are facing now.
I want you to know that you are not reading this journal by chance, God’s about to speedily do things on your behalf. I hear these words in my spirit, No more delays, no more lingering. Receive it and believe it
This is the year of God’s favour and when He has favoured you, head for the temple, give him praise, praise him so the world would know what he’s done, let them be amazed, and return the glory to him.
Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. Isaiah 60:1 NASB
I believe that by now you have the word of God addressing your need and you are warring a good warfare with them. Continue with it, your breakthrough is around the corner, you’re going to rise. As promised last week, I will continue with the story about the lame man who rose and walked. Enjoy!!!
STUDY TEXT – Acts 3: 1- 10
1 Now Peter and John were going up into the temple at the hour of prayer, [being] the ninth [hour].
2 And a certain man that was lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the door of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;
3 who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked to receive an alms.
4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him, with John, said, look on us.
5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something from them.
6 But Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but what I have, that give I thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.
7 And he took him by the right hand, and raised him up: and immediately his feet and his ankle-bones received strength.
8 And leaping up, he stood, and began to walk; and he entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.
9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
10 and they took knowledge of him, that it was he that sat for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.
The scripture says in Ecclesiastes that money answers all things and it’s also a defence, support, and insurance. Maybe I’m wrong but I’d like to think that if this lame man collected enough money, he could have had surgery; then again I thought of how long it would have taken him to raise the money. Could he have afforded to waste another moment considering that he was already over forty, and had done practically nothing with his life so far than to beg? Perhaps, this is what God revealed to Peter that prompted him to answer the man in this manner: I can’t give you silver and I can’t give you gold. In other words, I cannot offer you a loan. I am incapable of hiring you a physio or an occupational therapist, I am unable to refer you to a doctor, neither do I have the power to put you on a clinic waiting list, nor am I qualified to perform surgery on you, but I have the name of Jesus and when I call on it, you will rise and you will walk.
Without waiting for the man to respond, Peter took him by the right hand and pulled him up. This does not surprise me at all because Peter being a disciple of Jesus knew that unbelief was a major hindrance to receiving a miracle and had he given the lame man a chance to respond, he probably would have spoken words of doubt and fear to hinder his healing.
Right after Peter’s prayer, he pulled the man by the right hand. First, I see this as a prophetic act to call and pull the man up, out of lameness, poverty, and lack; secondly, the pulling up was to give him support and assistance and thirdly it catalyzed the healing process, he got up faster than he would have on his own.
The bible goes on to record that the man’s feet and ankle bones were healed and strengthened immediately afterward. The man got his healing but the pulling or lifting up by Peter sealed and perfected it.
I hope this word has ministered to you, We’ll wrap up the story next week but before then I want you to know that God has anointed and positioned someone to call and pull you out of the situation you’re in, someone to help you rise up with ease, and as quickly as possible, someone to seal your breakthrough; don’t allow doubt and unbelief to hinder you from obtaining your miracle. You will rise up; say it with me, I will rise up in Jesus name. Amen
Instrument of Praise is a Music Ministry which operates on a national and international scale ministering physical, emotional and spiritual healing to the afflicted....
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