OUR LORD IS MINDFULL OF OUR STATE

In the book of Luke chapter 1 verse 46, the magnificent prayer of Mary, the mother of Jesus, is recorded.

 And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great thing for me—holy is his name.

Mary testified that her spirit rejoiced in the Lord because He had been mindful of her humble state. What is being highlighted here is that God is very aware of our frame. He know the attitudes of our hearts. He knows our strength in handling things of the spirit. He knows our weakness, our limitations and our fears. 

Knowing all our parameters, the Lord calibrates to the appropriate pressure and tension that we are exposed to.

Mary herself was about to be plunged into a very dangerous time where she potentially could have been accused of impropriety but the Lord was mindful of her state and measured that she had the fortitude to withstand the pressure of the destiny that she had been chosen to undertake; being the  mother of Jesus.

In the same way God knows what roles in His kingdom we are able to handle, He also knows how much temptation we can bear and his deep knowledge of our strengths and weaknesses  is how the Lord measures the pressure that is allowed to be placed on us. As it says in 1 Corinthians verse 13:

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

Praise the Lord who knows us so well and who makes "all things work together for good  to them that  love God, to them who are called according to His purposes." - Romans 8 verse 28.

Bless the Lord our God.

Amen.

OUR LORD WHO WILL RETURN IN GLORY

Our Lord and Messiah appears in two ways in the ancient books of the prophets.

In some depictions of Him, He is seen as a servant who suffers indignities, grief  and pain and of no distinction in His appearance or status.

In other depictions, He is shown as an apex monarch whose great power and authority over His kingdom are overwhelming and whose righteousness and justice ultimately prevail on the earth.

The two Messiahs have puzzled people for thousands of years but when Jesus suddenly appeared in history, the mysterious  dichotomy of two Messiahs was clarified for once and for all.

Jesus came as a servant who was acquainted with suffering and who came to intense grief and pain that ultimately culminated in His ignominious death on a cross.

He was the suffering Messiah but Jesus Himself, as He was going through the trial for His life, announced that the glorious Messiah was in fact Himself. As the suffering servant was nearing the end of His life, He heralded His return as the resplendent and majestic King of heaven and earth. 

In Mark Chapter 14 verse 61 and 62, the scriptures say this:

Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.” 

This statement was a major  catalyst that propelled the political powers of the time to have Jesus killed and were successful in getting the suffering servant crucified.

As it says in 1 Corrinthians 7 and 8, but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; 8the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; 

What was unknown to them was that Jesus, in His humble and vulnerable condition was also the mighty King of all things and that He would rise up from the death they sentenced Him to, set up His kingdom on earth and then would return in a blistering display of might where the whole earth would tremble at His appearing.

This is the story of the suffering servant and the mighty King of kings being the same person and who shall return to judge the living and the dead.

Bless His name forever.

Amen.

OUR LORD WHO ASSURES US

In the book of Hebrews Chapter 11 verse 19 - 23, it says:

 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Here, the scriptures are telling us that we can have full assurance of our right standing with God because of the sacrifice of Jesus which washes us and through the sprinkling of His blood, we are cleansed of our evil conscienses and our bodies are washed by pure water.

Further to that, the Lord who provided these instruments of sanctification is also faithful and will complete the good work of  that He has began in us.  - Philippians 1 verse 6. (Paraphrased)

The core of assurance comes from truly  knowing the most excellent Jesus Christ and understanding the wonders of His being and who contains all the hidden perfection and  wisdom of God.

Colossians chapter 2 verse 2 describes it like this:

that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Let us rest in the assurance of the Lord's salvation and be able to say,  "Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; Like a weaned child rests against his mother, My soul is like a weaned child within me." -Psalm 132 verse 2.

Bless the Lord.

Amen.

OUR LORD IS A CONSUMING FIRE

Oh fire, Holy Ghost fire burn

Everyday Burn

Holy Ghost fire burn

Oh fire, Holy Ghost fire burn

Everywhere burn

Holy Ghost fire burn

(Theophilus / Arome)

OUR LORD WHO GUARDS US

As well as hiding us so that we are beyond the reach of the enemy, the Lord also assigns guards to protect  us. 

Sometimes, he assigns people to protect us. An example of this is described in the lovely book of  Ruth in  chapter 2 verse 5 - 8.

Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?”

The overseer replied, “She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi. She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.”

So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.”

This story tells of how Ruth, a faithful and loyal woman who trusted  God, found protection in the care of the Lord's servant. The land owner, called Boaz, charged his employees to respect her and thus she was able to safely work in the fields.

In other cases, the Lord gives His Angels charge over us. In Psalm 34 verse 6 - 7, it describes how the Lord's Angels encircle where we live so that enemies can't get at us. It says this:

This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them.

Our Lord protects us by putting his holy angels as protectors and guardians over our lives.

Bless the name of the Lord. 

Amen.

OUR LORD WHO HIDES US

In the realm of the spirit, those who follow Jesus are  targets of hostile forces of darkness that attempt to carry out the prime directive of stealing, killing and destroying on any of God's people they can reach.

One of the strategies that our Lord uses to shield His people from spiritual attack is to hide them.

As it says in the famous passage of Psalm 91 verse 3 - 6:

Surely he will rescue you from the fowler’s trap, from the destructive plague.

With his feathers he will cover you, and under his wings you will find refuge.

His truth will be your shield and armor. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the plague that prowls in the darkness, nor the pestilence that destroys at noon.

Here, the Lord keeps us out of reach of the enemy by enshrouding us with His wings such that no enemy can cross the barrier that God's pinions provide.

Another way the Lord protects His people as they move around is to camouflage them in such a way that they cannot be detected by the sensors of the enemy. Job 28 verse 7 -  8 cryptically describes a route that is prescribed by wisdom that is not detectable by aerial surveillance nor from those that patrol the landscape.

There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen: The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.

On these paths, God's people can traverse the realm of the spirit and operate there and when the enemy cannot reach us and when the enemy cannot detect us, we are truly shielded by God and no harm can be visited upon us in the spirit.

Bless the name of the Lord.

Amen.

OUR LORD WHO QUICKENS US

The Lord, in His great wisdom, provided a mechanism by which He could stir up His people to spiritual action even though they exist in a body of flesh that , by default, resists all things of the spirit.

So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.

Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. - Psalm 80 verse 18 - 19.

The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is the one who quickens us out of our deathly pallor and spurns us into the spirit so we can participate in the life of Kingdom of God.

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. - Roman 8 verse 11.

When the Spirit of God prompts us to rise to worship and to pray, He, in His bounty, also supplies us with the liveliness to function in the spirit and bring glory to God.

Bless the wonderful name of Jesus.

Amen.