18 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns.
19 And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.
20 And the Lord shewed me four carpenters.
21 Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.

What really causes embargoes? What really makes it impossible for men to attain unto the fullness of their destinies?
The easy answer would be: “devil and his agents”. While this is not false there is yet more powerful enemy and it is within. Apostle Paul while admonishing the Church in Corinth in 2 Cor 10: 5 talks about
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”

Let me take a moment to talk about the power of our imaginations. You see, there’s nothing as powerful and as God-like as the imagination of a man. At the tower of Babel the men who gathered said “…Let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” (Gen 11:4). This is imagination in action. At the beginning of creation, God the father said “…Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth (Gen 1:26). That is God imagining the beauty that order and creation would bring. This was the exact reason God said to Moses in Gen 13: 14-17 “…after Lot had gone, the LORD said to Abram, Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west. I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession. And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted! Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.”

The problem however is that imagination is neutral, you can either use it for good or evil intents and many people would rather deploy their imagination in pursuit of evil than good. They feed their imagination with wild thoughts that never edify but which are capable of utter destruction. These evil imaginations are the very things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. Evil imaginations stifle spiritual access and Godly interventions. More terrible are the dis-empowering beliefs that many a Christian fondly embrace.

Dear friend, if you will break limits the starting point is purging your mind of dis-empowering beliefs and unhealthy negative imaginations. Let me be clear to you: no one can win the battle of life who has lost the battle of the mind. The first limit you must break is the limit of your mind. You must believe for instance that becoming great is your right and that you are entitled to it by the grace that was made available at Calvary. That belief has got to be very strong; driving you in the direction of destiny each and every day. If for any reason you succumb to the pedestrian thinking that “destiny cannot be changed” and “whatever will be will be” it is difficult to amount to much in life.

After you have dealt with limiting imaginations the second step to breaking limits is dealing with unhealthy association. Look for a moment at Gen 13: 14 again “…after Lot had gone, the LORD said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west. I am giving all the land, as far as you can see, to you”. Did you see that?... after Lot had gone… Not before, not when he was about to go, after he had gone. For many a believer their very limit is the associations that they have vowed to always keep. Those associations carry so much weight of disgrace that they effectively neutralize the liberating impact of grace upon their lives. The Bible is emphatic “Do not be deceived, bad communication corrupts good manners”. You can’t stay in the wrong associations and expect the God of grace to waste His grace on you. Please and please dear friend. This is 2021. Review your associations and dis-engage from every unedifying “Lot-like” relationships.

Lastly, limits are broken in the place of action- prayer, fasting and work. In spite of the prophesy that had gone ahead of Judah it took the very action of the “carpenters of destiny” to remake the destiny of Judah. Evil horns have scattered Judah, Jerusalem and Israel that no one except strangers could lift their heads. Their heads were bowed in perpetuity, but thank God for raising the Carpenters to cause a restoration.

Dear Friend, it is time now for you to be the carpenter of your own very destiny. Get up. Don’t sleep. War against these strange horns that have kept your destiny down and I am sure that the God of heaven will give you irrevocable victory and restoration in Jesus name.
Happy new month.

“Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet” (Psalms 110:1 NIV). This is the most oft-quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament. But as we consider now what right-hand-of-God power might look like practically in our lives, I want us to pay particular attention to the verse that immediately follows: “The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying, ‘Rule in the midst of your enemies!’” (Psalm 110:2 NIV).

Notice, however, it’s not a promise that the Lord will get rid of our enemies. Instead, God wants us to rule in their midst. This is not a rose-garden promise to remove our enemies, but an invitation to rule in the midst of them. As David expressed it in Ps 23:5 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies”. Though we have enemies, we can rule in the midst of them and be “more than conquerors” through Christ (Romans 8:37). Having been raised up and seated with Christ “in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 2:6; Colosians 3:1), we are therefore at God’s right hand, enthroned with Christ in the place of authority. That means we are no longer in a defensive, but an offensive position in relation to our enemies. We are in the midst of them but also looking down on them from above. Knowing that should cause us to rise up in confidence, boldness, and authority.

Remember the story of David and Goliath? Goliath was insulted that the Israelites would send out such a pathetic, unworthy opponent as David to fight him. He was infuriated when he saw that the man who had been sent out to fight him was “only a youth.” “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” he taunted. “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field” (1 Samuel 17:43–44).
Goliath, the nine-foot giant, armed from head to toe, was an experienced, bloodthirsty warrior. David, the shepherd boy with only a sling, was obviously no match for him.
Yet when Goliath advanced toward him, what did David do? Tremble? Shake in his boots? Start backpedaling as fast as he could? No. Scripture says: “When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:48).
Amazing! David didn’t wait for the giant to initiate the combat. Instead he put his head down and charged toward Goliath. He didn’t fight defensively, using his quickness and smaller size to avoid Goliath’s attacks, hoping possibly to wear the giant down. No. David went on the offensive!
King Saul and David’s older brothers were probably shaking their heads in dismay. How foolish could David be? The lowly shepherd boy must be delusional! Yet we know that wasn’t the case. Why then was he so undaunted and courageous?

What David shouted to Goliath just before he charged toward him provides the answer: “You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts” (1 Samuel 17:45). David’s boldness and confidence was in the name of the one in whom he had come: Yahweh. David had set his mind on things above, on the one above, who sits on heaven’s throne.
After he defeated Goliath, David went on to become a mighty warrior, no doubt the greatest in all Israel’s history. “Blessed be the Lord, my rock,” he would declare, “who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle” (Psalm 144:1; Psalm 18:34). Scripture describes his mighty exploits in significant detail.
But the reason David became a great warrior and subdued his enemies was because, first and foremost, he was a great worshiper. That was how he set his mind on things above. Before he learned to wield a sling or a sword, he first learned to play a harp. That’s what we remember him for most: his worship songs found in the Psalms. So many of the individual psalms are attributed to him that Charles Spurgeon aptly titled his great devotional commentary on the Psalms, The Treasury of David. The close connection between worship and warfare is hard to miss in many of them. Consider Psalm 27, for example. “Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident” (Psalm 27:3). He sure sounds like a confident warrior here!

But notice the following verse: “One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after; to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple” (Psalm 27:4). Often that verse is quoted to underscore the centrality and the priority of worship. It’s the “one thing” David desired.
And as a result of doing that “one thing,” he exulted, “Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord” (Psalm 27:6).

David was a great warrior because he is a great worshiper! He was able to subdue his enemies because his head was lifted up above them. Because his eyes were focused on the Lord, while he was in the midst of his enemies he was looking down on them from above. As he said at the very beginning of this same psalm, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1).

Dear reader, if like David we want this kind of sweat-less victory over every enemy, a life of worship is simply the secret.

Happy new Year 2021.

28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

The Book of Ecclesisates talks about times and seasons. It was said as regards the sons of Issachar that they understood the times and the seasons. In Israel, there is a time when Kings go to war. That particular season David was wining away in his palace and that idleness led him to the laps of the wife of Uriah. (2 Sam 11) You see, you can enter into error just by being idle in the time of work.

Let us take a moment to look at what it takes to fly. As you may already know, flight represents the highest level of speed, the lowest level of speed being crawling. Progress actually begins from crawling.

Permit me to mention thought that a lot of people are actually in retrogressive mode while some are stagnated. In retrogression man goes from good or fair to bad or terrible. May that not be your portion in Jesus’ name.

The second level of speed is walking. People who are walking can be described as those who are desirous of progress but are not in a hurry for it. Then we can talk of running. If you are at this level you are desirous of change, ready to do what it takes but trying to win by strength. The Bible say “…By strength shall no man prevail”( 1 Sam 2:9). A car can run for 12hours on the way from Lagos to Maiduguri and in just 45Mins a plane would get there ahead of him.

The third and superior level of speed is flight- this is the level where you are aided by God in the course of destiny. While men struggle by strength you are aided by grace. This is that level where the accomplishment of destiny becomes effortless. For everyone reading this piece today it is my prayer that you would enter into the realm of effortless flight in Jesus’ name.

What are the Requirements for Flying?

First requirement for flight is lightness. In building an airplane there is an intentional design of a large surface area to volume ratio to ensure that the mass can float in air. Heb 12:1 Says “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” See, the most potent power in disabling your flight is not the devil. It is your flesh. The reason many are still held down is their fleshly desires and lust. Sin is a weight. Sin makes you heavy and prevents you from flying. If you want your life to take a leap going into 2021 the first thing you must deal with; and decisively too is sin.

The Second Requirement is Discipline. To become a pilot you will invest a lot of hours in studying and practical sessions. As a pilot you will be required to keep very stringent rules throughout your career. Pilots are necessarily much disciplined people. The reason is simple: if we would entrust the lives of many in your care you must be diligent enough about keeping yours. People who fly high carry others in the journey of destiny. High flyers always have an army of people looking to them for inspiration and direction. To be sure they are not misled, discipline would be required first of you.

The third Requirement is Training. Paul speaking to Timothy in 2 Tim 2: 15 says “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” I doubt if there is anything anyone can do in this life without first getting adequately trained for it. Many of us believe that the grace of God is sufficient to help us in life and that’s true but mastery is very often a requirement to even activate grace and make grace to come to full effect.

I pray as you prepare for the new year God will empower you with the wisdom for “flightly behavior” in Jesus name.

You are welcome to December, the last month in this challenging Year 2020. A Year of “Battles and Victories “ A Year of “New Normal“ that has affected people in different areas including career, business, church, family and social. Many people, families and organizations have learned to do things differently with various major decisions taken for survival.

The time has now come to arise from wherever we have found ourselves due to the challenges of the past months, mount on wings like the Eagles and begin to fly.

Considering the experiences of many people this year, if we must fly and be part of the group of “High Flyers“ in our world today, it is very important to learn some lessons from the life of the Eagle.

The Eagle is a symbol used many times in Scripture. Eagles have a wingspan of 2 meters and are around 90 cm. tall. The eagle mates for life and use the same nest for life. This nest is built in a safe place, often on the ledge of a sharp cliff. It is built to last and the largest nest reported is 9 ½ feet wide and 20 feet deep.

When the babies are born, both parents assume responsibility for their care. They are gentle parents, sitting on the eggs for one month. The parents bring food up to the nest and feed them small pieces of meat. Within 45 days they can weigh nearly 40 times their birth weight. At three months they get special feathers for flying and a new learning experience begins. The mother eagle flies into the nest and begins to thrash around causing a great commotion. Eventually one of the babies will fall out of the nest and begin heading for the earth below. Never having used his wings before, he′s not really sure what to do, but does do lots of flapping while heading straight down! Just before the baby hits the ground, the mother eagle flies underneath in order to ′catch′ the baby on her powerful wings and she flies him safely back to the nest. This continues on day after day until all the babies learn to fly.

There are two verses in scripture that actually mention this routine of the eagle.
In Deuteronomy 32:10-11 Moses reminded the children of Israel how God cared for them and guarded them just “like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions.“ Again in Exodus 19:4 God says “He will carry the children of Israel on eagles′ wings“.

We can get very comfortable in our ′nest′. Perhaps that could be our way of doing things, our way of thinking, our opinions, and our way of living our lives. Then when God comes and ′stirs up our nest′ we get upset. We don′t always identify this as a growing experience. Sometimes if we were really honest, we really don′t have great vision to grow. We get very complacent and satisfied with where we are and any interruptions are viewed as negative. But God wants us to fly - to become all that He intends us to become. He never stirs up our nest without good reason!

The eagle can see a rabbit two miles away. It can soar up to two miles above the ground and can fly at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour. They have a separate eyelid, which slides across the eye sideways in order to keep the eye clean and free from dust as they fly. Their bones are hollow and therefore light of frame. Their frame has cross ribs like steel bars in skyscrapers. The eagle has 7000 feathers. The back feathers are as long as the head feathers. Their beak is black until age of 3 years and then turns golden.

When eagles are about 60 years old they go through a renewal process. They find a secret place high in the mountains and begin to claw at their face and tear out the feathers that have been damaged over the years. As a result, it bleeds badly. But this is necessary for the eagle in order to renew its strength. If it did not do this it would not be able to live to its normal 120 years of age.

Psalms 103:5 says “who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.“ A time of renewal is necessary for every child of God. A time when we get rid of what is weighing us down, holding us back, aging us spiritually. A time to give up the sinful habits, to give in to the Holy Spirit in whatever way He is convicting us. We need to do this even to the point of renewal with pain! Some things we hold on to so tightly that to let go, actually causes us pain. But in order to have the long, powerful, useful spiritual life that God plans for us, we need to let go. It will renew our spiritual youthfulness.

When the eagle is free to soar in God′s creation, they are the cleanest of birds. They were created to be free and to soar to great heights. They were not meant to remain close to the earth in the lowlands. They were created to soar. When eagles are held in captivity, they become one of the dirtiest birds.

God has created us to remain pure and holy and conformed to his image. Don′t compromise the freedom we have in him, by spending too much time in worldly thinking, activities, and mindsets. Remain clean!

Eagles do not fly like other birds; they don′t flap their wings but rather soar. Flapping their wings would use incredible amounts of their own strength and endurance and they would require so much more food as fuel if they didn′t soar. Instead they sit on a high ledge and wait for the right wind currents to come. When the time is right, they take off and soar upward effortlessly, because they have waited for the right time. There is a special ′up going′ wind, that they ride as it circles higher and higher toward the sky.

What a lesson for God′s children to learn. How often do we waste strength by jumping out too soon and ′flapping our wings′, instead of waiting for God′s timing? Waiting is not a popular concept in these days of instant everything! But when we wait on the Lord - wait for His timing - wait for His answers - wait for His direction, then we can soar to new heights and fly to new places.

“Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles: they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.“

It′s time to fly. Please join the flight. It′s our season to soar higher with greater glory.

Happy New month.

Merry Christmas and happy new year in advance.

Stay safe and stay blessed.

(Isa 43: 18-19) Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

Are you stuck in life and it seems there’s no way out? Are you desperately seeking a fresh start and a new beginning? Many of us have made many mistakes in our lives as Christians. We have experienced many setbacks and failures throughout our lives. Sometimes we allow these mistakes, these setbacks and failures to enslave us to the point that we never enjoy the full Christian life that God has given us to enjoy.

In John 10:10 Jesus said, “I am come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” Then he goes on to tell us that there is an adversary, called the Devil, that seeks to steal, kill and destroy that life. The Devil will remind us of our past in order to keep us from enjoying the abundant life that God gave us to live. The Devil does not want you to have a fresh start at all. He wants your mistakes to define your existence forever.
The good news is, God says, “I want you to have a fresh start in life, I want you to have a new beginning, I want to do something new in your life.”

Today, the good news according to Isaiah 43:18 is this and these are the words of the Lord “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” God is saying don’t think about the past. It’s over. The book is closed and a new chapter is opening.

We need to understand that God is far more interested in our future than He is in our past. Some people think that God is stuck on their past. That all He wants to do is remind them of the things that they have done wrong. God is more interested in your future than He is with your past. That’s where you’re going to spend the rest of your life. Israel was being punished for their sins and rebellion against God. God wanted to give hope and encouragement to His people. He wanted them to know that even though they were being punished they were not being forsaken.

Maybe that miry clay is the spot where you are today! You probably feel you have made so much mistakes and God should now be done with you. Perhaps you have even failed God very terribly multiple times. I have come to tell you today “It is not over”
Permit me to share with you an interesting formula for starting again. It is themed S.T.A.R.T.
I hope you’ll remember this and pass it along to friends when they have failures as well. Regardless of the failure you’ve had in your life, here’s how you can start over.

S – Stop making excuses.

If I want a fresh start in life, I have to stop making excuses for my failures. I’ve got to stop blaming other people. I’ve got to stop seeing myself as the victim of my circumstances.
Other people can hurt us, other people can harm us, and other people can scar us. But the only person that can ruin your life is you. Nobody can ruin your life without your permission. You have a choice, that is you can choose how you’re going to respond to those hurts. The Bible says that the starting point is to just be honest and accept responsibility for your part of the problems.
Proverbs 28:13 says “He that covers his sins shall not prosper: but whosoever confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy.”

T - Take Inventory.

The second critical step in starting anew is taking inventory. It means evaluating all experiences. You need to look at what is now left of your life, what your position is. Galatians 3:4 admonishes us to review our past. There is a lot we can learn by reviewing your past and present state.
The Living Bible says, “You have suffered so much for the gospel. Now are you going to throw it all over board.” I can hardly believe it.
Learn from your mistakes. Failure can be your friend or your foe. You determine if failure will be your friend or foe by the way you react to it. You can choose to learn from it or choose to repeat it. If you learn from it then it can be your friend. However, if you don’t learn from it is your foe.

A - Act in faith

This is the third step in getting a fresh start: acting in faith. You have to launch out into new territory. The Bible says that the key to changing anything is faith. If you want to change your circumstance, it takes faith. If you want to change your personality, it takes faith. If you want to change anything in your life, you have to have some faith.
Jesus says this in Matthew 9. “According to your faith it will be done to you.” That is a very simple statement but it’s very powerful. “According to your faith it will be done to you.” That means we tend to get out of life what we expect. “According to your faith it will be done to you.“

R - Refocus

Now, it is time to refocus your thoughts if you want to change your life. Proverbs 4:23 says “Be careful how you think. Your life is shaped by your thoughts.“
The way you think, determines the way you feel. And the way you feel determines the way you act. If you want to change your actions, just change the way you think and it will inevitably change the way you act. If you are depressed, discouraged and distressed it may be because you’re thinking depressed, discouraged and distressing thoughts. That’s your choice. You don’t have to think those thoughts. If you’re acting in fearful, worried ways it’s because you’re thinking fearful, worried thoughts. Now it is time to refocus your view, look into a brighter future and start again anew.

T – Trust

At the end of it all, we must fully and completely trust on God. No man can amount to more than what God ascribes to him.

Happy New Month.

John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Freedom is one of the most difficult things to describe. It may however be better understand from an opposite perspective. Perhaps we can grasp freedom much better by first explaining its opposite- slavery.

Nothing reduces a man more than slavery. Nothing has the capacity to debase a man as much as slavery. Slavery takes away the pride of a man. Slavery takes away all of his dignity. When a man becomes a slave, his right; even to life is withdrawn. He is counted as one of the belongings of another man. It is my prayer today that as many as are under the despotic reign of Lucifer would be made free today by the power in the name of Jesus.

Slavery limits the capacity of a man to think straight. Let me remind you of the sad story of the prodigal son (Luk 15: 11-32). He had left his father’s house with a lot of possessions and had wasted all of his inheritance. He fell into slavery by his own very design. He lived among pigs like one who had no people. It was so bad that he had to eat from the crumbs of the pigs. When a man is enslaved, he is treated as the equivalent or even worse than an animal.
I remember the pathetic story of the children of Israel also. They had been in the land of captivity for over four hundred years and the children of glory were now so used to the low-life of servitude in Egypt. They had seen the miracles performed by the hand of God through Moses and Aaron forcing the hand of Pharaoh to let them go. They had seen the outstretched arm of God. So it was surprising when it so happened that on the day that God parted the sea they wanted almost to go back to Egypt. “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt...it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” (Ex 14: 11-12). Can you even imagine that? The children of Israel actually said it would have been better for them to continue in slavery that to embark on this journey of freedom!
It tells me one thing: slavery rewires the thinking of men. It is my prayer that as many who have now settled for the low-life of slavery instead of the abundant life of freedom, God of Heaven will break the yoke upon their heads in Jesus name.

Dear friend, freedom opens the eyes of men. Paul speaking to the Ephesian Church in Eph 1:18 says “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,.” To be candid, freedom starts with knowledge.
The same Paul spoke yet again in Phil 3:10-14 “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death. If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,”
Even Paul only found freedom and self-actualization in knowing and daily following Christ. If there is one advice that I consider necessary to give you today it would be that you find Jesus with all of your strength. Lay hold on him when you contact his revelation and ensure by all means that you never let him go.

Freedom is not a reckless life lacking of accountability. Freedom is; knowing Jesus and following Him for the actualization of the full potentials of your life. That is the cross to which I call you today. That is the gainful enterprise to which I invite you to dedicate the remaining of your life.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” ( Matt 16:24-25) Now, this is the mystery of freedom. Those who seek genuinely liberating freedom must learn that there is a price to it. That price is absolute and sheepish obedience to Jesus. When you lose yourself to Jesus you find yourself in purpose. When you become a slave to his will you find the freedom to live the abundant life he promised.

Happy New Month and Happy Independence Month.

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

Very recently, we saw on national television a former minister ask a questioner in very condescending manner “Do you know who I am?”. Many big men and sometimes not so big men ask the same question “Do you know who I am”. It is interesting that when you ask them “Who are you” they get stuck. For some they may even name themselves as Minister, Governor or Senator in the belief that they amount to much. But at the recent passing of some of the world’s most powerful personalities, I have come to one conclusion: no man matters more than the current breadth in his nostrils. No man (except aided by God’s limitless grace) has more value than sand. For indeed, man is sand….

Dear friend, let me be honest with you. No man is anything in this world. None, especially not by himself. The Bible speaking in Ps 144:4 says Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow. Isa 2:22 says “Turn away from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for of what account is he?”. How powerless! On the day that man was made, dust was gathered and God breathed in him the breath of life (Gen 2:7). As I ponder on the vanity of life in recent times, I have come to the realization that life and indeed man; is nothing.

But then, there is; in Zion, a grace that makes an incredibly valuable entity of absolute nonentities. It was that grace that spoke to Saul of Tarsus on the way to Damascus. All that he had ever been was a criminal: an undignified killer of the saints. He was not worthy to be called a human being. On the day that Grace met Paul on the highway to Damascus, he was arrested and convicted of his nonentity status. Thankfully; as a result of that encounter he was remade forever. Paul; speaking in testimony to this grace in 1 Cor 15:9-10a says “9For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain;”

There was another man called Joseph. He had dreamt the dream of his greatness and for that reason he was sold into slavery. He encountered the wrath of Portiphar because Portiphar’s wife desperately wanted to have his warmth and Joseph was too decent for it. He ended up in prison. From prison he ended up second in command: Someone who was supposed to be killed. These are the un-explainable dimensions of Grace.

See; One thing is certain in this life: no one will come into tangible encounter with Jesus of Nazareth and remain just the value of dust. No one would ever embrace the saving grace of Calvary and not become a lot more than just a man.

Man is nothing; he has absolutely no value when he is all by himself. But man who encounters God is always more than conqueror.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

A wonder is something that is beyond the ability of man to comprehend. When you talk of wonder you are basically talking of something that is abnormal in a positive sense. You probably would once or twice have heard about the Seven Wonders of the World including: The Great Pyramid of Giza, The Great Wall of China, Petra, Coloseum in Rome, Chichen Itza in Mexico, Machu Picchu, Taj Mahal in India and the seventh is listed as Christ De Redeemer in Rio De Janeiro in Brazil.
Christ De Redeemer is an Art Deco statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, created by French sculptor Paul Landowski and built by Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa, in collaboration with French engineer Albert Caquot. Romanian sculptor Gheorghe Leonida fashioned the face. Constructed between 1922 and 1931, the statue is 30 metres high. The arms stretch 28 metres (92 ft) wide.

Let us talk about Christ our own very Redeemer!
There is a wonderful story once told in the Bible of one friend of Jesus. He had fallen ill just at the time when Jesus was out of town and had died as a result. He was too close to Jesus to die young; his sisters had thought. Martha and Mary sent an urgent message to Jesus: “Your friend took ill and now he is dead; so please come quickly and make him whole again”. As if unmoved by the death of his friend Jesus did not arrive until four whole days; four whole days after the death of Lazarus. (John 11:38-44)
I do not know what seems to be dying right now in your life and it is looking like it would not live again; I want to assure you today dear reader; Jesus is coming for it.
So, Jesus got back to Bethany, Lazarus was stone dead. He was cold. He had already gathered substantial rot. The stench from his tomb was more than repelling. When Martha saw Jesus, they rued their loss “Jesus, why did you come so late. If only you had been here just a few hours after he died he would surely have lived again. But you are now three days too late. You friend is there, buried in the tomb with the dead”. Here’s one of the mysteries of the World’s greatest wonder- Jesus. Except it becomes necessary he does not reveal himself. I remember that he went to the wedding in Cana of Galilee entirely as a guest and would never have revealed himself were it not for his mother who begged vigorously for him to cover the shame of the celebrants. (John 2:1-12)

At the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus lifted his hands and said
“Father, I thank you that you have heard me. And I knew that you hear me always: but because of the people who stand by I said it, that they may believe that you have sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth” John 11:41-43”

I want to let you know dear friend; whatever the circumstances of your life may be: Jesus never ever comes late; even on the day when he came four days after his friend had been buried he still was not late. Can you imagine that? How exactly did that come about?- Jesus controls time and seasons and so it is impossible to define his actions and inactions in the limit of time. If you would recall; Moses was already eighty years old almost heading for the grave when he unleashed his destiny. Abraham was a hundred years old when God commissioned him a father to generations. All of the time, Jesus defines times. Time never defines him. That is another wonder of his existence.

Dear friend, I imagine that you will be all glued to your TV screens waiting patiently for the Wonderful himself to visit you during the 68th RCCG Annual Convention ; Please go with a open heart. Be unyielding in your expectations and desire for this Convention. It is my sincere prayer that as we lift up our voices to heaven, the God of Heaven will hear us. Here’s wishing you a happy Convention 2020.

“O LORD, I have heard your speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive your work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.“

The story of the five foolish virgins who missed the feast with the Bridegroom was very pathetic. It would not have been if they had not bothered to wait. Can you imagine that you prepare so hard, leave your home and wait several hours to meet a guest only to be told that the meeting held while you were waiting outside? However, the marriage feast of the lamb was a lot more than a meeting. It was Jesus illustrating how the story of rapture would be.

In my opinion, the biggest error of the foolish virgins was their lukewarmness. (Matt 25: 1-13) And you really couldn’t blame them. They had got to the venue. They had been admitted in. They had oil in their lamps. Notwithstanding all of these they still lost. They lost because they thought they were already around the venue. The easiest way to miss heaven today is “being so used to church” that you take the injunctions of heaven with familiarity.

Dear friend, one thing is for sure in the race of life: You cannot prepare too much. In fact, the only way to win is to prepare more than is required.

What does revival really mean?

Revival means waking up from one’s slumber. Once in a while in life, we may get cold. We may lose some steam because we are often beset with the cares of life. Were it not so, Prophet Isaiah would not have admonished thus “Those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength”(Isa 40:31). As you may know, one compelling advantage of the eagle is in its ability for seasonal self renewal. Every once in a while, the eagle ascends to the hills and sheds its old feathers to grow newer ones. That brings me to my second point.

Revival is shedding unnecessary weight. The Bible, speaking in Heb 12:1 says “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” No man can run with a weight on his head. As Christians, every weight of sin is an impediment to growth. If you seek revival you must let go of the weight.

Lastly, I must say that no one can be revived who has not first found Jesus. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him.

Brethren, the signs of the end times are here. It is time to seek the Lord. It is a season to pray for revival fire as in the day of Pentecost to keep us moving in our Christian journey as we look forward to the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Happy New Month.

Text 😛salms 100:4

It′s not enough to just have a thankful heart but to tell God how thankful we are.
Have a thanks session daily. Complaining does not glorify God.
I Thess. 5:18-19 (when you murmur, you hinder the Holy Spirit from working on your behalf)

Do not quench the Spirit. - I Thessalonians 5:19

Rather, this is how we should come before the Lord -
“Enter His gates with a song of thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, bless and praise His name.
- Psalms 100:4
Another version referred to Thanksgiving as the “Password“ to enter God′s presence.

So that′s what God expects from us as we enter the second half of this special Year 2020! Hallelujah

Blessed be the name of our God! It could only have been the Lord, for if not for God on our side, where would we be? Glory be to the name of the Lord!

“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,“ Let Israel now say, - Psalms 124:1

It is good to give thanks to the Lord , And to sing praises to your name, O Most High; - Psalms 92:1

To the end that my glory may sing praise to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever. - Psalms 30:12

I will give you thanks in the great assembly; I will praise you among many people. - Psalms 35:18

We promise to give you glory due your name always Lord. No man shall take the glory due your name in our lives. It all belongs to you in Jesus′ name.

We give you thanks for all your help now as well in advance.

“If a man dies, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change comes.“

There is no man who keeps his gaze on yesterday who ever sees a better future. Every man that ever became great kept looking forward. In fact, one outstanding attribute of small minded men is their ability to focus permanently on yesterday. If what you achieved yesterday still looks to you like a very big deal then you’ve not been making progress lately.

The delight of God for us is that we move ahead each year, each month and each day. It is June only and I can tell you already that the amazing 2020 aspirations of many may have expired. After the very terrifying situations imposed on us by COVID-19 over the last three months, hopes have become shattered. I understand, it is easier to shift focus and lose steam in a world where attention span continually wanes. See, dear brother; in times like this where you look determines where you go.

Many have been stuck in the traffic of life because they were looking at other men. Many are held bound by their admiration of their own success stories. They have seen the comfort of Egypt and thought that Canaan was not necessary. Some are held down by their faith in men. The man by the pool of Bethesda is a good example. He wasted thirty eight years because he was looking in the wrong direction. Thirty eight years; all because his gaze was on men! In the very worst case scenario some people look down. In that moment when they have lost all faith in God and in life; they feel like the world should end. At that moment they resent life and hate themselves. In some instances they are cursing the day they were born.

Cheer up dear sister. I have got news for you dear brother. Isa 54:1 says to you “Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child “ For the time will change in your favour.

But what exactly is restoration of hope?
*. Help that you lacked hitherto. Brethren, do you know that no one in this life can move an inch ahead if he is not helped from on high? As the Bible says; the arm of flesh shall fail you. Jeremiah 17:5 says “Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD“ What you need this year to go up is not connection it is revelation. Your help is not with any man. “Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth“ (Ps 124:8) The reason you haven’t found help is you look too much to men. If you begin to look up to God, help will show up for you.

*. Restoration of hope means fresh direction. Isa 30:21 says “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left “ Our most enviable inheritance as children of the Kingdom is God’s leading. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God“ (Rom 8:14) If your gaze is on the eternal order of Heaven then I can assure you that your life will not be like amoeba. See, the greatest frustration in life is to keep going with no knowledge of your destination. And believe me sincerely, many in life are running with zeal and very fast heading nowhere. What a sorry tale. If your life will not be like that this year, you’ve got to listen first to the instruction from on high before you start running.

*. Restoration of hope means favour from God and honour among men… “For I will make you and eternal excellency… “. If you have ever known shame you will appreciate honour. Some men who thought themselves important have been asked away from the seats of more important men. At that moment the embarrassment is better imagined.

In addition to Help, Direction and Favour; Restoration of Hope means the absolute presence of God. You can travel alone and sink but you cannot travel with God and sink. The boat of life may face turbulence like Peter did on the high sea but be sure the storms cannot wreck you.

Dear believer, looking backward will keep you away from Jesus, it will keep you away from help, from grace, from honour, from progress, direction and health.

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith“