Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Entering The Next Level (November 2011).

“The Lord our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: ‘You have dwelt long enough at this mountain. Turn and take your journey, and go to the mountains of the Amorites, to all the neighboring places in the plain,...See, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—to give to them and their descendants after them" -Deuteronomy 1:6-8 (NKJV)

Individuals, churches, corporations and communities are all seeking positive changes and improvements. Man isn't designed and created by God to stagnate and be in the same level year in and year out. In the above scripture, God was showing His displeasure at the children of Israel who after leaving Egypt were stagnating in Mount Horeb. He simply told Moses their leader that they should make progress. One major source of human frustration is lack of progress. People lapse into bad behavior quickly when they are frustrated and make little or no progress. The four words below if embraced with the grace of God can effect positive changes in our lives:

1) Desire: This is more than mere wishes. It is actually a strong longing that consumes the owner. This is a must have for a change in the positive direction. How badly do you desire the next level? Life will always test how badly we desire something. Blind Bartimaeus, the blind man in Mark 10:46-52 who was born blind couldn't be silenced when he heard Jesus was passing. He so much desired to have his eyes opened that every opposition gave way at the sight of his desire.

2) Aspire: The next level I'm desirous of is already being lived and enjoyed by someone. Human beings find it difficult to have a vision and a dream for their lives. God in His mercy will often plant a picture of that unknown future near us. That picture many times could be someone already living your aspirations. Apostle Paul helped Timothy find his bearing in life and ministry. Elijah was Elisha's picture for the future. Naomi was Ruth's picture for the future. The future you are unsure of could be seen in a mentor near you that you admire. Whose lifestyle, conduct, charisma, ministry, career, etc do you admire? Who are you aspiring to be like? Who is already living your next level? A careful observation and study of them can impact greatly on you.

3) Inspire: The word 'inspire' can be broken into 'in' and 'spire' or 'spirit'. This simply indicates inward energy, life, breath or motivation. It borders on ability to self motivate and self encourage even when the desired change isnt forthcoming or in view. Inspiration is energy. It is to stay fired up and upbeat about life. Elijah, the mighty man of God ran out of inspiration after the battle on Mount Carmel and Jezebel issued threats on his life. He lost motivation to continue on his destiny path and his ministry terminated shortly after (1 Kings 19). It is true that if you are not constantly inspired, you will soon expire. Inspiration also leads to innovativeness and creativity. The greatest motivational book ever written is the Word of God, the Holy Bible. The greatest source of inward energy on the earth is the Holy Spirit and we should make sure we allow Him to motivate us at all times(John 7:38-39).

4) Perspire: To perspire simply means to sweat. It means to work hard at something and sweat as a result. Jesus prayed so hard at the Garden of Gethsemane that He sweats of blood. Elisha worked so hard as Elijah's servant that he got his next level as a result. To enter one's next level it is necessary to take on the workload and responsibility of the next level. Many times, the next level also has to do more with mental perspiration. God gave human beings brain to function and also solve some human problems. The brain is like a muscle, it delivers only when it is exercised. Every invention, product or merchandise is called the brain child of the owner. What is your brain child? What has your brain delivered to warrant your next level?

Conclusion: Desire, Aspire, Inspire and Perspire are prerequisites to enter the next level. However, all these without the grace and favor of God don't guarantee the next level. Accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is accepting the grace of God. Growing dynamically in Jesus is growing in the grace of God.


Ade(Gboyega) ESAN
http://gboyegae.blogspot.com
www.rccgpittsburgh.net

On Eagles Wings (October 2011)

"You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself" Exodus 19:4 (NKJV)

The eagle is a high flier. The eagle can fly as high as 10000 feet and even higher. In the above text, God was reminding the Israelites of the mighty deliverance He wrought for them at the Red Sea. When their enemies, the Egyptians were drowning God literally carried His own people on eagles wings.

Because the Israelites were operating from God's frequency, the challenge that drowned their enemies became their own testimonies. Whenever we operate from God's frequency, we become high fliers in the Spirit and able & better equipped to handle daily pressures & challenges. We glide and ride over mountains & challenges as if they do not exist. When we operate from God's frequency, He Himself carries us on His wings over and above life challenges and problems. Below are ways to operate from God's frequency:

1) Feast on the Word of God: To feast means to have something in abundant measure. The converse of feasting is fasting when you deprive yourself of something pleasurable.Just like we do in buffet restaurants when you are allowed to take as much food as you can in relish & delight, we are to settle down with God's Word and take an abundant measure of it. By feasting on the Word, we are able to store an abundance of the Word in our hearts.
We live life from the inside out. When our spirit man is well fed & robust, we operate from a fortified heart and are able to counter the pressures of daily living with God's assistance. And when we are lean in our inner man, we are weak and unable to stand against life challenges and pressures. "The spirit of man will sustain him in sickness but a broken spirit who can bear" (Proverbs 18:14, Proverbs 17:22). Jesus also said His words produce life and spirit in us (John 6:63).

2) Waiting on the Lord: The waiter in a restaurant is focused on the customer; all his activities center around the customer. He is sensitive to the customer such that as he beckons, the waiter responds. To wait on God simply means having designated times all activities focus and center around Him. The more regularly we do this, the more our inner strength is renewed, the more equipped we become to battle and counter life's challenges (Isaiah 40:29-31). The eagle bird as it grows older retreats to high mountains where it sheds off it's weak feathers & waits for new ones to emerge. The way to avoid burn-outs, stress & depression that is due to life challenges is to regularly wait on the Lord.

3) Declare the Word of the Lord: Faith gets stronger as we boldly declare the Word of God and also get weaker as we declare our worries and fears. Our words emanate from our thoughts. The Bible enjoins us to think positively (Philippians 4:8). The Bible also tells us that right words are forceful, dynamic and able to effect changes (Job 6:25). The speech center of the brain is also called the motor center of the body, that is the words we speak can take us to a good or bad destination depending on how we channel our words. We command the movement of angels and demon spirits by the words we speak. For God to carry us on eagles wings, our words must align with His Word always.

CONCLUSION: The tires of an airplane are able to carry the enormous weight of the plane and also land the plane safely despite the incredible weight because they have pressure inside them. The load and weight you are able to carry successfully is determined by how much of the life of God you have in your heart. Allow more of the Spirit in you through the aforementioned and you will discover you are flying high and unmoved by the challenges and pressures of life. Have a blessed new month.



Ade(Gboyega) ESAN

www.rccgpittsburgh.net

http://gboyegae.blogspot.com

The Goodness and Severity of God (September 2011)

“Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity, but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.” (Romans 11:22).

The above scripture reveals to us the two sides of God. God is love personified (1John 4:8), yet He is also a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God that was slain yet He is also the conquering Lion of the tribe of Judah. Many in our time view God from His goodness side and don’t think of His severe side. This write-up considers the 2 major sides of God.

Evidence of His goodness is revealed in:

His Love: The height of God’s love was demonstrated to mankind when Jesus went to the cross of Calvary to pay for the sins of mankind. The truth is that God is affectionate towards His creation and in particular mankind regardless of their religious affiliation, color, race, nationality, etc. His forgiving prowess is also a demonstration of His love for mankind. Any sinner no matter how grievous their sin that turns to God will be accepted and forgiven by Him. There is provision in the blood of Jesus to forgive sins and also to cleanse from sin.

His Mercy: God’s mercies transcends generations of those who fear Him to a thousand generations, in other words God keeps faith to a thousand generation to those who fear Him (Deuteronomy 7:9). He kept His mercy on Solomon and the line of David because of His relationship with King David. A delicate cargo or good that is to be shipped carries the tag, “Fragile, handle with care”. The Bible tells us God handles those who fear Him delicately, cautiously and with kid gloves (Psalm 103:11-14)

His Benevolence: God is disposed to doing good. His very essence is to extend generosity, kindness, favor, courtesy and blessing to all His creation. The Bible says in Matthew 5:45 that God makes the sun to shine on the evil and the good, and also makes the rain to fall on the just and on the unjust. His benevolence and kind nature is on all His creation and works (Psalm 145:9).

The other side of God is His severity. Some synonyms for severe are stern, authoritarian, tough, strict, hard, rigorous and heavy handed. God can be all these combined if He chooses to. Below are some evidences of His severity:

His Awesomeness: The word awesome means something/someone that inspires/invokes awe or fear or dread. The testimony of the Israelites on Mount Sinai when God gave them the 10 commandments and wanted to teach them His fear goes thus: “Now all the people witnessed the thundering, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, and when the people saw it they trembled and stood afar off. Then they said to Moses,” you speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die. ” (Exodus 20:18-19).

His Judgments: The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is a testament of how severe God’s judgments can be. Jesus was handed over to mortal men who flogged, ridiculed, spat, punished, ripped His body and crucified Him because God was judging Him for the sins of mankind He carried. The Bible says it pleased God to bruise Jesus and to put Him to grief (Isaiah 53:10). The punishment of hell fire is also a testament to how severe God can choose to be. God is not only to be reverenced but to be truly feared as someone will fear a burning fire or inferno.

His Holiness: Because of His holiness He cannot behold sin for too long. This is why every true child of God is clothed with the garment of righteousness (Romans 4:5-8, Isaiah 61:10). This is also the reason Jesus was dealt a big blow on the cross of Calvary. Any where sin is committed blatantly, perpetually, without remorse or regard for God will soon experience the wrath of God. He is simply of too pure eyes to behold iniquity.

CONCLUSION: Brethren, the choice is ours whether to see the good nature of God or His severe side. Anyone not born again is already under God’s condemnation (John 3:17-19). Make a wise decision today by fully surrendering to Jesus who is the only One that can save from the wrath of God.



Ade(Gboyega) ESAN

http://gboyegae.blogspot.com

www.rccgpittsburgh.net