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EVERYONE can praise, but not everyone can worship. When the disciples left Jesus by the well of Samaria, they did not know what would happen in their absence. Not long after they left, a woman came to draw some water. Everyone can praise, but not everyone can worship GIVE me a drink, he said. The Samaritan woman asked Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (For Jews have nothing to do with Samaritans). THE WOMAN did not know that God does not save by race but by grace. God desires that all people be saved and come to the knowledge and recognition of the [divine] truth. (1 Timothy 2:4) JESUS said to her, “If you knew [about] God’s gift [of eternal life], and who it is who says, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him [instead], and He would have given you living water (eternal life).” She told Jesus that he had no bucket and rope to draw with, yet he's talking about the living water. When you have no understanding of God, you limit his capabilities. Then she asked him if he was greater than her father, Jacob, who had given them the well. Sometimes, what you know [education] can limit your understanding. EVERYONE who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water that I give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I give him will become in him a spring of water [satisfying his thirst for God] welling up [continually flowing, bubbling within him] to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14) AND when Jesus told her to go and call her husband, she said she didn't have one. Jesus told her she had had five husbands, and the one she was living with was not her husband. She sought fulfilment and found none. And the woman asked if Jesus was a prophet. JESUS told her that the Samaritans worshipped what they did not know. So, it's possible to worship what you do not know and not realize it. But if you say you know Jesus, does he know you? THE REALITY is that you cannot ascribe worth to a God you do not know; to worship God, you must know Him. The knowledge will begin in the head and move to the mind. You cannot ascribe worth to a God you do not know; to worship God, you must know Him. WHEN Jesus conversed with her, he was trying to change her mindset and give her the mind of Christ. Every interaction with God is to draw you closer to him. BUT a time is coming and is already here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit [from the heart, the inner self] and in truth; for the Father seeks such people to be His worshipers. God is spirit [the Source of life, yet invisible to humanity], and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. You can only worship Him when you know Him. Worship requires truth — the correct knowledge of God. It's in worship that truth is illuminated. It’s in worship that we defeat the enemy. THE WOMAN said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ—the Anointed); when that One comes, He will tell us everything [we need to know].” She acknowledged that her knowledge was insufficient and that she needed to learn more. Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He (the Messiah).” (John 4:1-35) WORSHIP is deep. No wonder when God searched for a man to replace Saul, he chose a worshipper, David. Abimelech offered David consecrated bread. He bent the rule that David might have something to eat. (1 Samuel 21) EZEKIEL used the analogy of the River of God to describe worship. It starts from the right side under the altar and flows. Everywhere it goes, it brings healing and prosperity. (Ezekiel 47:1-12) The water continues to rise until you can no longer walk in it. You are carried by it. WORSHIP brings us to a deeper place. It leads us into the wonders of God. (2 Corinthians 4:18) Worship Isaiah saw the glory of God, and he saw himself in it. (Isaiah 6:1-7) GOD does not intend for us to enjoy his presence and then leave. He wants us to tabernacle in it every day of our lives. He exemplified it when the pillar of cloud led his people by day and the pillar of fire by night. (Exodus 13:21) Moses moved from invocation to habitation. When your life aligns with God, the deep begins to call to the deep. (Ps 42:7) God is spirit, so he that must worship him must worship him in spirit and truth. He will tabernacle with your spirit, and everything will align with his plan for your life. There’s a place you get to, and he speaks. Final Thoughts GOD gave worship so that we might become partners in his highest purposes—Dr. Jack Hayford.

SOMEONE said, “Purpose does not make life easy; it makes life possible.” DANIEL and his friends knew their primary purpose in life was to please God, so when they were offered meat dedicated to idols, they knew it would be a breach of trust to eat it. Before they were offered the meat, God had given Daniel favour before their overseer (Daniel 1:9) And Daniel said to him, Please, test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance and the appearance of the young men who eat the king’s finest food be observed and compared by you, and deal with your servants in accordance with what you see.” (Daniel 1:12-13) IT IS insufficient to know the plan of God; you must also pursue His Will. Pursuit So when they approached the overseer for permission to be tested, it was a done deal—God had made a way of escape. YOU must understand that no temptation [regardless of its source] has overtaken or enticed you that is not common to human experience [nor is any temptation unusual or beyond human resistance]. But God is faithful [to His word—He is compassionate and trustworthy]. He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability [to resist], but along with the temptation He [has in the past and is now and] will [always] provide the way out as well, so that you will be able to endure it [without yielding, and will overcome temptation with joy]. (1 Corinthians 10: 13) For every challenge you face, God has a way of escape, but you'll need to find it. HANNAH found it when she made a vow to give her son to Him. (1 Samuel 1:11) Suddenly, her wait came to an end. My prayer for you is that God will give you the right words to say in prayer. He will hasten the end of your wait. DAVID found a way of escape when he inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this band [of raiders]? Will I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you will certainly overtake them, and you will certainly rescue [the captives].” (1 Samuel 30:8) The wife of one of the sons of the prophets sought a way of escape when she saw Elisha and did not know what to do. (2 Kings 4:1-7) Anytime you seek help from God, you're asking for a way of escape. YOU can quicken it by making vows to Him, reminding him of his promise and seeking help from another believer through prayer, as Esther did. God will make your life possible by showing you a way of escape. When God grants you favour, he creates a distinction. FAVOUR created a distinction in Nehemiah’s life when he stood before King Artaxerxes. The king allowed him to return to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. King Artaxerxes also put his systems and structures in place to support him. (Nehemiah 1 & 2) GOD granted his children favour before they left Egypt. They had asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing. (Exodus 12:35-40) ‘Favour creates a distinction’ WHEN Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego refused to bow to the king’s image, they knew they were a people of purpose. They said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to answer you on this point. If it be so, our God whom we serve can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up!” (Daniel 3: 17-18) They understood that their lives were made by design. They were created for a purpose, so they would not misuse their lives. When you pursue the purpose of God, the things in your life will align with God’s Will for your life. Bringing it Together The greatest tragedy in life is not death, but a life without purpose—Myles Munroe.

WE ARE UNSETTLED when we transition from one stage of life to another. However, God determines the boundaries of eras and changes the times and the seasons (Dan. 2:21). God moves people from one season to another. JOSEPH TRIED to change the season of his life when he begged the cupbearer to say a word for him (Gen. 40:1-9). When the time was right, God created a need that only he could meet and moved him forward. WHEN GOD wants to move you forward, he sends help. He sent help to the Widow of Sarepta, but it was disguised as a test of ownership. For her to move from the season of lack to the season of more than enough, she had to feed Elijah (1 Kings 17:7-16). She had to be faithful in handling the little for God to give her more. To change your season, you have to be faithful (Luke 16:10). GOD WILL only move you for a reason. He moved David from obscurity to the limelight to prepare him for the throne. God does not look at the outward appearance but the heart (1 Sam. 16:1-13). So, there was something about David’s heart that touched God. When your heart is pure before God, he moves you from one season to the next. GOD WILL MOVE you to meet a need. Joseph was sold to the Midianites to fulfill prophecy and meet a need that would arise in the future (Gen. 15:13; 37:27). Light brings growth. Plants embrace light to receive life. Joseph embraced the dream of God and grew. He believed it and shared it. God trusted him and moved him into the next phase of his life. GOD DOES NOT share secrets with strangers. He will not entrust his treasures to someone he cannot trust. When the three men who visited Abraham were leaving, God wondered if he would hide things from him. So he said: For I know that he will command his family after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice (Gen. 18:17-19). God was willing to move him forward because he knew Abraham would make Him known to his family. If you want God to move you into a new season, you must engage Him—and be willing to know Him and make him known. What you embrace, you become. GOD WILL CHANGE your season to establish you. After Abraham separated from Lot, God said to him: Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever (Gen. 13:14-15). God saw Abraham’s integrity and expanded him. Until some people leave your life, you will not move forward. TO MOVE FORWARD, you may need to meet a need in the house of God. A need for a priest arose in Israel when Eli‘s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, defiled the women and desecrated God’s temple and sacrifices. So when Hanah vowed to give a son that she was yet to conceive, it touched the heart of God. God did not stop at giving her a son; he made him his priest (1 Sam. 2:12-36). GOD IS ALWAYS on the move. He moves people to take ownership. When the things that concern him matter to you, he backs you up with all you need. Nehemiah became a recipient of God’s favour after he wept over the state of Jerusalem and took ownership of their sins. He found favour before his boss and received resources and assistance to return and build (Neh. 1; 2:1-7). CHANGING SEASONS comes with a responsibility. Throughout Jesus’ time on earth, he did not do any miracles for himself. Satan said to him, If you're the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, he will command his angels to bear you up lest you dash your foot against a stone (Matt. 4:6-7). But Jesus said no. His food was to do the Father’s Will—and he moved from giving the greatest sacrifice to earning the greatest name (John 4:34; Phil. 2:9). One way to shorten a season is to give God pleasure. You do this by seeking what gladdens his heart. Bringing it Together ANYONE whose trajectory suddenly changes is an indication that they were rewarded. When manifestation begins, put no pressure on yourself but on God because he promised (Isa. 43:26). Write his promises, declare them over your life and watch for the manifestations. Hold fast to your confessions of faith. And when God’s promises come to pass, give Him praise!

MY PRAYER for you is that your elevation will not become a snare to you, and your climb to greatness will not blur your vision. Samson's elevation became a snare to him when he saw no one else to love but a strange woman. And when his parents scolded him, he called her the right one for him. (Judges 14:3) JAMES 1:14-15 says, “But each one is tempted when he is dragged away, enticed and baited [to sin] by his own [worldly] desire (lust, passion). Then when the illicit desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin has run its course, it gives birth to death. Whenever the devil’s offer is appealing to you, your heart is in the wrong place. JOSEPH’s heart was in the right place when his master’s wife tempted him. He knew he was in danger. He understood that his looks were a gift from God and did not let his climb to greatness blur his vision or numb his spiritual senses. Joseph knew God had a plan for his life, and she wasn’t a part of it. DO YOU know God has a plan for your life? Do you realize that some people you’ll meet will not be part of it? God has a plan The people God has sent to you will not lead you into sin; they will point you to Jesus and remain close to you, irrespective of your circumstances. RUTH stayed with Naomi when she had nothing, and God rewarded her faithfulness. She realized that she was part of God’s plan for Naomi’s life. (Ruth 1) GODLY relationships are not built on anything or anyone but God. You’re not in it for what you can get but what you can give—it’s an act of worship to God. ASK Jonathan, and he will have a lot to say. He knew how it felt to be friends with a fugitive—an enemy of the state. He had much to lose, but he knew God had a plan for David’s life. (1 Samuel 30:39-42) PETER knew Jesus had the word of life. When the other disciples left him, Peter stayed. (John 6:67-69) When you know God’s plan for a life, you stay. THE REASON God will share his plan with you is for you to see it and own it. When God shared his plan with Abraham, he saw what God wanted to do. He owned it by trusting God to leave his comfort for a city built by God. So it isn’t sufficient to know God’s Will—you have to own it. Abraham owned it by believing God, and it was credited [to his account] as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6) He obeyed God. OBEDIENCE pays—it gives you a credit you can draw from. Obedience is the key to every door — C.S. Lewis. GOD shares his plan with us, making us partners in what he wants to do. He allows us to buy into his vision. Abraham bought into God’s vision for his life when God told him to sacrifice his only son. He set out on the journey to Mount Moriah. He knew God would not make a demand where he had not put something. Abraham understood that God was up to something, and he saw it as another opportunity to own the moment. God is always up to something. Any time you obey His word, you create a conducive atmosphere for him to act. 'God would not make a demand where he had not put something' WHEN Abraham wanted to sacrifice his son, he created a conducive atmosphere for God. Isaac could see the wood and the fire but not the sacrifice. So he asked his dad. And Abraham said, My son, God will provide for Himself a lamb for the burnt offering.” (Genesis 22:8) ABRAHAM knew God had a plan. He understood that God would move. He knew that no sacrifice would be good enough for him except the one God provided Himself. YOUR ALIGNMENT to the Will of God is the trigger for miracles. When you trust God with your life, he ensures that everything in your life aligns with His will. Your increase is hinged on it. (Matthew 25:14-30) Wherever God sees obedience, he acts. He acted when Isaac stayed in Gerar as instructed. Isaac planted in the land and reaped a hundredfold the same year. (Genesis 26:6-16) Final Thoughts GOD has a plan for your life. He wants you to own his promises. Then, you’ll move from the ordinary to the extraordinary.

IN PROSPERITY, God is heard. In adversity, God is seen — Charles Spurgeon. While in slavery, the Israelites cried out to God, and God appeared to Moses in the burning bush. God told him to return to Egypt and tell Pharaoh to let his people go. However, when Pharaoh wouldn't release them, God unleashed his fury on Egypt with plague after plague until he let them go. (Exodus 4) Haman had maliciously manipulated the king to make a decree to kill all the Jews, not realizing that God was watching. (Esther 3) And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, and revealed to the eyes of Him with whom we have to give account. (Hebrews 4:13) When Mordecai heard about the plot, he sent a message to Esther telling her that perhaps she was made for such a time. (Esther 4:14) The reality of the Christian walk is that we are made for difficulty and wired to endure pain. Prayer But if our strength fails on the day of adversity, then our strength is little. (Proverbs 24:10) Paul describes their response to adversity this way: We are pressured in every way [hedged in], but not crushed; perplexed [unsure of finding a way out], but not driven to despair; hunted down and persecuted, but not deserted [to stand alone]; struck down, but never destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:8-9) Adversity reveals where your allegiance lies. It shows the direction of your heart. When Esther got Mordecai’s message, she wanted to do something. But she knew that no one appeared before the king without an appointment. So she pleaded that the Jews in Susa fast for her for three days, and she and her maidens would do the same. (Esther 4:16) Esther knew that to have God intervene would be to fast and pray. And when she did, she found favour before the king, and Haman was impaled on the gallows that he had built for Mordecai. (Esther 7:10) If you want God to save you, you'll need to cry out to him. Every scripture is written in an ink made visible by adversity God does not hide from his children. In adversity, He shows Himself. He showed Himself when Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den. God shut the mouths of the lions. (Daniel 6) When Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace, God not only saved them, but He also joined them in the fire. And when the king saw him, he said, “Look! I see four men untied, walking around in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt! And the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!” (Daniel 3:18-25) God will show up when you need him. He promised that when you pass through the waters, he will be with you and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. (Isaiah 43:2) The apostles needed an urgent miracle when Peter was arrested and imprisoned. So they prayed fervently for him. (Acts 12:5) Herod had planned to have him killed. But the day before his execution, God sent an angel to deliver him. When the enemy comes like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will raise a standard against him. (Isaiah 59:19) God will break the hold of the enemy over your life. He will send you help when you need it. Be encouraged. Final Thoughts EVERY SCRIPTURE is written in an ink made visible by adversity.

OFTEN, you hear people say they found God, but can you really find Him? You cannot find God except he finds you. Abraham was living in his father’s house when God found him. He told him to leave his family and his kindred for a land that he would show him. (Genesis 12) God revealed Himself to Abraham because he wanted to bless him. He will reveal himself to you to change the season of your life. God will move you from confusion to certainty, from chaos to order and from lack to wholeness. When God wanted to move Moses forward, he appeared to him in the burning bush. The bush burned and was not consumed. When the Lord saw that he turned away [from the flock] to look, God called to him. (Exodus 3:1-6) When you look to God, he sees you. When you do not look away, God concentrates on you. Moses, who felt far from God, suddenly realized that God wasn't far from him. When God wants to move you forward, He will make Himself obvious to you and be gracious to you. God never turned away from Jacob when he seemed confused. As he slept, God appeared to him in a dream. He woke up from sleep and said, “God was in this place, and I never knew it.” (Genesis 28:16) Is God with you, and you do not know it? Is he speaking to you, and you do not understand him? God was speaking to the Ethiopian Eunuch, and he did not understand him. He had been to Jerusalem to worship. While returning home, he began reading the book of Isaiah but did not understand it. So God sent help to him. My prayer for you is that God will send you help when you need it. He will send you angels when you crave Him. God will be gracious to you. The knotty things in your life that have defied solutions, God will untie. He will cause you to jubilate. For your shame, he will give you double honour. (Isaiah 61:7-8) God will find you When Philip heard what he read, he asked him if he understood it. So the eunuch invited him to sit and teach him. (Acts 8:27-40) There are things you will say that will bring God to you, and there are things you will do that will make him stay with you. Abraham’s trust in God made God trust him. His faith in Him made God stand by him, and God did not hide from him. (Galatians 3:16) When you desire God, he reveals Himself to you. In the year that King Uzziah died, Isaiah saw the Lord, and his train filled the temple. (Isaiah 6:1) God made Himself known to him. The posture of his heart drew God to him. (Psalm 51:17) When David watched over his father’s flock, he showed commitment and excellence. His heart drew God to him, and God testified that he had found a man after his own heart who would do all His will. (Acts 13:22) Can God say this of me? Can he tell this of you? It's glaring that God is constantly looking for people who will obey His Word. If you want God to find you, do His will. (Jeremiah 29:13) When God delights in you, he comes to you. He was very delighted with Abraham, and he said it would be unfair to hide what he planned to do from him. (Genesis 18:17) When God delights in you, He shares His thoughts with you. He found Gideon hiding and threshing wheat. When the angel told him that God was with him, he denied it. Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, then why has all this happened to us? And where are all His wondrous works which our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.” (Judges 6:12-13) When God finds you, he instructs you. Jesus found that Peter had gone back to fishing after the resurrection, so he told him to feed his sheep. He also told him to follow him. If you want him to find you, you believe in Him. If you desire God, you follow Him. Make your daily prayer a prayer about Him, and your life walk will become a life of worship Bringing it Together EVERYONE who has sincerely loved the Lord sought Him. David said: As the deer pants after the waters, so my soul longs after you. (Psalm 42:1) Make your daily prayer a prayer about Him, and your life walk will become a life of worship.

TO STAY on top of things in life, you must be intentional. On Top God is deliberate in all he does. He turns chaos into serenity and complexities into order. He knows the plans and thoughts that he has for you, plans for peace and well-being and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11) When God wanted to bless Abraham, he said to him, “Go away from your country, and from your relatives, and from your father’s house to the land which I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1) Abraham was not casual about God's promise. He knew that to do the Will of God is to give God pleasure. So, he left his father’s house as instructed and put his faith in God to keep things on track. However, Abraham took his nephew, Lot, with him when he left home. And after a while, the land could no longer support their flocks. There arose strife between their men. (Genesis 13:8-10) To prevent the relationship from becoming toxic, he released Lot. If you want to move forward in life, there are two things you must know: You need to know when to let go, and you cannot remain in the place where God has left. When God rejected Saul, Samuel cried out to God all night. He wanted to remain where God had left him. (1 Samuel 15) But Naomi knew when to let go. She released her daughters-in-law when the time was right. She said to them, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the Lord show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me.” (Ruth 1:12-13) When you let go at the right time, you save yourself some pain. Yochebed, the mother of Moses, knew she couldn't keep her son forever. When he got older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and trusted God to do the rest. (Exodus 2:10) Mordecai trusted God to position Esther. When the king looked for a wife, he took her to Hegai, who had charge of the king’s harem and told her not to reveal her race. (Esther 2) If you're going to remain on top, you must learn to keep some things to yourself and wait until what you're brooding over is matured, and everyone can see it. Private matters should be kept private. Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego trusted God to keep them when they chose not to eat from the meat dedicated to idols. And God honoured their prayers. At the end of ten days, they looked better and healthier than all the young men who ate the king’s finest food. (Daniel 1:8-16) Daniel trusted God to put him on top when he and his friends were threatened with death. He told them to pray to God to reveal the king’s dream and its interpretation, and God revealed it to him in a dream. (Daniel 2:18-20) ‘God will turn your chaos into serenity, and your complexities into order.’ Nehemiah trusted God to position him when he heard about the state of Jerusalem and its inhabitants. He prayed, “O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” (Nehemiah 4:11) He sought the favour of God to find the favour of men. To be on top, you need to confess the Word of God. Joshua 1:8 says, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall read [and meditate on] it day and night, so that you may be careful to do [everything] in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful.” Success is a sign of being on top. When Paul had an encounter with God on the way to Damascus, he did not go to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before him. He went to Arabia to seek God. (Galatians 1:17) If you plan to be on top, you must seek Him. Final Thoughts WE WASTE our lives when we do not pray, think, dream, plan, and work toward magnifying God in all spheres of life. God created us for this: to live our lives in a way that makes him look more like the greatness and the beauty and the infinite worth that he really is — John Piper. Prayer for the week: God, help me make every sphere of my life about you, and make me your living proof.

A GREAT FEELING flows through you when you are on the winning side. Abraham understood he was on the winning side when God called him and made him a promise. (Genesis 12) Caleb knew he was on the winning side when he told Moses that they could go and take the promised land. (Numbers 13:30) The disciples knew they were on the winning side when Jesus appeared to them after the resurrection, and for forty days, he taught them about the kingdom. However, before he left, he told them not to leave Jerusalem until they received the Father’s promise. (Acts 1:8) And when the day arrived, suddenly, a sound came from heaven like a rushing, violent wind, and it filled the house where they were sitting. There appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were being distributed [among them], and they rested on each one of them [as each person received the Holy Spirit]. And they were all filled [that is, diffused throughout their being] with the Holy Spirit. They began to speak in other tongues (different languages), as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out [clearly and appropriately]. (Acts 2:1-10) People who heard them speak in their language were amazed, and the disciples became a people of influence. God put His fire on them to expand them. He added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:47) Refiner's fire The fire of God makes you know you're not your own. You were purchased at a price, so you glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:20) So it sets you apart and shows you that the journey isn't about you, but about Him—someone bigger than you. So when someone gives you the credit, you give God the glory. And when they give you the praise, you deflect it to Him They tried giving John the Baptist the credit, but he told them he was just the voice. (John 3:28) He further told them that Jesus must increase, and he must decrease. (John 3:30-35) John was intentional in his desire to know Jesus and make him known. You must desire to know him, too. When he was imprisoned, he sent his disciples to confirm that Jesus was the one. (Matthew 11:3) ‘When someone gives you the credit, you give God the glory’ The fire does not make you compete; it makes you submit. When you understand that your race isn’t with someone else but with you, you run to receive a prize. (1 Corinthians 9:24) You do not run without a definite goal; you do not flail around like one beating the air [just shadow boxing]. (1 Corinthians 9:28) You become intentional in your running. The fire of God makes you see things from God’s perspective. Paul could see with the eye of God and said, “I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” “The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20) The fire of God is like a repository. When you’re scared, you run to Him, and when you have a fiery excitement for Him, God fuels your fire. God fueled the apostles' fire when they were threatened, and they prayed for boldness. (Acts 4:24-31) God strengthened them to do more. The fire drives you and makes you a servant. David was serving when they came to call him to come home to meet the prophet. (1 Samuel 16) David desired God so much that he thirsted after Him, and God called him a man after his heart. (Psalm 42:1 & Acts 13:22) It drove him to the point where he wanted to build God a house. God was so touched that he decided to build him an everlasting house, a dynasty for him. If we can love God the way he loves us, our lives will turn a new leaf. Our hopes will be restored, and we will live for Him. The fire draws people to you. Men came to David day after day until they became a mighty army like the army of God. (1 Chronicles 12:22) Final Thought Get on fire for God, and people will come to see you burn—John Wesley. Prayer for the Week Lord, let your fire fall on me. Let it consume the impurities in my life. Help me to be more sensitive to your Spirit. Show me my secret faults that I might change my ways. Let my life give you pleasure.

GENUINE fatherhood is modelled in your children when they choose the good they see in you. Fatherhood is a gracious gift Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, did not choose the good they saw in their father. They were corrupt, morally bankrupt and disrespectful to God. Despite their father’s rebuke, they continued in their wicked ways, and God was displeased with them. So he sent someone to Eli to tell him that his sons would die. (1 Samuel 2:29) FATHERS must be careful not to postpone the conversations they need to have with their children. Train up a child [your child] in the way he should go; Even when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6) WHILE Eli respected the things of God, his sons disrespected them. He was present (active) but absent (inactive) from their lives. When Jacob loved Joseph more than his other sons, he was active in Joseph's life but passive in theirs, and they hated it. (Genesis 37:1-44) FATHERS must be careful not to show more love to one child than the other. Favoritism breeds discord and leads to wicked plans, which cause trauma. When Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, they caused trauma to their dad. They removed the one he loved. (Genesis 37) However, God, in his infinite mercy, gave him a second chance to see his son again. FATHERS must not provoke their children to wrath [do not make them bitter about life]. (Ephesians 6:4) Jacob provoked his sons by favouring Joseph over them. FATHERS must allow themselves to be led by God. Jacob missed it the way he raised his sons, but got it right when he prayed for his grandkids. When Joseph came to see him, Jacob told him that he did not think he would see Joseph’s face again, but God had shown him Joseph’s offspring. So Jacob knew things by the Spirit. No wonder: when he laid hands on Joseph’s kids, he put his right hand (hand of dominance) on Ephraim (the younger) and his left on Manasseh (the older). (Genesis 48) When FATHERS walk with God, God becomes real to them. Abraham meant a lot to God; no wonder, when God visited him, he made a declaration. ‘For I have known (chosen, acknowledged) him [as My own], so that he may teach and command his children and [the sons of] his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is righteous and just, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has promised him.’ (Genesis 18:19) When God makes you a father, he wants you to teach your children his ways. FATHERS keep their promises. When Bathsheba reminded David of his promise to her, he told them to bring Solomon quickly and anoint him as king. (1Kings 1:15-49) FATHERS who mean well are concerned about their children's well-being. Mordecai adopted Esther after her parents' deaths, and when the king sought a wife, he handed her over to Hegai, the king’s eunuch. Every day, he walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was doing. (Esther 2:11) EVERY FATHER has the same duties to raise their children in the way of the Lord. We have a heavenly Father who shows us how. AS YOU celebrate Father’s Day, it will mean much to God when you reconcile with Him. He made His Son, who knew no sin, to become sin that you may become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) Confess your sins to Him and ask him to forgive you. Request him to come to you and be your Lord and Saviour. If you've done this, I rejoice with you. What a day to reconcile with the Father of fathers. Happy Father’s Day.

ADVERSITY cannot dominate you when you’re faithful, but it can control you when you allow it. It tried to rule Paul’s life, but he said: For I am convinced [and continue to be convinced—beyond any doubt] that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39) However, challenges controlled Elijah when he heard that Jezebel was after his life, and he felt alone. When he got to Horeb, he stayed in a cave, but God came looking for him. However, he told God that he had done everything by the book. DOES this sound like you? You've done everything by the book, and the enemy is still after you. You had a great story, a beautiful home and a thriving business. You’ve been good to strangers, friends and family, and God has blessed you. However, something happened: the business you built ran into a speed bump, and you lost your place in the workplace and at home. Your spouse has threatened to leave, and when you asked what you did wrong, they told you to find out for yourself. You do not know what to do. Weeping may endure the night, but laughter comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5) Like David, prepare to recover all. (1 Samuel 30:8) JUST when Elijah felt everything that could go wrong had gone wrong, God called his name. But God was not in the wind, he wasn't in the earthquake, nor was he in the fire. God spoke in a still small voice. (1 Kings 19:9-18) GOD came to him, telling him how to respond to his situation. He will come to you, but if you want to hear him in adversity, you'll need to step away from the noise. Faithfulness Noise may not be a distraction when you pray, but it's distracting when you listen. If we are faithless, He remains faithful [true to His word and His righteous character], for He cannot deny Himself. (2 Timothy 2:13) ‘Faithfulness is the bridge between the promise and the outcome.’ GOD didn't want him to minimize his scars because they told a story. Paul understood not minimizing one’s scars when he said, Touch me not, because upon me, I bear the mark of Christ. (John 20:17) ‘God does not want you to minimize your scars.’ GOD met Elijah in his dark moment; His word became a lamp to his feet, and a light unto his path. (Psalm 119:105) Elijah understood it was a personal walk. He understood intimacy with God. FAITHFULNESS is God’s nature—he is the only constant in every season of life. So, if you want to be like him, you must be faithful. The vigour of our spiritual life will be in exact proportion to the place held by the Bible in our life and thoughts." - George Müller. David knew the importance of God’s Word. (Psalm 119:11) NO WONDER he was diligent in watching over his father’s flock. He learnt to be faithful in secret. And when the bear came after the sheep, he smote it, and when the lion snuck into the sheepcote, he killed it. (1 Samuel 17:34-36) I BELIEVE God does more in the background than in the foreground. So, it's not surprising that he rewards what you do in secret. God, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you in the open. (Matthew 6:6-7) When his father, Jesse, forgot him, God remembered him and changed the season of his life. If you want God to change your season, be faithful. FAITHFULNESS is a spiritual marker; it time-stamps your life. He who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little thing is also dishonest in much. (Luke 16:10) ‘Faithfulness is a spiritual marker.’ FAITHFULNESS is a unit of measurement. Since you are a steward in service, it is required [as essential and demanded] of stewards that one be found faithful and trustworthy. (1 Corinthians 4:2) GOD responds to faithfulness. When Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace, God not only saved them but also joined them in the fire. The king had a revelation of God. He said, “Look! I see four men untied, walking around in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt! And the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!” (Daniel 3:8-25) God will stand by you when you stand by Him, and rescue you from the hands of the enemy. Final Thoughts UNTIL every moment you live is to please Him, you cannot say you're faithful. To be faithful is to give Him pleasure. GOD will not be used as a convenience. Men or nations who think they can revive the faith to make a good society might just as well think they can use the stairs of heaven as a shortcut to the nearest chemist's shop—CS Lewis.

GOD’S PLANS unfold through relationships. He told Abraham to leave his land, his kindred and his father’s house for the land that he would show him. God called him into a relationship to bless him. (Genesis 12:1) Similarly, God has saved you to bless you. GOD will put you in a relationship to show you the future. He will share secrets with those who fear him. Shall I keep secret from Abraham [My friend and servant] what I am going to do? For I have known (chosen, acknowledged) him [as My own], so that he may teach and command his children and [the sons of] his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is righteous and just, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has promised him. (Genesis 18:17 and 19) ‘When God wants to bless you, he puts you in a relationship.’ GOD will put you in a relationship to favour you. (Psalm 5:12) When his brothers sold him into slavery, Joseph found favour with his master, Potiphar, who put him in charge of his household. (Genesis 37:18-36) So your relationship with men will be an expression of your relationship with God. When you find favour with God, you'll find favour with men. (Psalm 5:2) GOD will put you in a relationship to make you align with His will, and when you're obedient, he will connect you with people for your future. Joseph understood the necessity of relationships, so when Potiphar’s wife came unto him, he stood his ground and said: He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God [and your husband]?” (Genesis 39:9) He knew that if the enemy could have his relationships, he would have his goods. Relationship ANYTIME you are tempted, know that the enemy is after your relationships. He wants to put you in the shallow end and make you shallow-minded; he wants to distract you, so you cannot lay hold of the future that God has for you. Jesus saw the enemy’s plans against Peter, so he warned him that the Devil had planned to sift him, but he had prayed for him. (Luke 22:31-55) GOD will put you in a relationship to extend his grace to you and through you. When the two Hebrew spies walked into Rahab’s inn, she knew they were strangers, so she hid them on her roof. Her fears were later confirmed when the king’s soldiers came looking for them, so she told the soldiers that they had left at dusk. Rahab protected them, and they, in return, extended grace to her and her family—God’s grace found her. Similarly, God extended his grace to the Widow of Sarepta when she fed Elijah. (1 Kings 17:7-16) So God can make all grace abound to you. (2 Corinthians 9:8) GOD will put you in a relationship to safeguard your future. At a point, God saw that the wickedness (depravity) of man was great on the earth, and that every imagination or intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. But Noah found favour and grace before Him, so God told him to build an ark to safeguard his future. (Genesis 6) God will share his secrets with those who fear him. He will let them know his covenant and reveal to them [through His word] its [deep, inner] meaning. (Psalm 25:14) YOUR RELATIONSHIPS will tell you who is genuine. When Jesus told the people that he was the bread of life, they felt he was beside himself, so many left and stopped following him. Then, he turned to the twelve and asked if they wanted to leave too. However, Peter said, Lord, to whom shall we go? You [alone] have the words of eternal life [you are our only hope]. We have believed and confidently trusted, and [even more] we have come to know [by personal observation and experience] that You are the Holy One of God [the Christ, the Son of the living God]. (John 6:60-71) Bringing it Together ENOCH walked with God, and he was not because God took him. (Genesis 5:24) Moses could not express God until he encountered Him at the burning bush. (Exodus 3) The missing piece of your life would only be found in a relationship with Him. Prayer for the week: God, cause me to know that you are the Holy One of God.

IF PEOPLE were watching your life story on a large screen, what would they say about you? When Queen Sheba saw Solomon, she said: The report which I heard in my own land about your words and wisdom is true! I did not believe the report until I came and saw it with my own eyes. Behold, the half of it was not told to me. You exceed in wisdom and prosperity the report which I heard. How blessed (fortunate, happy) are your men! How blessed are these your servants who stand continually before you, hearing your wisdom! (1 Kings 10:6-8) Paul saw the best of God in Timothy, and reminded him to fan into flame the gracious gift of God, [that inner fire—the special endowment] which he received through the laying on of hands. (2 Timothy 1:5-6) PEOPLE’S interaction with you will mirror how they see you, and they will treat you based on what they think of you. Mirror When Simon hosted Jesus, he saw the woman with the alabaster box as a sinner. So when she anointed Jesus, he said: “If this Man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching Him, that she is a notorious sinner, an outcast, devoted to sin.” But Jesus forgave her sins. (Luke 7:36-48) When BLIND BARTIMAEUS shouted Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me, they shouted him down and told him to be quiet. (Mark 10:46-52) They tried to silence him. They were going nowhere, so they wanted him to remain where he was. They had no expectation, and they did not want him to have any. However, Jesus wanted him to have one. Likewise, he wants you to have an expectation. Jesus said: “Ask and you will receive. Seek and you'll find. Knock and it shall be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7-8) JESUS was touched when some men came carrying on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed. They tried bringing him and laying him down in front of Jesus. But finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof [and removed some tiles to make an opening] and lowered him through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their [active] faith [springing from confidence in Him], He said, “Man, your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 5:17-39) The sick man was surrounded by friends who did the needful to get him to Jesus. People around you can act like a double-edged sword—they can push you into your miracle or hold you back; they can be a blessing or a curse. NAAMAN’S staff were a blessing to him. When he got angry because the prophet did not lay hands on him, his staff told him that if the Man of God had told him to do something greater, he would have done it. So Naaman plunged into the river seven times as instructed and came out with fresh skin. Naaman was blessed with good people. (2 Kings 5) If God will bless you, he will send men; if the enemy will attack you, he will send men. The best of men is men. BARTIMAEUS was in his talk-down moment, but Jesus believed in him. He stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, telling him, “Take courage, get up! He is calling for you.” “Go; your faith [and confident trust in My power] has made you well.” Immediately, he regained his sight and began following Jesus. (Mark 10: 46-52) When God intervenes in your matter, he gives you hope. You will not begin from the beginning; you will continue from where you stopped. Final Thought Hope in God is defiance in the face of adversity.