Category: bible study

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An addition to your prayer journal

We have lists for different types of prayers in our prayer journal, ranging from “prayers that prevail”, “now I lay me down to sleep prayers”, “prayer for provision” and many others. Having all these arsenals in our weaponry can be confusing at times, as to what to pray about especially when circumstances that warrant prayers are muddled up. Recognizing priority is paramount in this case.

Recognition of priorities in our daily lives makes life easier without stress. Our plans are able to flow into each other avoid havoc without disruptions. Priority recognition is also important in our dealings with God. unrecognition of priorities can lead to delayed blessings and living a life below what God desires us to be.

God tests priorities

Christ saw that Bartimaeus was blind but still asked what he wanted (Mark 10:46-52). Take heed your essential need may be relegated for nonessential one. Asking the non-priority will not be God’s fault. His Word simply says: “Ask and it shall be given you” (Matthew 7:7).

Recognition of Priority

Bartimaeus recognised his priority but the man at the beautiful gate did not (Acts 3:1-9). Oftentimes it takes one to be a critical thinker to be able to analyse one’s life and know priorities. Sometimes they may hide in darker shade such as the spirit realm. The best way to unravel priorities is through the help of the Holy Spirit. Seeking and praying by the help of the Holy Spirit helps us pray priority prayers (Romans 8:26).

Seek the help of the Holy Spirit today for priority prayers.

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Identity amongst the gifts of the Spirit

The gifts of the Spirit is crucial for the edification of the church –  “From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supply, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, make increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love (Ephesians 4:16 KJV). A joint becomes ineffectual of the measure it supplies if it is dislocated or not in its rightful place and, thus will not contribute effectively to the healthiness of the body.

Identity defines us: what we do and who we are. Therefore a misplaced identity can be catastrophic to an individual or more so an organization formed by chains of individuals.

The danger in defining identity today is because it is induced rather than soulishly discovered. Common examples in the circular world is when a qualified lawyer resigns from her career and becomes a chef. You ask why she became a lawyer in the first place and it could be because mom and dad are lawyers. You ask why she resigned to be a chef and it will be because she enjoys doing it.

This same ordeal can also be applied to the church today. Because someone served faithfully under a Pastor should not automatically identify him as a pastor. More so because someone can hear the voice of God does not automatically qualify him as a prophet. There are misplaced identities in the church today that can be unhealthy to the body of Christ. Remember Stéphanos was ordained a deacon by the church but his true identity was an Evangelist (Acts 6:8). Selah.

If identities induced can be unhealthy. How can identities be discovered within the church? A story I like to point at is the story of Jesus Christ. He suffered of a misplaced identity – he was called a carpenter (Mark 6:3), he was called a Demoniac (John 10:20), he was called Elijah the prophet (John 1:21) and lastly he was called the king of the Jews (John 19:3). His true identity was only revealed by the Spirit of God as the son of God (Matthew 16:16-17). The spirit of God is the soul of the Christian body. He alone can reveal our identity to us.

Once identity is discovered it serves as the base rock from which the foundation can be built. The gates of hell may come against it but they will not prevail (Matthew 16:17-19).

Seek the Holy spirit today to discover your identity.

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Aligning with the will of God

What makes a child of God is aligning with the will of God – Your will becomes the father’s will (John 1:12-13). This is the ultimate reason that separates us from Satanism.

When we think of the father’s will for our lives – we always think of it in a rosy way, that it is God’s will that all should be well at all times. In reality according to scriptures, contrast is the case; the Israelite going into captivity of the Babylonians was the will of God, Christ’s suffering and death was the will of God. The dispersing of the Israelites into other countries for captivity was to evangelise himself amongst the nations of the earth. The death of Christ was for the reconciliation of man to him.

God possess you, your will becomes his will, that he might do his good pleasure in the earth (Philippians 2:13). Yield to his will. There is no way God can use you if you do not accept his will. He will not be able to fully possess you and thus is power through you cannot be fully realised.

Situations that enacts God’s will may not be favourable but God’s thoughts for you is to do you good and give you an expected end (Jeremiah 29:11). Patience therefore is required in the accomplishment of his will (James 1:2).

Align with the father’s will.

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A happy life in unfavourable situations

Living a happy life in unfavourable situations is essential in our walks with God. The journeys of the Israelite in the wilderness shows turmoil, haughtiness, backslidings and miracles. During all these phases in their journeys God was with them leading them by a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night although they had no direct access to meeting God in the tent of meeting which was behind the veil, except Moses.

The baffling question to ask is why were they turning to other gods or backsliding despite the presence of God in the midst of them though behind the veil? Having witnessed great miracles – the parting of the red sea, bread falling from heaven and meat in the wilderness, are all answers in response to their complaints. These did not permeate their minds, it was as if they needed more.

There are two types of veils in the story; first is the veil of the mind and the second is the veil of tent of tabernacle. The first limits the perception of the nature of the workings of God and the second limits their access to God. The limitations presented by the first veil poses great expectations – a better life than the life of slavery. Everyone wants a good life and thus their complaint is justified but the more important thing is to have knowledge of what God is doing in that season.

When expectations does not align with God’s doings in a season, this creates a cloud of hindrance which hinders our belief, our perception of God’s presence – it looks like God is not present whereas he is present. This is the veil.

It must be very hard for the Israelite to belief because of these veils, a God who appeared to them and insists he is the God of their fathers but despise them of their uncleanliness and want no contact with them, hence created a veil between them. God has repented. If they could persevere in their belief of God what of we who Christ died for thereby casting off the veil, that God now reside in us. How much we ought to stand firm and belief? In this realm God has chosen not to put himself behind the veil but you have the choice to put him behind the veil.

Therefore Rejoice!! Rejoice!! Cast off the veil of your mind and see God for he is with you though it does not look like it.

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Playing with Fire?

My first experience of the fire of God was during my service as an executive of a Christian fellowship in senior high school. We gathered together, praising God. Suddenly, a girl started complaining about fire burning her. At first we resisted her leaving but when she complained that there is fire in the gathering and she could not bear it, we had to let her leave. I have since experienced more people complaining about the same. one observation during these ordeals is that their flesh does not burn but it is their spirit burning. That is a glimpse of the fire in hell, an indication that the bible is true. Imagine being tormented with such fire momentarily, what of eternity where will your spirit be?


Fire from the lord has its root in the priestly order. The priests were commanded to offer burnt offerings of all sort – peace offering, sin offering, guilt offering. As a result the fire on the altar must continue burning.  When priests offer these offerings, a superior fire comes from the lord and consumes. The fire can consumes two things – either the priests  or the sacrificial offering. Fire from God consumes priest, when they offer sacrifice not in accordance to God’s instructions. Fire consumes sacrificial offering when priests adhere to God’s instructions. When fire consumes burnt offerings it is an indication that their trespasses have been pardoned, restoration of relationship with God which commands the blessing. When priests offer burnt offerings it is not that fire is the answer but the presence of God is what is invoked, fire bursts from the presence of God when there is anything that is consumable. There are places where the glory of God came down but no fire (1 Kings 8:11. 2 Chronicle 5:14) and there are places with fire (2 Chronicles 7:1-16).


This fire can take two forms – invisible or visible. What is witnessed nowadays is the invisible fire of God. 


The old testament was a shadow of things to come. The gathering, the church is is not a place for perfect people but a clinic for the brokenhearted, a place of deliverance for the captives and a place for equipping of the saints. When priests follow the instruction of God in order of leading the people, an invisible fire from God delivers his people, restoration of broken relationship with God is made and they are blessed. On the contrary, if he fails to follow the instructions the priest suffers spiritual death from an invisible fire. Examples of fire consuming priests – Eli and his sons (1 Samuel 2:12-36), Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1). 


Fire from God is burning in this season. Are you playing with fire?

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Struggling to read the Bible? – 6 points that can help.

The bible, we often do not consider it a required accessory of a christian except when attending church, it is one of those dusty books on the shelf. Some of us attend church without it. When instructed by the discipler that we should always read the bible we often find it difficult to obey. Often it is because we consider many parts as stories on pages of a book, skim through, become bored. Other times, we completely forget to read it. It feels laborious because we do not know its purpose. When the purpose of a thing is undefined abuse is inevitable. Personally, I realized when I am in spiritual mode – maybe in the place of prayers, praising, fasting or meditating the Spirit of God always brings to remembrance part of the bible that I have read to instruct me, strengthen the reasons for prayer petitions and sometimes a bible verse may be an answer to prayers.


The bible is a past, present and future book. It is past because it contains past stories of God’s interaction with people. It is present because it is applicable to now. It is future because it is prophetic in nature. We have knowledge on how to relate with God based on his attributes which he demonstrated in the past – we know God gets angry, we know he is merciful, we know he speaks, we know he gets jealous, we know he loves companionship etc. It contains the recipe for man’s survival now; the voice of God written down which can be used to navigate the affairs of life (Deut 8:3, 2 Peter 1:20). It is an ordinary but powerful book when the spirit of God breathes on it; it contains promises which when wield by the spirit of God commands blessings. It helps build up the voice and life of God in us; the more we read it shapes our consciences.


Therefore, It is important for us to be keen on reading the bible. Here are 6 points that I think might help:

  1. Ask the Holy Spirit for help – The holy spirit breathes life to the words on the page of the book. He is the author of the book (2 Peter 1:20-21) and he alone understands better the intent of the word and how it is supposed to be applied to you.
  2. Take the Bible as Medication – to always read the bible when you feel uninterested, assume you are spiritually sick and the only medication for that is the Word of God in the Bible. Most medications feels bitter in the mouth but they always perform their function when swallowed. The same is the Bible, it may feel bored when reading it but read it anyways it will perform its function in the future.
  3. Study to Show Approval by God – study to show yourself approved to God not unto men. Studying the bible this way allows God to be involved in the study and devoid of the opinion of men.
  4. Read Christian Books – christian books often contains application of the bible which helps to deepen our understanding of the bible.
  5. Meditation – read it, churn it in your thoughts until your spirit man syncs with the spirit-life bursting out of the book. This may take several hours in the day but it is one of the ways Rhema comes from the bible. 
  6. Read it daily – If we eat daily then we should read the bible daily.
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If any Man be in Christ

Understanding the plan of God for the establishment of his kingdom is crucial. One question that comes to mind is why does the new covenant include the outpouring of His spirit upon all flesh? There must be a reason why God has decided to reside in man.

Man is a Host

In my little years, I have had the opportunity to witness hatred and extreme ruthless behaviour of man. When I inquired as to why, I discovered it is the spirit in man that decides his actions. If a man hosts the spirit of the prince of this world, his actions will be to steal, kill and destroy. Everything he does will be towards the pursuit of material things at the expense of love, peace and good moral standards. Someone possessed with witchcraft will always want control. Someone with a mermaid spirit will always lure men for sex. On the other hand, someone possessed with the Holy Spirit will show the fruits of the spirit – love, joy ….. (Galatians 5:22-23). Jeremiah puts it more clearly: I know, O LORD that a man’s way is not his own: no one walks to direct his steps ( Jeremiah 10:23). Check the spirit it is that which defines a man.

2 Corinthians 5:17

We often misjudge what it means to be in Christ. The popular scripture is from 2 Corinthians 5:17. The verse that precedes this verse is the important part: Paul wrote: Now we know no man after the flesh (in other words we do not look at man from the outward appearance anymore but by the spirit in him). verse 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature old things have passed away behold all things have become new. He is a new creature because he now possess the spirit of Christ – anyone without the Spirit of Christ is none of his (Romans 8:9). To be in Christ is more than just believe (demons also believe and tremble) or the sinners prayer. It is the replacement of the spirit inside man with the spirit of Christ. Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8 is an example of a man who believed but not in Christ.

The apostles were not indifferent about the replacement of the spirit in man as the basis for any man to be in christ. The story of cornelius is an example (Acts 10), the apostles descension to samaria (Acts 8:4-40), Paul’s meeting with a group of believers (Acts 19). All instances of belief were always succeeded with the receipt of the Holy spirit. It marks the transition of the believer from the kingdom of darkness being ruled by the prince of this world to the kingdom of Light to be ruled by the spirit of christ.

Perhaps it is this reason why we have hybrids among us – people who believe but are citizens of kingdom of darkness. The one who prophesies among you, does he do it by the spirit of Christ or by the prince of this world? Evidence is shown in the manner of life – doctrine of the children of light or doctrine of the children of darkness.

The plan of God in regards to the establishment of the kingdom of God will be that for man to perform His will, He himself will have to dwell in man. When you are thinking of anyone in Christ, perhaps let us think again.

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Meeting with God – The place where stewardship aligns with the plan of God

It was as if they believed in vain. Their belief was worthless and in danger of extinction. The nation turned away from its God toward foreign gods, and strange doctrines filled the land.

Zealous in his mission, Elijah gave no rest to his eyes. Dwelling in isolation, he groaned and prayed every night for his God to prove Himself and restore the nation. He prayed for revival. Eventually, he became equipped for his mission.

Coming out of his isolation, Elijah prayed that there should be no rain — that they might believe and turn to his God (see 1 Kings 17). At the command of his God, he invited them to gather for a duel so he could prove Him.

Elijah prayed again, and fire came down from heaven and devoured a sacrificial offering drenched in a sea of water (see 1 Kings 18). His competitors prayed to their gods for the same thing, but nothing happened. He took matters into his own hands and slaughtered his competitors with the sword.

Thinking he had won the nation for his God, he prayed again for rain, and it fell. Unfortunately, the nation did not turn to his God. Instead, he got a death threat from the government with an almost immediate deadline.

In fear, he ran for his life, but ended up praying that God should take it from him. The reply to his request came in the form of an angel who became his chef. Then, the angel told Elijah it was time to meet with his God. He directed him to a mountain called Horeb, the mountain of his God (see 1 Kings 19).

At Horeb, God asked:

“What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9, NIV)

He replied:

“I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and put Your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” (1 Kings 19:10, NIV)

Then the Lord said:

“Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. (1 Kings 19:11–3, NIV)

And the question was asked again:

“What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:13, NIV)

Meeting with God always brings us to the realization of truth

It tests whether we are in sync with God. It is a place where our muscles rest and we review our stewardship — it is a place where our busyness does not matter. More than that, our perceptions of who we think God is are tweaked to better fit who God actually is.

This is the same thing that happens in our day to day work. We never know we have been doing things wrong until we step back to reflect. This results in a tweaking of the process, which leads to greater work efficiency.

The story of Elijah the Tishbite is one that exemplifies stewardship — how our work and God’s work intersect. Elijah was an apostle of change. He was evidently highly anointed. He did some great works by divine instruction, while some were self-willed, but they were all aimed towards the fulfillment of the kingdom of God.

A review of Elijah’s story and ministry highlight 5 important points:

1. Anointed and zealous, but not doing everything according to plan

What was he expecting of the appraisal of his ministry when he met with God at Horeb? Perhaps he was expecting applause — “Well done, Elijah. You have done well.”

What he got was a question that indicates his assignment was not yet completed — “Elijah, what are you doing here?” Twice.

What was his personal conviction of who God is, and how did it compare to his realization of who God actually is? Perhaps his conviction was that God uses terror to accomplish His will, but his realization was that God offers grace and reassurance.

The Lord was not in the storm, earthquake, or the fire. Rather, the Lord spoke in a gentle whisper. Being anointed or equipped for mission is not all there is to stewardship. We have to learn to channel it in to the plan of God.

2. When we react to situations as they come, we miss God

When situations do not look as we envisaged they would, sometimes we panic and doubt. Then, we become self-willed, evicting God out of the driver’s seat and taking control of the steering wheel.

At the command of God, Elijah carried out an insurrection. Why was he then afraid at the negative feedback, even to the point of deciding on a suicidal course of action?

We can become overwhelmed with unfavorable situations in stewardship and other spheres of life, but they should not take charge of us to the extent that we forget the potency of He who is leading us.

3. A relational God and a proud human

In this story, we see a relational God — a God who asks questions and speaks with a gentle voice. We also see a proud human, who did not admit his fears. Rather, he highly esteemed his works. Therefore, when he was asked the questions, he did not seek help. Instead, he talked about his zealousness.

He did not admit his fears because of pride. Perhaps he thought to himself: If I have wrought so much for God, how can I allow the government to capture me? How will my competitors react — with mockery?

Therefore, he prayed for God to take his life.

The downside of fear is that it makes us forget past victories. If Elijah had admitted his fears and asked how God could help him, maybe the Lord would have him sent to a place of safety — just like he did at the brook Cherith.

Instead, he forgot his God, who sealed the heavens on his behalf. He forgot the God who fed him from the mouths of ravens.

Compare this response to our Lord Christ who, in spite of all the miracles He worked, admitted His fears at Gethsemane and prayed for help. The result? He received strength. Stewardship requires us to learn to relate to this relational God.

4. The God of second chances

The two voices represent a crossroads.

At the first path, you admit your fears and seek help. There, you get a ready-made answer and go back to your mission. At the second crossroad, you face judgment if you do not turn to God and instead try to do things on your own.

It’s such a remarkable judgment the Lord gave. The Lord did not kill Elijah when he asked for death, even though he walked out of the presence of God. He did start over and anoint Elijah’s replacement.

When we go the wrong way in our stewardship, there is still an opportunity to tun around and make amends.

5. The end goal is to finish well

Elijah did not finish well. He did not complete the mission. Rather, he was evicted and replaced.

If he had persevered, walked completely according to God’s plan and maybe weathered the storm with the 7,000 reserved Israelites (see 1 Kings 19:18), he would have seen the nation turn to his God. He would have heard the kings calling him “My father, my father,” just as they did for Elisha (see 2 Kings 13:14). Perseverance is a virtue we must embrace in stewardship until we see results.

Stewardship is not an easy job. Our input may not produce the required output, and we will grow weary. But our Boss is very accessible (see John 14:26 and 1 John 2:27). Thus, if meeting with God provides a mirror through which we can clearly see how we are doing with our stewardship, then we should endeavor to meet with Him daily as long as we are alive. This will enable us to make turnarounds and readjustments in our stewardship, lest we one day hear the words:

I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! (Matthew 7:23, NKJV)

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Dealing with difficult times from biblical perspectives

You might have prayed for a job and got one. You might have prayed for healing and got healed. But when you prayed and the situation does not change, it means the way out of that situation is in changing You. Prayers changes situations but not all of them. Paul testified about this in his prayers concerning his weakness (2 Corinthians 12: 7–9).

The book of Exodus from the Bible encapsules the story of the Israelites deliverance from bondage. The fascinating thing about their deliverance is the route God took them through before they could get to the promised land. When moses was considering the direction their journey would take, God intervened. According to map he did not take them through a shortcut but the opposite (Exodus 13 :17–18). He took them through the wilderness. He did not only instruct them in that direction but he led them. Some scholars suggests that the real reason for His decision is to take out Egypt (the lifestyle, the worship etc.) fully from Israel.

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The Enemy is a better Trainer

Their journeys in the wilderness depicts that it is a place filled with barrages of doubts and concerns from the hardship to survive: where are we going? Maybe we should had stayed in Egypt, at least we were sure of what we were doing? Moses have you brought us here to kill us? The enemy came in the form of doubts to hinder them from stepping into the promises God had for them. For those who did not trust God, doubts gave birth to unbelief and led to their destruction. On the contrary, the enemy was defeated by those who trusted God. The wilderness is full of test and trials; it is the classroom of a believer.

This journey of the Israelites is the same as a christian journey after New birth (deliverance from sin into new life by blood of christ). Christ commands her destiny and instead of finding situations rosy all the time she find herself also in difficult times. When you prayed and do not get an answer, when the prayer is about you, God is dismantling and building a new you that will fit the destination He promised.

Although, the wilderness may be an unbearable place for a believer it contains enormous benefits required for a believer to be fortified. The benefits are the same as the benefits of a natural wilderness;

  1. You learn to recognize the sound of different birds in the wilderness; you learn to recognise the voice of the Holy Spirit from that of devils to make godly decisions.
  2. You learn how wild animals attack in the wilderness; you learn the techniques and strategies of satanic agents.
  3. You learn to follow the atlas to get direction in the wilderness; you learn the significance of the reading the Word of God
  4. You get used to journey delays in the wilderness; you learn to take on patience and perseverance as virtues.
  5. You learn to travel the path of the wilderness; you become an experienced soldier of Christ.

The Key to a successful wilderness travel is to release yourself to the one who is leading YOU. By that the enemy will not stand a chance.

After the Wilderness

This story of the Israelites travel relates to our spiritual journeys, but more so it also relates to our everyday lives. When we endure we finally step into the promises God for our lives just like they inherited the promised land. The pandemic and recession are wildernesses that births doubts and concerns that alter our lifestyles: the way we react to life, the way we care for our fellow humans, make us reflect about the things that are important to us and where we have been doing wrong.

Histories testifies good of the changes that succeed these wildernesses. For example, the implementation of universal healthcare and societal healthcare came to be after the influenza pandemic. Also the great recessions changed the perception of people to be more community-oriented in their behaviours and lifestyles.

Endure the classroom, the tests will soon be over.

In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us — Romans 8:37

Excerpt from The Wilderness : classroom of a believer (Treasures from the Mount : Ornaments of Faith)

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The Kingdom of God – A Reformation of the Society

Our minds, thoughts; inner lives always determine the outward life and implies what happens in the society. Consider, a mind that is always burdened with sexual alures, he or she will soon fornicate or commit adultery which can lead to unwanted pregnancy or destroy a marriage, which then can lead to single parenthood, then improper upbringing of a child impacting the society adversely with social vices.

A critical view, can argue that it is the external force(s) or systems that determines our inner lives. For example, the high intensity of poverty in a locality can influence a mind to robbery. Likewise, exposure to pornography can influence the mind to illicit sexual activities. But irrespective of the dissonances caused by external forces, our inner lives are to be pressure-proof and thus, produce a life that is meaningful and not social vice.

It is very unfortunate the answer we resolve to, when there are dissonances in our communities. We tend to blame others, ask for changes in policies and a new political government. We forget to change self, we forget that a change in me could go a long way, if not less to impact the society positively and a communal change will do much better.

The Israelites were in such state of society dissonance – conquered and ruled by the Roman Empire, desired their freedom by a new government called the Kingdom of God to be led by the Messiah. Unfortunately, God’s definition of his Kingdom alternate theirs – the messiah was not meant to bring about a Kingdom that is external, visible to humans but that is inward and self changing [Luke 17:21]. In other words, God was expecting transformed lives, that will then affect the society positively.

Kingdom means King domain; a place where the authority of the King presides over. The Kingdom of God is where the authority of God presides over. A transformed life is that which the Kingdom of God is effectual, brought about by the sanctification of the blood of Christ and reformed through continuous muzzling of the Holy Spirit.

In the story of the rich young ruler who could not leave his possession to follow christ – the response of christ ‘With Man this is impossible but WITH GOD all things are possible’ means that when a man enters into the Kingdom of God (a place where the dominion of God presides) what is impossible to him becomes possible and the effect is that of a positive society. A story that illustrates and negates that of the rich young ruler was when the Holy Spirit descended on the believers [Acts 4:32-36]; they sold their possessions, gave to the poor and fellowshipped with singleness of mind.

The Kingdom of God is crucial to the transformation of our lives and the society, no wonder Paul declared; “Woe is me, if I preach not the gospel!. In another scripture he said; “For it is the POWER of God to salvation for everyone who believes….”

Excerpt from Treasures from the Mount – Ornaments of Faith.