Sometimes all you require to surmount a persistent health challenge is the wisdom of God delivered to you through a divine instruction. And sometimes a divine instruction can help you stand out from a pack of equally qualified folks, colleagues or schoolmates.
Thank You for keeping me from the scorpions, the dogs, the guns, the bullets, from misery, pain, the fire, the dangerous smoke, the harmful smells, the freezing cold, the storms. I cannot count them all.
Your faithfulness and Your Word have been my Shield.
God’s powerhouse is the Holy Spirit. Hence to be strong in the power of God’s MIGHT is to be strong in the Holy Ghost. And one way to be strong in the Holy Ghost (strenthened in your own spirit) is to pray regularly in the Holy Ghost.
I started this study series last Friday (22/04/22) which centres on us (believers) taking advantage of and enjoying everything Jesus got for us.
You can read up on Part 1 here.
Some key things mentioned then were:
▪️God wants the best for us and He has provided it all in Christ.
▪️God will not take away the giants (troubles, challenges, difficulties, opposition) we encounter as we move to possess our inheritance in Christ. Tackling them ourselves helps us build patience, character and hope which equip us for the future.
▪️Just like, Caleb, we must stir up the spirit of faith in us and also commit to following God fully.
Today we answer the question…….
Of the 12 spies sent to spy out Canaan, only Joshua and Caleb made it to the promised land. God specifically distinguised Caleb as having a different spirit and of following Him fully/wholeheartedly.
“But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.” Numbers 14:24 NKJV
What exactly did Caleb do?
While majority of the spies conveniently presented a fact-file of their visit with some added negativity (Numbers 13:32-33), Joshua and Caleb had a different perspective.
We see the conclusion of Caleb’s report in Numbers 13:30
“And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” Numbers 13:30 KJV
–Let us GO UP AT ONCE, and possess it–
Why do you think Caleb took this stand?
He trusted in God’s faithfulness and was willing to obey, heed and follow God completely. Make no mistake about it, that just like the rest of the spies, Caleb saw the good fruits of the land, saw it’s inhabitants but he refused to see himself as grasshopper against giants. No! Not when the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is his God!
At some point in your Christian walk, to take the land and enjoy all of God’s promises in Christ Jesus, you must answer the question of whether you truly trust God? Do you really trust in His ability, strength, faithfulness? Can you take certain ‘risks’ based on God’s Word to you? Do you trust God enough to get off that sick bed simply because His Word says you are healed or are you seeing yourself worse? Do you trust God enough to make that career move in the midst of uncertainties or do you fear a possibly transient (but impactful) loss of income? Do you trust God enough to let Him sort out your marriage or children as you keep speaking His Word over them? Can you start that ministry or business simply because God spoke to you to do so?
When you trust God, you will Obey and Act on His Word.
Caleb said, let’s GO Up At Once, Abraham had to MOVE from Ur towards an unknown promised land because God said to go. Moses led Israel from Egypt towards an unknown promised land because God said to ‘move’.
You have to MOVE in order to take the land.
Now, you have just trusted the Lord’s command and MOVED. Congratulations! You just initiated your Change process! However, wake up because you have just landed yourself in the midst of giants.
As said earlier, apart from Joshua and Caleb, the other 10 spies presented a bad report. But really they presented what they saw with their physical eyes (well, with some twists). Apart from the milk and honey, there were indeed giants in the land, the cities were fortified and very large, the inhabitants seemed obviously stronger than the Israelites (Numbers 13:27-29). So there were problems, troubles, challenges. However Joshua and Caleb chose to see a victory. They focused on God’s promises.
Sometimes I listen to people talk about all the unpleasant experiences in thier lives, family, marriage, etc. They narrate these experiences with much detail and accuracy. I listen, listen and listen again, waiting to hear just one faith word come out of their mouth, but then they link another problem and start reinforcing all the enemy is doing with their words.
Some persons who know me pick an offense with me because they see me as mostly keeping to myself. They think I don’t ‘mingle’ much. Well try engaging me with some good bible study time, you’ll be amazed?. Otherwise, sorry, I will not spend my precious time reinforcing what the enemy is trying to do. Tell me some good news about what God is doing. Halleluyah! And let’s search the scriptures together to fix that mess the enemy is trying to create around you. Praise God!!
Do you know that apart from Joshua and Caleb, the other 10 spies died in the wilderness alongside the rest of Israel? Why? They became experts at grumbling, complaining, recounting their unpleasant experiences. They died in the wilderness as a result of unbelief and disobedience (Numbers 14:20-24).
Dear friend, sometimes just ignore the facts and instead, plug yourself into God’s system by speaking His truth.
Anything threatening the actualization of God’s promises in your life can be likened to a giant (opposition, trouble, challenge, difficulty). When you find yourself among unfriendly and dangerous giants, you fight to live. And the weapon of this fight is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17).
To take the land and enjoy all of God’s promises, you must fight to overcome the giants and strong people in the land. Align yourself with God by continually confessing and acting on His Word. Caleb started aligning himself with what God said concerning the land by saying “we are well able to take the land“. David when up againts Goliath sent forth words of victory even before the actual physical fight.
Dear friends, possess the land, take your trust in God a step further; MOVE. And as you move, keep the Word of God relevant for your individual situation always in your mouth.
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Well, thank you for joining me again today. I hope this study is inspiring you to boldly step into God’s plan and destiny for you. Please join me next Friday as I share the concluding part.
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Child of God, make no mistake about it, there’s a devil out there whose sole agenda is to steal from you, kill and destroy you (John 10:10). He will never announce himself as a thief, destroyer or killer, rather he specializes in throwing deceptive schemes laced with lies at you. God doesn’t want us oblivious of his tricks, strategies, lies or manipulations. Being strong in the Lord positions us to recognize and withstand these devious schemes.
Last Christmas we had so much fun visiting Badamia Boys Home. This Easter, it was another privilege and great honor for Grace Obomanu Foundation (GOF) as we visited a community in Rivers State, Nigeria to donate food items to elderly folks.
The gratitude on the faces of these elderly persons is something we want to continue seeing in the future as we expand our reach and coverage.
All glory belongs to Jesus!
Thankful to our volunteer team members
I am looking forward to our Mid-year Outreach. I hope you can be a part of it, because together we can do more.
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You become stronger and wiser and better equipped with every opposition, challenge or difficulty you overcome. Do not fear the gaints, focus on the land, on your God-given vision, dream, ministry. Focus on what God is focusing on; Take The Land. Focus on God’s promises, keep your eyes on the blessing.
To trust God is to totally lean on Him. It means to be sure or confident of the Lord’s ability to bring a good end.
Christ is Risen!
“Very early Sunday morning, the women came to the tomb where Jesus’ body was laid. They brought the sweet-smelling spices they had prepared. They saw that the heavy stone that covered the entrance had been rolled away. They went in, but they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.”
Luke 24:1-3 ERV
We often receive with amazement news about humans rescued alive after being trapped for days underneath split rocks from volcanic eruptions or collapsed buildings. We also hear with marvel accounts of men of God doing mighty miracles for Jesus, including raising dead people to life! So as I read the Bible’s account of Peter’s reaction to the testimony of the resurrection of a man he watched killed and buried, I can identify with Peter’s confusion.
“But Peter got up and ran to the tomb to see. He looked in, but he saw only the cloth that Jesus’ body had been wrapped in. It was just lying there. Peter went away to be alone, WONDERING WHAT HAD HAPPENED“
Luke 24:12 ERV
The story of the Lord’s resurrection as narrated by Joanna, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and the ‘other women’ in Luke 24: 1-12, sounded too good to be true, it sounded like an idle tale. Unlike Peter, the other disciples didn’t exercise much control, their reaction easily fits a fair definition of unbelief.
“These women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, the mother of James, and some others. They told the apostles everything that happened. But the apostles did not believe what they said. It sounded like nonsense.“
Luke 24:10-11 ERV
How would you have reacted? Imagine that you witnessed the gruesome murder of your spiritual leader and while you and his other followers were still trying to come to terms with his death, someone storms into your mourning room and announces that your leader is alive! Three kinds of feelings are likely to rush through your entire frame at once;
It seems to me that the disciples displayed all 3 reactions. Those that felt the women had lost it, were right. It all seemed like an idle tale and only a self-righteous being would fault their unbelief. Jesus died, was buried and they saw it!
Probably the most exciting part for me in all of this, is the believe of the 2 Marys and Joanna. They became so convinced of a resurrection to the point of sharing the news with the others. Luke 24:8, tells us why…..they remembered what Jesus said!
“Jesus is not here. He has risen from death. Do you remember what he said in Galilee? He said the Son of Man must be handed over to the control of sinful men, be killed on a cross, and rise from death on the third day.” Then the women REMEMBERED WHAT JESUS HAD SAID.“
Luke 24:6-8 ERV
What has the Lord said concerning that baffling situation you are faced with today? Don’t be afraid or confused, believe the Word of the Lord.
The tomb was empty when the women got there, and remained empty till Peter got his peep of it. So all the display of bewilderment, confusion, unbelief or excitement by the apostles did NOT change the reality that the tomb was empty.
He is risen! Just as He said He would. What the Lord says is what matters, not what we see or how we feel.
Christ is Risen! This is NOT an Idle Tale but Reality. The Tomb is EMPTY! Christ IS Risen Indeed.
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God will do all He can to reach you, however He needs your faith (and cooperation) to save, deliver, prosper and heal you.
