Meditation: January 18

“For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire ofAll Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:6-7). 

The people of God were discouraged because God’s presence appeared to be withdrawn from among them. Their temple had been destroyed for over seventy years and the workers who would rebuild it had become weakened and wearied. There are times when it may appear as if God is silent and all hope is lost; then God gives us a prophetic message that He will restore all who put their trust in Him while all things that others relied upon will be shaken. There will be signs in heaven and signs upon the earth. Strange phenomena will happen so that the nations of the earth will be forced to look beyond themselves for help. Then there will be people of all walks of life that will look in our direction because our eyes will be constantly focused upon Him. Only the Church of the Living God, where the message of Jesus Christ is heard, will provide a sanctuary for the bewildered souls who opted to trust in other things rather than in God. Nations or people-groups will be shaken so that God’s original intent may be established among them. Then His “glory will fill this temple” says the Lord of Hosts. 

Meditation: January 17

“For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Est 4:14).

God’s desire is to raise a people to meet the challenges of the times. It is not enough to have bodies occupying time and space, but there are many who are in bondage and in need of relief and deliverance. They need to be relieved of the pressures that are brought to bear against them and experience deliverance in order to enjoy the freedom that can only come from the Lord. Every need is to be met by a people who are spiritually aligned to hear what the Lord is saying. Their obedience in acting will affect the lives of the people to whom they have been sent. If they remain silent and still, God will yet hear the cries of His people. Those who seek Him for help will not have their prayers left unanswered. Those opting out of offering assistance would merely eliminate themselves from His divine plan. He is seeking those whose hearts are perfect towards Him. Who are the ones and where are the ones who will take up the mantle? Who will be the answer to the prayers of those who are searching for something and someone that is real? 

Meditation: January 16

“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26). 

Our common ancestry unites us all into the human species. We are a species of beings to which God has given special attention. All may not be aware of it, but God has given His undivided attention to mankind. All created things have been set in motion to affect him in some way or another. He has been allowed to provide care for every created thing that dwells on the earth. The Dominion Mandate given to Adam is to be given expression through us. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. To understand our physiology would be more than remarkable because, in spite of our significant knowledge, there is much more yet to be discovered. The question as to why we were made remains unanswered and even “unasked’ by modern science which does not delve into thoughts that appear to have no answers. If we are honest with ourselves, deep life questions always lead to the question of God. And if there is any evidence in nature around us or in our human nature that reveals the wonders of God, we are forced to acknowledge His existence. And if He exists, we are compelled to inquire into what He wills for our lives. We occupy both time and space in order to know the Lord and to make Him known. Our peace is joined to our mission. We benefit from what we share with others. 

It is the pride and arrogance on the part of some who refuse to identify with others of the same species, because they see themselves as being better or more advantaged. He divided us into nations as people-groups, yet distance does not change family structures for the care that ought to remain even when we are apart from each other. God’s will is for us to care about others. Our concern must stretch across the borders of the sea, but it must also stretch across the borders of streets. We would be blind to the part we are to play in the lives of others, unless we seek the Lord in order for His love for every nation to flow through us. Conditions can change in our cities, streets, and surrounding neighborhoods as well as in our own lives and families. God’s intentions for humanity are sought by those who profess to know Him. He would allow the Church to give a fuller expression of His love through spiritual unity among believers. 

Our God is one and the people that dwell on the face of the earth are one people. Thus, there is a singular purpose for the whole of His creation. None are able to function rightly without the knowledge of his/her Creator. Those who refuse to seek after God are left to themselves to discover the true meaning of life and his/her own personal existence. We came from one life-giving Source. Our blood or bloodline is traced all the way back to Adam. Therefore, his sin is our sin because we carry within us the same DNA as his; but God redeemed us 

Meditation: January 15

“And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise” (Hebrews 6:15). 

The rush towards the promise, without patience to endure the attendant trials, is giving expression to doubt and unbelief. Those careless movements are usually met with disappointments with self as well as with God. Misunderstandings arise concerning God’s character of love and concern when one caves in while engaged in the battle. This happens when Christ is not being seen and known throughout all of the circumstances of life. Faith requires one to believe in God and what He has promised even before the evidence is present. His desire is to reveal Himself through His Word that is able to withstand every crisis met along the way. His Word is truth and can outlive the lies of Satan. The bump in the road was not a roadblock but a stepping stone leading towards the life that lies ahead. There are times when there is nothing left but His promises and pressures. The pressures may try to shroud the promise but the promises are true regardless of the amount of pressure. Perhaps this could be the path of authentic faith being developed within one’s life. Many need to be weaned from the ineffective pop religious messages that create a state of euphoria, directing their confidence towards themselves, rather than towards knowing God. It is not what we escape always, but what we go through that marks the measure of true faith. The promise is on the other side of the challenge. He teaches us to endure whatever may come our way. When we are yet standing firm after the battle is over, we stand in victory before Almighty God. 

Meditation: January 14

“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9-10). 

The act that becomes a habit, the habit that equates into a lifestyle of doing good, is the life we have been called to live. We enter into the life and experience of Christ and grow into giving a fuller expression of Christ. It has to do with a new nature of the believer. He focuses his attention on the Lord, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit will compel him to do things that are pleasing to the Father. It is easy to begin to feel used and not appreciated by the recipients of your benevolence. There are even times when it may even feel that all of your efforts are in vain, but God has promised benefits to those who would remain faithful. You will first reap the reward of being like Jesus when we see Him as He is, then we will be enabled to enjoy all that God offers throughout eternity. We are being changed to appreciate heavenly things and heaven’s order on the earth so that we are made fit to love God and to enjoy Him forever. 

Meditation:January 13

“Since Jesus went through everything you’re going through and more, learn to think like him” (1Peter 4:1 MSG). 

The aim of Jesus is to teach us what it means to be fully human. There has been made for us a way to understand life from a perspective that is much greater than fallen man is able to see, understand, or express. Jesus Christ’s example demonstrates God’s intentions from the beginning for the whole of humanity. The image of God in man was ravaged and marred by sin leaving him disfigured with only a faint semblance of the original model. But where the first Adam became the personification of man’s rebellion and failures, the last Adam came to restore all that we lost. Every test and challenge was measured against Jesus, yet He did not succumb to the pressure. Jesus went through everything you are now going through and more. There is no way to measure the degree of suffering experienced by Him. Since He has gone through it all, His promise is to be with you while you are going through. He qualifies to lead you through whatever you may face in life. He’s been there. He is well acquainted with your journey. He is here to guide you through every valley and around every landmine that lie ahead. His guidance is accepted by those who are willing to think like Him. Continue to allow His mind to govern your thoughts that your “will” is to wholly please Him. 

Meditation: January 12

“I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways” (Psalm 119:15). 

To give deep thought of what God requires is necessary if we are to align ourselves with His will. It is not a casual or passing thought that captures the truths contained in His Word, but rather to savor those morsels of insight until they become a part of our nature. God allows us to meditate on His precepts for our good. They will not become grievous requirements when His ways are better understood. He does not require more of us than He Himself is willing or has already done for us. When we are able to compare His requirements to His ways, we will rejoice because of the opportunity He has afforded us to more fully participate with Him in His work. His precepts prepare us for further participation in what He is doing. How glorious it is when we fit perfectly into His divine plans. That is why His Word must be kept in our hearts that we would not sin against Him by omission or commission. We will know where He stands, and we will receive the power to stand with Him for righteousness and against all things that oppose Him. 

Meditation: January 11

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free” (Galatians 5:1). 

The most secure place is the position of true freedom. Permission is granted to us by our Sovereign Authority to fully participate in a work that extends beyond the passions that once ruled over us. We once thought of freedom as being able to follow the dictates of our hearts. Our old selves willfully responded, as it had been conditioned, to the stimuli of influences surrounding us. Not having the ability to see beyond this, we did not understand that an offering was extended that we might be liberated from the confinement of a world that offered nothing beyond itself. The liberty in which we now stand is an inner freedom that makes us aware of things that exist beyond the confinements of a shrinking worldly existence. As our external life gives signs of decay and decline, the inner man is being renewed for its expression of eternal life. We are free to live forever the life that we now have come to experience in time. “…These ways we continue; and we need to be saved” (Isaiah 64:5). 

The greatest gift offered to us is the gift of salvation! God changes the direction of our lives in order for us to understand and walk in His Way. There were many ways in which many yet walk. Those ways remain available to those who have not come to the saving knowledge of Christ. 

Our greatest need is for God to instill within us the deepest meaning of salvation. There are surface definitions that call us to attention. There is an alertness that things are not as they should be around us and oftentimes within us. His standard of righteousness is often compromised. Life is lived on the flatlands of routine with very little consideration given to those deep truths given to transform our lives into becoming more and more like Jesus. The heights of the mountains of faith are not always our aspirations. It is not always easy to think that such levels are attainable. 

Meditation: January 10

“…and they came to Him from every direction” (Mark 1:45). 

The courses of many people were redirected to the place where Jesus could be found. At that time He was not to be found in the open marketplaces of the city, but rather in a deserted place. It did not matter for those who were seriously in pursuit of Him; they were willing to go out of their way to be with Him. 

There are many activities in which people are involved. Some of them must be attended to while others are mere distractions. Those intimate moments with Him can only occur when we alter our plans if necessary, to be with Him. Whatever our priority is will determine the direction in which we are willing to travel. They came from various places in order to be with Jesus. Wherever you may have been is no longer the matter, it is where you are going from where you are that is important. There is a secret place where Jesus is awaiting your arrival. It is not in the busy places where the distractions would only afford Him a little window of time to share with you. He is outside the camp of the majority. He is in the deserted place where He alone may be able to receive your undivided attention and give the same to you. Your new direction must lead to His deserted place. He is waiting for you there! 

Meditation: January 9

“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting” (Acts 2:2). 

The buildup was gradual. There was the work of getting those who were once divided and separated by their own preferences and passions to a certain place. There is a certain place for those who wish to receive the infusion of power for service unto God. He empowers the ones that He is able to position. It is the positioning power of God that will introduce the believer to a higher degree of power. If God is not able to move you from your current state of being or attitude, He will not be able to show you any more than you think that you already know. But when He moves us from our place to His place, He will then release His power in wondrous ways. This was His place! They were there allowing Him to connect them to each other. They could then appreciate the contributions to the whole that each had to offer. Then the power came upon them suddenly! It will not take God long to do what He has purposed to accomplish in and through you. He is waiting on the conditions to be as He has set, that each would be in one place on one accord. Then there will be a sound from heaven as a rushing and mighty wind blowing in the direction of the unity of an expecting people.