RCCG Australia Province II

THEME FOR THE MONTH: YOU NEED DIVINE RELATIONSHIPS

FIRST LOVE.

Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee...thou hast left thy first love (Rev. 2:4).

First love is the fondest experience associated with first experience of a place, thing an individual or activity. Using it in the Christian context, it is the primary love for the Lord Jesus Christ that comes before or takes precedence over all love in terms of value.

Fondest and true love is patient, not jealous, not proud, not rude, it forgives, never give up on people but keep trusting and never loses hope. But as we interact and get ‘used to’, familiar with God, the usual ecstasy and feelings suddenly nosedive to dullness and lack lustre interest in those things that once intoxicate.

When an individual you were once dying for does not matter in your optics again, then the love barometer has turned negative. When you encourage things that were once detested, and become irritated at every mention of His attributes, that may be signs of loss of first love. What about finding it hard to forgive and gloss over misgivings and mistakes?

The report card of the Church at Ephesus carried very colourful remarks except that God frowned at the loss of their first love and encouraged them to return to it (Rev 2:1-5). Similarly, many Christians have abandoned their first love for the Master’s business because of offences and betrayal of trust from fellow Christians, grew weary because of delayed promises etc. While these may be legitimate reason but remember that Jesus Christ did not promise us a safe pass to heaven (John 16:33). Therefore, look for where your axe head has fallen and pick it up! Sincerely and humbly remember the height you used to be and ask God for a second chance.

For a proper and solid reconciliation with God, you will need to acknowledge your sin of neglecting the assignment and the enormous loss this has caused His kingdom (Prov 28:13); the place of fervent prayer couple with time in studying the Bible need to be restored to your daily routine. And as you return to Him, the cut down stump will grow again at the smell of water in Jesus’ name.

GOD IS ENOUGH.
..Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them (II Kings 6:16).

No man is created to be self-sufficient; rather, we all carry the gene that ask for more – new network, new insights, more contract etc. In our struggle to do and have more, we are made to believe that except we know someone, greatness may be elusive. But the truth of the matter is that except God instructs an individual to assist, even if she is your closest family member, it will not happen. It is no wonder when the Psalmist says: ‘I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help?’

It is natural for human beings to look up unto another as the first point of help before calling on God because we can physically see, touch, and feel them unlike the Almighty God who, even though is closer to us than man. Regrettably, human beings are limited in resources hence the need to turn to the unlimited God who is called the Elshaddai.

In II Kings 6:11-17, the King of Syria sent his battalion of soldiers to arrest just one individual who was hiding under the cleft of God’s palm (Prophet Elisha). As soon as his servant saw the multitude of Syrian soldiers, he became afraid and cried, Alas, my master! How shall we do?
(Lesson: Challenges of life may be so overwhelming as to attempt to make one forget past divine interventions and miracles but sum up courage to cry out to the Master over situation and circumstances and He will send timely help).

Jesus’ contact with the Samaritan woman in John 4 illustrated the benefits of chasing after the fullness of God than coming for piece-meal. If you pick a gift from man or the devil, you will become their slaves and be required to make periodic sacrifices, but if it is from God, your soul shall be fully satisfied, and no sorrow will be added (Prov 10:22).

God is the source of all good thing and the joy of many generations. When He is your portion, you are blessed with satisfaction, and fulfillment becomes easily achievable. Outside Him, contentment is elusive; but in Him, dream and vision are realized. Know Jesus and you are on the pathway towards growth; but if you chose to be recalcitrant, you may be shadow boxing which leads to a life of regret.

Prophet Elijah showed us a template in this space; everyone desired to befriend him and brought gifts to secure his attention. King Solomon enjoyed God’s Shekinah glory because of his addiction to seeking after God and he enjoyed tranquility and abundant wealth in his time. David puts it perfectly in Psalm 42:1 that: ‘as the hart pants after the water brooks, so pants my soul after thee, O God.’ Until you make it all about Him, He may not be wholly committed to the assignment.

LIMITED EDITION.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made....(Psalm 139:14).

Do you have access to limited edition of an article or precious item? I have discovered that such an item or human beings are few in numbers and rare. They appear on the scene once in a generation, play significant roles and leave traces of achievements behind.

We have limited edition of automobiles, aircrafts, books and by extension, human beings. People like Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Indra Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, John the Baptist, and Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

If you have them around you, jealously relish and guide them because very soon, they will be no more. Incredibly, history have it that it is only when they have departed that humans start to eulogise and acknowledge their achievements with statement like: a Prime Minister we never have; oh, what a great achiever! Etc

While on earth, the Pharisees and Sadducees denied the deity of Jesus Christ until he gave up the ghost at Calvary. We never have His kind since creation but when He appeared on the scene, His generation despised and disdained Him. Unfortunately, even today, the situation remains the same as many continue to doubt His Sovereignty over the entire creation.

Limited editions are specially crafted with unique features. They carry the signature and uniqueness of the manufacturers and are released either to announce their arrival or departure; and as if to say, ‘have this in remembrance of me.’ If you are privileged to own or be associated with one of such, they may as well be taken as ‘gilt edge’ or priced commodity which can fetch you a fortune in future if well preserved.

Jesus Christ is credited to be full of wisdom and the grace of God was upon him (Luke 2:40). He keeps bestowing same on those who follow and do His will in truth and in deed. Your ability to discover and be attracted to such men with the aim of tapping God’s grace should not be taken for granted because such are increasingly becoming a rare commodity in our current optics.

THE SHORTER ROUTE.
... although that was near; for God said, lest peradventure (Exodus 13:17).

We look for shorter routes to accomplish every project and adventure in life; be it a journey, business, or public action. We do this to reduce the associated cost, and other resources with the aim of achieving the best result. Large and small corporations use many methods to increase productivity and at the same time reduce overheads and this has flowed into individual’s life also. Nowadays, we look out for how to multi-task, reduce cost of living, save our planet with an expectation of re-booting and saving more.

Amazingly, God knew that the nation of Israel was not equipped to face the attacks of the Philistines and other nations (the original owners of the land of Canaan). They were just coming out of slavery with no organised military unit. He therefore decided to take them through the wilderness (uncharted territory) but not without the promise of His protection – pillar of cloud in the day and that of fire in the night (Exodus 13:21).

Israel learnt a lot of lessons while in the wilderness ranging from seeing and understanding the ways and acts of YAHWEH, the art of war, the learning of going through a process before achieving result as well as requirement to walk with God.

While we embrace shorter route to all things; regrettably when dealing with God, He may prefer an individual to go the opposite direction because of what He wants to accomplish in such lives. Therefore, when things do not go as expect in your life as a Christian, instead of abandoning God, take time to ask what He is calling your attention to.

Flipping the side of the coin, if Israel were bent on taking the shorter route to Cannan, they would have lost God’s presence and help and would not have made it to the land. Many Christians take shorter routes to enforce destiny and collapse along the way; we ignorantly blame God for our failures and gather sympathisers to mourn our calamities. May the Almighty God slow us down (where required) so as not to cause disgrace to His name while we run our race towards destiny fulfillment in Jesus’ name

THEME FOR THE MONTH: GOD'S SPECIAL VESSELS

THE SECRET PLACE

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High... (Psalm 91:1).

A secret place connotes a place of safety, rest and refuge. It’s expected to be a place of protection from danger and attacks from the enemies. Whilst there are all kinds of secret places, there is ‘the secret place’ of the Most High where an individual is assured an absolute tranquility and serenity.

The secret place may or may not be a designated physical station or altar as it is practiced in the occultic world; but it is a regular moment, time or an alter wherein you meet up with the ‘lover of your soul’. It’s an appointment you cannot fail to keep with the one you share your thoughts and life with.

The secret place of the Most High is where you ‘pour out your heart’ to the Lord over everything that’s troubling your heart and expecting Him to provide an assurance, comfort and hope that all shall be well. It is place where spiritual armors are stored for the purpose of fighting all battles of life (II Cor 10:4-6). It is a strong tower where safety is assured for the righteous ones (Prov. 18:10)

When you come to the secret place, you report activities, achievements of past events and strategize on future action (Gen. 18:17). God is always looking for human beings who He can share information with; and this can only occur at the secret place. Just as time is of no consideration while in the presence of a ‘lover’ because you are relishing every moment together, so it’s expected when in His presence alone with Him. The Almighty God cannot be rushed into anything and no wonder Moses spent forty days and nights with Him just to collect the ten commandments.

Staying in the secret place with God will automatically guarantee a ‘robbing off’ of His glory on you. We saw this example in Moses’ encounter on Mount Sinai to the extent that a whole nation couldn’t behold his face because the skin of his face shone brightly (Exodus 34:29). Not only will you be assured of victory over your enemies but will have privy knowledge of God’s plans on issues that will be strange to others. You will hear the inaudible, see the invisible and work the works of God in an incredible manner.

It is tasking to cultivate the habit of staying in the secret place of the Most High, but immensely rewarding doing so.

EMBRACE THE INTERRUPTION.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God... (Rom. 8:28).

Interruption breaks the flow of an action, thought or idea, but doesn’t bring a complete stop to it as it can be revived and restored again. Life is full of this phenomenon according to the book of Ecclesiastes 3. It can be experienced in the form of health challenges, academic failures, business disappointments, having wayward children who are bringing bad stigma to the family, delayed promotion. Interruption can also masquerade as failed relationship or challenges in ministry life.

All the above examples can bring a ‘pause’ to a well planned ambition; but not necessarily lead to abandonment of the project depending on how you view and handle those incidences.

Embedded in that interruption for a child of God, are divine opportunities that should not be missed. Rather than exploring various human ways of rushing out of the difficult situation, patiently and prayerfully pull the ‘break’, un-hurry and be ready to learn lessons hidden in the moment of the interruption.

God is more interested in the process rather than the immediate result. Details are revealed in the process and anyone who jumps the process will miss the opportunity that produces a ‘truly baked and rounded’ child of God. Moment of interruption can be very painful because few of your mates will bye pass you, people will pass derogatory comments on you and you may even think that God has forgotten you; but you can be sure that if it’s orchestrated by God, it will end in praise.

Is your planned trip, planned outreach, signed and sealed employment contract interrupted by divine event? The ‘losses’ may seem huge but God has various ways of compensating His own and at the end, the bad memories will be erased by enormous good fortune that will come from God (Rom. 8:28).

Have you missed that flight time, catching the train time, that ‘juicy’ catch up either with a business partner or significant others, not because of a fault of your own? There may be more to it than ordinary, so embrace the moment of ‘pause’ and ask God that: ‘what is the lesson here to learn Lord?’

Being in God’s plan is far rewarding than working your life out with human strength.

For prayer and counselling, please call: 61 2 9675 4444; 61 402573332