Tag: living

OUT OF ZION 008 | DON’T LOSE YOUR PLACE

December 13, 2015     Volume 1, Issue 008

DON’T LOSE YOUR PLACE

… But among these there was not a man of those who were numbered … in the Wilderness of Sinai.

– Num 26:63-65

God has a place for you ahead of time and He is not interested in you losing the place.

God has a place for everyone. it is a provision beyond mere existence and an allotment for each person, in accordance with His eternal plan. It is meant for the fullness of time, which is not a calendar time; but an appropriate time or a set time for the appropriation of the provision. Many in history were found to be missing when their time and opportunity to appropriate their place came, for they did not keep their place of honour (Ps 49:20). That they were missing shows that there was really a definite place for them, a place which they lost. God who planned a place for you ahead of time is not interested in you losing the place.

The fall of man distorted the occupation and optimisation of the provision. To salvage the plan, man has to be regenerated, Eph. 2:10, as being saved opens a man into walking in the preordained plan, role, assignment, or life.

The knowledge of the place meant for each person comes by revelation. Revelation is a word from God that reveals His plan for His own. You do not know the plan until it is revealed – 1 Cor. 2:9-10. Revelation is a necessity; Eph. 1:17-18. It gives a glimpse into the future and shows the commitment of the faithful God who will neither lie nor fail. Tit 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:19-20. Revelation is an enlightenment; while it could be informational, it is much more as illumination for the heart. It causes one to supernaturally see an exact aspect of God’s good plan. Revelation is an empowerment since it is spiritual. Seeing with the eyes of the heart is an empowerment for life, this is why listening to God’s word should not be as attending mere lectures. The aim should always be to see. Those who see are unstoppable. Acts 4:18-20; 26:16-20; they have been empowered; driven by the zeal of God that accomplishes.

It takes a journey to get to the place earmarked for you. A journey is a trip to a destination. The journey only commences with the revelation that God gives. Until you see, you may not move. Remember Noah; Abraham and Moses. Everyone that embarks on a God-related journey will affirm that it is based on a revelation from God. Once the journey commences; it heads towards a destination. That destination must always be of godly worth. It could be of people to influence for the kingdom; lives to be touched with His power or exploits to be carried out for His glory. This journey into purpose is transformational – from who you are to who you should be; transitional – from where you are to where you should be; and appropriation-al – from what you have to what you should have.

It takes a fight to appropriate your place. Incidentally, most people do not like to fight because of the comfortability of the status quo, the comfort zone or the place of least resistance; they do not, because change, though very essential, could be very difficult. God did not make anything living to remain static. Getting into the place allotted you requires a firm resolve; it takes time; and it uses every divine help possible.

The needed change to get into your place is opposed by ego which is comfortable with what is; opposed by the system of this world, opinions and doctrines of your tribe, which want to leave you as you are; and opposed by the devil himself who wants to sift you as wheat. It is your business to fight for your place; for your destiny/destination; as you cannot afford to miss your allotment in life. You, therefore, need to be occupied with the thought of it (for what you think about constantly is what you can metamorphose into – Pro 23:7) and fight for it. Your place is calling for you and awaiting you. Stand for it; fight for it; and go for it. It will be costly to miss it.

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Prioritising Between Doing and Teaching

“The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach until the day in which he was taken up ….” – Acts 1.1

It is time as Christians we began to understand the reality of our calling, that the Christian faith is not evidenced by the abundance of words we speak and in the concepts we generate but in our life actions. Possibly, one of the reasons why spiritual formation is on a downward trend today is because we have not extolled the virtue of right living.

Luke, in his account (Acts 1.1) succinctly and declaratively acquainted us with the life of Christ. He asserted that Christ was first a doer and then a teacher. This shows us the reason for his great exploits in influencing people for God. He demonstrated by the life he lived the things he taught.

For example, it took his exemplary prayer life for his disciples to demand of him to teach them to pray (Luk. 11.1). So if a man that is not prayerful is teaching prayer to the people, he will go as far as giving them academic knowledge.

Christ was able to turn the hearts of men to God, simply because of the way he, himself, was committed to the father.

I remember a denominational preacher I once knew about. He was reputed to have always told the congregation he pastored to do what he was saying and not what he was doing. He did that to prevent many of them from becoming cultists like him, but you see, he could not be effective in establishing the realities of our spiritual walk with God in their lives.

Our Christian witnessing would soon move to another level when we understand that God expects us to live the new life than to generate concepts. We must be the ones to first experience the things we know according to Paul: “The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops”

Peter also made us to know that the Lord should be honoured in our hearts always: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness of fear, having a good conscience ….” The place of the heart, from where flow the forces of life, comes before explanations.

Our light shall shine and our good works would be seen by men, from our Jerusalem to the extremity of the world, when we focus much more on living the new life than talking about it.

Both are important, but there is a priority.

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