Jesus’ counsel to seek first the Kingdom of God came in the context of His teaching against a life of anxiety. Given at the beginning of His public ministry, it set the tone for a Kingdom-centred life and foreshadowed the priorities He would model throughout His earthly journey. Many people followed Jesus, but not all did so with pure motives. The Pharisees and Sadducees were more eager to find fault than to learn from Him. Many more sought Him because they wanted their physical needs met. Jesus had a sharp rebuke for this group. “Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him” (John 6:26-27).

…living in absolute obedience to God’s ways and commandments is seeking the Lord. Moreover, whatever we do to extend the influence of God is seeking the kingdom of God.

The story is not different today. Our places of worship are packed to the brim but majority are seeking God for what they can get. What they seek is what Jesus promised as additions if we seek the first thing first. The priority is to seek the kingdom of God. Seeking the kingdom of God entails seeking the salvation that comes from it. Secondly, living in absolute obedience to God’s ways and commandments is seeking the Lord. Moreover, whatever we do to extend the influence of God is seeking the kingdom of God. God is described as our Father who has advance knowledge of what we need. He will supply them as long as we fulfill our side of the bargain – seeking first the kingdom.

I was introduced to two opposing theories when I studied Geography at the Advanced Level. One was Environmental determinism and the other was Environmental possibilism. The former holds that the environment shapes human societies, cultures, and behaviour. It sees human beings as passive recipients of what the environment dictates. On the other hand, the latter suggests that the environment can be exploited, overcome, and transformed by man through culture, technology, and social organizations. Environmental possibilism suggests that man is not simply a victim of his environment.

…your attitude plays a big role in who you become. Those who have a positive attitude can make headway despite the difficult terrain.

Here is a story that illustrates each side of the theory. Two sons reportedly grew under an alcoholic father. One became an alcoholic, but the other did not. Some people asked the first son how he became an alcoholic, and he replied that he watched his father. Later they asked the second son how he had managed to avoid alcohol. His response was that he watched his father! Here we have two persons under the same situation turning out differently. How can we explain such a scenario? It boils down to attitude!  More than the factors of the environment, your attitude plays a big role in who you become. Those who have a positive attitude can make headway despite the difficult terrain. It is one of two ways: either we succumb to the pressure of the environment or allow the spirit within us to rise and take charge. God’s children do not have to get to a state of despair, because our Heavenly Father promised never to leave or forsake us. We can always draw from heavenly resources to make a spring out of the valley of weeping.

I have always found GPS interesting. It is also something that my unscientific mind has not been able to grasp. Whenever I travel and it helps to chart my way to unfamiliar terrain, I asked myself how the world coped before its advent. God’s guidance is even more revealing. Whenever I see the effect of guidance, I wonder how those without God survive. Several blessings result when God guides.  To begin with, God’s guidance makes clear the path to walk in. God guided the wise men in their bid to locate the birthplace of Jesus. Though they had a momentary misadventure into Herod’s palace, they eventually got through to Bethlehem of Judea.

God’s guidance is even more revealing…God’s guidance makes clear the path to walk in…When God guides, He takes care of obstacles in the way…God is commitment to guiding His people throughout their lives.

Guidance has always been an area of God’s interest towards His people. You would recall that when He delivered them from the Egyptian bondage, He led them by the path of the Red Sea, and not through the territory of the Philistines which was shorter. When God guides, He takes care of obstacles in the way. As He led the children of Israel, all obstacles on their path were overcome supernaturally. Our text reveals another blessing that flows from guidance. It brings about the rain of refreshing. Rain is a symbol of blessing, supplies, peace, and refreshing. God desires to be involved in every detail of our lives. Psalm 48:14 says, “For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide Even to death.” God is commitment to guiding His people throughout their lives.

When Herod heard that another king had been born, he felt insecure. He immediately summoned the Priests and the scribes to get fuller information about the born-king. Specifically, he wanted to know where the King was to be born. The priests and the scribes knew the prophecy concerning this. They got the location right. The probing issue right now is: why didn’t they know that Christ had come? It was because they missed an essential element of prophecy – timing!

God’s purposes can only come to pass in designated locations…God speaks and performs His word in seasons…Every word of God has its day of fulfillment. We must learn to discern times and seasons.

Apostle Paul taught Timothy to war with prophecy. “This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare” I Timothy 1:18 NKJV. Several things go into warring with prophecy. The first, of course, is knowing the prophecy. What is it that God is saying? If you do not know how to receive the word of God, how will you ever know when it comes to pass? Secondly, you must understand the geography of the Word of God. God’s purposes can only come to pass in designated locations. If you have the word of promise but are in a wrong location, you are not likely to see it fulfilled. Thirdly, you have to know the season that the word of God has been programmed for fulfillment. God speaks and performs His word in seasons. Jesus stood in the synagogue and read a prophecy of Isaiah. When He finished reading He said, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” Every word of God has its day of fulfillment. We must learn to discern times and seasons.

John, the forerunner of Jesus, was the first to herald the Holy Spirit in the New Testament setting. He spoke of Jesus as the Baptizer who would baptize the people with the Holy Spirit and fire. Jesus spoke elaborately about the Holy Spirit. One such instance is captured: “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” John 7:38-39 NKJV. After Jesus rose from the dead, He commissioned the disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, but not until they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Ten days later, they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Our text today captures that glorious experience.

…the Holy Spirit animates every aspect of our lives, giving us divine energy to operate. It is the very life of God at work in us!

The significance of the coming of the Holy Spirit is to remind us that believers have the breath of God. It is reminiscent of what God did in the beginning, breathing into the nostrils of the moulded man. When that happened, the man  got animated. In the same way, the Holy Spirit animates every aspect of our lives, giving us divine energy to operate. It is the very life of God at work in us! The 50th day after Easter is usually celebrated as Pentecost Sunday. While this is commendable, believers should not limit their experience in the Holy Spirit to once a year. Every day ought to be Pentecost Day!

The devil has been the scapegoat since the Garden of Eden. The blame game started when God challenged Adam about the forbidden fruit. He defended his action by pointing to his wife as the culprit. When the woman was confronted, she deflected the blame to the serpent. Oftentimes, God’s people blame the devil for every wrong. However, God sees things differently. Sometimes, people’s mishaps are not because of the devil’s activities, but their ignorance of the truth. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children” (Hosea 4:6 KJV). God says He would reject His people because they lack knowledge. Note that until God rejects a people, the devil has limited access to invade.

The extent to which God illuminates you is the extent to which you can enjoy liberty, deliverance and prosperity…When we also have the light of His word, we will walk in victory and dominion.

Salvation means more than forgiveness of sins. It embraces liberty, deliverance, and prosperity. Altogether, that spells the good desires of human beings; they are all available in God. There is a sequence in our text; light comes before salvation. Before the Lord becomes your salvation, He has to be your light. Light here represents the whole law of the Lord. It is translated illumination. The extent to which God illuminates you is the extent to which you can enjoy liberty, deliverance and prosperity. Job recalled the time when God’s light was his navigational tool. “When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness” (Job 29:3, KJV). That was the most prosperous and happiest moment of his life. When we also have the light of His word, we will walk in victory and dominion. Our outcry should be more of light that comes via His word.

Hebrews 11:6 states that “God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” From the life of Mordecai, we can learn a couple of lessons about reward. He had certified to the king of a clandestine move by two of the king’s servants to kill him. That timely information saved the king’s life, but there was no immediate reward for him. This teaches us that it is only in our power to determine when we do good, not when to reap the harvest. By the time the reward came, it not only benefited him but also the entire Jewish community. Another lesson is that we must never foreclose which channel the Lord will use to reward us. God can never run short of channels; we should just realize that He is the source of our blessings. Mordecai asked Esther to intervene on behalf of her people, adding that if she failed, help would come from another quarter. Fix your gaze on God, and He will decide the best way to reward you.

Fix your gaze on God, and He will decide the best way to reward you…When you ask God for a reward of service, leave it to His discretion.

Often, people miss out on their rewards because they assumed that God must come through a particular way and time. The right approach is to look up, for that is where salvation comes from. A pastor told me that after serving faithfully in an organization, his reward did not come from there. God used a stranger to provide land for church and living quarters. When you ask God for a reward of service, leave it to His discretion.

One of the most dreaded experiences in a relationship is the silent treatment from a partner. It creates a feeling of rejection and general listlessness. The silent treatment leaves a person stranded, uncertain of how to act without escalating an already tense situation. David encountered the Lord on several fronts. He knew the Lord as his Shepherd. That was the theme of the 23rd Psalm. In Psalm 27, he described the Lord as his light and salvation. In our current text, the Lord was his rock. Of particular interest to us today is David’s fear. He seemed scared of God giving him the silent treatment.

One of the most dreaded experiences in a relationship is the silent treatment from a partner. It creates a feeling of rejection and general listlessness.

He realized that God’s silent treatment would spell doom. David must have been inspired to write our text by what happened to Saul. God stopped talking to Saul, and the end was disastrous. He therefore prayed not to join the statistics. While we may all join David to pray for God not to be silent to us, we must be wary of those things that put Him off. God did not stop talking to Saul abruptly; His silence was born of Saul’s  disobedience. This brings to mind yesterday’s lesson. We learned that sin robs people of the confidence to approach God. We may well add here that sin equally robs people of access to the voice of God. Losing out on the voice of God is losing out on victory.

God explicitly instructed Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden. That was followed by a warning – eating of it would lead to death. Someone may say that the man and his wife lived hundreds of years even after they disobeyed God. That is right, but the consequence of sin is not limited to physical death. It was Evangelist T. L. Osborne who said that whenever you sin, something dies within you. Something dies in a sinner long before he or she dies physically and eternally. For Adam and Eve, the first thing that died was courage or confidence. The confidence with which they had fellowshipped with God in the past was gone the moment they sinned.

…whenever you sin, something dies within you…Sin will rob us of the confidence to approach God and the opportunity to get answers to our prayers.

Jesus revealed the dynamic relationship between Him and the Father. At Lazarus’ tomb, He confidently thanked the Father knowing full well that His petition had been heard. On another occasion He declared, “And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”” (John 8:29 NKJV). The dynamic relationship Jesus had with the Father ensured that whatever He asked flowed without hindrance. This is how it should be with us as God’s children. Sin will rob us of the confidence to approach God and the opportunity to get answers to our prayers.

In his epistle to the Philippians, Paul paid a glowing tribute to Timothy his son in the faith. The young Bishop stood out among others because of his selfless service. “But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel.” Philippians 2:19-22 NKJV

Life is richer when it is lived in the service of others. We conquer selfishness when we devote ourselves to the welfare of others.

Life is richer when it is lived in the service of others. We conquer selfishness when we devote ourselves to the welfare of others. The moment you make it your priority to promote people’s welfare, you at the same time activate a spiritual principle. God will ensure that other people seek your welfare, too. Living for others also has a way of dealing with one of the controlling spirits in the last days. The Bible says that people will be lovers of self in the last days. When you choose to prioritize others, you overcome this spirit. In addition, you will grow more into the image of Christ who lived His entire life pursuing the welfare of others. He did that to the extent of dying on the Cross. His rich heritage today is because of that eternal sacrifice.

If you are giving your best and still facing significant disapproval, don’t be discouraged. Sometimes, that’s simply part of the journey. Consider it normal and stay faithful. Jesus came as a perfect specimen. He walked the earth doing good, healing the sick and liberating the oppressed. He cleansed the lepers and gave sight to the blind. Did He get the approval of all? The Pharisees challenged Him every inch of the way. The Sadducees questioned His doctrine. Several others opposed Him. Followers of Christ would be expecting too much by asking the whole world to press the “like” button. The world that crucified Jesus but asked a murderer to be set free cannot give you your rightful due. In the light of our text, seeking the world to speak well of you may be treading a slippery path. That was how they goaded the false prophets to their doom.

What truly counts is God’s endorsement. If you have that, you can sleep in peace even if the world talks down on you.

Apostle Paul knew that seeking man’s approval can put someone at odds with God. He said, “I’m obviously not trying to flatter you or water down my message to be popular with men, but my supreme passion is to please God. For if all I attempt to do is please people, I would fail to be a true servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10 TPT). To the Corinthians, Paul was considered rude in speech (2 Corinthians 11:6) and contemptible in appearance (2 Corinthians 10:10). The clear message is that no matter how well you are doing, never expect a 100% approval rating. What truly counts is God’s endorsement. If you have that, you can sleep in peace even if the world talks down on you.

One of the key principles of hermeneutics or biblical interpretation is that we should take literally what makes literal sense in Scripture. Some other time, we need to check the meaning of a word and see how its uses have changed over time. Take our text for example. It says that the word of the Lord was precious in the days of Eli. We cannot interpret the word “precious” the way we do today. In a literal sense, there is no time when the word of God is not precious. If we interpret it in modern-day English, we will miss the meaning. Another translation will be of help. “Now the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation.” (I Samuel 3:1 NKJV). Typically, God delights in speaking to His people. Whenever He stops speaking, the people must have persisted in their sins. The withholding of divine presence such as the absence of vision or prophecy can be a form of divine judgment or discipline.

If the word of God is scarce, then victory is far! …A strong appetite for the word is a must for those who desire to walk in victory.

Every believer must strive to create a conducive environment for divine manifestation. This is because the scarcity of the word of God has consequences. If the word of God is scarce, then victory is far! God’s word is described in various ways. Jeremiah said it is like the hammer that breaks the rock into pieces. He also describes it as fire. Without access to the word of God, those rocks and chaffs will continue to assault a child of God. Moreover, as we can see from Jesus, the word of God is the sword of the spirit that can push back the devil when he comes with temptations. A strong appetite for the word is a must for those who desire to walk in victory.

Just before writing today’s article, I watched the video clip of a multi-million-naira property being bulldozed on the authority of the Enugu State government of Nigeria. The property belonged to a millionaire who made his money through crime. He was notorious for kidnapping people and burying them, some alive, in his compound. When he was arrested, he became a spectacle to the whole community. In a separate development, a woman who had perpetrated fraud for many years was recently apprehended in Ibadan, Nigeria. Her modus operandi was to hire people to feign all forms of misfortune and unleash them on society to ask for alms. She had built her inglorious trade substantially, having agents in Ibadan and Lagos, Nigeria. Out of what her employees make, a percentage is paid back to them as a stipend. She had built houses and bought cars from the proceeds of crime before the bubble burst. She was apprehended as a result of the confession of one of her recruits.

Making money through fraud or other crimes does not guarantee peace of mind…A fraudulent approach to enrichment may appear to be fast, but the end is shame, sorrow, and regret.

Making money through fraud or other crimes does not guarantee peace of mind. No matter what you gain in the process, it will leave your soul empty and craving for more. On the contrary, the little that the righteous gets in a decent and honest way brings satisfaction. This is the truth conveyed in scripture that the blessing of the Lord makes one rich and adds no sorrows with it (Proverbs 10:22). A fraudulent approach to enrichment may appear to be fast, but the end is shame, sorrow, and regret.

Luke documents the account of the paralytic man who was brought where Jesus was teaching. When they couldn’t find a way in through the door or window, those who carried the sick man became remarkably ingenious. They tore off the roof and lowered him down before Jesus. The Lord saw their bold action as a powerful expression of faith. Immediately, He offered forgiveness to the man. Luke 5:25 tells us the reaction of the scribes and Pharisees to Jesus’ words. They felt He was blasphemous. Meanwhile, all that was going on in their hearts and not openly expressed. The lesson for us is that Jesus knew their thoughts and faulted their reasoning.

Finally, the reason why God can do beyond what we ask for in prayer is because He considers our thoughts as well and converts them into prayer requests.

Thoughts matter! David understood this truth. Accordingly, he said of the Lord, “You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.” Psalms 139:2 NKJV. If thoughts do not count, why would Jesus challenge people for thinking wrong thoughts? There is a divine flow into our lives when we learn to harmonise our thoughts with God’s word and all that is noble. Finally, the reason why God can do beyond what we ask for in prayer is because He considers our thoughts as well and converts them into prayer requests. If God blesses us only to the extent of our prayers, many believers would be destitute. The reason is that we are not as prayerful as the Bible enjoins us to be.

Everything God wants done on earth has a pattern in heaven. Equally, every life that God allowed on earth is designed with a specific purpose and pattern in mind. Following the pattern brings about the glory of God into a life. A believer who wants the glory of God must be interested in understanding and working with divine patterns.

Everything God wants done on earth has a pattern in heaven…The truth is that many of the things people attribute to curses are mere manifestations of failure to follow patterns.

In this part of the world, people are quick to blame the sins of our forefathers for the lack of progress. This will not stand the test of theology. Did the forefathers of the Americans and Europeans sin against God? Of course yes. They were the ones responsible for all the atrocities of slavery and colonialism. If the sins of forefathers could hold people down, those societies would not be where they are today. The other scapegoat we have for our backwardness is ancestral curses. This also does not stand the test of scripture. On the authority of Scriptures, we can state that the work of Jesus on the cross was comprehensive. He not only died to forgive our sins, the manner of His death was the cure for all curses. The truth is that many of the things people attribute to curses are mere manifestations of failure to follow patterns.

I had my maiden trip to Canada between April and May of this year. I was privileged to minister in four different ministries across three regions. I observed that the people there have the same needs as those in America, Europe, and African nations. This brings to mind the words of the Apostle in 1 Peter 5:9, that the same afflictions are accomplished in the brethren all over the world. There is nowhere you go in the world without meeting challenges. However, the good news is that if you know how to connect with God’s power, you can thrive anywhere you find yourself.

The spirit of faith works by speaking… Winning faith is a combination of declaration and action.

The woman with the issue of blood operated in faith to change her situation. Three things were clear in her exercise of faith. First of all, notice how she developed her faith. She had previously heard about Jesus. It is not clear what she heard about Him. It is safe to guess that she heard of the various miracles that Jesus had performed. Each of those testimonies served as a faith booster. Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing. Secondly, she put her faith to work. James noted that faith without works is dead. When she said within herself that touching the garments of Jesus would cure her, it was an expression of faith. The spirit of faith works by speaking. She later acted on her faith when she pressed through the crowd to touch His clothes. Winning faith is a combination of declaration and action.

Having the right perspective on issues will help in no small measure to pilot the affairs of life. To begin it, God’s perspective will always be the right perspective. It was through this that Joseph maintained a quiet attitude amid his travails. Yesterday, we noted that he stood before Pharaoh at the age of 30. He came straight from prison. However, before that day was over, his life changed completely. An erstwhile prisoner became a ruler over Egypt.

Having the right perspective on issues will help in no small measure to pilot the affairs of life. To begin it, God’s perspective will always be the right perspective.

As mentioned earlier, Joseph had the right perspective concerning the maltreatment he received from his brothers. They had sold him into slavery and thought they had made a clean end of him. However, that step brought him closer to his destiny. Joseph became a ruler in Egypt and a saviour of the world. What his brothers meant for evil was turned around by God. A cardinal truth about God is His ability to turn things around. We call this God’s redemptive power. He knows what the enemy is doing or has planned. Beyond this, He can put a redemptive spin on Satan’s activities and turn them to a blessing for His people. With God on your side, head or tail, you will win! Embracing this perspective empowers a child of God to endure even the toughest situations, resting in the assurance of Scripture that God is working all things together for good.

Joseph must have lived up to thirteen years in Egypt before he stood before Pharaoh. His invitation was occasioned by the king’s dream which none of his wise men or magicians could interpret. Joseph’s fame was heralded to the king by the butler who had been a beneficiary of his grace. When Pharaoh praised him upfront, Joseph refused to bite that bait. As our text shows, he rightly put the matter in the hand of God. Though he had correctly interpreted dreams before, he did not assume that it was because of his brilliance.

Our learning and expertise, no matter how vast, will come to nothing without the indispensable factor of God’s presence and guidance.

Jesus reminded the disciples that they could do nothing by themselves. This applies to us as well. The setup in the kingdom is such that we will need to connect with the heavenly grace to achieve anything meaningful here on earth. Even Jesus stated that He could do nothing of Himself. He needed to wait on the Father for His every move. Our learning and expertise, no matter how vast, will come to nothing without the indispensable factor of God’s presence and guidance. As you continue in the month, don’t trust in the arm of flesh. Rather, make the Spirit of God your strength and stay. When Joseph was seen as the solution to all riddles, he simply said, “it is not in me”. Truly, it is not in any of us; it is only by the help of God that we can pull through anything.

In God’s kingdom, success is not measured by results alone. In Luke 10, Jesus commissioned seventy disciples into the evangelistic field. They were to preach God’s Kingdom as well as heal the sick. They came back and seemed to have outperformed their expectation as we can see in verse 17 – “Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” When we examine their commissioning, we do not see any specific instruction given to them to cast out demons. The victory over demons is not difficult to explain. In some cases, sicknesses have demonic roots. So the command to heal sickness is already a liberty to deal with its demonic source. On another note, the power given to them to heal the sick is the supreme power of God; it can solve every other problem along its path.

To gain the whole world and lose one’s soul is no success at all. True success is being in harmony with God and dwelling with Him eternally.

The disciples were excited about the results that they obtained in the field, but Jesus reoriented them. Their joy was not to stem from the results they obtained, but from the fact that their names were written in the Lamb’s book of life. The inheritance that is reserved for us in heaven is what counts. There is no result that we post here on earth that is as important as having our names in the Lamb’s book of life. To gain the whole world and lose one’s soul is no success at all. True success is being in harmony with God and dwelling with Him eternally.