STAYING TRUE WITH THE DIVINE PATTERN PT. 6

STAYING TRUE WITH THE DIVINE PATTERN PT. 6

TEXT: 1 Chronicles 28:11-13 (AMP)
11 Then David gave Solomon his son the plan of the vestibule of the temple, its houses, its treasuries, its upper chambers, its inner rooms, and of the place for the [ark and its] mercy seat;
12 And the plan of all that he had in mind [by the Spirit] for the courts of the house of the Lord, all the surrounding chambers, the treasuries of the house of God, and the treasuries for the dedicated gifts;
13 The plan for the divisions of the priests and the Levites, for all the work of the service in the house of the Lord; for all the vessels for service in the house of the Lord:



It is the duty of visionary leaders to provide clear instructions and every material and the enabling environment for those working under them to succeed. Not too many leaders are careful enough to make this happen and as a result of such oversight or negligence many glorious visions have suffered unnecessary setbacks.

A myopic leader is concern about himself and his relevance but a visionary leader understands that all of his labour and accomplishments can be destroyed in the hands of a novice or a carefree successor.

To be sure that Solomon does not miss the divine pattern, David went an extra mile to give him the actual plan of what he is expected to build. According to verses 11 David gave Solomon the plan of the vestibule of the temple, its houses, treasuries, upper chambers, inner rooms, and most important of all was the place for the [ark and its] mercy seat…”. Only a man with a strong love for God will be so concern to do this.
 In verse 12 it is recorded that the plan was had for the courts of the house of the Lord, all the surrounding chambers, the treasuries of the house of God, and the treasuries for the dedicated gifts according to Amplified was by the Spirit. This attest to the fact that he received divine instructions as touching the various plan. Only leaders with a sincere heart and an intimate love relationship with the Lord will be able to see into the heart of the Father to put their successors on the path of glory.
in Verse 13 he made available the plan for the divisions of the priests and the Levites, for all the work of the service in the house of the Lord. This was to ensure a great degree of orderliness and for everyone to have the enabling environment to carry out his duty. There was also plan for the keep and handling of all the vessels for service in the house of the Lord. You will not expect any successor with a unique privilege like this to fail, but the truth still remains that if such individuals fail to develop a walk with God that is real and personal, divine direction will elude him.  Those who must succeed in life must be in a divine step ahead of others. God is your only guarantee for enduring success.

STAYING TRUE WITH THE DIVINE PATTERN (PT. 5)

STAYING TRUE WITH THE DIVINE PATTERN (PT. 5) 

TEXT: TEXT: 1 Chronicles 28:18-20 (AMP) 
¹⁸ For the incense altar refined gold by weight, and gold for the plan of the chariot of the cherubim that spread their wings and covered the ark of the Lord's covenant. 
¹⁹ All this the Lord made me understand by the writing by His hand upon me, all the work to be done according to the plan. 
²⁰ Also David told Solomon his son, Be strong and courageous, and do it. Fear not, be not dismayed, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail or forsake you until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.

From our Bible reading for today devotional it is clear that the one who received the instruction and understood the importance of building according to the divine pattern is David. But the complication of this assignment is that he is not allowed to build that which he is envisioned with. It is true that David was envisioned with this assignment because in verse 19 of our text he talked about the fact that he got this understanding of the divine pattern “…the writing by His hand upon me…” though he was not qualified to build, it was the hand of God upon him that deposited the vision in his heart. Now somebody else has to accomplish the vision. Many of us know that Pastor E A Adeboye is not the visionary of RCCG neither does he claim to be but the vision blossomed under his care because he was faithful to serve under the founder.

When we sincerely serve the purpose of God under others we provoke the grace of heaven upon our lives to move to a new dimension of glory. Go back to read verse 20 of our text and note what David said to Solomon, the one that will have to accomplish the vision and you will understand the blessing that follows a man who is faithful to help another accomplish a divine vision. He develops courage and boldness. He receives the assurance of God’s presence. He receives the grace and anointing to start and finish the assignment. Therefore he has a guarantee of long and healthy life.

Be careful about your ambitions and desires, they may lead to multiplied sorrows and unfulfilled destiny.  

STAYING TRUE WITH THE DIVINE PATTERN (PT. 4)

STAYING TRUE WITH THE DIVINE PATTERN (PT. 4)

TEXT:  Exodus 25:8, 9 and 40 (AMP)
⁸ Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.

⁹ And you shall make it according to all that I showed you, the pattern of the tabernacle or dwelling and the pattern of all the furniture of it.

⁴⁰ And see to it that you copy [exactly] their pattern which was shown you on the mountain.

We have been talking about “Staying True with the Divine Pattern” for some time now and as we bring this short study to a close it is important to mention that everyone that has been given the privilege to serve under a visionary must realize that every opportunity of service is an access to greater dimension of glory. If a man is truly able to humble himself to understand the his assignment in the bigger assignment of another and he is able to serve faithfully, it is possible that the LORD will find him useful to entrust him with a unique vision.

Too many people want to accomplish their own vision in the vision of another man. When they claim to be serving to help accomplish the vision of their leader they are actually using the time, equipment, materials, office, contacts, reputation and workers of the leader to accomplish their vision. When Joshua was with Moses he had no vision of his own that he was passionate about. He was so faithful that when it became clear that somebody has to succeed Moses it was not difficult for the LORD to choose him. So many who claim to be assisting in accomplishing a vision are so far from being a suitable successor of their leader. They were too busy chasing personal ambitions and some times fighting the vision with their own vision. Joshua was so committed to helping Moses succeed that until the death of Moses you never heard of him sharing a parallel vision. 

Until heaven finds you faithful and dependable in serving the vision of another man you may never be able to get the privilege of receiving your own from God. Be careful, what you are calling a vision may well be a figment of your own imagination designed to destroy your future. 

SUPERNATURAL OVERFLOW 1

SUPERNATURAL OVERFLOW 1 (Ezekiel 47:1-6)

People encountered the ministry of people like Billy Graham, Kathryn Kulhman and others and their lives were never the same. Is there any chance of you making just one person God conscious today?

CONTEMPLATION

There is a strong spiritual dimension about our lives that we often relegate to the background. Most of us are too careful not to be branded as fanatics so we begin act civilized and sophisticated. Until we get real and unapologetic about our faith and personal relationship with the Holy Spirit we will never be able to walk in the extraordinary. Most of us do not have the supernatural manifestation of God because we have not been bold to introduce and share about the personality and works of the Holy Spirit in and around our lives. Until we involve him he is going to seat still because he is a perfect gentleman who will only speak or act where he is acknowledged.

“In search of the solution, some have attended church

growth conferences and seminars. They have applied different

methods and steps, but nothing extraordinary happened. All

they truly need is the presence of the Holy Spirit and the difference

will be clear.” FFPW p153.

PRACTICAL ISSUES                      

Take out some time to make a list of the supernatural happenings of God in and through you in the last one week. Go on to ask yourself if this cannot be accomplished by a moralist.

Share with at least one person what you are trusting God for that will encourage others to believe God for the supernatural when it happens.

-          REV. IGHO Y. 

First Fruit

FIRST FRUIT. (Part 2).

 TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 26:1-4.

When you have come into the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance and possess it and live in it.

2 You shall take some of the first of all the produce of the soil which you harvest from the land your God gives you and put it in a basket, and go to the place [the sanctuary] which the Lord your God has chosen as the abiding place for His name [and His Presence].

3 And you shall go to the priest who is in office in those days and say to him, I give thanks this day to the Lord your God that I have come to this land which the Lord swore to our fathers to give to us.

4 And the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the Lord your God.

When you obey God in first fruit it is not like giving God your offering though it is a form of offering. You give offering but you pay tithes and first fruit because they are not your own. Do you understand the difference? They are like tax. You are only required to pay tax if you belong to a system of government were you enjoy certain benefits from that system which you belong and as a way of showing your allegiance to the system you are expected to pay your dues.  When you obey in tax you are paying what you owe the government, it is not a donation.

When a man obeys God and pays his first fruit, he demonstrates his allegiance to the kingdom of God and immediately activates certain blessings of the kingdom to his own benefit. The word of God in Isaiah 1: 19 tells us that if we are willing and obedient we will eat the good of the land. There are blessings that cannot be activated in your life until you willingly walk in obedience with God. It takes understanding for a man to obey God in tithes and first fruits. A carnal man with greedy ambition will always find it unreasonable to pay obey God in issues like this. To him it is more reasonable to save as much as he can to be able to accomplish his dreams therefore the issue of first fruit does not come into the picture. But in so doing he succeeds in lucking up supernatural flow of God’s blessing in his life. He does the normal thing, gets normal results and lives the normal life. Obedience to God in the release of first fruit is by a divine light. Those who lack this light also lack the glory that goes with it. The choice is yours so choose right. 

STAYING TRUE WITH THE DIVINE PATTERN (PT. 3)

STAYING TRUE WITH THE DIVINE PATTERN (PT. 3).

TEXT:  Exodus 25:8, 9 and 40 (AMP)
⁸ Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.

⁹ And you shall make it according to all that I showed you, the pattern of the tabernacle or dwelling and the pattern of all the furniture of it.

⁴⁰ And see to it that you copy [exactly] their pattern which was shown you on the mountain.

The responsibility of accomplishing a vision is more than having a great idea, putting together an office, equipment, events and programs.  Many who have the opportunity to be part of a great vision may not see the need to acknowledge the grace upon the visionary until they have the opportunity to start something themself. Often than not, those who choose to be passive or half hearted in their service when working in the vision of someone else end up killing their own vision and success. When they are able to start something that is when they would want everybody to be enthusiastic about the vision but the seed they have sown in the past they will begin to harvest.

When you have the opportunity to serve in another man’s field please discipline yourself to understand and help make the vision become a reality. You may be laying the foundation for your own vision by your words and actions.

Verse number 9 of our text says, “And you shall make it according to all that I showed you, the pattern of the tabernacle or dwelling and the pattern of all the furniture of it.” It is obvious that this command was meant for Moses who is the one God showed the vision, yet it is obvious that he is not to do everything by himself. The job would have been easier if it is something that he can do by himself, but the fact that he would be working with others who were not there when the pattern was given makes it much more delicate. It is one thing to understand something and another to make someone else see it through the same lens. That is the reason why the LORD emphasized it in verses 8,9 and 40. When a man understands the importance of divine assignment he will not sit down and watch others useless his efforts. Others may be a part of it but the responsibility is his. Do you understand your place and your role?   

STAYING TRUE WITH THE DIVINR PATTERN PT. 2.

STAYING TRUE WITH THE DIVINR PATTERN PT. 2. 

TEXT:  Exodus 25:8, 9 and 40 (AMP)
⁸ Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.

⁹ And you shall make it according to all that I showed you, the pattern of the tabernacle or dwelling and the pattern of all the furniture of it.

⁴⁰ And see to it that you copy [exactly] their pattern which was shown you on the mountain.

From our text for today, we understand that God in giving his servant Moses an assignment did not only told him what He wanted but He also went on to give him clear and vivid description of just what he wanted. The statement “And you shall make it according to all that I showed you,” is a clear indication that our wisdom and abilities are not good enough to accomplish a God given assignment. We all need an upgrade to be able to accomplish the task. You cannot do it your way and expect it to produce His result. If you want divine results you need to follow a divine pattern.

In verse eight of our text the LORD told Moses the assignment “Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.” Many people want to accomplish something extraordinary but only few persons care to go to God for a divine pattern. A lot of people are busy attending one conference or seminar after another hoping to study and apply the pattern of another man without spending quality time with God. The very man whose pattern he desire to copy was able to get the attention of men because he invested quality time in receiving clarity and directions from God. Until you spend quality time downloading your own instructions from God you will never be able to receive the divine pattern needed to take you to the next level of glory.

Any man who has been able to sustain a steady progress and succeed in his field in amazing ways has paid a price that only few are ready to pay. Don’t be quick to criticize them with your idea or philosophy that has not been tested, you may end up making a fool of yourself. Be wise.  

STAYING TRUE WITH THE DIVINE PATTERN (PT.1)

STAYING TRUE WITH THE DIVINE PATTERN (PT.1)

TEXT:  Exodus 25:8, 9 and 40 (AMP)
⁸ Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.

⁹ And you shall make it according to all that I showed you, the pattern of the tabernacle or dwelling and the pattern of all the furniture of it.

⁴⁰ And see to it that you copy [exactly] their pattern which was shown you on the mountain.

Every impactful work that has remain relevant from one generation to another has always been by some time proven principles and patterns. Structures that are built on proven theories have the guaranty to produce the desired result as long as the principles of that theory are carefully applied.  Any attempt to ignore a step or process required in accomplishing desired result will jeopardize the entire effort and resources invested in that project.

For any man to build an aeroplane that will take off from the ground and travel successfully in the air the law of aerodynamics and the various principles that is needed to achieve the desired result must be carefully applied. That is why the aeroplane is built with a specific shape and carefully chosen materials. You cannot build an aeroplane with the shape and materials of a ship and expect it to take off. The law and principles of floatation guides that inform the way men carry out the construction of a ship is a misfit if you desire an aeroplane.  In the same vain, you cannot apply the pattern of another man’s vision to achieve success in a completely different vision. Every vision has its divine pattern and goal. It is therefore dangerous applying the pattern of A on the vision of B hoping to accomplish the goal of B.

Whenever God gives an assignment to a man, He envisions him with an explicit pattern that will help him recognize the degree of progress he is making in accomplishing that assignment. When he gets the assistance of others it is important that the pattern of that vision is well communicated to those who join in or else, the vision will be frustrated. When Moses went up the mountain to speak with God he left the people and the vision of taking them to the Promise land with Aaron but by the time he returned after forty days Aaron had lost control. He yielded to the pressure of the people, as they demanded for a god that they could see to lead them.

 A careful study of our text will reveal to you that our God is serious about how we go about the vision He calls us to be a part of. There is a divine pattern for the vision that you have identified with and it is your duty to understand and follow it strictly to help accomplish the vision. Only those who have lost sight of or are ignorant about the vision want to apply a strange pattern to the vision they are given the opportunity to be a part of.  Be careful how you serve.   

THIRSTY FOR GOD 3

THIRSTY FOR GOD 3 (Isaiah 55:1-3)

There are a few individuals like Martin Luther and martin Luther King who chose to stand alone to blaze the trail for others to be ushered into the mighty move of God from one generation to the other. They had a knowing in their spirit and went after it until it was actualized.

CONTEMPLATION

People are hungry for the manifestation of the glory of God but we have chosen to feed them with dry and dead theological argument, human philosophy and all kinds of powerless packaging in the name of excellence and cutting edge delivery. Until someone start believing and go on to speak about the release of the glory there may never be any release glory. Somebody have to be bold to trust God for extraordinary miracles before they start happening (See Acts 4:29-31).

“If pastors and worship leaders will wait long enough to be

empowered from above, our worship experience will become

a glorious and life-changing experience. People long to be in a

place where the cloud of worship freely and easily releases on

them the refreshing rain of God’s presence. They will not mind

traveling a long distance just to bask in God’s presence.” FFPW p151-153

PRACTICAL ISSUES

The reason why there are no manifestation of extraordinary miracles through our lives or in a place is not because any dispensation but because of the lack of hungry and determined vessels.

A program is not the perquisite for the move of God, all the Lord need is a/some vessels hungry for the glory (Psalm 110:3).

-          REV. IGHO Y. 

MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY (PT 4)

MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY (PT 4) NOV 17^TH

TEXT: 1 Samuel 17:26-30 (KJV)
²⁶  And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?
²⁷  And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.
²⁸  And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.
²⁹  And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?
³⁰  And he turned from him toward another, and spake after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the former manner.

Often in life those who know us too well are the ones who find it so hard to accept our place in destiny. Such persons would often be offended when they hear us speak by faith what we believe we are confident and able to accomplish to the glory of God. When David’s elder brother heard of David’s declaration against Goliath, he became very angry with him. He immediately began to question his mission and reduced him to a mare shepherd boy when he said “, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness?”  In other words, this battle is meant for soldiers not a shepherd boy.

Often those who claim to be more capable are often depending on their human strength and wisdom but men like David would make their boast in the Lord. And when they make their boast in the Lord the Eliabs will see it as pride and a stupid adventure. This is what Eliab meant when he said “I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.” But the reply of David speaks volumes; he said “What have I now done? Is there not a cause? ” In other words, he was saying, it is obvious somebody has to answer Mr Goliath and if you do not have the boldness to then just let me be.

We have some lessons to learn from David’s next line of action. After he gave that reply to Eliab, he simply turned away from him and spoke to someone else. If you find out that some persons are finding it hard to stomach your dream you don’t need to waste your time with them. Simply shut down that conversation with them and look for someone who will help fuel your passion in the direction of your dream. Your dream has an appointed time frame and certain opportunities to help make it a reality, do everything you can to make the most of that opportunity because time waits for no body. 

MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY (PT 3)

MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY (PT 3) 

TEXT: 1 Samuel 17:26-30 (KJV)
²⁶  And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?
²⁷  And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.
²⁸  And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.
²⁹  And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?
³⁰  And he turned from him toward another, and spake after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the former manner.

The presence of Goliath in the life of many families, cities and nations has led to the crippling of the potentials of many, but we thank God for the David generation that is bold enough to ask “What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel?” There may be a Goliath out there but we must also thank God for the David that is out there to make the most of this opportunity to rise to significance. Others in the family or in the office may choose not to confront the Goliath figure around but the man with the David spirit cannot bear such insult. With them, this nonsense must stop. Others may choose to speak behind the back of Goliath but he is not afraid to show his holy anger against the arrogance of Goliath. 
They know that Goliath was already a dead man because he dare open his mouth against the army of the living God. Whatever is harassing the people of God is a Goliath that must be brought down. Whatever is making the army of God to loose courage is the Goliath that must be brought down. Whatever has become a reproach to the testimony of God’s people is the Goliath that must be brought down. Stop accommodating the Goliath around you. Let the David in you rise up and see the glory that will follow the silencing of Goliath. Your destiny is on the other side of the fall of your Goliath, do something about it today

MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY (PT 2)

MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY (PT 2) 

TEXT: 1 Samuel 17:20-27 (KJV)
²⁰  And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle.
²¹  For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army.
²²  And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren.
²³  And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.
²⁴  And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.
²⁵  And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel.
²⁶  And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?
²⁷  And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.

Until a man is able to recognizes and continually acknowledge the awesome power and glory of the God he serves he will not be able to recognize and make the most of divine opportunities. The major difference between David and those in the army of Israel was his intimate relationship with God and his personal faith in the Almighty God.  It takes the presence and inspiration of God for a man to see the opportunity in the tough times of life. It is one thing to read about the story of people but it is another thing when you are the situation yourself. Only men who live their faith can see by faith in the battles of life. 

Those who can’t see by faith would often analyse the challenge of life with their head and since our reasoning is too inadequate to face such challenge we chicken out just like the soldiers of Israel docked for their lives. You do not succeed in life because you know how to figure things out. The divine light of God in a life will stir your heart to recognize the pathway of glory. That goliath that has become the concern of everyone around you could very well be the opportunity that will lead you on the path of glory. Listen carefully and you will come to know the benefit and glory that the king has promised to give to the man that will bring down that goliath. Take away the reproach of the land and you will become the hero of the land. God has a place and a destiny for you, don’t let it remain unfulfilled.