SUBMERGED IN POWER AND GLORY (PART 1) .

Text: Mark 9:7-23

One most interesting and fascinating experience I have encountered in private or public worship is that moment when suddenly you are submerged in an avalanche of glory and you begin to fall. You try to gain control and “Boom!” you hit the floor. It is glorious and your life is never the same.

CONTEMPLATION                

Often when we invite God to our moments of worship we forget that when He truly shows up our frail being does not have the power to stand in His awesome presence. But like He did with Adam in the cool of the day, such moment is meant to be a time of spiritual empowerment and systematic update of the man He created. As you make use of a computer it is required of you to do software update once in a while in order for it to remain relevant and meet the needs ahead. The heavenly Father knows that there is no way the man He created could become fully like Him the day he created Adam. That would be too much power for a creation of His to handle. Therefore, at the cool of the day when Adam would have become exhausted from work as he administered the earth, it became appropriate for God to refresh him. It was an empowerment for the assignment ahead. After such encounter, nothing was a problem too big for Adam to handle the next day. 

“Our times of worship are actually times of spiritual

renewal. They are opportunities for us to be transformed as

we encounter the awesome glory of God, but not many get

it... The manifest glory of man was meant to be greater than

that of the angels, but after the fall mortal man could not

stand the presence of angels.” FFPW p104

Whatever challenge you are facing will change for good if you will just keep your fellowship with God real and fresh.

PRACTICAL ISSUES

Until you approach worship as an intimate relationship all you will have is mere religious activities.

When was the last time you got submerged in the glory of God?. Daily Devotional by Rev. Igho. Y; the Glorious Fountain Ministries. 

SUBMERGED IN POWER AND GLORY (PART 1) .

Text: Mark 9:7-23

One most interesting and fascinating experience I have encountered in private or public worship is that moment when suddenly you are submerged in an avalanche of glory and you begin to fall. You try to gain control and “Boom!” you hit the floor. It is glorious and your life is never the same.

CONTEMPLATION                

Often when we invite God to our moments of worship we forget that when He truly shows up our frail being does not have the power to stand in His awesome presence. But like He did with Adam in the cool of the day, such moment is meant to be a time of spiritual empowerment and systematic update of the man He created. As you make use of a computer it is required of you to do software update once in a while in order for it to remain relevant and meet the needs ahead. The heavenly Father knows that there is no way the man He created could become fully like Him the day he created Adam. That would be too much power for a creation of His to handle. Therefore, at the cool of the day when Adam would have become exhausted from work as he administered the earth, it became appropriate for God to refresh him. It was an empowerment for the assignment ahead. After such encounter, nothing was a problem too big for Adam to handle the next day. 

“Our times of worship are actually times of spiritual

renewal. They are opportunities for us to be transformed as

we encounter the awesome glory of God, but not many get

it... The manifest glory of man was meant to be greater than

that of the angels, but after the fall mortal man could not

stand the presence of angels.” FFPW p104

Whatever challenge you are facing will change for good if you will just keep your fellowship with God real and fresh.

PRACTICAL ISSUES

Until you approach worship as an intimate relationship all you will have is mere religious activities.

When was the last time you got submerged in the glory of God?. Daily Devotional by Rev. Igho. Y; the Glorious Fountain Ministries. 

HIS PRESENCE IS EVERYTHING (PART 1).

TEXT: Exodus 33:12-18.

The story of Charles finny visiting a factory and the presence of God causing such deep conviction that brought the workers to their knees pleading for the forgiveness of their sins reveals to us that our God is much more than words. Whatever degree of the manifestation of God’s presence you carry is a privilege. Be thankful for it and God will smile on you.

CONTEMPLATION 

                                                                                                        

Until you are confronted with extraordinary opposition that makes nonsense all of your abilities, you may not understand why Moses said except your presence go with me I do not want to leave this place. King David understood well that the only reason he was chosen ahead of his elder brothers was nothing but the presence of God attracted upon him in the place of intimacy with God. That same presence gave him victory over the Lion, Bear and the giant Goliath. He fought and won several wars on his way to becoming the king of Israel and throughout his reign he was able to subdue all his enemies because of this presence. He was only able to escape the plot of King Saul and others with evil intention because of the presence of God. In all your getting please get the presence; God’s presence is everything. Whatever you seek can only be a blessing when the glory of God is in it.

      “A blessing without the presence of God is a curse. Check

out Lot, the nephew of Abraham who thought he was very

smart when he chose the well-watered valley of Sodom and

Gomorrah over the divine covering he had abiding with

Abraham and you will see better (Genesis 13:8-11).

Lot thought he got a blessing when he settled for Sodom

and Gomorrah, but it was a curse. He later had to run out of

Sodom for his dear life, but by this time his wife had become

a pillar of salt and his daughters later committed incest with

him (Genesis 19:15-38). ” FFPW pg.99.

PRACTICAL ISSUES

When Lot settled for the well watered valley of Sodom he thought he got a blessing. It was an assessment based on face value. (Genesis 19:15-38) If your passion for anything exceeds your passion for the presence of God it will become a problem. Daily devotional by Rev.Igho.Y; the Glorious Fountain Ministries. 

FOCUS ON JESUS

TEXT: (Hebrews 12:1-2)

                                                      

To focus is not primarily the function of the eye but an assignment of both the eye and mind; the staying of the mind on something. The eyes can be fixed on something but then it may be an empty gaze. The mind also can be left to wonder though the individual is hearing but not paying attention. Stay your eyes and mind on the Lord and you will not have to deal with the avoidable troubles of life.

CONTEMPLATION

If you are having trouble getting direction from the Lord chances are that your focus is wrong. It is possible you have allowed your mind to wonder by not controlling the various influences that are around you. It is by a predetermined purpose and effort that anyone is able to continually abide in the presence of the Lord. It is a more serious business to get more than one person to focus on the same thing with a high level of passion. It all depends on the motivation and drive of each person.

 “When you see a group of people express themselves in

worship, you can have an insight to what they know, believe,

and adore. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 6:22 that “the lamp

[light] of the body is the eye…”5 and if our eyes are focused on

Jesus, who is the light of the world, we can never dwell in darkness.

The more we focus on the Lord, the more we become

like Him.” FFPW pg.114.

To all true lovers of Jesus, just the mention of the name “Jesus” is enough to stir up a strong passion to worship. If you are with the right crowd worship should not be a struggle.

PRACTICAL ISSUES

What are the foreseeable challenges in Isaiah 26:3 to any worshiper?

Sometimes the reason people cannot see the Lord or encounter Him through us is because we talk too much about ourselves and less of Him. List the various subtle ways we are guilty of this.

Make up your mind to seek the Lord today and you will be amazed what will follow. (Matthew 7:8). Daily Devotional by Rev. Igho Y; the Glorious Fountain Ministries. 

THE FRAGRANCE OF HIS PRESENCE (PART 4)

TEXT: Numbers 6:22-27

If you have ever watched the video of Kathryn Kuhlman or read testimonies about the impact of her ministry you will agree with me that there are people who are truly extraordinary in their generation. She was a human being just like you and I.

CONTEMPLATION

When people seat with you for just an hour what do you think they will go home with?

“In the days of Kathryn Kuhlman’s meetings, so many went

to the meetings with scepticism and bias, but when it was all

said and done they left with much life and glow. The presence

of the Lord on Miss Kuhlman was just too awesome for them

to ignore. Those who were apprehensive about what members

of their denomination would say about attending her meetings

soon forgot about their concerns.” FFPW pg. 123.

When people come in contact with the glory, it does not matter what church you belong; the discrimination between one denomination and the other crumbles and they are determined to encounter the God in you.

 “To a soul with a genuine hunger for the reality of God, your

fight over liturgical appropriateness is useless. Just let them

see the reality of Jesus and that will be enough.” FFPW pg.122.

PRACTICAL ISSUES

If you belong to a place of worship where the presence of God is scarce you have a great assignment on your hand. List some of the things you need to do.

How long should a man wait to see the glory and presence of God in a place that is spiritually dry? Write out the things you think the Holy Spirit is laying in your heart as the solution. Daily Devotional by Rev. Igho L. Y.;the Glorious Fountain Ministries. 

FIRST FRUIT (Part 2).

TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 26:1-4

When you obey God in first fruit it is not like giving offering though it is a form of offering. You give offering but you pay tithes and first fruit because they are not your own. They are like tax. 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 activates certain blessings to be released over his life. As he comes before the man of God he is acknowledging that it is the favour of God that made the job or business possible. When the pastor brings it before the Lord and prays there is another blessing that follows the man. It entitles the man to be eligible for other favours. Romans 11:16 makes us to see that obedience to God on the first fruit will secure the rest or other part of the blessing that follows. And remember that God is to get the first and not even the second. If you put him first, then all others will be under His divine covering. It may be tough the first time you try this but soon you will come to see the benefit and awesome blessings that goes with it and then you won’t have to fear or worry. There are blessings you cannot walk into until you walk in total obedience to God. For some years now we have been beneficiaries of the uncommon blessing that comes from obeying God in first fruit. If you are disciplined and you allow God to lead you to plan to obey in the release of your first fruit you will begin to see the uncommon blessing that goes with it. God has more in store for you than you can ever imagine. Go for it; go for God and you will live to testify. Daily Devotional by Rev. Igho Y; the Glorious Fountain Ministries.  

THE BIG BOY MENTALITY.

 TEXT: Mark 10:15

Sometimes it seems strange to some to show a strong desperation for God especially in the presence of others. They believe they have grown spiritually and should be able to handle every situation and as such nobody should know they are losing it. But they are very wrong because even Jesus who always had everything under control wept (John 11:35).

CONTEMPLATION

When people come before the Lord with a preconceived idea and philosophy of acceptable conduct in worship they give little or no room for the Holy Spirit to do what He intends to do in their lives. If you are too conscious of your class and standing among men it will become a problem for you to sincerely bow in worship to the Lord. Many do not want to be labelled a fanatic so they shut their hearts to the leading of the Holy Spirit. As the Lord spoke with his disciples he made them understand that we can only access the Kingdom when we become like a child (Mark 10:15). Has it been a problem for you to sing, clap and dance in public worship? Do you feel embarrassed to kneel down or prostrate before God? If you do not know how to honour and reverence Him in public you may not know how much harm you have done to yourself.

 “ Before we got that title or position, we were sincere worshipers.

But not long after we were blessed with this lifting

we assumed the Big Boys status. This is what somebody called

“the deacon posture.” Have you observed that most deacons

and church elders assume a particular posture in church that

seems to confine them to a very formal role in worship? This

is also applicable to many pastors.” FFPW pg. 125.

Do not cut short your glory and honour, remember God is the reason why you worship.

PRACTICAL ISSUES

The greatest privilege any mortal can have is for the Almighty to call you “son”, do not trade it for anything.

If you are truly His, your spirit will easily cry out after God (See Romans 8:15), if this is not happening, it is possible you do not know Him or it may be you are backsliding. Do something about it. Daily Devotional by Rev.Igho.Y; the Glorious Fountain Ministries.