CELEBRATING GRACE RELEASES GLORY (PART 5).

 AUGUST  20^TH.   

TEXT: 2 Kings 2:9-12King James Version (KJV)

9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.

11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.

For a true servant and worshipper of God, what he needs to accomplish his assignment may be hard but due to his track record he is likely to get what he wants granted by heaven. Elijah told Elisha that his request was hard but if he saw him when he was being taken up his request would be granted. In order words, if you would stay focused and continually serving, even though others do not consider you good enough, the Lord will equip you with all that you need to succeed and also attract their respect. When Elijah called Elisha he did not say a word to him, he just threw his mantle on him and kept on his way. Elisha immediately broke off from what he was doing and followed Elijah. Some people are afraid to start a new phase of life because they would need to pack up what they are currently doing to follow God. Some of us will need to take a bold step and start all over again if we want to see greater dimensions of glory. Swallow your pride, take that step to serve faithfully and when your time comes the grace of God will be released upon your life.

Elisha followed Elijah because he recognized that he needed the grace Elijah carried for him to fulfill his destiny. There is somebody who carries the grace you need to succeed and that is where the Lord wants you to submit yourself to a sincere service so you can receive the grace available to excel. If you can locate it and come under that person or place, something will begin to shift in your life that will cause a supernatural turn around. Waste no time to obey. 

CELEBRATING GRACE RELEASES GLORY (PART 6).

 AUGUST  21^ST.    

TEXT(S): 2 Kings 2:1-6, 9-14.King James Version (KJV)

2 And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.

2 And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.

3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.

4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.

5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.

6 And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.

9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.

11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.

13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;

14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.

There are dimensions of blessings that cannot go with disobedience, with such your life must be in conformity with certain divine principles, there is no way you can be released into a higher realm until you obey God first. God is ready to pour out His spirit like never before, but this would not happen until the vessels he wants to use are positioned in the right state where the anointing can be released. Elisha served Elijah with such high degree of commitment that when it was time for him to be rewarded he was able to attract a double portion of the grace upon Elijah.

The anointing will flow into your life when you are in the right place and have the right relationship/mentor. Some of us have messed up the relationship with our mentors and we need to go apologize so things can work in our favour again. No matter how hard you labour, there are things that can only be provoked upon your life by favour. You may be concerned that if you go back to apologize, you may be looked down on and your apology may be rejected, do not consider that, just do what God has asked you to do. With your obedience will come glory. By God’s grace you will step into such glory as you have never known or seen. That is when doors will begin to open to you mysteriously.

 In your determination to obey God some persons who may have been as aggrieved as you were would want to discourage you, please leave them in their foolishness and obey the word of God. When you do this, do it whole heartedly; forget about your flesh and what others would say. When the blessings begin to manifest in your life they will see the wisdom in your decision.  If you are passionate and hungry for God there is no price too great to pay. Go for the glory. It is well with you in Jesus name.

CELEBRATING GRACE RELEASES GLORY (PART 4)

AUGUST 19^TH.   

TEXT: 2 Kings 3:11King James Version (KJV)
11 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may enquire of the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.

When a leader achieves certain degree of success, there are people who would want to connect to him, and if care is not taken, his basking on that glory may prevent him from moving on. The Elisha generation are the ones who are quick to help a leader wrap up his present dimension of operation, and run ahead to spread the carpet for his feet. These are people who spend time praying concerning the next move of God, they could be people in different standing and positions least expected but they know why they are connected to grace. Like we said in our previous lesson about Elisha, they help a leader wash his hands clean as they complete one assignment and prepare him for the next one. And because they know what it takes to help him, they know the degree of water needed for the leader to wash well and go on to the next assignment. Since they have known and gotten to understand, the gravity of the challenges that goes with the work, when it is time for Elijah (the leader) to be taken up, they know what to ask for. They know the trouble Elijah had gone through, and if they are going to step into that position, they know they need a double portion of his anointing and heaven is likely to grant them their heart desire. In the first place, they do not have Elijah’s experience, and secondly, they know the enormity of the work, so, it becomes necessary for them to have a double portion. Are you qualified for that which you desire? Think about this.

CELEBRATING GRACE RELEASES GLORY (PART 3)

 AUGUST 18^TH.   

TEXT: 2 Kings 3:11King James Version (KJV)

11 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may enquire of the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.

When you consider the life of the prophet Elisha and how he operated under such great anointing it is easy to just covet what he had, but do you know that before he came to this stage he humbled himself to serve under Elijah? What most people are quick to speak about is the fact that Elisha had a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, but they do not take time to find out what Elisha did to qualify him for that double portion.

In today’s scripture, Elisha was introduced as a servant, who served Elijah, this is not a flattery introduction. Some of us want to be introduced as very important and we will even take offence if we are introduced as being under anybody. Too many persons want to claim they made it on their own but God is looking for the Elisha’s generation; this is the generation that knows how to serve their way into the glory of God. Many of us want a double portion of the spirit of God but are not ready to go through the trials, trouble or sacrifices that goes with it. The Elisha generation is the generation that knows how to pour water on the hands of Elijah. This is not to make anyone a slave, as there are a lot of ministers who have abused this privilege for their own selfish interest. The pouring of water on the hands of someone obviously speaks of an action to help wash the hands. The truth is that you only have need to wash your hands when you are through with one assignment so you can be prepared for another. Therefore, it was the duty of Elisha to get the Elijah prepare them for the next assignment and whoever is prompt in doing so certainly appreciates the grace upon the one they serve and acknowledges the enormity of the task ahead. That could be the reason he asked for a double portion to help him accomplish the task quicker.  Where do you draw grace from?

CELEBRATING GRACE RELEASES GLORY (PART 2).

 AUGUST. 17^TH.   

TEXT: Matthew 13:54-58King James Version (KJV)

54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?

57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

True greatness is not in the position you occupy nor is it in the things you have acquired. There are some who have missed the opportunity for greater blessings because they think that by their position in life or by their material possession they have arrived. With such mentality they find it difficult to submit themselves under anyone. If you suddenly begin to think that those who play the role of a father or mentor in your life are no longer necessary, that is a clear sign that you are walking in pride and ignorance. Wise people will always stay humble no matter the degree of greatness they have attained. Such persons are wise to see the wisdom in the unreasonable instruction from their father figure or mentors.

No matter who you are, your mentors should be able to talk to you the way they need to, so that you can be who you really need to be. This takes you being under subjection in humility and God has promised grace for the humble. If you enjoy to always be under someone who will pamper you, you will never become who God destined you to be. You need someone to tell you the truth to your face, you need someone who when he speaks to you, stirs you up on the inside. There are various dimensions of glory that will unfold in your life as you submit to the leading of God through your mentors. Most times, this will involve submitting to different persons that God will place over your life at various times. Do not frustrate the grace of God upon your life by thinking you know what to do. Be wise and humble yourself so you can attract true blessings. 

NEARER, MY GOD, TO THEE

 AUGUST 16^TH.   

Memory Verse: Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. (James 4:8 KJV)

TEXT: Genesis 28:10-22; Psalm 16:7, 8; 73:28; 145:18; Jeremiah 29:13; Acts 17:27

This well-loved hymn was written by a talented and charming English woman no lived only 43 years. In spite of her delicate health, Sarah Flower Adams had an active and productive life. After a successful career on the London stage as Sheakespeare's Lady MacBeth, she began to write and became widely known for her literary accomplishments. The cross mentioned in the first stanza of her hymn text may have been the physical handicaps that limited her many ambitions. Sarah's sister Eliza was gifted musically and often composed melodies for her sister's poems. Together they contributed 13 texts and 62 new tunes for a hymnal that was being compiled by their pastor. One day the Rev. William J. Fox asked a new hymn to accompany his sermon on the story of Jacob and Esau. Sarah spent much time studying Genesis 28:10-22 and within a short time completed all of the stanzas of "Nearer, My God, to Thee." Since that day in 1840, this hymn has had an unusual history of ministering spiritual comfort to hurting people everywhere.

These lines picturing Jacob sleeping on a stone, dreaming of angels, and naming the place Bethel, meaning" the house of God," seem to reflect the common yearning-especially in times of deep need-to experience God's nearness and presence in a very real way. 

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee! E'en tho it be a cross that raiseth me; still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

Tho like the wanderer, the sun gone down, darkness be over me, my rest a stone, yet in my dreams I'd be nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

Then with my waking thoughts, bright with Thy praise, out of my stony griefs.

Bethel I raise; so by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

Or if on joyful wing, cleaving the sky, sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I fly, till all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

KEY POINT: When I seek God, He has promised to draw very close to me. What a joyful experience to know His intimate presence throughout every hour of this day.

TAKEN FROM “AMAZING GRACE; 366 INSPIRING HYMN STORIES FOR DAILY DEVOTION”

CELEBRATING GRACE RELEASES GLORY (PART 1)

AUGUST. 15^TH.   

TEXT: Matthew 13:54-58King James Version (KJV)

54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?

57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

In life too many of us allow the spirit of envy and jealousy to cut off our opportunity to encounter a greater glory. Sometimes our ambition to be in a place of prominence has become our undoing. If you are too full of yourself you will begin to have problem accepting and celebrating the grace upon others. Some of us have looked down on certain persons who have the grace that will release us to our destinies, because we have become too familiar with them. Most of the time because you grew up together or attended the same school, some persons cannot stomach the fact that you have been favoured ahead of them. If they are working with you they are the ones who tend to rebel against your leadership. Those who do so even in church fail to realise that they were rebelling against the leading of God.

As long as you refuse to submit to a God ordained leadership, you will remain in that state and level of life; you may have great potentials but you are not going anywhere.

Don’t let your stupid pride destroy your chances of rising in life. Humble yourself and watch God position you for glory.