Month: April 2020

Exodus 5:18 – “Therefore go now and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks”.

The children of Israel had been slaves for 400 years, not only were they responsible for constructing the buildings in Egypt, they were also forced to make the bricks. When Moses came to deliver them, he demanded that Pharaoh give them a three-day vacation so the Hebrews could go and worship the God of Israel. His response was to make them work harder, he refused to give them the straw to make the bricks, but instead, added another dimension to their job, not only did he make them go out and collect the straw, they also had to produce the same quota of bricks as when the straw was brought to them! Just when the Israelites thought that things couldn’t get any worse, they were released from captivity.

The Israelite’s had been carrying the dream of the Promised Land for 400 years, but now that it was time for manifestation, it seemed as if there was no end in sight. I can relate to their anguish, prior to me being released from prison, things got so bad, I didn’t think I could take another step. The institution had hired a new warden, she was very strict and would instruct the officers to regularly get us out of bed at early hours of the morning, shake down our cells and strip search us. When we were allowed back into the dorm, our belongings had been scattered all over the floor and the rest of the day was spent rearranging our things. Fights were breaking out on the campus like never before, we were being locked down for 24 hours a day and the food was getting worse. But just when I thought I couldn’t take another step; I received a letter from my sister informing me that my case had been dismissed! I will never forget the leap in my spirit on that day! Praise Jesus!

Similarly, when a woman is about to give birth, she goes through excruciating pain. She has spent 9 months waiting for the moment of delivery, imagining what the baby will look like and how it will feel when she holds the child in her arms. But before she gets to that point, nature demands that she  experiences labour.

Your dream is no different, you have been envisioning it, planning for it, working on it and at the last minute everything that could go wrong goes wrong. But remember, we have an enemy who does not want you to succeed, and he will send complete destruction your way to prevent you from moving forwards. This is where most people give up because they can’t see a way out, but if you just persevere and keep pushing, eventually, that dream will manifest.

If God has given you the vision, and you are willing to keep moving forwards, you will step into destiny when the time is right. Click To Tweet

If God has given you the vision, and you are willing to keep moving forwards, you will step into destiny when the time is right. The children of Israel were given specific instructions before their deliverance, but they had to cooperate with God for their freedom, and so do you.

May God bless the hearers and the doers of His word.

In Genesis chapter 37, we are introduced to Joseph the son of Jacob. He is his fathers favourite child and his brothers have a deep envy towards him because of this. Joseph had a dream that he would one day become a man of great stature, so powerful in fact, that his own family would bow down to him. He was very excited about the dream and told his siblings and parents about it. This enraged them even further, and his brothers began to plan what they thought was his downfall. 

They threw him into a pit, and then sold him to slave traders. Joseph was taken to Egypt where he became a servant to the king. Soon after, he was falsely accused of attempted rape and sentenced to prison. 

Now stop and think about this for a minute…

God has given you a dream, a powerful vision that you are going to become somebody great. And then all hell breaks loose in your life. What do you do?

Let’s take a look at what Joseph did. 

He persevered, why? Because before the words, “God is not a man that he should lie” (Numbers 23:19) were penned, He knew that the Lord was faithful, and if He said it, then it was going to come to pass. Joseph came from a lineage of great men, he had spent his life listening to the stories about the power of God, and now it was his turn to experience it first hand. 

Joseph waited on the Father, and thirteen years after his incarceration, he became the second in command of Egypt. 

Joseph carried his dream for many years, I am sure there were days when he got discouraged, but he kept pushing until what he was carrying was ready to be released into the earth. 

Do you have a God given dream? Don’t allow life’s disruptions to hold you back. Click To Tweet

Do you have a God given dream? Don’t allow life’s disruptions to hold you back; instead, like Joseph, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and he shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). 

May God bless the hearers and the doers of His word. 

1 Corinthians 13:12 – “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.”

Prior to the Apostle Paul establishing the Corinthian church, the city was one steeped in immorality and idolatry. Famous for its occult practices, it was home to the gods of the Greeks, Romans, and the Egyptians. The temple of the Aphrodite goddess was located in Corinth where its cult prostitutes sold themselves in the name of religion. Several other temples in the city included those dedicated to Isis, Venus-Fortuna, Hermes and Apollo. The god Posedion was referred to as the ruler of the sea, and the creator of earthquakes. Posedion had a very large temple dedicated to him in the city. A shrine devoted to the healing god Asklepios, and his daughter Hygieia were also a prominent feature of Corinth. 

The Apostle Paul faced  great opposition while establishing the church, but as always, Gods plans prevailed. As we experience in the church today, despite the fact that the Corinthian people had accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, they continued living contrary to the ways of God, they brought their occult practises into the church. In first and second Corinthians, Paul makes continuous references to their ungodly lifestyles.

Paul remained optimistic about the progress of the church because he had personally experienced the transforming power of God. He had been delivered from the most abominable transgressions. In his former life, he was responsible for killing Christians. Paul had faith that the church would one day do great things for God. He starts the book by saying, “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints.”

As you continue reading, you wonder if Paul was talking about the same church as he penned these words. But he was speaking to them from a heavenly perspective and not an earthly one. Paul makes it clear that he was not in denial about their current lifestyle, but he was addressing their future selves – who they were going to become in Christ. He then goes on to talk about the divisions within the church, and the sexual immorality that was running rampant amongst its leaders. Sound familiar?

The Corinthian books provide an interesting mix of the judgement of God if the church continues to live in sin, and the love that He has for His people. Paul provides them with solutions to their problems, and encourages them with the reality of heaven. This is where we arrive at the above scripture, 1 Corinthians 13:12.

During this era,  mirrors were formed from deficient metal surfaces; therefore, when a mirror was looked in, the image would appear imperfect, blurred and undefined. He compares this to the knowledge that we have of Jesus Christ whilst here on earth. As a church we focus on trivial matters that have no bearing on our ultimate salvation. We do so because our understanding of Jesus is limited. However, at the end of this dispensation, we will see the Messiah as He is, we will stand with him face to face. Prophecy, faith, reliance on the Holy Spirit, and earthly wisdom will cease to exist, and

the light of heaven will remove every billow of darkness that envelopes us. Click To Tweet

the light of heaven will remove every billow of darkness that envelopes us. In heaven, our love for God will be perfected, our love for each other will be perfected, belief and hope  will become obsolete as we step into the dimension of seeing and experiencing the fulfilment of His promises.

May God bless the hearers and the doers of His word.