YOUR WALK OR YOUR WORK

"As the deer pants for streams of water,
  so my soul pants for you, my God" Psalm 42:1






Spirituality today is determined by your work instead of your walk with God.We focus on what you do in church over your walk with God.We need to understand that God values our walk more than our work,most times we put more emphasis on work rather than your walk with God.

Not that I am saying working for God is wrong or not important,but when you get involved in too much activities and you no longer have quality time with God,you will not please God entirely.

God is very much concerned with spending quality time with you,so that he can fellowship with you and in doing so,you become more acquainted with him.


THE GARDEN FELLOWSHIP
The bible says that God created man for his own pleasure,that's the first reason why we were created,and it was recorded that God would come in the evening to fellowship with Adam and Eve,he would come and spend time with them,so that they can become acquainted with him and in the process get to know themselves better,because self discovery is related to our fellowship with the father.

Much more than the huge responsibility God had given Adam,they had good time of fellowship with God,this is why its important we have a devotion time with God,and he will always be there waiting for you,because he loves to fellowship with you.

some of us no longer have a time of devotion,where you just fellowship with God,pray and worship and study your bible,a time to experience his presence just you and him,then you get to know him better.


UZZAH KILLED BY THE ARK – 2 Samuel 6:7
The ark of God had been resting in the house of Abinadab and David went to fetch it,Abinadab had two sons Uzzah,Ahio,who drove the ark,while they moved it looked as if the ark was going to fall so Uzzah stretched out his hand to help the ark from falling,then God struck him,it’s a picture of been more concerned about work rather than walk.

I don’t know what he did wrong by trying to help but he was struck,God will not compromise principles over activity,he is more concerned about your walk with him,over your work.
Activity does not really mean productivity,as much as God wants you to be strategically involved in the building of his house he wants you to stay and learn from him.


ENOCH WALKED WITH GOD – Genesis 5:24
It was spoken of Enoch that he was a righteous man in his time and he devoted his time to building his walk with God rather than his work for God.Don't get too busy with the work of the lord and not be involved with the God of the work.

Enoch walked with God and he was not,he was not allowed to see death,he was taken away,he did not die,he was the first man to be raptured by the father,because he walked with God,what a way to depart!

The bible says he did not see death,the father didn’t allow death to touch him,instead he was taken away,like Elijah that was taken away,after his time was done and he had finished his work on earth he was taken away,righteous men are taken away.

Some of us are experiencing death in our lives,in different parts of our lives,we should concentrate on building our walk,sometimes we chase solution instead of the God of solution,Enoch walked with God and he was not,may that be our testimony as we walk with God.


TEACH ME YOUR WAYS – EXODUS 33:13;
Moses asked God to show him his ways; Ways here speaks of a lifestyle,teach me how you do things,I want to know you,the secrete to seeing the hand of God in operation is seeking to know his ways.

How can I know his ways,if not through his word,the word of God contains the way of God,another word for way his will,his word shows his will to us,so if you want to know his way,search and study his word and put it to practice.Teach me your ways.

There are Christians who are seeking his hand when they should be seeking to know his ways,let that be your prayer today as you develop your walk with him,teach me your ways,like Paul said,that I may know him,it's the heart cry of the believer,show me your ways,how can you work the miracles he worked when you don’t know his way,he wants to very much teach you his ways that why he sent his sweet Holy Spirit to us,to teach us about the father.

Don't trade your fellowship with the father for anything,David said “a day in the courts of God is better than a thousand elsewhere in this world” Psalm 84:10.

He is waiting for you to rise up and just communicate with him," as the deer pants for the water brooks so doth my soul pant after thee o God” Psalm 42:1, when you walk with God,he will lead you in paths of righteousness for his names sake,he wants to lead you in paths unknown,how can we do greater things when we don’t know his ways,make a decision today to build your walk.


MARY AND MARTHA – Luke 10:38-41
Jesus paid the sisters of Lazarus a visit,what a honor to be visited by a man like Jesus,so excited Martha was that she got so busy trying to prepare to entertain the master,but why did Jesus visit Martha and Mary,because he was hungry no,but because he wanted to fellowship with them have sweet communion with the sisters,who he knew loved the lord.

But Martha moved by so much respect and love for Jesus wanted to give Jesus the best,she was busy running all over the house while Mary her sister was busy listening to the master teach, Martha unhappy that Mary wasn't helping her at the chores,she rebuked her and asked Jesus “don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve thee alone,ask her to come and help me”

The response of Jesus was amazing,Jesus said “Martha,Martha,thou art troubled about many things,but only one thing is needed,Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken from her”.

Jesus didn’t rebuke Mary as Martha would have expected but encouraged her, “she has found the on thing that is better”.

In other words what Martha is doing is just okay but Mary's choice is better and Jesus said it will not be taken from her,what is that one thing that is better,staying in the feet of the master to learn of him,nothing can be more important than fellowship with the master,there in our walk is developed.

Mary wants to know the master,she sat at his feet to sup with him,to learn his ways,that is what we should be doing that one thing that is better,I dare to say that your walk with God is better and to be more treasured than anything else.

Recently the great Evangelist Billy Graham was asked what is the one thing he would have done more,in his life,the year old replied, “I would have taken less speaking engagements and spent more time with God,studying,praying and fellowshipping with him”.

Martha is troubled about many things,it's the attitude of Martha to be troubled and worried and its okay,she was concerned about what Jesus would eat,over the main purpose of his visit,that's how some of us are carried away with so many church activities but that one thing that is better is fellowship with God.

The book of Daniel says they that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits,how can you be strong and do exploits it begins with knowing God,how else can you know him if you don't fellowship with him,spend time with the word and prayer,the emphasis is not exploits but they that do know,their God,knowledge produces inner strength and causes you to do exploits,we must build a time of consistent constant fellowship with the father,if we will see his hands in manifestation.

PRESERVING POSTERITY 3 – Transfer of the Blessing

“And if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:29

God  blessed Abram and Abraham sowed and prospered in wealth,he was the wealthiest man in the middle east,he maximised the blessing and worked and prospered.We see the continuity of this wealth in Abraham’s lineage,and his seed Isaac was also blessed,he received the blessing and he sowed in the land that he was in and prospered in a hundred fold.
He received from God what made Abraham thick,the blessing.Also in the life of Jacob also received the blessing in his life and he was a prosperous man,such that whatsoever the put their hands to do they were blessed,it was a transfer that changed their lifes entirely,they were also blessed.

THE BLESSING
When God called Abraham he told him I will bless you and make you a blessing and I will bless everyone that comes from your lineage.We need to understand the difference between the blessing and blessings or a blessing.
The word blessings speaks of the result of been blessed,we must not confuse it for the blessing,the blessings are what follows a blessed man.
Abraham was blessed,the word translated Bless in the old testament in Hebrew is Barak meaning to knee before,to bless,to Adore,so when the bible says and God blessed Abraham it means that God adored Abraham,knelt before him,that would imply that God must have put in Abraham a quality that only God possessed,that made the difference in Abraham’s life,that is what resulted in the wealth that Abraham enjoyed why here on earth,that there was no record of Abraham ever broke,no his lineage.
That same quality was transferred to Isaac and Jacob that they lived in wealth all their lives,they were never broke.When we talk about the transfer of wealth,I don’t mean money,houses,land and all of that but the transference of what makes you thick,a quality that can make the difference in the life of those that will come after you,it’s a spiritual activity.
If it was all about physical transfer,why did Isaac still have to sow in the land,he could have lived on what his father gave to him without stress,but he sowed and he prospered even more,he had what made his father thick,I would like to call it the transfer of an anointing,the transfer of the Spirit.It totally changed his life,such that when he dug wells and the well was stolen he never struggled with the people he knew what he had on the inside it was able to produce more wells.
We see in the life of Jacob that he propered also,because of the same anointing on his life,even if he had flaws yet he prospered in whatever he did,yes he got the birth-right of Esau because of Esaus carelessness but he didn’t steal the blessing,we need to understand the difference between the blessing of the first born that came with the law and the blessing on Abraham.

THE BIRTHRIGHT AND THE BLESSING OF ABRAHAM
The birthright was a blessing you receive as a result of been first son and this had nothing to be in the lineage of Abraham,but Jacob got Abrahams blessing and the blessing of the first son,Esau lost his birthright,people say he was cheated,I don’t agree,Jacob didn’t cheat Esau,but Esau had no value for that birth-right,he valued more the immediate satisfaction of his belly,to the eternal blessing he would receive as first child,but he lost it forever,he chose his belly over the blessing and a lot of us do that even today by the choices we make.
Though the bible records in Hebrews that he sort for it with tears but he never got it back,it was irrevocable Jacob told him,but he still sort for it,there are some things once we loose we would never get it back,ever again,some of us are restricted because we lost some opportunities and we can never get it till we die.
Jacob prospered,to prove to you that even Esau didn’t loose the blessing the bible recorded that he was a very prosperous man,when Jacob met with him to make peace he was already a prosperous man and didn’t need Jacobs gifts.So we a flow of this blessing that produced blessings on their lives.
But we read in scriptures that God told Abraham that through his seed not seeds shall all nations of the earth be blessed,that spoke of Jesus being his seed,Jesus became the extension of that blessing that made Abraham thick and even more to us,if Jesus had not come,we would not be able to access that blessing on Abraham,it would have ended with those in his lineage,but the Bible says that in christ we can enjoy the blessing not blessings of Abraham.
Reuben Jacobs first son lost the second portion of his birth-right to Joseph because he despised his father by sleeping with Jacobs concubine,Jacob took it and gave it to Joseph.
Joseph was favored and blessed such that even what he went through the bible records that the lord was with him and he enjoyed the blessing of God o his life,though he was a great grand son of Abraham,we see him prospering in all he did and those he had contact with saw the blessing of God on his life,that he became a ruler in a foreign land,he was blessed.

IN CHRIST THE TRANSFER TO US.
So what made Abraham thick and rich in all ramification is ours when we receive Jesus as lord and personal saviour.We areceive the blessing of Abraham through christ in the form of the anointing,the holy spirit.
Anyman who is in Christ is blessed in the same way and more than our father Abraham,through Christ we have access to the blessing and the gift of the Holyspirit that they never had,this gives us access to all of God.
Jesus had to give his life for this to be possible,he became poor so that we can be rich,all we need to do is to walk into this through the faith we receive when we accept Jesus as lord and saviour,you access the blessing and the power to make wealth.The believer is blessed,with all blessing,we don’t need anything else,all you have to do is put your hands to work and you will see the manifestation of the blessing in your life.
The blessing is in us already as a seed,imagine that you should never be broke again in your life,there is so much in you than you could ever imagine,there was no record of Abraham or Isaac or Jacob or Joseph broke and begging,nor do we ever see Jesus,who is the exact reporesentaion of God broke or begging,put your hands to work by faith,it should flow,its natural,you don’t struggle for it to flow,it’s a natural flow,through Christ Jesus.
The blessing of Abraham through Christ Jesus,is yours already,this is the cure for poverty and been broke,you can never be broke another day of your life,it’s a reality if we follow God,the world has a system,but this is a spiritual transfer that takes place once you receive christ Jesus.The blessing of Abraham is yours and much more through christ Jesus.
The blessing is accessed through faith in Christ Jesus but the blessings can only come when we apply some work to our faith.

scriptures : Genesis 12:1-3;Genesis 25:29-34; Genesis 26:13;Genesis 30:43;Genesis 33:11;Deuteronomy 21:17;1Chronicles 5:1-2;Galatians 3:16,29;Hebrews 12:17KJV(king James version)

THE JOURNEY CALLED LIFE

Life is a journey,a journey we must all embark on,its not a journey we choose to take,but one we must take.The journey of life is sometimes rough and tough and sometimes very sweet and enjoyable.We are young today as we embark on the journey we grow and get older.In this journey me make friends and loose them,we also make some enemies.Some die on the way,some grow old with us and continue in this journey.
Life is a continuous journey,it never really ends,even after we die we continue in another life.Life is full of laughter and tears,today we are happy and the next we are sad.In this journey we fall in love and out of love,we make mistakes and have some success,we have accidents and we are safe and protected.
This life, full of fun,faith and fear,this life full of hurts and happiness,this life full of smiles and sadness,what a life.But I have learnt in this journey that people come in your life and suddenly they are no more,maybe they have fights with you and don’t want to be with you any more or death takes them away.
Death is a part of life,we have all come into this world and we will all leave it,today you are young and you never think you will get old and then suddenly you notice one gray hair and you are not as strong as you used to be,before you know it the back aches appear,your strength starts to fade away,soon the ones you love die and you are all alone,what a life.
I am awakened with the awareness that I am not getting younger,I realise that I don’t have much time in this journey,I have so much to do and need to increase my speed,I have no time to waste,now is the time to do all you ever want to do.
You choose to be happy or sad,we sometimes put our happiness on some event or on people,we allow people to determine whether we are happy or not,but I have learnt that life will not always be sweet but our happiness is a choice we must make,you can depend on others to make you happy,or you choose to be happy.
Life is not as long as we make it seem,life is so short and time waits for no man,no matter your state or situation be determined to be happy,as you live this short life here on earth,don’t wait for others to be the source of your happiness,but find happiness in your self.
Live your life fulfilling your God given purpose,make the most out of all your potentials,stay happy with your family and love your own wife,don’t complicate your life with lust for things and don’t be covetous,make a life with what you have,affect those people around you and put smiles on the faces of others,give more to others than you gather,because when you finally die,you will not take anything out of this world.
A mans life does not consist of the things that he possess,yes work hard and create wealth for you and your family,but don’t build your family's happiness on things that can be seen but build it on those things that can’t be seen,when they think of you they should remenber the joy and laughter you brought to them,spend time with your family,quality time.
Finally you have just one life,live it to the fullest,be happy,please God,serve humanity,love your family,love your wife,be a blessing to others and help make this world a better place,so that when you are finally gone,you will be remenbered for good and you would have left a name and a legacy for your children that money can’t buy.

PRESERVING A POSTERITY 2

“For, is there a posterity? Then thy hope is not cut off.” (YLT)Proverbs 23:18





lets just briefly see men who gave themselves to preserve posterity,they gave all for the future to be preserved,because without a posterity,no hope for us.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Men have given their lives for posterity to be preserved,sacrificed their families and relationships just for the future to be secured.The late Martin Luther King Jr. gave all for the black Americans to have some dignity,today because of the sacrifices of Martin Luther King and other patriachs blacks and whites have equal rights,today a black man sits in the white house as president,posterity was presrved.
Nelson Mandela
The great Nelson Mandela,was willing to give his life,so that south Africa will be free of black supremacy,he and others gave themselves and families just to secure the future and freedom of the Black africans of south Africa,he was tortured and arrested many times,but today all south Africa is free,whether white or black,they stand equal.
Joseph – Genesis 37
Joseph as we read in the book of Genesis,was betrayed by his own brothers,who felt that his dreams was a threat to their ambitions, not knowing that his dreams will be what will secure their future and their childrens future,they tried to kill him,because they felt he was a threat,they sold him to marchants who took him to Egypt and traded him to portipher a rich egyptian,not knowing all this was in Gods plan and purpose for him.
He was accused and jailed because he refused to sleep with the wife of his master,but in the prison he met with what would change his life forever,he interpreted the dreams of a fellow prisoner,that prisoner was released back to office as pharoah the kings servant,that same servant God used to create the opportunity that brought Joseph before pharoah.
The problems you solve will be the means by which God will bring you to fame and wealth.If Joseph had refused to help,he would have missed it totally.He helped a prisoner,not a great man,sometimes its those things and people that we consider as nothing that God will use to bring us to fame.
He solved pharoahs problem,he interpreted his dream and he interpreted his way to greatness,who would have imagined that his brothers would meet with him again,Joseph that they thought was dead,but there was a divine hand orchestrating all this,suddenly there was famine in the land of Israel,they had to go to egypt for food,not knowing they would meet their lost brother there,the same Joseph they tried to kill,turned to be the same guy who helped them in egypt,like he said “don’t be afriad,God sent me ahead to preserve a posterity for you.”
They would never have imagined that this was Gods plan,they thought they had gotten rid of him,but he went into their future and was waiting for them,it was all of Gods divine plan.But Joseph kept his attitude,kept his faith in God in the midst of all the years of pain,he understood Gods purpose and had no room for hurt,he forgave his brothers already.
Jesus the Christ
Jesus came to this world to bring us back to God,to save us from the pending destruction that was hanging over our heads.He left all of glory,dropped all the royalty and took the form of a man,because humanity had to be saved and posterity had to be preserved.
He came as a man,flesh and blood like us,was born to a simple family,to the family of Joseph a carpenter,Jesus grew to be called the carpenters son,anointed by God to carry out Gods purpose to save humanity.
He was accused by those he called his own,he was insulted,they tried to murder him sevearl times but he escaped,he brought good but he was rejected,just like Joseph whose brothers rejected him because of jealousy,they said,”is this not the carpenters son,how come he is this anointed” they couldn’t accept him.
He was betrayed by his disciple Judas Iscariot,denied by peter and was arrested,beaten,spat on,mocked and finally hung on the cross,all this was also in Gods plan,because only through his death would humanity be saved.
Amazing the death of one the life of another.Jesus is the reason,why we have life today,he died and rose again on the third day,for if he had not risen from the grave,the whole plan would have been a failed one.He gave all,so that we could have the opportunity to return to God and be accepted,because of the shedding of his blood.
All of this shows to us that in preserving posterity,there is sacrifice to be made.You can not make any difference without loosing something.You loose something to gain another.Preserving posterity is Gods total plan for humanity,he is a posterity conscious God.
We must make deliberate effort in other to leave a legacy for others,realise that you will not remain in this world forever,some day we will grow old and die,but what legacy would you have left for generations to come,when your childrens children see your picture,after you have long gone, will they look at it and kiss it and hold it to themselves in joyous appreciation or spit on it and say shame?,the choice is yours.
We are living not for our selves only but for others,we are blessed not for us only but for others,blessed to be a blessing.
watch out for part 3.

PRESERVING A POSTERITY PART 1.

 

And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.Genesis 45:7

 

When we talk of posterity,we speak of future generations or a persons descendants.Leadership that does not have posterity in mind is a failed leadership.Preserving Posterity is the basis for todays leadership.Posterity prepares the future today.There can not be success without a succession.A leadership or government would be called a failed one without a succession.

Marriage is Gods idea to bring about reproduction,and the reason of reproduction is for continuity.God is a God that works with posterity in mind.Families work so hard to raise good children because the parents think about the future of their children,we work hard,try to build a fortune,not just for us but for our children.

A wealth without Posterity is actually failure in it self.Every king wants to have a son,so that they can have someone to hand the throne over to for continuity sake,and even if a man has all the wealth of the world and has no child to continue from where he stops,he is totally an unhappy man,the question is who will take over?

That’s why I teach that God gives a vision and puts a passion in the heart of a man for posterity’s sake,our vision and purpose in life is bigger than us,if we can see the big picture,generations after should be involved in the discovery of your purpose,there is a generation that will be saved when you discover your purpose.”The creation waits eagerly for the manifestation of the sons of God” Romans 8:19.

Gods call toward posterity

God called Abram out of his fathers house and kindred and tribe to a land that will be shown to him.Genesis ,with a promise that he will bless him and make him a blessing,that Abrams name will be great and that his covering is on him.Genesis 12:1-3.

Abraham obeyed God being a faithful man without asking any questions.God called him to a higher call,a call that was certainly higher than him,he obeyed God without asking questions,at this point he didn’t have a very clear picture of the call,he just knew he was called by God and he had to obey him.Genesis 1:4.

Only as he took the first step did God further explain to him the content of the call.Sometimes as a result of fear we ask too many questions,but until you take the first step in obedience,he may not give you the next instruction.

Again in  Genesis 12:7,God told Abram,making the call clearer “To your offspring(seed) I will give this land”.Making it clearer,when God spoke to Abram first,it was about Abram,but now he begins to make it clearer,your Seed.Now its beginning clearer that God had a long term plan,that doesn’t concern only Abram but also his seed.

The hebrew for the word seed is Zera,meaning offspring,descendants posterity.So what God was saying is that he will give Abrams posterity the land.Now Abram is getting to understand bit by bit what God is up to,he followed God because he knew God was the master planner.To confirm Abrams confidence in God,”he built an altar there unto the lord,he worshipped God there,even before it was fulfilled.

Then Abram continued his journey,the next time God spoke to him again was in Bethel,Abram had become wealthy and his herdsmen and lots herdsmen had a confusion,so for peace to come,he asked lot that they separate,lot also had become wealthy,when you associate on a man called,whats on him will certainly rob off on you,positive or negative.

Abram asked lot to choose where he would like to go and lot made his choice and left.Now Abram was alone,in the land of canaan,but God only spoke to him after he was seperated from lot,there are somethings we must drop,before the next level,every experience with God breeds a new level,so for level three to occur Abram had to be seperated from lot.

In Genesis 13:14-18,God spoke to Abram and said,”Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south,east and west.All the land that you see,I will give to you and your offspring,forever.I will make your offspring like the dust of the sea,so that if anyone can count the dust,then your offspring could be counted.Go walk through the breath and length of the land and I will give it to you”

I notice a progression here,at first he blessed Abram and then he told Abram about his promise for his seed and now he lets Abram sees how his actions today will affect his posterity.He told Abram “look up as far as your eyes can see,will I give to your offspring as inheritance”.

We need to understand that our actions today affects our posterity,the foundations we lay today will affect our children to be born,we must be careful,our choices goes beyond us but will affect the lives of others,our posterity.God pinned the prosperity of his posterity on how far he can see,here he was talking about physical sight,he was talking about having a vision for posterity.

The Bible says a good man leaves an inheritance for his childrens children Proverbs 13:22.That means only a bad man will plan not to leave an inheritance for his childrens children,that is two generations after him,what is your plan for posterity,how do you lives your life,just for you and you alone,only for now and you don’t think about tomorrow.

I had a teacher,who taught me mathematics,I remenber he used to say,you only have one life,enjoy all you got cause you might die today,he doesn’t think about anyone else but himself,he has no savings,once he receives his salary he spends it all on alcohol and gets drunk,that is a man without any plan for posterity.

The decisions you make today,affects not only you but your posterity,what are your plans,do you have a vision for today and tomorrow,what are you doing now to secure a future for your children children?

The father of the prodigal son was a good man,because he already had an inheritance for his children,but his son who was careless,took all he had and squandered it,and that’s how some of us leave our lives,we are squandering our future today,you live life without a plan or a vision for your life or plans for your children yet unborn.

What seeds are you sowing for your children yet unborn,God told Abram as far as you eyes can see,now Abram had to stand up and look very far,because he knew God was able to do just what he said.Notice at this time Abram and his wife Serah was childless and past the age of child bearing,but they acted on faith,on what God had said.

You don’t have to be with child first before you sow ,start palnning and sowing now before you have them,because a man without a plan has set the stage to fail,get that language of when we get to that bridge we will cross it,be smart,you are to prepare a place for posterity now,take hold of the future now,don’t wait and stop the procrastination.

After many years Abram was tested by God,and he passed the test,he obeyed God again,this was the test that broke the carmels back,the sacrifice of his only son,Isaac.which was a pointer to what was going to happen in the future,God was pointing to the fact that he was going to give his only begotten son Jesus as a sacrifice to save mankind.

Because of Abrams obedience and willingness to sacrifice all.God was moved to do something he had not done before in all the encounters with Abram,he swore by himself,confirming the promise.But he didn’t only re-assure Abram of his promise but gave him an insight of the big picture which is “and through your offspring shall all nations of the earth be blessed”Genesis 22:18,he wasn’t speaking of Isaac or jacob or Joseph or the others but he was speaking of Christ Jesus,through whom all nations of the earth will be blessed.

In Pauls letter to the Galatians he explained further, “the promises where spoken to Abram and to his seed,the scripture does not say, “and to seeds”, meaning many people,but to your seed,” meaning one person,who is Christ” Galatians 3:16,God already had in mind the coming of Christ Jesus to save humanity,but he had a plan and he followed the plan accordingly.

Every step of the way he had a plan,and everything that took place lead Abraham to fulfillment of that plan.If our God who is sovereign can do this,who are we not to follow suit,we live life without a plan,without a focus,where are we heading for?

Today we are enjoying the fruits that the actions of Abraham produced,that the bible says that,the blessing is ours today because of Abrahams faith and belief in God.Imagined if Abraham had done otherwise.

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written,  “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” ),that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.Galatians 3:13-15

We can now be partakers of the blessing of Abraham,that we might receive the promise of the Holy Spirit by faith,without working for it,but the sacrifices of men before us.

watch out for Part 2.

OUR LIVES GODS BUILDING

A traveler comes across three bricklayers on a scaffold. The traveler asks the first one, "What are you doing?"

The first responds, "I am earning a wage."

The traveler then asks the second one, "What are you doing?"

The second responds, "I am building a wall."

They are doing the same "work." Which of the two is laying the better brick?

The traveler then asks the third one, "What are you doing?"

The third responds, "I am building a cathedral." Harris Kern

The story illustrates to us the power behind understanding the big picture on the everyday of laying bricks.But how does this story affects us.Its important that we understand that our lives is like a building in progress but no building is ever completed by one man,it’s a combination of the efforts of each worker that will bring about the completion of the building.

The bible makes it clear to us that we are Gods building,and that he is building us for his habitation.

The Blueprint

Before anyone starts a building he must first have a mental picture of the structure, from that mental picture , the architect can make the blueprint that will be used as guide for the building.No building is built without a blueprint,the blueprint gives you the whole idea of the building,how it is supposed to be layed out and how each room is supposed to be built.

The blueprint gives a clear picture or photo of the building,the blue print gives the big picture.Without an idea of where you are going,or where God wants you to be,you will certainly not get there.Its so important for your life that we understand the big picture of Gods plan and purpose of our life.

It is said to have success in movie production,its important that tedious planning is put into producing the end of the movie,so the end of the movie is rehersed first before the start.movie producers already know the end before they act the beginning.The same way God deals with us,he makes the end before he starts the beginning.

The end of our lives is already created but we determine largely if we will get to that end or not,but how we play out from the beginning determines whether we will get there.

We are taught to always start any project with the end in mind,that stands as a motivation for the finishing of the building,without a picture of the end in mind,we will always not build accordingly.

In football or any game,if you don’t know where the goal post is you cannot score.We must have the end in mind.The builder has the end in mind,as he builds he has a mental picture of the end in his mind.

The blueprint of a building or any product should be with the owner or architect,so how can our lives be built without the blueprint.The blueprint for the building of our lives is right here with us not in heaven,it is the bible that contains the word of God our maker.He created us with a purpose and for a purpose,and he gave us the word as a blueprint and when we build according to the blueprint,then we will be fulfilling his purpose for our lives.

Build according to the blueprint – Exodus 25:8-9;Hebrews 8:5

God called Moses to build for him a sanctuary that he may dwell in it,imagine God asking you to do that,what a huge responsibility,to build a house for God.Where God himself will live in.The same thing applies to us,we are been built for Gods habitation,Gods purpose is to use us,to bring glory to himself.We are created for his pleasure,God created us for himself,that’s the number one reason we were made.

He asked moses to build the sanctuary according to the pattern that,that he will show him.This is so interesting,God has a pattern he wants your life to be built,a specific pattern and its accorsding to his will,his word.

When you read from Exodus 25 down,you will see how God himself,clearly and precisely told moses how and what he is to use in the building of the sanctuary,who was to be involved and to what level,even as to the furnishings and materials that will be used in details.

That was for the building of a physical temple made with human hands,if God was so concerned about that sanctuary how much more do you think he will demand for the building of our lives,that is now Gods temple,the abode of the Holy Spirit.

Apostle Paul further explains that we should be careful how we build,we must also be careful the materials used in the building of our lives,not quatity but quality,the quality of materials you use for the building of your life will determine the quality of life you will have and live.But our focus is to build according to the blueprint given,shown.

Most times in our lives God gives us a mental picture of his purpose for our life,and as we walk with him he begins to give us a step by step plan on what and how to go about the building,he is our architect,our supervisor in the building of our lives and he showed us in his word how we should build and I would like to share how;

THE LAID FOUNDATION – 1CORINTHIANS 3:11

Paul emphasized that no one should lay another foundation,than the one already laid which is Christ Jesus.We cannot over-emphasize the importance of the foundation of a building,the foundation determines the structure of that building,the size and also how high the building can stand.Different structures are determined by their foundation.So is our lives,the kind of foundation will determine how far we will go in life.

Jesus in luke 6:46-49,illustrates this better,relating this to the word of God,as I earlier said your life without the word is hanging on a balance.He emphasized the importance of hearing and doing the word of God as a man who builds a house and digs deep down and laid the foundation on the rock,when the flood came ,the torrent struck the house but could not shake it and another man who hears the word and does nothing about it,is like a man who builds his house on the ground without a foundation and the moment the torrent comes and struck that house it collapsed and its destruction was complete.

This shows clearly how the hearing of the word of God and not just reading it,but hearing and putting it to practice,determines the strength of our foundation and the quality of our building.We can not have sure and good success without the hearing and practicing of Gods word.

The strength of our foundation will be tested,both men had the torrent come against their houses but the one with a solid foundation stood the test of times and the one with no foundation did not.

Jesus is our foundation the solid foundation that holds our building together,without him we would have a shaky building.The bible calls him the stone that the builders rejected “the chief corner stone”. The chief cornerstone is largely an important part of a structure. It was almost like a blue-print stone that was the determining factor in the shape, size, dimensions and ratios of the structure which it supports. It was the most expensive and most valuable stone in the whole house, temple or other building. It was crafted specifically for these purposes.

Jesus is our Chief Cornerstone in the Church, by which we all measure ourselves in spiritual growth a placement. With the chief cornerstone, the walls and entire building were structured in relationship to this precious stone. It was the largest stone, baring the greatest burden of all the stones in the structure. There would be other stones that were cornerstones, but only one chief cornerstone, by which even the other cornerstones were oriented

THE FOUNDATION OF THE FIVEFOLD – Ephesians 2:19-22

We also must understand the importance of the five fold ministry in the building of our lives,since we are building according to blueprint.When we talk of the fivefold,we speak of the Apostles,Prophets,Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers,not necessarily according to an order of importance but as they appeared according to a chronological order.

Ephesians 4:12-14;

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:That we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive

The purpose of the fivefold is to prepare Gods people works of service,so that the body of christ may be built up,until we all reach the unity of the faith,taking us to maturity,till we attain the fulness of the measure of christ,still following after the pattern.We are been built and patterned after Christ Jesus,the first purpose of God is that we attain to the meausure of the stature of christ.

So the fivefold is very important in this building,they are called and are building according to the pattern God has given them till we achieve God’s number one purpose which is attaining to the full meausre of the stature of christ.

We must be planted in a local denomination if this is to be achieved,you can not grow to that height until you are part of a local church,were the word of God is taught and preached to your hearing and as you hear the word and participate and practice it you grow to that stature of christ.

THE MATERIALS FOR THE BUILDING –

When God listed the materials for the building he was very particular about what was used and when you study Exodus 25,26.

you will not find anything of low quality in the building of the sanctuary,even as far as to the kind of builders,men that were renouned in their skill were men he chose by himself for the building.

Even paul when he listed,he spoke about gold,silver,costly stones,wood,hay or straw,we determine the quality of material we build with,the quality of material we put into the building will determine the quality of house and the longevity of the building when the season of trial will come.The building will be passed through fire and it kind of materials will be exposed,if it survives you will be rewarded but if its burned up,he will suffer loss,1Corithians 3:12-15

What materials are you using in building your life,I remenber a story of a man,a builder who was given a contract by his friend to build a house for him befitting for a king,and he was given more than enough money so he would be able to buy the very best of material for the building,but been a greedy man,he bought very low quality materials,and finished the building,on the day of the opening of the building,everyone was invited least did he know that it was meant to be a gift to him from the friend who gave him the contract.

That is some of us,God has provided all we need for the building of our lives,including the blueprint but we have decided to use low quality materials,thinking we can get the best by settling for less.You will only get what you put in,you can not give what you don’t have,you will only produce what you are.

How can you build without the big picture,do you have the big picture for your life,God is the owner of our lives and he has set out a structure on how and who should be a part of this building.There are so many people building on sand,building with very low quality material.

You have a vision of what you want to be in life but how much time are you giving daily to it.Success is achieved by the little things we do daily,every successful person has a routine.we must have and follow the picture of the future we want to have in this world.Not all that have dreams fulfill them,but if you must achieve your dreams you must have a blueprint of the building and begin to work with the architect till you achieve that building.

But we must build according to the blueprint.Permit me to say,if you don’t know Jesus as your lord and saviour,you are off track entirely,because the first step to knowing your God given purpose and be in it,is to accept Jesus as your lord and personal saviour and ask him to forgive your sins and come into your life,that is the first step,you can do that right now,and then put yourself in the track that is meant for you.

The next thing is to be part of a local church where you can hear the word of God and be taught,so that you can be built in faith to grow to the fulness of the stature of christ as you associate with other belivers and put to use what you hear.

WHAT TRULY IS SUCCESS?

WHAT TRULY IS SUCCESS?