It's been some days I posted not because I didn't want to post nor because there was nothing to post but I was waiting on Him on what to share with you.
In the next few days, i will be discussing with you some cogent points the Holy spirit has laid on my mind for you in the year 2016.
KNOW HIM.
This is the first thing I will be discussing on today. Its the first on the list of God for you.
Philippians 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
When you talk about knowing a thing especially a being- you are talking about knowing all about a person, the good and bad, strength and weaknesses etc. I hope you get what I am talking about.
I have not said God is good and evil but I am saying you need to know God to the core. You need to know what He can do, How He does his things and Why He does them.
I am talking about knowing God more than His will but His thoughts, Knowing God more than His power but His presence, Knowing God more than His judgements but His love, Knowing God more than material things like money but blessings.
If you study the scriptures above, you'll discover that:
(a) Knowing God comes before all other things and other things are added to knowing Him.
You need to Know God first before you know his blessings, protection, guidance, provisions, love, forgiveness, goodness, mercies and all.
(b) The power of His resurrection: You need to know more than God's ability to give life but His powers to bring back life. All through years, you might have lost invaluable things of life but the truth is in the residue of your years He can bring them back to life. Even things that do not exist!
Romans 4:17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
How much do you know Him?
The truth is how much God manifests in your life is as a result of how much you know him.
The miracles you get from him are measures of how much you know him not how much he knows you.
You experience the miracles of the Level of Him you know. 'God will never force a blessing on you.
He will not turn your waters to wine if you don't know he turned water to wine in Cana, Galilee.
He will not speak peace to the storms of your life until you know he spoke peace to storms
He will not multiply the little you have until you know He multiplied 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes to 5000 pieces and 12 extra baskets'.
Knowing God is doing your Life a favour!
(c) The fellowship of His sufferings: Fellowship is the state of being with someone and Suffering is a state of pain.
The fellowship of His sufferings can then be better defined as being with Him in a State of Pain/ His State of pain.
Does it mean we've not got enough sufferings in our lives? Is the sufferings in the world and our countries individually not enough?
The fellowship of His sufferings can then be better defined as being with Him in a State of Pain/ His State of pain.
Does it mean we've not got enough sufferings in our lives? Is the sufferings in the world and our countries individually not enough?
The truth about it all is we make choices and we have prices to pay for the choices or decisions we make. A lot of Christians believe when its all about Jesus; it's all about pleasant surprises, but the truth is He's got sufferings too! and we must fellowship with Him in his sufferings for our sake. i.e Rejections, Persecutions and Hardships to mention but a few.
What you are passing through presently God understands. He's got you in the palm of His hands but we are fellowshipping with His sufferings so we have got to go through it all.
' Have you ever thought about how life will have been more pleasurable if you were not a Christian? You could fornicate, steal, embezzle funds, internet frauds and all. Have you ever thought about the type of gadgets you would be using, clothing, cars and all?'
But the truth is this world is not your own. You must be rejected because you don't belong here, persecuted because your ideas cannot fit into the systems here, hardships because you cannot yield to the operations of the world. That's the reason it's unsafe for Christians who do not know where they belong; Christians that are not ready to be identified with his sufferings not to talk of fellowshipping.
It's just a fellowship of His own sufferings, you are not the one suffering. You are not the one rejected and persecuted its Christ inside of you.
Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Your fellowship in His sufferings is for a glory to be revealed in us! Christ has suffered for you to be revealed.
Your rejection is a revelation of you.
Your rejection is a revelation of you.
1 Peter 4:13 But rejoice, in asmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
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Reasons you need to know Him.
1. To acknowledge Him:
Proverbs 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
You acknowledge after you have known. To acknowledge is to declare to be true/ admit the existence.
How much do you acknowledge Him?
Your acknowledgment of Him makes your path straight, what if you don't know Him?
How much do you acknowledge Him?
Your acknowledgment of Him makes your path straight, what if you don't know Him?
2. To Agree with Him:
Job 22:21 ESV “Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you.
Job 22:21 ESV “Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you.
You only agree to what you know to be true and right. i.e you agree with what you acknowledge.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
You have to agree with the scripture above to get an expected end.
It's what you do not agree with you argue against.
A lot of us argue passages of scriptures because we don't know Him and definitely we can't get them!
You have to agree with His Promise over your life, His will and the destiny He has written for you so you can manifest. 'How much you know Him determines how much you are known!'
Lets all avoid the error of believing in God for what we have not agreed with God on.
3. To Love Him:
Deuteronomy 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Loving God with all your heart, soul and might is to love Him with your spirit, soul and body.
You can't love what you don't know, what you have not acknowledged and who you have not agreed with.
You have to love the Lord who daily loadeth us with benefits.(Psalms 68:19)
You have to love the Lord who gives us power to make wealth(Deuteronomy 8:18)
You have to love the Lord who pardon your iniquities and cleanse us of our diseases(Psalms 103:2).
Finally friend, You know to say No!
You know God to say No to lack, poverty, sickness, oppressions and all. You know God to say No to all that He's not got in stock for you.
Oluwatobiloba Oshunbiyi,
CL Blogs.