I will lift my hands to the Lord, I will magnify His Name throughout the whole universe. Great is Thy Faithfulness, O! Lord, let the earth rejoice and all that is within me praise His Holy Name for He has done great things, for He has saved us and called us with a holy calling (2Tim 1:9) and equip us for every good work (Tit 3:1; 2Cor 9:8) O! let all glory, honour, adoration be unto Thee alone.

Father, we thank You for another week, the finally lap of month of Sept. Thank You for January till today, We are grateful for Your dealings in the lives of Your children, be Thou glorified.

Beloved, we are the children of light and day and not of night, nor of darkness (1 Thess 5:5) for He called us unto Himself through salvation and faith cometh by hearing the Word of God. We will be considering the role of the Word of God in our victorious quest, bearing in mind that we are nothing outside Him (Jn 15:5-6).

Feeding on God’s Word is everything a child of God should desire and go all out for. The power to do and the strength to go, is in His Word. It shall be well with them that fears the Lord (Eccl 8:12). And those who seek Him with all their heart; He shall not cast away rather He will let us into His secret things that belong to Him (Job 34:32)

Do you want to be victorious? Search the scripture and so shall The Lord leads you into all true. In the Word of God is light; is life (Prov. 20:22). Let’s consider one of the patriarch of faith how He navigate through during his time:

Hunger To Know God

In his hunger to know God, Moses made three requests of the Holy One:

 “Teach me Your ways.”

Unlike Moses, who longed to comprehend the ways of God, our focus is often centered on self-promotion, self-pity, and self-preservation. God reminds us of the gap between His magnificent attributes and our limited understanding:

 “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My waysAs the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.“(Isaiah 55:8a, 9)

 So if we are to know God and His ways, we must first begin to grasp the bankruptcy and futility of our practices. It is only then that we are positioned spiritually, like Moses, to cry out to learn the ways of God.

“Grant me Your Presence.”

 During the desert journey, Moses realized that to continue he must experience the accompanying Presence of God. In response to his intense request God reassured him, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.“(Exodus 33:14)

 So today, if you are lacking an inner sense of rest, perhaps you need to entreat His Presence to lead you through your endeavors.

 “Show me Your glory.”

 Paul, who understood his own inclination toward self-glorification, wrote:

 “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.“(Galatians 6:14 – kjv)

 QUESTION: In exactly what are you glorying? In the cross of Christ, or in your bank account?

 In the cross of Christ, or in the power you wield over others? In the cross of Christ, or in the recognition you receive from your colleagues?

It is only when we transfer our focus from self-glorification to a passion for His glory that we can begin to experience and comprehend intimacy with Him.

Beloved, God always fill an empty vessel, if you must receive of Him; empty yourself at His feet and He will fill you afresh to overflowing:

The Kingdom Of Self

When a child enters the world from the warm and secure environment of the womb he announces, “I have arrived, and I expect you – all of you to respond at once to my every need, whim and desire!“And we, the enthralled parents of this little bundle of cuddly “Goo-goo-ga-ga” joyfully comply. Immediately.

And thus the “kingdom of self ” is established as “Goo-goo-ga-ga” develops into a paragon of self-centered indulgence in a society where personal “rights” have been elevated to near deity status. And just how does the adult version of “Goo-goo-ga-ga” manifest itself? In at least three ways:

Self-indulgence

 The insatiable quest for self-gratification focuses on the greedy longings of the mind(uncontrolled imagination, greed, etc.), the physical craving of the body (uncontrolled indulgence in sex, food, sleep, indolence, etc.), and in the unquenchable quest for recognition. (1 John 2:15, 16)

Self-protection

 The former CEO of a company that went belly up told me how he was hauled into court and queried by the judge as to why the corporation had failed. “It was my fault. I failed in running the company. I am responsible,“said he. Stunned, the judge sat in muted silence. Finally, after gaining his composure he uttered, “In my 20 years on the bench, you are the first person to voluntarily admit they were to blame.

 Self-protection says, “Its not my fault.“”I couldnt help it.“”You dont understand my background“(Thank you, Freud!) “The devil made me do it.“(Remember Flip Wilson?).

 Self-pity

Self-pity declares, “No one appreciates me.“”I got the shaft.“”Why does it always happen to me?

So what is the solution to relinquishing the enslaving “kingdom of self “?

 How about a daily funeral for “self.” Better yet, how about a moment-by-moment funeral? “I am crucified with Christ…”(Galatians 2:20). In order to die to self we need to win the battle on at least two fronts:

 (1) Regular quality time alone with God in meditation on His Word, worship and prayer.

(2) Cultivating the art of living moment-by-moment in His presence.

Let us like Paul declare Phil 1:21 (For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain) and we will all be on our way to that victorious living promised us by God.

Don’t miss out in any of our series this week, it promise to be an exciting one through the help of the Holy Spirit. Keep a date with us.

Finally beloved, humble yourself before God and The Lord will order your step right and make you prosperous in all you do as you hold on to His teaching and meditating in His Word.

Remain blessed in the Lord.

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