YOU CALL IT A MIRACLE. GOD DOESN'T!!!

Zechariah 8:6; This is what the LORD Almighty says: “It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time, but will it seem marvelous to me?” declares the LORD Almighty. Amen.

      A miracle can be defined as an extraordinary event that surpasses all known human or natural powers and abilities. In our opening verse, an act is presented from two different view points; God’s and men’s. What would be considered by man as such an extraordinary thing would be seen by God as ‘a normal affair’.God was going to do something so wonderful that he knew the people would think it was too good to be true.

     Perhaps God might have spoken a word to you, he might have given you a vision which you think cannot be accomplished, but with God on your side, it shall come to pass. Don’t let go of it! At times we tend to focus on the impossibilities and walk by what we can or can’t see instead of walking by faith. Faith is the telescope we must look through so our eyes can see far beyond our inabilities! Jesus said we should have faith in God. He knew if we tried to perceive things on our own, we will fall short of where God desires us to be! Often times Jesus said ‘You have heard that it was said … but I tell you…’ Jesus was saying, you might have heard a thousand-and-one voices telling you why something cannot be done or why you in particular cannot achieve something. The most important voice is God’s. He says if you would believe Him, he would do much more than you could ever ask, think or even imagine. It doesn’t matter what anybody else says, it only matters what He says!!! You are on your way to receiving much more than your dreams could get you; believe God!!!

2 Pet 3:8a says “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years” - This is such an awesome truth of Scripture. I believe that what could only have taken you a thousand years (which is more than a lifetime) to accomplish, God can achieve that for you in just one day! Jesus showed this when he fed the five thousand people in Mark 7. Verse 37 says: But he (Jesus) answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take eight months of a man’s wages”. In effect, they were acknowledging the fact that it would take a person eight months to have enough to feed that crowd. Here’s the best part of that story; Jesus did that in less than a day, and full baskets of food were left over!!! What a miracle! Friend, God is able to provide a miracle effortlessly for things and situations where you seem to be making no headway. He says all things, not just some, are possible; faith is the key.

      I want you to live for tomorrow knowing that for every miracle you may require: a child, a marital partner, a job, finances, a business partner, God is able to and would provide these for you if only you believe. They might seem big in your eyes, but they are small in His hands. You would be sharing your testimony soon!!!

THE SPIRIT OF CALEB:

Sometimes it beats my mind reading the Word of GOD to see that GOD really liked some people, giving them some things and depriving others. It's some wonderful experience.

              Numbers 14:24; But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. Amen.

Caleb was a normal human being just like you and me, but here we hear GOD say he had a different spirit. This spirit that he had got him to inherit a promise for himself and his posterity. What spirit did he have? Caleb had FAITH.

                Reading Exodus, we see GOD's promise to Israel. A land where milk and honey flowed. On leaving Egypt, the Israelites saw the might of GOD, how He slew the Egyptians, provided for them in the desert when there was nothing to eat or drink. On their arrival at the border of Canaan i.e. the promise land, they sent scouts together with Caleb to the land. They saw their promise and back some produce. But there were obstacles in giants and fortified cities. They returned and out of fear changed their testimony(Numbers 13:31-33) but Caleb said Numbers 13:30; And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. Amen and to make his point better  known to the children of Israel, he said in Numbers 14:8; If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. 9 Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not. Amen. I scream at this, Caleb refused to wait, he wanted to see the accomplishment of the Word of GOD. FAITH REFUSES TO SEE THE OBSTACLES. Surely if the Israelites weren't GOD's delight, He wouldn't have wasted His time and power to save them. Yet, the people persisted in unbelief and tried going back to Egypt. They had forgotten all about GOD who had saved them, given them heavenly food and meat, even water. Because of this, GOD said in Numbers 14:22; that; Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; 23 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: Amen. Their unbelief caused their children forty years in the desert.

                Beloved, are you waiting to receive what promised you GOD? PERSIST IN FAITH! That is what wins the day for you. Isaiah 1:19; If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. Amen. We all want the good things in life. But the key is Obedience. FAITH WITHOUT OBEDIENCE IS USELESS. GOD loves us and delights in us. He is willing to give it to us only if we believe. That job or school will come, your finances will be restored but everything has it's season and it's lesson. Rebellion doesn't help the cause. Think of Job, you haven't suffered as he did and he never rebelled. The Israelites refused to believe or obey and they rebelled. And they missed the mark but Caleb didn't. When things seem to go from bad to worse, don't look and accept defeat, remember the blessings of GOD in your life, look and proclaim to the problems that they are bread for you because GOD delights in you and you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you! GOD didn't give up Jesus so problems will buckle you down! You are more than a conqueror, this is what GOD says about you today, He hasn't given you a spirit of fear, be strong and obtain the promise GOD has in his plan for you, don't let the enemy move you, unbelief slows the time of accomplishment.

                Jesus said all things are possible to those who believe. Faith is the key. It always has been and always will be. Keeping our eyes on Him alone can we overcome each and everyday. It's my prayer that we be moved having the Spirit of Caleb to believe all that GOD says and persevere in faith to see the accomplishment. GOD BLESS YOU!!! AMEN.

Meditation: Philippians 4:13, Romans 8:37, 2 Timothy 1:7, Mark 9:23.

IS THE LORD'S HAND WAXED SHORT?

Scriptures: Numbers 11:23, Psalm 119:89-90, Hebrews 13:8.

Do you still suffer from that sickness that won't go away? Are all that you experience nowadays failures after failures? Are your dreams suddenly becoming unattainable?

Numbers 11:23; And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD'S hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not. Amen.

                In Numbers 11, we see how the children of Israel complained. They complained bitterly about food, the cucumbers and melons they were missing in Egypt. But GOD gave them manna from heaven. They ate their full, even disobeyed GOD during this provision and then complained about meat. Imagine it for a minute, they were in slavery back in Egypt, GOD set them free with His powerful hand. Here they were on their way to a better life and they were complaining about food and meat.

                GOD promised them a better life, in a place where milk and honey flowed, where they were going to be with Him, and they regretted ever leaving Egypt. Think of this for a while, they were going to be with GOD in a future full of hope that He had designed for them. This sometime marks our attitude as Christians towards our Heavenly Father. He gave up His Son so we will have everything and when we meet the least hardship, we cry and complain. If you doubt, a simple question, how many times have we regretted giving up something because the Word of GOD told us to? In John 10:10, Jesus said He had come so we have abundant life so what are we complaining about? Is it the unemployment at the moment or the lack of financial resources or that sickness that won't go away since your childhood? GOD has a Word or should I put it a question for each and every one of us today, Is His hand waxed short? Don't regret that life of alcoholism, lies, fornication, adultery or theft just because you can't make ends meet or times in your business are hard. Let's have a look at Psalm 119:89; For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. 90 Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. Amen. GOD's Word is final and His faithfulness unto generations!!! It is settled in heaven and it will come to pass here on earth!!! His plans for us are so enormous so we shouldn't let our current situations deter us from exercising our faith in Him. If we want to see the power of our Wonderful Creator, I advice that we endeavour to get to His Word which is His power unto salvation for all of us.

Let's close this week with Hebrews 13:8; Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Amen. GOD hasn't changed. He is still the same faithful GOD who cured diseases, provided food for 5000 men and raised the dead. Refuse to look at your problems and definitely refuse to complain, they make them seem bigger than GOD, fixe your eyes on Him alone through His Word for us each day. Amen & GOD BLESS YOU!!!

Further meditation; John 10:10, Jeremiah 1:12, Romans 1:16.

WHAT MATTERS IS HOW YOU SEE YOURSELF!!!

         It's so important in life to see yourself as who you want to be, and as who God says you are. When you look at yourself in the mirror do you see an anointed, a blessed, an equipped, a talented, and a successful person? You are the product of who you see yourself to be!

         Let’s have a look at this excerpt from the Bible in Judges 7:13 – 14. Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. "I had a dream," he was saying. "A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed." ¹⁴His friend responded, "This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands." After Gideon witnessed this, he possessed courage like never before, he was now so confident in himself. Gideon was a man God called to achieve a feat that seemed impossible to him by all standards. Whereas God saw him as a mighty man of valor, Gideon could only see himself as a nonentity, a person whose life was not going to be of any significance in the world. Well, it all changed when God got into the picture!!! Your life would always be of significance when you allow Jesus to direct and lead you.

         We go through life hearing various opinions about us; while some people might think of us as being talented, gifted, and unique, there are others who would say comments to discourage us, to degrade us and make us feel inferior. Adding all these negative comments to the already shaky views we might have about ourselves might just prevent us from living at our peak, from believing in ourselves enough to do what God has placed us here to do. Well, ‘opinions are like noses and everyone has one,’ but the view of yourself you hold is the most important, this is what would determine if you would stretch out and live to your God-given potential. The word of God says that ‘for as he (a person) thinks in his heart, so is he’ (Prov. 23:7). In other words, the image you hold about yourself in your heart would be portrayed in the way you carry yourself about in life. Of all the descriptions about us we would run across, the one we should place the most weight on is God’s. God created man as the crown of His creation. The Bible account mentions that after God had created everything else, He said ‘let us create man in our own image!’ This was going to be his masterpiece, and you are God’s masterpiece! In effect, God was saying, ‘I’ve created the wonderful planets, the beautiful stars, the vast sea, the amazing mountains, but I want to create something so wonderful I want it to be in my image!!!’ The psalmist places more emphasis on this in the 8^th Psalm: ‘Yet You have made him but a little lower than God, and You have crowned him with glory and honor.’

         Remember that God never makes failures; God never makes anything which is not valuable. And for a believer, saved by the blood of the Lamb and in whom God’s Spirit lives … just ponder over that thought! … A parcel is only as important as the gift it contains; no matter how fancy a product’s packaging is, what is most important is what is in the packaging. Now, just think of yourself as the package in whom God has placed his Spirit! As a believer you carry the Spirit of God in you!!! Be assured of your worth! Like Gideon, one of the keys to you fulfilling your God given purpose on earth is for you to have a healthy opinion of yourself. In His word God says you are anointed, talented, crowned with favor, blessed and a blessing. He calls you redeemed, forgiven, the child of the Living God. You are a sign and a wonder!!! Years of verbal abuse, a negative environment, maybe even one spirit-crushing remark from someone might have made you look down upon yourself and think of yourself as not valuable. Some challenges you might have encountered or problems that might seem only to be getting bigger might be pushing thoughts of self doubt in your mind. Joseph had to keep the great vision of himself God had given him in his heart. Despite the challenges, he still had to remember how God saw him and consequently draw strength from this promise of God! In the end, just as he saw himself, that was who he became.

          I want you to live for tomorrow knowing that God has a very great opinion about you! He has amazing plans for you. I want you to live for tomorrow letting the thoughts and plans and potential that God sees in you be the foundation which you use to assess and appreciate yourself!!