The praise test.

Proverbs 27:21
The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but people are tested by their praise.

Gold and silver are tested by fire. Fire reveals the genuineness of these metals. Fire separates the pure from the impure. The verse says praise tests a man just like fire tests silver and gold.

How do you react when people praise you? Your reaction to praise reveals your character. Praise reveals the condition of your heart. I call it the praise test. You remember,  King Herod on an appointed day gave an excellent speech and the assembled people shouted, It is the voice of a god and not of a man. Notice, Herod was praised but He refused to give glory to God. At once an angel of the Lord killed him and he was eaten by worms and died. On the other hand, let's look at Joseph. Pharaoh said to Joseph, I have heard that you can understand a dream to interpret it. Joseph replied, Its not in me but God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace. King Nebuchadnezzar asked Daniel, Can you interpret my dreams. Daniel replied, No wise men, astrologers, magicians, soothsayers can reveal but there is a God in heaven that reveals secrets. A man is tested by the praise and appreciation he receives.

Friend, don't be over excited when people praise you or be depressed when people criticise you. Be steady. Learn. Improve. Give God glory in all things. Jesus said, Don't seek honour from one another, seek the honour that comes from God. Give him honour and praise in everything you do and be extremely bold about it. Let the world know there is a God in heaven and His name Jesus Christ. Hallelujah.

The power of faith!

Matthew 9:28‭-‬29
And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.”

Faith is powerful. When you understand the laws that govern faith, you can have anything you need, desire or want. Jesus said everything is possible for him who believes. Everything. Nothing is impossible.

Notice, Jesus didn't say according to your education, be it to you. He didn't say according to bank account or family background or popularity, be it to you. He said, according to your faith, be it to you. Glory to God. Faith in what? Jesus asked the blind men, Do you believe that I am able to do this? Faith in his ability. Philippians says, my God shall supply all your needs according to His ability, His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Let me ask you, whatever it is that you are believing for, it could be a job, a house or may be a promotion or something else, 'Do you believe that Jesus is able to do it?' If you believe that He can do it, then all things are possible for you because you believe. Many times, we refuse to step out and believe God for big things because we look at ourselves and at our limited capacities and abilities. Jesus didn't ask them, Do you believe that you are able to do this? Faith in His ability, not our ability. Glory to God.

Friend, refuse to let money decide what you can have or can't have. That's not the kingdom way. Money decides nothing. Faith decides everything. Change the way you think. Money will follow faith. Believe God for big things because He is well able. Dare to dream big. Dare to go high. Dare to touch the sky and stay there for your Father God is more than able to meet all your needs, wants and desires. In all things, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all things will be added to you. Go big. This is your time.

Be focused.

Acts 20:24
But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

To be focused is one of the key elements in fulfilling your God given assignment. We have to work on keeping our focus on the Lord and on the assignment given by Him.

Satan is the king of distraction. While working on your God given assignments, you can be sure that there will be many distractions trying to disturb your focus. Paul faced a lot of persecution, he suffered a great deal in fulfilling his God given work, but Paul says None of these things move me, I am completely and totally focused on fulfilling my God given vision with joy. Glory to God. Refuse to be distracted. Refuse to give attention to anything that does not add to your vision. Paul said in Philippians, one thing I do, I forget what is behind and move on towards whats ahead. I press on towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ. In order to fulfill your vision, it is required of you to be laser focused on Jesus and on the work He has given you. Jesus was laser focused on his work. He didn't allow anything or anyone to stop him from fulfilling his God given work. He knew exactly why He came and He completed his work.

Friend, a soldier doesn't involve himself in civilian affairs but is fully focused in pleasing his Commanding Officer who enlisted Him. I encourage you to be focused on what actually matters and ignore everything that doesn't add or help your vision. Focus on the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, who comes with rewards to give to each man according to his work. Focus and fulfill. This is your time.

Be spiritual.

I Corinthians 3:1
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.

The world we live in is a spiritual world. Hebrews 11.3 says the visible is made out of the invisible. God is a spirit and He created all matter.

Not many believe this because spiritual things are not obvious to the five physical senses. Think about YOU. You are a spirit, you have a soul and you live in a body. Your body is the only part that's visible and hence most people conclude that humans are just bodies and once they are dead, everything is over. You are not a body, you live in a body. You are a spirit and you possess a soul. Being spiritual means to have a spiritual mindset, to be spirit conscious and to see life from a spiritual perspective. There are two kinds of believers, carnal believers, who are also called babes in Christ and then there are spiritual believers, who are the mature ones. God desires each of his children to be spiritual so that we can fully enjoy his blessings. Spiritual believers give the word first and final place in their lives. They are serious about the things of God and consistently work on their spiritual development. It is imperative for you to be spiritual if you desire to fulfill your God given assignment and if you desire to hear the Lord say, Well done, good and faithful servant. Only the spiritual ones can finish their course and successfully fight the good fight of faith.

Friend, make a decision to grow up in the things of God because there are outstanding things to do and enjoy for the mature ones. Growing in the Lord has nothing to do with your age. It has do with your hunger for God and his kingdom and your willingness to do whatever the Lord says. In these last days, the spiritual ones will be used by God to show forth his glorious power to all the nations of the world. Participate. Be spiritual.

Get excited about the word.

Psalms 1:2‭-‬3
But his delight is in the law of the Lord , And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

A blessed man enjoys spending time in the word. He feeds on the word and lives on it. He mediates on the word and allows the word to control him.

Whatever you choose to meditate on will control you. No wonder the Lord says meditate on the word day and night. Delighting will make meditating exciting. People love to meditate about things they delight in. God delights in you, so much so that the word says His thoughts concerning you are more than the sand of the sea shore. His plans for you are to prosper you and for your good. He thinks about you all the time, the word says He has carved your image in the palm of his hand. The reason He thinks and meditates about you all the time is because He delights in you, loves you greatly and values you immeasurably. In this universe, the only thing thats eternal, unshakable and stable is God's word. Heaven and earth will pass away but God's word will never pass away. We always delight in what we value. The day we realise the value of God's word in our life, it's life transforming power and it's eternal unchangeable character, we will start delighting and meditating on it. You just can't wait to spend more and more time in the word. You will begin to enjoy it and will find great delight in doing His word.

Friend, whoever chooses to delight and meditate on the word will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, whose leaves are always green and will never fail to bear fruit. Value the word and make it an integral part of your life. Get excited about it and meditate on it day and night. Let your mind be consumed with word thoughts and you will be ever shining and ever glorious for the glory of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Jesus is Lord.

Trust the Eternal One.

Psalms 146.3,4
Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there  is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish.

James says all men are like grass and their glory is like flowers, the grass withers and the flower fades but those who do the will of God will abide forever.

The word says do not put your trust or in other words your confidence in princes or other human beings. People are unstable. Their words are fickle. Trust God who is eternal and whose word is forever settled in heaven. We love people and respect them but our trust and confidence is only on the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord loves it when we depend on him for every single thing. He wants you to trust Him and not run after people of power, influence or wealth. Jeremiah says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord . They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land. “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.

Friend, place your trust wholly and solely on the Lord, the Eternal One. Those who look to the Lord are radiant and they will never be covered with shame. Jesus is the head of the church and He is faithful over the church, which is God's house. Let's learn to depend on Him for every single thing and let's continue loving people. Trusting people will eventually lead to disappointments and frustrations for only Jesus can meet all your needs and fulfil all your expectations. Trust God, love people.

Higher pursuits!

Colossians 3:1‭
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.

You are seated on God's throne at his right hand in Christ. This is not a promise, its a new testament reality. Every born again child of God is seated on the highest throne of the universe. Christ has given us this awesome privilege. Blessed be His name.

God raised you from the dead with Jesus and made you sit with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. This became your reality when you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. Be conscious of your position and place. You are seated on God's throne in Christ. Apostle Paul says since you are in heaven, why don't you seek and pursue heavenly things. The world says you can be so heavenly minded that you are of no earthly good. This is certainly from the earth and is absolutely against the word. The greatest good that anyone can do on the earth is to be heavenly minded. The word says seek the heavenly things, things that are above so that we can manifest heaven on earth. Look at Jesus, how he lived and demonstrated heaven on earth. Multitudes upon multitudes followed him because he was demonstrating a higher, glorious and heavenly life and people craved it and were desperate for it. Jesus told Nicodemus the only way to have it and live it is to be born again, to be born of God, born from above. Seeking heavenly things in your earth walk helps you live life efficiently and effectively on earth.

Friend, we are ambassadors of Christ, representatives of heaven sent to the earth to show forth the culture of our King and our kingdom. For us to do it effectively, we must set our minds on the things of heaven and be conscious that though we are in this world, we don't belong to this world. The word of God is the constitution of our kingdom. We set and fix our minds on the word, on the love of God and on pleasing our King Jesus Christ.