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Stage-Management

 

We live in a world where many would rather opt for the fake whenever they are unable to produce or afford the genuine.

It’s therefore not surprising when “…the chief priests and Pharisees came together to Pilate, Saying…Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead…” Mathew 27:62-64

Their thought was that the Lord’s disciples would stage-manage His resurrection, to make it look real.

But that wasn’t what happened! With infallible proofs, the Lord truly rose from the dead!

Rather than living a lie, faking and stage-managing anything, trusting the Lord for the real thing should be your goal.

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The Present Help

The Present Help (Mark 16)
There are times in our lives when we face situations that are beyond us, when we become helpless and are desperate for help. It could be frustrating at times, when no help seems to be forthcoming or the help we hope for is being delayed.
The good news is that there is always a present help from God, He is ever ready and ever willing; while that need is still starring at you, He provides the way out, He gives the solution only if you solely look up to Him (Psalm121:1).
From this bible reading, the two women were on their way to the tomb of Jesus, and as they went, they began to think of the “seemingly” obstacle that they will face and said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the sepulcher?” (verse3).
Surprisingly, God (who is the present help) has gone ahead of them to solve the problem by sending His angel to roll away the stone. Thus, when they got there the stone had already been rolled away.
This is to encourage us that there is a God that is always there and present to help us each time we are faced with difficult situations. Psalm 46:1 says, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Ours is to call on Him and He will answer us (Jem33:3).
God’s help can come in different ways, beyond our thoughts. We cannot decide how He is to help; He is the only one to decide which way to send the help and choose what means to use, ours is to call on him and trust him to send us help.
If He sent help to these two women in Mark 16, He will also send help your way when you look to him for help.

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Living Exceptionally

Humans have perfected a strategy that keeps them looking honorable, even when they don’t really deserve it. We carefully watch the time we express our ugly side, when it is hardly noticeable.

You wouldn’t know the bad some are capable of doing just because they have successfully hid it from you.

The chairman at a wedding reception validates this view in his remarks to the bridegroom: “And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. John 2:10.

But, this is contrary to what the Lord expects! He wants us to be at our best, especially when nobody is watching, hence the miracle of the best wine at a time the worse should have been served.

This kind of attitude makes you exceptional.

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Stretch!

When the Lord wants to stretch you to your maximum potential, it might seem like a stress; because a method that used to work for you won’t any more and all previously known solutions would fail.

When the Shunammite woman cried to Elisha for help over her dead son, he quickly responded with a tested solution, asking his servant to go with his staff and lay it on the dead boy. But nothing happened!

Rather than becoming confused and distressed, Elisha knew that the Lord was up for a stretch and so he did: “…and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.

Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.” 2 Kings 4:34-35.

If everything you knew to do has failed, the Lord might just intend it for a stretch of your faith, an expansion of your horizons.

Just go ahead and stretch; you would be amazed by the results.

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Pay Me First

Though it has been established that you must be operating in the area of your competence to be free from some of these financial embarrassments. But that is not enough!

Though the Lord directed Peter back into his field of specialty, fishing, when a financial concern arose. That was not all. The fish carrying coin was equally directed to his fishing hook.

You also need that the client carrying your “money” be directed to your space.

This is just about the only advantage the “big guys” have over the not too successful ones.

The challenge is; how do we get the Lord to direct the gold carrying fish to our hooks?

The Lord shows us the secret in His instruction to Peter: “…go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.” Mathew 17:27.

It’s “…for Me and you.”

We have to learn how to pay the master first, before paying ourselves. Otherwise, the struggles continues.

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FortuneTeller

Coming out of some of these financial embarrassments that we face over paying our bills and meeting our needs requires that we inevitably adopt the Lord’s precept.

More often than not, our financial blessing is tied to our areas of expertise, skills, professionalism, giftings and talents.

That is the foremost, unequivocal and surest way our needs are designed to be met. Hoping it would happen otherwise might be comparable to expecting snow to fall in summer.

When the tax people were trying to harrass our Lord Jesus and Peter over tax payment, the Lord wouldn’t join them in unnecessary argument. He simply directed Peter back into his field, as an expert fisherman, to raise the needed money: “Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.” Matthew 17:27.

Believing the Lord for breakthrough in the areas of our expertise is the most appropriate and effective way, instead of focusing elsewhere for provision.

If it isn’t your area of competence, it’s unlikely to fetch you any fortune.

I doubt if anything tells your fortune more than this truth.

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Unlock

It’s completely left to you either to be in control of your own life or you let your challenges be; either you allow the crisis to stop you or you stop it.

Too many people allow their problems to get the better part of them; incapacitate and restrict their reach, turning them into a shadow of themselves.

We’ve all got to learn to live our lives to the fullest, come what may.

Rather than recoiling into her shell, like most people in her condition would do:having no child and worse still, an aged husband, yet she threw herself into making life meaningful for others.

This woman did all she could to ease the pressure associated with Elisha’s assignment, by providing him with a comfortable environment: “a small upper room on the wall…a bed…a table and a chair and a lampstand…” 2 Kings 4:10

This she did continually and without expecting anything in return.

It’s in the process that the Lord visited her:  “The woman conceived, and bore a son…” (V. 17)

The solution to the issues you’ve got isn’t in withdrawing from everyone or everything.

You are not just blessed to be a blessing, being a blessing gets you blessed!

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Cut-Off, Don’t Cut-Short

As long as the size of your dream is dwarfish, predictable or comprehensive to  everyone around, you aren’t going to have problems with anybody. Nothing gets the little minds angry like you having a dream above their heads.

The first person to criticize and get mad at David for daring to fight the giant that everyone had run from was Eliab, his brother: “…And Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither?…I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.” 1 Samuel 17:28.

Rather than cutting his dream down to a manageable size that Eliab could relate with, he moved on without him.

It’s better you cut off from small minds than to cut short your laudable dreams.

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Headway

However the monstrosity of what you are up against, if you join in magnifying it, losing out is inevitable!

When David stepped out against the Philistine giant, King Saul made every attempt to talk him out of the suicide mission, by laying the emphasis on the size, strength and the invincibility of Goliath, thereby minimizing the capability of David and taking God completely out of the equation: “And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.” 1 Samuel 17:33.

Had David bought into it, his destiny would have summarily ended there and then.

I don’t care about the size of your problem or the ferocity of the storms coming against you. However hellish your crisis, one thing I know is that my God is infinitely bigger, greater and stronger!

Like Saul, the problem of many believers is magnifying their troubles more than their God, and until you begin to see God as bigger, making any headway is unlikely.

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Sorry Indeed

Expressing a feeling of sorrow or regret over one’s wrongdoing, though could go a long way, but mightn’t be enough to appease  the offended party or smoothen the resulting frictions.

Feeling sorry becomes comedic and makes no iota of sense if it doesn’t make you refrain or halt you from a wrong course.

Except it’s Herod’s kind of remorse:”And the king was sorry, nevertheless…beheaded John…” Matthew 14:9-10.

He claimed to be sorry, yet went ahead thereafter and killed John the Baptist! He was sorry indeed!

If that’s how sorry you are for your wrongs; there’s no difference!

“…ye were made sorry after a godly manner…For godly sorrow worketh repentance…” 2 Corinthians 7:9-10.