Get the Master Key (The Key and its Mystery - cont'd)

The ultimate key anyone should crave for is the key that gives you access to several other doors. Why did I say that? Jesus said, in my father’s house there are many mansions….. (John 14:2A), some translations say…..in my father’s house there are many “rooms” ….. Access to the Kingdom of God is paramount and necessary to gain access into the available rooms containing various blessings and gifts.That said, you’ll realize that there is so much to attain as long as you have the master key, which without it is impossible to gain access to these blessings. What then is the needed master key?

Salvation in another word is FREEDOM. Salvation came to man as a package and until you utilize all that came with salvation, you’ve not lived the abundant life that God intended for you; you cannot say you’re saved until you start living the life of the saved. What is the life of the saved?  A triumphant life; nothing short of the abundant life that Jesus Christ came to give (John 10:10). Most people associate abundance with only money and material things, no! You limit it when you attribute abundance to that alone. Abundance means rich spiritual life (remember the first man-Adam, He had a rich walk with God who kept him in good health, sound mind, free from oppression, provided more than enough food for him and Eve….he lacked nothing, above all he heard from God on daily basis- God always came down to relate with him as friends should ( Genesis 2:8-15, 3:8&9); that was the life that Jesus came to restore and until you locate that path, you’ll never enjoy the benefits of Salvation. Living the successful life that God predestined for you before you were born entails going through the main door to gain access to several other doors of wealth.

There are doors of good health, doors of spiritual growth, doors of marriage, doors of business expansion, doors of financial increase, doors of Kingdom prosperity, doors of peace, doors of mental exploits-where great ideas are locked, there are doors of babies, doors of careers, too many doors (Jesus said in my father’s house there are many mansions….(John 14:2A), now, do you think that these mansions are empty? Do you think you are only allowed to live life in abundance when you get to heaven? ….it gives your father great happiness to give you the Kingdom (Luke 12:32), but you can’t get the key if you do not accept the main key that permits you to go through it – Salvation. It is through working on that path that you’ll locate your destiny and become a success in the spiritual world and in the secular world. Until I make use of everything Christ has freely given to me through the work of salvation I will give myself no rest. Now, you ask, how can I start my journey to greatness?

ACCEPT Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior:

What you cannot accept will never deliver to you everything that it carries. You cannot say you have accepted Jesus on one part and keep dealing with the devil on the other side; I tell you what? You’ll be spat out like a rotten (Revelations 3:16)where Jesus talked about spitting out anything that is lukewarm….you’re either hot or cold…meaning, you’re either for me or you’re for the devil. Who are those for the devil? They are the workers of iniquity, those that enjoy the deeds of darkness, those that the bible calls the “dogs” – a dog literally means anyone that goes back to his vomit. They are outside -never involved in the things that please the Spirit (Revelations 22:15).

How will I get saved? If you can only CONFESS with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and BELIEVE in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9). Notice that the key words there are “confess” and “believe”. Your mouth and your heart will get you where you choose to be. It is conceived in the heart, desired in the heart, convinced in the heart and released through your mouth.

Work out your Salvation:

Is it possible for you receive anything from anyone you hardly know? It is one thing to accept someone and it’s a totally different thing to KNOW that person. You may accept anyone but you will only receive a little from that one you’ve accepted but when you know him, you’ll benefit more. For instance, a man sees a beautiful lady and accepts her as potential wife in his heart. From a distance, that man may never know what the lady will deliver to him if he doesn’t labor to know her, understand her personality, her purpose, etc until he draws closer to her; so also the woman.  The more you know Jesus, the more you receive from him, all that he came to deliver to you through his death on the cross. For the fact that you have accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior doesn’t mean that you will be given all the wealth and riches stored for you, just like that/overnight. No! There has to be some working out on your side. (Work out your Salvation with fear and trembling….(Philippians 2:12); the NLT version says, ……work hard to show the results of your Salvation, ….. You will build and battle (Like Nehemiah in Nehemiah Chapter 4), you’ll build your destiny with the help of the Holy Spirit which was released to you the moment your confessed Jesus (Ephesians 1:13). What do you do? Look on to Jesus who has the power to break sin, the author and finisher of your soul, look up to him to walk you through it all. Never rely on your ability to stay free from sin because it is impossible for you to save yourself, instead with holy fear and trembling (Philippians 2:2c), look up to Jesus as you work out your salvation to deliver to you all that it came with.

Stay repented:

How can you receive the fullness of the blessings when you confess Jesus with your mouth but in your heart you house every evil thought, from deception to idolatry? 2 Timothy 2:19 – God knows those who are His and Let those that name the name of the Lord depart from iniquity. Because you have been identified as God’s own, you have no business going back to the deeds of darkness which only limits you (lay aside every weight that so easily besets you….Hebrews 12:1); not only will you be limited, you will stop the angels of God that delivers to you whatsoever you want, from fulfilling their missions in your life.

That said, it is a genuine walk with God that sets you for the top where you’ll rule and reign; where you’ll labor and see the fruits. Because there are several doors that must be opened for these fruits to be delivered to you, by fruits I mean, spiritual wealth/fruits (Galatians 5:22), material wealth (money, shelter, clothing, food, wife, husband, career, advancement in the secular world, etc), good health, sound mind, etc. You’ll need several other keys for these doors to be opened.

Revelation knowledge:

In the early days of Peter's discipleship, he learned at the feet of Jesus and his mind began to open as Jesus had permitted. Luke 24:45.

Matthew 16:15-17 & 19

15Then he asked them, "But who do you say I am?" 16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." 17Jesus replied, "You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. 19And I will give you the “keys” of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Verse 19a, Jesus did not release the keys of the Kingdom to Simon Peter because Peter means rock; the keys were released to Him because he had the revelation knowledge of whom Jesus was. It is revelation knowledge that Jesus said he would build the church on and the gates of hell shall not prevail.

That said, you should acquire more knowledge and in all thy getting, get understanding. No one entrusts a valuable possession into the hands of a child that knows little or nothing, else, the one who knows more and understands better may take his possession from him. It is God’s desire to bless and prosper you, but you have to show Him that you are fit to preserve whatever he gives to you. Paul said to Timothy, study to show yourself approved by God - 2 Timothy 2:15. Until you acquire knowledge, your inheritance will never be delivered completely to you; until you acquire knowledge, the enemy is determined to take away even the little that you’ve been able to possess.

The one that lacks knowledge of his true identity never goes far in live and that one tends to be kicked around by every Tom, Dick and Harry. The storms of life are fiercely blowing throughout the earth and it takes the man with the knowledge of himself and his creator to prevail. The Holy Spirit once ministered to me one morning and it never left me, He said that with knowledge you are unstoppable, get it! I tell you what, from that moment, after I delved into the Word of God and started making relentless searches; it’s been a dramatic turn around for me. You too can experience the same turn around. Read books by anointed authors, search the scriptures, ask questions, look with your physical eyes but pay the price to “see” with your spiritual eyes.

The Davidic Key:

Most Christians have narrowed Revelations 3:7 to the prosperity of King David – that is to the best of their understanding. By divine revelation, I came to understand that the man David did not jump into wealth like most people think every child of God should; he did not wake up one morning and saw himself as a leader. Before he amounted to anything, he faced severe oppositions, terrible hatred from his brothers, life threatening situations; yet, he lived a life of complete trust in God, regardless of imminent dangers. Little wonder he said in Psalm 34:1 “I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.”

Psalm 119:164 “Seven times a day do I praise you because of your righteous judgments.”

David lived a life of constant praise. Praising God in the face of danger, he praised God in the face of opposition and death; he praised God even in dark times. He purposed in his heart that the praises of his father will never depart from his lips irrespective of the fact that he wasn’t a leader nor a king; he trusted God completely to bring His promises to past.

Paul and Silas had this key which kept them above every situation, hence, freed from prison - Acts 16:25 & 26.

Those that have and use the key of praise and intense worship do not only command men and angels to favor them, they move God from His throne to act in their favor. Those that God seeks are those that will worship Him when all else fails, those that are sold out to him and those that completely trust Him to prevail in the end.

The Davidic key (praise) is the key that opens doors to greater heights and keeps the doors of failure and reproach closed forever. In all thy getting, get, use and preserve this key.

Next Topic – A woman's worth

Stick with the donut (Ignore the hole)

There’s a popular saying that “the pessimist sees the hole, while the optimist sees the donut”. Life in itself is mixed with the good and the bad, right and wrong, success and failure, ups and downs; but the one who truly sticks with the right in the midst of wrongs; stays above when down; thinks only success after several failures; smiles in the midst of the storm; etc, definitely comes out as gold.

Through the year, there were shocking news of the loss of loved ones, painful! I know, (think about the new ones that were born, maybe not into your family); there were alerts of failed deals that almost sent you to an early grave, disappointing! I know, too; (maybe so much money was involved, but think about your life that was spared – there’s hope to make even more gains from many more deals); I also know that there were situations that went out of control and properties were lost, marriages failed, children left their homes to “God knows where”, jobs were lost, you weren’t favored at that appointment you thought would change your life for good; failed relationship, quite weakening (tell me about it); hard as you try nothing seems to be going through for you, etc. All these and many more makes it even more difficult for you to see light anywhere (if at all there's light).

Most of the greatest lessons I learnt in life weren’t learnt on my bed, nor in the midst of plenty, nor on a platter of gold, nor within my comfort zone; they were learnt through my pain, I matured through my failures, through my tests, through my disobedience, through my imperfections, through the difficulties, through the loss of loved ones, through my disappointments, through my pursuit of vanity, through well packaged lies and deceit that comes with friendships that never really existed from the beginning, but guess what? I’m glad they all happened to me, I’m glad I went through them in tears and pain;  birthing joy and maturity.

The message I’ve come with is that of hope, fruitfulness and contentment. I hear you ask, but how can I keep hope alive when I’ve been through these mess? How can I be fruitful when I do not even have a seed (plan) to birth fruits as all other plans have failed? How can I be contented when there’s nothing to show, nor even hold on to? Just so you know, because the donut is made with a hole doesn’t make it less of a donut; it’s all part of the bakers plan to make it stand out from other snacks; So also, whatever you’re going through or have gone through was part of the plan to make you into that man or woman God intended you to be. 

The problem is never God, the reason you are not seeing the results that you should be producing isn't because God is slow, nor unable to provide for you, nor unable to prevent these calamities from befalling you; this is where the problem lies; you have followed and pursued the desires of your heart, so God gave you what you requested at the detriment of his will for your life which will automatically come to play when you finally realize yourself. Remember that the people of Israel asked God for a king forgetting that God was already king over their lives (1 Samuel 12:12-13), He granted their requests, but at the time His will was to come to play, their chosen King was replaced with God's chosen King, the man after His own heart who will do His will (1 Samuel 13:14), (Acts 15:20-22). How many are willing to return to their maker and have Him remold and redirect them on a better course? (Jeremiah 18:1-6).

Isaiah 30:18 
So the Lord must wait for you to come to Him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord os a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.

I know a Father that stays faithful and takes our faults; a father who is ever ready to redirect us should we miss our paths in life; a father filled with unconditional love and mercy, waiting for us to run into His open arms when we realize that we've made mistakes that seem impossible to be corrected - like the prodigal son. God is waiting for you to quit looking at all the holes and emptiness you've been struggling with, He's waiting for you to finish with all the lies and deceit you've been feeding on through the worldly wisdom from the devil; God awaits your return that He may launch you into His great riches and the abundant life that was predestined for you before time began. This life is a life filled with His presence - the Holy Spirit directed life. Stop asking God for the things you need and start asking Him for the things He has for you because your needs and wants are wrapped in His will for you. 

As you step into the New Year, take some time apart and ask God to come into your life, take away your will and give you His will; When you will aligns with God's will, you'll find perfect peace, the kind of peace that money cannot buy, the kind of peace that places you above any situation.

God’s School of Hard Knocks

School, according to Wikipedia is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. In my own words, it is a place where teachers train and mature students to become whatever they’ve chosen to be.  The teachers educate the students to become like them, to develop like they have, to know what they know and also to teach the younger generations what they have learnt, that is, impact the lives of future leaders. Like the teacher and the student, God is the teacher and we are His students, but the difference between these two trainings (Man’s training and God’s training), is man trains us to be what we want to become because we have chosen to be trained but God sends us to His own school to help us become what He has chosen us to be. In God’s school, He calls the shot!

You may be wondering, what does she mean by God’s school? God’s school, simply put is the WILDERNESS.

I call it the School of hard knocks because it is the most difficult and driest place anyone can be. The Wilderness is a dry and scary place filled with deadly demons and animals, threatening health issues, such as mental disorder, body weakness, etc; a place where you feel lost and lonely, hungry, thirsty, hopeless, unproductive, above all, death may result if not careful; it’s a place where you’ll walk through fire, go through the deepest sea with the tides up against you and a place where you pass through the toughest situations. Why then, would God choose anyone to be in this place?

Revelation 12:1-6; the key verse here is (v 6); And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place to care for her for 1,260 days.

Who fled into the wilderness and why? Reading from verse 1, the woman described there by John was a woman of destiny, a woman adorned with beauty and grace. However, she was pregnant with destiny, she was pregnant with God’s purpose for her life, she was carrying a child in her womb (destiny) that would rule the nations, a child that would wow great men and mighty warriors, a child that would bring God glory. But then, there was another shocking revelation, the dragon, that is the enemy, (knowing that the woman wasn’t spiritually mature and too weak to train the child the way he ought to be trained), waited to devour the child as soon as she bore him. But God……..but God…….BUT GOD had positioned his angels to bring Him the child while the woman went away on training in His school of hard knocks – wilderness.

God’s plans are to bring us the expected end (Jeremiah 29:11), but he has to break you, remold you, fill you to be able to use you for His purpose and one of the ways He does that is take you through school, where everyone- friends and relatives forsake you, where things fall apart, where you’ll face disappointments from most trusted people, that you have only God to turn to. God will allow you go through series of tests, demons to torment you, push you, toss you around and even threaten you but He’ll be there to uphold you.

In the wilderness, there are times that you feel so lost and alone, there are times that you’ll feel helpless – you look to the left, to the right and all around you, you’ll find no one to help you. That’s the plan! God needs your attention and wants you to turn and trust Him completely. That’s when you feed on His Word, you listen and obey each command (Psalm 119:71), you make Him your priority and you develop an intimate relationship with Him. This school is where you’ll learn all that he intends for you to learn for a specific period of time. All these and more you’ll face but He said He’ll be with you (Isaiah 43:2), just like he sent the woman adorned with glory in Revelations 12:1 into the wilderness and it is recorded that, there, God would CARE for her for a specific period of time (1260 days).

Only specific people are chosen to pass through this school; many have been called by God but only a few have been chosen; the chosen few pass through this school. Like the woman in Revelation 12:1-6, people with great destinies, people with a high calling, people with special assignments, peculiar people, and those whom God has marked for distinction (Romans 9: 13-15), are the ones God sends to this school (wilderness) in order to prepare, mature and bring out the best in them. For example, Jesus Christ went through the wilderness before God allowed him carry out his assignment on earth (Luke 4:1-13), John the Baptist carried out his assignment from the wilderness where he only fed on locusts and honey (Matthew 3), the Israelites had to go through the wilderness to their promised land for God to mature and prepare them to possess and retain their inheritance, (Exodus 13:17-18, Deuteronomy 8:2), etc. God may have appointed some other Prophets, Priests, Kings and other great men that made history in the bible, not all of them went through the wilderness, just a chosen few went through it because they had peculiar assignments.

Sincerely speaking, the toughest school anyone born great will ever have to pass through is the Wilderness because it is designed like the furnace; the plan is to bring out the gold (treasure) in you. What would I do while in the Wilderness and waiting for the appointed time to come out? Take the story of Joseph (Genesis 39, 40 & 41), while He was in Potiphar’s house, waiting to ascend the throne, he maintained his INTERGRITY, even if sleeping with Potiphar’s wife would lead him quicker to his throne of rulership in Potiphar’s house. In the wilderness, situations will arise that you’ll feel a deep urge to compromise your walk with God, like Joseph maintain your integrity (Psalm 25 vs. 21), keep watch and pray, yield yourself to God and let Him work in you, soak yourself in His Word (Matthew 4:4). There had been times when my walk with God overwhelmed me and I never really found the words or be able to describe how I felt to anyone, then, I turned to his Word and found the exact Words to calm my “indescribable” feelings – His Word sure does a good job at bringing out your innermost thoughts and fixing them. God might be silent for so long just to know what you’ll do, keep trusting Him (Hebrew 3:19; Romans 4:18-20*).

You can tell you’re in the wilderness when your life becomes pathetic, when you face disappointments from friends, loved ones and relatives, etc; They will make up stories that aren’t true just to attack your faith, they will plot your downfall, they will put you out for the world to ridicule you, yes, they will call you names and give you up for destruction; you’re in the wilderness when you’re faced with oppositions, delays, sickness, dryness, unfruitfulness, trials, failures, loss of job, children, family, house, finance, etc, (the life of Job is a typical example); Barrenness is one of the ways God draws the attention of women that carry great destinies that they may cooperate with Him and birth destiny at the appointed time (1 Samuel 1:5-7, 10 & 11, 21-28).

The reason most people stay longer than God planned for them to be in the wilderness is because they have refused to believe and trust in God, they find it difficult to allow Him lead while they follow, they have refused to obey His commands, they have not stopped grumbling and looking back at where they used to be (numbers 14:1-4); some have compromised their walk with God because of impatience, some have taken shortcuts - serving foreign gods and seeking help from the wrong places. These and many more will keep you wandering in your wilderness until you come to terms with what God wants you to do.

One sure thing about God is that whether He speaks or is silent in the midst of the storm, he has worked out a perfect plan to push you into His plan and purpose for your life, so be still and know that the end will bring you joy (Psalm 46:10, Psalm 131: 1-3). There were times I’d felt like He was not there, there were times I’d felt like transporting myself to heaven so I can ask Him all the questions in my heart, times when I was overwhelmed by situations beyond my control, He speaks to me only when I’m quiet within my soul. Worrying will not take you an inch away from your situation, panicking like I learnt, will land you more problems than you can handle. Like my spiritual father will say to me, “JUST LET GOD HAVE HIS WAY, YOU MAY NOT UNDERSTAND IT ALL”…….Yes, you’ll never know what He’s up to until the perfect picture is revealed. Let Him have His way………….

Dear Lord, forgive me for the times that I’ve struggled to have my way, for the times I chose to do things my way instead of listening to your voice. Holy Spirit help me to align my will with God’s that I may become who He wants me to be.