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GOD HEARS YOU

GOD HEARS YOU

Numbers 14:28

 

God is the supreme being from whom all else flows. As John 4:24 says, God is spirit. God, who is present everywhere, is not seen, yet He is so powerful that He sees and hears everything and everyone.

He has names and all the attributes of a living spirit. The Bible describes Him as having a head, hair, face, arms, fingers, hands, waist, loins, eyes, eyelids, nostrils, ears, mouth, lips, tongue, breath, feet, and back parts. God even speaks of His heart! All the senses function as God intends them to, and His ears are constantly tuned to the voice of His people.

The Bible talks about God’s ears and how important His hearing is to our voices. Isaiah 59:1 confirms this by saying that His ears are not deaf to hear our calls, according to Psalm 34:15. Unlike you and me, God does not exhibit selective hearing, picking and choosing what He hears or listens to. He hears everything!

David said in Psalm 28:1 that as God is his Rock, he hoped God would not be deaf to his call. Are you assured of God hearing your voice? Do you ever doubt that He hears and listens to your prayers and calls?

God hears as we speak. He listens to both our verbal and non-verbal speech, encouraging us to call on Him in Jeremiah 33:3. When we call, He hears and listens to whatever we say to Him. He declares in Isaiah 65:24 that He will answer us even before we call on Him. Jeremiah 29:12-13 says, "When you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you."

God also hears every good or bad word that we say that exalts Him or edifies others. Malachi 3:16 says, “Those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them.” How fascinating and encouraging that what God hears allows Him to open the book of remembrance for us.

When we pray, we sometimes wonder if God hears us. He does. He even listens to the prayers of the wicked but stays far from them, as stated in Proverbs 15:29. What the Lord hears us say is what He does for us. That being said, we must ensure we always speak what is true, for God does not operate in wickedness.

Psalm 130:1-2 states that God pays attention to us, to our cry. Whenever we cry to the Lord from the depth of despair, we should know that He will hear, listen, and pay attention to our call. From your lips to God’s ears is an assurance that whatever you say or do is seen and heard by God at all times. Nothing is hidden from God; all of creation is laid bare before Him, as stated in Hebrews 4:13.

Can or would God do whatever He hears you say, even whispers? Yes, according to Ephesians 3:20, He can do much more than you say or desire because He knows even your unspoken needs and unmentioned desires.

God’s ears are safe with your secrets! Those things you dare not mention to anyone, those fears, disappointments, challenges, and trials you are struggling with and think no one cares to hear, are the very ones God wants you to speak into His ears, so He can direct, help, and bless you. As Romans 10:13 says, call on Him and be saved, delivered, and rescued.

Speak into God’s ears; He listens and hears.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank you for assurung me of your perfect hearing and that you hear whatever I whisper in your ear in Jesus’ name, amen.

Shalom

WOMEN OF LIGHT INT’L PRAYER MIN

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WHAT LEFTOVER

WHAT LEFTOVER

Ruth 2:1-4

 

 

One man's mess is another man's message. One man's rubbish is another man's treasure. One man’s meat is another’s treasure. One man’s leftover is another’s gourmet meal. Nobody wants leftovers, even their own. Some people will not eat whatever is left from their previous meal. It goes straight to the bin when they’re full and satisfied, yet some deprived and hungry person will grab that meal and eat it so fast before you can blink. But some leftovers are better than you would imagine.

And nobody will intentionally go looking for leftovers. Some translations use “left behind” instead of leftover. The words "left" and "behind" are key to this message. Naomi sends out her daughter-in-law to a relative’s field to pick the grains left behind or leftover by the harvesters for them to have food.

There are people all over the world who rummage through bins in search of food, others go to food banks to pick up food parcels, while some more would probably buy on credit, all these just to put food in their belly. Yet, there are those who wouldn’t blink when pouring uneaten food or leftovers in the bin without considering that someone else might see what they are about to put in the bin as elixir.

The Lord does not like waste as we see Jesus state in John 6:12: “When the people had all they could eat, He told the disciples to gather the leftovers. Jesus: Go and collect the leftovers, so we are not wasteful.” If Jesus had been a mere man, He would never have bothered to think about the remaining fragments. Any man who can feed five thousand does not worry about a few leftover crumbs! But Jesus is God, and with God there must be no wasting of His bounties. He does not want us to squander the precious things He has given to us, and so He takes care to instruct that the broken pieces which remained should be gathered up so that nothing might be lost.

The amount of food wasted daily in our society is appalling and offensive to the Lord, from restaurants to events (social gatherings, parties, weddings), to supermarkets and then within homes. We buy food items for whatever reason, leave them unused and finally chuck them in the bin either because they go off, or we need the space for our next purchase.

Ruth didn’t have these luxuries. They were short of money and food and so were not too proud to collect the leftovers from Boaz’s field. Early in Leviticus 7:16, the Lord instructs that any leftover from a freewill offering should be eaten the same day that he offers his sacrifice, and the leftover should be eaten the next day.

Some of us may be too embarrassed to go to food banks, to the farm and pick leftovers, but if that’s where the Lord has placed your blessing, you might just miss it for not going where you should. Ruth could have missed her blessing if she had seen picking the leftovers as degrading. And she certainly wouldn’t have caught the eyes of Boaz, her future husband, nor made it into the lineage of Jesus Christ our Lord.

We must learn to humbly follow the instructions and leading of the Holy Spirit to wherever He has prepared for us. Ruth allowed herself to be instructed and led by her mother-in-law and Boaz, and she not only received physical and material reward, but she also gained royalty and eternal blessing.

Next time, before you throw away that leftover, think who might be blessed from receiving it. It may be food, clothing, or anything else that may be a treasure to someone.

The harvester’s rubbish was Ruth’s treasure. Be alert and don’t miss yours.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to be prudent and diligent in the way I manage what I have and to willingly go where you are send without wasting time and resources in Jesus’ name, amen.

Shalom

WOMEN OF LIGHT INT’L PRAYER MIN.

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WHY DID YOU STOP

WHY DID YOU STOP

2 Kings 13:16-19

 

Galatians 6:9 encourages us to never become weary to the point of stopping and giving up on what we’re meant to do. Have you ever been in a situation where things seem too difficult, and you feel like giving up halfway? We know in our hearts that we’re meant to press on and keep going until we “arrive,” but because of many interfering factors, we stop and throw in the towel. Sadly, it’s usually at the cusp of “arrival, fulfilment, and breakthrough” that we stop. Why? Why do we fold and give up, especially when we’ve waited for a long time?

Elisha, on his deathbed, gave King Jehoash instructions in a prophetic form for generations to come—simple and easy instructions which, sadly, Jehoash did not follow. Elisha questioned, “Why did you stop?” Yes, why? Why did you stop doing what the Lord told you to do? Why did you stop doing things for God’s glory? Why did you stop standing up for the poor, needy, oppressed, and tormented? Why did you stop praying, worshiping, and reading the Word? Why did you stop believing and trusting God’s Word?

Have you been at the “why” crossroad? Like King Jehoash, we sometimes fail to act on the knowledge we have, and the instructions given, for various reasons. It could be that we deem the instruction insignificant, unnecessary, or just a joke. Why did you stop? Because Joash struck the ground only three times, he would strike down Aram only three times. If he had struck more times, the threat of Aram would have been eliminated. But he lacked perseverance and endurance. This sounds like many of us today, including believers. We lack endurance and perseverance to see God’s promises come to pass and give up at the easiest point. Victory over our enemies depends on our obedience. Joash must have known the significance of what he was doing, or else he would not have been held responsible.

When the Lord gives us an instruction, we know deep down it’s for our own good. According to Jeremiah 29:11, God’s plans for us are always good, but we lack the spiritual sight to see what the Lord is seeing for us and the bigger picture of the small puzzle pieces. 1 Corinthians 9:24 tells us that only one person—the first to cross the finish line—takes the prize in a race. Imagine if the declared winner stopped and then proceeded to say he should still be given the trophy because he would have won. The question would be the same: why did you stop?

What have you stopped doing? What did you stop that wasn’t done? The God of a second chance can buy back the time for you to try again. Try again, and this time, keep going and don’t stop until whatever it is, is done. They say if at first you don’t succeed, try again. Trying as many times as possible is not a failure; stopping is!

Trust the Lord. Whatever He tells us to do is part of the “good plan” of Jeremiah 29:11. Even when we stray and stop, He works it out for our good and His glory. Fear not! Remember, Philippians 4:13 assures us that we can do anything, especially something ordained by the Lord and empowered by His Spirit. You may be in a place right now where it looks like God is not interested in your case. Hold on. Before you stop and give up altogether, take one more step, say one more amen, sing one more praise, and trust the Lord one more time. He will never abandon you, according to Deuteronomy 31:8.

PRAYER: Lord, God, may I be quick to obey your instruction and not stop even when it’s daunting and doesn’t make sense in Jesus’ name, amen.

Shalom

WOMEN OF LIGHT INT’L PRAYER MIN

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GOD MISSES YOU

GOD MISSES YOU

Ezekiel 34:11

 

I miss you! Do you miss me? I haven’t seen you in a while. Where have you been? What happened to you? These are some ways of expressing the notable absence of a person.

We miss people because they no longer occupy their previous positions, they relocated, are too far to bump into casually, they stopped doing things they used to do for, with, and around us, or they no longer communicate with us. Missing someone may be because of any number of reasons, and we miss them because there is or was a relationship there.

The Lord misses us so much when we’re absent from Him that He says in Ezekiel 34:16a that when we are lost, He will seek us and bring us back.

When we are absent from His presence, He comes even to the door of our hearts and lives, according to Revelation 3:20, knocking to tell us how much He misses us and desires to fellowship with us.

Every relationship involves all parties in keeping that relationship alive and thriving. When we miss our friend for whatever reason, we can do one of several things in this technological age we now inhabit. We send emails, texts, calls, voice messages, social media posts, and maybe letters. We may even pay them a physical visit. These handy ways make it easy to keep in touch with loved ones and to know their location when necessary. The reason we do any of these is simply because we miss them. We miss them for a few reasons too: travel, work, business, location or distance, and sometimes disinterest (maybe a falling out due to tension). Regardless of the reason, we would still miss them because of the emotional connection.

With the Lord, our connection is more spiritual than emotional, as John 15:7 states. When there’s a disconnection, we become distant from the Lord, and He says in James 4:8 that He would come near us if we came near Him, expressing the reciprocal nature of our relationship with God. As we draw near to Him, He draws near to us, inviting us to deepen our relationship in His presence.

The Lord is mindful of us, as stated in Psalm 8:4. He misses us when we stray from Him. He misses us so much that He changed our position from that of a servant to friends, according to John 15:15.

God’s faithfulness is demonstrated in His call to fellowship with Jesus, according to 1 Corinthians 1:9. A relationship initiated by Him and a testament to His faithfulness.

The Lord assures and promises us in Deuteronomy 31:6 and Hebrews 13:5 that He will never leave us. Our relationship and fellowship are important to the Lord, and that is why He says in Luke 19:10 that He came to seek and save those who are lost, missing, and have wandered off.

Do you miss the Lord? I do! Whenever we stop doing the things that please the Lord and deepen our fellowship with Him, we begin to miss Him, just as He misses us and uses many people and things (scriptures, music, messages) to tell us how much He longs to have us back where we belong.

Ephesians 5:30 says we are members of His body, and of course, if one member is missing, the rest are ineffective. God wants a complete body and so misses the missing part (you and I) when we are absent from our position.

When the Lord misses us, He does what our text says: He searches for us.

Matthew 18:12 gives a good description of God missing and seeking His children. Like the prodigal son in Luke 15, whose father missed him so much and longed for his return, just as the Lord misses us when we stray and longs for our return to fellowship with Him.

Have you wandered away from God? He misses you!

PRAYER: Lord, help me to remember that anytime I wander and stray from your presence, I put my relationship with you in jeopardy. Help me remain in you always in Jesus’ name, amen.

Shalom

WOMEN OF LIGHT INT’L PRAYER MIN.

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GLORY TO HIM ALONE

GLORY TO HIM ALONE

Isaiah 42:8

 

I am the Lord! That is my name—A name peculiar to myself. What absolute truth!

kābôd means "glory" in most of the 200 contexts in which it is found. Associated with the meaning of glory is the idea of "honour," which is found approximately thirty times referring predominantly to the glory of God.

My—that is due to Me, and to Me alone. His glory, God’s alone and He’s not going to share it with anyone, you, man, or mammon.

God is sovereign in all His glory, He’s all-powerful, sufficient, and able to do more than anyone else. He put down and lifts and does not compete with anyone else.

I AM THE LORD!

This is my name, I know what I can do, I know who I am, and I do not need affirmation or confirmation. I AM GOD ALL BY MY SELF!

Deuteronomy 32:39-41. See now that I, I am He, and there is no god beside Me; I kill, and I make alive, I wound, and I heal, and there is none who can deliver out of My hand. For I lift My hand to heaven and swear, As I live forever if I whet My lightning sword and My hand takes hold on judgment, I will wreak vengeance on My foes and recompense those who hate Me.

This is me! We must be convinced that God alone can save and destroy and that no idols can hurt or help us. God’s mercy is just as great as His justice, for He alone is ready and able to save the repentant and punish the sinners.

The glory of God is His splendour according to Psalm 19:1, look around you, do you see man’s hand in the firmament? The working of the elements? The sea and the creatures of the deep? Even in your life, do you see your effort or God’s hand?

The Lord is His name and the glory of everything belongs to Him, He jealously guards it against imposters and thieves who would lie to assume the place, glory, and honour due Him alone.

My glory He says. He will not share it with anyone. Who else can do what He does and would do for you? No one.

Hebrew 1:3 says Jesus is the glory of God, the exact imprint of God’s real nature and the radiance of light that is the glory is often described as light. The light and glory that God says in Isaiah 60:1 is shining on believers to help them rise and come to the place of victory.

God will not allow anyone to do for you that He hasn’t done for you, He would not want you to be in bondage to another because of “what they have done for you” even though whatever help and assistance we give to others is only because God graced us to do so according to Acts 20:35.

Psalm 145:5 says we should speak of the glorious (glory) splendour of God’s majesty; all embed in His magnificence, power, and supremacy.

This is what the Lord will not share with anyone else, for no other god bears the name of JEHOVAH ELOHIM-THE ALMIGHTY GOD.

This is His name, and He will not share it with anyone. Be thankful that the Lord declares His glory over us and is unwilling to share it with anyone, including you.

PRAYER: Almighty God, may I always recognise and offer you the glory you deserve in every area of my life in Jesus’ name, amen.

Shalom

WOMEN OF LIGHT INT’L PRAYER MIN.

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PURSUING KNOWLEDGE

PURSUING KNOWLEDGE

Proverbs 18:15

Everyone in life is pursuing something, what are you pursuing? Knowledge in the Bible refers to the understanding, recognition, or acknowledgement of something, to perceive or to be aware of something.

Knowledge in itself is not a bad thing as even Hosea says the lack of it leads to destruction but the excessive pursuit of knowledge is what this is about. After all, the Bible clearly states that the knowledge of God is the most valuable knowledge we can possess according to Proverbs 2:5. This knowledge of God is not simply theoretical or factual, it includes experiencing the reality of God in our lives, as stated in Philippians 3:10 while Jeremiah 22:15-16 says we should live in the manner that shows respect for the power and majesty of God, and not through knowledge gleaned from man or books. Gaining knowledge isn’t useful or helpful unless we use it for good. This is true and very vital in the Christian life. We can know a lot about the Bible if we study it as 2 Timothy 5:15 instructs  and we can’t have the right answers if we don’t apply this knowledge to make a difference in our lives and the lives of others, then everything we know goes to waste.

Being aware of God’s existence is not sufficient; our knowledge of God must include a deep appreciation for a relationship with Him.

There are tons of self-help books out there telling us how to do virtually everything and, according to Ecclesiastes 12:12, some of these books are not for us but we find a lot of believers quoting them and living on their recommendations, yet discarding the godly knowledge and wisdom found in the scriptures.

There’s nothing wrong with reading or writing books but remember according to Proverbs 2:6 that ultimately God gives the gift of knowledge out of His infinite store of knowledge.

Paul did extraordinary exploits for God. He was bitten by a snake, imprisoned, shipwrecked, beaten, and buffeted by trials yet was inspired by God to write half the New Testament. He gained experiential knowledge when he met Jesus making the gospel alive for him.

Paul’s life and exploits tell us that no man can know everything. No matter how much revelation God gives as 1 Corinthians 13:9 says God reveals only what we need for the moment. Knowledge is a lifelong pursuit, not an instant acquisition. We must constantly seek knowledge but mainly from God because there's always a fresh revelation and anointing from His throne.

We should be like the Deer in Psalm 42:1, panting for knowledge in the Lord who supplies us with everything we need. Human knowledge apart from God is flawed and worthless if it isn’t tempered by love says 1 Corinthians 13:2.

The vastness of God’s knowledge and creative power are continually displayed and are seen in His creation, as reminded in Romans 1:19-20. Not only is God’s knowledge infinite, it’s also absolute and contains anything and everything we would ever need in life.

God needs to be needed and needs us to learn and know all about Him.

Knowledge is not accidental, it is intentional. It’s something we work towards. Our DNA predisposes us to some things but we have a part to play in the outcome.

The knowledge man possesses tends to make them proud as 1 Corinthians 8:1 says. Pursuing knowledge for its own sake, without seeking God, is foolishness. Growing in your knowledge of God should be more than a casual pursuit; it should be a consuming passion.

God has deposited something in us, but we must act upon it. It’s the truth we know that will set us free, so don't perish for lack of knowledge. Pursue knowledge in and through the Lord. Are you pursuing Godly knowledge? Knowledge is power! 

PRAYR: Lord, God, thank you for giving me the intelligence ans zeal to search for knowledge, Lord help me to study your word in depth to gain Godly knowledge in Jesus’ name, amen.

Shalom

WOMEN OF LIGHT INT’L PRAYER MIN.

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SWEET MOTHER

SWEET MOTHER

1 Thessalonians 2:7

 

Happy Mother’s Day to all our mothers, biological and spiritual! God bless you for your labour of love and sacrifices. Psalm 127:3 says children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Everybody comes from a mother, and some are blessed to still have their mothers as seen in Proverbs 4:3. If you’re one of those, cherish your mother.

My mum slept in the Lord on the 22nd of June 2022, and I was devasted as I can no longer wish her “happy Mother’s Day”. We must endeavour to celebrate our mothers daily, not wait for this one day only because mother work at being mothers daily.

Celebrate your mothers, they deserve it!

Prince Nico Mbarga’s classic song “Sweet Mother” will live in the hearts of everyone for time and the message imbedded in the song is that of the total mother.

Sweet mother I no go forget you, For the suffer we you suffer for me yeah. When I dey cry my mother go carry me, she go say my pikin wetin you dey cry yo yo, stop stop! stop stop! stop stop! Make you no cry again oo……. (lyrics Data From: Musixmatch).

Who can forget their mothers? Even the not so nice ones?

All the sufferings mothers go through to bring up children in the fear of the Lord, right.

Mothers are all thing s to their children. Their responsibilities span all categories and time and season until they are either no longer needed or they go home to glory, like my mum did.

Mothers provide powerful examples of love, sacrifice, and commitment. God’s love for believers is compared to a mother’s love in Psalm 131:2; Isaiah 49:15; 66:13; and Matthew 23:37. Mothers have a huge responsibility and influence over their children’s growth into adults. God even commands children to honour and respect their mothers in Ephesians 6:1-3, and Jesus got angry at the Pharisees for undervaluing this commandment concerning mothers (parents) in Mark 7:9-13. The Bible displays the blessings and burdens of motherhood as a high and honourable calling.

I assure you that mothers don’t forget their children, if anything, they have them on their heart constantly as even Isaiah 49:15 asked. A wise mother should love her children unselfishly, wanting what is best for the child above what is best for her, and a wise child should love their mother the same way because a wise mother exercises great faith for her children as we see in most of the bible mothers like Moses’s mother in Exodus 2:3 and the prostitute mother who loved her child so much and was willing and ready to give him up to give him life in 1 Kings 3:26-27.

A wise woman (mother) builds her family up rather than tearing them down with hurtful words according to Proverbs 14:1.

Mothers produce children who become adults that go on to become responsible members of society, filling every sphere of humanity.

This is a poem to celebrate you, special mother, the godly and wise mother who teaches and has taught her children God’s ways according to Proverbs 1:8.

There are times when only a mother's love

Can understand our tears,

Can soothe our disappoints

And calm all of our fears.

 

There are times when only a mother's love

Can share the joy we feel

When something we've dreamed about

Quite suddenly is real.

 

There are times when only a mother's faith

Can help us on life's way

And inspire in us the confidence

We need from day to day.

For a mother's heart and a mother's faith

And a mother's steadfast love

Were fashioned by the angels

And sent from God above.

Thank you, mothers, for all you do. Appreciate and love your mothers.

PRAYER: Lord, bless and reward our mothers, may they never miss their reward of motherhood and their labour of love and sacrifice not be in vain. May another not seat in their place of honour in Jesus’ name, amen.

Shalom

WOMEN OF LIGHT INT’L PRAYER MIN

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