HIS TIMEJohn 11:1-26

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LazarusÕ case was a closed one until an encounter with Jesus took place. Lazarus was dead and had already been pronounced dead. He was packed in the grave and four days had gone by with all hope lost. The Bible records in John 11:3, ÒTherefore the sister sent for Him, saying, ÒLord, behold, he whom You love is sick.Ó Those who knew Lazarus called on Jesus because they knew Him personally; not because they were following the crowd as spectators. LazarusÕ people were not only followers, but they also had fellowship with Jesus and Jesus knew them not as strangers. Yet in the time of emergency, Jesus did not see in the same way they were seeing. They saw their situation as emergency, as death, but Jesus did not see death. Your case is not closed. Every situation that has sent you packing will pack itself out of your life if you will believe that the same Jesus that was, is the same One who is alive and in the business of answering prayer and doing miracles just as it was then. Jesus is a prayer-answering Father and will not fail to answer the call of His children. John 11:6, ÒSo, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.Ó Jesus heard the call, but did not move by their time calculation. Many times we call, but many times GodÕs response was not on our own timing, but at the best as He has timed it. Jesus is not limited by our time neither can He be controlled by time. Most times when we call on Him, we continue to run where we are rather to be walking; also we walk where we are to run. Are you rushing when you are to be resting? Any situation that has been committed to Jesus should be bound with expectation for manifestation and there should be no reason or need for anxiousness when we call for His attention to our situation.  Be encouraged by Philippians 4:6, ÒBe anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.Ó The word of God is true and if only we can be true to His word, it will deliver unto us all that He has spoken for our healing and deliverance. This was not the case in the life of Mary and Martha when trouble knocked and entered into their home. Mary and Martha were in pain and agony; they lost hope and peace was not on their side. They had committed it unto God by calling on Him, but by their timing it was too late. Before time Jesus has been and after time, He will continue to be. It is time to give up from every unconscious and every conscious way that we have been limiting the move of God. You shall overcome in JesusÕ name if you will keep waiting and not doubt Him.

BE KNOWN IN HIM< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Exodus 3:13-19

ÒFor whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.Ó (Romans 10:13) The word says whoever calls and whoever could mean anyone. Many respond to situations by screaming ÒOh my GodÓ and sometimes you hear people say ÒOh JezÓ, but it is not an indication or demonstration of knowing Him or being known in Him. Anyone who does not know the Name of the Lord will not receive the benefits or privileges of whoever calls on Him. Many people know about His Name and some know His Name.  There is a significant difference. Knowing about the Name of Jesus will not qualify one to be saved. Knowing about the name of Jesus is different from knowing the name of Jesus. Knowing the Name of Jesus is not enough and it will not do if the one who claims to know Him is not known in Him. To be known in Him is to be living the Word of God daily. It may sound impossible or challenging to be living the word of God, but it is possible to live the word. If the word of God were not live-able, God would not have the expectation for us to live by His word. The grace of God is sufficient and it will make it possible to live the word of God. Whoever knows His Name shall be saved and this salvation is not maybe or could be salvation, it is the certain salvation that comes with knowing His name. It is impossible to know the Name of God if there is no spending of adequate time in His presence. Spending time in His presence is spending time in the Word of His grace and salvation. Which of His Names do you know? Is it the name you have heard Him being called or His Name that you have encountered in the pages of the Bible? He has so many names that no any other god shares with Him. It is good to know who He is because it is the name that you call that will answer for you. Moses inquired from Him about His Name and He responded, ÒAnd God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 15And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.Ó (Exodus 3: 14-15) His Name has not changed. His name will not change and His name will continue to make changes because His Name is for all generation. Do you know Him? Are you known in Him? Call on His Name and you shall be saved.

RECEIVE AND BELIEVE< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

John 1:1-18

ÒBut as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.Ó(John1: 12) The words to be attentive to in this Scripture are  ÒreceiveÓ and ÒbelieveÓ. It is great to receive Jesus, but it is grace to be able to receive and believe. When He has been received, then the ones that receive Him have the right to become the children of God. Many have rights, but they do not use or activate the right they have because of failure of taking it to the level of belief. Have you been passing in a downtown area where invitations to a promotion or sales activity are being handed out? Every one that has received such invitation and are able to attend and the one that received the invitation and decide not to go and attend the promotion have the same right to claim a spot or sit at such promotion. The difference between the one that receives the invitation and believes in it enough to attend is different from the one that receives the invitation and did not believe in it to attend, but both will claim to have been invited. This applies to anyone who actually received Christ as Lord and Savior, but chooses not to live the life of a believer. Carrying invitations to be lifted up and not letting the one who invited you to carry you will not lift you to receive the privileges of being invited. To receive Jesus and not believe Him is not complete and it will not save the receiver when it is time for judgments. Neither will only believing Him and not receiving Him deliver salvation unto such one. John 12:42, ÒNevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue;Ó Can anyone confess what has not been received? The statement testifies to the possibility of believing and not receiving Him. This is evident that to believe and not confess Him has always been since His time on earth and today it is still among many of the crowd to believe and not receive Him or to receive and not believe in Him. As a claimed believer, does you way of living demonstrate the life of a believer? By virtue of your conduct, can you be identified as a believer of Christ without you verbal introduction as a Christian? If not, you have to check if indeed you have received the Lord. Jesus, at the time of rounding up of His ministry on the face of earth, stated ÒFor I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.Ó (John 17:8) JesusÕ statement shows that receiving and believing is what testifies knowing Him. To receive and not believe or to believe and not receive is incomplete knowledge of the Lord. Do you believe but have not received Him into your life or do you only receive Him as Lord but not believe in Him? Consider where you are standing in the Lord.

VERY DRY BONE< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>Ezekiel 37:1-14

ÒThe hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. 2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.Ó (Ezekiel 37:1-2) The hand of God that came upon Ezekiel was on purpose; it was meant to call his attention as to what the Lord can do. The hand of God is deliverance and preservation. When the hand of God came upon him, it was meant to call EzekielÕs attention to GodÕs intention. Indeed, there is nothing impossible for God to do when comes to the case of dry bones. The bones were not just dry, but they were very dry and lying in the open valley. If very dry bones can be called back to life, then there is no situation concerning you that cannot be called back to life. The same God yesterday is still the same God today and He will be the same tomorrow and forever. Ezekiel needed to receive the touch of His hand to know that there is power deposited in the word of God if the word is not only shut up in the mouth but also spoken to situation. Ezekiel received GodÕs command to speak forth to the dead bone: ÒAgain He said to me, ÒProphesy to these bones, and say to them, ÔO dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: ÒSurely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.Ó (Ezekiel 37:4-5) The hand that came upon Ezekiel qualified him to speak to the dry bones and Ezekiel did just as the Lord had spoken. Ezekiel 37:7, ÒSo I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone.Ó Ezekiel spoke by prophesying just has the Lord had commanded him and the dry bones came out of dryness. The dry bones, needing breathe again, had to respond. Ezekiel had to speak the word of God to the very dry bones in order for them to regain their very life back with breath. The word of God has been given to us to use as power when we speak it; if we are able to hear Him and see where and what needs to be spoken to. Ezekiel did not just speak, but he saw after he had spoken what the Lord commanded him to. There is no situation that is bigger than the word of God. If there is any experience of very dry bone representative, all we have to do is to speak forth the Word of God and let God move in response to His Word that will never go back to Him void (Isaiah 55:11). You speak and He will see it through.

GOOD OR BAD SOWER?Genesis 27

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It is absolutely and definitely certain that one cannot sow oranges and reap onions. Also, as close as the banana and plantain may look alike, one cannot sow bananas and reap plantains. It is a very common saying, Òwhat you sow is what you will reapÓ. If you will start to sow well, you will reap from what is good. It is impossible to sow the seed of deception and expect to reap the fruit of reception. Where you are sowing seeds of lies, you will reap the fruit of being deceived. Esau, the first son of Isaac, knew well enough not to marry outside of his fatherÕs prescribe area but nevertheless, he still went and married without IsaacÕs prescribed area. Genesis 26:34-35, ÒWhen Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.Ó EsauÕs move gave his parents grief of mind, which can be likened to heartache, stress, disruption, anger and maybe sleepless nights. At a very old age when it was time for Isaac to sleep and go back to God, it was also time to pronounce blessings upon his children. Esau, being the first child, was in line to take the best part of the blessings. Despite the grief that Esau had caused his parents by marrying outside of his fatherÕs prescribed area, he was still considered to be the one receiving the best of the blessings. Isaac called on Esau and spoke to him, ÒNow therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. 4 And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.Ó(Genesis 27:3-4) There is no formula neither is there any accident that can delete or erase for one not to reap what he has sown and this was also the case for Esau. His mother intercepted IsaacÕs request and she made Jacob to overtake the blessings of Esau. Jacob went and carried out the assignment and entered into an assigned blessing of his brother. At the time Esau came back from his hunting, Jacob had already carried out IsaacÕs request and went away without any way of Esau regaining the blessing. Esau sowed the seed of grief for his parents and there was no way out for him but to reap the fruit of grief. Jacob, however, did not get away from sowing the seed of deception. Jacob also reaped the fruit of being aggravatingly deceived in the hand of Laban, his father in-law. Watch the kind of seeds you are sowing because when it starts growing, prayer will not help you to escape from reaping what you sow. Ask for the grace to be a good sower; not a bad sower.