DO YOU KNOW?< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Haggai 2

Do you know that He is with you? Do you know it clearly that He is always with you and He will never forsake you? When you lack the understanding that God is with you, the power of His being there for you will not be activated. There has to be a conscious and deliberate tapping into what He has available for you. It is written in Hosea 4:6 that the lack of knowledge is what destroyed the people of God. It is important to constantly keep in mind that He is with us as much as we walk in line with His word. Do you know that He is with you?  The completion of the latter temple was nothing to be compared with the one that was built by Solomon. The children of < ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>Israel needed encouragement to continue in working for the Lord. God spoke the word of encouragement through Haggai in Haggai 2:4, ÒYet now be strong, Zerubbabel, says the LORD; and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land, says the LORD, and work; for I am with you, says the LORD of hostsÓ. Are you experiencing any form of slowing down or discouragement? Take to the living Word of God that was and that will always be. The Word is speaking encouragement and power to you. Do you now know that He is with you? In deed and in truth, He is with all of His sheep and all His sheep know His voice. Be encouraged by the Word of God today and He will see you through in all your confrontations. 

SEARCH YOURSELF< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

1 Samuel 15

The spirit of rebellion and disobedience are like bread and butter. Wherever rebellion lodges, disobedience also have its place. After Saul had taken a step of rejection by God as a result of his disobedience, Samuel approached Saul in 1Samuel 15:22-23, ÒSo Samuel said: ÒHas the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being kingÓ. Rebellion and disobeying the Word of God lines up together; it is a way of destruction that causes man to be rejected by God. Are you as a believer paying attention to yourself? Will you be willing to search your heart and see if any of the two are actually having its way in your life? If there is a trace of one in you, there must be a line of the other one in you. In reference to < ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>Jerusalem it was written in Zephaniah 3:1-2 ÒWoe to her who is rebellious and polluted, to the oppressing city! 2 She has not obeyed His voice, She has not received correction; She has not trusted in the LORD, She has not drawn near to her God.Ó Rebellion is a demonstration of not obeying His voice (Word of God). To be disobedient to the Word of God is a way of not receiving correction. Constant denial of correction is a connection with disability in listening to what God has to say or what God is saying. A believer that refuses to be corrected is showing lack of trust in God and such a believer is taking action without God. To be rebellious, disobedient, not taken to correction and not trusting God are all in the same line. The bottom line of it, however, is drawing away from God. Search yourself and seek Him for a readjustment in your walk in life.

ENTER HIS REST< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Matthew 11:25-30

As a believer that confesses Christ, why do you have to wait this long to enter His rest? Claiming to have known Him is not enough until you begin to lay hold on the promises that He has in place for you. You have been laboring long enough and yet your burden continues to be heavy. What is it that could have been wrong? Why does your burden remain heavy when it is supposed to be light? Jesus has not spoken and failed to do what He says He will do. There was a message of invitation in His communication when He said in Matthew < ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>11:28, ÒCome to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.Ó There is a place of rest in your labor and that place is in your deliberate going to Him and letting out your heavy laden. In the letting out of your heavy laden, you will exchange it for His yoke. He said it in Matthew 11:29 ÒTake my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.Ó His yoke is not heavy, but demanding. JesusÕ yoke requires you to learn and when you are able to learn, you will live by what you have learned from Him. A failure to live with a gentle and lowly heart is evidence that you have not learn from Him. As a claimed believer, examine yourself, look at the source of all your labor that is accompanied by heavy laden and no rest; you will found out that you have not be operating what you claim to have learned. Take to the Word of God and He will take up your heavy laden. He said it all in Matthew 11:30, ÒFor my yoke is easy and my burden is light.Ó Do not rust out; rest in Him. 

WHICH ACCOUNT?< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Numbers 20:7-13

Moses, a giant in the hand of God, a man of great exploit by virtue of GodÕs calling, missed the promise land on the account of the children of < ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>Israel. To man, Moses did all that was enough to get him through to the promise land. To God, he missed it on the account of the children of Israel. When the children of Israel began to thirst in the course of their journey through the wilderness, God commanded Moses to speak to the rock. Moses, however, struck the rock with his rod. MosesÕ action was regarded as an act of not believing God. Numbers 20:12, ÒThen the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, ÒBecause you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.Ó Moses was reacting to the rebellious way of water demand by the children of Israel; he was trying to play God instead of placing GodÕs command before the children of Israel. He continued to ask God for mercy that would let him get to the promise land but all was in vain when he asked in Deuteronomy 3:26, ÒBut the LORD was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me. So the LORD said to me: ÔEnough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter.Ó Moses did not miss out on his own account but on the account of the children of Israel. On whose account are you going to miss your expected end? Is it going to be on the account of your husband, wife, children, friend, or family member? It is not worth it to miss the expected end on anyoneÕs account. Also, it is not GodÕs design for you to miss on anyoneÕs account. Take a serious note that, if Moses could miss it, no one is free from temptation. Ask God for enablement that will keep you from being terminated based on anyoneÕs account.  

BE RELEASED< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Luke 19:28-36

Whenever there is a tied down, there will be a stagnation and motion is definitely absent. Without motion, becoming a vehicle of service is impossible. This applies to every moveable or moving object including man. Jesus was to ride into < ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>Jerusalem and the vehicle of service was somewhere tied down. A colt on which no one had ever sat on was the vehicle that was to take Jesus on His glorious ride into Jerusalem. Jesus sent His disciples in Luke 19: 30-31, Òsaying, ÔGo into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. 31 And if anyone asks you, Why are you loosing it? Thus you shall say to him, Because the Lord has need of it.ÕÓ  Just as He sent them, so it was. The Word that Jesus gave was a word of deliverance for the colt to be able to fulfill his divine schedule. The colt was released and the glory and honor that was rendered to Jesus during His ride became part of the colt. As a believer, do you have an idea where the Lord has a need for your service? Can you identify if you have been tied down from moving forward in your service unto the Lord? Just at the Word of Jesus, the colt was loosed. Luke 19:34-36, ÒAnd they said, ÔThe Lord has need of him.Õ 35 Then they brought him to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him. 36 And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road.Ó He has a need for our service and He has made a provision for us to enter into serving Him. Ask God today for the word of deliverance and the word of release to sound in your direction so you would be enabled in your service unto Him.