WHY
Exodus 13:17-22

The why in the life of a believer often lead to the way of getting to the center of divine assignment or the Promised Land. Sometimes the why avenue is the only way out of situations that are not accommodating in the life of a believer. Why you are in what you are could be the way the Lord has chosen for you get to where He is taking you. Throughout the pages of the Bible, many giants in the hand of God such as Moses, Joseph, Daniel and many others went through different avenues of why me. During the coming out the bondage of over four hundred years, the children of Israel went straight into their why avenue when they were lead into the way of wilderness instead of the way that would have been shorter for them. Exodus 13:17-18, “Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, ‘Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.’ 18 So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.” With God as the center of your life, you never know where and how He is going to take you through. Why go through the way of wilderness; the way that does not look promising? Why? Why when others are going through without any challenges? The way of the wilderness was the Lord’s leading way for the children of Israel. Nothing operates under heaven that passes through without first being picked up by the heavenly radar of God. He is the only God that is God; He alone sees the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end. Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” God was speaking to Jeremiah and what He says to one speaks to all. The One who made you is in control of all and there is no place to hide or turn to without Him knowing. The same God yesterday, today and tomorrow also stated in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Does this sound like He is also talking to you in your “why avenue?” God is not a partial God and His Word will not elude you if you do not exclude yourself from calling on Him. With this knowing, “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. (Jeremiah 29:12) God will not fail in listening to you except you fail in calling and asking from Him. Your own why is your way out to the top of every mountain of hindrance. In Jesus Name your testimony is today.

TRUTH IS THREATENING
2 Chronicles 18

The truth is threatening, and it will always face opposition and rejection, especially for those that do not want to receive it. The truth is the way out to be triumphant. It is the way to overcome. It is the way that cannot be stopped, and it leads to every avenue of great exploitation. King Ahab of Israel was set for a war against Ramoth Gilead, and he needed the help of King Jehoshaphat. The first truth about King Ahab’s case was that he was redirected by King Jehoshaphat to go, and inquire for the word of God. In every confronting situation it is worthy to pray before planning. To plan without praying will not prevail. But praying before planning is the way of prevailing. Are you someone that always put plans up before sending prayer up? King Ahab responded to King Jehoshaphat’s advice, “Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?” So they said, “Go up, for God will deliver it into the king’s hand.” (2 Chronicles 18:5) The response of four hundred men was not pleasing to Jehoshaphat; he needed the full assurance from God before making his move. When Jehoshaphat requested for anyone that could inquire more from God, King Ahab responded in 2 Chronicles 18:7, “…There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD; but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil. He is Micaiah the son of Imla, “And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say such things!” King Ahab was looking for people that would say what he likes to hear. In most cases, the kind of people that you have chosen to surround you, will only tell you what you want to hear. Micah was sent for as requested by King Jehoshaphat, “Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “Now listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage the king. Therefore please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak encouragement.” (2 Chronicles 18:12) Ahab’s messenger attempted to silence Micaiah by encouraging Micaiah to speak encouragement to Ahab’s hearing, but Micah did not digress from what he had inquired from the Lord, “Then he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.’” (2 Chronicles 18:16) King Ahab turned a deaf ear to Micah’s advice of not going to war and went to war. Ahab went to the war and he did not return from the war while Jehoshaphat came back safely. Standing on the true word of God will give a result that stands out like that of having to hear the truth from one out of four hundred. As much as the truth can be threatening, do not despise the truth in every area of life.

Prayer Matters
Exodus 3:13-22

“So it was, when all the kings of the Amorites who were on the west side of the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel until we had crossed over, that their heart melted; and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the children of Israel.” (Joshua 5:1) Today, pray that God will do a new thing in your life. Ask Him for a new thing, ask God that every representation of an enemy in your life will hear about this new thing that He has done for you. When the agent of hindrance in the way of the children of Israel heard about the new thing (that the Lord had dried water to make a way for the children of Israel) their hearts were melted. A melted heart is a  failing heart; a heart that fails is a terminated heart, and that shall be the portion of the wicked ones that have taken a position to hinder you in life. Pray to God that every area of delay in your life will encounter deliverance and you will run ahead and not behind in every area of pursuit of life. 1 Kings 18:46, “Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.” The same hand that answered for Elijah, and made him go ahead Ahab, will locate you this day, and every agent of opposition will fail to catch up with you. Ask for the hand of God that is favor, to move in your direction. Ezra 7:6, “this Ezra came up from Babylon; and he was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given. The king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.” What are your requests on your land? Do you have any requests that are just coming up or ones that are pending? Ask God for the same hand that answered for Ezra, to answer on your behalf so that governments of the land will make a favorable move on your behalf. The children of Israel were in bondage for over four hundred years. In their bondage they could not envisage a way out, except by crying out to the Lord God of their fathers. The hand of God answered on their behalf, when God gave His word, “So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go. 21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed.” In His hand there is deliverance and favor. As you have set eyes on these prayer points, the hand of God will answer on your behalf in Jesus’ name.  

COMMITMENT
1 Kings 19: 15-21

Commitment to the work and word of God is not in convenience, but in following Him fully. Commitment often results in challenging situation. Caleb and Joshua knew whom they believed when they were committed to the word of God enough to be able to declare, “…Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” (Numbers 13:30) Caleb was speaking from the root of what he believed, he knew that following God would never fail him or disappoints him. The entire group of spies that went to check out the Promised Land came back with news and reports of discouragement, but Caleb and Joshua came back with news and reports of encouragement. The word of God needs your commitment because it is a demonstration of your faith in God. At every sound of the word of God in the direction of the called, there will be the grace to follow. Elisha was founded by the word of God that was delivered through Elijah, “…And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.”(1Kings 19:16) Elijah found Elisha just as the word was released to him. At the time Elisha was founded, there was a need to follow fully and it was a calling of commitment by God through Elijah.1 Kings 19:20, “And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?”” Elisha could not follow right away, he needed to part with the past and present to be able to move on into the center of God’s assignment for his life. To follow Him is not to flow with the crowd; it was to be distinguished for the glory of God. In order for Elisha to turn himself on for the Lord, he had to get past the past and present. 1kings 19:21, “So Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen’s equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant.” Elisha settled with his past and present when he rose to follow the calling for his life. To be committed to Him will require relinquishing all and responding fully to what God has put in place to be done. In your answering to follow Him, have you relinquished all that can delay or disrupt your calling? Determination and your might will not be enough for you to relinquish everything, but by the Spirit of the Lord. To be committed is to have concluded that there will no longer be looking back. 1 Thessalonians 5:24, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” He will back you up when you give up everything for Him.

CUT OFF
1 Corinthians 10:1-13

To have been there and not get there does not add anything, but only represents failure of the highest order. One thing about races is that, it is not enough to get started and not race through to the end. Also, rewards are not in the beginning, it is only for those that get to the end of the journey. I’’s good to be motivated but don’t celebrate in the beginning because to get to the end result is all that should be celebrated. Here is an ugly account of getting started and not following through, “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.”(1 Corinthians 10:1-5) With this statement, it will never be a surprise if the rapture takes place during a Sunday service and the whole worship went on without noticing that one or two members had been raptured. Thousands and thousands started the journey, went, and passed through different grounds together, enjoyed an equal and very balanced provision with no discrimination or separation by hierarchy, but not all saw the end of the journey. This is true to the word of Jesus about the wheat and tare growing together. Matthew 13:30, “Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” The God that knows in the beginning, what the end is holding has the power to reroute every man that walking in deception or that are set for destruction. Do you know where you stand in this journey of life? God is not asleep, nor is He too busy, but there is time for situation and all that transpire under heaven. Ecclesiastes 8:11, “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” The word of God is true and all we come to pass, it will catch up with all in every way, on every path that every man under heaven has passed. Jesus said, “Let them grow together until the harvest time.” He did not separate them or stop them from growing. Indeed your growth in all areas that you have turned to is not the measure of your stand in the Lord. Man can be deceived, but God cannot. Where are you in the hand of God? “With most of them God was not well pleased.” Are you taking a step that pleases God? That is, are you walking in the word of God? Do not be cut off.