NOT JUST SUNDAYS< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Judges 2:6-23

It is impossible to know God and not know and live in obedience to His word. A claim of knowing God does not necessarily mean knowing God. Knowing God that is having a personal relationship with God goes beyond the knowledge gain through a preacher. Preaching to people is not an indication of reaching the people. A believer can be preached to and not be reached. To know God personally involves after having been preached to, one has to be spending time seeking Him on a personal ground. Not knowing God and not knowing Him enough is equal to not knowing Him. Opening your Bible one or two times during the Sunday service and not getting back to it until the following week is not the way to seek and know Him. God is not far from us if we will reach out to Him through His Word. Knowing the word of God is to actually know God Himself. Imagine having someone help pick up your child at school without any written word from you. We all know that the child would not be let go. However, with a presentation of your written word, your child will no doubt be released because the school has received your word. God has given Himself to us through His written word that is alive in the pages of the Bible. Your written word is you so likewise; the written Word of God is God. Look at what happened to the children of Israel after Joshua had died: ÒNow Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died when he was one hundred and ten years old. 9 And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Heres, in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash. 10 When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel.Ó (Judges 2:8-10) How can we know the Lord if we do not spend time in His word that has been written? The Bible mentions that the later generation of children of Israel did not know God or the work of His hand. They failed to seek and know the word that would have given them life so life began to offer them what does not glorify God. As a result, ÒÉthe children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals.Ó (Judges 2:11) They did not just serve the Baals; they were lost in evil deeds because they had neglected the word of God. You cannot seek God in His word and not have encounter with Him. Also, it is the amount of time that you give in the word of God that will determine how much you desire God to carry you in your daily walks. For the feeding of your soul, it will never be enough to just get fed from going to church on Sundays and not showing up until the next Sunday. Whatever it is that is taking you away from spending time on the word of God, ask God to deliver you from it for His glory and He will do it. He is a faithful God if you will be faithful with what you want from Him. When you know Him, you will obey Him.

GOD IS IN IT< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Exodus 14

A dead end signal is an indication of the coming to termination in the course of a journey that can no longer continue. The children of Israel were coming out of bondage of over four hundred years and had not yet covered enough distance to forget the land of bondage when they suddenly ran into a dead end. To the children of Israel, it was indeed a dead end; an end to the celebration of liberation. In the physical realm, it was indeed a dead end. However, for God, it was His doing when He spoke to Moses. ÒNow the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 ÔSpeak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zemphon; you shall camp before it by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ÔThey are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.Õ 4 Then I will harden PharaohÕs heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD.Õ And they did so.Ó (Exodus 14:1-4) Whatever has bewildered you, whatever has closed you up; believe that it is just a follow-up of the representative of the Pharaoh. It will not terminate you because it could not terminate you while you were in what represents Egypt in your life. Can you see how God was in the confrontation of the children of Israel? He is in yours too and He will take glory for all that is about to open up for you. The Bible is written for our learning. Take some time to hear and learn from Him through the pages of Bible because you are to be an over-comer; not an over-concerned believer. Let Him fight your battle because He will fight it to finish. He is the Mighty Warrior! Learn in your present ground where you have been bewildered and He will see you through if you will stay out of complaining and confessing negativity like the children of Israel did. ÒThen they said to Moses, ÔBecause there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? 12 Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.ÕÓ (Exodus 14:11-12) Despite all negative confession, God in His goodness and mercy terminated all that followed them to the ground of bewilderment.  God made a way for them and they were able to walk on dry ground in the middle of massive water. In Jesus Name you shall overcome.

JUST A CUPBEARER< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Nehemiah 1

You do not have to be somebody who is worthy of attention for God to raise you and make you somebody who is worthy of the whole worldÕs attention. Nehemiah was a nobody. He was not a prophet neither was he a son of a prophet. He was an ordinary cupbearer to the king in the Persian palace. He got to where he was because he was a captive. One thing was clear about Nehemiah: he had the concern for JerusalemÕs welfare and its inhabitants at heart. He had the desire for his people that have returned back home from captivity. Nehemiah was a cupbearer with a big heart who wanted to see changes for his fellow people. If a cupbearer could effect great change, it means all of us who have life are able to effect great change that can touch many lives and the entire world. NehemiahÕs operation of the heart is what God acknowledged before God moved by His divine intervention on behalf of Nehemiah. When Nehemiah got the report of what was going on in Jerusalem, this news developed as a burden in his heart and he began to intercede on behalf of the land and his people. Nehemiah 1:3-4, ÒAnd they said to me, ÔThe survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.Õ 4 So it was, when I heard these words that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.Ó Nehemiah poured out his heart in prayer on behalf of his people and his homeland. He asked for nothing that had to do with himself, but rather petitioned for things that had to do with a better life for his people. God is a God whose eyes are always traveling to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong. (2 Chronicle 16:9) NehemiahÕs heart was in line with what God was looking for and God could not deny Himself by moving on behalf of Nehemiah. What are you carrying in your heart? Today it can be almost impossible to find a heart that is centered on seeing changes in the land. If there is any, it is often backed with hidden agendas of how to enrich oneÕs self. It is a serious matter when a claimed believer begins to seek more for himself than for the neediest. Today as you set eyes on this message, ask where is your heart? Is it centered only on how you will be become well off in all projects that are rather set up to better anotherÕs life? God is definitely not a sleeping God and you can only get away for a period of time. Nehemiah desired for his people and God deposited in him what it takes to bring glory to the name of God. All that was needed for this cupbearer to turn his nation around was put in place by the good hand of God. Desire what is good and better for the kingdomÕs glory and the Kingdom of God will back you up with what it takes for you to get through. It should not always be about us and only us alone, but rather it should be about all who come our way.

KING DAVIDÕS CONFESSION< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Psalm 37

ÒI have been young, and now I am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.  He is ever merciful, and lends; and his descendants are blessed.Ó (Psalm 37:25-26) King David, a man referred to as ÒOne that is after GodÕs own heartÓ (Acts 13:22) knew exactly what he was talking about. King David was not arousing emotion neither does it sound as if he was attempting to please God. The truth behind King DavidÕs statement is that indeed it was pleasing to God because it was a statement that demonstrates faith in the highest order. Hebrews 11:6, ÒBut without faith it is impossible to please HimÉÓ What David did was testify about the faithfulness of God. King David was so sure of his God and he testified about his lifetime experience of not having seen a righteous one ever forsaken. Who is it or who are those that David referred to as never been forsaken? King David was referring to the righteous one. Who is righteous? 2 Corinthians 5:21, ÒFor He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.Ó Have you accepted Christ indeed and in truth? It is one thing to claim having accepted Christ as Lord and Savior and not be living the word of God. Also, it is another thing to claim to have received Christ and actually be living according to the word of God. When a believer begins to live indeed and in truth, he becomes righteous in Christ Jesus. The righteous are the ones that King David referred to as the one that cannot be forsaken. God is constantly consistent in His way and His ways have not changed from the times of the Bible through today. His ways will never change, but His ways will be making changes in every way to the glory of His Name. Where do you stand? Are you consistent with your confession? Are you true to the word of God? God will not forsake any of His own. Jesus loves you and He will not give you what you do not need. Be encouraged and take to the word of Hebrews 13:5 ÒLet your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said I will never leave you nor forsake you.Ó David experienced it and confessed it. If you will live according to the word of God, this will also be your portion just as it was for the sanctified. God is faithful! Ask Him to help you out and He will do it if you will belief.

A LEVITEÕ S IDOLATRY< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Judges 17: 1-13

At every time we depart from GodÕs place of provision and accommodation without hearing from Him, we will be taking a risky step. God has an established ground for each and every one of His children who care not to violate His established ground. Every step outside of GodÕs location for man is a departure unto danger. ÒNow there was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah; he was a Levite, and was staying there. 8 The man departed from the city of Bethlehem in Judah to stay wherever he could find a place. Then he came to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.Ó (Judges 17:7-8) When there is a departure from where has God established, there will be an encounter with emptiness. Moving to a Òwherever placeÓ is an indication of no purpose or direction of life. A Levite moving into a place where God has not called him to be, a place where idol worshipping has been put in place has definitely missed his mark and sense of direction to what God has given him. As a child of God, making a move or taking a step requires constant inquiring from God to avoid ending up empty. What does it take to inquire from God in every step that we take? If God indeed has been given His place as the Lord and Savior, it only takes some time to go before Him in prayer and waiting before jumping and making a move that could easily terminate onesÕ journey. A Levite becoming a priest for an idol worshipper should be considered as unimaginable and unacceptable. The Levite called himself to a place where the Lord had not called him. This was a place where God did not call him to be. ÒThen the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man became like one of his sons to him. 12 So Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in the house of MicahÓ (Judges 17:11-12) In the days of that Levite, the world was trying to change the word of God because the called carriers of the word were not using the word of God to change and shape the world. As it was then, so it is today. The called are neglecting the purpose of their calling by moving from what God has called them to be by looking for wherever they want as a dwelling place. The last time you checked, were you where He had called you to be by answering what He called you for? God will not overlook sin. Do not let sin overtake you. The Lord will have mercy.