SURRENDER ALL< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>Isaiah 12

In the journey of life, it is how much joy that is the evidence in your daily walk in the Lord that will determine how much you have surrendered to Him. To surrender to the Lord is to have fully given up all to Him. When you have surrendered to Him, you are saying ÔDaddy take all of my days and let it be concentrated unto You, LordÕ. Surrendering unto God is easier said than done. Many sing it on a regular basis, ÒI surrender unto JesusÓ but they did not live the life of one that has surrendered unto Him. God alone is able to carry you through and He will never leave you nor forsake you. Jesus is inviting you when He called out, ÒCome to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.Ó(Matthew 11:29) Have you actually let go your burden to the burden buster, the Master that loves, the only one that terminates yoke? If surrendering is not possible, He would not have requested us to surrender all unto Him. He is a faithful God and it is left for us to activate faith in Him and He will elevate us in every step that we take. Joy and having joy is what grants access to Him. Isaiah 12:3 testifies that ÒTherefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvationÓ Also, the Psalmist recorded in Psalm 16:11, ÒYou will show me the path of life. In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.Ó Without any iota of doubt, it is clear in the testimonies above that joy is what will grant access to the presence of the Almighty God because in His presence is the fullness of joy. By the grace of God, meditating in His word of testimonies will enable us to be able to observe to do according to His word and not only talk according to His word. Doing, not talking will bring forth joy that is launch-able into the well of salvation for the Living Water of God. Ask today for the grace to surrender all. 

TURN ASIDE< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>Exodus 3

Moses trained for eighty years for the assignment he will turn to for forty years. He lived the first forty years in the palace of Pharaoh. He was enjoying all that is enjoyable in the palace before he became a murderer and had to run for his life. Before he began to run for his life, there was no warning. It was not in MosesÕ plan to become a fugitive in the land that he lived in for forty years as a prince. God was taking him to a training field as a shepherd. It was not in MosesÕ plan nor did he have any understanding of where the journey was taking him. Do you have an understanding or do you have any idea where the wind is blowing to and fro? At over forty years there was no direction or plan for MosesÕ life. God does not operate by number but does have a number for each and every of His creation. When He is taking you in the direction of His plan and purpose, it is not important that you know where He is leading you, but it is important that you pay attention to the challenges that will be placing a mark on your life. The marks of challenges are the marks that will be reminding you of what you have passed through and it will also be keeping you focus in your assignment. Moses had been making turns and had been turning for eighty years, but the one turn that got his attention did not come until after eighty years. The first step to his turning took place when the ÒAngel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of the bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not burned.(Exodus 2:2) Having seen what was on ground, ÒThen Moses said, ÒI will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.ÓÓ (Exodus 2:3) The journey of eighty years took a new turn at the burning bush when Moses turned into a new forty years of assignment that he has trained for. Do you know where He is taking you? Could it be that your turning is close? Ask God for the grace not to turn away from Him at your turning ground but to turn into His calling.

ENOUGH OF RIGOR< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>Exodus 1

Some how suddenly things have changed in your life, and all that concerns you is no longer the way it should be. It happened to the children of Israel after the death of Joseph, ÒNow there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.Ó(Exodus 1:8) The new king began to make life difficult for the children of Israel because of the threat of their growth. Could it be that your growth has become a threat? Sometimes you cannot figure out why, in the midst of life, the enemy just has to work against you. The children of Israel were a threat because God was increasing them while the enemy wanted to decrease them. As a result of the growth of the children of Israel, ÒThe Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage-in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.Ó (Exodus 1:14) God is not asleep nor is he too tired to help in your deliverance. He moved concerning the children of Israel when He heard their cry. Today, cry unto God that every man or woman, every agent of the wicked that are causing pains and rigor in your life, in your emotions, in your finances, in your home and in your work God will terminate them. The new king did not stop at making life miserable for the children of Israel but went further and gave command to kill every newborn son of the children of Israel. If you will let the enemy have its way in your life, he will go beyond making you miserable and attempt to kill you. Pharaoh meant business in his attempt to terminate the children of Israel because of their growth but God has the power to help and overthrow. Have you specifically asked Him concerning all that is causing you pain? The word of God recommends that you ask, and it shall be given. It is never too much or too late to ask. ÒWith men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.Ó (Mark 10:27)  Ask Him for every Pharaoh hunting you to meet sudden termination.

LOOKING UP< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>Psalm 34

In your looking what are you looking for? Where are you looking to or who is it that you are looking for? Whenever any challenge confronts a believer there should be nowhere to look up to except unto the Almighty God, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent. He is the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy (Isaiah 57:15). Whenever deception, delay, denial, or destruction, knocks or shows up unexpectedly He is always there for us to look up to Him. Many giants in the hand of God repeatedly looked up to Him in the course of their journey while they were on the face of the earth. You can always look up to him for direction, provision and for every area of need. Looking up to God should not be just at times of challenges, but also at the time of lifting His Holy name high. It is recorded in, Psalm 34:5, ÒThey looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed.Ó Is there any confronting shameful situation that is confronting you inside and outside of your house? Have you taken any step that could generate shame in your life? God will never be absent from where you have been looking up to Him, only if you are not absent from where He is waiting for you. In waiting for the Lord God of Israel, He will acknowledge you when your eyes are set on Him. It is written in the book of Micah 7:7, ÒTherefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me.Ó Looking up to God is a demonstration of faith and when faith takes its place fear will have no reason but to subside. Be encouraged to look up to God like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and David and so many that were able to do great exploit the name of God. Begin to look up to Him with consistency and He will lift you up above and beyond all that confronts you. God is waiting for you to wait on Him by looking in His direction.

NOBODY< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>Judges 6:11-40, 7

In the eyes of God there is nothing like I am Ònobody.Ó God is God and He alone will use anything or anybody that is ordinary to carry out an extraordinary assignment. He alone is worthy of all glory because there is none like Him and forever there will not be any like Him. Lately have you considered yourself as nobody? What is it that is making you to think or consider yourself as nobody? Is it the size of your family or the age that you carry? Are you looking into what surrounds you as a measurement of what you can do and what you cannot do? Are you considering what is being said about you as a determinant for what you can do or what you cannot do? In this world, there is no man or power that can determine what you can do or what you cannot do. God is the only God that can determine and can bring to pass what ever He wants you to be. Underestimating oneÕs usefulness is nothing new. When God was looking for someone to conquer the troublesome Midianites, He chose a ÒnobodyÓ Gideon, and he called him a Òmighty man of valorÓ (Judges 6:12). Gideon, knowing his limitation responded, ÒHow can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my fatherÕs houseÓ (v. 15). God did not give up on Gideon but persisted, saying, ÒSurely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.Ó Gideon was the LordÕs choice for the assignment and all that surrounded Gideon could not stop GodÕs plan. It is also confirmed by Paul the Apostle in 1Corinthians 1:27, ÒBut God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.Ó Despite all that you have been hearing and all that you have seen, if you are someone that still considers yourself as a nobody, giving a further review to the story of Gideon will let go of the negative thoughts in your life. In the eyes of God no man or situation can reduce you if the Lord did not reduce you. He will increase you to His glory in Jesus name. Amen.