The School of The Holy Spirit – 28 of 52 Part 16 – Anatomy and Secrets of The Secret Place – Securing An Understanding Of The Times In The Secret Place And What The Church Of Jesus Christ Ought To Do + 3 Ways We Can Redeem The Times In This Evil Days
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The School of The Holy Spirit – 28 of 52 Part 16 – Anatomy and Secrets of The Secret Place – Securing An Understanding Of The Times In The Secret Place And What The Church Of Jesus Christ Ought To Do + 3 Ways We Can Redeem The Times In This Evil Days
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Date: Sunday, May 3rd, 2020
Blog Link – https://www.otakada.org/understanding-the-times-how-to-redeem-the-time
Podcast: anchor.fm/otakada.org
Quote on God’s Kingdom-Glory and Self-Glory:
“This is not that: The glory that does not attract persecution is not God’s kingdom-glory but self-glory – We, the modern-day Church have misunderstood and misrepresented spiritual (heavenly) God’s kingdom-glory with physical (earthly) self-glory. We have pursued physical (earthly) self- glory to the detriment of spiritual (heavenly) God’s kingdom glory. We have built for ourselves physical (earthly) temples rather than spiritual (heavenly) temples of God in people’s hearts. We have pursued physical (earthly) prosperity to the detriment of spiritual (heavenly) prosperity of spirit, soul and body. Like Prophet Balaam, we have missed God by thousands of miles that we don’t even know or see His next game plan because our focus and attention is on physical (earthly) glory. The pursuit of glory that does not attract persecution and attention of satan is nothing but personal agenda without heavenly endorsement. Gods glory radiating and manifesting through us leads to more souls (not recycled converts) being won into the kingdom of God and even when we do win new souls, we do not disciple them according to Jesus’s pattern of discipleship. Real Kingdom expansion minded Churches will automatically attract persecution orchestrated by the prince of the power of the air because it creates disruptions in his agenda to kill, steal and destroy thereby pulling more souls to join him in hell at final judgment. The warfare for the souls of mankind is the warfare of the ages and will continue until Jesus returns” – Monday Ogwuojo Ogbe – Otakada.org
Key Verses:
Matthew 6:6 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) 6 But when you pray, go into your [ most] private room, and, closing the door, pray to your Father, Who is in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open.
Matthew 7:24-27 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) 24 So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them [ obeying them] will be like a [a]sensible (prudent, practical, wise) man who built his house upon the rock.
25 And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
26 And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a stupid (foolish) man who built his house upon the sand.
27 And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great and complete was the fall of it.
Revelation 3:18 Amplified Bible (AMP)
18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold that has been heated red hot and refined by fire so that you may become truly rich; and white clothes [ representing righteousness] to clothe yourself so that the shame of your nakedness will not be seen; and healing salve to put on your eyes so that you may see.
Luke 21:34-35 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
34 But take heed to yourselves and be on your guard, lest your hearts be overburdened and depressed (weighed down) with the [a]giddiness and headache and [b]nausea of self-indulgence, drunkenness, and worldly worries and cares pertaining to [ the [c]business of] this life, and [ lest] that day come upon you suddenly like a trap or a noose;
35 For it will come upon all who live upon the face of the entire earth.
2 Corinthians 4:1-18 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
4 Therefore, since we do hold and engage in this ministry by the mercy of God [ granting us favor, benefits, opportunities, and especially salvation], we do not get discouraged (spiritless and despondent with fear) or become faint with weariness and exhaustion.
2 We have renounced disgraceful ways (secret thoughts, feelings, desires and underhandedness, the methods and arts that men hide through shame); we refuse to deal craftily (to practice trickery and cunning) or to adulterate or handle dishonestly the Word of God, but we state the truth openly (clearly and candidly). And so we commend ourselves in the sight and presence of God to every man’s conscience.
3 But even if our Gospel (the glad tidings) also be hidden (obscured and covered up with a veil that hinders the knowledge of God), it is hidden [ only] to those who are perishing and obscured [only ] to those who are spiritually dying and veiled [only] to those who are lost.
4 For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers’ minds [that they should not discern the truth ], preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God.
5 For what we preach is not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves [ merely] as your servants (slaves) for Jesus’ sake.
6 For God Who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts so as [to beam forth ] the Light for the illumination of the knowledge of the majesty and glory of God [as it is manifest in the Person and is revealed ] in the face of Jesus Christ (the Messiah).
7 However, we possess this precious treasure [ the divine Light of the Gospel] in [ frail, human] vessels of earth, that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves.
8 We are hedged in (pressed) on every side [ troubled and oppressed in every way], but not cramped or crushed; we suffer embarrassments and are perplexed and unable to find a way out, but not driven to despair;
9 We are pursued (persecuted and hard driven), but not deserted [ to stand alone]; we are struck down to the ground, but never struck out and destroyed;
10 Always carrying about in the body the liability and exposure to the same putting to death that the Lord Jesus suffered, so that the [[a]resurrection ] life of Jesus also may be shown forth by and in our bodies.
11 For we who live are constantly [experiencing] being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, that the [[b]resurrection] life of Jesus also may be evidenced through our flesh which is liable to death.
12 Thus death is actively at work in us, but [it is in order that [c]our ] life [ may be actively at work] in you.
13 Yet we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, I have believed, and therefore have I spoken. We too believe, and therefore we speak,
14 Assured that He Who raised up the Lord Jesus will raise us up also with Jesus and bring us [along ] with you into His presence.
15 For all [ these] things are [ taking place] for your sake, so that the more grace (divine favor and spiritual blessing) extends to more and more people and multiplies through the many, the more thanksgiving may increase [ and redound] to the glory of God.
16 Therefore we do not become discouraged (utterly spiritless, exhausted, and wearied out through fear). Though our outer man is [ progressively] decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being [ progressively] renewed day after day.
17 For our light, momentary affliction (this slight distress of the passing hour) is ever more and more abundantly preparing and producing and achieving for us an everlasting weight of glory [ beyond all measure, excessively surpassing all comparisons and all calculations, a vast and transcendent glory and blessedness never to cease!],
18 Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting.
Romans 8: 13-30 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
13 For if you live according to [ the dictates of] the flesh, you will surely die. But if through the power of the [ Holy] Spirit you are [ habitually] putting to death (making extinct, deadening) the [evil ] deeds prompted by the body, you shall [really and genuinely ] live forever.
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
15 For [ the Spirit which] you have now received [ is] not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption [ the Spirit producing sonship] in [ the bliss of] which we cry, Abba (Father)! Father!
16 The Spirit Himself [ thus] testifies together with our own spirit, [ assuring us] that we are children of God.
17 And if we are [ His] children, then we are [ His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [ sharing His inheritance with Him]; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory.
18 [ But what of that?] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time (this present life) are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and [g]for us and [h]conferred on us!
19 For [ even the whole] creation (all nature) waits expectantly and longs earnestly for God’s sons to be made known [ waits for the revealing, the disclosing of their sonship].
20 For the creation (nature) was subjected to [i]frailty (to futility, condemned to frustration), not because of some intentional fault on its part, but by the will of Him Who so subjected it—[ yet] with the hope
21 That nature (creation) itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and corruption [ and gain an entrance] into the glorious freedom of God’s children.
22 We know that the whole creation [ of irrational creatures] has been moaning together in the pains of labor until now.
23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves too, who have and enjoy the firstfruits of the [Holy ] Spirit [a foretaste of the blissful things to come ] groan inwardly as we wait for the redemption of our bodies [ from sensuality and the grave, which will reveal] our adoption (our manifestation as God’s sons).
24 For in [this ] hope we were saved. But hope [ the object of] which is seen is not hope. For how can one hope for what he already sees?
25 But if we hope for what is still unseen by us, we wait for it with patience and composure.
26 So too the [ Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.
27 And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy ] Spirit [what His intent is ], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God’s will.
28 We are assured and know that [[j]God being a partner in their labor ] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan ] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His ] design and purpose.
29 For those whom He foreknew [ of whom He was [k]aware and [l]loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [ foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [ and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren.
30 And those whom He thus foreordained, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified (acquitted, made righteous, putting them into right standing with Himself). And those whom He justified, He also glorified [ raising them to a heavenly dignity and condition or state of being].
1 Thessalonians 3:1-4 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
3 Therefore, when [ the suspense of separation and our yearning for some personal communication from you] became intolerable, we consented to being left behind alone at Athens.
2 And we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s servant in [ spreading] the good news (the Gospel) of Christ, to strengthen and establish and to exhort and comfort and encourage you in your faith,3 That no one [ of you] should be disturbed and beguiled and led astray by these afflictions and difficulties [ to which I have referred]. For you yourselves know that this is [ unavoidable in our position, and must be recognized as] our appointed lot.
4 For even when we were with you, [ you know] we warned you plainly beforehand that we were to be pressed with difficulties and made to suffer affliction, just as to your own knowledge it has [since ] happened.
1 Chronicles 12:32 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
32 And of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs; and all their kinsmen were under their command;
Ephesians 5:15-17 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
15 Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people),
16 Making the very most of the time [ buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil.17 Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.
Colossians 4:5 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
5 Behave yourselves wisely [ living prudently and with discretion] in your relations with those of the outside world (the non-Christians), making the very most of the time and seizing (buying up) the opportunity.
Introduction.
Dear friends I welcome you to the series on the school of the Holy Spirit. Today, we bring you – The School of the Holy Spirit 28 of 52 – Part 16 – Anatomy and Secrets of the Secret Place – Securing an Understanding of the Times in the Secret Place and what the Church of Jesus Christ ought to do + 3 ways we can redeem the times in this evil days
At Otakada.org, we bring YOU over 2 million contents for All Round Success for your Spirit, Soul and your Body all in one place! Check this out in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, 2 Timothy 1:7 and Hebrews 4:12
Read – 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Amplified Bible (AMP) 23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [ that is, separate you from profane and vulgar things, make you pure and whole and undamaged—consecrated to Him—set apart for His purpose ]; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete and [be found ] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Together with you, we are building MASSIVE SPIRITUAL TEMPLES in people’s heart for the Spirit of God to dwell in and operate through with ease in these times and seasons, so stay with us and build with us! – Check this out in 1 Corinthians 3: 1- 17; Leviticus 26:12; Jeremiah 32:38; Ezekiel 37:27; 2 Corinthians 6:16; 1 John 4:4
If you missed the last two series of Sunday and Wednesday as follows:
The School of the Holy Spirit 26 of 52 – Part 14 – Anatomy of the Secret Place with God – Personal Revival in the Secret Place Continues and is Sustained with Selfless Prayer for Global Revival in the Churches and among Global Church Leadership + What is God Saying to the Churches Concerning the Times through the Prophetic Gifts in the Body of Christ?
please visit the link:
Weekly Motivation and Inspirational Stories for the Marketplace Series 27 of 52 – School of the Holy Spirit Part 15 – Ways You Can Identify Burdens of the Spirit and Weight of the spirit Upon Your Life While Activating Gods Ministry in Rest + Answers To – Are You a Part Time or Full Time Minister of God?
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Intercession:
Interceding for the Church:
The Church – Revive us, Your Church Lord Jesus, that our desire to love You will be rekindled afresh. You said if we commit our ways to You, You will give us our heart desires which indeed is Your desire for our lives. We commit to make You the center of our world going forward – Nothing else but You – Holy Spirit, use this lockdown period to rekindle our love for You, Jesus Christ and those things that have eternal impact. We declare that we will emerge out of this lockdown revived – spirit, soul and body, touching our world like never before. So that the world will know and experience a new generation of Christians who are light bearers and salt of the earth as we race towards the end in Jesus name.
Interceding for Church Leaders:
Church leader – Revive Your Leaders Lord Jesus, that the church leadership will reach out to one another outside their usual network and see Jesus in every person that names the name of the Lord. That unity in the body of Christ will be felt by all and our denominations, doctrines, dogmas etc. will no longer divide us but that the Love for You Lord Jesus will radiate out of us to touch our world, so that the world may see that truly Jesus came and we are indeed His image and likeness. That the true love of Jesus Christ will flow out of us to a decaying world around us. That leaders will point the followers to Jesus not to themselves and equip then to reach their world…That during this lockdown, God will touch church leaders and turn their hearts back to Him and that they will willingly give Him back His church in Jesus name. Amen
Interceding for the World:
We pray today Lord God for the lost world, that Your Holy Spirit will begin to convict them of sin because You do not desire that any will perish – 2 Peter 3:9 and that You draw them to Yourself realizing that You are all in all – The way, the truth and the life. Holy Spirit, prepare the hearts of believers to receive them into the kingdom lovingly, equipping them through discipleship methods that multiplies in Jesus name, Amen
Now, we bring you today’s title – Securing an Understanding of the Times in the Secret Place and what the Church of Jesus Christ ought to do
Here are some revelations received during our waiting on the Lord in the secret place over a period of 80 days
Brothers and sisters, God has a secret, and to access these secrets, we must get into the Secret Place. There is no other way. He says command ye me the works of my hands. See texts below
Jeremiah 33:3 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
3 Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand).
Deuteronomy 29:29 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
29 The secret things belong unto the Lord our God, but the things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all of the words of this law.
Isaiah 45:6-7 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
6 That men may know from the east and the rising of the sun and from the west and the setting of the sun that there is no God besides Me. I am the Lord, and no one else [is He ].
7 I form the light and create darkness, I make peace [national well-being ] and I create [physical ] [a]evil (calamity); I am the Lord, Who does all these things.
Isaiah 45:11 New King James
Thus says the LORD, The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: “Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons; And concerning the work of My hands, you command Me.
From above scriptures, you can see that the Lord, the creators of the ends of the earth does not desire to cover up vital information from us that is to our wellbeing and His agenda for the world. Like the sons of Issachar, we must adopt a posturing that commands His response. I will share with you briefly some of the revelation we received concerning the Church, the events in the world and how we should respond. Our first waiting was between the 1st of January to the 9th of February 2020 and the second was between the 17th of March to the 26th of April 2020. I must emphasis here that this is not our regular routine to have two sets of prolonged waiting in one year period. There is riveting the spirit realm. The specifics will come out in our Prophetic Breaking News 3 of 4 coming out between July and August this year 2020.
Here are some of them. It is not meant to scare you but to help you prepare as the days dawn on us
1.Major Worldwide Drought that will affect grain supply is in the pipeline – Genesis 41:54-57
There is a major drought in the pipeline that will disrupt the food supply chain and would cause food prices to skyrocket worldwide if it has not begun already. In the vision, I was transported to Russia. The Russians were placing an order from me for grains as their stockpile was drying up. They were willing to pay a high price beyond the going rates to secure delivery. When I woke up from this dream, I asked for the interpretation of what this means. I was prompted to investigate the grain import/export statistics in Russia. I was surprised to see that Russia currently occupies the number one spot globally in the production and export of grain, specifically wheat worldwide. The interpretation I got was that the drought will be so severe globally that the country with the major export of grain commodity will start importing grains to meet local demands.
2.Money will fail as funding dry up – No one eats money. The nationalization of banks by governments will be embarked upon as many banks will fail. Genesis 47:13-18
3.Civil unrest will be prevalent everywhere Matthew 24:12
4.One worldwide government agenda will be pushed – Countries will start merging to reduce hardship Genesis 47:19-26
5.There is a bigger pandemic coming beyond the current one Luke 21:11
6.These crises will usher in a world leader calling for one religion that is against God and all that God stands for and persecution of the true Church will go to a new high level as they go underground.
I don’t know what order or when this will all happen but we are in dangerous times and the need to redeem the time is so, so urgent.
To stay afloat and not sink in the storm, we must let go of excess baggage by removing every idol we hold dear above God. We must get rid of bitterness, hatred, and self-seeking agendas not endorsed by the Spirit of the living God. We must avoid offense by all means possible. This is the time for spiritual development in the secret place with God by ourselves and not through proxies. We must prepare by getting rooted in the word and acting the word so that when the real persecution of the Church starts, we are ready. We should prayerfully consider investing in agriculture and the storage of non-perishables like grains. We must reach out to our brothers, sister, family members, friends, foes and present Jesus to them deliberately. We must pursue peace with all people. We must make whatever we do a boat for Jesus to reach others through us. We must sow into soul winning – In Time, Talent and Treasures.
By the way, above advice is good advice for any Christian for any time for we do not know the exact time or the hour but we must watch and be prepared for our redemption draws near when we see things like this escalate. More often than not, when God speaks to one, He speaks to all. We must of necessity share what the Lord is saying to the Churches because the spirit of God will not contradict Himself. If you stomach it and don’t share it, you invariably shut down the flow of His Spirit. Don’t get yourself stunted! Remember, you a river of Galilee and not the Dead Sea!
Prayer may reduce the impact of some of the above revelation but will not avert it. This is the finger of God in action!
So, here are 3 ways we can redeem the times in this evil days
Text above Ephesians 5:15-17 and Colossians 4:5
One area of our life we need to consider carefully is our stewardship of time. Are we putting our time to good use in view of the limited time that is left for us until Christ returns? Should we continue to use our time in the same way that we have been using it all along, when we know that Christ’s coming is getting nearer and nearer? Should we not rather treat time now as a precious commodity, and make every day, every hour and every moment count for the Lord?
It is generally observed that many Christians today, whether working adults, students or retirees, do have a problem with their stewardship of time. There are some whose time is so fully occupied with secular work and with the cares of this world, that they hardly have any time left for spiritual development, or for Christian service. And when they have some spare time on their hands, such as holidays, or during their retirement, they would rather spend most of it on recreation and pleasure for themselves, instead of doing the Lord’s business.
On the other extreme, there are also some Christians who may spend too much time engaged in too many church activities, that their work or home life suffers. They even neglect their loved ones, and become irresponsible employees or students. This is not a good testimony for the Lord. It may even lead the unsaved to conclude that Christians are irresponsible social misfits.
Finding the right balance between service to God and self-development is not easy. This is because life in this present age is more complicated than life in previous times. The demands of living in this present competitive age are very great – If you are working, there are always goals, standards, and deadlines that you are expected to meet at your workplace. You will have to balance this with your family responsibilities, and also with any social responsibilities you may have. With such great demands on us, it is not easy to balance our time. There will always be many things in the way, demanding our attention all the time. Here are the three things we need to do to redeem the time
I. Walk Circumspectly
To walk circumspectly means to walk with care, looking before taking any step
We should not rush headlong into things that everyone else seems to be rushing into without thinking, for it may turn out to be something that will lead us into spending all our time on things that are worthless and even destructive.
But how does a person walk circumspectly? How will we know which is the right step to take? Sometimes we have to make choices in areas that are ethically grey, and we wonder if we should get involved or not. If you look at our text of Scripture again you will notice that it says ‘not as fools, but as wise.’ We must therefore get wisdom.
This wisdom can be obtained with God’s help, by spending time in the Scriptures. According to Psalm 119:105, The Word of God is a ‘lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.’ If we make the effort to know it well, we will be able to make wise decisions and sound judgments. And this will help us to spend our time wisely, in things that are fully worth all our time and effort.
II. Redeeming the Time
To redeem the time is to make the most out of the limited time that we have. The phrase ‘redeeming the time’ can also be translated ‘buying up the time’. There is a strong implication here that there is a limited supply of time. Therefore, we ought to manage our time and opportunities in the same way that a shrewd trader or merchant would manage his business – always seeking to obtain maximum profits and gains out of every investment or his limited resources. And if a venture he goes into proves to be non-productive, he would not waste any more of his precious resources on it.
Redeeming the time obviously requires us to do some planning and prioritizing. We must prioritize our activities carefully, and decide which deserve more time and which deserves less time from us. Redeeming the time also means trying to save time whenever possible, so that no hour is ever wasted. It means remembering that we have only one life to live – and that soon it will be over. And only those things that we have done for Christ will last forever. To live the Christian life well, one must always remember that one day we will all have to give an account to the Lord of all the things we have done in this life.
Many people have wasted countless hours of their precious time on things that are not only sinful, but also futile. And when they give an account to the Lord, they can only express deep regret that they had not spent their time more wisely. But if we are careful to redeem our time and live circumspectly we will be able to look back on our life with the satisfaction that we had lived in a manner that is profitable for God’s kingdom, and we will not be ashamed to give an account of our lives before the Lord. We would be able to say, like the apostle Paul: ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith’ (2 Timothy 4:7)
We see an example of the first cause in Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42 ‘Now it came to pass, as they went, that He entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard His word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to Him, and said, Lord, dost Thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.’
Many of us are perhaps more like Martha than Mary – so careful and troubled about many unnecessary things, and cumbered about much serving, and not taking the time to think whether what we are doing is really needful or not. We trouble ourselves with things that the Lord does not require of us nor expect from us. When you get so caught up with many serving, you need to quieten yourself and ask, ‘How much of what you are doing does the Lord actually want you to do?’ And as you allow God to speak to you through His Word and the prompting of the Holy Spirit, about all that you are doing now, you may perhaps be surprised to discover how many of them God does not expect you to do! What you need to do then is to let others take over these things, and to focus your energies on doing only those things that are God expects you to do.
To do this, you have to learn to say ‘NO’ without feeling guilty. Of course the hardest person to say ‘no’ to may be yourself. We often have too little time because we give in easily to ourselves, and we refuse to let go of all the extra things that we indulge ourselves. But if you truly believe that God has planned your life, and that He has provided all the time resources that you need to fulfill your responsibilities, then you must be prepared to obey Him in refusing those activities and pursuits that are not of Him.
But perhaps you have already determined that everything you are doing is truly within the will of God for you to do, but you still find that you do not have enough time. Why does this happen? It is probably because you are doing things inefficiently – and that means that you are not doing them in the manner that God expects you to do them.
For example, Moses was not doing things efficiently when he took it upon himself to judge every legal case that were brought to him (Exodus 18:13-18). He not only wearied himself out, but he also wearied the people who had to queue up for long hours just to see him! But thank God for Jethro, his godly father in law, who advised him on how to do things more efficiently by appointing qualified assistants and organizing the people into different levels of groupings. After this, Moses only had to judge the most difficult cases that his assistants could not solve, and the people were happy that they did not have to wait too long for their cases to be heard and solved (Exodus 18:19-27).
So let us remember this to help us to be good stewards of our time: We should not only ensure that what we are doing is truly God’s will for us, but ensure that we do it the way that God wants us to do it. And God’s way is bound to be the most efficient way to do it.
III. Understanding the Will of God for Us
Now besides walking circumspectly and redeeming the time, there is one more thing we need to do for good stewardship of time. Verse 17 says, ‘Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.’ We must seek to know what God’s will for us is, and do it. God has a special purpose for each of us to fulfill in life, which will contribute towards His whole grand eternal plan. Living the Christian life means finding out that particular purpose He has set for you, and then fulfilling it. You must conduct your life with a sense of mission. There must be a good reason why the Lord has placed you where you are right now, why He has given you unique gifts and bestowed you with certain abilities. You must always seek to find out what He wants you to accomplish with these things, and fulfill your mission.
Now, since God has a will for your life, He must have allotted all the time that you will need to fulfill that will. This truth is mentioned in Psalm 31:15 which says – ‘My times are in Thy hand’ God is like an employer who tells his workers: ‘Here is the work I have assigned you to do, and here are the sufficient resources you will need to do it.’
We see this principle at work in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ when He was on earth. Within His 3 years of ministry He fulfilled everything that He came to do on earth – to preach the kingdom of God, train 12 disciples and to make atonement for sin by His death on the cross. And this is the way that you should train your mind to think from now on: There will be enough time for you to do everything that God wants you to do in this life.
Besides that you should also train your mind to discern when is the right time for you to do each thing that the Lord wants you to do in life. The Gospels show that our Lord Jesus Christ was always doing the right thing at the right time. For example, He did not begin His public ministry until the age of thirty. Why did He not start His public ministry earlier – in His teens or in His twenties? Because in God’s perfect will for Jesus, those 30 years of development were absolutely necessary to prepare Him effectively for the 3 years of ministry after that. Our Lord Jesus had a keen understanding of when He should start doing anything that He came to do on earth. Early in His ministry when His own family members suggested that He should go to Judaea and reveal Himself to the world by doing miracles there, He said, ‘My time is not yet come: but your time is always ready’ (John 7:6) But later on, when the right time came, He did go to Judaea and perform many miracles there.
Conclusion And Prayer
Let us always be praying that God will lead us each step of the way to do the right thing at the right time. With a sincere willingness to do whatever God wants you to do, you can ask Him ‘Lord what wilt Thou have me to do?’ And when He speaks to you through His Word and through His Spirit, be ready to respond, ‘O Lord, Thy will be done.’ In Jesus name, Amen
Now, experience all round-success this week and beyond as You are led by your closest friend – The Holy Spirit!
Remember, we are one in Christ Jesus – Only in unity we can have lasting and far reaching impact – Engage!
Ephesians 4:4-6 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) 4 [ There is ] one body and one Spirit—just as there is also one hope [that belongs] to the calling you received—5 [ There is ] one Lord, one faith, one baptism,6 One God and Father of [ us ] all, Who is above all [ Sovereign over all ], pervading all and [ living ] in [us] all.
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Shalom!
Monday Ogwuojo Ogbe
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