There is a really sad story in 2 Samuel 11, of David who slept with Uriah’s wife Bathsheba. When she became pregnant and David could not succeed in convincing Uriah to sleep with her to cover it up, he had him killed in battle. David then married Bathsheba and he perceived that no one knew what he had done. God revealed David’s sin to the prophet Nathan who confronted him about it. The consequence of David’s sin was that the son that Bathsheba bore to him died. David lamented in prayer and fasting before God to ask him to save the child. After the child died, David washed and anointed himself and went to the house of the Lord to worship.

David’s actions confused his servants as they did not understand how he could spend time in worship after losing his son. He did not blame God because he knew that his son’s death was the consequence of his sin. Nevertheless, David did not allow his mistake to separate him from the presence of God. He sought God to see if he would spare the child and even after the child died, he worshipped God. This showed that David understood the need for repentance and restitution. He knew enough to know that once he repented, that God would restore him in right standing.

This is why David said in Psalm 51, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). God sees our heart and he knows when we are truly sorry for our sins. We don’t need to wallow in self pity, guilt and shame any longer than necessary. Once we have acknowledged our sin, we make restitution where possible, confess our sins to God and rest in his forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

If you feel weighed down by guilt and shame due to making a mistake, confess to God your faults and failures. Repent of your sins and accept God’s forgiveness because God says that you are forgiven. “for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity” (Proverbs 24:16).

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Jesus shared the parable of the return of the unclean spirit. He shared that when an unclean spirit is driven out of a person, it passes through waterless places trying to find rest, but does not find it. The unclean spirit decided to return to the place where it came from. When it returned, it found the house empty, swept and put in order. “Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation” (Matthew 12:45).

Jesus addressed this parable to a crowd of Jews, which included the Pharisees who accused him of casting out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of demons. He responded to them saying, that any kingdom that is divided against itself cannot stand. “And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand” (Matthew 12:26)? Jesus seemed to share the parable regarding the return of the unclean spirits, in response to the reception from the crowd. He was despondent that in his own city of Jerusalem, so many signs and wonders had been performed, yet the people did not believe and receive him.

The consideration would have been for the state of that city, which had rejected the message of salvation. Earlier in Matthew 11, Jesus denounced cities where the most mighty works had been done who did not repent. The lack of repentance and acceptance of the Holy Spirit, would leave those cities empty and allow for evil spirits to return. This would cause those cities to be worst off than before, when the evil spirit returned with seven other spirits more evil than itself.

We have to maintain a relationship with God and remain full of the Holy Spirit. By the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the presence of God abides in us. Our lives within the cities and communities where we live, should create a free flow of the presence of God. We pray for our cities and places of employment in order that the kingdom of God can be established. “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians‬ ‭6:11‬).

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Earlier in Genesis, Adam referred to Eve as, “bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh” (Genesis 2:23). In the following scripture he mentions the concept of marriage being one of a husband and wife becoming one flesh. A husband and wife are equal halves of the same whole and as such the two together become one person. Marriages are successful when a wife and husband commit to praying for each other. This is like praying for yourself if you truly accept the bible’s definition of marriage and two equal half’s becoming one person. When two people are married, whatever affects one half of the whole affects the entire whole.

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people” (1 Timothy 2:1). Paul made several references in the New Testament to the importance of the saints praying for each other. More so, the importance of praying continually with and for your spouse. Paul also spoke about the matter of a wife or husband being converted while the other half remains unsaved. “For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy” (1 Corinthians 7:14).

The above scripture underscores the point about two equal halves becoming a whole as a spouse who is saved sanctifies the unsaved spouse. We pray for each other in order to commit each other to God and so that the other person will be submitted to God. Our prayers are powerful and effective and ensure that the enemy does not have a foothold in our lives. I believe that our prayers can determine the outcome of the lives of our spouses and determine the success of our marriages.

There are some situations that are untenable due to ongoing abuse or infidelity, when you may choose to separate for your safety and protection. This decision is based on your own conviction and the relationship that you have with God. Abuse is a risky situation and no one should be encouraged to remain in an abusive relationship while you pray for God to change your spouse. It would be safer to maintain a safe distance while you pray.

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In Exodus 20, Moses spoke to the Israelites about the danger and consequences of idol worship or idolatry. He was sharing God’s instructions to them from the Ten Commandments. The first statement from God, concerned his relationship with his people. He brought them out of Egypt and they were to serve no other gods but him. They were not to make any carved images of anything in the sea, on land, in the sky or under the earth. Many of the gods worshipped by the Egyptians, embodied images that were made from raw materials and represented the sun, the sea, illness or other elements. None of the gods were all powerful, all knowing or omnipotent. The worship of these other gods represented spiritual pollution. All other gods are deceptions created by the devil to draw people away from God.

Serving other gods, other than the true and living God can be traced back to the worship of satan. God’s instruction to his people to serve ‘no other god’ is for their own protection. “You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me” (Exodus 20:5). Serving other gods will open people up to generational curses, that can affect their children for up to four generations. Turning their backs on God often meant, coming into covenants and contracts with the devil and creating demonic family altars. There are many people who notice particular patterns in their family history, such as illnesses and other dysfunctions that they cannot explain.

An ancient family altar or a covenant or contract with a foreign god (satan), could be at work in that family. Anyone who surrenders their lives to God and creates an altar of prayer, can overthrow demonic family altars. On the subject of idols, many people may not be as ritualistic as serving another god or willingly serve the devil, but material things and people can become an idol. An idol is an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship. It is also a person or thing, greatly admired, loved or revered. Many people can easily meet the criteria for the last definition, as they have idols such as musicians, actors and even pastors that they revere. The devil is crafty and subtle and as long as we give unto another person what belongs to God, he takes the glory for it. Many celebrities are sold out to the devil and even some ‘men/women of God’ are no longer in right standing.

Don’t put people on a pedestal. We are all human and Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it” (Jeremiah 17:9)? Even Jesus corrected a rich young ruler who called him good. “And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God” (Luke 18:19). I am not promoting cynicism and I am not saying that we should not honour people. It is when our admiration borders on idolatry then it becomes a problem. Only God is all good and as long as we are on this earth, we are flesh and blood. As such, we are subject to failure and weakness. Our gaze should eternally be on God and our relationship and admiration of others, should lead us closer to God. We cannot become too overly focused on the creation and not the creator. “You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you” (Exodus 34:14).

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Paul taught the early church about the role of the five fold ministry. “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12). This is so that we can grow and mature in the things of God. Spiritual growth ensures that we are not caught up in every contrary wind of doctrine and easily led astray by deception. We have to study and understand the word so that we can discern the heart of God. We cannot allow the Devil to gain the advantage over us by being ignorant of his devices (2 Corinthians 2:11).

Although we are many members, we are one body in Christ Jesus and each member, needs the other parts of the body to grow. We need the gifts of the other members within the body of Christ to help us. For example, we need preachers and teachers to expound the word of knowledge so that we can understand and interpret the word. We need gifted singers and musicians to minister praise and thanksgiving to God. Anointed singers are skilled at leading the church into intimate places of worship and anointed music is transformational.

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11). We should desire the gifts of the spirit and spend time in the presence of God to understand what we are called to do. Our gifts and talents will make room for us to express our God given assignment. There are too many people occupying positions that they have not been called to fill. Plants grow when they are planted in soil that is appropriate for their anatomy. Your environment and those who you are surrounded by have a direct impact on your growth and maturity.

Sometimes it feels more comfortable to be around people who are just like us or who make us feel comfortable and familiar. Similarities are often important and there are times when it helps to be relatable. We have to also allow God to choose the people that will help us to grow and mature in him. We ask God to choose our friends and associates and help us to determine the environment that is appropriate for us to grow. Growth and maturity are an intentional process which takes commitment, discipline and relying on the Holy Spirit to guide our decisions.

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Following Jesus’s ascension, the apostles went around preaching the good news and continued the work of Jesus Christ. These men were so full of the presence of God that even their shadow caused people to be healed. The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed (Acts 5:16). Imagine your shadow causing people to be healed from all forms of sickness and diseases. The apostles walked in divine authority and understood what Jesus meant when he said, that they would do even greater works than he did.

During the Old Testament, the ark of the covenant carried the presence of God. The people carried the ark around as they moved from place to place and the presence of God stayed in the Ark. There was an instance in the Old Testament, when David tried to transport the ark and it caused the death of one of his soldiers. David was both angry and afraid of God so he left the ark in the house of a Gittite. “And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household” (2 Samuel 6:11).

After the coming of Jesus, the promise of the Holy Spirit is the tangible presence of God. We are vessels unto honour and the presence of God lives in us and moves through us. “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you” (1 Corinthians 3:16)? Our presence should signal to the kingdom of darkness who we are and who lives in us. With the presence of God in us, our work environment, homes and communities should be blessed. People who come in contact with us should know, that God lives in us and be able to experience his presence in our lives.

We need in this season to be so full of the presence of God and his anointing, that his power can flow through us. This power will help us to transform lives to bring healing, deliverance and freedom to those around us. Can people tell the difference in you and is it evident to those around you that God lives in you? Are people better off from knowing you and spending time with you? Does your life point people to the light of Jesus Christ? Do people want to know more about God because they see the difference that he makes in your life? Do you bear fruits of righteousness that are visible for others to see? Let us live so that others can see and experience the presence of God in us.

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Paul declared himself an apostle to the Gentiles to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who were not Jews. When he visited Athens, he was disturbed in his spirit when he saw the level of idol worship. He spent his time in the synagogue teaching the Jews and others about the salvation of Jesus Christ. “Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection” (Acts 17:18).

They took Paul and brought him before the Areopagus who were the leaders in Athens, to try to gain an understanding of what he was saying. The Athenians had a thirst for new philosophies and new ways of thinking. In addressing the group of leaders, Paul mentioned that he noticed an inscription: ‘To the unknown God.’ Paul told them about God whom he knew but to them was unknown. He told them that God made the earth and everything in it. “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place” (Acts 17:26).

Paul urged them to seek God although he was not far away from them. In expounding to them about God, Paul quoted one of their famous writers who said, ‘In him we live and move and have our being.’ Paul was telling the Athenians that they were indeed the children of God who was able to live in them as they live in him. As such there was no distinction between race, class, culture or geographical location. We are all children of the most high God and God does not show partiality. It is humans who divide people into categories to satisfy our desires for recognition and status.

We are equal in the sight of God and our qualification, experience, credit rating or bank balance does not determine our place in God. This is why Jesus said in Matthew, “whatever you have done to the least of these, you have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40). We have taken nothing into this world and we can take nothing out with us. Let us hold our physical possessions and titles loosely as they can be here today and gone tomorrow. God created us in his image and likeness and he has assigned great value to each of his children.

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After Job lost his family and all his possessions, three of his friends came and sat with him for a few days. They took turns speaking to Job and admonishing him about his condition. Eliphaz spoke and suggested that perhaps Job was not pure in all of his ways. He admonished Job to return to God so that be would be built up and his treasures would be restored. He said that Job would be able to decree a thing and it would be established unto him and the light of God would shine upon his ways. When someone is cast down, perhaps due to pride, then there is a lifting of others who are humble. He may have suggested that Job was brought low due to pride. However, if Job knew how to humble himself, then God would raise him up again.

David was well acquainted with being low in spirit and trusting God to raise him up. In Psalm 3, he lamented of the increase of those who made trouble with him. There were many who had risen up against him and said there was no hope for him in God. “But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; My glory, and the lifter up of mine head” (Psalm 3:3). David cried unto the Lord and he heard him out of his holy hill. He laid down and slept and the Lord sustained him. His spirit was encouraged so that he was confident, not to be afraid of ten thousand of people, who set themselves against him. He trusted in God to arise, save him, smite the enemy upon the cheek and break the teeth of the ungodly.

In Psalm 24, David declared that the earth belongs to God and everything in it. He asked who would ascend into the hill of the Lord and who would stand in his holy place? Those who have clean hands and a pure heart, who had not lifted up their souls unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. Those who are holy will receive the blessing from the Lord and righteous from our God. “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; And the King of glory shall come in” (Psalm 24:7). The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord of host is our king of glory. As we lift our eyes towards God, he will lift us up, as we sit with him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Isaiah wrote of a new Jerusalem, which will arise and shine for the light of God and the glory of the Lord will be risen upon her.

We are living in dark times, yet the Lord will shine his light upon his people and his glory will be seen among us. “And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising” (Isaiah 60:3). God is gathering his people from all nations of the earth and the abundance of the seas will be converted to us. Nations shall gather around the children of God and strangers shall rebuild our walls. God will not forsake his people and he never forgets his covenants or his promises to us. It does not matter what the circumstances look like or the worldly predictions about disaster and gloom. God will raise his children and establish those who are his, so that the world will see our light and come to glorify God. “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid” (Matthew 5:14).

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In Numbers 11, the Israelites complained about their misfortunes and the Lord heard them. His anger was kindled and his fire burned the outer parts of the camp. The people cried out to Moses and he prayed and the fire died down. There were some foreigners travelling along with the Israelites, who had a strong craving for meat. This craving soon spread among God’s people and they started complaining. “We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic” (Numbers 11:5). They complained that they were now weak as all they had to eat was manna. The manna which they ate was like coriander seeds, which they grounded into wheat and made cakes. This fell at night for them to collect daily as food.

Moses heard the people’s complaints and knew that the Lord was also angry with them. He also had some concerns which he expressed to God. He asked God why he had laid the burden of all his people on him. He asked if he had given birth to them and asked where he would get meat to feed all of the people. “I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness”” (Numbers 11:14-15). Moses felt depressed from all the constant complaining and rebellion of the people. God instructed him to choose seventy elders from among the people. They were to come to the tent of meeting and stand with Moses.

God promised to come down to speak to Moses and take some of the spirit (anointing) that was on him and transfer it to the elders. They would help Moses to bear the burden of the people, so that he would not have to bear their burden alone. God also promised to give the people meat for a month, enough to eat until it would come out of their nostrils. This was because of their bitter complaining against God. When Moses brought the elders to the camp, the spirit of the Lord rested on them and they prophesied. Two of the men who remained in the camp, continued to prophesy after the other men left. “And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp” (Numbers 11:27). Joshua told Moses to stop the men from prophesying. Moses’s response to Joshua was that, he wished that all the people of God would prophesy and God’s spirit would be in them.

Moses was tired of carrying the burden of the people and being the main person who could hear from God. His desire was a good one, that everyone would have the spirit of God and could hear and understand him. Their constant complaining was due to their immaturity and lack of understanding of God. Moses felt that if they knew God and had his spirit within them, then they would know how to speak to God and would complain less. Saints, that spirit of God now lives in us through the Holy Spirit and we can hear God and communicate with him. ““And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions” (Joel 2:28). This same Holy Spirit power, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in us as God’s spirit has been poured out.

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Paul spoke in Romans 8 of his hope of the future glory which will be revealed in us as children of God. Paul’s reflections was that the sufferings, trials and disappointments that we experience here on earth, are nothing to be compared to what we will experience when we are transformed into the image of God. We are made in the image of God but while on earth, we live in the flesh. “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2 Corinthians 4:7).

Like Jesus during his time on earth, we are spirit beings that are housed in earthly vessels of flesh and blood. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5, that if this earthly ‘tent’ or body is destroyed, that we have another building or body not made with human hands. “For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling” (2 Corinthians 5:2). Paul had constant conflicts between being present here with the saints or being absent from earth but present with Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:8).

While we live here on earth, our aim is to grow in the spirit while we daily crucify the flesh with its deeds. Our hope is beyond this life and we wait for a life beyond this. We are here to fulfil our God given assignment and to fulfil our destiny. There are loved ones who have made the transition before us and are at home with Jesus Christ. We carry on to complete the course set before us and have a hope that we will meet them when it is our time to transition. While we live and advance the kingdom, we remember that there is a life beyond this state.

All the time our outer selves are wasting away, our inner man is being renewed daily (2 Corinthians 4:16).

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