Jesus spoke to his disciples often in parables and in his teaching to the multitudes. There were times when his disciples would ask for further clarification after the crowds had left. Jesus would explain the parables to them so that they could understand his teaching. The disciples asked Jesus why he spoke in parables instead of speaking clearly? “And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given” (Matthew 13:11). Jesus spoke of his disciples being chosen as they had accepted his call to follow his leading.

Many of the crowds who followed Jesus did so to see signs and wonders. Others followed Jesus because he was able to multiply food and they wanted to fill their physical appetites. It takes more than our natural senses to understand the things of God. It also takes a desire to know God and a heart that is willing to search for him in order to find him. “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). The seeing and hearing that Jesus spoke about to his disciples related to more than the physical senses. Jesus wanted his disciples to learn to discern and see within the realms of the spirit.

We are spirit beings occupying a physical body and we came from an eternal God who is also a spirit. “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). Since God is a spirit and he created us in his own image and likeness, then it makes sense that we are spirit beings. We are made up of a soul, body and a spirit. It is our spirit being which becomes alive when we accept Jesus Christ as Lord. As we stay connected to God, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us, we remain alive and continue to grow in God. It is our spirits that will remain after our physical bodies die. Our spirit man will live in eternity with God because our flesh cannot survive outside of this earth realm.

“We have to walk in the spirit so that we do not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). We have to also remember that the flesh is at constant war with the spirit and it is the one that we feed the most that will win. Exercising spiritual discipline which keep us connected to Jesus Christ helps our spirits to grow. Gratifying the flesh by giving in to our desires allows the flesh to have domination. As we live in the spirit, feed our spirits with the word and remain connected through prayer, our spiritual senses will also be strengthened and renewed. We will develop a greater ability to hear in the spirit and to see within realms of the spirit what cannot be seen with natural eyes.

“But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear” (Matthew 13:16).

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In Joshua 1, just before the children of Israel crossed over into the promised land, Joshua asked the officers to pass through the camp and tell the people to make preparation. They would move out within three days and in the meantime they needed to prepare for the journey ahead. As part of the preparation, the people sent spies ahead to see the layout of the land and to bring back a report to the people. We have to prepare ourselves ahead of what God has promised us. This requires faith to act in a manner which indicates that we believe what God has said. We act when we have received a word of promise concerning something that we are believing God for.

In Judges 13, an angel appeared to Manoah’s wife and told her that she would have a son called Samson. Manoah prayed for the Lord to ask the angel to come back to give them some more information to help them in preparing for the birth of their son. “She may not eat of anything that comes from the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, or eat any unclean thing. All that I commanded her let her observe” (Judges 13:14). These were the additional instructions from the angel to Manoah and his wife. Although she did not yet see the physical manifestation of her pregnancy, she started to prepare herself for what God said that she could expect to come.

In due season, Manoah’s wife gave birth to a son and they named him Samson. She obeyed what the Lord said and her prophecy came to pass. There are many things that God has said to us that does not require us to act. There are other words of promise that requires us to make preparation. We have to act as though we believe what God has said and we know that it will come to pass. You may be single and God has promised you that he is providing you with a husband or a wife. God wants you to prepare yourself in anticipation for your marriage. God has promised you a promotion to a position of leadership and you need to start to develop a greater understanding of what leadership is.

God expects us to hear and hold fast to his promises. There are times when we are also required to make physical preparation for what God has promised. A season of preparation can feel like a delay to a promise. The delay will last as long as you are unprepared because God would rather allow you to wait than to give you something that you are not prepared for. Going into a marriage unprepared can lead to misery, separation or divorce. Acquiring a position without the character to sustain it can lead to failure and compromise. Get yourself ready so that you can progress with speed into the promise.

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Other translations have interpreted the word reproach as shame or ridicule. Some versions have translated this verse to mean that God had taken away the shame of the slavery that his people experienced in Egypt. After Joshua led the children of Israel across the Jordan river, God commanded him to circumcise the sons of Israel. Once the circumcision was complete, God told Joshua that their reproach had been rolled away. Prior to this the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years. The entire generation of the Jews who left Egypt died in the wilderness because they did not obey the voice of the Lord.

Joshua and Caleb were the only two men from the original people who lived in Egypt who survived beyond the wilderness. The people rebelled against God and against Moses when they were told to cross into the promised land. They chose to listen to the evil report from the ten spies, rather than listen to what the Lord had said through his servants. It can be said that the people had a slavery mentality and one that was full of the shame and reproach of their past. Their children however did not experience slavery. They were born in the wilderness and longed for a place to call home.

The second generation after their release from Egypt obeyed Joshua and were not afraid to move forward and claim their inheritance. The exercise of circumcision was one of purification and cleansing. We circumcise our hearts and sanctify our spirits with the word of God. We are well able to move forward and take possession of the promises that God has for us. We hold fast to what God has promised us and we walk in freedom. We are free from the failures of our past and the guilt and shame from our tribulations. Many of the challenges that we experienced or are experiencing are through no fault of our own.

There are systems that have been designed to try to keep us in bondage and to prevent us from advancing. God has removed the reproach and we have been set free to move forward. God has rolled the barriers away and took our shame upon himself and nailed it to the cross or Calvary. The penalty for our sins has been paid and we are no longer guilty. The limitations of the past have been removed and we are advancing to a brighter future in God. “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead” (Philippians‬ ‭3:13‬).

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Solomon spoke about favour in the book of proverbs and in chapter 3, introduced the concept of favour with God and people. Earlier in the chapter his instruction was to keep the commandments of the Lord, which would result in favour. When we consider the favour of the Lord and we know that God’s hands are on our lives, then anything that we put our hands to is blessed. The other side of this is that God will use people as a conduit for his blessings. A conduit refers to a natural or artificial channel through which something is transmitted. As such, anyone who God uses to convey a blessing is a conduit.

Solomon made reference again in Proverbs 16, to what happens to a person whose ways are pleasing to God. “When people’s lives please the Lord, even their enemies are at peace with them” (Proverbs 16:7). In essence, God can use someone who hates you to be a blessing to you. They will act graciously towards you and be confused about why they are doing it. Remember that God can turn the hearts of Kings and great men in whatever direction that he wants it to go. God will turn the hearts of even the coworker, neighbour or Manager who has been horrible towards you, so that they will have no choice but to be nice to you.

God also uses angelic beings to transfer blessings to us. “Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it” (Hebrews 13:2)! The angels provide supernatural assistance which is impossible beyond the natural realm. We see many instances in the bible where the angels were assigned to assist the children of God with information, guidance and protection in times of war. Angels can set scenes in motion on the earth, to bring about God’s plans and purposes to bless his children.

God wants us to have favour and to live in abundance. God wants us to be at peace with all men where possible. God will use people to convey his blessings and it is those people around you that he is likely to use. There are instances when God has also impressed it upon the heart of strangers to help his children in need. We lift our faith in expectation to receive from the Lord and we also summon angelic assistance to help us in accessing the favour of God. We also pray for the favour of God and use the word to decree favour into our circumstances.

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In 2 Chronicles 12, we read about King Rehoboam who was the leader of Israel and he abandoned the laws of the Lord. He also led the people in rebellion against God and they also abandoned the laws that the Lord instructed them to keep. The King of Egypt came up against Jerusalem and he took the fortified cities of Judah. The Lord sent the prophet Shemaiah to the King and the people who gathered in Jerusalem because of the Egyptian King. Shemaiah said to Rehoboam concerning the word from the Lord, ‘You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak’ (2 Chronicles 12:5).

The King and the princes humbled themselves before God and declared that the Lord was righteous. God spoke to the prophet and told him that he would not pour out his wrath on them because they had humbled themselves. They would serve the Egyptians but God did not allow them to experience utter destruction. Rehoboam was described as a King who did evil in the sight of the Lord. Nevertheless, God honoured his humility and allowed the city of Judah to experience good times.

There are other places in the bible where God speaks on the subject of humility. “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you” (1 Peter 5:6). God is honourable and honours his word above his name. Anyone who has a humble attitude will be exalted in due season. God does not want to be close to people who are puffed up with pride. I am not talking about a false sense of humility where you deny your natural abilities and accept less in life. The bible’s concept of humility is putting God in his rightful place in your life. Trusting in him and allowing him to direct your steps and remembering to acknowledge him and ascribe all glory and honour to his name.

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In this chapter of Acts, Paul and Silas were on their way to the place of prayer. On their way, they were met by a servant girl who had a spirit of divination. Her owners made a living from her work as a fortune teller. She followed Paul and Silas and continued calling out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation” (Acts 16:17). There was nothing wrong with what she was saying on the surface, but the spirit operating through her irritated Paul. Paul became greatly annoyed because he discerned that what spoke out of her was the spirit of divination.

The spirit world recognises Jesus and the Holy Spirit living in us. They are able to perceive when the greater one lives in us and the authority that we command in the realms of the spirit. Paul used his spiritual authority and commanded the spirit to come out of her in the name of Jesus. The spirit obeyed and came out of her the same hour. We are not sure how dramatic the scene of her deliverance was but the following scriptures show that her owners were very angry with Paul and Silas. “But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers” (Acts 16:19).

The irony is that the masters of this servant girl profited off her state of bondage. In fact, many people mistake the spirit of divination for a gift as people seem able to predict the future or to tell people details about their past. The spirit of divination works along with spirits of darkness who obtain information about people. Familiar spirits are well acquainted with earthly affairs and communicate with people operating in divination. Paul knew enough to know that the spirit was not a gift to the girl but a spirit that oppressed and used her to further the kingdom of darkness.

The girl’s owners complained that Paul and Silas, ‘are disturbing our city’ (Acts 16:20). Notice that Paul didn’t address the woman but addressed the spirit that she was being controlled by. We have to be discerning to know who is operating by the gift of the Holy Spirit and those people who are operating by another spirit. We don’t have to tolerate spirits that are not of God and we have the authority to resist spirits of oppression. We don’t have to be afraid when it comes to the spirit world and understand that Jesus gave us power over every power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means harm us.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

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From the time that we were born until now, the enemy has a strategy to frustrate the plan and purpose that God has assigned over our lives. There are situations that are challenging us that have been sent to try to wear us out and cause us to lose sleep. “The enemy comes but for to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus came to give us life in abundance” (John 10:10). The enemy comes to steal our joy and peace and to destroy our relationships and drain our finances. The devil is at the root of every strained relationship and difficulty that we are experiencing. The question is what are we doing about it and will we continue to tolerate it?

We are at war and we have been given weapons to pull down every stronghold operating in our lives. We ask God to give us spiritual eyes to identify the spirits operating through people around us and then we take authority and command them to leave in Jesus Name. “And this kind goes not out but through much fasting and prayer” (Matthew 17:21”

We have to cast down arguments and every lofty opinion that would exalt itself against the knowledge of God. In other words, don’t tolerate conversations that attack or target your faith. Don’t debate with unbelievers who are out to prove your faith to be of no effect. Minister to them if they are genuinely in search of answers, but don’t get dragged into senseless debates. “So we demolish arguments and every lofty opinion and take captive every opinion to obey Christ. Being ready to punish every disobedience” (2 Corinthians 10:5-6).

We have to stay in the word, pray continually and keep our spiritual eyes open to discern the strategy that is at work against us. “We cannot remain ignorant of the devices of the Devil and allow him to get the advantage over us” (2 Corinthians 2:11). Put on your full armour, stay alert, remain sensitive in the spirit and take the sword of the spirit and start to demolish every stronghold working to frustrate your life. It’s time to drive out this spirit and do not tolerate it.

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The bible says that Jabez was more honourable than all of his brothers and his name translated means, ‘borne in pain.’ Despite his name and the life that would have followed, Jabez was honourable and I believe that this was what caused God to answer his prayer. Jabez didn’t pray a long and complicated prayer or hold a prayer vigil, but he made a simple heartfelt request to God. Jabez started his prayer by asking God to bless him. This was a general request for God to bless all that concerned Jabez and to confer the blessing of Abraham on his life. His second request was for God to enlarge his border which relates to expansion and elevation.

Jabez asked for the hand of the Lord to be with him to provide guidance and protection. Jabez asked God to keep him from harm so that it might not bring him pain. The bible says that God granted Jabez’s request. I believe that Jabez has outlined for us a simple strategy for prayer in order to receive from God. Jabez was honourable which means that he served God and lived a life that brought pleasure to God. Jabez was also specific about what he wanted God to do for him. He did not try to use a system or a method to try to force God into answering his prayer. Jabez used only a few words and didn’t try to impress God with using vain repetitions.

I don’t believe that God will only answer the prayers of those who are honourable. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). I believe that God will answer anyone who prays with sincerity and brokenness. I do believe that when we obey what the word says then the blessings of the Lord will be conferred unto us. There are some blessings that come with the condition of obedience to the will of God.

In this week I want to encourage us to pray like Jabez. Pray with sincerity and humility before God. There may be things that we need to confess to God and repent of, so that we can approach God with confidence and a clear conscience. Once we have consecrated ourselves, we can lay out to God our requests. Remember to pray with pure motives and to ensure that our desires are aligned with the will and purpose of God.

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Jeremiah’s call came from the Lord when he was only a child and God set out for Jeremiah his assignment among his people. “See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant””(Jeremiah 1:10). The mantle on his life was for the establishment of the kingdom of God and the destruction of the kingdom of darkness. To tear down principalities and powers, to pluck up any seeds illegally planted, to destroy and overthrow any systems that were contrary to the will and purpose of God and to plant righteous seeds for harvesting.

God promised to put his words in Jeremiah’s mouth so that he could speak concerning his people. “Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth” (Jeremiah 1:9). The unction on Jeremiah’s life was that of the prophetic anointing to speak as the mouthpiece for God. God used prophets in the Old Testament to deliver his word to the people. Prophets revealed the heart and mind of God and often warned people of what was to come. Elijah prayed and there was no rain for three years and he declared this to the people.

“Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word”” (1 Kings 17:1). Just as Elijah declared, there was no rain on the land for three years until Elijah declared that the rain would return. Each time Elijah prayed and declared, God heard and honoured what he said. “And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground” (1 Samuel 3:19). This means that everything that Samuel said came to pass and nothing that he spoke returned void. The prophets had the delegated authority to speak on God’s behalf.

We know that there is power in the spoken word and more so the word of God is, “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Job said that whatever we decree will be established (Job 22:28). As believers, we have the authority to guarantee a performance when we speak the word of God. “so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).

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The context in the above scripture concerning the daughter of Zion, refers to the people of God that dwelt in Jerusalem. This reference in the New Testament relates to the church who is the bride of Christ. In the Old Testament, God had taken away the reproach of his people and had restored their joy. “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). Although there were times when God was displeased with his people when they were disobedient, he did not keep his anger forever. God would restore his people for his name sake and give them joy for mourning.

In the New Testament, Jesus instructs his disciples to get a colt on which no man had ridden. He sat on the colt and rode into Jerusalem signalling the triumphal entry. “And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest”” (Matthew 21:9)! Jesus did this to fulfil the prophecy written by Zechariah in the Old Testament and referenced again in the New Testament. “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden’” (Matthew 21:5).

Finally in Revelations 21, we see a new heaven and a new earth as the first of these had passed away. “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). This new Jerusalem is the bridegroom of Christ, the daughter of Zion as the church. Then God will make his final dwelling place with his people as with the old covenant made with Israel, ‘so you will be my people, and I will be your God’ (Jeremiah 30:22).

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). We sing in hope for the return of Christ to restore the church as his bride. We know that this is not our final home and we hope for better days to come. We sing for the Lord is here and he has made his home with us and we are his people.

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