“It is good for me that I have been afflicted; That I might learn thy statutes.” 

Reason: This is the story of my relationship with the Holy Bible summed up in a verse – Problems! 

Problems upon problems. Confusion, heartbreak, depression, stagnation, troubles, disappointments… they all did one thing. They pushed me into the pages of the Scriptures to seek and know this God. 

Am I problem free today? No! But I have a peace which this world can never give. This Word of God is my daily medicine. I am sick without it but just throw a verse into my heart and my entire countenance is lifted up. It is truly good for me that I have and continue to be afflicted. I have learned and am learning His Statutes.

Another (somewhat cheeky)  reason is that Words are my love language. When speaking about love languages according to the 5 recognised categories, mine falls into the category of ‘Words of Affirmation’ and I was reflecting about a very painful breakup I went through shortly after the breakup and said, “if he had only reassured me, I wouldn’t have acted that way. All he had to do was say something and I would have been fine but he didn’t.” 

Well, he never said anything and indeed humans can choose when they want to speak but with this Word of God which is alive and active and always speaking, I can never run out of what is better than honey for my soul. I can never run out of love. The Bible is my Love Letter. My Words of Affirmation {Side note: I am probably now the easiest person to love because the other party’s love is never what sustains me. With these Words of Life, I can never be destitute or in a bankruptcy of love!

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” ‭

Reason: Is there much to say? This is the entire foundation and sustenance of the Christian Life. Without Christ we can do nothing. This verse always brings to mind the picture of Samson rising up and saying to himself, “I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself” meanwhile, “he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.” 

We must be able to know when we are doing things on our own strength. When the Christian Life becomes a chore, when the Word becomes boring, when fellowship becomes same old thing, we must check whether we are abiding in the Vine and Spring of life.

This echoes again and again: “WITHOUT ME, YE CAN DO NOTHING!”

“Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, TO WHOM shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” 

‬Reason: I have considered this. If I were to stop being a Christian, where would I really go? If I stopped reading the Bible, what would I read? If I stopped praying, where would the flowing tears be stored? If I stopped talking about God, what would I say? The simple question is this: TO WHOM SHALL I GO!? There is no turning back. There’s nothing to go back to. There’s only one way and that is onward and forward until I attain “the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

“…Do you love Me?”…“Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”  

Reason: I repeat this verse regularly in my conversations with God. He knows I love Him because He knows all things and surely He knows that I love Him. Help me to truly love You, Lord… by feeding Your sheep. 

“When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.” 

‭Reason: Names are instructive. It is a blessing for a person to be christened with a Biblical name and to see how that person’s life aligns with the Biblical Figure. For instance, I think about the Biblical Enoch who walked with God and see Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye walking with God. I think about the Biblical David and see how my earthly father, Pastor Samuel … wow! It was at the point of writing this I realised my father isn’t called David. His life reminds me a lot about David, the sweet Psalmist of Israel and dear friend of God. My father is the sweet Psalmist of the Olatunji Home and a dear friend of God…. Then I look at the Biblical Eunice, the woman with unfeigned faith who taught her son, Timothy, Scripture from a young age and  I look at me, Eunice. This one thing I know, the faith I have in the Almighty God is unfeigned. Thank You, Lord.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Reason: speaking about faith and unfeigned faith, I realise that this faith is a gift from God. It is a very special gift God has given to we who believe and indeed, I am amazed. Indeed, I cannot boast. I look at the simplicity of the Gospel and the joy that comes from knowing Christ and wonder how anyone will not believe or even reject it all together and I realise that the gift of belief, the gift of faith comes only from God. We are left with nothing to boast about. We know it is not our intellect but God who through His discriminating mercy chose to gift we who believe this faith and not on the basis of what we do – I stand disqualified if it was based on our actions but this is a precious gift from God… “for this cause I bow my knees…” 

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” 

Reason: It is the major reason of our digital world why people do not believe. We want to see everything. We want to see God. We want to see the pierced hands of Jesus and put our hands into it. We want evidence that we can touch and take selfies with to prove that Jesus came to earth and God is real. 

Listen, without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God. Anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists. Now I’m not talking about the faith which is a gift of God. I’m talking about the mustard seed faith which helps us to pray, ‘I believe, help Thou my unbelief!’

 When Paul went to Athens, he saw that the people where praying ‘to the  unknown god’. They didn’t say ‘an’ unknown God and if the rules of English are anything to go by, the article, ‘The’ means one specific thing whilst the articles, ‘a’ or ‘an’ mean one out of many things. 

They knew that there was ‘something more’, ‘a higher power’ or ‘a force’ as some seekers call it and that was fertile ground for Paul to go on to share the true Gospel with them. 

However some don’t even entertain the fact that there is more to this transitory life and the earth came forth with not a boomerang but with a simple spoken Word from an Almighty God. 

That little faith with which we pray is valid faith and what God does is He then rewards us with real faith. I remember praying to God when I had no relationship with Him that I wanted to know Him for myself if He was real. I didn’t know Him but the prayer was at least to the little possibility I had in my heart that He is real and He did reward as promised. He rewarded me and will reward as many as seek Him diligently with the greatest Reward God can give to anyone: Himself. 

 

 “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

REASON: A representation of the struggle we face as Christians. Christianity is not perfection but progress. Progress in holiness, progress in sensitivity to sin. Sometimes we do things which make us question if we are even saved but we are reminded in these verses that even the Apostle had such struggles with flesh. He goes on to encourage us that we have victory through Christ and there is NO condemnation to those who are in Christ who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. 

“It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: if we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: if we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”

REASON: I describe these verses as the only game God ‘loses’ to us. He matches up to everything we do until it comes for us to be faithless and He can’t match up because He is entangled in the web of His faithful self. 

It is my favourite attribute of God and I laugh with love at Him because of this fact: that God IS faithful. He can’t help it, it is who He is.   However, we must not continue in sin for grace to abound. 

“Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). 

He is faithful to save, faithful to keep us till the end, He is faithful to keep us blameless – body, soul and spirit, faithful to forgive us when we sin, faithful to fulfil His promises to us, faithful to make all things work together for the good of those who love Him, faithful to vindicate us from  false accusations, faithful to resurrect us when we die in Him.  

We can be at peace forever because of this single fact: that God is faithful! 

“Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; My glory, and the lifter up of mine head.”

Reason: Ah! The first day I saw this Psalm, I said to God that this is my situation. When my life is viewed by the lens of societal expectations for a 30 year old, I might not match up and it may seem as though, I’m only a Christian because of these ‘failures’. 

The truth is the failures brought me to Christ but they are not what is keeping me in Him. I look forward to attaining some of this societal expectations simply to have their attention and throw it back in their faces that all of these are garbage and rubbish and now that I have their attention (due to fame, wealth or whatever will bring it) let me tell them about The Way, The Truth & The Life.

 Honestly, I care nothing for worldly achievements other than having the attention of the same world in order to be heard so I tell God, “it may look as though I’m with You because of so and so but we know it goes deeper than that. Please make me a wonder to this generation for Your Name sake and for Your glory alone. Let those who think there’s no help or hope for me even in You be utterly scorned and put to shame. Let them know and understand that the race is not to the swift, neither is the battle to the strong. Let them know that a bad character  and a vindictive temper is transformable when one abides in and knows You. You are my Glory and the Lifter of my head through Christ. Amen.”

“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”

REASON: Oh that we 21st Century Christians will read, reflect on and preach more verses like this. 

Our prayers are so earth and ‘purpose’ centred as though our next breath is guaranteed. It is good to want earthly things but never at our soul’s expense. Nothing on this earth should ever give us distress or sinful anxiety. The world and everything is passing away. It truly is never ever that serious! 

This is the kind of peace Jesus gives to us which is not the kind of peace the world gives. 

Remember him who before he could sit to enjoy his wealth and fruits of his hard work, was told, “you fool! Tonight your soul is required of you!” We worry over too many things but only one thing matters and that will never be taken from us. 

Christian, we must be of good cheer! Christ HAS overcome the world! “It is finished!”

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain”

REASON: “Only one life ‘twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last” – C.T Studd. 

I think of all the great men and women of faith, many of whom died in sickness, obscurity and even penniless but how their works have lasted till this day and are as fresh as dew, still active active and still growing. 

I think of John Bunyan who wrote ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ and how he died, leaving his wife and children with barely any money, having only sold a few hundreds or thousands of the book and how today, it has become the second best selling book in the world – a far second from the Holy Bible. 

I think of the biographies of men like David Brainerd, Jim Elliot, who died in their youth whilst on the battlefield for Christ in obscurity but whose biographies have gone on to inspire millions of Christians into missions and won many converts. 

I think of William Tyndale who defied the popery and was killed for his personal life mission of making the Bible available to the lowly of the society to read in the English Language whose translation remains 70% of the King James Version we read today. 

I think of Anne Askew, a woman from a wealthy home who scorned her wealth and dared to read the Bible and preach it publicly in a time when it was a taboo and was killed at the age  of 24 for this act but opened the way for women to read the Bible for themselves rather than be misled by the popes who read it in their exclusive languages and translated it to the public in whatever way suited their carnal desires. 

I think of Charles Spurgeon who suffered with depression during his life and eventually opposition from fellow Christians in ‘The Downgrade Controversy’ which affected his health and eventually led to his death but how his works have influenced the lives of millions of Christians and how his writings are the most influential on my life after The Bible. 

I think of the Apostles and the members of The Hallmark of Faith in Hebrews 11 who “were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection… had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment… were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented…They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth”, despite all these, they didn’t receive ‬ ‭the Promise given to them in their lifetime; none of them knew Christ as we know Him. 

These stories of perseverance for the sake of Christ is encouraging to me and hopefully to you to labour for the cause of Christ because whatever is done for His sake will never be in vain whether in life or in death. We should gladly press on without affirmation, recognition, reward or applause even though those things will be temporarily nice to the flesh. Whatever is done for Christ’s sake will never be in vain. 

“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

REASON: 

In our generation, knowing and discovering our purpose is such a big deal. We are told to write it down and pursue it. For those who know and are clear about their purpose, this is great. 

However, even if we cannot put into words what our specific purpose is, we know we have a Creator who made us for His pleasure and glory. 

During a conversation with someone who asked what my ‘specific calling’ is, I shared this verse and the response was, ‘that is our general calling. What is your specific calling?’ 

The answer has not changed. I may not know what my specific calling is or what my goals in life are but one thing I know, I was created by God’s will, for His purpose and for His pleasure.  

“For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!

REASON: When you  experience  true salvation by grace, you don’t choose to share The Gospel. You have no choice. You cannot help but speak about God’s amazing grace. 

Most importantly, you don’t feel as though there is anything special about you or your preaching. You understand that it is a gift from God. You cannot boast about your knowledge, seeming  eloquence or experience. 

Like Paul, as for me Eunice, necessity is laid upon me. Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel! 

“He which testifieth these things saith, ‘Surely I come quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

REASON: isn’t this the desire of every Christian who groans for personal and communal sin and the agony in this world? 

Do we not desire for Christ to return and put His enemies and rejecters to shame? Surely, I long to see Ben David coming back in pomp and splendour, ready for battle! Gosh. He will be so handsome. 

Ben Joseph came in lowliness and meekness but this Ben is coming back in royalty and a lavish display of His power. The thought of this final battle just excites my heart where we can all say the final cry of ‘IT IS FINISHED!’ with Him. 

Oh Lord, hasten this day. Come Lord, come. “Though it tarry, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not tarry.” 

Let all the Saints say AMEN! 

“To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them…”

There are several verses confirming the deity of Jesus – God Himself in flesh – but I particularly love this which captures this fact and shows His reason for doing so: God came into the world to restore us to Himself. He came to forgive our sins once and for all and to open up a way we might live forever with Him. That Way is Christ. 

How would anyone refuse this? 

“Therefore, I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

REASON: 

This is one of those Scriptures that is preached as a command rather than a wilful and loving response to something.

Romans 12:1&2 will not be appreciated or delighted in without an understanding of Romans 11 for what God has done for we, Gentiles by temporarily hardening the hearts of Israelites so that we Gentiles who believe in Christ receive mercy which ought to have been given to Israel, God original chosen people. It is a very deep chapter which when the illumination comes by the Holy Spirit, Romans 12:1&2 is a natural response. 

In view of God’s tender mercies towards me, I am to present my body as a living sacrifice – holy and acceptable – to God. I am to become a new person by letting God change the way I think through His Word. 

It isn’t a command and it isn’t what gets me right with God but if I have any understanding at all of the fact that I had no hope of coming to God – for the mere fact that I am not an Israelite by birth but Nigerian – but for the sheer mercies of God in Christ, this will be my response of saying, thank You, Lord.

Paul pleads/appeals/beseeches/urges that we do these things IN VIEW of God’s mercies. Not some abstract thing to make our earthly lives boring when we are ‘free’. 

It’s easy to conform to a world we belong to. It’s the natural thing to just go with whatever is popular in society but to take the high road of biblical counter-culturalism for Christ’s sake is a cross to carry in this present world and should be a delight to we who believe. 

When this verse is perceived as a command we must do and even worse, as something we can achieve by a resolution outside of the guidance of the Bible, we fail to have a slight grasp of the immensity of what God has done for us through Christ. 

“For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.”

REASON: For its profundity in capturing this, this excerpt from the reading of the Morning of 7th December from Spurgeon’s Morning & Evening devotional is taken: 

“Go where you will, you need not ransack earth to find sinners, for they are common enough; you may find them in every lane and street of every city, and town, and village, and hamlet. It is for such that Jesus died. If you will select me the grossest specimen of humanity, if he be but born of woman, I will have hope of him yet, because Jesus Christ is come to seek and to save sinners. Electing love has selected some of the worst to be made the best. Pebbles of the brook grace turns into jewels for the crown-royal. Worthless dross he transforms into pure gold. Redeeming love has set apart many of the worst of mankind to be the reward of the Saviour’s passion. Effectual grace calls forth many of the vilest of the vile to sit at the table of mercy, and therefore let none despair.”

Who will God not save? Who are we to condemn anyone? God will save whom He will. Heaven roll-call will consist of a lot of ‘wows’ ‘ooohs’ and ‘aaahs’. If he could save Paul, he could save me. If he has saved me, he will save more. 

I rejoice with those seemingly worst of sinners whom He will one day call and transform to the image of Christ. Amazing grace! 

 “But now, God’s Message, the God who made you in the first place, Eunice, the One who got you started, Eunice: “Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your name. You’re mine. When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end— Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you: all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in! That’s how much you mean to me! That’s how much I love you! I’d sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you.”

‭‭Verses 1-4‬ (MSG)

“Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.”

‭‭Verse 4‬ (NLT)

“I have made Eunice for myself, and she will someday honor Me before the whole world.”

‭‭Verse ‬ ‭21‬ ‭(NLT)

REASON: These verses are very dear to my heart. They are God’s love letters. They are comforting, soothing, encouraging, humbling and tranquil. 

Whatever life brings, I can press on with confidence that my Love has overcome the world. I can go through tough seasons knowing that God is there with me. 

When I feel useless and without any purpose in this world, I can be rest assured that I was created for God, and my desire to honour Him not just before friends and family, but the whole world will be fulfilled one day. 

These are divine love letters. I love listening to this Chapter in the NLT dramatised audio Bible as it sounds like God Himself audibly speaking and the background music that accompanies the reading is perfect. 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”

REASON: If I desire clarity in life and direction on what to do, my  duty is to trust in the Lord with all my heart. Not half heartedly but with my whole heart. I am not to lean on my own understanding – my experiences, my notion of what is right or wrong or what culturally is affirmative. I am to acknowledge Him in all my ways. All that I do in word and speech should be for His glory, I should seek His face before making decisions and invite Him to take first place in every area of my life. 

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

REASON: To know God’s Word is to know life. To obey God’s Word is to have peace. The Word of God is to dwell in us richly. When we are rich, we have abundance, we can freely give knowing we still have enough. The Word of God in our hearts should be our measure of wealth. We should have enough of it stored up in us and be ever ready to distribute it freely. 

What’s more, we all should have a song playing in our heads at any given time just glorifying God and expressing thankfulness for who He is and all He has done. 

A Christian’s head should never be without melody and we should be able to freely ask each other, ‘what song is playing in your head now?’ And when it’s sung aloud, it turns out to be not just any song trending on the top charts but a spiritual song giving thanks to God. We should never be void of making melodies to God. Isn’t he worthy? 

How much of God’s Word dwells in you? What spiritual song is playing in your head and expressing thanks to God right now? 

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

REASON: Why bite the hand that feeds you? Why eat bread with your friend then lift your heal against them? (Psalm 41:10) Why break the trust and confidence of One who confided in you? (Psalm 55:12-24). 

This is what we do when we are ashamed of the Gospel. To be ashamed of The Gospel is to be a 21st Century Judas Iscariot. No, it’s worse. Judas never experienced the risen Christ. We have experienced the risen Christ and the sweet fellowship of the Holy Spirit so why would we be ashamed of sharing the Gospel? 

The Gospel is the power of God. When we are ashamed of The Gospel, we hate what God can do in a person’s life. The Gospel has saved billions of people and will continually save so one individual being ashamed is of no effect. 

Jesus promises that those who deny Him before men, He will deny before God. God says that if we deny Him, He will also deny us so the only person losing out when we are ashamed of Christ is that person and no one else. 

The lack of the good old Gospel in many ‘Christian’ circles today does seem as though the Gospel is something to be ashamed of. We seem to want all of the world and a sprinkle of Jesus but never the whole counsel of God that is able to clear our hands from the blood of men (Acts 20:26-27). 

Have mercy upon us, Lord. I am not ashamed of Your Gospel, I am not ashamed of Your power. It saved me, has transformed and will continue to save as many as You will. 

“Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.”

REASON: Without giving specific details of the event, The Lord expressly gave me this precious name, “Hephzibah” on 8th October, 2020. 

Thank You, Ishi. 

“Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits…”

‭‭

REASON: This is one area in which we all need repentance and mercy: how quick we are to forget all that God has done for us. 

We complain, constantly have list of things we need, go around with gloomy faces even envy  others  and what they have simply because we are selective in our memories. 

This was the biggest problem of the Israelites: they forgot their God. They forgot the wonders He did for them in Egypt and how He sustained them for 40 years. They forgot His laws and what pleased Him so they quickly turned to idols. 

A major factor of this forgetfulness was because all they knew was God’s acts, not His ways (Psalm 103:7). When we fall in love with what Someone can do rather than who they are, we certainly lose interest in them in no time. 

Whenever we feel discontent with anything at all in life, let us simply cast our minds back. Let us remember who God is, what He did in Scripture and what He has done in our personal lives – His benefits to us. The first benefit the Psalmist lists is: “Who forgives all your iniquities.” 

The most important thing God has done for us is to give us Christ as a ransom for our sin. To those who believe, there is no condemnation whatsoever for them. 

What about the blessings of life He  has given us? My COVID experience helped me realise how much we underestimate the gift of being able to smell and taste food after going two weeks without being able to smell or taste anything. 

The gift of seeing, the gift of water, the gift of food, the gift of family…Only when these things are taken from us do we realise how invaluable they were. 

We don’t need to get to the Rivers of Babylon before we remember Zion. Even when we have needs, we are told to be anxious for nothing and to make our requests known to God with thanksgiving. 

We are without excuse. Let us regularly take time to count our blessings and name then one by one. 

“The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my Deliverer; My God, my Strength, in whom I will trust; my Shield and the Horn of my salvation, my Stronghold.”

REASON: David penned the words of this Psalm, the same day God had delivered him from all his enemies, especially from Saul who was desperately after His life. 

He began by telling God he loves Him and in this verse, went on to call God 8 different names to express how God was his all and ALL. 

Would we be able to call God eight names reflecting who He is to us personally besides who He is in Himself? 

Here are eight personal names I will call God: My Love, my Succour, my Strength , my Employer, my Enjoyment, my Peace , my Comfort, my Ishi. 

What are eight personal names you will call God without given time to think? 

“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will” 

Reason: This verse is so magnificent. The latter part is grand. So soothing. So comforting. It is sovereignty in all its splendour. 

God is His own adviser. His own counsellor. Men may condemn and disqualify us but God does only what He will. 

Spurgeon says, “The word CHANCE should be forever banished from the Christian’s conversation. Luck or chance is a base heathenish invention! God rules and overrules all things.” 

We know as God’s children that our life and it’s event is a manifestation of divine providence. We can rest assured that nothing takes God by surprise and He is fully in control of all things.  

We make decisions as humans based of passion, fear and emotions which may lead to regret and altering promises  but God’s decisions are made  as a result of wise deliberation with Himself. 

If He does all things well, we know that all things in our life will together for good. 

“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy”

It’s been said and has proven to be true that one of the ways God’s speaks to us is when we repeatedly see a certain Verse of Scripture. 

Well, in October of 2021, God spoke to me with this verse and I copy and paste an account of this as I wrote in the Notes section of my  phone on 13th October, 2021:

It began last week Thursday whilst listening to a sermon from the  heavenly Coronation of Wilson Badejo (the ex-foursquare General Overseer), such an encouraging service and a spur to continue wholeheartedly in the faith knowing that that day of glory will come! Arghhhhh 

So during that service, this verse was shared and it grasped the entire attention of my whole soul: 

“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,”

‭‭Jude‬ ‭1:24‬ ‭

I loved it but didn’t understand that God was starting something. Was doing something. Was directly telling me something. Was audibly, visibly and completely giving me a Love Letter from His very Being. 

Lord, I just want to say thank you. 

Between that Thursday and today, Wednesday, the 7th day, I have come across this verse SEVEN times. Wow!

I don’t remember all the times but I remember the following: 

• It appearing in the Morning and Evening by C.H Spurgeon (one of the devotionals I use), in two consecutive days – Mornings of October 9 & 10.
• Hearing it in a sermon by W.F Kumuyi (someone who I had never listened to). He was preaching on worldly dressing but somehow fitted this verse in that sermon, I really don’t see the connection  but I am not complaining at all! 

These are the three times I recall but It’s been six times where at the second or third time, I just smiled and smiled and been smiling since. 

Then this morning. The climax came. I woke up earlier than usual, at about 03:26 and was going to go back to bed but decided to go on the Bible Apps. Scrolled through the Youversion as I regularly do and then decided to go on the NLT app which I haven’t opened in some days and BEHOLD, the VERSE OF THE DAY (13.10.21) ON THE NLT APP: 

[24] Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. [25] All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.

Jude 1:24-25 NLT

Ah Lord! Thank You. 

When I fear my faith will fail, You WILL hold me fast. 

Those You save are Your delight, You will hold me fast. 

There certainly have been toils and worries in my heart in relation to us, Lord, but You have sent this fresh dew of Your Word to restore my thirsty soul even at a season that I am so undeserving of it in the very way I love it – through the very settled Word of Your Scripture. But when am I really deserving of anything from You? 

I am thankful and joyful sweet Lord. It is enough that You died for me. I am the brand plucked out of fire! I love You so so so much, Lord. Help me to unashamedly and insatiably fall more and more in love with You. 

As You have spoken, please keep me from falling and present me FAULTLESS, BLAMELESS, SPOTLESS, WITHOUT WRINKLE, BLEMISH OR ANY SUCH THING before Your throne of glory and mercy. 

Ahhh. Joy! Joy! Joy! 

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:26) 

“WHO shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.” 

(ROMANS 8:33) 

Hahahahahhahaha!!! JOY JOY JOY! EXCEEDING GREAT JOY UNSPEAKABLE AND FULL OF GLORY! 

“For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.” 

(1 Timothy 1:12) 

 

Thank You, Lord. 

“…Our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.”

 “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

REASON: I just love how Paul breaks into these spontaneous moments of worship in the middle of his letters to Timothy and goes on as if he did not just stair our hearts up to just stop reading and ponder and revel upon the majesty of our Lord’s  glory and splendour.

These verses are deep worship. 

Jesus is Lord. To Him be all glory, honour, majesty and power. 

“Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24

“But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.”

‭‭II Thessalonians‬ ‭3:3‬ ‭

“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭1:9‬ ‭

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

I Corinthians‬ ‭10:13‬ ‭

“Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations”

Deuteronomy 7:9

“But as God is faithful…”

‭‭II Corinthians‬ ‭1:18‬ ‭

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10:23‬ ‭

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

‭‭I John‬ ‭1:9‬ ‭

“Ephraim has encircled Me with lies, And the house of Israel with deceit; But Judah still walks with God, Even with the Holy One who is faithful.”

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭11:12‬ ‭

“Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.”

‭‭I Peter‬ ‭4:19‬ ‭

“Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood”

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭1:5‬ ‭

REASON:

“Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house.”

Numbers‬ ‭12:7‬ ‭

May this be Your testimony over me Lord: ‘Not so with My servant EUNICE, she is faithful in all My house.” 

You are faithful. You have been faithful to me. You will always abide faithful. 

Help me, Lord, to be faithful to You. 

When I stand before your throne, please let me not be ashamed. Let me kneel as you say to me with exceeding joy, gladness and rejoicing, “well done, My good and faithful servant,” as you permanently admit me into the eternal joy of my Saviour and my Lord.

You have my heart, Lord. You have my life. I love you. 

Thank you. 

“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.”

‭‭I Timothy‬ ‭1:15‬ ‭