THE VALUE OF DIVINE PRESENCE IN YOUR 2024 JOURNEY
Sunday, 7 January 2024
THE VALUE OF DIVINE PRESENCE IN YOUR 2024 JOURNEY
Monday, 25 December 2023
The Divine Burden
Title: "The Divine Burden"
Short story by Dr Joel Dabbas
In a quiet village, Mary found herself in the midst of an extraordinary journey that would forever alter the course of her life. A divine burden, she carried within her womb the promise of something miraculous. Yet, the weight of this revelation wasn't only felt in the swelling of her belly.
Mary bore the silent shame of a tale too fantastical for those tethered to earthly logic. To them, her immaculate conception was a perplexing fairy tale, an enigma that invited whispers of doubt and judgment.
As her belly grew, so did the burden of rejection and scorn. The skeptical eyes and hushed criticisms formed a storm around her, a tempest of humiliation that only intensified with each passing day. She became a parable of faith, a living testament to the unfathomable ways of the divine.
Joseph, her betrothed, faced the internal struggle of a man torn between love and reason. Convinced of her betrayal, he contemplated releasing her from their engagement. In his justified hurt, Mary faced the impending heartbreak of losing the man she loved. Yet, in his wisdom, Joseph became an unexpected ally, embracing the divine plan unfolding before them.
The pain Mary endured was not in vain but a precursor to a greater gain. A poignant reminder that anything worthwhile demands sacrifice. She, in her quiet submission to God's will, became a vessel of divine purpose, proving that the path to something extraordinary often weaves through the fabric of hardship.
As we reflect on Mary's journey on the screen of time, let it be said of us that we too, like her, embraced the sacrifices required to fulfill God's agenda in our lives.
Sunday, 24 December 2023
THE GENEALOGY OF JESUS THROUGH THE GOSPELS
THE GENEALOGY OF JESUS THROUGH THE GOSPELS
(The Teaching Ministry of Dr Joel Dabbas)
The most important birth was the birth of Jesus. If the world could correctly read the script of prophecy the best hospitals would want to have Him delivered in there. Probably they would've been so proud that the doctor who took His delivery would have it engraved on his epitaph. Imagine today, it would have become a sight for pilgrimage and tourism.
The value of Christ's birth is so great that it affects both time and eternity. His birth was the factor for the restoration of man back to God. His birth showed that God is God of love, mercy and forgiveness. His birth shows the power of God and that there is no impossibility in God.
So, that is why both the old testament and new testament spoke about Jesus and the four Gospels never started until they introduced Jesus. The four Gospels wrote remarkably about Jesus and presented diverse dimensions to the person of the Christ.
Matthew presents Jesus as the Messiah, the coming King. Jesus’ genealogy is recorded from Abraham to Joseph, making Jesus a legal heir to the throne of David.
Mark presents Jesus as the Suffering Servant, prophesied in Isaiah. There is no genealogy provided because a slave’s genealogy was insignificant and not worthy of being recorded.
Luke presents Jesus as the Son of Man, a messianic title from the prophecy of Daniel. Luke presents Jesus as 100% man, a son of David. The genealogy begins with Joseph, as the husband of Mary, and traces Jesus’ ancestry through Mary’s bloodline all the way back to the first man, Adam.
John presents Jesus as the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity. Jesus’ genealogy is recorded as the eternal God, co-existant with God the Father from everlasting.
All of this was prophesied, more than a half a century earlier, by the prophet Micah:
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little [Mark’s humble servant] among the thousands of Judah [Luke’s Son of Man from the Tribe of Judah], yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel [Matthew’s coming King]; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting [John’s Son of God]. (Micah 5:2)
Now, one part of Christ's live that is important to study is His genealogy.
Genealogy is the study of the ancestry of a person.
A breakdown on how the Gospels wrote about Christ's ancestry. It is noteworthy that not all the gospel wrote about the genealogy of Jesus. This in my own view is what I call the "writers prerogative." Every Scripture was written by Divine inspiration, so everything written by the four writers of the Gospels were based on the dimension the Holy Spirit inspired them to write.
Now, the New Testament provides two accounts of the biological Genealogy of Jesus, one in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 1:1-17) and another in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 3:23-38).
The Family Tree of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew starts with Abraham, and mentions that there are 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 from David to the exile, and 14 from the exile to Jesus. The lineage of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke gives the same lineage, but it includes His ancestors all the way to Adam.
WHAT TO LEARN FROM MATTHEW AND LUKE'S APPROACH TO CHRIST'S GENEALOGY:
1. That God is the God of records, He has all the details of all your links on earth.
2. That God is transgenerational in what He does and His dealings with us. We could see the trajectory of God's dealings through Adam to Abraham down to David and then to Jesus
3. That God is not a man that He should lie. God kept speaking by prophecy about the coming if the Messiah all through the old testament and He eventually brought it to pass.
4. That God works His plans through imperfect people to bring out His perfection out of our imperfections.
In the lineage of Jesus we see people whose lifestyle does not befitting to be a part of Christ's family line but yet they were there. That shows to us the work of salvation. That Jesus was born for the salvation of men bound in sin.
4. The kingly dimension of Christ was revealed in the this biological genealogy of Christ. This gives us a peep into His authority and rulership above all.
JOHN revealed the spiritual origin of Jesus.
John traces the Lord’s divine genealogy back to “the beginning” (John 1:1). John is purposely recalling the words of Genesis 1:1 here to let us know that the Lord’s origins go back to eternity past. He is “Alpha and Omega” (Rev.1:8; 1:11; 21:6; 22:13), the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In other words, He was there in the beginning, and He’ll be there in the end!
But why does John call Him “the Word”? Well, the Lord has many names in Scripture, and all are needed to express who He is. But “the Word” reminds us that He is the expression of who the Father is, for just as our words express who we are, so Christ expresses who the Father is.
John then called Jesus "the Light" that lights everyone that comes into this world. That means that no life outside Christ. No wonder John speaks of Jesus as the "word of life." Eternal life is only made possible in Christ.
WHAT TO LEARN FROM JOHN'S APPROACH TO CHRIST'S GENEALOGY:
1. It helps us to understand that the One who came in the flesh was the One in the very beginning of all things
2. It shows us the impact of the life of God in Christ Jesus upon our lives and how we are transmogrified into the nature of God by His Word
3. It reveals to us the excellency of the Word and how the Word took on flesh to exist amongst men so that man can behold God's glory and encounter God's manifold grace.
Thursday, 21 December 2023
MARY: A CHARACTER OF ABSOLUTE SURRENDER AND BELIEVE IN GOD
SCRIPTURE: "And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. [31] And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
[32] He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
[33] And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
[34] Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
[35] And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
[36] And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. [37] For with God nothing shall be impossible. [38] And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her." - Luke 1:30-38 KJV
Most believers desire to experience God’s greatest work in and through their lives. The question becomes how to do that and whether or not we are willing to do what is required to see the Lord move in and through us. It is not by the force of our will, but rather the opposite: absolute surrender, that is the key to unlocking God’s power. Also, it is the call beckoning every follower of Christ.
Mary showed us this principle in our anchor text, she was told something unimaginable by an absolute stranger, an Angel-Michael. What she said was stunning "Be it unto me according to Your word." What Mary was saying is that "I don't own any rights to my relationship to Joseph, i don't even own the right to my body as long as it is God laying demand on it." This is not mere surrender but absolute surrender.
You can't manifest God beyond the level of your surrender. I was told a story many years ago of a man who built 2 story building and he said "Lord, I give you the ground floor, it is for you, one day, fire gutted the building and burnt one room in the middle floor. The man wasn't happy and he went back to the Lord and screamed "Lord, but I gave you this property but the Lord told him but you gave me only the ground floor and that is why it is save." The man finally gave every part of it to God and it was secured. You see!! There is a huge difference between I have surrendered, and that I have absolutely and totally surrendered everything to Jesus. Some submits their life and not their Job, money, social life, money etc unto God.
Genuine surrender requires total surrender. It is coming to the point of recognizing that your life and time on earth are not yours.
Many years ago, we used to sing a hymn from the Methodist Hymnbook and SS & S that says;
"Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise."
When you come to the point where God owns your life and all that you have, you have come to the place of genuine and absolute surrender unto Him.
Note the following:
1. Absolute surrender is an appeal to all believers, to give themselves wholly to the person and mission of Jesus.
Romans 12:1 KJV says that "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
Mary's response i believe was passionately triggered by the mission of Jesus (Matthew 1:21). She was told the Son you will birth will set His people free from their sins.
How are you responding to getting the lost souls saved?
How are you responding to the core mission of Jesus to this dying world?
2. Absolute surrender is a decision you should make in response to God's benevolent gift of salvation.
This decision is not one that comes without conditions or demands. In fact, choosing to walk in absolute surrender is a lofty one. It requires a total life commitment to the Lord, and not to the ways of this world. It offers up every part of oneself as a living and holy sacrifice. The life of the surrendered looks noticeably different in every aspect especially regarding the way in which they think. Absolute surrender demands a different way of thinking and seeing which means not being “conformed to this world, but…transformed by the renewing of [the] mind . . . .” (Rom 12:2a).
3. Authentic absolute surrender equals Authentic worship (Romans 12:1-2)
If you know anything about God, you will know that one thing God is fond of is authentic worshippers-those that worship Him in Spirit and in truth. A life of authentic surrender breeds a life of genuine worship and praise unto God.
Every time people glorify God through the life Jesus lived in human flesh, it was because one woman called Mary lived a life of sacrifice and absolute surrender unto God. When they sang "hossanah, hossanah blessed is He who comes in the name of our Lord." Some one that lived a life of absolute surrender made it happen.
Now, consider what generation will rise if you genuinely surrender yourself to Jesus Christ. Consider people who will be set on fire by your surrender to Him.
Consider the impact you will make by being absolutely surrendered unto God.
Say this "O Lord, I genuinely and authentically surrender my entire being unto You, take all of me and make it Yours. Help me to carry Your very essence in this earthly frame, so that the world will see You and feel You through me in Jesus Name." Glory!!!
Wednesday, 20 December 2023
MARY THE VIRGIN
Anchor Scripture: Luke 1:26-38 KJV
"And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
[27] To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
[28] And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
[29] And when she saw him , she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
[30] And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
[31] And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
[32] He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
[33] And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
[34] Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
[35] And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
[36] And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
[37] For with God nothing shall be impossible.
[38] And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her."
Let me begin by saying that whatever God will do and whoever God will use to fulfill His assignment there are criteria that must be met for that to happen. Pertaining the birth of Jesus Christ it was prophesied in Isaiah 7:14 KJV saying that "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." The question now is why will heaven be particular about a virgin becoming the mother of Jesus and what is the relative importance of this to everyone to note and learn from?
Now, we live in world where people debate against values such as virginity. Virginity is the state of being, a state whereby a person has not known a man or a woman. This in essence means that a person has not opened his or herself to another person to come into them or become intimate with them. Sex is a very powerful portal of entries for several things into the spirit, soul and body of a person. I have ministered to people who where raped and from that day they became Gynophobic or androphobic. The presence of the opposite sex stirs fear in them this is because there was an illegal entrance that brought a demonic entity into them.
There are people who opened themselves illegally to others and their destiny is bastardized and have not recovered.
For example Samson opened himself to strange women and that wrecked his ministry, anointing and assignment.
The spiritual realm is a very legal realm so whenever a person engages in illegal sex, a law is activated against that person.
Ecclesiastes 10:8 KJV states that "He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him."
Many are not married but are breaking the systems of their covering in the spirit and exposing themselves to spiritual invasions. Some are married and not keeping themselves to the marriage covenant, they are breaking their spiritual hedge and exposing their soul to demonic systems.
Mary kept herself for God and her man (Joseph). They vowed and said "we will never have carnal knowledge of ourselves until we are legally married in the sight of God."
Just as virginity is a big deal physically so is it spiritually.
Virginity in the Spirit life
1. Speaks Of Consecration
Consecration means to be set aside for God. Everyone knows if you are truly consecrated unto God – God knows, angels know, the devil knows, friends and enemies know.
Consecration is the bedrock for power and usefulness in God.
Marks of consecration are:
i. Addiction to God
You can’t do without God
You are entirely hooked and sold out to God
ii. Dedication to God
The covenant of entirely given unto the Lord
iii. Devotion to God
iv. Committed to God
v. Submission to God
Absolutely surrendered to God
vi. Donation unto God
Means there is no other claims on your life or on anything you have. Nothing and even the devil can't lay claim on you.
vii. Affection
You are at the point that God has conquered your heart. You are utterly in love with the Lord.
And absolutely hooked to Him.
2. Speaks Of the virtue of chastity
Chastity is sexual purity. Those who are chaste are morally clean in their thoughts, words, and actions. Chastity means not having any sexual relations before marriage. It also means complete fidelity to husband or wife during marriage.
Two (2) laws of chastity:
Law #1 : Sexual relations should be reserved for marriage between a man and a woman.
Mary and Joseph didn't say because we are betrothed to each other it is time to begin frolicking and exploring each others sexually.
A chaste heart, spirit and mind is powerful in living a chaste life.
By reserving sexual intimacy for marriage, we obey the law of chastity by controlling our thoughts, words, and actions. Jesus Christ taught, "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart" (Matthew 5:27–28)
Law #2 : In marriage, complete fidelity and loyalty to one's spouse after marriage must be adhered unto.
This means no cheating in marriage.
Chastity strengths your spirit and gives you confidence before the presence of God
Five powerful impact of Virginity on the life of Mary
1. She became a candidate that would fulfill God's ancient prophecy.
2. She became an avenue for strange supernatural possibilities
Never has it happened in the history of humanity that a lady who knew no man became pregnant and gave birth. She showed spiritual possibilities.
3. Unusual supernatural encounters
People who are truly given to God enjoys supernatural encounters ( Luke 1:26-28)
4. Favoured (Luke 1:30)
5. Open to the possibilities in the word of God to them
Luke 1:38 KJV
"And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her."
One thing corruption does to the soul of a person is that it makes the mind complex. Holiness makes our soul simple and easily accessible to God.
A complex heart is very logical analytical because it has been exposed to another civilization.
A simple mind is only exposed to the civilization of God and so believes God absolutely in all things even if it does not make sense.
God walks with simple men and not complex men.
Monday, 18 December 2023
MARY: A DIVINE SEED BEARER
Luke 1:31; 35 KJV
"And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."
One of the many characters of of God is that He is the Giver of seeds. God has the nature of building great things from a seed.
In every generation, God puts His seed in men through whom He would eventually build greatness and His Kingdom. For instance through Abraham He planted the seed of covenant so has to raise a generation (Israel) that would carry His name on earth.
Mary carried the seed of God and birthed Jesus to the world. Matthew 1:23 KJV says that
"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." My focal point here is that, she gave birth to a son that men called Emmanuel meaning God with us. In essence she birthed the presence of God in her generation, she birthed the presence of God that the whole earth couldn't recover from the impact of that presence until today. She birthed Divine presence that the Bible recorded that if the prince of this world (the devil had known), he wouldn't have crucified the Son of Glory. Because the impact of the birth of Divine presence in Jesus was an eternal catastrophe to the kingdom of darkness.
Now, by extension Mary showed us that there is possibility in men carrying divine seeds in them.
1 Peter 1:23 KJV helps us understand that
"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." The seed of God in a person is a change agent capable of bringing out in us the very nature of God. The word of God is God's seed that when it is sown into your spirit and your soul by the Spirit of Truth, you will be transformed into a new creature.
Every regenerated Christian is forever saved by virtue of being endowed with the very life of the Lord Jesus Christ because, in the Bible, Christ is seen as God’s “seed (in Greek it is called sperma)” sown into every believer’s human “spirit of man.” Thereby they are “one spirit” with Christ (1Cor 6:17). The "sperma" of the Spirit carries all the nature, character and attribute of the Father. This is what was sown into you, that is why if the seed is truly in anyone, they act like God and manifest Him for the world to see.
As we celebrate Christmas I want you to note that Mary showed us that it is very possible to carry the seed of God in us and reveal God Himself into the world; we can also bear His presence, His nature, His character and person for the world to see and know.
You can reveal Jesus to your world to know. Glory!!!
JOSEPH AND MARY: A KINGDOM RELATIONSHIP MODEL
JOSEPH AND MARY: A KINGDOM RELATIONSHIP MODEL
(The Teaching Ministry of Dr. Joel Dabbas)
True love relationship models in our today's world is increasingly becoming scarce. The enemy is all out to ensure that the sanctity of relationships is no more. But in all of these, we can look into Scriptures and follow powerful relationship and family examples that is well pleasing unto the Lord. The word of God holds in it the principles for every aspect of life including relationships.
To be armed with kingdom relationship principles is what makes you maintain true kingdom modeled relationships.
Joseph and Mary's relationship shows us a lot of principles that will help you maintain kingdom order.
Principle #1 : They are rooted in God
Both Mary and Joseph were kingdom citizens. They were not unequally yoked together. This is a very powerful principle you must never ignore. There are a lot of believers today who are busy dating people who have no roots in God. If your believe system does not align, if you don't love God and serve Him, you are building what will crack and not last. There will be conflict of interests in the long run.
Amos 3:3 says "Two people cannot walk together except they be agreed." You can't walk a godly relationship path with an unbeliever.
Principles #2 : Have the fear of God
Joseph had the fear of God in Him. Having the fear of God is honouring God and having reference for God. People who have zero fear for God are submitted to the devil. They cannot submit to the authority of God.
It is very important that you are in a love relationship with a person that fears the Lord.
When a person fears God they operate in wisdom . It is very difficult to find people who have the fear if God who won't operate in great relationship and marital wisdom.
Wisdom handles challenges and helps build a solid family and relationship life.
Principle #3 : They are both people who obey God
When God told Mary His plans all she said was "let it be done according to your word." The meaning was that if it is God's word i can't stand on it's way. She was submitted to God's Word in total obedience.
Also when the Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in his dream, he didn't ask for a sign to proof if it was God that spoke to him in the dream, he woke up into obeying what he was told. He was a man who promptly obeyed God. We will later see that this attitude of prompt obedience was key to preserving the life of Jesus from the marauding King Herod.
To be in love with a man and woman who are absolutely obedient to the word of God is beautiful.
Principle #4 : Both were truly in love with each other
Their love for each other made them to sacrifice their love life unto God.
Joseph loved Mary so much that he couldn't speak bad of her in public or even disgrace her in any way for an event he didn't understand.
It was not a toxic and abusive relationship. It was a relationship of genuine God lovers who were also deeply in love with each other.
Love is powerful and should frame your relationship life.
I pray for everyone trusting God to be married by next year's Christmas you will be celebrating it with your God-given spouse in Jesus Name
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