Separated For Significance

Apostle Grace Lubega

2 Kings 2:14-15 (KJV); And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

When the Lord told Elijah that He had seven thousand prophets that had not bowed to Baal (1 King 19:18), the sons of the prophet mentioned in our theme scripture were among them.

God had preserved and owned them. They were set apart in their generation.

More so, God did not preserve them so they would die as normal men.

Sadly, there is not much to their story. They died simply as prophets but not with the distinction that Elijah or Elisha carried.

I have seen this sorry pattern in our Christian walk today.

From where does this start?

Sometimes, the preservations of God upon our lives are an illusion that blind many from pursuing greater exploits in Him.

Christians get comfortable under the canopy of blessings in God: disease and evil is far from them; they are at peace with their enemies and favour pursues them.

For this alone, they choose to die as normal prophets, apostles, teachers and evangelists.

You are not preserved by God so that you fade into insignificance. No!

Never allow the cover of blessings to be the reason why you do not stand out of the crowd and be counted for the cause of the kingdom of God.

Like Elijah, you should be bold enough to stand before kings and decree the greatness of the power of the God you serve regardless of the consequences.

Like Elisha, when duty and purpose calls you should be able to leave all that you know behind and pursue the greater cause of the call of God.

God be praised!

FURTHER STUDY: 1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6

GOLDEN NUGGET:

You are not preserved by God so that you fade into insignificance. Never allow the cover of blessings to be the reason why you do not stand out of the crowd and be counted for the cause of the kingdom of God.

PRAYER: My Lord, I thank you for this knowledge. I am not a normal person. You have not created me to be ordinary. I am a prophet with distinction; an apostle with distinction; an evangelist with distinction; a teacher with distinction. I am a voice in my nation, to this world and to this generation. I can never be blinded by the things that the gift and the calling attract but choose to live the fullness of the life you have set out for me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Responsibility Of Fatherhood

Apostle Grace Lubega

Deuteronomy 8:18 (KJV); But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

Fathering (begetting people in the gospel after the pattern of Christ) is a spirit.

It is not a matter of age, title or the length of time one has spent in salvation.

It comes with responsibility, mandate and purpose.

In our theme scripture, God addresses the children of Israel based on the covenant that He made with their fathers.

Therefore, it is the responsibility of a man with a fathering spirit to understand the covenants that God makes with fathers.

This is because there are things that God does not bequeath to sons but to fathers and it is the responsibility of the fathers to pass these very things on to sons.

For example, every generation has its own revelation. However, the revelation of that generation is firstly given to fathers before it is passed on to sons.

Herein is the impartation of wisdom by the mature into the mature that Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians 2:6 (AMP).

As a spiritual authority, until you understand what God bequeaths to fathers, there is a realm in eternal wisdom from which you will never receive and which you consequently can never pass on.

Children are BORN; sons are GIVEN but fathers are MADE by God.

So, submit to God and allow Him to deal with you and in you until He produces in you the very character of His person that makes Him the ultimate Father of us all.

FURTHER STUDY: 1 Corinthians 2:6 (AMP), 1 Corinthians 4:15

GOLDEN NUGGET:

There are things that God does not bequeath to sons but to fathers and it is the responsibility of the fathers to pass these very things on to sons. It is the responsibility of a man with a fathering spirit to understand the covenants that God makes with fathers.

PRAYER: My father, I thank you for this great Word. I know that spiritual responsibility is not a title; it is a spirit, the very mirror of who you are to us as children. I know you desire that I reproduce myself in others but it can only be by your grace and power. Today I yield to your spirit that carves out the right character in me. To the glory of your name. Amen.

The Pattern Of Sonship And Fatherhood

Apostle Grace Lubega

2 Kings 2:14-15 (KJV); And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

I have heard people who claim that the doctrine of spiritual fatherhood is not scriptural.

What do the scriptures say?

Paul speaks of having Timothy and Titus as his sons in the faith (1 Timothy 1:2, Titus 1:4).

He speaks of how in that dispensation, there were few fathers but many instructors. He speaks to the Corinthian Church; how he had begotten them in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 4:15).

The Old Testament is also full of several examples of this pattern.

Elisha called Elijah his father (2 Kings 2:12). Eli was a father to Samuel, as Saul was to David.

I know Christians who are struggling in their walk of salvation simply because they cannot accept this truth.

God has continually compelled them to acknowledge the authority of certain men or women over their lives but they are too proud to do so.

From my study of the story of Elijah and Elisha, I realised that the sons of the prophets spoken of in the scriptures were like these stubborn Christians in our present day.

To them, Elijah was merely “the master of Elisha.”

It is a tragic truth that these men did not know that they owed sonship to Elijah. They only understood the authority Elijah was in the spiritual realm after he was carried away by a chariot of fire.

Our theme scripture reveals that they bowed to Elisha when they saw that the spirit of Elijah rested on him.

Sadly, by then, it was already too late for them to receive directly from the chariot of Israel like Elisha had done.

Child of God, it is essential to have a spiritual authority over your life; someone to whom you account because this is a clear pattern in scripture.

Don’t be like the sons of the prophets who only appreciated the man God had anointed for their sake after he was taken away.

Seek God to lead you to whom he has appointed over your life.

It is only when you submit your life to such a man or woman that you will have access to certain places in God.

FURTHER STUDY: Hebrews 13:17, 1 Corinthians 4:15

GOLDEN NUGGET:

It is essential to have a spiritual authority over your life; someone to whom you account because this is a clear pattern in scripture. It is only when you submit your life to such a man or woman that you will have access to certain places in God.

PRAYER: My God, I thank you for this Word. I receive it as wisdom to access deeper realms in you and as wisdom for spiritual growth. I acknowledge spiritual authority over my life. Your Word has instructed me to submit my life in a manner that causes those that rule over me to give account to you with joy. This I do every day to the glory of your name. Amen.

You Are God’s Story

Apostle Grace Lubega

James 1:23-24 (KJV); For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

Beloved saint, God is very deliberate about the story of your life.

In fact, there is a report and blue print of your life from its beginning to the very end, which report is according to the mind and counsel of the Most High God.

The Message version of 2 Corinthians 3:2-3 says; “YOUR VERY LIVES ARE A LETTER THAT ANYONE CAN READ BY JUST LOOKING AT YOU. CHRIST HIMSELF WROTE IT—not with ink, but with God’s living Spirit; not chiselled into stone, but carved into human lives—and we publish it.”

Our theme scripture reveals that every time you read and listen to the Word, you are like the man who is looking into a mirror; this mirror relays this story written by Christ of who you are, where you must be and where you are headed.

Often times, we strive to explain the Bible yet the Bible seeks to explain us.

Primarily, it is mirrors that interpret objects as opposed to objects interpreting mirrors.

You are the object in the mirror; the mystery and the story.

Every time you study or listen to the Word of God, do so in the understanding that it is simply interpreting who you are! Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY: 2 Corinthians 3:18, Romans 8:29-30

GOLDEN NUGGET:
Often times, we strive to explain the Bible yet the Bible seeks to explain us. Every time you study or listen to the Word of God, do so in the understanding that it is simply interpreting who you are.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for the gift of your Word. As I continuously behold this Word, I see the truth of what eternity has designed me to be; a victor, an overcomer, above and not beneath. I behold the course that I must follow and the divine patterns you have laid before me. With this knowledge, I run my race with wisdom, my days are numbered and I will finish well, to the glory of your name. Amen.

Living Sacrifices

Apostle Grace Lubega

Genesis 22:9-10 (KJV); And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

The day Abraham put his son on the altar, he literally killed him because the intention in his mind was absolute. Isaac left that altar as a living sacrifice; dead and yet alive.

Indeed, Isaac is a picture of the Christ, but here, he also represents a Christian who died at the altar of God and yet lives.

The Bible tells the believer, “Present your body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God.”(Romans 12:1).

This means you ought to die to the flesh and the world at the altar of God. What kills you on God’s altar is the sword of His Word, for his Word is described as the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17).

Some people are too alive to the world because they have not allowed the Word of God to kill them like it should.

The Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

Purpose to sit under the Word. Don’t merely hear it, listen and heed to it. Don’t merely read it, study it and dig deep into its truths.

Allow the Word to work in you so greatly until it kills your flesh and any ungodly desires.

It is only when you die to the flesh and the world by the sword of the Word that you shall live unto God.

FURTHER STUDY: Romans 12:1, Hebrews 4:12

GOLDEN NUGGET:

You ought to allow the Word to work in you so greatly until it kills your flesh and any ungodly desires. It is only when you die to the flesh and the world by the sword of the Word that you shall live unto God.

PRAYER: My loving God, I thank you for your Word. It is quick and powerful, sharper than any two edged sword. I yield to its mighty power and allow it to work in the inside of me. The Word deals in and with me; it uproots and plants; breaks and builds; bends and straightens; kills and makes alive, until I am no more but the Word is. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Knowledge Of The Wise

Apostle Grace Lubega

Matthew 2:1‭-‬2 (KJV); Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

Over 2,000 years ago, wise men from the East gazed upon the heavens and were drawn to a particular star.

They were compelled by something beyond themselves to follow its light.

It is possible that even in their distant lands, they may have been familiar with an ancient prophecy that spoke of a time when “a star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel” (Numbers 24:17).

It is key to note that the scriptures do not reveal anyone else who saw the star except these wise men.

How did these wise men from another land come to seek Him when Israel was sleeping and indifferent to the birth of their king?

This is discernment and perception of spiritual matters, seasons and times.

These men discerned the spiritual season and time of the birth of the Christ by reading his star as a sign of the times.

Dear saint, God is trying to show you that the knowledge that draws a man to His Lord, is that which causes the man to behold something that nobody else beholds, the same way that the wise men saw the star no one else saw; and that kind of knowledge can only be given by the unction of the Holy Spirit! ‬‬‬‬

God has granted you the grace to behold signs, seasons and times which no ordinary man can see or discern.

This grace causes you to move and function in the anointing, in His person, in His presence, in His wisdom, in His glory and in His power.

Purpose to walk in this consciousness every day!

FURTHER STUDY: 1 John 2:20, 1 Chronicles 12:32

GOLDEN NUGGET:
The knowledge that draws a man to His Lord, is that which causes the man to behold something that nobody else beholds; and that kind of knowledge can only be given by the unction of the Holy Spirit!

PRAYER: Father God, I thank you for this great insight. I have an unction from the Holy One I know all things; your anointing that abides in me teaches me all things; and because of this I grow in the grace and the knowledge of my Lord Jesus every day of my life. I know and understand the seasons and times concerning spiritual matters. I thank you because I am always in sync with what you are doing in my times and this causes me to walk as one that is wise in the Christendom. Thank you Jesus! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Laying On Of Hands

 Apostle Grace Lubega

Luke 2: 34-35 (KJV); And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

The Holy Spirit moved Simeon to the temple court at the very moment Jesus’ parents entered to fulfil the requirement of the sacrifice (Luke 2:26-27). Simeon cradled the baby in his arms, praised God, blessed him and prophesied (Luke 2:29-32).

This story was a typical example of our Lord and master Jesus Christ humbling Himself in order to show us a pattern of access to the things of the Spirit.

God allowed that a prophet should hold him, bless him and speak into his life! Imagine!

If Christ did this, what excuse would another man have for rejecting the laying on of hands upon him by those of greater spiritual authority?

I have heard men ask, “What are they going to put in me that I don’t already have?”

Think about this – If hands were laid upon our Lord Jesus by Simeon, God seeks to show you that there are people whom He has anointed for your sake.

You may wander in all sorts of places seeking to break through certain places in God in vain because God has ordained that such access can only be at the hands of another man.

Paul told the Christians in Rome, “For I long to see you, that I may IMPART UNTO YOU SOME SPIRITUAL GIFT, to the end ye may be established” (Romans 1:11).

He told Timothy, “Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the LAYING ON OF THE HANDS OF THE PRESBYTERY.” (1 Timothy 4:14). In another place he told him, “And this charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare” (1 Timothy 1:18).

It is pride to seek (on your own) what you can receive simply by breaking in humility before certain men and women of God, to be taught by them and to receive impartation of spiritual things from them.

Child of God, examine your submission to spiritual authority; purpose to learn from those God has set ahead of you, imitating their faith and considering the end of their conversations.

Never be too proud to receive impartation from a man or woman of God. Honour the anointing of God upon His ministers because you can only receive from what you honour.

These deliberate choices will grow you faster in the things of God.

FURTHER STUDY: Acts 6:6, Acts 8:17

GOLDEN NUGGET:

Examine your submission to spiritual authority; purpose to learn from those God has set ahead of you, imitating their faith and considering the end of their conversations. Never be too proud to receive impartation from a man or woman of God. Honour the anointing of God upon His ministers because you can only receive from what you honour.

PRAYER: My Lord, I thank you for this sound wisdom. I honor and give due respect to men that have gone before me in the things of God. My spirit is open to receive all that you have for me in and through them. I choose to be humble because humility is a principle of access. By this wisdom, my progress in life and ministry is evident to all. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

It Has An Expiry Date

Apostle Grace Lubega

2 Corinthians 4:18 (KJV); While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

By divine design, whatsoever is seen is temporary and that which is not seen is eternal.

If you go to a doctor and have tests and the samples of your tissue are put under a microscope and he sees a virus, it means that the virus has entered the realm of what is seen–it is temporal.

If you check your bank account and see a zero balance, that is something seen—it is temporal.

Everything that is seen that comes against you has an expiry date.

When trouble besets you, always have it at the back of your mind that it has a short life span.

That situation you may be going through is temporal.

The question then is, when do these things expire? The Bible says in Matthew 13:15, “For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND SHOULD UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART, AND SHOULD BE CONVERTED, AND I SHOULD HEAL THEM.”

When you see with your eyes, hear with your ears, understand with your heart and are converted, you receive your healing, deliverance and break through.

It means that whatever issue you are going through expires at the SOUND OF THE REVELATION OF GOD AND HIS WORD.

Purpose to understand God’s word about that circumstance, it will expire. Listen to God’s voice about that frustration, it will expire.

Heed to God’s instruction about that problem, it will expire!

Praise the Lord!

FURTHER STUDY: 2 Corinthians 4:17, Matthew 13:15

GOLDEN NUGGET:
Whatever issue you are going through expires at the sound of the revelation of God and His Word. Purpose to understand God’s word about that circumstance, it will expire. Listen to God’s voice about that frustration, it will expire. Heed to God’s instruction about that problem, it will expire!

PRAYER: My God I thank you for this great truth. How beautiful to understand that nothing that comes against me is permanent. By this wisdom, I walk in eternal victory. I look at the end of things, my eyes are set on you because when I look to you, I live. I can never be moved by what comes against me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Grace Of Conviction

Apostle Grace Lubega

Acts 2:37-38 (KJV); Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

When Peter preached to the Jews, the Bible says they were pricked in their heart and asked, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

What a question!

Imagine preaching a sermon that causes people to ask what they ought to do.

This is the grace of conviction that God has given to every believer. The message on your lips has been greatly anointed by God, it cuts asunder, pricks the heart and draws people to repentance.

Paul said, his gospel came not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction (1Thessalonians 1:5 NIV).

The authority you have in the fields as a labourer of Christ creates a readiness in the hearts of men to yield to what you teach.

Go forth to win souls in the understanding that your word convicts. Preach with the boldness of one whose message cuts the hearts of men and provokes in them the desire for the God you minister.

Praise God!

FURTHER STUDY: 1 Thessalonians 1:5, Hebrews 4:12

GOLDEN NUGGET:

Go forth to win souls in the understanding that your word convicts. Preach with the boldness of one whose message cuts the hearts of men and provokes in them the desire for the God you minister.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for this knowledge. You have poured your Spirit upon my message; when I speak, my words convict the hearts of men. They go out in power and draw people to you. I have results in my preaching of the gospel. I win souls to the glory of your name. Amen.

Amazing Grace

Apostle Grace Lubega

Matthew 16:18 (KJV); And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Peter had an interesting track record in his relationship with the Christ. It was Peter whom the Lord vehemently rebuked and told, “Get thee behind me Satan” (Matthew 16:23).

Peter denied the Lord, not once but thrice (John 18:15-27).

Peter went back fishing after the Lord’s death, regardless of the promise by the Christ to make him a fisher of men (John 21:3).

He seemed to demonstrate a weakness in character at every point of his journey.

But it was on Peter that the Church would be built; not on James or John of whom no particular weaknesses are recorded in the scriptures.

Regardless of all his faults, Christ did not take back his declaration that Peter was the rock upon which Christ would build His church.

And that is how the Grace of God functions. It looks past your weakness to what God has declared you to be.

Grace disregards your faults in the flesh and believes in you continuously. God knew that it was only a matter of time, Peter would stand out as the rock he was meant to be.

Eventually, he became a pillar in the early church. It is Peter who preaches boldly to the Jews on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14-42); it is Peter who opens the gospel to the Gentiles through Cornelius (Acts 10); it is Peter who defends the grace message as preached by Paul (Acts 15).

Beloved saint, your weakness in the flesh is the very reason God will use you, for in that weakness, His strength is made perfect (2 Corinthians 12:9).

You are not disqualified by reason of your flaws.
This day, look to God, the author and finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2). What He has called you to be must show forth. Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY: Romans 4:17, Philemon 1:6

GOLDEN NUGGET:
You are not disqualified by reason of your flaws. Look to God, the author and finisher of your faith. What He has called you to be must show forth.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for this great truth! I stand in the perfect assurance that I am qualified by you. When I am weak, then I know that I am strong. You labour through me Lord, to do that which exceeds my ability. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Doeg Spirit

Apostle Grace Lubega

1 Samuel 22:18-19 (NKJV); And the king said to Doeg, “You turn and kill the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck the priests, and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod. Also Nob, the city of the priests, he struck with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing infants, oxen and donkeys and sheep—with the edge of the sword.

“Doeg was Saul’s chief herdsman (1 Samuel 21:7). It was Doeg who reported to Saul that Ahimelech the priest had offered some help to David (1 Samuel 22:9-10).

Interestingly, the Hebrew name “Doeg” is translated to mean “fearing”.

This man was the typical representation of how far the spirit of fear can go. This is the fear of men and not the fear of God.

When King Saul first commanded his men to murder the priests of the Most High God (1Samuel 22:17), his servants disobeyed the king’s order for they could not dare to lay their hands on the Lord’s anointed.

However, only Doeg dared to do it. He single-handedly killed eighty five priests because of the fear of a man.

Outwardly, what he did might have appeared as a brave act but Doeg did that which no man dared.

Fear can cause a man to tread in places even angels cannot tread.

In fact, the scriptures warn us about how the fear of men ensnares (Proverbs 29:25).

The fear of God PRESERVES but the fear of men enslaves.

You have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear (Romans 8:15). Make the choice never to be afraid of what a man can do to you because your fear is of God and not of men.

Fill your spirit with the Word of God which is the Sword of the Spirit that cuts out the spirit of fear! Learn to meditate on how much God loves you because His perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).

FURTHER STUDY: Romans 8:15, 2 Timothy 1:7

GOLDEN NUGGET:

The fear of God PRESERVES but the fear of men enslaves.

PRAYER: Loving Father, I thank you because you have not given me a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind. I refuse to be anxious for anything! I am not afraid of any man! My fear and reverence is of you God! I am bold in all that I say and do because I know the God before whom I stand. In Jesus name. Amen.

The Deliberate Choice

Apostle Grace Lubega

Joshua 24:15(NLT); But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

It is notable that Joshua’s caution to the people came at a time when they had reached the promised land; they possessed their inheritance and had tasted all the wonders the Lord had done by the hand of his servant Moses when he parted the red sea and when manna fell in the desert.

It is to these people that the Lord handed possession of the city of Jericho, its king and its mighty men of war.

Having seen the faithfulness of God, it did not seem possible that the question of whom they were to serve would ever arise but sadly, it did.

In this, I have come to learn that being Born Again does not necessarily mean that one serves the living God. There are those in the ‘Promised Land’ but they are constantly bowing their heads to idols.

This choice of whom to serve is presented to us every day. To us, it may never be the choice to serve the gods of the Amorites or the Perizzites but it is whether we shall serve the many idols that have captured our attention and consumed our valuable time and resources. These idols now stand in the place of God.

For example, you may spend four hours on television and yet you cannot sustain an hour of communion with God. That’s idolatry.

All these things in themselves are idols because they take our time and attention off God; they make Him only an option among many other things we do.

Child of God, examine your desires and wants against the torch of God’s purpose for your life; make the deliberate choice to serve God by giving Him your time and attention.

FURTHER STUDY: Luke 16:13, Luke 19:17

GOLDEN NUGGET:
Examine your desires and wants against the torch of God’s purpose for your life; make the deliberate choice to serve God by giving Him your time and attention.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank you for your Word that has taught me how to serve. Today I choose to do so with my finances, my time and all that I am. I subject my wants and desires to yours. My house and I will always serve you! In all things and in every place, you are my deliberate choice. In Jesus name! Amen.