YAHWEH SHALOM

Peace from God, peace with God

The enmity slain, a way has been made

No more wall of separation

No more estrangement

Those who were far, now made nigh

Those who were aliens, now made citizens

Those who were strangers, now made family

All who were sinners, now made saints

Himself is our peace, who has made both one

He reconciled both to God

In His body by the cross

Of Jew and Gentile, a new race was born

Reconciled unto God, and made one new man

No more Jew, no more Gentile

Only the man in Christ

Only the new creation

THE STONE IS ROLLED AWAY!

Sickness, death & sin have ended

See lives transformed, changed and mended

The blood, the precious blood has been shed

The Saviour Christ for man has bled

His death was not the end

It was just the watershed

A new beginning He intended

By His resurrection from hell & death

The darkness could not comprehend

The light that shown and brightened hell

The gates of death could not defend

Their master from the onslaught sent

The grave could not keep Him dead

The throngs of hell could not keep Him bent

No power the mighty rush could fend

Every knee to the mighty name must bend

Resurrected by power so mighty

Bright and shining is His glory

He arose from death & Hades

King of glory, God so holy

The mighty angel descended

Men did quake and fall dead

Such was the sight that they fainted

The stone men placed, He simply shifted

The stone is rolled away

Come and see where He lay

No power His rise could stay

No obstacle, for He is the way

Hail, Zion's King who did ascend

Hark, the angels heralded

Let every knee in worship bend

Let every mouth His Lordship tell

Hail, Zion's King who did ascend

Hark, everlasting gates to Him attend

Lift up your heads, lift up your heads

The King has come, His Lordship accept

One no power of hell could  withstand

The King eternal and triumphant

No other than the great "I am"

None besides Him, Rock Eternal

Hail His name

Sing His praise

Shout His fame

Forever the same!

THE SUPPLY OF THE SPIRIT

THE WORD IS NEAR YOU

The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. What are you doing with it? The word of faith formed the worlds, and by it the elders obtained a good report with manifold exploits.

The very word became flesh, died, resurrected and lives forevermore, to be your supply- in your mouth and heart. The word is in you right now! Fellowship with the Word, and with the Spirit- your unending supply.

THE SUPPLY OF THE SPIRIT

Luke 4:18-19 NKJV

‘’The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor, He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."

The Spirit of the Lord is the anointing to do. He is the supply that we have to live the life (zoe) of God. It is by the supply of the Spirit that we live as sons and kings. It is by the supply of the Spirit that we live Christ.

We have dwelt so long in the realm of the senses trying to live the ‘Christian life’, and have often ended up on the path of delusional religion which is apart from Christ. That is, we have lived a life of the senses, which is not of the faith.

But we have the supply of the Spirit - the Anointing of the Holy One to live Christ. Yes, to live Christ, not to live like Christ, not a photocopy of the original, but as the original. We are not called to live like Christ, NO! That would be living in the shadows of our identity and walking on the side ways of Zoe. Rather, we are called to live Christ, to live the life of God in us. It’s either you live Christ or not, you can’t live as if you have the life of God. You either live the life or you don’t.

The truth is, we have the life of God (Zoe) in us, now! For, He who has the Son has life, since Jesus came that we may have life, and have it more abundantly. (1 John 5:12, John 10:10)

We have not been living the life because we have been living apart from the supply of the Spirit, in the realm of the senses and what appeals to the natural mind.

What then is the supply of the Spirit?

Jesus, in His earthly walk, never operated with the senses. When He saw the multitude of over 5000 people, He didn’t worry about how He would feed them with bread and fish that could hardly satisfy a few people. When He saw the man with the withered hand, He didn’t say, ‘oh! What a withered hand!’’ and shake His head, neither did He say to the man born blind, ‘what a long-standing problem you’ve got! You must have lived a hard life’. Jesus never allowed His senses to dominate. If He was a ‘sense-man’, He wouldn’t have seen the joy set before Him, endured the cross and scorned its shame. (Hebrews 12:2) He saw, He heard and felt- for He was a man as we are, yet He was always in control. The Spirit was always in charge.

How did He operate in the Spirit?

Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. (John 5:19 NKJV emphasis mine)

Yes, He saw the withered hand, but He also saw God healing the hand. There must have been a second eye, an eye that sees differently, apart from the senses; an eye that sees God and what He does per time. The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do- we can do nothing of ourselves but what we see the Father do. This is just what we do- NOTHING, when we try to do things of ourselves and operate by the senses.

Look at this: 

For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. (John 5: 20, 21 NKJV, emphasis mine)

The Father willingly shows the Son what He does, because He loves Him. There is a realm beyond the natural, a realm where we show-and-tell with the Father!

Paul said, we look to the things which are not seen. (2 Corinthians 4:18). This eye sees the unseen, the spiritual and eternal. Also, ‘’ we walk by faith, and not by sight’’ (2 Corinthians 5:7). This means that there are two ways to walk - by faith or by sight. Both walks have different supplies and results.

Faith is supplied by the word of Christ while sight is supplied by the natural, transient and physical. Faith is the eye that sees what the Father does. It sees the unseen, eternal and spiritual. Hebrews 11:1 amplified version, says ‘’…faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses’’. Faith is how we walk in the realm of the unseen. It is how we access the supply of the Spirit.

THE SUPPLY CHAIN AND LOGISTICS OF THE SPIRIT

Faith is produced when Christ is proclaimed (Rom 10: 17). Any word or doctrine that is not full of grace and truth cannot produce faith, because it is not of Christ.

We have the supply of the Spirit. We access and walk in the Spirit by the faith (of Christ) produced by the word of Christ.

When we receive the Word, and believe it, we do not just put it aside on the shelf to gather dust. No!

We having the Spirit of faith, (2 Corinthians 4:13) put the word in our mouth and speak; confessing, meditating and watering it by praying in the Spirit till it forms in us. It may take some time, but we keep speaking the word of faith. It’s worth more than the wait and patience. It gets to a point where it controls our being h we literally become one with it, such that our actions and inactions are in line with that word. Our actions, words, thoughts etc. are the word. Our being is in a state of revolt to going against the word, such that we cannot but be that word! This is living the word - living Christ.

This is how we who have received the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life as Kings, and minister as Royal priests unto God.

So, get the Word of Christ to you, get into the word, and get the word into you. Fellowship with the Word and Spirit, and with the eye of faith, you will see the unseen, the eternal, the Father and what He does per time.

The supply of the Spirit is Elohim - the Godhead. The Lord is the Spirit, the Lord is not apart from the Father, neither is the Spirit apart from the Father. Also, we are not apart from the Godhead, for in Christ the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form. We are in Him, and He in us. The Lord, the Spirit and the Father together with us make up the supply of the Spirit. Whatever you need, know that you’ve got the supply of the Spirit to meet it.

THE SPIRIT IS THE SUPPLY

The Spirit is my supply. I do not lack. Elohim is my supply, my supply knows no end and cannot be exhausted. My supply is not limited in His applications; He meets all and fills all. Shalom! (selah)

Dara Makinde

BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN FORGIVEN

I can never forgive him!

Really?

Do you know who you are? Do you know what has been done to you?

Some preachers and motivational speakers might tell you that you need to forgive so that you can be free from the prison you’ve put yourself in. They’re not wrong.

Some will preach and teach that God will not forgive you if you don’t forgive others. They have a good reason for saying so. After all, Jesus said so to the Jews under the law of Moses (Mark 11:26 & Matthew 6:12).

But wait a minute please. Are you a Jew or a Christian? Are you under the law of Moses or are you under grace? Are you an old creation or a new creation?

Maybe that’s why you’ve been finding it so difficult to forgive despite knowing what Jesus said. You’ve only heard what Jesus said to the Jews; to old creation men under the old covenant. I think it’s high time you listened to what Jesus is saying to YOU today, you the new creation in the new covenant.

Of course, after Jesus rose from the dead, there’s no record that He ever spoke directly to us (the new creation) about forgiveness; but from then till now, just as He prophesied before His crucifixion, the Holy Spirit has been conveying the words of Jesus to members of His body. Some of those words are written in the epistles (Romans to Jude).

So what is Jesus saying to you today? Why should you forgive?

In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace (Ephesians 1:7)

In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:14)

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses (Colossians 2:13)

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you (Ephesians 4:32)

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye (Colossians 3:13)

The emphasis of Jesus to the new creation man is not “forgive, SO THAT you can be forgiven”.

The emphasis of Jesus to the new creation man is “forgive, BECAUSE you have been forgiven”.

It cannot be both, they are like “word & opposite”. It is either forgiving others comes first or receiving God’s forgiveness comes first.

The Jews had not received forgiveness, for the blood of Jesus had not yet been shed to procure it (Matthew 26:28). They needed to forgive others to qualify for God’s forgiveness by forgiving others. Is it sounding more familiar now? Works of the law? “Do this so you can have that”?

We were the most unqualified for God’s forgiveness; but, in Christ, He went ahead and forgave us all the same! All we had to do was receive Jesus’ free gift and…..BOOM!!! We were redeemed, forgiven, recreated & sanctified! Having received forgiveness, now we can give it. Glory to God!

It gets even better.

What does it take to forgive? Love. Do you have love? You’ve got LOADS of it! Where?

And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us (Romans 5:5)

You have love. You have it in your spirit, your heart. You have the ability to love. You have the ability to forgive.

You have received forgiveness, now you can give forgiveness. You are instructed, commanded to forgive, because you have been enabled to forgive.

You have received love, now you can give love. You are instructed, commanded to love, because you have been enabled to love.

For the sake of emphasis and clarity; Jesus is saying to you today that the reason you are to forgive is two-fold:

You have been forgiven

You have been given the ability to forgive.

What’s your excuse?

Say: Father, I have received Your love & forgiveness, now I give it to (others) in Jesus’ name.

If there is someone you have hitherto found it hard to forgive or decided never to forgive; repent. Amen?

Put his/her name in the bracket and make that confession.

And if the devil ever tries to bring wrong thoughts of bitterness & unforgiveness back to you, declare that you have forgiven that person and that is that about that. Shut him up with the Word!

If it seems like it’s your feelings, align them by speaking the Word!

The Word works!

Light dawns!

Glory to God forevermore!

VESSELS OF MERCY

Growing up in church, I have heard Christians pray this prayer (or variations of it) probably a hundred times:

“Among those You will show mercy this year, Father, let me be counted!”

For Yoruba-speaking Christians, it will probably sound more familiar when translated, lol!

It sounds like a contrite & humble prayer, beseeching God for mercy. It even sounds biblically accurate, but nothing could be farther from the truth.

Shocked? Let me explain.

I know that the biblical backing often used for that kind of prayer is Romans 9:15 which says:

For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

The conclusion usually is that God chooses to have mercy on some and not on others, therefore, we must pray that He chooses us. Right?

Wrong.

If you’re a believer in Jesus, you have no business praying that prayer (or even believing that way in the first place).

If we can just read farther down, we will reach verses 22-24 of the same Romans 9, and we will see one of the greatest treasures I’ve ever found in God’s Word:

What if God, willing to show His wrath, and to make His power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

And that He might make known the riches of His glory on the VESSELS OF MERCY, which He had before prepared to glory,

EVEN US, whom He has called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

Did you see that?! I put it in upper case just so you wouldn’t miss it!

Who are the vessels of mercy? US! US! US! YOU & I! US!

Oh, what a blessing!

I believe that Scripture (Romans 9:23&24) is enough to clear all doubt; but Scripture says in the mouths of 2 or 3 witnesses should every truth be established. See 2 more Scriptures:

1Peter 2:9&10 - But you are a chosen generation…..which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

We have obtained mercy, or else we would not have been saved at all!

Romans 11:32 – For God has concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all.

God’s desire and perfect will is to have mercy upon how many? ALL!

Now, even if you were to say that there is a different mercy to be obtained after we have been saved, you would still be wrong to pray or believe as above. There is a Scriptural prescription in Hebrews 4:14-16…..

Seeing then that we have a great high priest…..Jesus the Son of God…..

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace; that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

We’re not begging, pleading, hoping for mercy. We’ve come to obtain (Greek: lambano i.e. take) mercy because it is there at the mercy seat, it is ours for the taking!

I’m sorry if I'm scattering your theology, but please believe the Word and not the traditions of men! Check it out for yourself and you will find it to be the truth, simple & absolute.

If you’re not yet born again, not yet a child of God, you have not obtained mercy; but you can obtain mercy by receiving the One that God has sent. His name is Jesus Christ.

Whether you're a Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or of the African Traditional religion(s), you know from your scriptures & oral traditions that you have no concrete assurance of the Supreme Being’s mercy, only a hope that your good works & sacrifices will measure up. What I offer you today is 100% assurance of mercy, but it is only found in Jesus by believing in Him as your Saviour and Lord. By His good works & the sacrifice of His own life, you are qualified for mercy.

Obtaining mercy is as simple as praying this prayer:

God, I believe that Jesus is Your Son, He became a man, He died for my sin and You raised Him from the dead. I accept Jesus as my Lord today. Amen.

If you said that prayer, you are now a child of God, a believer. Let the person who sent you this message know so they can support you in this new life.

Now, for every believer that is convinced of this truth, make this confession with me:

I am a vessel of mercy, prepared unto glory
I have obtained mercy and I am free to take as much as I need
I take mercy today in Jesus’ name
God showcases the riches of His glory on me
I am a living display of His goodness
Halleluyah!

Talk like this, think like this, believe like this, pray in accordance with this from this day forward and you will not struggle.

Light dawns!

Dr Jesutola (Ayanfe) Adewumi
(28/7/2019)

LIFT YOUR HANDS

When was the last time you lifted your hands up to God in prayer, in worship, in consecration, in surrender? Or have you never? Do you find it strange? Or is it just something you are not accustomed to doing? If that’s the case, you’re missing out!

Lifting hands is first a Scriptural instruction.

I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting (1Timothy 2:8)

Beyond being a Scriptural instruction, what is it about?

It is an act of offering worship & thanksgiving.

Thus will I bless You while I live: I will lift up my hands in Your name (Psalm 63:4)

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord (Psalm 134:2)

My hands also will I lift up to Your commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in Your statutes (Psalm 119:48)

Let my prayer be set forth before You as incense; and the lifting of my hands as the evening sacrifice (Psalm 141:2)

It is an act of prayer (supplication, intercession & repentance).

Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry to You, when I lift up my hands toward Your holy oracle (Psalm 28:2)

Arise, cry out in the night…..pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up your hands toward Him for the life of your young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street (Lamentations 2:19)

Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to God in the heavens (Lamentations 3:40&41)

Having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands to the LORD my God (Ezra 9:5b)

My eye mourns by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon You, I have stretched out my hands to You (Psalm 88:9)

And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven (1Kings 8:22)

It is an expression of thirst (desire) for God.

I stretch forth my hands to You: my soul thirsts after You, as a thirsty land (Psalm 143:6)

It is a significant practice in the Spirit; a prophetic action producing definite effects.

And it came to pass, when Moses lifted up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed (Exodus 17:11)

And Moses went out of the city from Pharoah, and spread abroad his hands to the LORD: and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth (Exodus 9:33)

It is an act of swearing by covenant men, angels & even God.

And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up my hand to the LORD, the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take.....anything that is yours….. (Genesis 14:22&23)

And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, and swore….. (Revelations 10:5&6)

For I lifted up My hand to heaven, and say, I live forever (Deuteronomy 32:40)

It is an act of blessing.

And He led them out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up His hands, and blessed them (Luke 24:50)

It is an expression of the posture of our heart.

It seems to me from Scriptures like Psalm 143:6, Lamentations 3:41 & Ezra 9:5b that when we lift our hands or stretch them out to God, we are doing something in the physical that mirrors or represents the posture or attitude of our hearts: desire, surrender, repentance etc.

In worship, in prayer, in invoking the blessing over your children & your church members & even yourself, lift your hands to God even if no one else will.

There are prophetic utterances that you release with your hand(s) lifted up. There are times, without a word, you prophetically lift your hands & unlock, release & provoke changes in both the spiritual & physical realms. Discern such things & respond accordingly.

Your hands are not just to be trained for natural activities sir & ma, train yourself by the Word to use them in this our realm.

You are the blessed!

REJECT OF EARTH, REJECT OF HEAVEN

Son of God, Son of man
Rejected by heaven, rejected by earth
Light of the world, flame burning bright
Hope of the world, by darkness slain

He came to His own, His own received Him not
One with His Father, inseparable through eternity
Sin now laid on Him, sin now made of Him
Transformed to darkness, all comeliness lost

What a cup to drink, what wrath to bear
Separated from His Father, now He called Him Eli
Let this cup pass, He had pleaded
Your will be done, thus He yielded

He drank the cup to its dregs, not one drop left
All judgment poured on Him, the wrath of God satisfied
It is finished, He cried; all is lost, the angels thought
Now I’ve got Him, Lucifer roared; our Rabbi is gone, the disciples mourned

A sword pierced Mary’s heart; anguish and sorrow cut deep
My Lord is gone, Magdalene sobbed; He gave me hope and now it’s lost
Silence in heaven, darkness on earth; rejoicing in hell, anticipation in the air
We’ve got the miracle-worker; the one who scattered our armies

Yet there He hung, suspended by nails
Reject of heaven, reject of earth
Man said, crucify Him; God said, judge Him for Adam’s sin
They spat at Him, God turned from Him
Father forgive them
God, why have you forsaken me
Into Your hands I commit my spirit
And He breathed His last

By heaven rejected, that I might be accepted
From the Father separated, to Him I am joined
He became my sin, He died my death
His death was my life, His shame was my glory

By men rejected, though for them He gave His all
Those He loved and came for; Him they cursed and spat on
Men He had healed, even those He had freed
Ashamed to speak for Him, afraid to be known with Him

Rocks split wide open, the temple curtain followed suit
Darkness for three hours, the light of the world hung slain
The end. Or was it the beginning?
Would He rise like He said? Would He rot in His grave?