THE SIN OF UNBELIEF

Winifred L Kakumba

Hebrews 3:1-19 (NLT)  

“………7 That is why the Holy Spirit says, “Today when you hear his voice, 8 don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness. 9 There your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw my miracles for forty years. 10 So I was angry with them, and I said, ‘Their hearts always turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’ 11 So in my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’ 12 Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. 13 You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. 14 For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. 15 Remember what it says: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.” 16 And who was it who rebelled against God, even though they heard his voice? Wasn’t it the people Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And who made God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it the people who sinned, whose corpses lay in the wilderness? 18 And to whom was God speaking when he took an oath that they would never enter his rest? Wasn’t it the people who disobeyed him? 19 So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest...............”

Unbelief is a sin! Many however do not see it as a sin because the commonly known sins are those mentioned in Exodus 20:2-17

The dictionary defines the word belief as; “an opinion or judgment in which a person is fully persuaded”. Our beliefs are things that we are thoroughly convinced of usually but not always. They are ideas or concepts that we gather through acquired information and experience. Because of this, our beliefs can change over time as we gain more knowledge and experience more throughout our lives.

For one to believe it means there is something that has persuaded you; or you have an opinion about and you can stand by it, but this does not happen often. One can therefore say that the experiences we go through form a portion of our beliefs. We should also be aware that lack of faith and unbelief are different, but one leads to the other; faith on the other hand, combines belief plus actions and confidence, so belief on its own is not faith, because the later involves corresponding actions and confidence.

We have read Hebrews 3:11 above that God in his anger took an oath that the Israelites would never enter His place of rest because they had hardened their hearts.

When the Israelites were leaving Egypt, God performed many miracles but each time He worked for them, acknowledgement of His saving hand was short lived and that un-forgetfulness resulted in complaining. However much they saw miracles and wonders, they were not enough to persuade them to believe that God was able to do whatever He promised He would do. In reading their history, you will see that they saw what God had done; His mighty works, ability and mercy but still they did not believe. The sin of unbelief can affect you - there is a lot you will not achieve in the kingdom of God if you do not believe. For instance God has worked many miracles in our midst; the barren have been able to bear children; those who were once jobless are now employed and I know he has done something for you as well; but if we fail to believe the God who saves, the God who heals, the God has worked for us and among us, who then shall we believe?

Unbelief leads to disobedience!

Adam and Eve’s first sin was not disobedience, but it was that they did not believe what God said. They were given strict instructions in the garden but in their unbelief they were persuaded and listened to the lies of the devil causing them to disobey God, yet this would not be so had they believed God and his word. The sins and transgressions we commit are due to our unbelief. Take an example of a child who is told not to touch fire because he or she will be seared, but intentionally disobeys the warning and goes ahead to touch the fire anyway; this way the child is challenging your instructions in the same manner, Israel disobeyed God. God had performed many miracles and wonders; (led them through the red sea, fed them with manna, rained quails) but still they did not believe, hence God’s reaction in Hebrews 3:10-11.

During the Exodus, 99.98% of the Israelites who trekked form Egypt died in the desert. They did not to make it to the Promised Land because of disobedience which was brought about by their unbelief – only Joshua and Caleb entered the Promised Land (Numbers 32:11-12), the majority who entered it were those born on the way. They experienced God’s love, saving hand and provision but they were not convinced that He was able to fulfill what He had promised them; they angered Him with their unbelief. In the same way, if we are not persuaded by what we have tested, experienced and seen - if we believe not, we shall not enter our rest.

Antidote to restlessness

Hebrews 3:11 (NLT) “So in my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest.”

Because of unbelief we go about with a lot of anxiety. You may feel that things are not working out because you have not realized what God purposed for you, promised you or spoke forth in your life. This usually happens when you are cornered by challenging situations; you become perplexed and start panicking which leads to a general state of unrest. You cannot get into your rest until you believe God and His word. The Rhema word preached in church has the power to get you out of your situation but many still do not know this; some still want to approach the pastors after service for extra benediction and prayers neglecting the word that has already been spoken forth in the service. We will not get into our promises or place of rest until we believe God’s servants and the word He sends through them.

Belief Obstructions

When you believe and hold onto the word that has been spoken in church, you are going to breakthrough in a great way. If we believed, we would not do some of the things that we do or even say some of the things we say. When you have many alternatives before you, you cannot see the hand of God. The Bible says in Psalms 55:22-23 (MSG) that; “Pile your troubles on God’s shoulders - he’ll carry your load, he’ll help you out. He’ll never let good people topple into ruin. 23 But you, God, will throw the others into a muddy bog, cut the lifespan of assassins and traitors in half. And I trust in you.”

Many times just like the Israelites, we test and try God; we receive a word for the season and still remain unsettled and restless. We are not at rest because we do not believe God, His word and servants. Jehoshaphat teaches in 2 Chronicles 20:20 (NKJV) that; “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” God uses His servants and works through them, so if your pastor says a word and you do not believe, you shall not prosper.

Where you have a challenge in believing, take action, make your altar and lay your burdens at the feet of Jesus, then you shall enter into your rest. We do not have power over the burdens we carry but the Lord our God has all the authority and control over everything on earth. The bible says in Proverbs 21:1 (AMPC) that; “The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as are the watercourses; He turns it whichever way He wills.” Believe God and you will live a restful and stress free life; for when you trust God, you rest. What you choose to do with the word spoken into your life – prophesy or Rhema is what will determine what you will receive in this season of exaltation.

Unbelief is brought about by lack understanding; the more you work on your understanding and revelation of the word of God, the more you are going to believe and have faith in God. We face many challenges because we do not know the necessary scriptures to encourage us or use to fight the devil at that specific time. You should however remember that the bible has an answer to every question you have and to every problem you are facing - it’s the lamp to your feet and your navigation compass.

We do not believe because we become too familiar with God’s servants – pastors; we know their families, we have a glimpse of their history and even leave in the same neighbourhoods or at times even related to them, and this familiarity if not worked on, compromises our faith. Mathew 13:53-58 (NKJV) gives an insight in to this:

“Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables that He departed from there.  54 When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? 56 And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” 57 So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” 58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.”

We need to work on our unbelief as a church. In the passage above we see that Jesus did few great works among the people in his home town because of their unbelief. We should not become like these people, who prevented the hand of God from working amongst them. In Mark 9:23 (NLT), Jesus had the perfect answer to the doubtful father who had brought his son possessed by am impure spirit to Him; “What do you mean, ‘if I can?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” The same hand that has healed one person can heal another if they believe. If we believe the God who has saved, healed and performed many other miracles among us, then we shall see His Mighty hand as well; but if we see Jesus as a mere carpenter’s son, He will not work for us. Like wise if the church continues to see the pastors as mere country men or colleagues among them, then they will not spiritually benefit them; they will go elsewhere and they will do great works among those who believe.

How do we work on our unbelief?

One way to curb our unbelief is if we become fully persuaded of the truth – Jesus (the way, truth and life) instead of the misconception and the lies. If we expose our minds to the truth and we are convinced and confident, then we shall stand firm and unshaken. We need to fully have faith in God, his word and servants so as to eradicate any drop of unbelief, so that we can become great people in the anointing.

God bless you!

GOD - OUR ALPHA AND OMEGA

Pr. James Victor Lubwama

Revelations 22:13 (NLT)

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

Everything that we do including; decision making, projects, business ventures, marriage, ministry and career paths should all start with God. They should all be according to the will of God because He is the beginning - there should be a word from God before anything happens.

When you put God first, He also prioritizes what you are doing and you can never be the last. God will always have the final say in our lives if we give Him the number one position. God can never usher us into He wont sustain and finish; but whatever He begins, he completes. Philippians 1:6 (GNT) says; 
“And so I am sure that God, who begun this good work in you, will carry it on until it is finished”

Let the foundations of our plans be established in the Lord; for He knows the itinerary, outcome and finale of whatever we undertake or try to pursue. The bible says in Isaiah 46:10 (NLT) says; 
“Only I can tell you the future before it even happens”

Many things we do or the projects we venture in fail because they aren't started by God. Don't rush to do anything before you consult God because He is the Alpha and Omega, and once He starts something or gives you a green light to do something, there are no failures and dead-ends; He accomplishes to perfection whatever He starts - for He perfects that which concerns Him. 

We have initiated projects, started businesses, entered partnerships, relocated to first world countries, switched careers, founded ministries but then later we witness subtraction instead of multiplication. Why? Because at the foundation stage, God wasn't the Alpha. The bible says in Proverbs 1:24-29 (NLT) that;

"You ignored my advice 25 and rejected the correction I offered. So I will laugh when you are in trouble! 26 I will mock you when disaster overtakes you—when calamity overtakes you like a storm, 27 when disaster engulfs you like a cyclone, and anguish and distress overwhelm you. “When they cry for help, I will not answer. 28 Though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me. For they hated knowledge 29 and chose not to fear the LORD. They rejected my advice."

A couple of years ago, God recalled me from the city and instructed me to move to Nangabo village and serve His people. It's never easy to the leave the rosy life in the city and settle for the village mud and dust; but because it was God's mission and He was the author - Alpha, i obeyed. The land for the establishment of our church premises was offered freely by someone God had instructed. It was a bushy parcel of land that needed a lot of intensive landscaping but from the inception to the current stage; from the tree shade to a bent papyrus structure, from an iron sheet temporary casing  to a solid structure, I have never seen God forsake us because He was and still is the Alpha in all we do. 

The will of God will never take you where His grace cannot sustain you. If he gave you a job, he will sustain you and also see you grow from a junior position to a managerial level. Don’t do things impulsively but rather take instructions and directions from the Holy Spirit - let God lead the way; for if God is your first, you will never be the last. But if God is not your Alpha, He will never be your Omega; for He will never finish what He did not start!

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT) 

“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. 8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.”

PRESENCE OF GOD

Pr. James Victor Lubwama

Psalms 16:11 (NIV)

“You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence”

We usually ask questions like, Pastor I have prayed, fasted, tithed, ministered, given to the poor and done every other thing a believer would do but there is no blessing in my life, is God discriminative?

Even when you go to a theological school and learn everything about the bible, its interpretation, history and other Aramaic meanings, there is only one thing that changes people’s lives, and that is the working power of the Almighty God. What causes God’s principles to work? What causes prayers to be answered? What brings transformation? What causes the anointing to flow? It’s that one thing - the presence of God.

What brings Transformation?
People have read and studied the bible more extensively; they pray a lot and fast more frequently but there is no breakthrough or blessing. So I inquired from the Lord what the problem is; do people pray badly or they don’t pray enough? And He answered me that; what makes the difference is My presence. One time Moses told God in Exodus 33:15 (NIV) that; 

“If your presence does not go with us, don’t send us up from here.” 

Moses knew that if the presence of the Lord didn’t go with them, they wouldn’t take possession of the Promised Land. God’s presence is so profound and powerful and Moses knew that it’s the only thing that can make a difference. He goes ahead to say in Exodus 33:16 (GW) that; 

“How will anyone ever know you’re pleased with your people and me unless you go with us? Then we will be different from all other people on the face of the earth.” 

It's only God's presence that can make a difference! If anyone is in the presence of God, he or she can prophesy even though he or she is not a prophet. 1 Samuel 10:10-11(NLT) says; 

“When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw a group of prophets coming toward them. Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he too, began to prophesy. 11 When those who knew Saul heard about it, they exclaimed, “What? Is even Saul a prophet? How did the son of Kish become a prophet?” 
The presence of God transformed Saul into a prophet; whenever you dwell in the presence of God, things change - there is life in the presence of God

God’s presence is not only about singing songs; the Christian principles we do – fellowship, offering, fasting praying among others, other people have done many times and at greater heights than us but with no results, and they even think diabolically about us, but in the end, we know that what brings about the difference is the presence of God. God’s presence brings joy, peace, causes your faith to grow, leads to a purposeful life and makes people wise. 

The Psalmist says in 16:11 (NIV) that; 

“You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

The Garden, Tabernacle and Cross

From the beginning, God desired to dwell among His people, and after creating man and placing him in the garden of Eden, he visited him everyday; and the day Adam sinned, He had gone there to converse with him – for God desired to be with human beings and when that plan failed after the fall of man, he invited Moses, gave him a plan and instructed him to construct a tabernacle - it was the house of God’s presence. God instructs Moses in Exodus 25:8-9 (NLT) that; 

“Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them.”

He didn’t stop there because that was just a shadow, so He went ahead to do something real in the New Testament by sacrificing His only son. After shedding his blood, he decided to cleanse his temple – your body. The blood washed away your sins and thereafter He descended to dwell in you; so ever since you became born-again, God decided to dwell in your heart in the form of the Holy Spirit - all in pursue of dwelling among His people. Though He gave us the Holy Spirit, he is not contented. He again said, let me go and prepare a place for them where I am. I will come back and fetch them. The church is in transit, we are here for a moment but a time will come for us to go where the Father is - heaven. God desires for His children to be with him and to dwell with him, He has enough space for all the seven billion people on earth if they believe and accept him as their Lord and Saviour.

What drives away God’s presence?

1 Samuel 2:29-30 (GW) says; 
“Why do you show no respect for my sacrifices and grain offerings that I have commanded people to make in my dwelling place? Why do you honour your sons more than me by making yourselves fat on the best of all sacrifices offered by my people Israel? 30 “Therefore, the LORD God of Israel declares: I certainly thought that your family and your father’s family would always live in my presence. “But now the LORD declares: I promise that I will honour those who honour me, and those who despise me will be considered insignificant.”

One of the things that drives away the presence of God is walking contrary to God’s ways. There was a time when God’s presence departed from the children of Israel. Eli’s children sinned (1 Samuel 2:12-36) but Eli as the chief priest continued performing his duties without rebuking or rectifying his sons. There are things we have done as ministers, they are useful and seem to work for us but in reality they are no longer impactful; Many times we substitute righteousness for ministry; we serve a lot, always busy but when our souls are decaying yet God is more interested in your soul than your service. We think that because we are always ministering it’s by default that God’s presence is still in us which is in error. When David realized that he had sinned, he cried out to the Lord in Psalms 51:11 (NLT) and said; 

“Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.”

The devil hates God’s presence; when someone becomes born-again, the first thing he or she gets is God’s presence – Holy Spirit. How do you feel it? You feel at peace, it comes not because you have no debt or sickness or problems; it’s not attached to any condition but comes because of the Holy Spirit is in you; even your mind queries it but its God breathed - the peace comes because the Prince of Peace is available. However, that peace and presence of God departs the moment you sin, it ceases at that moment. All the spiritual things you used to do become a burden - you used to pray but it becomes a struggle; you used to give knowing that you are sowing but that discernment is no more; you used to fellowship and minister but that passion is watered down and, in that state all things you do are computed – you do as your minds thinks not as you are convicted, all that happens because the Holy Spirit that used to convict and instruct you departed.

The devil came with one purpose in the Garden of Eden. What? To drive man away from the presence of God. He was jealous because he had been cast away from God’s presence, so he purposed to throw discord among men. The devil is always scheming for something to drive away God’s presence from your life. God’s presence has left most people and the things we do are mind driven not convicted by the Spirit of God.

What stops things from working? It’s the presence of God, because when He departs, you begin to struggle - the Almighty unlimited God who used to be in control is gone and all that is left is regulated limited you. When you are in God’s presence, you must watch and guard yourself so that the devil doesn’t manipulate you. Not being in the presence of God is correlated to being outside the watch of the Pastor because when the devil attacks, he does so happily knowing no one will chase him because the pastor who has a rod and staff is nowhere. The rod guides the sheep – you, and the staff hits and chases the wolves and lions that attack sheep.

So in plotting his attack in the Garden of Eden, the devil knew that two are better than one (in case of trouble, one warns or protects the other) so he never tried to attack Adam and Eve when they were together; however he attacked Eve when she was alone. Pride engulfed her and she made a decision without Adam’s knowledge. The woman represents the church - bridal congregation and the man represents the five-fold ministries. So be informed that the devil is going to try to cast you away from God’s presence and you are going to overcome him by seeking counsel from your spiritual father. Before doing anything, know whether it’s in the will of God or not and by doing so you shall be skipping all the plots of the enemy, because had Eve consulted Adam before eating of the forbidden fruit, what happened wouldn’t have happened

When Adam and Eve were still in the Garden of Eden – God’s presence, there was no sickness, suffering, death or poverty; all the suffering started after the departure of God’s presence. The devil wants you to lose things God has given you, he wants you to depart from the abundant purposeful life that is why his priority mission is to steal, kill and destroy.

Another sin the devil uses to take away God’s presence is fornication and adultery. All other sin is done outside the body except for those two and, our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit where God dwells. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 (NKJV) teaches; 

“Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

There is nothing that has chased God’s presence like adultery and fornication. When a born-again person fornicates, it brings chases away God’s presence. As a believer, keep walking in the narrow road which leads you to eternal life but the wide road leads to destruction. Flee from situations that cause you to sin so that God’s presence remains in you. Don’t compromise lest you will be compromised. James 4:7 (MSG) teaches; 

“So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the devil and watch him scamper.”

One thing I liked about David is his humbled broken heart. After realizing that he had sinned, he confessed, repented and pleaded with God not to take away His presence from him, and that is why Psalms 51 is titled – a prayer for forgiveness or a prayer of repentance.

Now and Before

In God’s presence many outstanding things happen; Apostles sang and prison gates opened (Acts 16:25) Joseph was sold into slavery, imprisoned but turned out victorious and purposeful. Why? Because in both cases God’s presence was with them

When I was growing up in the late 80’s, the church and its set up was not modern as it is now. The structures were made of papyrus and the musical instruments were basically local drums, but the church was on fire. There were many prophesies, great revelations, revival and the testimonies were boundless. But what has taken away God’s presence and saving hand? Is God the same yesterday, today and forever? Yes. Where did that power go? Is it no more? God’s mighty power still exists because He changes not, however, His power and gifts operate only in His presence; miracles and breakthrough can only happen where His presence dwells, because where the presence of God is, the anointing overflows.

God doesn’t want to depart from us but it always starts with us. Why do people who have been influential wind up weak after sometime? Why is it that the things we did initially used to descend God but when done now there is no impact? One of the causes is disobedience.

Why are cults on the rise? There is no longer power in some born-again churches; and why has the power ceased? Because the presence of God is not there! So what keeps the believers in church? Promises, good music, nice buildings and a sense of belonging

Let’s look at our gospel musicians today. They compose songs and within a range of one or two years they have faded yet the hymns composed in the 18^th and 19^th century are still relevant? The latter wrote the songs in God’s presence and the songs came with anointing; that is why they have relevantly lasted. For them it wasn’t about putting out another album to make money but they composed songs to glorify and magnify the Lord. Our grandparents and parents sang songs like Amazing Grace (1779), It is well with my soul (1876), O Holy Night (1847), How Great Thou Art (1885), and even up to now we still sing such songs of worship and I know that our great grandchildren will sing them.

Godly principles do not work minus his presence; His word doesn’t work minus his presence. After Jesus commissioned the eleven disciples in Mark 16, He didn’t leave them but He went out with them confirming the word - He went out with them not physically but spiritually. Mark 16:20 (TLB) affirms; 

“And the disciples went everywhere preaching, and the Lord was with them and confirmed what they said by miracles that followed their messages.”

You need the presence of God in your life

POWER OF A SACRIFICE

Pr. James Victor Lubwama

Luke 18:18-23

“Once a religious leader asked Jesus this question: “Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only God is truly good. 20 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother.’ 21 The man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” 22 When Jesus heard his answer, he said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 23 But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich.”

A sacrifice is an offering you give up, usually for the sake of a better cause OR surrendering a possession as an offering to God. It’s a painful offering. Sacrifice means giving to the Lord whatever he requires of our time, earthly possessions and our energies to further His work. Our willingness to sacrifice is an indication of our devotion to God. People have always been tried and tested to see if they will put the things of God first in their lives. For instance Abraham was instructed to sacrifice his only son Isaac. Genesis 22:1-2 (NLT) narrates;

Sometime later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.” 2 “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”

A sacrifice releases power - if you want anything to be done under the sun, you need power which is not from within you. The bible says in Deuteronomy 8:18(NKJV) that;  “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth…...…" God doesn't give you money or wealth physically, but He gives you the power to make wealth, and for that power to come upon you there must be a sacrifice.

It is written in John 3:12 that the earthly things should teach us heavenly things; some of our forefathers practiced sorcery and, worshipped and believed in ancestral spirits and in practice every time they wanted bring evil onto someone, a sacrifice of a cow, hen or goat was always required to appease the evil spirits to cause harm to occur as commanded. Likewise a sacrifice is required of us Christians in order for God to work for us and use us. Romans 12:1 (NIV) says: “I Therefore, I urge 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”

When God saw that man had sinned, He knew that only a sacrifice would redeem humanity and thus gave His own son to die for our sins. John 3:16 says; “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

The sacrifice required for your breakthrough is not tied to a specific thing, but the Holy Spirit convicts you on what you should do at a particular time in a specific situation. A Sacrifice can be; actions you take, friends you forsake for Christ, the time you put aside to attend church services against all odds or deciding to join a ministry in church to serve God. 

A sacrifice releases power!

PAYING THE PRICE  

Pr. James Victor Lubwama

In our Christian life, we often hear people talk about paying a price, but many keep wondering what it means. There is a price tagged to everything that you will ever receive from God - there is a requirement for the things that you are looking for. The Bible says in Revelation 5:12 (NASB) that; “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” He was slain so that he can receive, that was the price God paid for our redemption – sacrificing his one and only son.

Practicing the principles of Christianity like tithing, offering, fellowshipping, praising, worshiping, fasting, praying and reading the Bible is not what is meant by paying a price but rather a requirement of every Christian; these pillars of Christianity help us in building our relationship with God.

Among the born-again, there are people who pray and receive, others are prayed for and when they do not receive, they attribute it to their poorly aligned Christian life, and thus rectify their walk in order to receive from God but after all that, they may still pray and receive nothing which may be quite puzzling. Why? God is saying there is none who can get anything from heaven even though they have been prayed for as long as they have not paid the price. 1 Corinthians 6:20 (NLT) reminds us that; “For God bought you with a high price……” The price for our redemption was quite high, and if God Himself bought us, this means that nothing comes freely from heaven - we need to pay the price!

There are certain things we have not received because we have not paid the price for them. Paying a price is an act of obedience. For you to obey means that there is some who is giving you instructions and then you execute accordingly; the instructor commands or demands full obedience from the one who receives the instructions. Obedience doesn’t happen at your own convenience but at the convenience of the one who is instructing you. Jesus told his disciples in Luke 9:23 (TLB) that; “..............Anyone who wants to follow me must put aside his own desires and conveniences and carry his cross with him every day and keep close to me!" The instruction is to deny self, and be able to keep God close.

The instructor is not the pastor but the Holy Spirit; however, for quick and easy understanding of instructions, the Holy Spirit can communicate to you through the servant of God regarding a particular thing to be done, but at times the Holy Spirit directly communicates to your heart (that’s if you are filled with the Holy Spirit) about what he wants you to do. That communication is a command not to be debated by your mind. When you obey the instructions of the Holy Spirit, then you will have paid the price.

The instructions of the Holy Spirit may appear hard, sometimes contrary to our situations and at times they may appear as foolishness but if you are willing, he gives you the grace (divine enablement of God) to execute them. 1 Corinthians 2:14 (TLB) says, “But the man who isn’t a Christian can’t understand and can’t accept these thoughts from God, which the Holy Spirit teaches us. They sound foolish to him because only those who have the Holy Spirit within them can understand what the Holy Spirit means.”

Obeying the instruction of the Holy Spirit is the price that is required of you to obtain the things you desire; for obedience unlocks blessings - when you humble yourself and obey, you will be able to eat the good of the land; when you are obedient enough to work on God’s issues, he will also work on yours. Isaiah 1:19 (ESV) says; “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land."

You need to always be in fellowship with the Holy Spirit because is he is the one who instructs you on what to do, where and when. That is why Paul emphasizes in 2 Corinthians 13:14 (NIV) that; “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."  You need to always be wired to the Holy Spirit.

Pay the price and God will meet your heart desires

God gave Abraham a child at an old age but later asked for him as a sacrifice. Isaac was Abraham’s only child but when he obeyed God’s command, he paid the price for his entire generation. It was a sign of salvation that we were to receive in Jesus when God gave up his only begotten son to die for our sins. Hebrews 11:17-18 (TLB) “While God was testing him, Abraham still trusted in God and his promises, and so he offered up his son Isaac and was ready to slay him on the altar of sacrifice; 18 yes, to slay even Isaac, through whom God had promised to give Abraham a whole nation of descendants!

Genesis 22:1-16 (TLB)

“Later on, God tested Abraham’s faith and obedience. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes, Lord?” he replied. 2 “Take with you your only son—yes, Isaac whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah and sacrifice him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I’ll point out to you!”………………… 9 When they arrived at the place where God had told Abraham to go, he built an altar and placed the wood in order, ready for the fire, and then tied Isaac and laid him on the altar over the wood. 10 And Abraham took the knife and lifted it up to plunge it into his son, to slay him. 11 At that moment the Angel of God shouted to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes, Lord!” he answered. 12 “Lay down the knife; don’t hurt the lad in any way,” the Angel said, “for I know that God is first in your life—you have not withheld even your beloved son from me.” ….………….. 15 Then the Angel of God called again to Abraham from heaven. 16 “I, the Lord, have sworn by myself that because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your beloved son from me, 17 I will bless you with incredible blessings and multiply your descendants into countless thousands and millions, like the stars above you in the sky, and like the sands along the seashore. They will conquer their enemies, 18 and your offspring will be a blessing to all the nations of the earth—all because you have obeyed me.”

God is good and he has revealed the price to us thus we should know that God’s children are ideally the same but what distinguishes us is the price we pay. There is no one, be it a minister or the men that God has used who has not paid a price. In the kingdom of God nothing comes with out a price attached and that is why those in Salvation who have not yet understood the purpose of the price are still as they were in the beginning.

God is able to give you whatever you desire as long as you can pay the price: It does not matter who you are or where you are from. For instance, if you went into a car dealership to buy the most expensive car, it will be given to you as long as you are able to pay for it. As long as you pay the price God instructs of you, he will give you what you desire. God respects righteous believers but being righteous alone will not pay the price for you thus the need to combine both. Look at Lazarus who died righteous but poor. The bible says in Luke 16:19-25 (TLB) that; 

 “There was a certain rich man,” Jesus said, “who was splendidly clothed and lived each day in mirth and luxury.  20 One day Lazarus, a diseased beggar, was laid at his door.  21 As he lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.  22 Finally the beggar died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham in the place of the righteous dead. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and his soul went into hell. There, in torment, he saw Lazarus in the far distance with Abraham. 24 “‘Father Abraham,’ he shouted, ‘have some pity! Send Lazarus over here if only to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in these flames.’ 25 “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted and you are in anguish.”

Lazarus was righteous but poor because he did not pay the price. For he did not desire to eat with the rich, which means he did not go an extra mile - If you desire to eat with the wealthy you have to work hard not lightly. If you are righteous but do not pay the price, you will die poor like Lazarus and you will be despised by the world. Be reminded that righteous – right standing with God is the culture for those in Salvation therefore you need to be righteous, but other things must be bought - the price one has to pay is convicted by the Holy Spirit; it is not necessarily money, but anything the Holy Spirit commands. When you obey and do something unrelated to money, you reap wealth, blessings among other things.

The price you pay is not the leftovers from what you have. It has to be a whole not partial sacrifice; and that is what pleases Jesus, like the widow’s offering. What causes the difference is that which you give tearfully, extravagantly and cheerfully.

1. Psalm 126:5-6 (AMP) that; “They who sow in tears shall reap with joyful singing. 6 He who goes back and forth weeping, carrying his bag of seed [for planting], Will indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.”
2. Luke 21:1-4 (MSG) “Just then he looked up and saw the rich people dropping offerings in the collection plate. 2 Then he saw a poor widow put in two pennies. 3 He said, “The plain truth is that this widow has given by far the largest offering today. 4 All these others made offerings that they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all!”
3. 2 Corinthians 9:7 (AMP) says; “Let each one give [thoughtfully and with purpose] just as he has decided in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver [and delights in the one whose heart is in his gift].”

Listen to bidding of the Holy Spirit, he will instruct you on what to offer by way of conviction in your heart and when you hear that small still voice instructing you do a particular thing, don’t try to involve your mind by reasoning because that will lead to rebellion hence disobedience!

Hebrews 3:15 (TLB) says; “……Today if you hear God’s voice speaking to you, do not harden your hearts against him”