MYSTERIES OF OUR STRENGTH (II)

Pr. Geoffrey Kibombo

1 Corinthians 4:1 (NKJV)

“Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God"

Many times the differences we see in those around us or those who have excelled in what they do is because of certain secrets; for instance if you are doing something that differentiates you from everyone else, then your uniqueness is attributed to a certain secret. A secret is defined as something studiously concealed and kept from general knowledge. For example the success of Fortune 500 companies like Toyota, shell, Apple, KFC etc is attributed to different marketing and innovation secrets. Likewise God has entrusted believers with his mysteries or secrets so that can we purposefully standout. 

Having a revelation of mysteries such as forgiveness, praise, love, worshiping, prayer, offering and fellowshipping, may cause some to question why you frequent church; but what they do not know is that those are some of the virtues that make you different from them – even believers are not equal spiritually, its the revelation and doing of these mysteries that distinguishes us from the ordinary.

God’s desire was to bring salvation, but in a way not known to the world. The plan was in existence before but God decided that it would manifest at a particular time. What makes those in salvation standstill this day is that they possess mysteries of which they have a revelation. The bible says in 1 Corinthians 2:7-8 (NLT) that; “…the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began.”

In Mysteries of our strength – part1, we looked at five mysteries of our strength like; knowledge, word of God, right place, spiritual father and, prayer and below are some other mysteries.

6- Worship and Praise

If people knew the secret behind worship, then the burdens they face in life would not have power over them. In order for you to authentically worship God, you've got to take your eyes off the problem and the surrounding - interrupt preoccupation with self and attend to the presence of God. 
Praise is the joyful focus on God's splendid works; its closely intertwined with thanksgiving as we offer appreciation to God for his mighty works. The Psalmist sings in Psalm 89:5 (NLT) that; "All heaven will praise your great wonders, LORD; myriad of angels will praise you for your faithfulness."

Worship is not about your worthiness or about what is wrong with you; but instead, focus on what is right with your God. It’s easy to approach the throne in worship and praise when you are focusing on the character of God – He is good, kind and worthy of all our praise and honour and glory - worship is about Him and only Him.

When you worship, you allow His greatness to encounter and transform the situation. 2 Corinthians 10:4 (NKJV) says; “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God………” Praise and worship are some of the greatest of mysteries of our strength. Praise defeats our enemies. Psalms 8:2 (NIV) says; “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.” 

We always overcome when we realise our powerlessness and surrender to God. Whenever we praise and worship God, we are declaring who He is and acknowledging his great works: We are telling him that he is mighty and there is no one like him, and whenever we magnify God, we are rendering our problems powerless, thus we are no longer considering the problem, but only the greatness of our God. The cultivation of a praise and worshipful heart is a secret to the victory of a believer

7- Salvation

Many do not know this, but salvation is a mystery! Every perfection and fulfillment was put into salvation and that is why David cried out to God not to take away the joy of his salvation in Psalm 51:11-12 (NKJV) “Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation……...”

When you believe and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour – become Born Again, you become a new creature. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (GNT) “Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come.” And this new covenant means that you have surrendered all the facets of your life unto Jesus, it’s no longer you in control but Christ. You might have failed in life but when you become Born Again, God restores you. It is according to God’s plan that in Salvation everything falls in place - once your name is registered in the book of life, you begin a new chapter of life – of an abundant victorious life. All good things you desire are available to you as long as you walk according to God’s ways and word! Salvation is a revelation and the devil will prevent you from getting to know the revelation behind following Christ because he knows that Salvation is the source of freedom, joy, blessings and abundant life, but the revelation of the mysteries of God has only been granted to those who believe in Christ. Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 13:11 (AMP) that; “………to you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.”

Your relationship with God is very significant in overcoming the devil and living a purposeful life. Entering into God’s family gives us access to myriad blessings; in Salvation, life is transformed and we become fruitful, purposeful, blessed, victorious, faithful and protected. Salvation is one of the key mysteries to a purposeful victorious life because it comes with authority, power and blessings. 
Revelation 12:10 (AMP) says; “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom (dominion, reign) of our God, and the authority of His Christ have come…..”

8- Joy

Nehemiah 8:10 (NLT)

“…….Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”

When we become born again, we receive joy – it is one of the hallmarks of God’s kingdom. Joy is more than being happy; unlike happiness that is strongly connected to our feelings, joy is not fleeting, it is permanent and is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit; so joy can be defined as; the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in every situation. You’ll find nothing in that definition about happiness, because, as we all know, happiness is momentary and temporary.

Delight in the things that God has given you however small they seem; this is the mystery of our strength in salvation - the ability to be delightful in all situations; much as you are not where you want to be right now, you should delight in the place where you are now because life is a journey and that is not your final destination. Paul understood the joy of being content in Philippians 4:11-12 (NLT) when he declared that; “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.”

We don’t get a chance to hide or pretend when the bottom falls out of our lives. When we get bad news or a health scare, lose a loved one or our finances collapse; in such moments, all our comforting words are worthless, and what matters is what we do in those circumstances. The Bible says in James that during disconcerting times our faith is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So what should you do in such moments? James 1:2-4 (MSG) answers us;

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

9- Perception

Perception is a key attribute every Christian because it determines what you see (vision) and how far you can go in life irrespective of your purpose. That is why the devil always attacks the eyes of your understanding so that he can cut off your sight. Judges 16:21 (TLB) narrates “So the Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes and took him to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze chains and made to grind grain in the prison.”

Perception is a very fundamental integral part of our life and we should be cautious so that were not blinded. The bible warns about the unbelievers in 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NKJV) that “whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” When the devil blinds, you do not see things as they are supposed to be - you lose your spiritual sight and thus no revelation

When you trust God with your life, he will open your eyes to see the solution to your problem, and that’s why those fully trust the Lord and don’t grumble when the storm roars are over-comers. That’s what happened in 2 Kings 6. Every time they would attack Israel, God would tell Elisha, a prophet of God in Israel, what the king of Aram’s war plans were and when Aram’s king learned that Elisha was the one who was giving away his plans, he sent an army to get him. 2 Kings 6:15-17 (NLT) narrates; 
“When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha. 16 “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” 17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire."

We serve a God who opens our eyes shows us the solutions to our problems and challenges – that is why that even in the middle of the dessert, we see a opportunities and solutions to our problems because the one we believe in is Almighty
Irrespective of how negative or troubling the situation is, our perspective is not blinded but hopeful and oriented to the God Almighty

10- Purpose

Judges 16:4-5 (AMP)

“The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife and said, “Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son. 4 So be careful; you must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food. 5 You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.”

Samson is seen as the image of the church and from his example we see that everyone was born with a purpose. Samson was born to destroy the philistines and when he was born; his parents were given instructions for his upbringing.

For each of us who has a body, soul and spirit, this means that God created us to accomplish something, and whenever God purposes you, he equips you as well. The time God has given you to live on this earth is equivalent to the responsibility he has given you, and when the time comes for him to take you out of this life, your responsibility also comes to an end because life on earth is about service. That is why whenever satan attacks you, he targets to destroy your purpose like the way he did with Samson.  

Salvation is not by our own strength but its from God and its that divine induced strength that enables us to overcome the different barriers and challenges in life. In the Salvation journey there are certain things you must know and, knowing them and doing them makes you a different person. Your secret is what gives you an advantage over others and if you drop it, then you cease to have an advantage over others.

God bless you!