THE WORD OF GOD IN EXISTENCE

Pr. James Victor Lubwama

John 1:1-4 (NLT)

"In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone."

Everything in the kingdom of God begins with His word; for when it is spoken, it brings the physical world into existence. Nothing in this generation or in the generations to come will happen without the word of God.   

Your future is determined by the word upon your life, because without the word, you cannot have a purposeful future - the word of God gives life to everything that is created; therefore, if you want a meaningful life, you must cling unto the word of God which has the power to create and transform situations. However, for the word to be effective in your life, you need to believe it and have faith in it. 

In the book of Genesis, God spoke and said, “Let there be” and there was. Genesis 1:1-3 (NLT) says;  “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. " 

You need a Rhema word in your life concerning your education, children, marriage, job, business, career, ministry etc. A Rhema word from a servant of God; the "thus says the Lord……."  that speaks into your life situation, and when you receive and believe it, it contains the creating power to change your life and in the right season it is manifested in the physical. Believe and have faith in the words (Prophetic or Rhema) that you have received because they will never pass away without coming to fruition. Matthew 24:35 (TLB) says that; "Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words remain forever” 

A couple of times we have hindered the hand of God because of lack of faith in His word, yet when you believe God's word, He descends down to fulfill it. After accepting the word, you need to start confessing it because out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks; the Holy Spirit considers and honours only confessions and prayers emanating from your heart. 

Store the word of God in your heart and not only in your handbag or on the bedside drawer; let it be the basis of your prayers. Your life should be rooted in the word because God honours his word. Psalm 138:2 (NKJV) says; “……………..For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.” Remind God about what He prophesied about you until it becomes manifested in the physical; give Him no rest until he establishes and makes you praise! 

You cannot be what everyone wants you to be, but you can only be what God wants you to be. You need to stick to your line of calling according to the word of God, because it is always coinciding with his purpose for your life. If you are a musician, stick to making music that glorifies Him, etc. There are things that you want to be and there are things that God designed you to be; You can only be what God desires you to be. 

Regardless of your family lineage or background, you can be anything that God purposed you to be. For example, if your family members are known to be prominent business people, God can decide to mould you into a doctor; not as you wish but according to His will. When you follow God's will for your life, you never struggle, but you will always be blessed, favoured and victorious. 

God knows where you will go and be blessed - he knows the right geographical position from where you will flourish and be purposeful. When he sends you, His hand goes with you. It's the blessing of the Lord that matters, not people's opinions. In John 21:5-6 (GNT) Jesus instructed the fishermen as follows;

“Then he asked them, “Young men, haven't you caught anything?” “Not a thing,” they answered. 6 He said to them, “Throw your net out on the right side of the boat, and you will catch some.” So they threw the net out and could not pull it back in, because they had caught so many fish. 
God is specific and is a God of order! These guys had been casting the nets without getting a single fish, but when Jesus instructed them to throw the net again, He was also specific on the position - "right side of the boat" and when they obeyed, they didn't just catch some, they filled the boat. Is it God who sent you to do what you are doing? Is He the one who sent you where you are? As long as God gave you his word, as long He is your Alpha, you will succeed. 

The things we see in this world are as a result of the word of God - spoken and breathed to life. Everything exists by way of the word. The word of God is his laid-out plan for your life. Psalm 33:8-9(GW) emphasizes; “Let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all who live in the world stand in awe of him. 9 He spoke, and it came into being. He gave the order, and there it stood.” 

God has a plan; He doesn’t build until there is a word. The blueprint of your life is His word - the prophesy you received, the vision or dream you got concerning your life or the Rhema word in the bible. When you receive a word from God, you will have received His plan towards your life and when you believe that word, you accept the plan of God. God is a builder, he illustrates the finished product before the foundation is laid - He speaks the end at the beginning, that’s the authority of the architect and engineer of this world. Isaiah 46:10(NLT) says; “Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish" 

From the time you crossed over to salvation, God started a purposeful work in you. You may not see it physically but He is at work inside – He starts by transforming you from the inside-out. The reason why you may not see tangible results is because he is still at work in you on the inside - your heart which is unseen by physical eyes. Your heart is the foundation of your life. Any civil engineer will tell you that the foundation of a building consumes a lot of materials which are buried beneath the ground aimed at supporting the super-structure. Stop staggering and wait upon the Lord; for He is at work perfecting that which concerns you in order to fulfill His plan for your life. As Psalms 138:8 (NLT) declares; – “The Lord will work out his plans for my life……..” 

There is power in the word of God!

MYSTERIES OF GOD's KINGDOM

Pr. Geoffrey Kibombo 

Matthew 13:11 (NKJV)

“………it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.”

         1. Mystery One; RESPECT AND HONOUR

There are people who have worked hard to ensure that you succeed in life and have a respectable fruitful future. They sacrificed a lot in life and laid a foundation for your successes; as such they deserve your uttermost respect and honour. However, when the devil wants to remove the hand of God in your life, he causes you to disobey, fight against or wrong the people who have done good in your life.

A quick example is that of the dialogue between God and Satan concerning Job’s life. In Satan's view, Job's fear of God was not for nothing; he thought Job feared God because of the blessings and the protection God had put upon his substance, so Satan implored God to permit him to touch Job’s life and test if Job would not forsake Him. In God's opinion, Job had fully understood who God was and what having a relationship with Him meant, and he was confident that even if all was removed, Job would hold unto him. 

Job 1:7-12 (NLT) narrates;
“Where have you come from?” the Lord asked Satan. Satan answered the LORD, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.” 8 Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.” 9 Satan replied to the Lord, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. 10 You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! 11 But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!” 

The devil is always targeting your relationship with God. He is wandering around looking for a person to devour - he wants to bring a rift between you and God so that God can remove his hand from your life and allow him to afflict you. Satan knows that when you are with God, you have a hedge of protection upon your life.

Satan uses disobedience to tear apart relationships, but most importantly to take away God’s presence from your life. He causes people to disobey, speak ill or rise up against; the people that have nurtured to them, or those in authority. The devil causes contention with our mentors so that our relationship with them is damaged. He does that to remove God's presence - Holy Spirit from your life thus rendering you empty and unshielded. He makes people to repay good with evil which leaves them bound and their blessings taken away.

This is the generation where people turn against those who have done good in their lives. This happens in churches, politics, families, schools and workplaces. As such a curse comes upon them. If you turn against the person who has nurtured you or invested in your success, pay evil for good and rebel against your leaders, you are permitting a curse to come upon your life. Satan does not bring curses, but they come as a result of disobedience of God's commandments.

Ephesians 6:1-3(TLB) teaches about respecting our parents; 
“Children, obey your parents; this is the right thing to do because God has placed them in authority over you. 2 Honor your father and mother. This is the first of God’s Ten Commandments that ends with a promise. 3 And this is the promise: that if you honor your father and mother, yours will be a long life, full of blessing.”

Your parents (biological and spiritual) hold your blessings! If you want things to be well with you, obey and honour them - that’s the only commandment where terms and conditions apply!

       2. Mystery Two; PERCEPTION

How do you perceive the servants of God? What do you hope to see come to pass out of your association with them? How do you receive them? All those factors determine how your life turns out when you meet or associate with a servant of God - what you see, is what you receive! 

Many times we concentrate on the ordinary person with the human weakness and ignore the God’s anointed servant who serves as God’s vessel. We usually get so used, so familiar to the servants of God that we fail to discern the hand of God upon the person. We consider them as friends, relatives, neighbours, as such we lose out on blessings. Until you learn to consider the authority upon the servant of God, you will never get what you want from God through him. 

For you to see two people in one, to see two offices upon one person, is a mystery. This means that you have got to snub the ordinary person you see and consider the office upon the person. 

In Numbers 12:1-9(MSG), a story unfolds of Miriam and Aaron rising up against Moses and how God reacted.

"Miriam and Aaron talked against Moses behind his back because of his Cushite wife (he had married a Cushite woman). 2 They said, “Is it only through Moses that God speaks? Doesn’t he also speak through us?” God overheard their talk…………….….5 God descended in a Pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent. He called Aaron and Miriam to him. When they stepped out, 6 He said, listen carefully to what I’m telling you. If there is a prophet of God among you, I make myself known to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. 7 But I don’t do it that way with my servant Moses; he has the run of my entire house; 8 I speak to him intimately, in person, in plain talk without riddles: He ponders the very form of God. So why did you show no reverence or respect in speaking against my servant, against Moses? 9 The anger of God blazed out against them. And then he left"

In the scriptures above, Miriam and Aaron were Moses’s siblings; their minds were still programmed to the idea of Moses being their brother and started rebuking him for marrying a Cushite woman forgetting that he was God’s chosen servant because only God rebukes his servants! Ultimately God came to Moses’s rescue and what befell Miriam was awful (Numbers 12:10). Had Moses done something wrong? Yes! He had married outside the Jewish fraternity which was against God’s instructions. However, we as ordinary people don’t have a mandate to rebuke those who are appointed by God 

These days, we don't see the servants of God as God sees them, we take them lightly. In the days of Old Testament, the servants of God lived in seclusion from people, they had no unifying activities with the ordinary men, they commanded respect and the fear of God was upon them. But in this generation, we see the servants of God daily, we go to the same markets, stay in the same neighbourhoods, and consequently we get so used to them and fail to see the authority they possess and the anointing upon them. Until you acknowledge the one who has been sent in the name of the Lord, you cannot see God. Until you understand that your Pastor represents God you shall not see the hand of God! 

The servants of God bear the solutions to our problems; they have authority over the things we need from God. If you want a house, job, marriage or promotion and you believe that you can get it if the man of God prays for you, then you shall receive what your request. What you see is what you get! Value, respect and protect the authority and anointing upon the servant of God! 

A revelation of God’s mysteries will bring a revolution or transformation in your life. Deuteronomy 29:29(NLT) says “The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions" 

God has good plans for our lives; we have big prophesies upon our lives, but the key to unlocking them is to understand the mysteries of the Kingdom of God

God bless you!

THE VALUE OF A NAME

Pr. James Victor Lubwama

Ecclesiastes 7:1 (AMP)

“A good name is better than precious perfume……..”

When God anoints a name, it becomes established, and it’s remembered by all generations. There are names that are still significant even when those individuals are long gone. You can be known to be trustworthy, honest, reliable and a person of integrity even when you are not rich; for an upright character is just enough to push you into prosperity and blessings. 

When Satan wants to hold your success, breakthrough or progress in life, he will hold your name first. There are names that are known for all the wrong reasons and with no credibility - crowning you as a failure, forlorn and frail person; such a name cannot take you far in life. Indigenous names like “Zirabamuzaale” “Bizibu” etc declare negativity into our lives and destiny, no wonder you are ever toiling because of the meaning behind your name.

Significance of A Name
In a battle led by Alexander III the Great, a young soldier who was causing problems among other soldiers was brought before him. Alexander the Great asked the soldier; ‘what’s your name?’ The young soldier replied: “Alexander.” Alexander the Great then told him; ‘either change your name or change your conduct.’ -  Names represent character, identity and authority.

Names are special and they should be. In Jesus’ days even more so in the Old Testament, names meant a little bit more than they do today. For instance, the name “Isaac” means “laughter” The name “Jacob” means “heel grabber or supplanter” Why? In bible, names either described the circumstances or the character of the one born, and we read many times when God changed a person’s name and gave him or her a new name; it was usually done to establish a new identity. For example;

·        Jacob (supplanter) was renamed Israel ("who prevails with God") – Genesis 32:8 

·        Abram (noble father) was renamed Abraham (father of many nations)- Genesis 17:5 and,

·      Sarai (quarrelsome) was renamed Sarah (Princess-mother of nations) – Genesis 17:15

These days, people name their children after famous people, places or words that sound sweet and hyper but with a negative meaning or no meaning at all. Do you know the meaning of your name?  

A good name makes people bow; a good name will make you earn people’s trust, it can take you places and open doors for you. It’s your responsibility to keep your name a good name so that when it is spoken; hopefully good things come to mind and that is why you should pray to God to anoint your name.

The Name Above All Names
There are a lot of names that are historically loud, and carry significance; yet, throughout history there is no other name that carries life, truth, depth, Salvation and power than the name of JESUS. Acts 4:11-12 (NIV) declares; 
“Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Do you know why there’s no other name? Because there’s no other name! It’s that simple. In no other name is there salvation and life. In no other name is there healing and restoration, comfort, reconciliation, hope, forgiveness, strength, peace, protection, truth, freedom, and about a million other things. His name is enough! We don’t need the name of martyred saints or religious leaders or any other man or woman. The name of Jesus is adequate for all of our needs - It’s a special name. Even the devil knows how special the name of Jesus is!

Having gone through all that he went through, Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death at the cross but after all that he was given a name above all names

Philippians 2:9-11(NKJV) says; Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

There is power in a name!

CHOOSE FAITH, NOT FEAR

Pr. James Victor Lubwama 

Fear is an acronym expounded as;

F-  False
E - Evidence 
A  -  Appearing 
R -      Real 

Whereas FAITH according to Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) is described as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" OR as Hebrews 11:1 (TLB) explicates; “the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.”

Satan uses fear to govern people’s lives while God uses Faith. Fear and faith cannot coexist! When fear takes over a person's heart, faith runs away; they can neither sit in the same place (heart) at the same time nor operate at the same time.

The foundation of faith is the Word of God while the foundation of fear are lies of the world. You can't have faith without the word of God. For example if you are believing God to heal you of a sickness, you must have heard a Rhema word regarding the healing you need - for instance, Psalm 103:3-4 (NKJV) which assures that; "Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercies," This word forms the foundation of your healing.

When you receive the word of God, it becomes the foundation of your faith because faith comes by hearing the word of God. When you hear someone speak about increase, multiplication, wonders, healing, expansion and you accept the message with your heart and, confess it with your mouth, it becomes operational in your life’s situation. It's the Word that you have heard that pushes you to believe. Romans 10:16-17 (TLB) says; 
‘But not everyone who hears the Good News has welcomed it, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed me when I told them?” 17 Yet faith comes from listening to this Good News—the Good News about Christ.’

After the Word has been spoken, fear, uncertainty and confusion sneaks in. You start wondering like Mary did when she received the word that she was to give birth to Jesus. Luke 1:34 (ESV) says; "And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” Or like Abraham when he got his word regarding a child. Genesis 17:17 (ESV) “Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” You end up doubting the word and hence giving fear a foothold.

Many times we focus on the surrounding circumstances, we imagine that some prophesies or situations are impossible; we reason that we are too old or not worthy of what has been spoken. But if God has spoken a word, He is also ready to perform what He spoke; He assures us in Psalm 89:34 (NKJV) that; “My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.”

Oswald Chambers, in My Utmost for His Highest, said: "The nature of the spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty. We can be certain of God, even if we are uncertain of the next step He wants us to take. We can be certain of God's plan for us, even if we are uncertain of the specific details. Even though we're uncertain, we can be confident that God will not disappoint us”

Many times we do certain things in fear; we offer or sow a seeds in order to save our jobs, or get something more in return. We don’t do the above out of obedience but motivated by fear because we anticipate something bad will happen to our family or businesses. You will never see God if you do anything motivated by fear, because God honours actions that are faith driven; anything done out of fear cannot earn you a breakthrough or a blessing!

In order for you to see God in your life, you need to choose faith not fear because He is faithful and will surely perform what he spoke. Jeremiah 1:12 (AMP) says; ‘Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am [actively] watching over My word to fulfill it.”

What God has planned will come to pass. Psalm 33:8-11(NLT) says;
“Let the whole world fear the Lord, and let everyone stand in awe of him. 9 For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command. 10 The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations and thwarts all their schemes. 11 But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken.”

Most people are not persevering or courageous. They are so scared and torn in pieces by different life circumstances; they are afraid to get out of their comfort; they are afraid of failure, poverty, death etc. They are not walking confidently by faith but they are just drifting through life enslaved by fear; while some other instead of believing God and his word, they turn to self-help books for redemption. Satan is nothing but a thief, destroyer and deceiver, and he goes around roaring fear, and when we scatter, we end up in the wrong places because of the traps he has set: So when fear roars, its no what you are running from that holds control over you, but its the act of running that pulls you away from God; you become so fear-centred instead of standing on the rock - word of God and trusting Him to help you overcome

The difference between the Bible and self-help books by different moguls, investors, politicians, life coaches and other people who have succeeded in the various fields is that; self-help books often give you a wide perception about an issue. The dos, don’ts and how’s but they don’t give you the power to do it. They are helpful, yes, but they don’t have the power to activate what’s been written. They aren’t alive, but God’s word not only tells you what to do; it gives you the power to do it.

Faith is God’s Word activated. If you’ve ever read a verse in the Bible and all of a sudden thought, I can do this: I can be healed, i can build a house, I will bear children; you’ve just had your faith activated by the Word of God. 

Everyone is haunted by fear at a certain time, but it’s what you do when fear thunders in your mind. When you’re afraid, you will probably respond in one of these ways: to embrace fear; to run from fear; or to face up fear with faith.

Face the reality, discard fear and choose faith!

BENEFITS OF SERVING THE LORD

Pr. James Victor Lubwama

Exodus 23:25-27 (NKJV)

“So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. 26 No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.  27 “I will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.” 

i)  25(b)……. He will bless your bread and your water…..”

To bless your food and water means blessing the works of your hands – job or business; when you serve the Lord, then the one you serve obliges to bless the works of your hands. 

ii)  26(a) “No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land……….”

Our plans and projects shall not die at the initiation or foundation stage. Nothing can sabotage them but instead they thrive and grow because of God’s backup and blessing. 

iii)  26(b) “……….…..I will fulfill the number of your days.” 

This means that you will perform your duties or assignment up to the end and, nothing and no one will take you out of your job or business when it is not yet time. It will not happen for you to leave your employment, business or marriage. Nothing will take you out of the blessings that the Lord has given you! 

iv)  27 “I will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.

To see the back of your enemies happens when you have the fear or terror of God upon you - when God goes ahead of you with his terror, your enemies scatter. Without the terror or fear of God upon you, people can despise and disrespect you; they can rob your assets and fraud you etc.

An example of ferocious people in our African setting are witches. In the African setting especially in villages, when we were still children we heard stories about witches and what would happen to a person who stole their belongings or conned them. We were told that if someone stole their harvest or possession, a certain force would make you return what you stole, or the things one stole would scream at night for you to return them, so we had that kind of fear for those people. In the same way but for a different purpose, because of the fear of God upon you, you will be shielded. People will look at you mysteriously but with respect. They will say; ‘we cannot understand that person’, maybe he or she is related to a high profile person or a friend of the minister - all that happens when the fear of the Lord goes before you, and clears the way for you.

Saved for Service

The Bible says in 2 Timothy 1:9 (TLB) that; “It is he who saved us and chose us for his holy work not because we deserved it but because that was his plan long before the world began…..” God created you to help others - serving God is serving people! Regardless of your job, profession or talent, you are called to serve; a non-serving Christian is contradictory to the gospel and God's plan.

We were not saved to become spectators in the kingdom of God but servants serving with a purpose of advancing His kingdom; we are; Saved ➡Called ➡ Purposed ➡ & Graced. 2 Timothy 1:9 (AMP) says; “[For it is He] Who delivered and saved us and called us with a calling in itself holy and leading to holiness [to a life of consecration, a vocation of holiness]; [He did it] not because of anything of merit that we have done, but because of and to further His own purpose and grace (unmerited favor) which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began [eternal ages ago]” 

Every Christian is called to service - saved to serve. When you use your God-given abilities to help others and build his kingdom, you are fulfilling your calling. Romans 7:4 (GNT) says; “And now you belong to him who was raised from death in order that we might be useful in the service of God.”

We are saved to serve!