2022/2023 OPERATION 18-18 – (LET YOUR GLORY SHINE FORTH 1A)

As long as we remain connected in Christ, we shall experience fullness of joy. Joy is a product of our connection to him. It is not an external thing. The Holy Spirit flowing through him to us will ensure that the deposits will be the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Wherever the river of life flows there will be deposits, there will be fruits, there will be gifts. God will give you the right perspective this year. You will not look for what was never lost. All you need to do is to remain connected; consolidating your God connection will guarantee you fullness of joy, joy that money cannot give or buy. Money is very limited in many ways. People make the mistake of chasing money to the grave thinking that when they find it they will find peace, joy and fulfillment.

The emptiest people I have ever come across are wealthy. I connected to them early in life when I was playing lawn tennis and they gave me access to their clubs where I played with them. They were big guys, quite influential. I didn’t see joy in them at all, rather, I saw misery in them. I was confused and kept asking myself, ‘do you really want to be like this people?’

Many times Christians keep looking for things that were never lost and in the wrong direction. That is one of the things that happen when people don’t celebrate what God has done for them. What we have (salvation) you cannot buy with money.

I wanted to travel to the USA, I desired it so much. I thought that when I got to the USA, I would find joy. I had heard so much about the US and even dreamt about it. Sometime in the month of December of 1990, I attended a prayer meeting where I was asked to make a single request. I asked God to take me to the USA.

The following year on April 26^th, I was airborne to the USA for training, an all expenses paid trip. It was great. The excitement, however, lasted for only one week! I started thinking, ‘is that all there is to life?’ Until I found Christ in the USA, I didn’t find joy. I can tell you authoritatively today that if you are looking for joy outside Christ, you will look forever. In the equation of joy, things of the world are not in the factor, the only major factor in the equation of joy is your connection with the king of kings, the lord of lords – your God connection.

There is a hole in the heart of every person; God created that hole for a purpose, a yearning, a heart cry to connect to the essence of life. The need to find something to worship is a universal thing. The devil manipulates it and gives people a wrong object of worship. For those of us who have found the real thing, may we learn to optimize by consolidating what we have. What you have, the world cannot give. The world does not know it, the world cannot give it. The world does not have it and just can’t give it!

One of the things I love about the word of God is that it is categorical; truth has to be categorical to remain truthful. Truth is not a relative thing. The moment you bring relativity to truth, it ceases to be truth, it becomes perversion, deception. Truth is simple. Truth is clear. Truth is consistent. Truth explains all. Truth does not need any colour, once you try to colour it, you produce your own thing.

John 17:17, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth”. We need to keep reminding ourselves of this so that we don’t end up chasing vanity and chasing it into hell. Without deception, there cannot be distraction, there cannot be delusion and there cannot be disconnection. Magnify your God connection. That is where the fullness of joy is. In his presence is fullness of joy, at his right hand, there are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).

Pray –

• Heavenly Father, I thank you for your mercies, and loving kindness towards me. I ask that you grant me the grace never to disconnect from you. Thank you because in your presence is fullness of joy, at your right hand, pleasures forevermore.
• Fill me to overflowing with your Holy Spirit, and guide me by the skillfulness of your hand to my allotted inheritance in you.

TO BE CONTINUED.