Author: Oluwatayo Alofun

Pledging to Do the Father’s Will

In John 5:30, Jesus reveals the secret to His perfect life and ministry: He never acted on His own will but always sought and obeyed the will of the Father. He did not rely on His own strength or understanding, but trusted the Father in every situation. Jesus’ life was a constant demonstration of submission to God’s will, and this is the path we are called to follow as well.

Pleasing the Father in All Things

In John 8:28-29, Jesus speaks with clarity about His life’s mission: “I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.” Jesus was completely devoted to doing the will of the Father, and His constant desire was to please God in everything He did. Jesus’ ultimate focus was not on His own desires, but on seeking the will of the Father and fulfilling it perfectly.

Moving from Natural Ability to Divine Dependence

You might possess natural beauty, talents, or abilities that make it easy for you to get attention or accomplish things in your own strength, but when you come under the anointing of God, those things cannot be used to fulfill His purpose for your life. Even though your natural beauty may still remain, God will not use it to carry out His divine work unless you make a deliberate choice to move from depending on your natural attributes to depending entirely on God.

Confidence in God, Not in Flesh

In Philippians 3:3-4, the Apostle Paul talks about having reasons to place confidence in the flesh, but he chooses not to. He had all the qualifications, achievements, and abilities that could have given him a sense of pride, yet he decided to place no confidence in them. Instead, Paul recognized that true confidence comes from God alone.

A Faith that is Unwavering

In the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we see a powerful example of unwavering faith. When they were threatened with being thrown into a fiery furnace for refusing to worship the king’s idol, they boldly declared that God was able to deliver them. This was a matter settled in their hearts. They trusted in God’s ability to save, but they also stated something profound: “But if not”-if God chose not to deliver them for any reason-they would still not bow to the king’s idol.

Laying Down your Life for the Higher Life

In Matthew 10:39, Jesus presents a paradox: “Whoever finds his [lower] life will lose it, and whoever loses his [lower] life on My account will find it [the higher life].” This is a powerful reminder that the pursuit of our own desires, if it becomes our primary focus, can actually lead to the loss of something far more valuable-the higher life that God has prepared for us.

The Difference Between Love and Pleasure

God’s love for us is constant, unchanging, and everlasting. It is not based on our performance or our behaviour-it flows from His nature. As Jeremiah 31:3 reminds us, He has loved us with an everlasting love and draws us with His kindness. However, while God’s love is unconditional, His pleasure in us is not. Many believers live with the assurance that God loves them, but they have yet to understand that not everything in their lives brings Him pleasure.

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