A LIVING SACRIFICE FOR THE FIRE OF REVIVAL

A LIVING SACRIFICE FOR THE FIRE OF REVIVAL

Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. Psalms 50:5

We already know from the last MLR that God’s work is never done by the energy of the flesh. It is not by power, not by might but by His Spirit. Yet the Spirit is a fire that falls on lives that blaze revival upon the earth.

Whenever fire falls from heaven and it results in furthering the purpose of God on the earth, it is because there is a sacrifice upon the altar that provokes it. God is the worker of all His works. He is the one that sends genuine fire from above and every correct incense of ministry has to be kindled by it. Yet, God does not accept just any sacrifice. It cannot be of a dead animal. It must be living and healthy before it can be accepted.

In our day, the sacrifice God looks for is not of bulls, rams and birds; but the sacrifice of a life that has been redeemed from sin and the flesh; a life that is totally laid on the altar of sacrifice. Every revival fire requires such lives of men and women for it to burn and keep burning. The move of God stops and the fire on the altar dies out when there is no more sacrifice on the altar of burnt offering and nothing more for the fire to fly upon. To spread the fire of revival, therefore, there must continuously be lives laid on the altar as living sacrifices upon which the fire from above can keep burning.

Every revival fire requires such lives of men and women for it to burn and keep burning.

A revival is definitely upon us; and we have witnessed its quiet but intense spread across lands, nations, denominations and different gates of human endeavour. Just as the Lord told us, this revival move will engulf the whole earth to seek out a people for the Lord. It will multiply disciples who are sold out to establishing the kingdom of God and seeing His will being done here as it is in heaven. It will produce lives who are dead to sin and the flesh, dead to the world, dead to death itself and only alive for Christ to live His life in and through them.

The fire of this revival, though kindled from the sanctuary, cannot be contained within the church halls. It will burn all over the earth (unquenchable and unstoppable) consuming every work of the flesh, purifying and preparing the body of Christ for the soon coming King. Every generation, (particularly this our own) needs this fire to preserve it from decay and disintegration and Christ has longed for this fire to be kindled upon the face of the earth. (Luke 12:49-50).

GOING BACK HOME

An excerpt from the book, “From Bleak to Bliss” by Gbile Akanni.”

Whatever allurement the devil advertises, it is only to steal, to kill and to destroy. A slight degree of deviation from God’s purpose for your life may eventually become thousands of kilometers away from your course. A brief trip into backsliding may actually trip your feet into the bottomless pit of woe and confusion. The merciful Father stands with an outstretched hand gazing, looking and longing for His prodigals to come back home. The devil employs anything available to derail God’s people.

A drowning man cannot be purged while still in the waters. He must be taken out of the mire before any work of cleansing can begin. There is no change of raiment out there in the far country for the prodigal son. He must rise up out of that place to return to his father.

Friend, it is possible that you went to sojourn in that strange country where sin reigns supreme. You may have been having feelings of remorse and a desire to change your life. It will not amount to anything until you arise to come out of that place of sin. You must rise and take a step of repentance towards God today. You cannot cleanse yourself out there. You cannot change your internal raiment there as well. Your saying, “I will change” will not amount to anything until you actually arise to walk out of that wrong relationship. You must change your location before you can find the newness of life you are longing for. That girl ‘friend’ with whom you are falling into sin is that ‘Moab’ and unless you deliberately rise to get away, she will always overpower you.

A weekly Devotional by Gbile Akanni

"A Hopeless Condition… Bethany side!"

“Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."
(John 11:21 NKJV)

This was the consensus declaration of Martha and Mary. They did not sit down to discuss what to say, but spontaneously their hearts were poured out as each of them met Jesus. He came only four days after Lazarus their brother had died and was already laid away in the tomb; blocked off with a heavy stone and bound stiff with the grave clothes. Sympathizers had wept their eyes dry and all hope of their brother being alive was gone. All efforts at keeping him was futile and even their urgent message to Jesus, their friend and His friend was met with a seeming “I don't care” attitude. However, in their hearts the only reason why things got out of hand was because Jesus, the Master was not there. Mary sighed, sobbed and sank into her seat, as she watched her brother dying, writhing helplessly in pains... saying... “I wish Jesus just walks in right NOW! Didn't the brother we sent tell Him it was His friend Lazarus - whom He loves? Didn't he tell Him, how I was crying desperately? I wish I had gone myself to drag Him here. Now, it is too late: Lazarus! Lazarus!! Lazarus!!! Don't give up yet. He may arrive in a minute: wait still........ He has never treated us like this before!”

A weekly Devotional by Gbile Akanni

"This Present Distress 2"

Like Ezekiel, in the midst of the valley of very dry bones, we are confronted with a challenge of believing.

“...Son of man, can these bones live?"(Eze 37:3 NKJV)

Can these dry, hopeless and helpless situation change? Can this dead Church come alive again? Yet others are just overwhelmed with their own personal difficulties. “Can this my life ever be restored? Can I ever hope to attain God’s goal for my life again, seeing how woefully I fell into the dungeon of sin?”

Ezekiel simply responded in the faith… “Thou knowest.” (Eze. 37:3) He knew God cannot be limited by any situation if He was ready to act. At the command of His word, the dry, scattered bones came together, bone to bone and none was mis-joined. A rattling noise broke forth in a valley where there was no sound of life, as every bone traced the exact bone of its own frame. Skeletons were miraculously arranged as each one linked to its own very bone. No man could have done that. No scientist could do that in the very precise manner and at such a short time in which the bones glided to link up with each other. Even so is the dimension of God’s divine intervention in the affairs of Hid Church and in your own personal life. Do not calculate how long it would take for God to bring you into a personal restoration. He is not a mere man who struggles with trial and error. At the word of the Lord, the dry bones became a mighty army for the Lord…

A weekly Devotional by Gbile Akanni

This Present Distress 1

“And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord God, You know."” (Eze 37:3 NKJV)

Several circumstances and diverse situations of life come to bring despair and doom. Family crisis; marital disharmony has brought so many a wife unto agony; tears refused to dry off their eyes day and night as they lamented the day they said “Yes I will” to the priest who officiated their matrimony. Others have faced the excruciating pains of diseases that defy diagnoses and cure. Yet, others battle endlessly with the invisible forces of darkness bringing oppression and conflict. Children and adults are alike subjected to the forces of decay.

In search of answers and solutions, many patronized medical doctors; native herbalists; demon conjurers; psychologists, to no avail. Others went into prayer houses, syncretic cults; oriental religions; professional seers and even churches, seeking relief. On the global scene, the whole world is going down the drain, as wickedness, sophisticated crimes, murder, ethnic clashes, territorial wars and religious crises are on the increase by the day. Epidemics claim so many lives without any foreseeable remedy. Governments of the nations seem helpless in tackling the complex web the world has got entangled in.

A weekly Devotional by Gbile Akanni

"A CHALLENGE TO ARISE : We Do Not Well."

“And when these lepers came to the utter-most part of the camp, they went into one tent and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it. Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household. So they came and called unto the porter of the city, and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and behold, there was no man there, neither voice of men, but horses tied, and asses tied and the tents as they were. And they called the porters; and they told it to the king's house within…” 2Kings 7:8-11 KJV

God has given the church in Nigeria an opportunity to affect the land positively, but we do not well. We emphasize that which is foolish; we do not pay attention to righteousness. We do not well and mischief is coming on us. Men have learnt our language, and our gimmicks, and they have decided to use these against us. The young man you did not share the Word of God with may become your executor tomorrow.

Churches have become so rich that they are beginning to float finance houses and banks. It is unheard of that Kingdom resources are tied up in the world system. Some mischief will come upon us if we tarry. Those lepers spoke to one another. I wish you will throw a challenge to the next Christian Brother around you and speak to him. Ask him if he has shared the little experience he had. Have you gone to call men that are still groping in darkness to “come and see, the Lord has pushed down your enemy? Jesus has conquered the devil on your behalf?” There is a leprous characteristic that has been manifesting in our lives: the characteristic of eating and drinking and packing and hiding. It is a leprous manifestation. You need someone to tell you. You do not well if in the midst of your noise, and excitement; in the midst of all we think is happening wonderfully around us, you do not share it? You do not well. Brothers, though God has given us definite promise of breakthrough, yet if we tarry with the work of sharing the good news some mischief will come upon us.

May be there is an open door of ministry that is set before you. God Himself opened it for you. Step to it, tarry not, otherwise some mischief will come, and these things you think you will live long to enjoy, you may not be part of them again. God may open some certain doors to you where business will fall on your own side. That is not for you to change your raiment, nor to drink, and eat and overeat but that you may share it. If you remain sluggish and unconcerned, some mischief will come your way and nobody will be able to explain it................

"WHEN HE COMES..."

“Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”” Joh 11:21 ESV

This was the cry of Martha and even Mary of Bethany when the Lord finally came to the tomb of their brother Lazarus, who died and was already wrapped away in the tomb to rot away. Several hopeless situations confront many of us in life and we would ceaselessly cry, Oh! If the Lord had been here to help me. Oh! If I had prayed enough or done something more or better, it would have been like this. It is indeed His coming to our rescue that brings the change.

“When He Comes” is the next issue we wish to focus upon for our Gleanings. As the Lord has already assured us of His clear and unmistakable visitation, declaring: “I am the resurrection and the life and I am here. Your brother will rise again. Your story will change from here.” We trust that this next series of devotion will bring us into unfathomable miracles. You shall glean away profound divine intervention in your hopeless and helpless situations.

This series of devotion is for several hearts that are yearning for God’s visitation in their lives. It is published with much prayer that He who is the Resurrection and the Life may walk into your situation and turn it around. He who calls into existence what is not as though they were is here again. He comes to show His glory. He comes to our valleys of dry bones. He comes to our pools of Bethesda to raise the impotent of several years. The impotent man said, “I have no man to put me into the pool. Before I step in when the Angel comes to stir the water, others who are more agile would overtake me and take my chance.” Friend, the man you need is here. He will not push you into the pool; He has the power to raise you up from your seek bed. Reach out to Him. When He comes, several things turn around.