What makes grass grow thick and green? Would you believe that part of the answer is lightning? The main ingredient in most fertilizers is nitrogen, and the air is full of it. But grass can’t access the nitrogen in the air until lightning moves through it. Lightning heats the air and splits nitrogen into separate molecules. The molecules of nitrogen then join with oxygen and hydrogen and fall as rain—nourishing the vegetation. Who knew that lightning is one of God’s messengers to make the world green? Learning about lightning makes me wonder what else God is doing behind the scenes in my life and people’s lives just like in the time of Queen Esther in the whole book of Esther. I love to hear miraculous stories of healing, surprise checks in the mail, and bullets that somehow miss from point-blank range. The God of wonders can do spectacular things. But His “ordinary” acts of providence are equally wonderful. It’s funny you see people these days don’t attribute these acts of miracles to God rather they give the credit to men.

Psalm 104 lists some of the ways God quietly provides for us. He “placed the world on its foundation” and “set a firm boundary for the seas” (Psalm 104:5,9). He sends rain to nourish the earth and grow “plants for people to use” (Psalm 104:14). He “made the moon to mark the seasons” and uses the sun to create a rhythm of work and rest for all His creatures (Psalm 104:19). “They all depend on [Him] to give them food” (Psalm 104:27). The one that got me thinking is the one said in verse 21 that then the young lions roar for their prey, stalking the food provided by God. Consider the many ways God silently sustains your life. Thank Him for the various systems within your body and for the outside world that provides you with family, friends, and meaningful work. Praise Him for the many provisions—like lightning for our lawns—that you may not even know about. There are countless ways God secretly cares for us! Tell Him thanks for the ways He cares for you that you aren’t even aware of. What an amazing, creative, compassionate God we serve!

Do you know why the devil is having a loud laugh at Christians? Because the church is busy fighting and quarrelling over who should sing or preach on Sunday service or midweek service, whose church building is bigger and who can outshine the other person during prayer session or during workers meeting. Lord have mercy! Competition! Competition! Competition! Everywhere you look is competition and packaging all in the name of “anointing”. This is why the church is dead and dry just like the fig tree Jesus cursed in Mark 11: 12 – 14. Now note the following statement before Jesus cursed fig tree, “Because it was not the season for figs.” Yet Jesus went on ahead to cursed it. Beloved, if it’s not your season please give way for other rising stars in the church, your own time is coming. Everyone in this life has his season but the moment you want to come out before your time, what happens is that you become competitive and impatience lacking leadership qualities that can help you lead well as God’s shepherd. The believer must not be a new Christian because he might be proud of being chosen so soon, and pride comes before a fall. Satan’s downfall is an example (1 Timothy 3:6 TLB version). Such was what the arch-enemy of Christians did before he was thrown down.  He went for God’s throne and when he couldn’t, he rallied supporters and fought God. The same thing is happening in the church today.

Now it can be that you are young like Timothy who was full of God’s anointing and given leadership to lead because God has seen your heart, and all hell broke loose in your department or the entire church. You don’t need to fight at all. Oh yes! David had the same challenges when he was chosen by God. His brother despised him and the sitting king who was Saul was so obsessed with killing David. His obsession made him take the lives of priests who were all in their priestly garments, then he destroyed Nob, the city of the religious leaders, with the sword. He killed men and women, children and babies, cattle, donkeys and sheep, with the sword. (1 Samuel 22: 17 – 19). He took three thousand soldiers to pursue one man. Yet when it was in the hand of David to kill Saul, he showed Saul mercy. Learn to hand your worries, troubles, and challenges to God. Fighting and quarrelling won’t get you anywhere, rather it shows one’s folly. I tell you, the same people who would want to steal from you or may have denied you your rightful position will definitely see or hear you a crowned king tomorrow. When you become obsessed about anything or anyone, pray for God to deliver you because it is one of the quickest ways for a man to lose his vision. The purpose of God in a man’s life is lost, the gifts and anointing wasted (Matthew 25: 18, 25 – 30). What do you think will happen to a church that quarrels and fights all the time? The glory of the Lord will depart – Ichabod.

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us (Ephesians 3:20). The world we are in today suffers not only from physical needs but also from spiritual brokenness. This has brought about the decadence in the church that made the church to succumb to so much garbage found in the world. Christians find it hard to believe the miracles of God because where there is garbage you see vultures, chicken and rats etc. How then can God’s power manifest in such places except there is a spiritual cleansing?  Please don’t mistake magic for miracles or false men of God to true men of God. We must watch out for those false preachers and people who come into the church as members whereas they are wolves in sheep clothing who smile a lot, chances are they are out to rip you off some way or other. Don’t be impressed with their charisma; rather look for the character. A genuine preacher or church member will “never” exploit your emotions or your pocket. Many people today get weary of the church because there are many wolves in the church as members and many half-baked men/ herbalists on the altar. How do you except the church to grow powerfully with such mixed multitude? Social media is where people get their information about God, His will and His purpose. It is so sad and sickening seeing the power of God made less true than it appears to be. People believe in magic and run down miracles as if it’s just manipulation in the church. Beloved, miracles do happen (Matthew 9:35 – 38). I don’t need to write down the whole quotation just for you to see it. God is still in the business of doing signs and wonders using His true followers to bring it into manifestation. Because you see people leaving their hair like that of a madman and call it fashion doesn’t mean that there is no hair salon. How far can you see? This has got nothing to do with education or title. My dear what kind of picture are you painting for yourself and where do you want to be in life here and after. All these determine the way you react to things, how you see God for yourself, and most especially what you ask and your obedience to God in “all matters”. It’s kind of funny when you see people who are highly anointed, they receive promises from God and great revelations but they are too stubborn to God by refusing to obey Him completely which have caused them to be stunted in growth financially and in their area of calling. Whereas you see those who may not be as gifted yet they are obedient to God and are successful in their calling.

This brings us to allow the Spirit of God work deeply within us and gently without fuss like the stubborn mule (Psalm 32:9). Many believers are conversant with the word of God but lack the “Revelation of God’s Word”. God deals with all His children in two ways – by the word (which is one having a revelation of God’s word) and by the dealings of His Spirit (which is by our day to day walk with the Holy Spirit as we go through challenges). If you happen to grow in one and deficient in the other, the less God uses you but when you grow in both areas then you will be a vessel of honour fully fit for the Master’s use (2 Timothy 2: 20 – 21).  Many times believers misunderstand some of the dealings of the Holy Spirit for the attacks from the enemy hence the need to key in and begin to see things from God’s own point of view (Romans 12:2). Having a closer relationship and a consistent walk with the Lord is the key to know how far you can be able to ask and what you can receive. Many go about claiming God’s promises yet rejecting the terms and conditions. How then will the promises come true? This is why so many become impatient, then they become frustrated. They now lash out to friends, family or anyone close to them and more especially to God (2 Timothy 3:5). Jesus came to meet that need and challenge. He has also incorporated we His followers to join Him in this work (Matthew 9:37 – 38). God wants to release His power only to those who can be able to use it reach out to the world and win souls and not those who will gratify their selfish desire by destroying others and themselves. Thus the need to grow in grace, spiritual strength and become better acquainted with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ so as to enable us not to feed on junk from the world system and the false information from social media.