Arise & Shine!

Memory Verse: Isaiah 60:1-2 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

Text: 1 Samuel 13:14 (KJV) But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.

Acts 13:22 (KJV) And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave their testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.

Brief:

The word Arise! Begets a question from where? For one to arise means the person was either lying down or sitting down or generally down somewhere.. It could also mean a rising from a, location; a place of rest, sleep, weakness or even from sin and sinfulness. Question is why there? What led to being down there? To arise in today’s context is a spiritual awakening.

Now, recalling the life of David, to be honest as human minds knowing all he committed, many at the time would say he deserves no blessing from God, not to talk of the type of acknowledgement he received from God. This blessing was so immense that he himself found it incomprehensible. It simply does not pass the make sense test! If man where to judge the situation, man would have suggested, “crucify him” but the good news is God is not a man and what God did was extraordinary! And David agrees 2 Sam 7:18. “Then went king David in, and sat before the Lord, and he said, Who am I, O Lord God? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?”

Brethren, God is not interested in the counsel of man, no, he is not, bible says, Isaiah 40:13-14 “Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him? 14 With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?” ..the scripture chapter ended saying in verse 31 “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

Jesus, our saviour is here to save, deliver and to mould us into what He wants and to use us to show forth His Glory! Therefore, Arise in that might! Gideon was the least in his father’s house but to God he was a mighty man of valour, how do you see yourself? To Moses, he was not eloquent but to God he was mighty in words and in deeds! You think you are not good enough?? Who told you that? You explain your lack of perseverance as contentment? The truth is eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, it had not been conceived in the heart of man what God has prepared for those he loves and called according to his purpose. Why limit yourself out of self pride! The type of pride of not wanting to make an effort for the possibility of being disappointed, why?? must God do it? Why can’t God say no to you despite your travails? The bible says, do not think more highly of yourself than you ought to! It’s okay for God to say no! One day when it is right he will say yes but you have to keep trying! Jer 29:11 – “ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end”.

Are you a young child in University....? Are you a young graduate seeking corporate employment? Are you a young maiden seeking the correct man for your life? Are you married seeking children? Are you in marriage but unhappy about your spouses behaviour? Are your children rebellious? Are you working but unhappy about how you are discriminated against? Are you in ministry but politics in the body of Christ simply eludes you? Are you medically unwell and you wonder why me? You think you are not educated enough? Who said so? Are you mature in age and you think, what else can I offer, or you are seen and regarded as too old to be of value? I assure you there is hope. What am I saying? Arise & Shine! I don’t know what has caused you to be down or discouraged but God knows. What the human mind cannot comprehend, God can, and what the human eye cannot see, God sees and that is what matters, He alone is the righteous judge and not man. Everything hidden in secret is seen by God and he makes the righteous judgements, that is why he is God. Think about Rahab in her imperfection, no man considered her good enough but unbeknown to others she was a silent labourer, facilitating the work of the spies resulting in the fall of Jericho. People may have spent all their effort talking about her past with no realisation that God had moved into her future, who could fathom that she would become part of the genealogy of Jesus.

In all your walk keep your eyes transfixed on the Cross and allow the Lord order your steps. He will surely protect you so no need to be afraid, rather, be courageous! In this journey of the kingdom, you will be criticised, abused, humiliated, gossiped about, ganged up against, lied upon, misinterpreted, misrepresented, mocked, condemned, spat at, abused, shouted down at and the list is endless but the bible tell us Deut 31:6 - Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

I recall our mother Pastor Yetunde mentioned in recent teaching that you are in control of how you respond when you are persecuted. You are in control of your own response.

Allow the holy Spirit to order your steps. You may get hurt, it’s not unreasonable! But do not allow sin to get in the way! Rather, seek strength from the Lord and He will direct you but do not become weary! Instead, Arise sister and brother, Arise! Do not be discouraged. The comforter sees your pain, your tears, those things you cannot explain or express, he knows them, and you have no reason to labour on them. It’s not your burden. It is God’s.

Some people are even in a difficult marriage and you cannot seem to put a foot right, you are seen as too forward, too bold, ignorant, you should only be seen and not heard as such you have lost your confidence over the years. Or it could be you had a difficult childhood and up till today, you have been very wary about taking leaps and bounds because you do not see yourself as good enough. The cry today is Arise! Do not be discouraged, the Lord knows and he will deal with that situation. It’s your past and it should not dictate your future. Jesus is the light, keep your gaze on Him, just like Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness and those who kept their gaze where healed so will you find a solution to that issue! In Christ alone your hope is found and not in any man. Arise & Shine for Jesus, it is you Christ is looking for to show forth His Glory.

You can shine sister and brother, do not look down on yourself, cry to the Lord for help, he formed you and he alone knows your weaknesses. Jonah cried to the Lord in his distress and the Lord helped him but he was burden to man and was eventually thrown away (Jonah 1&2). In David’s lowest moments and despair, he cried to the Lord, he wrote Psalms to the Lord, He did not languish in despair, otherwise, who will even hear him with all he had committed but God did!. When Job was in despair, he cried to God, as far as man was concerned, he messed up.

When Jesus was being crucified, in his agony, his cry was to God and not to his persecutors. Where is your cry or service to? To God or to man? Even the adulterous woman was saved by Jesus as no man considered her worth saving. We acknowledge there are times when man can be an agent of transformation but I tell you only so far, that is why my father in law will always tell us, do not put your trust in man. Man will fail you but there is no end to God’s ability if only you can trust him again and again and when you do, He alone will empower you with ability to Arise! Seek him.

I have no idea what your challenge in life has been but note that the harvest is white and there is no time for anyone to be idle in the market place of life, no time for excuses about who was responsible for not passing your driving test! It is now about the eleventh hour! How long will you grieve over that matter? You owe it to yourself to pass your driving test! and nothing is impossible with God. Arise & Shine!

What can prevent us from shinning? SIN! Now that you have made a decision to given it up why go back to it? It can only prevent you from shining! Stay away from every superfluity of naughtiness! All strategies of the enemy. The weapons of our warfare are not canal but they are mighty through God, to pulling down of strongholds. Having your mind alienated is only fit for a reprobate mind, do not be counted amongst them. It is better to be unpopular than to lose your Shine in Christ. The chief goldsmith and refiner is ready to refine you. Guard your heart with all diligence for out of it flows the issues of life. God is only interested in the heart remember. He made clear he tries the heart. Saul met all the standards according to the human eye but God chose the ordinary Shepherd boy with no recognition to become his chosen king and the man after his own heart. Therefore, it is possible to be a king and yet not regarded by God. May God help us in our work. The bible says 2 Chron 7:14 if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Song

I have a Maker He formed my heart Before even time began My life was in his hands

He knows my name He knows my every thought He sees each tear that falls And He hears me when I call

I have a Father I have a Father He calls me His own He'll never leave me No matter where I go

He knows my name He knows my every thought He sees each tear that falls And He hears me when I call

He knows me, He knows my name He knows my name He knows...

Prayers:

1. Lord grant me insight into the riches of your Glory – Col 1:27 - For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.

2. Lord open the eyes of my understanding - Eph 1:18 - The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints..

3. Heb 12: 1- 7 & 11-14 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses , let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us , 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. 4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? ............................................11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby . 12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed . 14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

4. I seek your Grace - Luke 5:3-5 3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's,

and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. 4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon , Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

5. Help my unbelief – Mark 9:24 - And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said

with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief.

6. Lord help me arise at the right time (Tabitha Arise!) Acts 9:36-43 This woman was a disciple

who became sick unto death and died but she had made such an impact and the believers grieved. They heard Peter was nearby and sent men to beg him to come as soon as possible. Peter met a room full of weeping widows, showing him all this woman had done, But peter did something, he asked them all to leave, then he knelt down and prayed and the woman arose! Brethren we need each other, imagine if Peter joined in the crying or if no one summoned Peter.

7. Arise & Shine - saiah 60:1-2 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.