Examine Yourselves

 

It was just a few months ago that we celebrated the remembrance of the birth of Jesus, and here we are again in the Holy Week. I want you to know that it is no mistake that God has kept you to see this season, this year, and this week.

This is a time when we are meant to examine ourselves and see if truly we are in the faith. When you read about the betrayal, the embarrassment, and the crucifixion, you begin to realize that this is not something any man can do for you. But God came in the form of a man—Jesus—to do this for you and me, for our salvation, freedom, and deliverance.

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8)

However, you will not be able to fully enjoy these benefits if you do not truly understand them. To do this, you must first believe in His death and resurrection. Jesus is no longer in the grave—He has risen! And because He has risen, you must arise.

You must arise from the dunghill where the enemy has kept you. You must arise from the bonds with which he has bound you and claim your victory in the name of Jesus. It is time for you to arise from the miry waters, for He has come to set the prisoner free from the pit where there is no water, and to place you upon the rock.

Beloved, in this period, I want you to examine yourself. Look into your heart and see if you truly belong to the Lord. Come into right standing with Him and truly know and understand the power of the resurrection. 

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection” (Philippians 3:10)

He has risen from the grave—so now, you must arise.

Stay revived! 

God Already Sees the Details

John 6:5 (GNB)

Jesus looked around and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, so he asked Philip, “Where can we buy enough food to feed all these people?”

Jesus, why exactly did You ask this question? Was it a question of whether we are able to feed them, or was it so we would acknowledge that You are fully aware of the crowd surrounding us?

Life rarely presents us with "small crowd" situations. More often, we are faced with overwhelming circumstances. Seeing You ask this question reminds us that You are already aware of the numbers, the statistics, and the timing. Your will for us is not to be consumed by these factors, but to fix our eyes on You.

Once we acknowledge the "large crowd" and our own inability to provide in that moment, we can look to the One who desires to be our source, our strength, our peace, and our everything.

Just as He did with Philip, Jesus asks us the same questions today:

How will you get the wisdom to raise your children?

Where will you find the ideas to build this business?

How will your business thrive, even in this recession?

As I ponder these questions, my answer is simple: “Lord, I don’t know how.”

The very next verse reveals the heart of the matter:

John 6:6 (GNB)

He said this to test Philip; actually, he already knew what he would do.

It wasn't a question of information; it was a test of perspective. Jesus knew Philip had seen the problem, but He wanted to see if Philip had the faith to carry the weight of the miracle about to be performed.

It is as if He is saying:

 "Philip, relax. Let me show you that in this Kingdom, we don't build by human might, but by My Spirit."

This revelation stirs such emotion in my heart. Jesus is never short of resources to respond to the "large crowds" that surge our way. Before we even notice them, He has already seen the details—and He is simply waiting for us to say, "Jesus, help me."

Stay Revived!

It is no longer I who live, but the Holy Spirit who lives in me Galatian @:20

Some time ago, the Lord asked me a question. He said, “Why do people, during war, rub blood on their faces and bodies?”

I thought about it and responded, “They do it to appear dead—to escape being attacked.”

Then my mind went to the Israelites in the Book of Exodus, when they were instructed to put blood on their doorposts. The blood was a sign—so that when the Lord passed through, He would see it and pass over them. It marked them as His own.

This brought a deeper understanding: if by the blood of the covenant I am saved, set free, and delivered—if it is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me and I in him—then why should I become troubled when situations of life try to weigh me down?

God never promised that challenges would not come. If that were the case, He wouldn’t have said in Book of Psalms 23 that He prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies.

Being dead and alive in Christ means that daily, you yield yourself to His authority and His government over your life. It means dying daily in surrender and living fully in obedience to Him.

So the next time trouble or disease tries to steal your joy, speak to it boldly:
“It is no longer I who live, but the Holy Spirit who lives in me.”

Stay Revived! 

Graced for This Moment

 What if God’s plan isn't to take us out of a situation in a flash, but rather to walk with us through the journey of it?

I recently read the biography of a famous actress who overcame a dehumanizing childhood filled with poverty. There was a specific moment when, after witnessing her mother being abused, she ran into the kitchen and cried out to God to rescue her if He truly loved her.

So often, this is our prayer. When we feel stuck, we want to wish the situation away instantly. We want the pain to end "in the blink of an eye." But how can we truly understand that "all things work together for the good of those who love God" if we only ever seek to escape the process?

God doesn't want us to suffer just so He can say, "I told you that you couldn't make it without Me." Instead, He wants us to learn to trust Him in every circumstance. Whether it is a project He has whispered for us to start, a relationship He has asked us to surrender, or a new season He is calling us into—He asks us to keep our eyes fixed on Him.

The Promise of Fullness

Look at the promise in John 3:34:

"The one whom God has sent speaks God's words, because God gives him the fullness of his Spirit." (GNB)

There is sufficient grace for every situation we face. As long as we choose to align with God’s way and listen to His voice, He reassures us: "I know, my daughter, that you want this to end. I know, my son, that you feel you shouldn't be at this point. But because this is a journey, I will walk you through it so you do not grow weary."

You Are Graced

You are graced for this specific moment.

You are graced to carry your seed to full term.

The doctor may have delivered a diagnosis, but you are graced to win this battle.

Rejections may have thrown you off balance, but there is a grace within you capable of carrying you safely into your next season.

We can choose alignment. We can choose to say: "God, in the moments where I am weary, let praise be my answer. Even if life tries to break my heart into pieces, life will not drain out of me—because I do this not by my own strength, but because I am graced for this moment."

As you go through your day, do not let life dictate its report to you. Instead, choose to say: "I see through the struggle, and I see that God has graced me for this moment."

Stay Revived!

Oh Give thanks to the Lord

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, and His mercies endure forever.

Whenever I think of a thanksgiving scripture, these words from the book of Chronicles stood out.

As I reflected on what to share today, I began to wonder—how many of us have paused to give thanks to the Lord today? How many of us have truly given thanks for where we are right now?

You may not be where you want to be, but you are certainly not where you used to be.

When you look at the life of King David, you will see a man who constantly faced opposition—from his father’s house to his own family. His life was marked by challenges and battles. Yet, this same David would boldly declare: “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, and His mercies endure forever.”

Beloved, understand this: being alive is a testimony.

The Bible says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” God has kept you. That alone is reason enough to give thanks.

You may not have received everything you desire, but God is not done with you yet.

Perhaps you feel like you are in a valley—like the valley of dry bones—but even there, God is present. And today, He is calling you to give thanks.

He says, “Come into His presence with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.”

Do not measure your life by the standards of others. Your true measure is your ability to bring God’s Kingdom here on earth and to live a life that reflects Jesus.

So today, give thanks—not just for what you have, but for who God is, and for what He is still doing in your life.

Stay Revived!

Raise your War Chant

 

Have You Discovered Your War Chant?

There are days in life when what you need is to break out in a war chant. I once had a dream where I was being chased, captured, and put into a car. Suddenly, a wind came, and I broke out in a chant in tongues. As I chanted, the wind lifted me out of that car. I woke up with that same chant, and since then, there are moments when I just break out in it again.

Beloved, you must discover your war chant. There will be days when you receive a report that does not align with what God has promised you. In those moments, dust yourself off and go to war. You don’t retreat, and you don’t break down; you break out in a chant and let God fight your battle.

2 Chronicles 20:22

“And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against their enemies…”

When you break out in a chant, you call on the Lord of Hosts to fight for you.

Some time ago, the Holy Spirit began to teach me the protocols of the altar. He revealed that singing, including chanting in the Holy Ghost, is a weapon. There are days when all you need to do is dance.

When you see demonic priests dance in service to their god, understand that they are only imitating a higher reality the protocol of God’s priests, who chant and dance before Him. They are merely copying what belongs to Elohim.

You do not need to remain in a place of accepting whatever life brings when God has already promised you deliverance and victory.

Pray and praise until your war chant rises from deep within you. Let it flow from your spirit. This adversity will only reveal God's power. The threat before you is not greater than what God has placed inside you. Even the groanings rising from within you are intercession.

Romans 8:26

“The Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

All you need to do is rise and release your war chant.

Heaven understands the groanings of your spirit and will respond. So stand firm. Do not be intimidated or afraid.

Ephesians 6:13

“Having done all, to stand.”

Stay at the altar—your victory is certain.

Stay Revived!

The Protocol of Repentance

When we hear the word repentance, what comes to mind?

Is it simply the act of giving your life to Christ, or is there something more?

For many people, repentance is often reduced to a moment—a prayer said at the altar or a decision to follow Christ. After that moment, life continues as usual. Old habits remain, sinful lifestyles continue, and nothing changes. Yet we often forget that it was that very life of sin that led us to repentance in the first place.

True repentance is far more than a moment. It is a transformation of direction.

Repentance is the genuine act of surrendering your life to Christ. It involves turning away from sin and turning toward God. This turning is not merely emotional; it requires a deliberate and sincere effort to change the lifestyle that once led us away from Him.

The Apostle Paul explains this clearly in the book of Acts 26:20, where he declares that people should:

“Repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.”

This is to say that Repentance is not complete until it produces visible change. It is not just confession with the mouth, it is a life that begins to reflect a new direction.

When someone claims to have given their life to Christ but continues living in the same patterns of sin without any desire for change, it raises an important question: Has true repentance taken place?

Genuine repentance begins with remorse—an honest recognition that we are sinners in need of God's mercy. It involves humbling ourselves before God and allowing Him to begin a work of renewal within us.Note that this transformation is not something we accomplish by our own strength.

This is where the Holy Spirit becomes essential in the life of the believer. On our own, we cannot live a righteous life. Human effort alone is not enough to overcome the power of sin. But the Holy Spirit strengthens us in our weakness and helps us walk in the new life God calls us to.

Yet there is a step we must first take: honesty before God.

We must admit our struggles. We must acknowledge the areas where we fall short. And we must ask the Holy Spirit to help us live the life that reflects true repentance.

Beloved, have you been struggling to live a life that reflects the repentance you  professed?

Perhaps there is a habit you have tried to let go of but keep returning to. 

Perhaps there is a pattern in your life that continues to pull you away from the path God desires for you.

The good news is that God has not abandoned you in that struggle.

His mercies are new every morning, and the HolyGhost is always ready to help those who call on Him.

Take a moment today. Pause from the noise and speak honestly with God about that struggle—that thing you have been unable to release.

Invite the Holy Spirit into that place of weakness.

Because repentance is not just the beginning of the Christian life—it is the pathway to transformation.

Stay revived!

Be on Guard

I recently began studying the Gospel of Luke, and today I came to the part describing Jesus’ betrayal.

Judas Iscariot, was someone who had walked with the Master for over three years. They had carried the same burdens and faced many challenges together. Of all people, he would have seemed like the one whose heart would never stray. Yet Luke 22:3 says this:

Luke 22:3 (GNB)

“Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples.”
Satan entered Judas—one of the twelve. To bring Jesus to His final end, the enemy did not need an outsider or someone who lacked understanding. Instead, he took hold of the heart of someone who had sat with Jesus and journeyed with Him throughout His ministry, and used him as a tool to carry out his agenda.

This is a reminder to all of us to remain watchful. Anyone can fall into temptation. We can be close to the Master, and yet the enemy will still seek opportunities to use us. His agenda is to find vessels through which he can carry out his threefold mission: to steal, kill, and destroy.

Daily, we must take a deliberate posture and say:

I refuse to lend my voice as a container for the devil.

I refuse to lend my feet.

I refuse to lend my social media platform.

I refuse to lend my heart or any part of my life that can become an unguarded instrument.
Just as God desires to use every part of us to advance His purpose and reveal His glory to mankind, Satan is also actively seeking vessels through which he can spread his agenda.
So the question becomes:

Will we say yes to Satan, or will we consistently reject the agenda of hell?

God desires to journey with us—but Satan also seeks to walk alongside us if we allow him

Will we choose total dependence on God, or will we push Him to the background?

Every choice and every action we take is either a yes to God or a no to Satan.




Stay Revived!

Jesus is Salvation

 

Who Is Jesus to You?

As simple as it sounds, many people find it difficult to answer it. Often, we repeat what others have said about Him. We call Him the names we have heard in sermons or read in books. But the deeper question remains: Who is Jesus to you personally?

What part of the Lord have you encountered that has made you call Him by a particular name? What can you truly say about Him?

When we study Scripture, we notice something powerful: many of the names we call God today came from people’s encounters with Him. They experienced Him in a particular way, and from that experience, they gave Him a name that reflected what He had done for them at that point in time.

In the beginning, when God created the world and placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He communed with them. He walked with them and taught them how to live. There was intimacy, there was fellowship, and closeness between God and man.

However, after the fall of man, that closeness was lost. Sin created a separation between humanity and God. Yet God, in His love, sought a way to restore mankind back to Himself. His plan of redemption was revealed when He gave His only begotten Son for the salvation of creation.

Through this, the first dimension in which Jesus was revealed to mankind is as the Savior.

Gospel of Matthew 1:21

“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

The name Jesus Christ itself carries the meaning of salvation.

When we come to Jesus and accept Him as our Lord and Savior, He redeems us. He removes the yoke of condemnation that once hung over our lives. Jesus did not come only to redeem humanity; He also came to restore creation to its rightful order.

To know Jesus is to experience salvation.

So I ask you again: Who is Jesus to you?

Are you carrying burdens that feel too heavy to bear? Do you feel like no one truly understands what you are going through? Do you feel as though no one can help you?

There is One who already paid the price for it all.

What He desires is simple: that you come to Him, acknowledge Him, and choose Him as your Savior. This is not just a one-time decision but a daily posture of surrender and relationship.

Jesus is salvation.

You cannot truly say you know God until you know His Son. Jesus is the One who saved mankind from the sentence of sin and restored us into relationship with God, making us His redeemed people.

So today, remember this truth: Jesus is salvation.
He is all you need to begin the journey called life, and with Him, you will never lose your way.

Stay Revived!

The Need for Spiritual Perception in the Church

The need for spiritual perception in the church should never be overlooked. It is very easy to assume that anyone who calls on the name of Jesus is automatically a true worshiper of Him.

 However, this is  not always true as scripture reminds us that not every voice that speaks about God is necessarily led by His Spirit.

A striking example of this can be found in;

 Acts 16:16–18[NKJV] The passage recounts an encounter involving Paul and Silas:

“Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, ‘These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.’ And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And he came out that very hour.”

Interestingly, what the girl said was true. She declared that Paul and Silas were servants of the Most High God who proclaimed the way of salvation. Yet the source of that declaration was not the Spirit of God—it was a spirit of divination.

This reveals an important truth: a statement can sound correct while the spirit behind it is not from God. Paul, through spiritual perception, recognized the source and addressed it.

Divination can be subtle. It may sound spiritual, insightful, or even accurate. Yet its purpose is not to lead people to Jesus. Instead, it can misdirect attention, distort truth, and ultimately harm the church. The mission of every message, however, is to draw people back to God and to glorify Christ alone.

Because of this, the gift of spiritual discernment is crucial—especially in these times. Every child of God must seek the ability to discern what carries the hand of God and what does not. This perception helps believers live victoriously and avoid deception.

A helpful way to judge words, teachings, or spiritual expressions is to ask:

Does this point people back to God, or does it seek attention for self?

Discernment grows out of a heart that genuinely desires to know the mind of  God. When we approach Him with hunger—aligning ourselves through prayer, humility, and obedience—He begins to shape our spiritual perception.

As believers earnestly seek the Spirit of discernment, the Lord is faithful to grant it. Through His Spirit, we are equipped to recognize truth, reject deception, and remain steadfast in Him.

As we desire the gift of discernment May the Lord grant it unto us and teach us how to inculcate it in our daily walk with Him. AMEN

Stay Revived!

The glamour outside

While curating a recent script, I spoke with an acquaintance to gain a deeper perspective on the concept. He ended the conversation with a funny—but very true—story about how the glamour on the outside often appears more attractive to people than the beauty found in the details within.

As I studied the story of Lazarus, I found myself lingering on a particular verse. In a generation constantly seeking the next big thing that will blow our minds, it often seems that nothing is ever truly enough.

One of the constant seeds the enemy highlights in our hearts is dissatisfaction and discontentment.

On the positive side, this hunger can drive us to desire more of God and more of what He has spoken concerning our lives. However, the enemy often corrupts that same desire, turning it into a restless feeling where a person never believes what they have is enough.

Even when people hear the message of the gospel, they may crave something grander—an extraordinary display, a spectacular miracle, or even the resurrection of someone from the dead—to convince them to believe and be born again.

Yet Abraham’s response to the rich man should remain our watchword:

Luke 16:31 (GNB)

“If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone were to rise from death.”

Nothing external can truly satisfy the deepest desires of the human heart—not glamour, not spectacle, and not grand displays.

Our hearts must be trained to remain fixed on the Cross. When our gaze is anchored there, our focus shifts to the agenda of heaven. We begin to see as Jesus sees, hear as He hears, and desire what He desires for us to become.

Stay Revived!

FILLED WITH NEW WINE.

A few days ago, my sister celebrated her birthday and received a bottle of wine as a gift. We joked about it and said it was like the first wine served at the wedding before Jesus performed the miracle of turning water into wine at the Wedding at Cana.

This conversation reminded me of another moment in Scripture—the Day of Pentecost recorded in Acts of the Apostles 2:1–13. On that day, the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, and the people around them assumed they were drunk with new wine.

Oh, they were, but not the kind of wine they thought, but the Holy Ghost.

It raises an important question: Has your devotion to God ever been misunderstood?
Have you ever felt like people think you are doing too much because of your passion for prayer, worship, or service to God?

If you have felt that way, you are not alone.

The disciples of Jesus experienced the same misunderstanding. When the power of the Holy Spirit came upon them and they began to speak in other tongues, the crowd mocked them and said they were drunk. What they interpreted as drunkenness was actually the Holy Ghost encounter.

The truth is that while we live among many people in this world, our encounters with God are personal. A genuine encounter with God is not something that can be fully understood by observers. It happens in the secret place—between you and Him.

If only those who mocked the disciples had known that the “highness” they sensed was not from wine but from the Holy Spirit.

To live triumphantly in this season, we must cultivate a hunger for communion with the Holy Spirit and be willing to manifest His gifts upon the earth. This is not the time to be ashamed of your devotion or to shrink back because of the opinions of others.

Scripture shows us that after the disciples encountered the baptism of the Holy Spirit, they were empowered to begin their apostolic mission—spreading the gospel across the world. The Holy Spirit strengthens, empowers, and gives boldness. Through Him, we can navigate the complexities of our time with wisdom and power.

So the real question is this: Have you neglected your prayer altar because of the voices of people?

People will always talk. If you act, they will talk. If you remain silent, they will still talk. It is the nature of humanity to talk.

But the instructions God gives you are not meant to be abandoned because of public opinion. Instead, they are invitations to go deeper in prayer and seek clarity from Him. When you return to God in prayer, the Holy Spirit guides you in fulfilling the assignment; He has placed in your hands.

So do not be discouraged if your devotion is misunderstood.

Sometimes what the world calls madness is simply a life that has encountered God. 

Stay Revived!

Pray It Out

“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” — James 5:16

For prayer to be truly effective, it must be consistent. Prayer is not always about a single moment of asking; often it is about persistent engagement with God until what has been spoken  becomes visible in reality.

Think of it this way: when you want to break through a wall using a hammer, the first strike does not bring the wall down. The wall falls because of the consistent blows applied with force. Each strike weakens the structure until eventually the wall collapses.

Prayer works in a similar way. Each time you pray, you are applying spiritual force. You may not see immediate results, but every prayer you make is making an impact in the spirit.

Jesus said:

“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” — Matthew 11:12

This scripture speaks of spiritual determination. To birth the miracles, answers, and breakthroughs you desire, you must approach prayer with persistence and spiritual intensity; violence. There are moments when the answer has already been released by God, but its manifestation is tied to our ability to remain steadfast in prayer through times and seasons. So what do you do then;

Do not grow weary.

Do not faint.

Do not stop halfway.

Keep insisting, praying and pressing.

Sometimes the difference between manifestation and delay is to say the prayer one more time.

So whatever you are trusting God for today—pray it out.

Stay Revived!