DON’T ACCEPT IT
Dearly Beloved, it is with great joy and pleasure that I come your way on this wonderful Sunday morning. I want to challenge you as you go through this year wherein God has made you Above Only not to accept anything that is contrary to what God has ordained for you. Stand your ground in the victory that Jesus Christ obtained for you, and you shall see the salvation of the Lord. Often times believers give up too easily, they accept their circumstances and situations as their lot, rather than stand their ground for victory. Beloved, if you must be Above Only this year, you must be careful what you accept.
In 1 Chronicles 4, the Bible tells us an interesting story about a man called Jabez who was described as honourable. In-spite of his honour, his problem started when his mother bore him and gave him a name which literarily means ‘sorrow’. Beloved, Jabez understood what it meant to encounter closed doors in life. He was rejected by men, even though he had no hand in the circumstances of his birth. He was victimized by those who should have shown him love and given him succor. Everywhere Jabez went, sorrow went with him. Can you imagine how he felt? He could have given up and accepted the situation as his lot, after all it was his own mother who put him in the situation in the first place. But not Jabez, he decided he wasn’t going to simply accept it.
“And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine Hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.” (1Chronicles 4:10 KJV)
Beloved, let us see this same text in the Message Translation:
“Jabez prayed to the God of Israel: “Bless me, O bless me! Give me land, large tracts of land. And provide your personal protection – don’t let evil hurt me”. God gave him what he asked.” (MSG)
Jabez refused to be refused. He refused to just resign and accept the cards life had dealt him. Rather, he decided to call the God who can turn any situation around. And God intervened in the life of Jabez. Jabez’s story changed because he refused to just accept his predicament as final, not after hearing/encountering a God that is able to make impossibilities possible.
Child of God, I don’t know what contrary situation you have accepted as your lot. I don’t know what has garaged you and kept your head bowed low, but one thing I know is we serve a God that can turn any situation around. We serve a God who is not limited by anything or by anyone, we serve the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, His name is Jehovah and there is nothing too hard for him to do. All God is looking for is someone who will refuse to accept that contrary situation, and He will step in.
As you go into this week, be assured that in every area of life, God is committed to blessing you. He will do for you what you cannot do for yourself. He will open your eyes to see the hidden treasure of secret places. He will fill your mouth with testimonies. You will surely, without fail, testify. Your miracle will not be aborted.
Maranatha!
In His Royal service,
Dr. Mike Okonkwo
The Presiding Bishop
