ABDICATING OUR CALL

by Glenice Mills

We as Christians are truly blessed. We are the Lord’s royal priesthood, a people belonging to Him.

Stop and think about this: we are ROYALTY. What is royalty? It is a position of high standing, of authority, a set apart people, worthy of honour. We are children of the King with a divine royal decree upon our individual lives – a command to go and do what He has called us to.

We have a responsibility to do ALL we can to fulfill ALL God requires. When we don’t, we can ‘abdicate’ the divine position given to us, and give up the precious gifts we have been given.

To abdicate means a failure to fulfill a responsibility or duty. It is relinquishing a throne, a right, and a power.

In recent British history we saw where a king abdicated, changing the course of history. When this happened it meant a new person was needed to fill the position. It was not the one ordained to do it, but rather the next one in a hierarchal position was put in place. As a result a whole new lineage began.

It is no different for us as Christians. It happens to us spiritually. We can abdicate our calls. This will result in someone else taking the position, as the Lord still has to get the job done. I have often heard someone say that they weren’t the first to do a particular call in God, that He had given it to someone else, but they had chosen not to walk in it.

So, I wonder how many of us even now are or have abdicated our call for whatever reason? How does the Lord feel about this? How can we make sure we don’t lose our way and abdicate what was the Lord’s plan for our lives?

I know there are one’s at this time who have chosen to walk away from God’s plan for their lives. This grieves God’s heart. I have felt His grief as He has given opportunity to many but they have succumbed to fears, and/or self-will. The truth is: our life is not our own, we are bought for a price – the shed blood of Jesus Christ for our sins.

Our King has bestowed upon us a most precious gift – our FREE WILL. Sadly this is a gift that we can take for granted. God has a plan for our lives however He never crosses our free will. He brings many opportunities across our path to steer us in the right direction.  He never coerces or places demands on us. That’s why the enemy loves to bring control – whether that is through a family member/s, the church, in the work place or through some other wrong authority in our lives. 

James 4:17
Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

This is a powerful Scripture. We can interpret this to mean when we knowingly sin we are answerable. However if we take it a bit deeper we could also say, if we, by our free will decide we will not walk in what we know we should then we are in sin. As we know there is always a consequence to sin. It does bring death – death to dreams, our vision, and our soul – our minds, will and emotions.

1 Timothy 1:19
having faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck

The reality is: we can hide in our games, thinking we can get away with compromise, justifying our actions, and putting things off, however our conscience will become seared, opening the door to deception. We deceive ourselves thinking it won’t matter, that it will sort itself out, or it will go away.
Who do we think we are? God is not mocked!

The big question is: what do you value most? Walking in God’s perfect will for your life or choosing what is often an easier way, bringing with it a sense of false peace and security?

Remember: there is always a cost in following the Lord. Be careful you don’t abdicate His divine position by choosing what appears an easier way.

Proverbs 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.

WHO HAS THE WORD OF THE LORD?

by Glenice Mills

“Who has the word of the Lord?” There is a desperate cry from many in the body of Christ who are searching for God’s word at this time. We are in a defining epoch time that is strategic for what lies ahead in the next season for many Christians, the body of Christ, and for nations.

The Lord has had me quiet the past couple of months. I have been quietly observing what is happening in the prophetic and what I see is very concerning.

The truth is: it is very easy to succumb to pressures from people who say to you “what is the Lord saying.” There are so many words out there, some saying one thing, others saying something else.  Confusion is ruling over many. As we know God is not the author of confusion, satan is.

For example we just need to listen to prophetic words about America and who is going to be the new Republican nominee. Some are saying Donald Trump is going to win, others have said Marco Rubio, and some say Ted Cruz. All the prophetic voices are saying they heard from the Lord. Each is adamant they have heard correctly. However some will prove to be correct and others will be incorrect. So what happens to the one’s who get it wrong? Will they willingly put up their hands and say I got it wrong. Probably not. Will they take some level of responsibility and accountability for their inaccuracy? Probably not.

It is easy to speak what we think is right when we want something to go a particular way. It comes from our will, from self, rather than from the Lord. It is our soul realm that is speaking, rather than by the Holy Spirit. It is an easy trap for prophets to fall into. If we want something bad enough we will ‘conjure’ up words to make them fit our desires. Conjure is witchcraft and it is rife in the body of Christ right now.

Also some speak from a wrong motivation. Just like with the girl who followed the apostle Paul speaking words that sounded right but were from a wrong spirit - in this case a demonic spirit.

Acts 16:17,18 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.

Discernment is needed like never before. Sadly this is one gift that is lacking in the body of Christ. We need one’s like Apostle Paul to speak up and confront the spirit – the spirit of divination.

There are so many opinions, ‘words of the Lord’, and demanding wants from many Christians. It is opening the door for deception. Who are we to place demands on God? It is born out of a sense of self-entitlement – if I can’t have it then no one else can. It is about our motivations – whether we pray from a place of faith, coming to a Holy God, and seeking Him for what He would want for us, or wanting something because we think we should have it. There is a big difference.

Another area of great concern is the competition among the prophets for ‘who’s got the word of the Lord?’ There is rampant competition out there birthed out of selfish ambition. We have a jostling for position, for who is the number one trusted prophet. Often they can be the one’s who speak words that tickle the ears of those who want to hear the good things. This is dangerous ground for a prophet, it is where compromise sneaks in, watering down a prophetic word so as not to offend. Now more than ever we have to be aware we don’t bow to political correction because it makes the people hearing the word feel good. However it is a feel good in the moment, rather than a sustaining word.

A word from the Holy Spirit, that impacts a person, bringing repentance, leads to greater truth and understanding with new life coming. A ‘feel good in the moment word’ keeps the body of Christ immature. There is a higher standard and greater maturity required of God’s people in this hour. We cannot stay babies on the milk; we must grow up and grow into Him in a greater measure.

There is a frightening downward spiral when selfish ambition takes root in a prophet. It opens the door for a spirit of delusion to come; bringing spiritual blindness that ultimately deceives. It is pride birthed in self – every idol of self.

One of the most insidious is self-promotion. With Facebook, websites and other forms of social media there is a platform for the prophets to speak. This is great, as the words get out into the cyber realm speaking to many in the nations. However the problem arises when we have a competitive jostling of whose got the loudest voice, who has the most followers, who is the ‘in’ person at a given time.

It is a powerful privilege and honour to be a spokesperson for the Lord, to be His prophet. We should not adulterate ourselves in order to appease. There is a lot of spiritual adultery – selling ourselves for gain, whether that be financial, notoriety, or promotion, it must not and cannot be in a prophet.

There is a higher standard required for the prophets and the prophetic. Let’s watch out for the traps that would derail us, that would bring the name of Jesus Christ into disrepute.

TO THOSE WHO HAVE EARS

by Patricia Usiobaifo

I have never really understood why we seek advice from leadership or those in authority over us if we have no intention of heeding that advice. I see this time and time again both in the church and the work place when we give someone permission to speak into our lives and situations and yet then either fail to implement or act on the advice given or indeed we do the opposite to what has been suggested or asked of us. In the church we seek out wisdom from a trusted source often because we are not hearing for ourselves what God is saying to us concerning a specific situation or concerning a decision we need to make. Surely we are not seeking an opinion from that person, or even their earthly wisdom, surely we are seeking to hear from them a God perspective since they have the Spirit of God residing within them and they are the Godly authority placed over us for our covering and protection. Is that not why we ask that person to begin with, because we trust Christ in them? So why then would we seek out an Apostle for their advice if we have no intention of following that advice? It is not only a waste of their precious time but it is also incredibly disrespectful.

Staying stuck in your stuff because you haven’t heard from God concerning your situation is simply an excuse, it is either so you can keep doing what you are doing, it is rebellion or it is fear. Either way God has spoken to you loud and clear regarding His heart for your situation …….you may not have heard the audible voice of God or had it written in the sky  but you have heard clearly through His chosen servant and mouthpiece. Who better to ask than someone who will stand before God and give an account for how they were Christ to you while you were in their care?

Just as loving parents want to save their children from hurt and pain, from repeating the same mistakes they have made in their lives, so an Apostle will advise you  to save you falling into snares and traps set for you. They speak from the heart of God and from their countless experiences.
Do yourself a favour, if you don’t intend to follow instruction then don’t ask. Remember once you have asked you are then without excuse. Shalom.

DESIRE & DENIAL

by Patricia Usiobaifo

The human spirit is a powerful force; it compels us to rise above the most devastating of circumstances, to hope throughout the darkest of times and to survive against the greatest odds. There is an innate quality in many of us that causes us to rebel against every restriction we have placed on us; that seeks to prove people wrong when they tell you that we are not capable of something. This drive, this desire to prove others wrong, can be an asset and a strength, but it can also be a weakness and to our detriment. It is at its best a powerful motivator, however, it is also, at its worst simply rebellion.

I have often pondered how the enemy uses our strengths against us in the most basic and subtle ways.
For many of us, when we are told we cannot or should not have something, we immediately filter that through our thought processes as being denied something which is rightfully ours to have. We do not immediately reason as to why we shouldn’t have that particular thing, that it is potentially harmful to us, to our health, our relationships or will lead to future complications, or negatively impact those around us. We seem to magnify instead the fact that we have been told “we shouldn’t”, “we can’t”, that we must deny ourselves that thing, that experience. As we focus on denying our senses, our desires, we magnify that denial and in turn our desire for it.

Take for example food.

If we were given a bottle of liquid or a bowl of substance that was clearly labelled as poison, we would not readily consume it. We would rightly refuse it because our natural thought process would tell us that it would lead to death. We would consider it insanity to readily consume that poison. However, every day of our lives, a huge number of us consume substances and liquids which we know bring death and not life to our bodies, whether it is in the form of junk food, alcohol, illicit substances, highly processed foods etc. We are bombarded with medical and scientific evidence that warns us that these things are not good for our health and wellbeing. That in many cases, the continued consumption of these products, is a direct link to sickness and disease and yet we still continue to consume them.

Often our continued consumption is because we do not see why we should have to deny ourselves that pleasure, that experience, or we struggle with the temptation, justifying our actions by lying to ourselves that just a little will not do us any harm, and yet the truth is, that the only thing we are truly denying ourselves is LIFE.

Let’s begin at least to be honest with ourselves and see things, label things, for what they truly are; if it brings life it is of God and is designed and created to be enjoyed, if it does not impart life it can only impart death, and was never intended for us to partake of.

MAKE SPACE

by Patricia Usiobaifo

God has impressed upon me the need to create “space” (and time) in my life, for my husband who is soon to join me here in Australia.

We have been friends for over 6 years now, and married for almost seven months, however we have only spent 2 short weeks together(in the same nation) since becoming husband and wife.
Creating a physical space for him in my world will be by far the easier aspect of this entire “space” concept. Wardrobe space, drawer space, bathroom space, space for all his “stuff” may be slightly challenging for me to relinquish, but in all honesty it will be of no significance compared with creating a ‘Space “in my life for this precious man.

In order to even receive your partner you must first make space in your heart, to accommodate their love for you and indeed your love for them. God enlarges your heart, stretching it at times to what feels like breaking point, but through that stretching and enlarging your heart is also strengthened. Just as most things in God are a paradox: you find yourself feeling so incredibly vulnerable and yet it is in that overwhelming vulnerability that you find strength. Our hearts can be full of pride, offence, grief, disillusionment, disappointment, hurt etc. layer upon layer of self-protection and emotional debris that we are not even aware of. Residue of past relationships and hurts can remain as a subtle yet insidious film through which we perceive reality. We are wise to seek counselling and healing from our past, it is imperative; however, I have also come to understand that the true degree of our deliverance can rarely be tested and measured outside of intimate relationship.
God (in His kindness) magnifies every flaw in our thinking, attitudes and beliefs when we enter into covenant relationship. He highlights every area of un-wholeness in order that we can continually be adjusted and refined, dismantled and restored.

Like any solid building project this takes time, planning and precision; a joint vision, as well as patience, tolerance and sacrifice. It is a labour of love.

It is not enough to simply accommodate a partner or integrate them into your family, social circles, church or ministry etc. you must rather create a “space “where they can find their true place; a safe, secure space (and time) in which God can slowly and painstakingly lay the foundations for your marriage /union in Him; a foundation that will be sure and solid, designed specifically for the scaffolding and building which is to  take place as you both map your future together in God.

STAY TRUE

by Patricia Usiobaifo


I was speaking recently with one of the most important people in my life and during the course of our conversation they asked me to make them a promise. After listening to their request I had to tell them that I could not make the promise they so desperately desired. I understand their need and their situation, and there was nothing wrong with their request, however, I had made a promise before God which was in opposition to what they had asked. I knew my friend was so very disappointed and that they were feeling hurt, maybe even slightly rejected. My only recourse was to explain that I had made a promise to God and ask them to consider, if I have given my word whether to God or man and I then broke that word, how could I ever be trusted again? How could I be viewed as a person of integrity? How could they as a friend trust my given word knowing that I had compromised myself for their sake? Our conversation ended with my friend having nothing further to say, their disappointment and disapproval evident in their silence. Their friendship is incredibly important to me and I knew that my response to them had put that relationship at risk; however, I felt I had no choice, how could I break a promise made before God? Some 48 hours later, my friend called and apologised to me for their response. They said that as they meditated on what I had said, it had pierced their heart like an arrow and that they knew that honouring my word was a huge part of who I am, and again that they were truly sorry. I am so incredibly grateful to God for the outcome; however, I needed to be prepared to risk the friendship for my convictions. God in His mercy sent His Holy Spirit to whisper into their heart and for that I am so very grateful and I know our friendship is stronger than ever because of it. Had I give in to their needs in order to protect our friendship I would have lost respect for myself and  also eventually their respect as well, and eventually our relationship would have unravelled . We will always be to some extent misunderstood, only God can possibly fully understand us and know the true motives of our heart, don’t be tempted to go against your own beliefs and convictions to please another, despite how much you love them, eventually it will lead to loss, if not of their love and friendship then of your own self-respect. Shalom.

BECOMING ONE

by Patricia Usiobaifo

As I wait for my husband to join me in Australia and I prepare all the practical things for his arrival, God has impressed upon me some truths to consider…….

All too often, we meet people and as it becomes clear that they wish to share our life journey, or enter into covenant relationship, we can find ourselves saying things like “this is who I am, this is my life, these are my beliefs, my commitments, my responsibilities, my faults, my strengths etc., and basically what you see is what you get …..take it or leave it …..that’s just how it is.” But the truth is we cannot become one with another individual and still remain the same. Two individuals can share a space, co-habitat so to speak but they are not a couple, they are not one flesh. In order to become one flesh we must make “space “for another to “be” in our lives. We must allow God to unravel some of the fabric of our existence and weave the two fabrics together to produce something that is greater than the two original individual tapestries of life. We must allow God to lay and strengthen the foundation of our marriage/union/relationship. When people become a “couple” they are no longer independent of each other. Each individual’s actions and movement affects the other. If you are “coupled” you are joined ( just as a train carriage is coupled to an engine ) so your actions will either cause momentum and ease as you move together in the same direction or it will cause friction and stress/tension as you  strain and pull in opposite directions. Either way you cannot move/grow/fully function without it impacting on the person you are coupled with.

If we are entering into relationship we cannot expect people to “fit in” with our lives, rather we must provide a secure safe place in which both individuals can find their place as God reduces them to their most vulnerable state in order to meld them together into something new. We must be intentional in this, continually surrendering to God our fears, independence, pride, intolerances, defensiveness, insecurities, self-protection, selfishness, etc. We must also allow God to be who He says He is, and allow Him to relate to us in His fullness. Allow Him to be to us, our defender, protector, strength, refuge, comforter; strong tower etc. in order that our needs can be met without placing unrealistic expectations on each other.

Making “space” for another person in our lives can be complex and challenging. We give that person access to areas that we have consistently kept private from most people; access to our thoughts, emotions, dreams, desires, finances, bodies and territories. Courage to be truly vulnerable is needed and grace, patience and a forgiving heart essential as you find your new “rhythm” together.
God Himself is the ultimate Creator; marriage is God’s plan, a Godly concept and so it stands to reason that we cannot and should not consider our partners as additions to our lives but rather that we should create a “space” and time in which God can truly unite two individuals as one.