All You Need Is An Encounter

Apostle Grace Lubega

Acts 10:1-4 (KJV); There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.  And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.

There are many days in your life as a Christian when you will pray, attend overnights, lunch hours, morning glories but there is that one day where the lord gives you that ONE ENCOUNTER with him that will change your life forever.

Our theme scripture tells us of Cornelius who continually prayed to God but when he encountered God, his life never remained the same again.

There may even be moments when you will experience multiple surges of the Spirit that may add to the course of your destiny. However, there will always be that one experience that will define you.

That experience will open you up to everything true in the spiritual realm and from that day you will have the choice to either walk therein or not to.

Experiences are good. In them, God ministers and instructs us in our course. However, an experience may merely touch you yet not change you.

An encounter cannot leave you the same.

Moses was a normal man, looking after Jethro’s sheep. When he encountered God, His life changed and we remember him as the great leader and law giver of Israel.

Abraham was a normal man, when he encountered God, he became a father of nations.

Paul was a legalistic religious zealot, when he encountered God, he became the master builder of the New Testament.

I urge you to desire more than just experiences in God but a true encounter with Him because behind every encounter is mandate, assignment and divine purpose.

FURTHER STUDY: Exodus 3:1-12, Acts 9

GOLDEN NUGGET:

Desire more than just experiences in God but a true encounter with Him because behind every encounter is mandate, assignment and divine purpose.

PRAYER: My loving God, I thank you for this Word. Thank you because I know that you seek to draw me to deeper places in you. My Lord, I know that no man can see you and live but I also know that only dead men see you. So I yield my heart and spirit, to the true places of spiritual death because father I want to see you. I am ready for more. I am ready for deeper vision. I am ready for that which will consume my heart, body and soul. I thank you for it is done. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

In The School Of Prayer

Apostle Grace Lubega

Luke 11:1 (KJV); And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

The first lesson for any one who seeks to give themselves to the ministry of prayer is this, “Lord teach me to pray.”

Prayer should never be a self orchestrated effort to prove one’s ability; it ought to be Spirit taught.

There are people who pray because they have seen other people pray; they pace and move about in prayer, not for any particular reason but because they saw other men do it.

There are people who pray because they read about prayer in a book and it showed them certain formulas, like “ACTS”( Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication).

But have you ever sought to cultivate a life of SPIRIT TAUGHT PRAYER?

Prayer-less praying is Spirit-less praying.

The Holy Spirit is our helper; and, He is always available to instruct and teach us the patterns of prayer. He is the Spirit of grace and supplication (Zechariah 12:10).

“Lord teach me to pray” is a place of humility in the understanding that it is all about Him.

“Lord teach me to pray” is the knowledge that prayer is a Grace issue and that the sufficiency is of Him and not of us.

Praise Him!

FURTHER STUDY: Zechariah 12:10, Romans 8:26

GOLDEN NUGGET:
The first lesson for any one who seeks to give themselves to the ministry of prayer is this, “Lord teach me to pray.”

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for your Word for today. My God I am grateful for your heart towards me that is always willing to instruct me in the things of the Spirit. I thank you because you instruct and teach me to pray. More than ever before, today I humble myself as a student in your school of prayer, eagerly learning the patterns of prayer that bring results. To the glory of your name. Amen.

A Meek And Quiet Spirit

Apostle Grace Lubega

1 Peter 3:4 (KJV); But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

Silence is the opportunity for God to speak to the heart of a man.

But when we speak of silence and the places of solitude, many think of it as the absence of noise and sound as picked by one’s physical senses. In other words a quiet room, a lonely mountainside etc. These places are good for retreats when we seek solitude.

However, there is a deeper place of silence and solitude which can be achieved even in the noisiest of places: It is the quietness and meekness of your spirit.

God, in our theme scripture has revealed to us that meekness of spirit is of great price, immense value and immeasurable worth to Him.

It is possible, child of God, to sit in a quiet room and yet not have a meek and quiet spirit before God. The Greek word for quiet herein is undisturbed, without anxiety.

There are people who wait on God with anxious hearts. They are in places of physical solitude but are preoccupied with the demands of every day life.

Their hearts are raging storms of worry which make their moments with God a piecemeal apportioning of time to satisfy their consciences that they have been with God yet in fact they have not.

Saints, when you exercise your Spirit to be quiet before Him, you will be amazed by how much you will be opened up to the things He seeks to minister to you.

May His precious Holy Spirit lead you in this grace.

FURTHER STUDY: Matthew 6:6, 1 John 2:27

GOLDEN NUGGET:
There is a deeper place of silence and solitude which can be achieved even in the noisiest of places. It is the quietness and meekness of your spirit.

PRAYER: Father God, I thank you for this precious wisdom. Thank you for the things that build my spirit and keep me in the consistency of communion. My heart is yielded to you everyday to hear, to see and to feel. Wherever I am God, I carry the consciousness that you are speaking to me because my spirit is quiet before you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Lessons In Virtue: A Praying Mother

Apostle Grace Lubega

1 Samuel 2:1 (AMP) HANNAH PRAYED, and said, My heart exults and triumphs in the Lord; my horn (my strength) is lifted up in the Lord. My mouth is no longer silent, for it is opened wide over my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation.

Most of the times, when we talk about Hannah’s prayer, we refer to the one she made prior to conceiving Samuel.

But today, I want to point you to another of Hannah’s prayers, recorded in 1 Samuel 2, after the Lord had given her a son.

Hannah in her deep gratitude to God speaks of how the Lord gives strength to his king and exalts the horn of his anointed(1 Samuel 2:10).

The beauty of this is that Israel had not yet expressed its desire for a king but a praying mother saw this before hand; she also had the knowledge that her son would be instrumental in this great kingdom milestone.

It is an undisputed fact that Samuel was very important to the kingship: he anoints Saul, he is the voice of God to Saul’s throne. When Saul is disqualified, he anoints David and even after his death, he is considered too important that his spirit has to be invoked to give counsel to the king. What a man!

It all started with a praying mother, who did not only ask for a child but one with purpose. She looked past her time to when the nation would desire a king and understood her part as the mother of the man who would be qualified enough to lay hands on the first king and on God’s ultimate choice of king.

Children are every parent’s opportunity to change the world. So dear parent, position yourself in the great equation of world change. Look past only having children, look to having children who will be the next influencers of influencers.

See your child as the one whom the presidents and the kings of this world will seek counsel of, even before that child is born. See past now to the future needs of the nations and place your child in that equation. Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY: Proverbs 22:6, Psalms 127:3

GOLDEN NUGGET:

Children are every parent’s opportunity to change the world. So dear parent, position yourself in the great equation of world change. Look past only having children, look to having children who will be the next influencers of influencers.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for this Word. Thank you for the great responsibility of parenthood. I know what it requires of me and execute it with diligence and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. My children are for signs and wonders, they guard the gates and are a crown to me all the days of my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God, At The Center Of It All

Apostle Grace Lubega

Proverbs 23:26 (KJV); My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways

God desires your heart.

But what does it really mean to give God your heart?

The Message version of our theme scripture says, “My son, give me your attention.”

To give God your heart is to above all things give him your attention, to genuinely make him the focus of your life, your priority.

The devil has deliberately made Christians BUSY! Some never realise it but they are actually in bondage to the things they do, which have taken priority over the time they ought to give to the Almighty God.

Even if it is service to Him, you must remember that God is more interested in His ministrations to you than your Ministry to Him. Like Mary, never forget that this is the one thing that is needful.

The scriptures have taught us that any man may plan his life, only God gives him the ability to live it(Proverbs 16:9 MSG).

So, make the choice to look past yourself to God. Ask the pertinent questions that are about Him and not just what you need. What is His desire? What does He want to do? How does he want to use you?

Allow Him to break you and bend you for a relationship. Give God your heart; give Him your attention.

FURTHER STUDY: Luke 10:27, Acts 17:27

GOLDEN NUGGET:

Make the choice to look past yourself to God. Ask the pertinent questions that are about Him and not just what you need. What is His desire? What does He want to do? How does he want to use you? Allow Him to break you and bend you for a relationship. Give God your heart; give Him your attention.

PRAYER: Loving Father, thank you for who you are to me. For the many things you are that I cannot put into mere words, I thank you. This day Lord, I place this heart of mine on the altar and await your consuming fire. Deal with me, deal in me Lord. That truly when I say “Lord you have my heart”, they will be more than just words but a conviction palpitating with the heartbeat of truth. In Jesus name. Amen.

Grace The True Gospel

Apostle Grace Lubega

John 1:16 – 17 (KJV); And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

When we talk about TRUTH in it’s absoluteness, it can never be TRUTH if it doesn’t depict its source from the love God has toward man kind, revealed in Christ Jesus.

The Bible says in our theme scripture “the law was given by Moses but grace and truth came by Jesus”.

Firstly it’s important to note that Moses was simply a giver of the law. The Bible says the law was given by Moses, it was not a part of his person and identity.

On the other hand Jesus didn’t only give us Grace and Truth, Grace and Truth came by him. This was not something he passed on to us because he thought we needed it, it was part of the assurance that He had come because He is the embodiment of Grace and Truth.

The number one guarantee of His presence in your life as a Christian is the evident display of grace and truth in your life.

There can never be an establishment of any truth if that truth doesn’t depict its relevance and source from Grace, because Grace is the mother of all [present] Truth, and it is the true gospel.

FURTHER STUDY: Titus 2:11, Galatians 2:11-14

GOLDEN NUGGET:

There can never be an establishment of any truth if that truth doesn’t depict its relevance and source from Grace, because Grace is the mother of all [present] Truth, and it is the true gospel.

PRAYER: My loving Father, I thank you for your Grace. It is more than just a doctrine, it is your person my Lord. I stand steadfast in its understanding and I am established in its precepts. Every day I grow in this present truth because it is the bedrock of the new covenant. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Of Faithful Men

Apostle Grace Lubega

2 Timothy 2:2 (KJV): And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also.

When it comes to ministry towards the saints, there are variations and distinctions in the levels of understanding of the people we share and minister to.

Over the years, I have learnt that there are certain things that God will reveal to you that cannot be shared or committed to just anybody because those very things require faithfulness from the men you share and commit them to.

Paul, in our theme scripture, admonishes Timothy to commit the things he has heard of him among many witnesses to “faithful men who shall be able to teach others also” because when a man is faithful, that man has a grace at work in his life to teach others also.

What validates your faithfulness to God is the grace to teach others what you do. God has entrusted and committed many things to you but how faithful have you been in those things?

You may be gifted in prophecy, teaching or the working of miracles but have you taught others to do the same?

Sadly, we are living in a generation where men exalt gifts above faithfulness yet it should be faithfulness above the gift.

When a man is faithful, he can teach others but a man gifted yet without faithfulness can not teach others. That is why some people can make the lame walk by reason of the gift but can not teach others how to make lame men walk.
Some can prophecy by the gift but they can not teach others how to prophecy and that is an imbalance in the spirit .

Be gifted but also have an ability to teach; and this grace to teach functions in faithful and not merely gifted men .

FURTHER STUDY: 2 Timothy 3:10, 1 Corinthians 4:2

GOLDEN NUGGET:

What validates your faithfulness to God is the grace to teach others what you do.

PRAYER: Father God, I thank you for who you are to me. You are the centre of my life, the reason I live and breathe. Thank you for the things you have entrusted me. I thank you too for the grace to teach others these very things. I am a faithful steward of your household. I am exercised in this reality every day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Things That Make Ministers: The Joab Spirit

Apostle Grace Lubega

1 Kings 2:5 (KJV); Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.

Joab was a son of Zeruiah, David’s sister, a captain of David’s army. Sadly, through his entire time of service to David, he seemed to be a continuous burden and a cause of heartache.

At one point, David revealingly cries, “And I am this day weak, though anointed king; and these men the sons of Zeruiah be too hard for me…”(2 Samuel 3:39).

When you trace the life of Joab, you realise that it is he who kills Abner with whom David sought reconciliation and thus sheds the blood of war in peace(2 Samuel 3:27-30).

It is Joab who kills Absalom when David had given clear instructions that Absalom be dealt with gently(2 Samuel 18:14-15).

It is Joab who kills Amasa captain of the host when he was appointed to replace Joab(2 Samuel 20).

Every minister ought to examine themselves against this truth. Joab is a typical example of men who serve for long in ministry, never leave but consistently defy the principles of authentic ministry and service.

We realise that for years, Joab was the captain of the host but he was never considered among David’s thirty valiant and honourable men( 2 Samuel 23:8-39).

He served a man all his life, but the question remains, how did he serve? When his ministry is weighed and judged, it is found wanting.

Serve with all your heart where God has placed you but always remember that faithfulness is not judged by the length of time you have been in a place but by the heart with which you served; the burdens you lifted rather than increased; the labours you added to rather than subtracted from.

FURTHER STUDY: 2 Samuel 22, (2 Samuel 3:27-30).

GOLDEN NUGGET:

Serve with all your heart where God has placed you but always remember that faithfulness is not judged by the length of time you have been in a place but by the heart with which you served; the burdens you lifted rather than increased; the labours you added to rather than subtracted from.

PRAYER: My Lord, I thank you for this Word. Thank you for the opportunity to serve and for where you have placed me in ministry. What an honour to serve the Almighty God! What a privilege! Daily you teach me the patterns of genuine service, integrity of spirit, purity of heart and the many things that make me a true minister. I am committed and available to you God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

An Anointed Man

Apostle Grace Lubega

2 Samuel 1:21 (KJV); Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.

David understood the anointing; he knew that one cannot touch the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless
(2 Samuel 1:14). He understood its intrinsic worth, highly respected and honoured it.

In mourning Saul’s death, he cries that Saul died, “as though he had not been anointed with oil.”

In this, David teaches us that there is surely a way that an anointed man is not supposed to end!

There are things that should never happen to you because you are anointed of God.

Child of God, the oil is so precious and what it does to the life of a man is invaluable.

But see Saul!

The Bible reveals that his head was cut off and paraded through the Philistine cities and his body tied to a tree (1 Samuel 31).
What a bitter end!

That is not your story!
Your life ought to follow the pattern of men whom the Lord satisfies with long life, who only die full of age like a stalk of wheat in its season; who like Jacob, give up their ghost because they have fulfilled their purpose on the earth. Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY: Psalms 91:16, 2 Samuel 1:14

GOLDEN NUGGET:

Your life ought to follow the pattern of men whom the Lord satisfies with long life, who only die full of age like a stalk of wheat in its season, who like Jacob, give up their ghost because they have fulfilled their purpose on the earth.

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for the anointing! It preserves me and has set me apart as one marked and crowned by God for greatness. This same anointing breaks yokes and by it, my Lord went about doing good. Everything in my life is a reflection of this anointing: My walk, speech, attitude and every achievement. By it, I will finish well. Men will say that my end was of God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Wisdom Of The Prudent

Apostle Grace Lubega

Proverbs 14:8 (KJV); The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.

We live in very interesting times. There are ideas and many other things that have been presented as the work and message of God yet they most obviously are not.

In some places, the altar of God has become a showbiz platform with performances that are aimed at entertaining the mind yet they deeply breach the spirit and defile the soul.

The ardent zealous Christian must ask themselves the question: is this really the way of God? For it is the wisdom of the prudent to know God’s way.

When you see God presented as a God whose blessing is for sale, ask, is this the way of God?

When divination takes the place of prophecy and the oracles of God take on the attributes of a reality TV show, ask, is this the way of God?

When moral decay is coated with “tolerance” and sold to us by the proponents of secular liberalism sprinkled with false justifications of “agape”, ask yourself, is this really the way of God?

The responsibility of the church is too great for us to waste kingdom time being tossed about by every wind and new gimmick crafted by men to draw crowds.

The scriptures are clear; this pendulum swings between two sides: understanding HIS way or being prey to deceit.

Wisdom! The so precious character of every Christian.

God is calling upon you to listen to the cries of wisdom lest you be deceived. Wisdom will cast light on the thin line between truth and deception and make you see the difference.

It is wisdom to understand God’s way, to look through the fog of religious theatrics and know that what is being presented is not of God!

It is wisdom to rip off the blindfold of logic and reason and see the deception of theological dogma! It is precious and priceless wisdom!

FURTHER STUDY: Proverbs 1:20, Isaiah 5:20

GOLDEN NUGGET:

It is wisdom to understand God’s way, to look through the fog of religious theatrics and know that what is being presented is not of God. It is wisdom to rip off the blindfold of logic and reason and see the deception of theological dogma. It is precious and priceless wisdom!

PRAYER: Father, thank you for this Word. You have been made to me wisdom and given me the grace and discernment to distinguish between the false and the true light of the gospel. I am rooted in the understanding of your way and can never be deceived. I walk in the true light of the gospel. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Why We Preach The Grace: Power To Reign

Apostle Grace Lubega

Genesis 12:2 (KJV): And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

When God blessed Abraham and called him a great nation, this dealt with all the seven mountains of influence.

A great nation has a good political system, family system, religious system, education system, great businesses and a good foundation of media, and of the arts and entertainment.

The Bible says that righteousness exalts a nation (Proverbs 14:34).
That said, the covenant God had with Abraham was one based on righteousness through faith (Romans 4:9).

God had the mind that the man who was to be the father of nations should understand this convenant. This means that all the seven mountains mentioned above are in the covenant God had with Abraham.

If Abraham needed this grace to reign, then any one who does not understand the doctrine of righteousness will never reign in the way God wills them to. Men of grace reign. Men of grace are men of influence. Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY: Proverbs 14:34, Romans 4:9

GOLDEN NUGGET:

Men of grace reign. Men of grace are men of influence.

PRAYER: Loving God, I am grateful for your grace; for the righteousness that I received by faith in Christ. By it, I reign in life and influence multitudes. This very righteousness has exalted me in every sphere of my life. To the glory of your name. Amen.

Of Life And Knowledge

Apostle Grace Lubega

Ecclesiastes 7:12 (KJV): For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.

It is the excellence of knowledge that wisdom gives life to them that have it.

This is what Jesus came to do, to give you a life above your ordinary life. For He says, I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).

However, this is life with knowledge. You cannot speak of the life of the Spirit without knowledge; these two walk hand in hand.

This is why the scripture says that you have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness through knowledge (2 Peter 1:3).

This knowledge is through His Word.

Life comes every time you fill your Spirit with the Word. For His words are Spirit and life (John 6:63).

Every time you meditate on the Word and give yourself wholly to it, zoè which is the life of God is stirred up in you. Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY: John 10:10, 2 Peter 1:3

GOLDEN NUGGET:

You cannot speak of the life of the Spirit without knowledge; these two walk hand in hand. Life comes every time you fill your Spirit with the Word. For His words are Spirit and life.

PRAYER: Father, I am most grateful for today. Another day to bask in the realities of your promise and of the life of the Spirit . I walk deeper in your Word, to study it more and understand it more. As I do, the life of the Spirit is demonstrated more mightily through me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.