The operation of God’s kingdom on the earth starts from within us and it is expressed everyday in the conversations of our inner being. It begins from inside us and then after a while, it manifests on the outside. God always begins work from the inside before it flows to the outside. The Bible says, “but thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Matt 6vs6). Therefore, the public show or flaunting of our interaction with God does not produce results, our secret and intimate interaction with Him does.
In your personal walk with God, you must clearly show that you walk before Him alone and not before men looking for their favours. Genesis 17 vs. 1 it says, ‘And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. When you walk before men, you show off your deeds expecting or soliciting favourable responses from them. It is different when you walk with God. He expects that you conduct yourself quietly, then His power will be made manifest in your life. This quietness involves very salient yet powerful steps you must take – steps which are not visible to men. These invisible steps will always bring about release and the presence of God within your life.
There are secret acts God instructed us to carry out here on earth. They are not for the eyes of men but for the eyes of the Almighty God alone. When this is done secretly, He who knows all things rewards us openly. This principle can only find footing in our hearts. The book of Romans tells us that a real Jew is one who operates in the covenant of God. Such a person is the seed of Abraham. And God’s covenant with Abraham states that in every generation, His (Abraham’s) seeds will be in charge- they will be blessed no matter the time or age they live in. Speaking further, the book of Romans says that every seed of Abraham is characterised by the ‘circumcision of the heart’ and that their ‘praises’ are of God not of men. The most important thing in life is to do what is right before God bearing in mind that the right thing we do in secret summons His presence to work in our favour. And His presence comes with a reward. Then, you will be rewarded openly for your secret deeds…and that way you show that God is alive, well and active in your life.
There are three fundamental principles that bring about this type of result in your life. They are forgiveness, giving over (handing all over) to God and giving to men. They run simultaneously, one after the other, in a chain connected to each other. If you forgive without giving over to God the hurt and the pain, you may not see the gain of forgiving those who hurt you and the reward that should come into your life. A lot of people try to forgive without giving the hurt over to God. As a result, they struggle to let go since the sore is still open. Learn to surrender everything (all of it) to God. Then, you will move pass the hurt you feel.
When you commit everything over to God, learn how to give to men. Jesus taught in the Scriptures saying, “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” (Lk6 vs.37:38). From the above scripture, you will notice that forgiveness comes before giving. This means that you must forgive people who hurt you before you can give back to humanity. Thus, the total reward for having a forgiving heart comes when you open up your bowel of mercy towards people. Avoid shutting up yourself (or heart) against humanity. Do not be judgmental because a person or a group of people hurt you. Do not change your love for your fellow man because of the way one person treated you. Do not let one person define the collective and in so doing stop the flow of God’s blessing in your life.
Remember, always forgive, surrender to God and give to men! These three secret acts will bring different dimensions of God’s limitless blessings your way.
“Poju Oyemade”