KINGDOM TITBITS

I have spent many hours standing at gravesides. I have watched families weep and felt the heavy silence that follows the final words of a service. In those moments, death feels like a permanent wall. It looks like a hard stop. Yet, in those same moments, I have seen something that defies the dirt and the sorrow. I have seen a hope that does not blink. This hope is not a vague wish or a sunny disposition. It is a solid reality built on two historical events: a rugged cross and an empty tomb. The Reality of the Gap We have to be honest about the problem before we can appreciate the solution. Our primary issue is not that we are stressed or that life is unfair. The problem is that sin has created a massive breach between us and God. Sin is more than a list of mistakes. It is a declaration of independence. We chose our own way over God’s way. We broke the relationship. As the scripture says: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord...

Most of us want the platform without the process. We crave the influence of the stage but dread the quiet of the wings. In our culture of instant visibility, we often mistake silence for absence and waiting for a waste of time. But the Kingdom of God operates on a different clock. God rarely starts His work in public. He begins in the dark. He shapes His servants in the secret places of the soul before He ever entrusts them with a public voice. Preparation is more than a hurdle to jump. It is the very substance of the work. The Nazareth Pattern We find a startling truth in the early life of Jesus. At twelve years old, He stood in the temple and stunned the scholars with His insight. He knew His identity. He knew His mission. Yet, the Gospel of Luke tells us what happened next: "Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them... And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men" (Luke 2:51–52, NKJV). For the next eighteen years,...

At the beginning of every year, believers across all nations devote themselves to prayer and fasting. The purpose is clear: to dedicate the new year to the Lord, aligning themselves with their church's vision or their personal calling. Some argue this practice isn't necessary. After all, Scripture tells us to pray without ceasing. But these focused prayers carry significant weight in the spiritual realm. God works with times and seasons. The shift from one year to another marks the beginning of something fresh. We may not perceive it in the natural realm because we don't physically step across a threshold into the next year. Everything appears the same on January 1st as it did on December 31st. So we assume nothing is changing. But in the spiritual dimension, God is initiating new things. God Still Speaks Today I want to address hearing God's voice. God speaks. He always has. He communicates in various ways, and we must train ourselves to recognize His voice. God invite...

Many people admire Jesus. They respect His teachings and quote His wisdom. Some even try to model their ethics after His life. Yet, admiration alone does not change a person. Respect does not transform a heart. Faith reaches its fullness only when we recognize who Jesus truly is. He is not merely a teacher or a prophet. He is King. A king does not ask for opinions. A king establishes a rule. When Jesus announced,  “The kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15, NKJV) He was not offering a religious upgrade. He was declaring a new government. To follow Him is to come under His reign. This is where many believers quietly struggle. We want the benefits of the kingdom without the demands of the King. We want peace, provision, and protection, but we resist alignment. The kingdom of God is not a concept to admire. It is a reality to enter and a rule to submit to. Seeing Jesus Clearly Jesus never presented Himself as an optional influence. After His resurrection, He said,  “All authority...

I'm posting this on December 26th, and honestly, that feels right. Yesterday, you were probably caught up in the rush and bash. Smoke mixed with the aroma of goat meat tore into the skies. Chicken came out of the oven. Children tore into gifts while adults sipped soup and tried to remember where they put their phones to take selfies. But today? Today the house is quieter. The guests have gone home. You're sitting with leftovers and perhaps a moment to actually reflect. So let's talk about what just happened. The Child Who Split History in Two Isaiah saw Him coming seven hundred years before His birth. The prophet wrote words that still make your spine tingle: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The prince of peace." A child. Born in obscurity. Laid in a feeding trough because there was no room anywhere else. T...

We live in a world that worships at the altar of "more": more money. More possessions. More experiences. More likes. More upgrades. Every commercial preaches the same sermon: "You are not enough. You do not have enough. But if you buy this, earn that, or achieve more, then you will finally be satisfied." This is not just marketing. It is a form of idolatry. A cult with its own priests. Temples. And promises of salvation. The supermarket serves as its cathedral. The smartphone acts as its pulpit. Credit cards are its sacraments. And debt is the bondage that keeps its worshippers enslaved. Let's call it what it is: consumerism is not neutral. It is a ravening god. Jesus knew this long before Amazon Prime was ever conceived. He stated plainly: "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate one and love the other, or you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money" (Matthew 6:24). Yet many of us try to balance bo...

We live in a world obsessed with work. We measure people by what they do rather than who they are. We introduce ourselves by our job titles. We hustle, grind, perform, and produce. Our calendars are packed. Our inboxes overflow. Our to-do lists seem endless. Work has become more than just a part of life. It has become our entire life. If we're honest, many of us secretly enjoy this. Busyness makes us feel important, and being in demand makes us feel valuable. Productivity has become our drug of choice. We know how to push through exhaustion with another cup of coffee, how to schedule back-to-back meetings until we collapse, and how to make busyness sound virtuous. But here's the harsh truth: when work is divorced from worship, it crushes us. The Idol of Labour: When Good Things Become god Things Scripture begins with a picture of work. God creating. Work was never meant to be a curse. Adam and Eve were placed in the garden "to work it and take care of it" (Genesis 2:1...