PROVOKING GOD’s REMEMBRANCE

Provoking “is to call forth emotions, feelings and responses. Is serving or u to provoke, excite or stimulate.

“GOD” is the all sufficient one, the one that is capable of doing all things. He is ever present, reliable, dependable and has listening ears to listen to us and act accordingly.

“Remembrance” is the act of remembering or state of being remembered.

Therefore , Provoking GOD’s remembrance is doing something(s) or some activities that will make GOD to attend to you or consider you for something .

There are many spiritual activities one may engage in but before such activities there are basic prerequisites.

For example, one has to accept Jesus as one ‘s Lord and saviour because  it is through him that you can access GOD, the Father.

Sin is a barrier and it separates man from GOD. One needs to confess all sins, repent of them and ask for forgiveness and believe you have been forgiven.

Then approach his throne of grace with confidence  so that you can receive  mercy  and find grace to help you in your time of need. Heb 4:16. You then enter his gates with thanksgiving in your heart and enter his courts with praise . Now be ready with your activities to provoke .

Let us consider some spiritual  activities one can engage in to provoke to remembrance after fulfilling the prerequisites above.

Prayer. -It is communication with GOD. It is a dialogue between GOD the higher authority and you. Praying violently, fervently and consistently with faith, will always provoke God’s attention to be turned to one’s direction. Hannah kept going to Shiloh yearly, praying with all her being  with faith and persistence. On one of such  occasions God remembered her and gave a prophetic proclamation through his priest Eli that before the next Shiloh program she will have a child and it happened. So you can provoke God to move on your behalf through fervent and consistent prayer for remembrance.1Sam1:19.

Praise. -

Is lifting up God.  It is the joyful recounting of what he has done for us.

God inhabits the praises of his people and when you magnify God, you invite him into your life. God dwells close to you as your praises invite his presence.

Praises can actually provoke remembrance. When Paul and Silas were thrown into prison,  about midnight  they were praying and singing hymns to God,  and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s  chains came loose. Acts 16 :25-26. 

God inhabits their praises and remembered them in the prison where they were chained and made earthquake to break open the prison doors, this made a way for them and it led to their freedom. The jailer could not believe that  Paul and Silas did not force or break the doors open .

Giving - Is disposing of property or voluntary transfer without receiving value in return. Giving could be in form of cash, kind, material , food, clothing, and time.

Giving is encouraged in the scriptures.  Cornelius who was devout  and God - fearing with all his family, was in  the habit of giving generously 

to the poor and those in need and one day in a vision, an angel appeared to him and said “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God”.

The outstanding qualities of giving generously to the poor, praying to  God regularly came up to God as a memorial and for those acts, God remembered him. Acts 10:4.

Dorcas also known as Tabitha was doing good and helping the poor and clothing the widows by making dresses for them. When she died,  all the widows 

gathered crying and showed Peter all the robes and dresses she had made for them. God remembered her giving and helps and God so much arranged it that Peter was passing by then, he was sent for, and was  called to where Dorcas was laid, and God used Peter to bring her back to life. Acts9:39-42.

Actually Jesus said when you feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty to drink, invites the stranger in,  clothes the naked, look after the sick and visit those in prison, you are doing it for him. Matt25: 35-40. In other words there is no way God won’t remember you when you do all these because indirectly you are doing it for God himself. And that was the case of Dorcas. She was brought back to life to do more for the poor and the widows. 

Brethren ,  giving is a good way of provoking God’s remembrance. I admonish you to follow the good examples of Cornelius and Dorcas. Giving is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit, and we should desire and pray for it.

Asking- Is making a request or demanding for something from someone.

In this case it is requesting for something from God. The Bible gives us a leeway in Matt 7:7a&8a that when we ask it will be given to us, for everyone who asks receives. The remorseful and penitent robber who was crucified with Jesus said “Jesus,  remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  By asking, Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in  paradise. There were two robbers with him, one on the left and one on the right it is only the one that asked him to remember him that received salvation. The other one received not because he did not ask.

Pleading with God.- Is appealing or requesting earnestly. It is to appeal passionately to God. You can actually plead with God for remembrance for he has given us the grace to do so.  God says “Put me in remembrance; let us plead together; declare thou, that thou  mayest be justified.”

Brethren, there is a great opportunity for you to plead with God for remembrance.

In conclusion, you can provoke God for remembrance through prayer, praise, giving, asking and pleading.

Prayer.

My Lord and my God, as I provoke you to remembrance, graciously remember me for good and mercy.

In Jesus’ name. 

Amen.   

REMEMBER ME , O LORD.

REMEMBER ME , O LORD.

Text-Neh-5:19, 13: 14, 22, 31. Isa38:1-5.

The key words in this sentence are “Remember” and “LORD”.

“Remember “ Is to be able to bring back a piece of information into your mind or is to be able to keep a piece of information in your memory. Is to not forget. It is to do something required and it also connotes the reception of special attention.

“LORD” to define LORD is inexhaustible but in a nutshell, He can be defined as the creator of heaven and earth, the author and finisher of our faith, all knowing God, our rock, our refuge, our fortress, our shepherd, our King and redeemer. He is very caring, loving, kind, merciful, gracious, compassionate, forgiving, mighty, awesome and always ready to listen to our humble cry and act on it.

Remember me, O LORD, could be a plea from someone who is heavily laden, burdened with a load care, or one who feels neglected, abandoned, forsaken,

frustrated, or broken in spirit. And one who needs divine intervention.

It could be a prayer to God for special attention, for mercy, for God to do something urgently about the person’s situation or predicament. It could be a request made in an urgent and emotional manner.

When someone asks the LORD to remember him or her, the person is asking him to pay more attention to his or her situation or predicament, or to take away a reproach or to intervene in his or her case against any adversary. Or asking for mercy.

“Remember me, O LORD” occurs in the scriptures many times and people like  Nehemiah and  Hezekiah leveraged on it. But it is not even in the nature or character of God to forget his creation or anything pertaining to humans. We are reminded of how Zion lamented as follows: “ But Zion said, The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.” The LORD answered, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”Isa 49:14-15. This is an assurance for us that our LORD can never forget us. What we are passing through, our state of mind and feelings may connote or suggest that God has forgotten us, when we feel depressed or going through difficult circumstances or overwhelmed, just remember the word of God “I WILL NOT FORGET YOU.” and believe it.

Let us consider some characters in the Bible who cried onto the LORD to remember them.

Hezekiah.

When Hezekiah became ill and was at a point of death, the LORD sent prophet Isaiah to him that he should put his house in order, that he was going to die because he would not recover from the sickness. Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD. “ Remember, O LORD, how I have walked

before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes” Isa 38:4. And he wept bitterly. The LORD hearkened to his prayer and remembered him and spontaneously sent Isaiah back to him.” I have heard your prayers and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.” God did not only heal him, he elongated his life, promised him a peaceful reign in his domain as a king in Judah, defense and protection.

Brethren, the lesson from Hezekiah’s case, is that God remembers all that we do and as soon as Hezekiah reminded God, he remembered him and acted promptly. I pray we too would have good deeds to remind God to remember us for. And in actual fact, God wants us to put him in remembrance, by pleading our case so that we may be justified. Isa 43:26.

Nehemiah-

He was a Jew in exile, serving king Artaxerxes of Persia as a cupbearer. But when he had about the desolation of Jerusalem and the suffering of those who returned to Jerusalem from exile he was so touched and moved with compassion. He wept, mourned, fasted and prayed and sought the face of the LORD. The king noticed that he was troubled and he was eventually permitted to leave for Jerusalem. He made up his mind to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem with the support of some people, even though there was a great opposition, it was completed within fifty two days. He removed the heavy burden of tax placed upon the people. He helped the poor, fed many freely, corrected the ills in the society, ensured that the levites purify themselves and kept the sabbath day holy. He reverenced God and worked faithfully in the household of God. From a cupbearer in exile at Susa, God honoured him with kingship and he became the king of Judah. As a king he did not be-labour the citizens, and he made sure their seized lands were returned to them. Nehemiah leveraged on all he did

and reminded God that God should remember him. He said “Remember me with favour, O my God , for all I have done for these people.”Neh 5: 19. Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services. Neh 13:14. Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember me for this also, O my God , and show mercy to me according to your great love. I also made provision for contributions of wood at designated times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me with favour, O my God. Neh13:31.” Nehemiah had so many good deeds he wanted God to remember him for. He received God’s favour and blessing and God gave him a true and lasting reward.

Nehemiah was a man of prayer, relied on God for everything without wavering, he persevered and made his people to serve God and made them to keep the sabbath day holy.

Brethren, what good deeds will you want God to remember you for? The Bible says Jesus went about doing good. Let us follow our Lord’s examples so that we can have lots to remind God to remember us for.

When God remembers us, a lot of benefits accrue.

One will experience joy and reproach will be put away. For example when He remembered Hannah and Rachel he opened their wombs which were temporarily closed and blessed Hannah with Samuel, and Rachel with Joseph. Thereby barrenness turned to fruitfulness.1Sam 1:20, Gen 30:22.

Reward and honour can be bestowed on one as it happened to Mordecai when He made  king Xerxes to remember Mordecai’s good deed towards him.Esther 6:1-11.

He can avenge for one as he did for the Israelites against the Amalekites when he remembered their wicked acts.1Sam 15:1-3.

He will preserve one from destruction and from any form of disaster as he did for Noah and his family during the flood. Gen 8:15-18.

He can enlarge our coast and make us wax stronger  as he did for the Hebrew midwives who did not obey Pharaoh’s instructions but spared the male children born by the Hebrew women. Exo 1:20-21.

Brethren, I am sure we all wish the LORD to count our good works and reward us with His blessing and favours and goodness. Heb 6:10 says “For God is not unjust, he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and you continue to help them.” Remember he can not forget anything about us. However, if there is any wicked acts in our lives, let us ask for mercy and forgiveness. May we all experience divine remembrance in Jesus name.

Prayer.

Gracious and merciful Father, put me in your remembrance and kindly remember me for favour, good, promotion, lifting, grace and mercy..

In Jesus’ name.

Amen.

PURPOSE AND BENEFITS OF FASTING.

Purpose” is the aim of doing something. Is the reason for which something is being done and what is intended to achieve.

“Benefits” are advantages  or help that one gets from something.

“Fasting” is abstinence from food and drink for religious reasons, or for medical and health reasons. It is to voluntarily reduce or eliminate one’s intake of food and drink for a period  of time.

Purpose of fasting is a biblical way to truly humble oneself in the sight of God.

David said”I humbled my soul with fasting.” Ps35:13.  It is to draw near to God and discern the divine sovereign will, and to develop spiritual strength, guidance and knowledge.

It is appropriate to fast when faced with temptations, trials or potentially dangerous situations. To seek the face of the Lord  when preparing for a ministry, when major decisions need to be taken, like choice of career, choosing a life partner, embarking on projects, repenting of evil ways so as to avert God’s impending judgment, relocating or seeking healing and deliverance. In fact Jesus told his disciples that somethings can only be done by  prayer and fasting.Matt 17: 21.  God expects us to fast and that is why he talked about the kind of fasting he expects “The kind  of fasting I have chosen :to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke, to share your food with the hungry, to provide the poor wanderer with shelter - when you see the naked to clothe him and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood.”Isa 58:6-7. The Lord also declares “ return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Joel2 :12. He expects us to be sober,  therefore you are admonished to approach God with humility and sincerity. Since it is a spiritual exercise, it should be made personal and people don’t have to know you are fasting.

And Jesus even told his disciples “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell

you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast,  put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting,  but to your father, who is unseen, and your father , who sees what is done in secret , will reward you.”Matt 6:16-18. What Jesus told his disciples then is applicable to us as well.

Brethren , fasting is for a purpose, it is a spiritual powerful exercise that also involves prayer combined with faith and focusing on God alone.

Let us consider few things the Bible says about fasting.

Ezra 8:21,23 “There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayers.”

Nehemiah 9:1” On the twenty fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered  together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads.”

Psalm 35:13a “Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting.”

Daniel 9:3”So I returned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayers and petition, in fasting , and in sackcloth and ashes.”

Joel 2:12”Even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all  your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

Matt 17:21” Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”

Luke2:37” And then a widow until she was eighty- four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying.”

The above are evidences that fasting is needed to be able to get certain things done. 

Let us also examine some characters who fasted in the Bible , why they did, and the outcome 

Daniel.- Daniel1: 12-20, 10:11-12.

Daniel  fasted for twenty - one days purposely to draw closer to God, to seek God  in prayer and to have a more personal relationship with Him. The Lord answered his prayer but when the prince of Persia delayed the granted request by God,angel Michael had to come fight the prince of Persia. Daniel’s fasting was followed by answered prayer and spiritual insight. He was said to gain knowledge, wisdom,  spiritual understanding, 

and favour. He even had better appearance after the fasting.

Brethren fasting attracts spiritual understanding and strengthening of relationships with God and walking closer with him.

Moses-Ex 34:27-35; Deut9: 9-25. 

Moses fasted severally as recorded in the Bible but notably are the two times of forty days and forty nights  when he went to meet the Lord at different times on Mount Sinai to receive the Tablets of the Covenant. He fasted for cleansing, spiritual interface , for closer relationship with God and for pleading with God to forgive the sins of the people he left with Aaron for worshipping the created golden calf created for them by Aaron before he returned from Mount Sinai.

It was after the first forty days and forty nights of fasting on the mountain that the Lord gave him the two  Stone tablets which contained the Ten Commandments. He came back to meet the people worshipping an idol and was very displeased and disappointed and had to break the stone tablets.He went back to meet the Lord on the mountain  again. He pleaded  with God for forgiveness of sins of the people and he went on another forty days and forty nights of fasting, and the merciful God listened to him and released to him the  two Stone Tablets of the Ten Commandments as he did in the first time. Deu10:10. It was recorded that when Moses came down from the mountain his face shone brightly because  he had been talking with God, that the people could not look at his face and were afraid to come near him.Ex34:30,35.

Brethren, from Moses’ example ,one can fast to be able to receive  from God, to intercede on behalf of someone or a group of people or even a whole nation, for spiritual interface and closer relationship with God.

Queen Esther.-Esther4:16-5:1-12, 7:1-10.

When the information of Haman’s  evil plan to annihilate all the Jews in the land of Susa got to the her, herself being a Jew, asked her maidens and the Jews in the land to fast with her for three days and night .She first decided to ask God who had greater power than the king for help and she  went on fasting so that she could receive favour from the King so as to table her case and also to prevent annihilation of her people. She needed to call on God for help because anybody the King did not call for, who appears before him will face death penalty. After the fasting, she went to meet the King, and the Lord enabled the King to grant her favour. The King granted her audience and her request was granted, the annihilation order was nullified and the Jews in the land of Susa were completely set free. Queen Esther with her people’s fasting was followed by favour, freedom from oppression, safety and victory. The evil planner Haman received condemnation and he eventually lost his life.

Jesus Christ.-Matt3:13, 4:1-11.

He started his forty days and forty nights fasting immediately after his baptism when the Holy Spirit led him to the wilderness. He was there so that he could be alone with his Heavenly Father to receive power and to prepare for his public ministry. During the time of fasting he was tempted repeatedly by the devil, but he endured the temptation and he used the word of God to defeat the devil.

Jesus answered,”It is written: ‘Man does  not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God .”Each temptation was conquered by the word of God and the devil left him, and the angels came and attended him.

Jesus left the wilderness victoriously after fasting and with more spiritual strength. From that time on he began to preach., chose his first disciples and started teaching in the synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

Brethren, the purpose of Jesus fasting was to be close to his Heavenly Father and to receive power for his earthly ministry. These he got even before he left the wilderness as you read above how he conquered the devil who came to tempt him. Beloved, you need fasting and prayers to be spiritually empowered and be successful in your ministry and in all areas of life.

Brethren,from the above we have learnt that nothing is too little  to fast for while seeking help from God and wanting intimacy with God. The purpose ranges

from requesting for journey mercies, safety and protection as Ezra did, wanting to receive from God and interceding for others as Moses did,  asking for wisdom as Daniel did, staying in the house of the Lord and awaiting the second coming of Jesus Christ as Anna did, praying for healing ,empowerment to be able to do exploits for God, as our Lord Jesus Christ did. We can add fasting to our prayers from time to time to seek the face of God for favours, breakthroughs , success in career, business, in ministry, healing , to overcome challenges and for grace to do well in life and grace to end well.  

Benefits of fasting

In addition to some of the benefits already mentioned above, fasting draws one  closer to God, humbles one before God and helps to appreciate that there is a higher and greater authority. It also breaks one from strongholds and frees one from its limitations. It strengthens one faith especially when one sees the outcome. It helps one to focus and also activates the spiritual gift of self control discipline. It helps to break every yoke of heavy burdens and empowers one to do exploits. It also aids the release of prophecy.Joel 2:12, 28. and it is a powerful weapon of warfare.

Brethren, have you been praying over a particular issue for a long time without result?  You are hereby admonished to add fasting to it and wait on the Lord for the manifestation.Matt17:21.

Prayer.

 Heavenly Father, 

Since fasting is a spiritual exercise that enables one to have a closer walk and relationship with you, grant me the grace and the wisdom to be doing so regularly.

In Jesus’ name.

Amen.