Now bythis we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments (1John 2:3)

It is recorded in Psalm 119:130that the entrance of the word of God gives light; It gives understanding to thesimple.

One willwonder if the thousands or millions that go to church on Saturday, Sunday orany day of the week are actually letting the word have its entrance. It isimpossible to know the word without knowing God because the word of God is God.So many people claim to know God but it is evident in the world today that onlyan extremely few number actually know God while huge numbers only demonstratethe knowledge about God. If the numbers of believers today actually know God, darknessshould not be prevailing as much as it is prevailing in the world of today. 1John1:5say God is light and in Him is no darkness. It is not possible to knowHim and not reflect Him. You can agree with me that if most population ofSaturday or Sunday knows God indeed and in truth, darkness would probably havedisappeared on the face of the earth. You can not know Him and not reflect Him.

~Areality Check~

Can yousincerely check yourself if you know Him? I am not asking if you know aboutHim. I ask this because anything that is short of Knowing God is a cut off fromgoing to God at the appointed time.

The book of1John 2:3 declared that now by this we know that we know Him if we keep Hiscommandments.

~ Commandments?~

ÊJesussaid in Matt. 22: 37-40 ÒYou shall love the LORD your God with all yourheart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Vs. 38 ÒThis is the firstand great commandments. Vs.39 ÒAnd the second is like it: ÔYou shall love yourneighbor as yourself.Õ Vs.40 ÒOn these two commandments hang all the Law andthe ProphetsÓ. It is very clear with no interpretation that, when welove as God requires us; then we know that we know Him. The love that isrequired of you is not in word or in tongue but it is the love in deed and intruth.

1Cor.13:4-8pointed out what it is to love. Love suffers long; does not parade itself; notpuffed up; not behave rudely; not seek its own; not provoked; thinks no evil;rejoice not in iniquity but in truth; bears all things; believes all things;hopes all things; endures all things; never fails

~APossibility? ~

All thatlove requires seems to be impossible. Be encouraged, it is possible to love asGod requires because with God nothing is impossible. When you desire it, Godwill deposit it. Determination will fail and your strength will not stand. Onlythe grace of God will prevail. It is written in 1Sam.2:9 for by strengthshall no man prevail.

Ê~RememberPeter? ~

Peterwalked with Jesus man to man and he witnessed the entire miracle you can thinkof. He was very determined that he will not deny Jesus. Jesus knew that Peterwould deny Him three times before the cock crows. ÊPeter denied Jesus because determinationfailed Peter when he needed to stand for Jesus in love and in truth. Grace ofthe Lord Jesus Christ passed Peter.

Oursalvation is in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. However, should we ignorethe commandment or act like we do not recognize or consider the commandment toochallenging to abide with?

Paulsaid in Rm.6:1 shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? He answered invs. 2 certainly not.

The wordof God pointed out to us that the Lord is coming back for a spotless church; achurch without wrinkle. You are the temple: the church of God.

Purposeof the commandment is love from a pure heart,

Froma good conscience and from a sincere faith (1Tim.1:5).

I praythis day that God in His goodness and mercy will endue

you withHis spirit of love indeed and in truth.

Butwhen the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand and thegirl arose

(Matt.9:25)

What role is multitude (crowd)playing in your life? Multitude could be a hindrance. If you let multitude, itwill not let you get to where the LORD has destined for you to be. Multitude willridicule you, discourage you, delay you and deny you from rising above yourcircumstances. When you fail to recognize the representative of multitude inyour life, ÊÊyou become stagnated and your miracle becomes an obstacle.

Taking thelife of Zacchaeus and Bartimaeus into consideration, much can belearned in breaking hindrances of multitude that frequently deny you.

~Zacchaeus~

Zacchaeus,a tax collector, was short in stature; a physical limitation that has been inplace to deny him in inviting Jesus into his home. He recognized his limitationbut rejected it from being an excuse for not seeking Jesus. Zacchaeus ran aheadof the crowd because he wanted to see Jesus. He was not attempting to join thecrowd in knowing about Jesus. He wanted to see Jesus because to see is toreceive Jesus into his house. Zacchaeus recognized that it requires more thanrunning to see Jesus. He stepped up his effort in attempt to see and receiveJesus. What are your efforts to see Jesus? Your pastorÕs knowing you, payingtithes, going to church on Sundays is not enough to overcome the crowd in theworld of today. Zacchaeus (Lk.19:4) did not just run heclimbed up into a sycamore tree. Can you imagine a man of short statureclimbing a tree in an effort to see and receive Jesus into his house? Luke19:5 recorded that when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw and saidto him, ÒZacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at yourhouseÓ. You cannot have Jesus in your house and be short in any area oflife.Ê Ê

~Bartimaeus~

A certainblind man used the crowd as an indicator but not an accommodation. Lk18:36 Bartimaeus heard amultitude passing by, he asked what it meant. Multitude told him that Jesus waspassing (theyserved as an indicator for Bartimaeus). In vs. 38 he cried out saying ÒJesus,Son of David, have mercy on me.Ê ÊThe same crowd that gave him indicationabout JesusÕ passing warned him to be quiet. He refused to accommodate thecrowdÕs direction but cried out even more. In vs. 42, Jesus said to himreceive sight your faith has made you well. Use multitude as anindicator but never accommodate multitude in your situation. Ask God to put thecrowd outside of your life so you receive sight to rise for His calling in yourlife.

ÊÊÊ

~Putting-Out~

Jesus putout the crowd in an attempt to restore Jairus daughterÕs life Matt.9:25 But when the crowd was putoutside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl rose. Just like in many other miracles,Jesus put the crowd out before the miracle took place.

LikeJesus, Peter also put out crowd. Dorcas described as full of good worksbecame sick and died. Peter was requested to come and raise her. In Acts 9:40 Peter put them all out, and kneltdown and prayed. And turning to the body he said, ÒTabitha, arise.Ó Andshe opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.

Putting-Outcrowd is the wayup to Jesus. As you have set eyes on this letter, I pray that God in Hisgoodness and mercy will putout every thing that is representing multitude orcrowd in every area of your life. I pray that every one of your obstacles beconverted into miracles in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.Ê

Greatbattles in the Bible were not won by multitudeÉ.but

by thehand of God. Let us extend our hands of request

togetherand He will raise us from obstacles.

And Hesaid, ÒMy Presence will go with you, and I will give you restÓ

Your new yearÕs resolution will notgive you rest. Let your resolution be in the presence of God. The presenceof God is in the word of God. All through the journey in the wilderness,the children of Israel were being led by the presence of God.GodÕs presence was giving direction and leadership that always result in rest wheneverthey were obedient. All God did to lead was in sending His word through Moses.Without doubt, the presence of God is the word of God. It wasrecorded in Psalm 107:20 that He sent His word and healed them, anddelivered them from their destructions. When deliverance reigns, rest resides.What it takes to have rest in the word of God is to do the word. Deut.30:14 pointed out that the Word is very near you, in your mouth and in yourheart, that you may do it. Most times, the word only stops in thehearerÕs mouth and not further its way down to the heart as required. Wheneverthe word failed to reach the heart, it results in wreck instead of rest. ÊÊÊ

~ Wreckor Rest~

Jonah wasin a wreck when he fled from His presence. Jonah 1:1-3, says Now the wordof God came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ÒArise go to Nineveh that great city, and cry outagainst it; for the wickedness has come up before Me.ÓVs.3 But Jonah fled to Tarshishfrom the presence of the LORD. Jonah did himself a great disservice by fleeingfrom His wordÉHis presence. Jonah is an example of what it is to abandon Hisword ÉHis presence. He ended up in a great storm, and was cast into the deep,into the heart of the seas and the flood surrounded Jonah (Jonah 2:3). He spenttime in darkness (fishÕs belly) because he rejected the presence of GodÉword ofGod. He departed from rest to wreck. In ch.3vs1it says the word came backto Jonah the second time, Jonah knew not to flee but to answer the word.The word He spoke to them He also speaks and He is still speaking to us. Theword of GodÉthe presence of God is the only way of having rest if you can be steadfastand not flee.

~Entrance~

InPsalm119:130,it is written that the entrance of GodÕs words give light; It givesunderstanding to the simple. The word that does not gain entrance can not give lightand understanding. As a result, darkness continues to prevail and that is anindication that the word is not entering as it is suppose to. Darkness is stillvery much on the face of earth as hearers continues to increase. John 1:5saysÉ And light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.It is clearly stated that when the word enters, light will take over and darknessshall not comprehend. Have you considered or are you considering if the word isactually entering you? Check your light. The word is not just meant to be inthe mouth but also in the heart for you to use.Ê Ê

It is goodto have determinations that will allow the wordÕs entrance. However, determinationto grant entrance will not do. Begin to desire of the Lord God to grant you thegrace so that the word will have its entrance in your life. ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ

ÊÊÊÊÊ

~Attention!!~

What kindof attention are you giving God in your life? Remember, jealousy enjoysattention. God is a jealous God…Dan.6:10 pointed out that Daniel had acustom way of approaching God since his early days. As a result ofthat, he was able to get custom attention in the den of lion. No single scratchfrom the hungry lion. When you give God a custom approach He will give you customattention. Your testimony will be custom made as it was for Daniel.

ThisNew Year, I pray that the LORD in His

goodnessand mercy will remove all hindrances

of Hisword in your life. The word of God that gives

Rest willfind entrance in your life.

If Ihave found grace in your sight, show me your way, that I may know You and thatI may found grace in your sight(Ex. 33:13)

At the time Moses prayed the prayerof knowing God, he has covered so much ground for God. Moses has communicatedwith God one-on-one and led through the red sea. Yet, a man that knows God likeMoses continues to ask God to show him His way. One will wonder about whatMoses wanted to know that he does not know at that junction of his journey in life.Moses asked show meyour wayÉthe wayof God is the direction of God. The direction of God is in GodÕs word. The wordof God is God. Assuming you asked for your child to be picked up at school withyour written direction, that child will be released to me because I have yourword and it has been taken as you. The word of God is God. Moses knew what hewas asking when he asked for GodÕs way. He identified that GodÕs way is God.

~Way~

The way ofGod, the direction of God, and the word of God is the only way unto deliveranceand preservation in direction to our Canaan Land. As the vehicle 2004 rolls to anend, 2005 comes into sight, begin to desire for His way. Despite MosesÕ standin the Lord, he realized the need of knowing Him more. You and I are all in ajourney through the wilderness to our Canaan Land and that requires daily knowledgefor having edge over every situation in our passage of life. Like Moses, Davidnever lost the consciousness of asking for GodÕs way. In Psa.25:7, David asked show me Yourways, O lord; Teach me Your paths. In His way there is deliverance and there ispreservation and once that is in place in the life of a man, victory is in placeover all issues of life. Among the ways you want to consider in remaining andmaintaining yourself in His way, is for you to begin to desire of the Lord a dwellingin His presence.

~Enterand Dwell~

Enteringinto His presence is not enough. God wants you to dwell in Him. You have beenentering long enough. It is time for dwelling.The word that came for Jeremiahis still echoing loud enough for those in the house of God. In Jer.7:2, the LordÕs word cameto Jeremiah saying, Òstand in the gate of the LordÕs house, and proclaim therethis word, and say, ÔHear the word of the LORD, all you who of Judah who enterin at these gates to worship the LORD!ÓV.3 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the Godof Israel: ÒAmend your ways and your doingsand I will cause you to dwell in this place.

This isfor those that have called on God at one point in your life; those who arecalling on Him once every week or that is having a marginal commitment to Hisholy name. It could also be for those that are riding on the feeling of maximumcommitment rather than His filling that is generating maximum commitment. TheLORD has sent JeremiahÉ it is enough of entering; begin to dwell in Him foraccess ability into His way. No wonder, the Psalmist asked in Psa. 27:4, one thing I have desiredof the Lord that I will seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all thedays of my life.You have only been entering, begin to dwell in Him. For the journey that isahead of you just like it was in Moses, you will need more than those weekly,monthly or New YearÕs Eve entering and exiting. As the year 2004 rolls to anend, desire for a dwelling for direction.Ê The journey is deep and God in Hisgoodness and mercy will enable you. Ê

Heb.11:3,by faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the

wordof God. Thesame word is still delivering and preserving. I pray all

that seemsimpossible in your life to be reframed and reformed by the

word ofGod

Ineverything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.(1Thess.5:18)

One thing God cannot do is fail. Youhave every reason to thank God and you do not have any reason not to thank God.To know to thank God is wisdom. When your thanksgiving is based onunderstanding, it delivers perfection.Many times we hear the quotation of Rm.8:28which states ÒAnd we know that all things work together for good to those wholove God to those who are called according to His purposeÓ. Those that loveGod will thank God for all THINGS. For those that love God, everything andevery time are thanks giving. Indeed, it is half knowledge for any believerthat dwells on Rm8:28 without practicing Eph. 5:20 which states that giving thanksalways for all things to God the father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. One that does not give thanks forall things at all times should not expect all things to work together for theirgood. With this understanding, the knowledge of giving God a HEART-FULLthanksgiving for everything always and not just a MOUTH-FULL of thanks giving,should have its way in your life.

~Waiting~

God alwaysawaits our thanksgiving offering.

Rememberthe story of the Ten Lepers in Lk17. In verse 13 it was recorded that thelepers lifted their voices and said Jesus Master, have mercy on us. Jesusanswered their prayers and they were cleansed. Just one returned to Jesuswith a loud voice and fell down at His feet to give thanks. At the return ofone of the lepers, the first thing Jesus said was (Vs. 17&18) ÒWere therenot ten cleansed?Ê But where are the nine?Ó ÒWere there not any found whoreturned to give glory to God except this foreigner?Ó Are you one of thenine?

The LORDGod awaits thanks giving from you regardless of the situation. He said inJer.32:27 ÒBehold, I am the Lord God of all flesh. Is there anything too hardfor Me?Ó

Take timeand look back for a moment and render unto the almighty God a HEART-FULL thanksgiving for all that he has done so He will bring perfection to all you areexpecting from Him.

Just asthanksgiving is a weapon of perfection; so is praise a weapon of victory overwar.

~Trumpet~

Num.10:9stated that, when you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppressesyou, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets and you will be rememberedbefore the LORD your God and you will be saved from your enemies. As an enlisted army of God, warwill always come knocking.Ê We are in a position to always knock war out whenknowledge is in place by the understanding of the word(wisdom) of God.Ê In anumber of places in the scripture, you will find the use of trumpet as aweapon. Trumpet is a resounding call. Trumpet is to sound orproclaim loudly. It is a sound that will be easily recognized by God. Ourpraise is the trumpet sound that will be easily recognized by God. Itworked for the Israelites on their way to Canaan and it will undoubtedly work for us because God still inhabits thepraises of His people.

WhenJoshua took over from Moses, the Israelites did not attempt to bring down thewall of Jericho without a trumpet (Josh.6:4,5.)Ê They were specifically directed by God to take up their trumpets indoing battle.

As asoldier enlisted by God, what battle are you facing?ÊÊ Are you fightingignorantly? Apply the wisdom in the word based on understanding and let theknowledge you have about the living God do the battle. Praising God loudly isyour trumpet.Ê Deny the enemies from bringing the battle to your front.Ê Fightyour war in the enemyÕs front.

ThankHim for the past, present, and future.

ThankHim for what you have and what you

do nothave. Thank Him for all your expectations.

He isGod of thanks giving.