Joshua 14:12-14
“Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said. Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly.”
INSIGHT
-Following God wholeheartedly is our potion as children of God. Moses send twelve spies into the land of Canaan for a reconnaissance mission. Ten spies brought a bad report saying that they saw giants, the descendants of Anak and they looked like grasshoppers to them (Numbers 13:33), and their cities were large and fortified. Only two spies, Joshua and Caleb had a positive mindset and encouraged the people to go and conquer the land. They were men of faith and despite the giants that they saw, they knew that with God all things are possible. As they all witnessed, the land was flowing with milk and honey, and had plenty of fruit of which they took some as evidence. Joshua and Caleb considered these positive aspects of the land and encouraged themselves and the people in the Lord. Such is the faith that God calls us to hold fast in Him for the just shall live by faith. We are called to keep believing in God despite the giants that we face in our lives. God has promised to level the mountains for us, let us put all our trust in Him. Caleb followed God wholeheartedly and at the age of eighty five, he discerned the times and seasons for his blessings and received the land of Hebron as an inheritance. This is the attitude that we are called to have as Christians. To follow the Lord wholeheartedly so that we may receive our inheritance. As the Lord promised the children of Israel an inheritance in the land of Canaan, we have faith that we have our eternal inheritance through Christ.
PRAYER
Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous for it is fitting for the upright to praise Him. Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to Him on the ten-stringed lyre, for only He is worthy to be praised. Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully and shout for joy, for He has done marvelous things in our lives. The word of God is right and true; He is faithful in all He does, we put all our trust in You. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His unfailing love, thank You Father for loving us. The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. All our hope and trust is in You Lord our God. You are our Help and Shield Lord, we wait and hope in You. In You our hearts rejoice, for we trust in Your holy name. May Your unfailing love be with us Lord, even as we put our hope in You. Thank You Lord for granting us the grace to see this new month. We know that many did not get to see it but God You have been merciful to us. We thank You and praise and Your holy name. As we come to the close of this year Lord, give us this mountain for our hearts are fully focused on You. Let Your promises come to pass in our lives for only You are able faithful Father. You have spoken to us through dreams, visions, prophecy and Your word, give us this mountain Lord like You gave Caleb the land of Hebron for an inheritance. Do a new thing in our lives Jesus and make all our plans succeed according to Your great love. Our hearts are expectant of You, fill us with Your presence and grace Jesus. Cover us with Your precious blood that speaks better things than that of Abel. Remember all those who do not know You Jesus that You may grant them the gift of salvation. Search us Oh Lord and know our hearts. Test us and know our anxious thoughts and see if there is any offensive way in us and lead us in the way of everlasting. Amen
Psalms 119:1-2
“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart!”
INSIGHT
-The Lord commanded the children of Israel to seek Him wholeheartedly and follow His statutes. As we read from Deuteronomy 6:3-5, the Lord said; “Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the LORD God of your fathers has promised you’ a land flowing with milk and honey.’ “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Jesus summarized the law to love and calls us to follow Him wholeheartedly by loving Him and our neighbors as ourselves. By following after love, we become imitators of Him Who is the Lawgiver. Christ reveals the way of love, the pleasant path, designed through revelation of His divine will that we should abide in and not transgress; but walk uprightly according to the truth as we gradually becomes like Him who is the way, the truth and the life. If we walk uprightly according to the truth that the gospel of Christ delivers in our hearts; we becomes like Him, as He enables us to do everything according to His will through His grace and the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, as we are assured of dwelling in His final glory forever and ever. Amen
PRAYER
Your love Lord satisfies our hearts, thank You for loving us. We love You with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength, and our neighbors as ourselves. Fill us with Your grace Jesus that enables us to love You and our neighbors as You desire us to. Show us how to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness dear Jesus and all other things You will add unto us. Deliver us, our families and nation from corruption, jealously, unforgiveness, lust, adultery, idolatry and all evil that draw us away from Your will, and lead us in Your way of truth. Grant us the grace to be selfless and to serve others through love as You have each one of us Jesus. Our Father who art in heaven; hallowed be Your name; Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptations but deliver us from evil; for thine is the Kingdom the power and the glory; forever and ever. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen
Psalms 9:1-2
“I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.”
INSIGHT
-Following God wholeheartedly can be expressed through worship. King David serves a good example of such worship. During his reign, he selected a team of worshipers even from his own relatives; sixty eight in number, and Asaph the Levite as their leader (1 Chronicles 16:37). David wearing a priestly garment danced and praised God when the Ark of God was brought to Israel (2 Samuel 6:14). His son king Solomon also did not refrain himself but worshipped the Lord with the elders, Levites and all the Israelites as they brought the ark of the covenant into the temple. He sacrificed so many sheep and oxen that could not be counted (2 Chronicles 5:2-5). Jesus; when speaking to the Samaritan woman instructed her that; true worshippers should worship God in the Spirit and in truth, for it is such worshippers that the Father seeks. We are called to follow God wholeheartedly by worshipping in Spirit and in truth, for He seeks such worshippers.
PRAYER
Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Proclaim His salvation day after day and declare His glory among the nations. Your marvelous deeds LORD are among all Your people. Great are You LORD and most worthy to be worshipped and praised, grant us the grace to worship You in Spirit and in truth. You are to be feared above all gods, for all the gods of the nations are idols but You LORD made the heavens and the earth. Splendor and majesty are before You LORD. Strength and joy are in Your dwelling place, grant us the grace to worship You in Spirit and in truth. Ascribe to the LORD, all families of nations. We ascribe to You LORD glory and strength, grant us the grace to worship You in Spirit and in truth. We ascribe to the LORD glory due Your holy name and bring our offering and sacrifice of our lips before You. Grant us the grace to worship You in Spirit and in truth. We worship You LORD in the splendor of Your holiness and tremble before You. Because of Your mighty power, the world is firmly established and cannot be moved. Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns! You reign Lord in all the nations of the earth. You reign in our lives, families, society, businesses, relationships, marriages, leadership and all the nations of the earth. Thank You for the successful elections in Tanzania and the peace that the Americans enjoy as they vote. Thank You for the victory that You have given us in the 2022. Thank You for liberating us from sin Jesus Christ. May Your peace that surpasses all understanding reign in our hearts and all the nations. May Your prosperity prevail over all the nations of the earth. Reign in our hearts dear Jesus that we may always worship You in Spirit and in truth. Amen
Jeremiah 29:11-13
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
INSIGHT
–When we seek God wholeheartedly, we will find Him. In the mystical sense, God gave us the Messiah in His thoughts of peace, concerning us His special people. Plans for goodwill, safety, blessings, life and life everlasting. Through His salvation plan He has saved us from sin which brings forth death and has given us the gift of eternal life. If we pray to Him and seek Him through relentless faith, we will find Him, if we seek Him with all our hearts. Like the woman who had the issue of blood, having sort for various physicians for twelve years and used up her financial resources, we are called to follow God wholeheartedly and whatever we seek from Him He will answer us. Like the friend who sort for three loaves of bread and kept knocking until the door was opened, we are called to seek God wholeheartedly through persistent prayer and the Lord will grant us our requests (Luke 11:5).
PRAYER
You are the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last Lord, we bless Your holy name. We trust in Your unfailing love and our hearts rejoice in Your salvation. We praise Your holy name for You have been good to us. May Your goodness and mercy follow us all our lives and we will dwell in Your house forever. We present our prayers, petitions, thanksgiving and hearts desires to You Jesus, answer us according to Your will. Heal all those who are sick in hospital and at home, protect our children as they go to school and as others stay at home with Your hedge of fire, be with all those who are unemployed and experience low business that You may open many doors for them, remember all the street families that You may bless them and deliver them from demonic oppression and cover them with Your precious blood, instruct our government and leaders in Your way of truth and be with all our churches that they may be places of spiritual transformation for many. Have mercy on all those who do not have faith in You that You may grant them the gift of salvation. All glory, honor, praise and salvation belongs to You Jesus Christ now and forever. Thank You for the plans You have for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future. Amen
Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
INSIGHT
–As we believe in Jesus Christ our salvation, we follow God wholeheartedly. At the well of Jacob; Jesus met the Samaritan woman and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:13-14). For us to effectively follow Jesus wholeheartedly, we need to put all our trust in Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit will come to us and fill our hearts with His living water so that we may drink from Him and never thirst again.
SUMMARY
As we have experienced from different scriptural references, there are ways that we can apply to follow God wholeheartedly. These are; prayer without ceasing and the Lord will answer us (Jeremiah 29:13), praising God (Psalm 9:1) like king David did with his entire worship team (1 Chronicles 16:37), following God’s law and especially the law of love for God (Psalms 119:2), by loving God with all our hearts, minds, souls and strength, and shunning away from evil and loving our neighbors by acts of compassion and love through His grace. We also believe in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior and the Holy Spirit will fill our hearts with His gifts and fruit of love. What are the benefits of following God wholeheartedly. First and foremost God answers our prayers. Secondly, the Lord levels the mountains for us, deliver us from all evil and challenges, and make all our paths straight. Last but not least, we obtain an inheritance as children of God like Caleb received the land of Hebron in Canaan (Joshua 14:12-14), and most importantly an eternal inheritance through faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
PRAYER
Lord Your are our Strength and Shield, we believe and trust in You with all our hearts. Some trust in horses, others trust in chariots but we believe in You Lord, Maker of the heavens and the earth. We love You Jesus for who You are. You have never failed and You will never fail. You are the same yesterday, today and forever, You have never change and You will never change. We love You Jesus. Thank You for loving us so much with an everlasting kind of love. Nothing can separate us from Your love. Your peace and grace overwhelms our hearts. We are always in awe of You. Thank You for loving us Jesus. We come at Your feet Jesus, forgive us all our sins and cover us with Your precious blood. We surrender our hearts desires, emotions, feelings, families, children, relatives, relationships, businesses, government, nation and all the nations of the world, shield us with Your precious blood. We surrender all our troubles, tribulations, anxieties, unbelief, all evil desires and everything to Your cross Jesus, take pre-eminence in our lives. We welcome You Holy Spirit into our lives and lives of those who do not know You, have mercy on us all. Fill our hearts with Your rivers of living water that we may always drink for Your well of life and never thirst again, for the glory of Your name. Amen