Emmanuel Okoro (aka MrLift)

God is Already Your King  Sometimes, we ask for what we can see because we struggle to trust the One we cannot see. Scripture “And GOD was already your king!”( 1 Samuel 12:12 ) Explanation When Israel saw Nahash and the threat of the Ammonites, they demanded a visible king to lead them. But Samuel reminded them of something they had forgotten: God was already their King. Their problem was not that God had abandoned them. They simply wanted a king they could see, like the nations around them. We can make the same mistake. Circumstances can pressure us into becoming what God never intended us to be—not because we are weak, but because we allow what we see to become more real to us than the God we cannot see. The world says, “Seeing is believing.” Faith says, “Believing is seeing.” Jesus told Thomas: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”( John 20:29 NKJV ) Application Don't let what you see make you forget who God is. You may no...

Help Is on the Way When the enemy wants to humiliate you, remember this: help is on the way! Your situation may look hopeless, but God has not turned a blind eye or a deaf ear to your cry. Scripture “Saul instructed the messengers, ‘Tell this to the folk in Jabesh Gilead: “Help is on the way. Expect it by noon tomorrow.”’ The messengers set straight off and delivered their message. The people of Jabesh Gilead were elated.” ( 1 Samuel 11:9 ) Explanation The people of Jabesh Gilead were facing a terrible threat from Nahash the Ammonite. He offered them a humiliating condition for surrender: every man would have his right eye gouged out. But when they cried out for help, God responded through Saul. Saul sent them a message that changed everything: “Help is on the way. Expect it by noon tomorrow.” What looked like the end became the beginning of their deliverance. Sometimes, the enemy's goal is not only to defeat you but to humiliate you. But when you call on God, ...

God Chooses the Best You may not feel like the best, but God chose you anyway. Scripture “Samuel then addressed the people, ‘Take a good look at whom GOD has chosen: the best! No one like him in the whole country!’ Then a great shout went up from the people: ‘Long live the king!’”( 1 Samuel 10:24)  Explanatio We like God to choose the best—and Israel was told that God had chosen the best in Saul. But God’s definition of “the best” is often different from ours. Jesus said: “You didn’t choose me. Remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil.”( John 15:16)  God chose you. That choice was not a mistake. He knew your weaknesses, saw your limitations, and still chose you. Gideon also struggled to see himself as capable, yet God told him, “Go in this your might.” (Judges.  6.14) God saw something in Gideon that Gideon could not yet see in himself. Application Stop disqualifying yourself because of your imperfections....

Be Discreet Not everything God tells you needs to be announced. Some things are meant to be kept between you and God until the right time. Scripture “He said the donkeys had been found,” Saul replied. “But Saul didn’t tell his uncle that Samuel had anointed him to be king.” ( 1 Samuel 10:16 NLT ) Explanation Discretion is a virtue that seems to be disappearing in this age of weapons of mass distraction—social media . Everything is posted, shared, forwarded, and announced. But Saul teaches us something important: you don't have to tell everyone everything. When Saul returned from searching for the donkeys, his uncle asked what Samuel had said to him. Saul told him about the donkeys, but he did not tell him that Samuel had anointed him king. He knew how to keep something important to himself. Joseph, on the other hand, announced his dreams to his brothers, and his openness eventually contributed to their resentment toward him. Sometimes, what you reveal too early ...

God is Making a Nobody into Somebody  Never allow people’s opinion of you to become your opinion of yourself. Scripture “And when all who knew Saul before saw that he spoke by inspiration among the [schooled] prophets, the people said to one another, ‘What has come over [him, who is nobody but] the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?’”( 1 Samuel 10:11 AMP) Explanation I often wonder why Kish sent Saul to look for the lost donkeys when servants were available. Could it reveal something about how Saul was viewed even within his own family? Whatever the reason, Saul was certainly not regarded by everyone as someone destined for greatness. In our text, people were surprised that the “son of Kish”—the person they considered a nobody—was now prophesying among the prophets. But that was their opinion, not God’s plan. People may define you by your past, your background, your failures, or your present circumstances. God sees beyond all of that. He knows who He c...

If You Don’t Understand My Story, You Won’t Understand My Glory People may be surprised by your emergence because they were never present for your preparation. Scripture “When those who had previously known Saul saw him prophesying with the prophets, they were totally surprised. ‘What’s going on here? What’s come over the son of Kish? How on earth did Saul get to be a prophet?’”. ( 1 Samuel 10:11 ) Explanation People often judge you by what they have seen of you. They read your past and assume it defines your future. But God can change a life in a moment. Saul was stepping into what God had prepared for him—and what God had been preparing him for. His public emergence was preceded by a private story that most people knew nothing about. They were not there when he met Samuel. They did not hear the word God gave him through the prophet. They did not see him sitting at the head of the table or eating the meal specially prepared for him. They did not witness the conversat...