Emmanuel Okoro (aka MrLift)

Be careful what you ask for  "And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. (Gen.19.30 KJV) Nobody likes being told what to do. Is this because of the innate leadership capacity in us? Or just plane ego? We want to be in charge, be the one who gives the order and Lot wasn't any different.  The angels had instructed him and his family to escape to the mountains but Lot will not hear of it. He gave every reason why escaping to the mountains was a bad idea and asked that he goes to the little town of Zoar and then gave numerous reason why it was a good idea.  "When they had them outside, Lot was told, "Now run for your life! Don't look back! Don't stop anywhere on the plain--run for the hills or you'll be swept away." But Lot protested, "No, masters, you can't mean it! Look over there--that town is close enough to get to. ...

God is mindful of you  "And that's the story: When God destroyed the Cities of the Plain, he was mindful of Abraham and first got Lot out of there before he blasted those cities off the face of the Earth." (Gen.19.29)  I have prayed and heard others praying too, that God will do for us all we have asked for and even those we did not remember to ask for. But some people will think that God will not do such "things" we did not remember to prayer for.  Scripture says we should ask and that's true but scripture also says that God will do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think.(see Eph:3:20) Those things we did not remember to ask for fall into the category of exceedingly abundantly above all ...  And that was the case in our text. Abraham wanted Lot and family saved but did not remember to specifically tell God to save them rather he said: "He wouldn't quit, "Don't get angry, Master--this is the last time. What if you only come up wit...

So recently stood with God "Abraham got up early the next morning and went to the place he had so recently stood with GOD." (Gen.19.27)  Abraham had stood before God in the place of intercession and it appears as though what he had prayed for had not come to pass. He wanted God to spare the city of Sodom but this did not happen. God destroyed Sodom but spared Abraham's nephew, Lot and his family.  Our text picked the story from there and told us that by the next morning Abraham went back to the place he had so recently stood with God. Meaning he visited the matter once again with God. But what he didn't know was that God did not only hear his words but saw the intent of his heart. Abraham wanted God to save his nephew and family but did not really get around to ask that. He wanted to get logical with God. So he told God, 'You are a just God who will not destroy the righteous along with the unrighteous, if you find ten righteous people there, will you still destroy...

We are not of them that draw back  "But Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt." (Gen.19.26)  The only time Lot's wife entered the conversation was that she looked back. This is significant because we know that she  was considered worthy to escape the destruction of Sodom. She was counted among the righteous of the city. She left the city but did not get to her destination. Do you belong to the company of them that turn back? Say to yourself, I do not turn back. I face life and take it heads on  Maybe she did  know that she would become a pillar of salt. And that is the danger of turning back - you never know what may happen. So we do not look back. We do not leave the faith, but we live by faith.  "Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul."(Heb.10.38-39)  Here we know t...

I have yielded to your entreaty  "And [the angel] said to him, See, I have yielded to your entreaty concerning this thing also; I will not destroy this city of which you have spoken."(Gen.19.21 AMP) It is amazing the tremendous amount of power we have when we speak up. Many a destiny is lost because many refuse to open their mouth and speak.  A whole city was marked for destruction but because a man opened up his mouth and made  case not even for the city but for himself as it relates to the city, the mark of destruction placed in the city was lifted. The angel said, "I have yielded to your entreaty concerning this thing also". But imagine that he did not speak up, he would never have known the joy of an answered prayer, the joy of a yes.  What is your situation about, open your mouth and whisper to God. He is a whisper away from you and He is not only able, He is also willing to hear you as well and answer you so that your joy my be full.  "Hitherto have ye as...

The race for your life  "Run for your lives!" the angels warned. "Do not stop anywhere in the valley. And don't look back! Escape to the mountains, or you will die." (Gen.19.17NLT) The race for your life is one of the simplest races you will ever run. This is so because you are you not competing against anyone else but yourself. But it is also the hardest you will run because in not completing with others, you compete against your previous best self.  And in the race of your life there is no room for stopping until the job Is done. The angels told Lot to not stop anywhere in the valley - the valley speaks of distractions, down and low times and despite these we cannot quit and Hebrew confirms it. Hebrew tells us that the race is set before us, and that we cannot run with baggage but must strip down, and never quit.  "Do you see what this means--all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it....

Caught in the destruction of others  "At dawn the next morning the angels became insistent. "Hurry," they said to Lot. "Take your wife and your two daughters who are here. Get out of here right now, or you will be caught in the destruction of the city." (Gen.19.15 NLT) God always has our best interest at all times. We remember Abraham praying to save his nephew Lot and his family but his prayers fell short of the required numbers to save the city. But God got Lot and family covered.  We see in our text that Lot was hesitating, dilly-dallying to the point that the angels had to hurry him up, insisting that he must leave or else he would be caught up in the destruction of others i.e, the city.  We know some people have been caught up in other people's destruction. The Bible tells us of companions of fools that are destroyed.  "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed." (Prov.13.20)  Is it possible that...

Don't quit on God  "He wouldn't quit, "Don't get angry, Master--this is the last time. What if you only come up with ten?For the sake of only ten, I won't destroy the city."(Gen.18.32)  Quiting should never an option, no, not for the one who serves God. It is one thing to not quit on God but another thing all together to not quit on yourself. You hear people say stuff like, 'I don't even trust myself'. They have learned to quit on themselves.  In our text we see Abraham interceding for Sodom and was not about to quit. But if you follow the story to the end you will realize that he quitted when it mattered the most.  The reason some people quit that easily on God is because they have learned to quit so easily on themselves. Faith in God requires that you should have some faith in yourself, even if it is just the faith that says I will have faith in God. Abraham quitted too soon, even before he said what he really wanted to say to God. What he w...

Blocking God's path  "The men set out for Sodom, but Abraham stood in GOD's path, blocking his way. Abraham confronted him, "Are you serious? Are you planning on getting rid of the good people right along with the bad? (Gen.18.22-23) These verses show us a vivid picture of one who stands in the gap for another. Abraham stood in God's path, blocking his way, trying to prevent him from destroying Sodom and Gomorrah. This is what we can and should do on the behalf our unsaved loved one.  We have such privilege with God. To stand before him and intercede on behalf of others. Ezekiel tells us that God seeks for one man that will stand in the gap.  "And I sought a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found" (Ezek.22.30 AMP) We see another example with Moses and the children of Israel. When God wanted to destroy them, Moses stood in the gap and prevented God.  "Now leav...

You cannot irritate God  "He said, "Master, don't be irritated with me, but what if only thirty are found?No, I won't do it if I find thirty." (Gen. 18.30).   I could understand when Abraham said God should not be irritated with him when Abraham decided to persist in the place of prayer for sodom before God. We most times transfer or project our own fears or disposition on God, thinking this is what we  would do if we were in that position so we think that is what God will do also. But God is not man.  The Bible say God created us for His pleasure so God cannot be irritate by us. Even when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God still came down to cover their nakedness. Someone would argue that but God drove them away from the garden. True! But that was for their protection. Because if they had eaten of the Tree of Life in that condition, they would have stayed that way for life. So God drove them out for their protection.  Isaiah told that God ...

There is a difference  "Wouldn't you spare the city for the sake of those fifty innocents? I can't believe you'd do that, kill off the good and the bad alike as if there were no difference between them. Doesn't the Judge of all the Earth judge with justice?" (Gen.18.25)  Truly, there is a difference between the believer and unbelievers or as our text rightly posits, 'the good and the bad'. The question is whether believers recognize this difference.  Abraham recognized this fact so as he approaches God, he says to Him surely you recognize these differences too. Hence you cannot kill off the good and the bad alike. But our good is not really ours to lay claim to in of ourselves. Our claim is the blood and the finished works on the cross. That work on the cross bestows on us what the Psalmist called benefits.  "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:  He forgives your sins--every one.  He heals your diseases--every one.  He redee...

You are chosen "Yes, I've settled on him as the one to train his children and future family to observe GOD's way of life, live kindly and generously and fairly, so that GOD can complete in Abraham what he promised him."(Gen.18.19) Abraham was God's man for the job, just as much as you are God's man for that job. He was chosen by God just as much as you are chosen by God. The Bible says we are a chosen generation, (see 1Pet. 2.9) Our text says God settled on him. Meaning he looked pass others and settled on him. He chose him. He selected him. So when you see Abraham do all that he did, it was because God selected him for the job. When God selects, it is become He has equipped with what is required to do the job.  You are also chosen. Meaning you have what it takes to do that job. God has  equipped you with what it takes for you to do the job. Yes you can...for you were chosen "You didn't choose me, REMEMBER ; I chose you, and put you in the world to be...

Do not write yourself off yet "Is anything too hard for GOD? I'll be back about this time next year and Sarah will have a baby." (Gen.18.14)  God is the God of all power and possibilities. There is nothing that God cannot do. And most people know and believe this; where the challenge is for most, is that they do not know whether God is willing to do what they want Him to do. As a result they write themselves off.  This was the case with Sarah, Abraham's wife. She did not doubt the abilities of God to make possible what He has promised but she doubted her ability to bear children because she has passed the age of childbearing and her husband was old.  "Sarah laughed within herself, "An old woman like me? Get pregnant? With this old man of a husband?" (Gen.18.12)  She was saying, "God I know You can do Your part but I cannot do my part, neither can my husband do his part". Do not write yourself off. All God requires of you is to believe Him, to ...

The coming around season " [The Lord] said, I will surely return to you when the season comes round, and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son. And Sarah was listening and heard it at a tent door which was behind Him". (Gen.18.10 AMP) There is a due season. This is the season which our text refers to as 'when the season comes round'. Which I have called the coming around season. In another place the Bible calls it, "due season". This is that season when what is due to you by reason of covenant arrives. It is not determined by one's desire but by the life's timing itself. That's why another transaction refers to it as "according to the time of life"  Abraham had long believed God for this season to come. He had served, prayed, sacrifice, but you cannot force God's timing. But when that time finally comes, his wife Sarah seem to have given up. For she said, "An old woman like me? Get pregnant? With this old man of a husband?...

He stood by them "And he took curds and milk and the calf which he had made ready, and set it before [the men]; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate." (Gen.18.8  AMP) Not only does the King's business require haste, it also requires attention. The Bible records that Abraham stood by the men under the tree while they ate. He waited on them. He was on hand, available should the Master require anything. This is the kind of focused attention that the King our God requires.  The Bible speaks of Elisha, the prophet that poured water on the hands of Elijah. When he was called, it is on record that he left his business, burnt the plow, killed the oxen and followed Elijah.  "Elisha deserted the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Please! Let me kiss my father and mother good-bye--then I'll follow you.Go ahead," said Elijah, "but, mind you, don't forget what I've just done to you." So Elisha left; he took his yoke of oxen and butche...

The king business requires haste "Abraham HURRIED into the tent to Sarah. He said, "HURRY. Get three cups of our best flour; knead it and make bread." Then Abraham RAN to the cattle pen and picked out a nice plump calf and gave it to the servant who LOST NO TIME getting it ready. Then he got curds and milk, brought them with the calf that had been roasted, set the meal before the men, and stood there under the tree while they ate. (Gen.18.6-8)  As David escaped from King Saul, he needed food and supplies so stopped by the house of God to get some and afterwards asked the priest Ahimelech if there was a spear or a sword under the his keep for he, David, brought none as the King's business required haste. "And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste. (1Sam.21.8 KJV) This brings us back to our text as we see Abraham go...

The Lord appeared to Abraham as a man  "GOD appeared to Abraham at the Oaks of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent. It was the hottest part of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing. He ran from his tent to greet them and bowed before them. He said, "Master, if it please you, stop for a while with your servant. I'll get some water so you can wash your feet. Rest under this tree. I'll get some food to refresh you on your way, since your travels have brought you across my path." They said, "Certainly. Go ahead."(Gen.18. 1-5) I wonder how any of us would recognize God if He appears to us. In one sense He already did, but most of us did not recognize Him because He had appeared in the for of a man.  Verse one says God appeared to Abraham but in verse two Abraham saw him as a man in the company of two other men. It is interesting that Abraham still recognised Him even in the form of a man. We see Abraham distinguishing between th...

God has no grand children  "Abraham and Ishmael were circumcised the same day" (Gen. 17.25) God has a family and in God's family everyone is equal. He has children but no grandchildren. This is interesting because, that means everyone has a seat at the table of God. It means you do not need the permission of any man to approach God. It means God is Father to you just as He is to any other person.  The story of Cornelius and the Apostle Peter in Acts ten throws some more light on this. God has told Peter to go to the gentile and when he got there he had this to say  "Peter fairly exploded with his good news: "It's God's own truth, nothing could be plainer: God plays no favorites! It makes no difference who you are or where you're from--if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open." (Acts. 10.34-35) Just as God plays no favourites so also God has no grand children. Where ever you are from, who ever you are, whatever you have do...

Walk perfectly before God  "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect." (Gen:17.1 KJV) Can humans by nature really be perfect? For many, perfection cannot be attained and I agree with this position but it can be obtained through the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of calvary. The Bible says he perfected us forever through one perfect sacrifice .  "It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process." (Heb. 10.14)  The word perfect as stated in our text is really to be mature which implies one always does what is right as the Good News translation puts it When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the Almighty God. Obey me and always do what is right. (G...

It is not over until you win  "So Sarai, Abram's wife, took her Egyptian maid Hagar and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife. Abram had been living ten years in Canaan when this took place." (Gen. 16.3) Abraham had lived in Canaan, the land of promise, for complete ten years and Sarai his wife was still without a child. If you know anything about numbers, you'll understand that we only have 0 to 9 and with this combination we can make any number we wish. And the number ten shows a form completion.  It was as if Sarai had given God ten years in the land o f promise, hoping and trusting God to come through but when after ten years she still didn't have a child, she decided that maybe bearing children was not for her. So she decided to give Hagar, her maid as wife to Abraham in order to raise children for her.  I do not know if you have reckon your situation to be over, If you have given up on God, thinking his promises to you have failed, I'm here to tell you...

Protect your sacrifice  "He brought all these animals to him, split them down the middle, and laid the halves opposite each other. But he didn't split the birds.Vultures swooped down on the carcasses, but Abram scared them off." (Gen.15.10-11) Nothing truly great was ever achieved without great sacrifice. Sacrifice is giving up something that cost you, in order to achieve something greater. Everyone of us have had to give up something we love, in order to get what we need.  Need is a great motivation. When we put our needs in perspective, we find the will and the way to meet those needs and that's where sacrifice comes in handy.  Even though Abraham had won a great victory, he had a need in his life that he could not meet, at least not without a sacrifice. He feared that he would not be able to sire an hire that will take over his increasing estate. And he was forthwith with God. But God reassured him otherwise and to ascertain that, God requested a sacrifice. And tha...