Emmanuel Okoro (aka MrLift)

God Buried Moses “ And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows his grave to this day.” — Deuteronomy 34:6 Moses remains the only human in Scripture whose burial was carried out by God Himself. Though Jesus died and was laid in a borrowed tomb, He was buried by men. Moses, however, died and was buried by God. This single act speaks volumes about the honour God placed on His servant and the finality of his assignment. Moses represented a season—the past of Israel’s journey. Joshua represented what was ahead—the future. When Moses died, the people mourned him, but God buried him. Israel wept; God moved the story forward. “ The people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end.” . Deuteronomy 34:8 There comes a time when mourning must end so movement can begin. God did not allow Israel to cling endlessly to what had been. He closed one chapter decisively so anoth...

Blessed Skills “ Bless all his skills, O LORD, and be pleased with the work of his hands. Smite the loins of those who rise up against him; strike his foes till they rise no more.” ( Deuteronomy 33:11 (NIV) This verse sheds light on a puzzling reality: why many gifted and highly skilled people still struggle to make progress. Moses offered a simple but profound prayer—one every skilled person should pray. “Bless all his skills.” Many of us are multi-talented and richly endowed, yet not every skill we possess is productive or fruitful. At times, we see others doing what we believe we can do better, yet for reasons we cannot fully explain, our own efforts do not gain traction. Skill alone is not enough; it must carry divine approval. There are people who are undeniably capable, hardworking, and creative, yet their skills seem stalled. The psalmist captures this truth clearly: “ Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it…” ( Psalm 127:1 KJV) The house may ...

Live and Not Die “Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few.” Deuteronomy 33:6 (KJV) Deuteronomy 33 records the final moments of Moses, the man of God, as he pronounced blessings over the twelve tribes of Israel. Just before ascending the mountain to die—having been told by God to “die on the mountain… and join your people” (Deut. 32:50)—Moses chose not to speak words of bitterness or regret, but words of blessing and life. He called each tribe by name, and when he came to Reuben, his prayer was striking: “Let Reuben live, and not die.” This was no casual statement. Reuben had gravely sinned by defiling his father’s bed, and because of that, Jacob had earlier pronounced a severe judgement over him. Yet Moses introduces a powerful, permissive word: “Let.” In essence, Moses interceded—appealing for mercy to override judgement, for life to triumph over death. This teaches us something profound: past failure does not have the final word when mercy is allowed to speak....

Fix the Foundation “They’re a vine that comes right out of Sodom,who they are is rooted in Gomorrah; Their grapes are poison grapes, their grape-clusters bitter.” ( Deuteronomy 32:32 ) The beginning of anything matters. A tree is only as strong as its roots. When the roots are deep and firm, the tree is nourished, sustained, and able to grow. But when the foundation is faulty, collapse becomes inevitable. Scripture asks a sobering question: “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (see Ps. 11.3) In our text, Moses uses the imagery of a vine to describe the spiritual condition of Israel. Though they bore the name of God’s people, their roots were traced to Sodom and Gomorrah—symbols of corruption and rebellion. The result was predictable: poisoned fruit and bitter clusters. What a powerful lesson— your root always determines your fruit. Jesus, however, presents a striking contrast.“ I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.” (John 15:1) By calling ...

The “Anyhowness” of a People " He said, “From now on I’m looking the other way. Watch what happens to them. What a twisted, upside-down generation—unpredictable, unstable, and reckless from one moment to the next.” ( Deuteronomy 32:20 ) Imagine a life lived without God’s involvement. It would be like wearing one’s clothes inside-out and upside-down—nothing fits, nothing aligns, and nothing makes sense. This is the picture Scripture paints of a people who have pushed God aside: a turned-around, upside-down existence marked by confusion and instability. The words “I’m looking the other way” are sobering. We never want God to withdraw His gaze from our lives. In the realm of the spirit, there is no vacuum—when God is ignored, the enemy is quick to intrude. That is why a society begins to decay when abnormalities are celebrated as normal, truth is branded a lie, and justice and equity are trampled underfoot. These are clear signs that something is deeply wrong. Our text reveals ...

Minted Gods “They sacrificed to no-god demons—gods they knew nothing about, newly minted gods, fresh from the market, gods your ancestors would never have called ‘gods.’” (Deuteronomy 32:17) Sometimes, the way people live forces you to wonder whether we truly serve the same God. It teaches us an important lesson: we must learn to look beyond what is said and pay attention to what is done. Actions speak louder than confessions. Jesus captured this truth plainly when He said, “By their fruits you shall know them.” Our text reveals a sobering reality—people can practically mint their own gods. They elevate what they do not understand, even to the point of calling demonic influences “god.” These are no-god gods : objects of devotion with no life, no truth, and no power. Let’s bring it closer to home. In our time, certain traits, trends, and influences have been exalted beyond measure. They have become the “latest gods,” fresh from the market—a place of constant exchange and persuasion...

Respond to the Greatness of God For it is the Name of GOD I proclaim—respond to the greatness of our God!”   (Deuteronomy 32:3) How do you respond when God’s word is preached? Do you respond like Mary—with faith and surrender—or like Zachariah, weighed down by doubt and natural limitations? Our text calls us to a higher response: not to circumstances, not to logic alone, but to the greatness of our God . Scripture is filled with varied reactions to God’s word. One of the clearest contrasts is found in the responses of Mary and Zachariah to messages that, humanly speaking, seemed impossible. After the angel’s announcement, Mary responded with humility and faith: “ And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” (Luke 1:38, KJV) The Message Bible renders it beautifully: “ And Mary said, Yes, I see it all now: I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say.” ( Luke 1:38, MSG) Mary’s words are striking: “Yes, I see it ...

Every Joshua Needs a Moses Then Moses summoned Joshua. He said to him with all Israel watching, ‘Be strong. Take courage. You will enter the land with this people—the land that GOD promised their ancestors to give them. You will make them the proud possessors of it.’”  ( Deuteronomy 31:7) No one succeeds alone. At pivotal moments in life, everyone needs someone who believes deeply enough in them to see what they cannot yet see in themselves. That was who Moses was to Joshua. Moses believed in Joshua’s capacity to lead—first in his absence, and ultimately into the Promised Land. This confidence did not come by accident. Joshua had served faithfully under Moses for years. He had watched, learned, obeyed, and remained committed. Moses knew Joshua’s strength because he had witnessed his diligence, character, and growth. Affirmation often flows from proven faithfulness. When Moses said, “Be strong. Take courage. You will enter the land with this people,” those words carried weight....

Be Strong, Take Courage Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought, because GOD, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; He won’t leave you.” (Deuteronmy 31.6) As the year draws to a close and we look ahead to a new one, there are truths worth carrying with us: be strong, take courage, and refuse to be intimidated. These are not mere motivational phrases; they are essential attitudes for moving forward with purpose and confidence. Be strong. It may seem paradoxical, but Scripture repeatedly calls the weak to declare strength. Strength is not always a feeling; sometimes it is a confession of faith. God invites us to speak what He has provided, not what circumstances suggest. “ Turn your shovels into swords, your hoes into spears. Let the weak one say, ‘I am strong.’” (Joel 3:10) There is power in saying it. The apostle Paul lived by this principle when he boldly declared, “I can do all things thr...

Possess Your Possession “ The LORD your God Himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy the nations before you, and you will dispossess them. And Joshua will cross over ahead of you, just as the LORD has said. ” (Deuteronomy 31:3) Hidden in plain sight within this verse is a powerful spiritual truth: to possess what God has promised , something must first be dispossessed . Possession requires displacement. Those occupying the space are not there to deny you the promise, but to hold it in place until the appointed time . Yet, for the promise to become yours, you must rise and act . Even more striking is the final line of the verse: “Joshua will cross over ahead of you.” The name Joshua means “God saves” —the Hebrew form Yeshua , whom we know as Jesus . This reveals a deeper reality: Jesus has already crossed the river before us . He has gone ahead, confronted the opposition, and cleared the way for us to walk into what God has ordained. Because Christ went before us, we...

God Is Striding Ahead of You “GOD is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t worry.” — Deuteronomy 31:8 As the year draws to a close, many of us pause to reflect. We take stock of what was achieved, what almost happened, and what felt just out of reach. Our thoughts naturally drift toward the coming year, filled with questions, hopes, and sometimes quiet fears. This message is for you in that reflective space. Scripture assures us that God is striding ahead of you . He has already gone before you. What comfort this brings—to know that you are not walking into the future alone, uncertain and unsupported. God is leading the way. He is clearing obstacles, ordering steps, and lighting the path so you can see where you are going, even when the road feels unfamiliar. The verse goes further to say, “He is right there with you.” This reveals the beauty of God’s presence. He is both ahead of you and beside...

Choose Life “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today: I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19) The battle for eternity is ultimately decided by the choices we make. Life is not chosen once; it is chosen daily. Each deliberate decision to do what is right is a step toward life. Every time we practice evil, we choose death; every time we practice good, we choose life. God sets two clear paths before us. One He calls life and names it a blessing . The other He calls death and names it a curse . Yet God does more than present the options—He lovingly urges us, “Choose life, so that you and your children may live.” His desire has always been life, not just for us, but for generations after us. Adam chose wrongly in the Garden of Eden, and humanity has borne the consequences of that choice. But Christ redeemed us from the curse by taking it upon Himself on the cross. In Him, we a...

Just Do It "No. The word is right here and now—as near as the tongue in your mouth, as near as the heart in your chest. Just do it!" (Deut. 30:14) We experience the true power of God’s Word only when we act on it. Many people wait for a special sign, a dramatic prophecy, or a spectacular confirmation before they obey. But the greatest assurance we have is simple obedience to what God has already instructed. In verses 11–13, God makes it clear to the children of Israel that His commandments are not mysterious, hidden, or unreachable. They are not on a mountaintop that requires skilled climbers, nor deep in the valley, nor across the sea needing sailors to fetch them. The Word is close—right in your mouth and your heart. All that remains is to do it . "This commandment that I'm commanding you today isn't too much for you, it's not out of your reach…" (Deut. 30:11–13) Acting on the Word is the surest path to a fruitful Christian life. Before you take...

God Will Outdo Himself "GOD, your God, will outdo himself in making things go well for you: you'll have babies, get calves, grow crops, and enjoy an all-around good life. Yes, GOD will start enjoying you again, making things go well for you just as he enjoyed doing it for your ancestors." — Deut. 30:9 God is more committed to your good life than you could ever imagine. From the very beginning, His intention was for humanity to enjoy abundance, peace, and fulfilment. Think about the Garden of Eden—everything was already prepared before man arrived. Provision came before the person. Our text says God will outdo Himself in making things go well for you. If He could prepare a whole garden at creation, and He now says He plans to outdo Himself, imagine the level of goodness He has in store for you today. He promises fruitfulness— “You’ll have babies, get calves, grow crops, and enjoy an all-around good life.” An all-round good life is God’s plan for you. So if you notic...

Free to Love "GOD, your God, will cut away the thick calluses on your heart and your children's hearts, freeing you to love GOD, your God, with your whole heart and soul and live, really live." (Deut. 30:6) Love is a choice. We can choose to love or to withhold love. Our anchor scripture tells us that God has freed us to love Him wholeheartedly—and loving God naturally flows into loving people. You cannot truly love God and hate the person beside you. I once heard that one of the greatest gifts in life is the ability to love, and the second is the grace to receive love. Sometimes we make love sound complicated, but at its core, love is simple—because love is our true nature. We are the love-children of the love-God,  our Father is Love. Scripture tells us that as His children, we carry His nature. Paul reminds us that “the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts” (Rom. 5:5). What does this mean? It means God has poured His love into your heart in abundance...

God Will Give You the Good Life “He will bring you back to the land your ancestors once possessed. It will be yours again. He will give you a good life and make you more numerous than your ancestors.” — Deut. 30:5 From the very beginning, God’s intention has always been for His children to enjoy the good life . In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve lived in perfect harmony and abundance until the enemy disrupted that peace. Yet, even after the fall, God’s desire for His people never changed. To the children of Israel, God declared, “No matter how far away you end up, your God will get you out of there” (Deut. 30:4). Immediately after that promise of restoration, He assured them in verse 5 that He would give them the good life and make them more numerous than their ancestors. God's heart has always been consistent—He wants His people restored, blessed, and flourishing. We see this same pattern in the ministry of Jesus. Acts 10:38 tells us that “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth… an...

No Matter How Far "No matter how far away you end up, GOD, your God, will get you out of there." — Deuteronomy 30:4 This verse affirms the age-old truth: “It is not over until God says it is over.” Scripture says, “No matter how far away you end up…” — meaning that even when it seems like you have reached the end of the road, God is only just beginning. Where situations conclude, God commences. What looks like the final chapter to you is often the opening paragraph in God’s plan. We are sometimes too quick to write off what God has not written off. Too quick to pronounce a benediction where God is declaring an opening prayer. Too quick to call “the end” what God calls “the beginning.” Consider Jonah. Even in what seemed like the most impossible situation — swallowed by a fish, sinking into the depths of the sea — Jonah refused to give up. At the moment that looked like the absolute end, he prayed. “From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.” (Jonah 2:1 NIV...

God Will Restore Everything "GOD, your God, will restore everything you lost; he’ll have compassion on you; he’ll come back and pick up the pieces from all the places where you were scattered." (Deut. 30:3) When God says He will restore everything , He means exactly that. Every loss, every broken piece, every scattered part of your life—He promises to gather and restore. But Scripture makes it clear that this restoration begins with a return to Him. "And you shall return to the Lord your God and obey His voice… with all your heart and with all your being." (Deut. 30:2 AMP) The story of the prodigal son paints a perfect picture. Restoration started the moment he returned . Before he even reached his father, something awakened within him. The Bible says, “he came to himself” (Luke 15:17). This means he had been living beneath his true identity. God didn’t only restore his possessions—He restored his mind, his senses, and his purpose. When God promises restorat...

God Our Sustainer "I took you through the wilderness for forty years. All that time, the clothes on your backs did not wear out, the sandals on your feet did not wear out, and you lived well without bread, wine, or beer—proving to you that I am, in fact, GOD, your God." (Deut. 29:5–6) The sustaining power of God is truly beyond human comprehension. He is not only the God who saves and delivers—He is also the God who upholds, preserves, and carries us through every season of life. Many times, His presence with us becomes such a shield that the weight of what we are facing does not crush us. God truly is our sufficiency. Consider the three Hebrew boys: God could have kept them out of the fiery furnace altogether, yet He chose to sustain them in the fire. He could have stopped Daniel from entering the lions’ den, yet He sustained him there . He could have prevented the crucifixion of Jesus, but He allowed Him to go through it—and in doing so, proved Himself as the God who s...

Thank God for Grace "GOD's curse on whoever does not give substance to the words of this Revelation by living them. All respond: Yes. Absolutely." — Deut. 27:26 As I read through Deuteronomy 28 and reflected on the consequences of ignoring God’s voice, it became clear that obedience is not just about escaping curses—it is about becoming the person God intends us to be. Every act of listening and obeying shapes us, molds us, and makes us better humans, better disciples, and better witnesses of His grace. The passages describe painful outcomes for those who turn away from God’s instructions. Yet, in Christ, we find hope. Jesus took the curse upon Himself so that we might walk in the blessing of God’s favor, mercy, and love. What a gift! What a grace! Deuteronomy 28:47 reminds us: "Because you didn't serve GOD, your God, out of the joy and goodness of your heart in the great abundance…" This teaches us that our service to God should spring from joy, grati...

Listen to the Voice of God "Listen to the Voice of GOD, your God. Keep his commandments and regulations that I'm commanding you today." (Deut. 27:10) Be careful whose voice you allow to shape your life. Jesus, speaking about the sheep, did not say they know His word —He said they know His voice . This is important because God’s word can be quoted by anyone: a stranger, a hireling, or even the devil. At the temptation of Jesus, the enemy quoted Scripture, but Jesus was not deceived because the voice behind the words was not the Father’s. "To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out." (John 10:3 KJV) The voice of God is distinct from the words of God. If you are not familiar with His voice, anyone can manipulate His word to mislead you. Picture the enemy speaking the word of God at Jesus—yet Jesus immediately recognized, “This may be God’s word, but it is not God’s voice.” Samuel heard ...