Psalm 42:1-3 reads, “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me continually, ‘Where is your God?'” (RSV)
Beloved, before anything can move in life, there’s a force that pushes it to transcend its environs. We have been commissioned by our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ, to go and possess all our spheres of influence and life. Everyone desires to win souls for Christ Jesus. We go to Church and hear revival messages preached everywhere, yet transformation has become the question of the day.
The psalmist says, “As the deer pants for water, so longs my soul for thee.” Before there can be a transformation, the church needs to go back to the place of hunger and thirst for God. The deer pants for water and will go every mile to get the water to quench its thirst. We should be thirsty and hungry enough for the transformation of the world. Without hunger and thirst for transformation, there will be no unleashing.
Moses, who was old enough, could climb Mount Sinai, which is about 2,285 meters (7,497 ft), because he was thirsty and hungry for God and wanted all the Israelites to be transformed. The moment Moses returned to the people of Israel, they all saw the unleashing power of God that transformed their world in the wilderness.
According to the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 5, he taught the disciples, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst.” Without hunger and thirst, one cannot be satisfied. The fuel for the unleashing agenda is the thirst and hunger for God. “The best gift God can give a man to survive is hunger and thirst for Him.”
THE FUELS FOR THE UNLEASHING AGENDA
- FASTING AND PRAYERS: Fasting and prayers are tools for unleashing because they calm down the desires of the flesh and help the innermost man to commune with God. Through that, the people of God are empowered for the task ahead. Therefore, make fasting and prayers your priority.
- READING AND MEDITATING ON THE WORD OF GOD: This is a force that helps the individual to hear from God and through which God speaks to them. One who is unleashed carries a message from the one who unleashes, and in our context, God. This can be achieved through personal devotional life. Like the Bereans, they were noble because they constantly searched the scriptures to see if what the Apostles taught was true. Make your personal devotion count.
- CONSTANT FELLOWSHIP: Many believers find it difficult to fellowship with brethren these days. Let us make every effort to constantly meet with brethren to impart ourselves with the gifts of each other. Be mindful that the Bible admonishes us not to neglect the fellowship of the saints. Make the house of God your home, for it is the equipping centre for the unleashing agenda.
- AGGRESSIVE EVANGELISM: Evangelism is the heartbeat of God, and therefore, God expects every believer to do their utmost to win lost souls, snatch souls, and nurture them for Christ.
Written by Deacon Emmanuel Tanor (Japerkrom District, Berekum Area)