Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Prophet Abraham Richard welcomed the believers who had come to the Prayer Mountain. These were his words: Good morning, believers. I greet you in the name of Jesus. Now that we are in the presence of God, ask Christ Jesus to forgive your sins. You know what you have done. Do not be proud, allow your heart to bend. You too take a moment to ask the LORD to have Mercy upon you because you are in His presence as you are reading this Divine book. He then led the believers into the Message of the day titled: The cost of following Christ Jesus with proof text from the book of Matthew 16:24-26. He taught:
Unless God reveals Himself to you, you cannot serve Him. Many of us have the zeal to serve God, but we lack knowledge, and that is why we complain every morning. We need to understand the God we serve and follow; because even if God is to give us anything, He cannot because we lack knowledge about Him. Let us talk about the God we are going to serve this year and the cost of following Him. You promised him and He has the promise already. Let us take our reading from the book of Matthew 16:24: Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.”
Today, we want to serve God because it was the Prophetic Message given to us, but how should we begin? It all begins with sitting down, make estimations and counting the cost of following Jesus. You need to understand what you will lose; and understand it before you take the journey. The cost of following Jesus is found in the book of Matthew 16:24- 25. We need to open our spiritual eyes so that we can stop doing some mistakes that we have been doing. The God we are talking about is not a man, He is not one you promise and you run away from. Everyone who promises Him must fulfil because when He makes a promise, He fulfils it.
Look at our father Abraham, the LORD gave him a promise, he had to leave his father’s home which he did, and the LORD was faithful unto him. He fulfilled His promise to him and Abraham as well by the Grace of God kept his promise before the LORD. He never went back to his family. Even when his son was ready to get a wife, he told his servant that Isaac should not go back to his family [Genesis 24:6]. It means Abraham counted the cost; Being separated from his family, losing his inheritance and, after counting the cost; he still chose to follow Christ Jesus and today we are swimming in his blessing. However, today we are deliberately refusing to serve Christ Jesus completely, because our hearts are still focused on miracles. Seeking the Kingdom of God is greater than these miracles we are running after.
The cost of following Jesus is in Matthew 16:24-25. The word “deny” and “carry your cross” are what we must understand. Many ask what is the cross; could it be my problems, children or business? The cross means your responsibilities in the LORD, God’s Will or mission. Every one of us that the LORD has called, He has given a Will that they should follow. We all have missions given to us, and sometimes they overwhelm us and feel it is a burden that is when many of us run away. When we run away from doing God’s Will because of situations, it means we have stopped carrying the cross. Therefore, it means you are not fit to follow Christ Jesus.
In the same manner, it is very possible for everyone to claim that they are following Jesus but when nobody is carrying their cross.
If you, a Christian, are not carrying your cross, who will carry it? Remember, there is a heavy cost for anyone to gain the Kingdom of God. It is not simple, as many say it; it needs determined men who are willing to get it. That is why those who have it are not willing to lose it. You can say whatever you want to them, but they will never answer you back. Why? Because they know the price they paid to attain the Kingdom of God. Everyone who has attained the Kingdom of God will do whatever it takes to maintain it because they are fully aware of the price they paid.
I repeat, there is a heavy price for us to attain the Kingdom of God, just as there is a price to become a professor, judge, or lawyer. However, Christians are not willing to pay the price to get the Kingdom of God. This Kingdom is the greatest treasure that we are here to receive. The Kingdom of God existed before us and will remain after us, so the best thing we can do is serve the LORD. When God is your treasure, what more do you need from this world because whatever you want, He will provide.
As Christians who choose to follow this God, let us always remember that He knows what we need even before we ask from Him. We are dealing with a God who keeps His Word only if we keep our promise to Him as well. Choose to serve the LORD; Christianity is free, but anointing costs something. In this I mean to sit in the Glory of Christ Jesus, there is a cost. Anyone can be a Christian, but to get Anointing there is a cost. If you want His anointing, you have to go through everything He has gone through, the persecution, name calling, prison, and betrayal from those closest to you; but you have to endure for the glory of Christ Jesus. You cannot endure such betrayal unless you are called by God.
It is useless to be a Christian when you do not have anointing. You need this anointing, but you are still running to save your life. A Chistian without power [anointing] is a dormant Christian, and demons will knock you every day. You have to be a Christian with power, just like our master, Christ Jesus, demonstrated in the scriptures. He called the twelve, and He gave them power and authority. That is the kind of Christian you need to be this season! Summing up the message, the Prophet reminded the believers that they can find the cost of following Jesus in Matthew 24-25. Choose to serve God. It is the best decision you can take in this year 2024. That way, you will be a Christian with Anointing.
Further scripture references: Job 22:23-25, Matthew 16:24-28, Mark 10:35-38, Luke 10:19
