According to the Dictionary of Bible Themes  Glory is:  "The distinctive feature of the presence of God, often compared to power, weight or brightness. Scripture affirms that God’s glory is made known through his work of creation, his acts of intervention in history and supremely in the life and resurrection of Jesus Christ."

In our lives we need the weight of the presence of the Lord in all our affairs. In a world that is dark, we must crave the power and brightness of the Lord. As a new ministry (EthnosDC) our desire is to see the glory of the Lord shining through demonic strongholds in our city and around the world. Even if you are not part of EthnosDC, I think that you can agree that every Christ Follower desires deep down for the glory of God to shine in and through them. 

In 2014, as we continue to draw closer to the Lord the weight of his  presence will be felt in our lives. The glory of the Lord is available to all believers because God wants to reveal his glory all over the earth. As we intercede, share our faith, serve our community, obey the Lords voice and live a spirit-filled life, I truly believe we get an opportunity to reveal God's glory. This is not the time to live at a diminished level, this is the time to desire to encounter the presence and power of God. During this fast and beyond, we all want to see the miraculous attributes of God. If we are carries of light(God's Glory) we must never hide our light. So, today and for the rest of the year please be confident carriers of God's glory. Don't be ashamed of his glory, let God use you today. My prayer today is simple "Lord show us your glory".

Love  is one of the most commercialized word on the face of the earth. Valentines Day gives credence to this assertion. Its seems love is everywhere but very few understand what it really means. Numerous people think that love is a feeling/emotion  but biblically love  is  much deeper.  There are four types of love mentioned in scriptures: Agape, Eros, Philia and Storge.

Agápe (ἀγάπη agápē)  means selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love. This is the highest form of love mentioned in the Bible. Jesus Christ displayed this kind of divine love to his Father and to all humanity-John 14:21.  Éros (ἔρως érōs) love on the other-hand  is defined as "passionate love"( sensual desire and longing). This is the  physical, sensual love between a husband and wife.The Modern Greek word "erotas" means "intimate love;" however, eros does not have to be sexual in nature. Even though, scriptures doesn't directly use this Greek term, it is portrayed in -The Song of Solomon and in 
1 Corinthians 7.  Philia (φιλία philía) is the third type of love. It means friendship or affectionate love in modern Greek. It is a dispassionate virtuous love, a concept developed by Aristotle. Philia means close friendship or brotherly love in the Greek language. This is where Philiadelphia derived-Romans 12:10. Storge (στοργή storgē) means "affection" in ancient and modern Greek. It is natural affection, like that felt by parents for their children. Storge is also called family love. This is a type of loving bond among mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers. Eventhough, this Greek term does not directly appear in the Bible.  However, many examples of family love are found in Scripture, such as the love and mutual protection among Noah and his wife, their sons and daughters-in-law in Genesis 7:7-13 , 8:4-14, at the time of the flood. We also see this type of love between Martha, Mary and their brother Lazarus in the gospels. -John 13:1-11

As impressive as the Greeks were in categorizing love; there is still nothing the comes close to the source of all love. The scriptures tell us that the source of all love is God. The real meaning of "biblical love" is clearly defined in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8:
" 4. Love is patient,I love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered,it keeps no record of wrongs. 6. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always
perseveres  8. Love never fails."

If we are to walk in radical love, we must emulate Christ . Christ gave his life for all of us on the cross. Love requires that we watch out for others and not just ourselves. Love is not about "me" but about "others". God is calling us to lifestyle of love in 2014. Its not easy to love our enemies or those who have hurt us but we still have to love. As we all know, its difficult to love those who have hurt us without first understanding the revelation of love. John the beloved tells us that we love because he first loved us-John 4:19. If we are to serve our colleagues, neighbors, family and city in 2014, we need the revelation of love stamped on our hearts. Its difficult to consistently serve people we don't love.  So, today if we have seen God's love in our life, we also have responsibility to share Christ love where-ever we go. Well, as I close out this blog, I leave you with this quote: " Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do... but how much love we put in that action."-Mother Teresa   - by Seyi Olagunju

As we entered into 2014, many of us have new year's resolutions. Most of these resolutions revolve around changing something about ourselves. The only issue is that 
true change/transformation can't be achieved without Christ.

The Apostle Paul states in his second letter to the Corinthians
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has
come:The old has gone, the new is here!"Many people confuse behavioral modification with character transformation but we can only change when have surrendered to the Lordship of Christ.

As we read in the day 4 prayer point below: Romans 12:1-2 indicates that we can only be transformed through the renewal of minds. In Psalm 51:10-17, the same sentiment is echoed but in this passage King David is asking the lord to create a new heart in him. Many times in scripture,the writers inter-change the word heart and mind. Heart/mind in the context of these two scriptures is  referring to our character. character involves our thought life, behavior, habits etc. Character transformation happens has we consecrate ourselves in prayer and meditate on God's word.

So, if we want to fulfill our resolutions in 2014 our hearts and minds have to be completely change(transformed). In other words, if want things to change in our lives, we need a "New Heart".
-by Seyi Olagunju

According to merriam Webster dictionary humility is the quality or state of being humble. The dictionary also defines the word humble as : not proudful or haughty, not arrogant. Many times we confuse pride with confidence. In this ego-centric world, it's hard not to be prideful. Pride is ever present on our jobs, campuses and everywhere else we go. Pride is even present in some of our churches.

Pride is everywhere because it is a sin issue. Human
depravity causes decay everywhere it goes and pride is one of it's by-product. The pride in the heart of Satan caused his rebellion against God and this ultimately caused his downfall.  As we read in our devotional
today, remember that God resists the proud but gives grace the humble (James 4:6).

As we proceed with the plans for EthnosDC and our individual lives it is very critical not to walk in pride. We must always have a heart to listen to God directions through: the word, prayer, godly
counselors and mentors. We must never get to the place where we think we know
it all. Many times pride sneak in unbeknownst to us but we must resist pride through the help of Holy Spirit.

As I close out this blog, I leave you with this thoughtful quote “As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on thing and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you.” ― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity


- by Seyi Olagunju

Consecrate means to devote oneself to a sacred task / assignment from God.

Setting aside oneself a sacred task requires a lot of focus and discipline. Without Gods help it's literally impossible to consecrate oneself to an holy assignment. In this new year, there are many things the lord has entrusted into our hands at  EthnosDC and I am sure the same is true in your lives. We can't really achieve the great plans(Jeremiah 29:11) God has for us without consecrating ourselves before the king of glory.

Consecration might not be a easiest to do, because our flesh loves pleasure and comfort. If we allow the holy spirit to work in us during  this 21 days and beyond, we will be astonished by what transformation can take place in our lives. So, today consecrate yourself before the Lord through prayer and fasting and you will be amazed things God can do in and through you.-by Seyi Olagunju

As we commence these 21 days of prayer and fasting it is critical that we are reminder of a few things so that we remain encouraged throughout these 21 days journey. 

I hope this daily "21 days of reflections" help you.  So, on the first day of this fast, there is nothing better than to search our hearts. It is important that the motives of our hearts are right before the Lord.

Every year as start the new  year, there are always lofty goals that we set for ourselves but God is more interested in the motives behind those goals. The question one must immediately ask is this: is my motives Christ centered?

"Christ-Centered motives" is about motives that rooted in pleasing and obeying Christ above all else. Our motives can only be Christ-centered when we have lead by the Holy-Spirit. When we are allow the voice of the Lord in our lives, then our motives will reflect the heart of Christ.

So, on this first day we should seek the lord to search us thoroughly.Scriptures states that the "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"-Jeremiah 17:9 KJV. Many times our hearts can deceitful, especially when it is not rooted in God's word(Scriptures) and prophetic vision(in other words, Gods divine plan for us) for our lives.

I pray that today that we search him with all our hearts, so that we might receive the right insight for
our lives(Jeremiah 29:13 KJV)- by Seyi Olagunju