Arise

Isaiah 60:1, "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee".

In the journey of life, there is a place for destiny and there is a place for responsibility.

Genesis 18:18, "Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?" 

It was Abraham's destiny to be great. But, this wouldn't have been possible if Abraham refused to obey all the instructions given to him by God. 

At the first instance, Abraham was asked to leave his father's house to a place where God would show him. Genesis 12:1, "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee".  

There was also a time when God asked him to sacrifice his only son and which he was ready to do before God made another provision instead of Isaac. Genesis 22:2, "And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of". 

Abraham was destined to be great and this actually came to pass because Abraham was responsible enough to obey the instructions of God.

However, when we look at the story of Eli, we will understand that God will always be faithful to His promises but man may fail in carrying out his own responsibility which may as well make the destiny to be changed. Eli generation was actually said to walk before God forever but due to the misbehaviour of Eli's children, God changes His plan concerning them.

1 Samuel 2:30,  "Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed".

The truth is God has a great plan for all His children, but for you to realize your Godly destiny, you must be responsible enough to obey His instructions.
God's purpose for your life will always stand, only if you allow God to be the captain of your boat. (Genesis 37 - 41; Joseph, all through his journey from his father's house until he became the prime minister in Egypt, God was the captain of his boat) no wonder he was able to get to his destination in life. 

However, there are things God will do for you on the way to your destination in life. Whereas, there are many things you will have to do for yourself. Hence, the command in Isaiah 60:1, "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee".

Please, understand that when God says "arise, shine" as read in our text, you can rest assured that God has already done His part before the statement was made.

What is God saying when He says "Arise"? 

There are no finite definitions regarding this statement as revealed by the Holy Spirit. 

For instance, when God says Arise;

1. To a sinner, He is saying, receive forgiveness for your sin. Embrace the gospel of salvation and forsake all your sinful ways. 

Matthew 16:26, "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

2. To a fornicator, He is saying stop the fornication. 

1 Corinthians 6:18, "Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body" 

3. To a tithe evader, God is saying nonpayment of tithe presents you before me as a robber, you need to start paying your tithe for your heavens to be opened.

Malachi 3:8, "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 

And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

4. To a fearful heart and a man without faith, God is saying, fear not.

Hebrews 11:6, "But without faith, it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him".

5. To a sick fellow, God is saying you are healed.

1 Peter 2:24, "Who his own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed".

6. To a backslider, God is simply saying to you, like the prodigal son, repent and come back home.

It does not matter what the challenge may be when it seems as if nothing is working, brethren search very well within your spirit, there is something you still need to do. 

Perhaps you have not prayed enough or you have not gotten the right portion of the bible that could address the issue, or you have not spent enough time fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit, or there is a direct and personal instruction from God which you are yet to carry out. Failure to observe all these and many more as mentioned could be the reason why you suffer what you are suffering today.

Therefore, God is saying to you today, Arise and do the needful.

May your spirit receive the unction to do the needful today in the name of Jesus.

Now, if only you can arise, your shinning is inevitable. All you are asked to do according to the scripture is to arise. Shinning is a spiritual response to your obedience.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SHINE?

This simply means getting outstanding solutions to your problem. When; 

1. your sins are forgiven

2. Sickness receives healing

3. Your heavens are opened and the blessings of God locate you

4. You are fully restored back home.

In conclusion, you have a role to be responsible enough to carry out every direct instruction given to you by God. However, your shinning is fully dependent on God because He is the custodian of the light that will actually shine on you. 

Isaiah 60:2b, "but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee".