In Psalm 18:25-26, the Psalmist says, "With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright; With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward."

What this means is that God will manifest himself to you in the situation your present yourself to him.

So, if you present yourself as poor, or weary, strong, dying, or happy, he will present himself just like that, i.e. you will see him that way.

Paul says in 2Cor 13:11: "Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you."

God is called several names in the Bible, God of comfort, God of joy, God of peace, God of mercies, God of vengeance, God of glory, God of grace, and so on. He is also God of vengeance, God of war, etc. He is the God of your situation. If you come to God with comfort, peace, joy, he will be the God of comfort, peace, joy, and so on to you. If you come to him as the God of solution, that is what he will be to you. If you approach him as a fearful God that can kill and destroy, he will appear to you and deal with you as such.

Paul says if you "farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace," God will manifest himself exactly like the God of those things to you. It is important to know how we approach God because that is what he will present himself to us.

Some people approach God with complaint and murmuring. God hates murmuring. He was ready to eradicate Israel for murmuring against Moses. He in fact destroyed and crushed Israel for murmuring and that was why we are warned not murmur in 1Cor 10:10: "Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer."

Let us learn to approach God with the right mindset even if we are passing through a terrible situation. Life and death are in our tongue, and our mind is so powerful it reflects and mirror God to us in the way we present our situation to him. That is why the Bible says "let the weak say I am strong and let the poor say I am rich".

Every time we approach God, let us pray the solution and not the problem. Let us magnify God and the solution, not magnify our situation as if we are looking for pity. It's OK to cry and shed tears in prayer but we must understand that God is not an emotional God; he does not watch over our tears, even though they are precious to him but he watches over his words in our mouth and how our heart trusts him (Jer 1:12).

Hannah kept praying for several years for a child but her prayer was full of complaints of how others were treating her and how desperate she needed a child to show to people she was not a barren. She got nothing until she changed her prayer to praying the solution rather than pray the problem. Let us learn to say more about what we want than what we are passing through. Even though we see it as the reality, our minds interprets it as murmuring and lack of faith, and without faith, we cannot get anything  from God. Talk more about the solutions, not the problem. Confess. Believe. Have a positive mindset. All these will strengthen your faith to receive from God.

Don't mourn over your situation, rather talk to it. Jesus told his disciples, "if you shall say to this mountain..." We are called to call things that are not as if they are, and they will be, that is faith. Stop dressing your situation, start to address it. Call it the name you want them to be and that is what they will be.

Paul tells us how to adjust and strengthen your heart so that we can receive what you mirror. Php 4:8: "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

Think on those things:

• Whatsoever things are honest
• Whatsoever things are just
• Whatsoever things are pure
• Whatsoever things are lovely
• Whatsoever things are of good report;
• If there be any virtue, and
• If there be any praise,
• Think on these things....

When you think, dwell, and occupy your heart with these and other noble things, you will see God presenting himself to you just like what you think. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. If you think junk, you will see junk, attract junk and see God as so. But if you think miracle, God will present himself as the God of miracle to you. The choice is yours. Even though He is the God of your situation, you dictate the situation.

?A Morning Devotional?

Bola is an avid reader, prolific writer, and apostolic teacher. He is a published author of several books, including The Mystery of The Two Churches and The Normal Christian Cycle, among others. A certified Counsellor and the host of the popular Devotional, "Start Your Day with the Lord Broadcast."