Merry Christmas

Oh! the joy of Christmas. That season when we are so full of joy that we can’t help but be merry. The truth though is that if we really are honest, the joy of the season is not so much about Christ who is really the reason for the season, but a lot more about having some days off work or school when one can just relax, eat and have fun. That is okay after all Christ was not born on that day and we really ought to think on Him always; but having a season when we celebrate His birth is like gifting ourselves with a season when we are compelled to make merry and for a good cause. It’s that season when it should be easier to evangelize because Christ birth is every one’s focus wittingly or unwittingly. It’s also a season when we can renew or strengthen our relationship with God because we have time to think on and be with Him. We can have that precious time alone with Him.

 

Luke 2: 11 “The Savior-yes, the Messiah, the Lord-has been born today in Bethlehem, the City of David.”

 

The miracle of the birth of Christ is indeed fascinating and with several lessons to learn. How interesting it is that the one who worked things such that every human being who lived, lives and will ever live on earth must be born of a woman, followed that same pattern when He wanted to exist on earth as man – what humility. God is so humble, He would not disdain the proper order nor will He upturn it for himself. He humbles Himself so much, He was in the womb of a woman, the work of His own hands, for nine months. I guess every one of us either as leaders or future leaders must learn from this. God will not compel anyone to humble themselves but He expects us to. We must learn what is acceptable in the House of God, know them and live by them even more so when we become ministers and pastors for our God is a “due process” God. No wonder the bible says, “He is righteous and just in all of His ways.”  God set Himself an example for us, we as leaders must also make our lives an example that others can look at and be provoked to good works. Character is built on humility.

 

1 Timothy 3: 15 “So that if I am delayed, you will know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of The Truth.”

 

How could our Saviour and The Creator of all things be born so simply?  Jesus Christ who is larger than life itself was born a baby after being retained in Mary’s womb for nine months. Though He could have appeared any way He wanted, He chose a very simple and ordinary way. Just like any other man He arrived on earth through a woman and as a baby. God almost always starts small so we must not disdain “small beginnings” of whatever God is doing in our lives. God watches it grow and we must be patient mature enough not to announce it ourselves. When it comes to maturity, it would no longer be hidden. God’s doesn’t need to be announced; it would announce itself at the right time unless it never attempts to fulfill its purpose. Any one accomplishing God’s purpose for their lives cannot be hidden and this is with or without a stage. As soon as Jesus started destroying the works of darkness, He could no longer be ignored. You either hate or love Him and so it is with anyone who yields to God allowing God’s seed blossom.

 

Mathew 5: 14 “You are the light of the world-like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.”

I John 3: 8b “But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.”

 

Even now, I don’t think we have a good enough understanding of the value of this gift that is Jesus Christ. If the length to which satan went to frustrate His birth is anything to go by, then the child that was born was definitely more valuable than our minds can conceive. Satan sure understood Christ value; hence the warfare to frustrate His birth was so intense, at some point, God had to take Mary, the seed carrier, and Joseph out of Israel. God hid His own first born in Egypt where no one in their true mind would have ever thought that God would hide anything valuable. There is revealed yet again the wisdom of God. Of course God was not afraid of the king but He would not allow His own to be troubled beyond that which they can handle so He showed them a root of escape as He always does for us in difficult times. If the King had known who the seed carrier was, there is no telling what He may have put them through. Interestingly, they never gave up, but trudged on. Even today, people who carry the seed of a God implanted vision would yet go through similar experiences or challenges but if such persons listen for the voice of their Shepheard, He would see them through like He did Mary and Joseph. God never intends for His seed to die. He is not a seed wasting God. If He plants the seed, He means for it to accomplish its purpose.

 

1 Corinthians 10: 13 “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

 

At the birth of Jesus Christ, heaven and earth united to celebrate. Heaven was so excited that it spilled over to earth. The angels could not contain themselves, they had to share the secret of His birth with shepherds and even the wise men as well as Simon and Anna. This was more than supernatural – God stepped into earth and legitimately too. This is a miracle like no other. An expression of love like had never been experienced by any; the beginning of a true love relationship between God and man. No wonder miracles are not scarce at this time; what we celebrate is a miracle. So, it is certainly not out of place to believe God for miracles in this season. This was so important to God that Simeon was not allowed to die before he testified concerning the seed of God. As we celebrate the miracle of miracles, may our own miracles manifest in our lives. Merry Christmas.

Jesus Christ - Light Of The World

John 8: 12 “Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

I honestly am trying to understand all that is going on in the body of Christ around where I live; too many backslidden believers who are angry at God and feel very justified. It is not new for people to “backslide” (synonym for returning to one’s previous unbelieving state which was exchanged for a life Christ); maybe it has become worrisome to me because now because it is getting really close to home. People I love very much are falling victim. There are times in life when believers live below God’s expressed expectation and I get that, I have been there and am by no means suggesting that it is acceptable; but to actually denounce this faith and refer to your life in Christ as “times spent in darkness”, is on another level. Could these be the persons the writer of Hebrews referred to when he said such persons could no longer be restored? Is it possible to have had a true encounter with Jesus Christ and turn away? Or could it be that they never had a true encounter with Jesus Christ and as such never built a relationship with Him so that their relationships where either with the church or with their leaders/Pastors.  

Hebrews 6: 4 – 6 “For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened-those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come-and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame.”

It is easier for me to believe that these persons didn’t have a true encounter with God so that they still have a chance to get it right. In truth though, I discovered that a number of us struggle with a relationship with Christ because we don’t have an experiential knowledge of Him which is really a nice way of saying we may not be truly saved. This also probably explains why anyone would say, like my beloved friend, that the years spent living for Christ were years in darkness and enslavement and having turned their backs on Christ, they are now free indeed. The more I think on what he said, the more I realize that he was right, he was indeed in darkness. He never enjoyed the liberty we have in Christ. Instead of living to please God, he lived to please men and invested too much resources into to creating an impression or look a part; that life is truly tough. It is costly to keep up appearances especially when you can’t reasonably afford the appearance. He was not really walking in Christ and as such, could not have enjoyed “liberty”. Sadly, there are many like my friend, who claim to be born again and walking in the light yet the light they walk in is not Christ but the light of several different men which at the end of the day, is darkness. Every such person will have to meet with Jesus Christ who is The True light for them to actually walk in The Light.

1 John 1: 5 – 6 “This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing truth,”

Romans 14: 17 “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.”

Many people in the church are sad and disappointed today. Some claim they have been deceived by the leaders or pastors whilst others allude to the fact that God has failed to keep promises He made to them. So, they are disappointed and want to seek other means of bringing the promises and their heart’s desire to pass. This is all so sad. Every groom in love, expects his bride to reciprocate the love. One thing is certain Jesus Christ is coming back for the bride He loves enough to have died for her; the least He should have is a bride ready, expectant and full of rejoicing at the coming of the groom. The church is instead, full of murmurers and complainers; a people in pain who insist on holding on to the pain, a selfish generation who think only about ”what is in it for them” and nothing of true love. We need to encounter The True Light and begin to enjoy a relationship with Him. It is time for our leaders to present Christ alone and teach us how to enter and build a relationship with Him instead of a relationship with the leaders or the church. I guess, one can only present the Christ they know and sadly, people have crept into church leadership who know not Jesus Christ, the Light of the world – wolf in sheep’s clothing.

2 Peter 2: 17, 19 – 21 “These people are useless as dried-up springs or as mist blown away by the wind…They promise freedom but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you. And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get entangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life.”

Don’t Lose Heart: It Is Never Late With Him

As the year comes to an end here on earth, please be reminded that God’s year may be far from ending; for our God does not dwell in time. I am sure you have heard it said that God dwells in eternity so that it is most unlikely that His calendar is closing. I sincerely believe that this may be one of the best seasons for miracles since it is the time of the year when we celebrate the birth of our Saviour. As we all know, it is most unlikely that this is the season in which He was born, but this is that season when we celebrate His birth which is the biggest miracle the earth has ever witnessed. How is it that a God so mighty would choose to step down from His throne on high that He may indwell man? That is the miracle that only God can explain and who would believe that He did it that we may have joy filled lives and have it in exceeding abundance. Such was the love of God for us when He made the decision and so it is even today.

John 10: 10b “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

John 15: 11 “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow.”

There is no doubt that God is not going on holiday at this time like we do. Interestingly, when a day is coming to an end, man begins to shut down that he may rest but our God never shuts down. Whilst we are getting ready to rest, God is working to start a new day. Man is programmed to shut down before the beginning of a new day or season so that in our sub-conscious, God is like that and we assume His calendar is just like ours. Please get ready for your miracles; it may just “spring forth” in this season like it did for Peter on the night when fishing seemed like the wrong business. Peter and the other fishermen were shutting down when Jesus Christ came on the scene and borrowed his boat. He could have been so frustrated with the way the night’s business went that he may have told Jesus Christ he had to go home. We have to learn to master our bodies so that things like frustration don’t get the better of us when things don’t seem to be going the way we think it should. If Peter had allowed what seemed like failure to get the better of him, he may have lost his the opportunity to know Jesus Christ and its attendant miracles, which was the beginning of many great experiences for Peter.

Luke 5: 2 & 3 “He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. Stepping into one of those boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. Si he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.”

Like Peter and his team, I want to encourage you to be open to God even in this season. It’s the year and not your life that is coming to an end. Please don’t push God away by complaining and murmuring against Him which is what the enemy would like you to do so that you will unwittingly, shut God out. It is yet good time for God to act for you. He can even start a new thing right now. Jesus did not mention the blessings that would accompany their lending Him their boat; but it was in the works and no matter how late it was when He was done, He who never sleeps was going to give them this miracle. I am certain that they were penned down for that miracle that night and only they could have prevented themselves from receiving the miracle that night. Seriously, I think Peter and his team deserves to be applauded because they were already cleaning out their boat and nets when Jesus came on the scene. I often wonder about the ways of God; since He was coming, couldn’t he have come a little earlier? His ways was indeed puzzling; we can never really fathom God. We must never assume that it is late with God who is in control of time. Did he not stay the sun for Joshua? He does not need light to do what He need to do either because He is light Himself and even darkness flees when He comes on the scene.

Isaiah 55; 9 “For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

Ecclesiastes 11: 4 “Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest. Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things. Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another or maybe both.”

  Thank God that Peter was not one of us who “observe the “weather” otherwise he would have missed this gift. When we have opportunity to sow, we must respond without checking the weather. There was no doubt that it was dark; that not something one could pretend about but Peter chose to respond contrary to what He saw. We must also remember that from the point of view of the fishermen, that may have been considered “bad business” day. In other words, they may think they failed that day though they do not control the fishes. Not only did their seeming failure in business that day not prevent them from showing kindness, it also did not prevent them from casting their net again. Our circumstances should not determine our responses to the word of God.  Even if you failed at something several times, this may be the one opportunity that turns the entire story around.

So Shall Men Know … Pt 2

John 13: 35 “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples”

I feel bad when I am unable to post my blog especially when it is because I am too distracted to put my thoughts together and write. The past few weeks have been hectic and for a good reason - I was attending an awesome prophetic conference which I could have given anything to attend. So, with great joy in my heart and gratitude to God, I apologize for not posting my blog this past week. I thank God for godly relationships that facilitated my attendance at the conference. Indeed, prudence in the way we relate with one another and quality of company we keep has become imperative. The way we relate with others affects the company we keep which then greatly impacts on the quality of life we live here on earth and consequently, our ultimate destination in eternity. Do you act like the relationship is all about you? Are you always the victim? Do you provoke the others to good works? You may be surprised to find that you are the reason sincere people stay away from you leaving you in company that is not helpful for building godly character. It has become expedient, that we do a relationship audit. As you audit please bear in mind that it is best to start with self- evaluation. You may be surprised to find that you are “the bad one” or you may be bad for the person you think is a bad influence on you. Let me note here that sometimes we need to let go of some company not because anyone is bad but just because sometimes people who good individually, are bad collectively.

Hebrews 10: 24 “Let us think of ways to motivate one anther

1 Corinthians 15: 34 “think carefully about what is right, and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don’t know God.”

When in my last blog I suggested that we audit our relationships, my thoughts were for us to deliberately examine them, sincerely evaluating them with a view to improving their quality. Sincerity is a must if the audit will be useful. For the evaluation to be sincere, our minds must be open to the fact that at the end of it all, we may be the ones who need to change to improve the quality of the company we keep. I have found that it is much easier to assume that we are great and every other person needs to do more so we must be open to looking inward first, rightly evaluating ourselves before we look at another. Our hearts have to be in the right place because every sincere evaluation begins with a sincere heart evaluation. If our hearts are wrong, the entire process is distorted and our findings will be corrupt. My Pastor, Seye Kosoko, says relationship audits are really audits of our hearts and I agree. Our hearts are the bedrock of all our relationships because out of them flow the issues of life.  All these matters flow from the heart  If our self- assessment reveals that we are the ones with challenges, we don’t need to feel condemned; we start working on ourselves relying on the Holy Spirit for help.

Hebrews 10: 24 “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.”

1 Corinthians 15: 33b “bad company corrupts good character.”

Any relationship that does not provoke us to acts of love and good works is not the best one for us. Of course, this is not love the way the world knows but true godly love; that love which tells you truth and is kind, does not envy, is not proud or selfish, does not think evil, is not easily provoked, rejoices in the truth, believes and endures all things and hopes for all things. Neither is it “good works” as we know them to be because good works are the works of God. For anything God does is good including when He chastises. Much as we would like to be described as good, we are bad anytime we do what God would not do. Jesus Christ said only God is good so that anyone who desires to be described as good would have to do only what he sees God do. Any relationship that provokes us to do contrary to the will of God is not good for us. Our relationships ought not to be the stumbling block to us forming godly character. At the end of the day we all ought to be one man – Christ Jesus, in whom we are seated.

Psalm 1: 1 “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.”

The Psalmist talks about “the joys” of those who keep the right company. This re-enforces the power of keeping good company or relationships. The converse though, is “Oh the sorrows of those who follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners or join in with mockers.” Our relationships or the company we keep should not be allowed to evolve; we must be deliberate about who is allowed into our lives.  As you begin your audit, remember to keep your goal before you so that you can make the right decisions.

So Shall Men Know That You Are My Disciples

Today more than ever before, there are so many believers lamenting or complaining about one another and their relationships. Believers disappointed in other believers; it is so bad now that even marriages are falling apart like never before and a good number of those that seem to be together are so bad they might as well not be together. Instead of us loving one another, we seem to be doing better at frustrating one another and making each other’s life miserable like never before. Could it be that life itself is throwing more evil at us than it has ever done, making our patience thinner than ever or have the challenges we face with one another increased because of the level of carnality or increase in the number of false brethren in the church today? Could it be that our sense of propriety is so low or is there a major increase in selfishness and/or self-centeredness amongst believers? Well, whatever the challenges, this is certainly not what Jesus Christ had in mind when He said His disciples would be identified by their love for one another.  The relationships we have today, appear to be more self- serving than anything else. Everyone is looking out for themselves and no one is looking out for the other.

 

John 13: 35 “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples”

Proverbs 27: 17 “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.”

I don’t think anyone expects all our relationships to be perfect all the time, not even Jesus Christ does. I guess that is one of the reasons the bible also deals with relationship issues. Paul’s letters, especially to Timothy and Titus, are full of counsel for relationships. Moreover, for iron to sharpen iron, they will have to rub against one another which isn’t comfortable. Depending on the extent to which they rub against one another, there may even be sparks. So when we rub against one another, it could get rough. However, we seem to have gone away from all that God ever planned; we willfully and deliberately destroy one another. We are so dishonest and insincere with one another that we could even teach “the world” the art of insincerity and dishonesty. This is not in any way in alignment with the teachings of Christ and not a reflection of Christ. We claim to love so much yet our disposition toward those we call “friend” could more often be likened to hate. We don’t only stab them, but also twist the knife in the victim to ensure they suffer great pain and then we make excuses pretending to be sorrowful and the victim must forgive immediately otherwise we are offended. We even go so far as to push for a re-establishment of the relationship to just what it was and if the victim isn’t responding as we think they should, they are “unforgiving, judgmental, wicked and unloving”. We demand their trust instead of seeking to earn it just because we said “sorry” and especially because they are believers. This attitude or level of selfishness is totally out of sync with Christlikeness; if anything, it speaks of flesh which should make us weary because man in himself is said to be so fickle we are admonished not to trust him because he is bound to fail us.

Jeremiah 17: 5 “This is what the Lord says: cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord.”

Jude 1: 19 “These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.”

Philippians 2: 3 “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.”

It is time to begin to check our contributions to all our relationships. You may want to call it an audit of what you give to your relationships and see if your expectations are much higher than your contributions so that you can properly align them. Indeed we are to give more than we expect so that if both parties are giving more than they expect to receive from each other, they are esteeming the other better than themselves. There is no doubt that that some relationships must die; those are they which we need just for experience through which we learn patience whilst some others were never meant to last forever: but there is no relationship between believers that is meant to be destructive. It is not in the nature of Christ to destroy those He loves so if we claim to be like Him, we should also not desire to destroy anyone that is His. The state of a lot of our relationships now is pitiful and that is tied to the quality of believers that we are. We don’t deal with one another as we ought to which is sad. Unfortunately, that is what we will have to continue to deal with in the church because change will only come to the extent that we yield to God or allow His Word change us. 

Salvation Is A Total Package

The English dictionary describes salvation as a gift; one that saves and/or delivers from sin or evil and its consequences. This salvation which is the first step toward our faith, Christianity, is the beginning of many changes that take place in the life of any one who also wants to live according to this belief or faith that Christ imparted whilst He lived on earth. It is a spiritual change that takes place on the inside but with an outward expression. A spiritual change because a spirit that was once dead comes alive. I know this sounds really simple, maybe too simple to be true, but it is a lot of changing which only sounds simple because it is all done in the spirit. There is no way this change can remain contained in any person, it must express itself outwardly because it takes one over so completely that one has a different fragrance – an aroma of life. So it is that deliverance from sin that exposes the strength and ability of sin to twist a life so badly that it makes the life ugly because every life that is set free begins to glow with the glory of God. Sadly, many people think a life of sin is exciting when it is instead, a life in bondage and sorrow.

2 Corinthians 5: 17 - 18a “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ.”

Mathew 5: 14 & 15b “You are the light of the world…a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.”

Until one is set free, it is difficult to understand that the life they live could be much better. It is worthy of note that the life we live here on earth, determines where we end up in eternity – with Christ in heaven, which is God’s desire, or satan in hell. Fellowship is one of the principal reasons God made man. Man was meant to fellowship with God which said plan was upturned with the fall of Adam and Eve’s from grace. Not only did it become impossible for God to reasonably fellowship with man on earth because of sin, man’s lifestyle here on earth began to determine where he ends up in eternity. So God, after trying different short term and unfruitful ways to sustain a relationship with man, sent His only begotten son to offer His life and shed His blood for the remission of our sins and the destruction of every satanic work or stronghold in lives. The only thing God requires of us is our willingness to yield to Him. The idea is His and the capacity or grace to yield, He also provides. Fellowship with God leaves no one the same. No one fellowships with God with sincerity of heart and remains the same. His words are Spirit and as such, are life giving. They are not mere words but “A Person" hence their ability to change a man so much a sorrowful person is made joyous; the bound are set free and beauty is given for ashes.

Philippians 2: 13 “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”

2 Corinthians 5: 21 “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”

This gift is available to all mankind but only those who yield to God would have the capacity to respond to it correctly. God in making it available to all of mankind reinforces His desire for none to perish; a great act of mercy and show of God’s love.  God’s desire is for none to live an unrewarding life on earth. He would love for none to end up in hell. Many who live this unrewarding life think they “live” but in truth, they don’t. The devil is in control of such lives, ruling them wickedly and using them as pawns. There are some who believe that they are in charge of their own lives so that neither God nor satan can tell them what to do. Such people have been sold a lie by satan because he is actually, in charge. At the end of the day, every man submits to one of two masters, either God or satan. As many as choose God enter total liberty because Jesus sets free all who choose Him as Master despite that they ought to be enslaved to Him since He paid the full price and even much more, to own them but He chose to set free every such person and works to ensure that we walk in the liberty He obtained for us. Salvation is a full package challenging everything you believed before you came to Jesus Christ and God makes available information that helps break the hold of satan over our minds, in God’s word. One thing is certain, salvation is not a weight or burden.

Galatians 5: 1 “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.”

1 John 3: 8 “But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.”

QUIET TIME – That Precious Time Alone With God

This is the phrase commonly used by believers to describe that period of time one spends with the Lord away from every form of distraction and/or noise. This is that time when we listen to God more than we talk opening up ourselves to Him that He may do in our hearts or mind that which He needs to do that we may be more like Him. This is where we behold the glory of The Father and are changed to be like Him drawing strength from Him also to facilitate this change. This is time that no believer can succeed without in any area of life. It should not be the practice of ministers or clergy only, but something every believer does. Our God definitely wants to spend time alone with every one of His children. It is indeed a privilege; one that must not be taken for granted as we are inclined to doing.

Mathew 6: 8 “But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.”

God is the source of our strength. The closer we draw to Him, the more good we receive from Him; we are also better able to deal with life. Drawing close to Him is both physical and spiritual. The physical bit is the deliberate act of “locking out all others for this time allotted to Him alone” and the spiritual bit is having one’s spirit in absolute control of their mind and body at this time as the Holy Spirit interacts with the person. Satan prefers that we don’t have this alone time with God; so our flesh would normally give us all the excuses in the world to facilitate our not having that time with God. He would rather that we don’t go there because we reject him every time we go into that private communion with God. He can’t be part of this meeting as long as we shut him out unlike when believers gather to fellowship. Spending time with God sounds so simple yet it is tough for many and that is because there is an enemy fighting us and trying to ensure we don’t do it because as we draw closer to God, He draws closer to us.

James 4: 8 “Come close to God, and God will come close to you.”

In this time, we may study our scriptures, worship and praise God and/or even ask God for things we need, discuss the issues that trouble us or just remain silent savoring God’s presence. At this time, God is the focus and not us. My suggestions is that we leave asking for things to the end when one is done with just adoring God. I have observed that when our needs are the main topic of our discussion as we spend alone time with God, He ceases to be the center of our quiet time; instead, that need becomes the object of the quiet time and we don’t really listen for God anymore. The more time we spend with God, the better we are at identifying His voice. Identifying God’s voice is one of those things that get better with practice; and now more than ever before, there is the need for every one of us to hear the voice of God

John 10: 4 - 5 “… and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”

Hebrews 5: 14 “… who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.”

This ought to be a daily practice and can even be several times daily. If however, one misses out on a day, it’s not the end of the world.  It is still okay to make that time as soon as it is possible to do so. To miss out on this time alone with God consistently is to deliberately set out to destroy your walk with God. It is like shutting out your nose and mouth so that you can’t breathe and hoping to live. Indeed the Spirit of God on the inside of us will keep prompting us to spend time with God until one gets used to doing the contrary and the Holy Spirit goes quiet. How does one know God except they rub minds with Him? Why would a God so great be willing to honour you so highly by choosing to spend time alone with you if it was not important? God is so desperate for this time that I have found that if you choose a particular location consistently to spend time alone with God, after a while you will find that God is there waiting to spend time with you when you get there.

John 15: 5 – 6 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, will produce much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers.”

If Jesus Christ needed to spend time alone with God as frequently as He did, then we need to do the same and even more so. It sounds very simple but very impactful. It is also worthy of note that after every victory, Jesus made the effort to spend time alone with God. If Jesus needed to be refreshed and replenished, then we certainly do.

DO YOU STILL BELIEVE?

Now more than ever before it has become a great necessity to check over and over again that one is still on that right path to life. There are indeed many paths that appear to end in life but end in death instead. Believers must be circumspect in the times that we are in. Some years ago, I wrote a blog similar to this and at the time I thought a number of us were mixed up about our faith. In my opinion, we had gotten so mixed up with the world that we were almost a high breed (neither believers nor unbelievers): I guess that should have made us “carnal believers” but we definitely didn’t see ourselves as “such” and if we go by scriptures, even “such” have, in reality, lost access to eternal life which is the knowledge of Christ. I recall that I mentioned, in that blog, that I had just listened to a sermon by Billy Graham and I wept through it all at the end of which I could not help but pray the sinner’s prayer along with those who yielded to Jesus Christ on the day he preached the sermon. Little did I know then, that it could get as bad as it is today when we are so lost we have lost our identity completely and even now deliberately misinterpret scriptures to make them useful for our purpose albeit, evil purpose.

 

John 17: 3 “And this is the way to have eternal life-to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.”

Proverbs 16: 25 “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.”

There is no doubt that the scriptures have always been misinterpreted but it used to be because people were deceived and/or deluded or even possessed by satan more than anything else; it was hardly deliberate. Today however, the story is different. People who once loved and made Jesus Christ Lord over their lives, willfully interpret scriptures wrongly for their own selfish purpose. They know what they teach is wrong but they feel the need to deceive; luring people away from the true faith and largely because they want to meet their own self-imposed goals which often sound godly but are demonic because of the underlying wickedness. Some only want to start or even grow their churches to mega church status so they prey on unsuspecting believers, wickedly using them as tools for accomplishing their personal goals; damaging them with lies and then argue that it was their responsibility to seek out the truth for themselves. Yes it is indeed their responsibility to do so; but it is also every believer’s responsibility to tell truth to each other and present The Truth just as He is. Jesus is Truth and so is His word. The Word of God can never be shrouded in lies and remain truth. The pulpit belongs to God and most be used to push His agenda only – Jesus Christ the son of God who is The Word made flesh.

John 1: 1 & 14 “In the beginning, the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the word was God … So the Word became human and made his home among us.”

Galatians 1: 8 & 9 “Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. I say again what we have said before: if anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.”

There is no doubt that these are “perilous times” and walking with God today is tougher than it has ever been but it is not the job of believers to mislead others; that is satan’s job and anyone who does it long enough is bound to become possessed with his spirit. Warfare is at a heightened level and so many soldiers are dying in the battle field. Evil is stirring us right in the face now and we have lost strength. A lot of us have gone to sleep – the sleep of death. That deceitful and destructive sleep which makes you think you are doing great as a believer when indeed, you have lost your salvation. I used to think warfare has become really subtle in the current days but it hasn’t. The enemy has infiltrated our ranks and unlike Jesus our Master, we have fallen for every one of his temptations. Many of us like to argue that it is tough because we fight “new demons” today. I beg to disagree. It’s the same demons despite the different manifestations.

2 Corinthians 10: 3-5 “we are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle the keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. And after you have become fully obedient, we will punish all disobedience.”

It is not possible to be “in the flesh” and perceive or identify our common enemy and his works. Yet we are comfortable remaining there not mindful of the fact that he wants us there anyway, to weaken us knowing that we are ill equipped to war at this level because the weapons of our warfare are spiritual and spiritually empowered. If we allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Ghost, no enemy will successfully attack us. The devil ought to flee from us as we resist him and not the other way round. Our faith is not powerless but our lies and lifestyle have made it so. We can’t continue with this powerless gospel. We can’t continue to make the Word of God of no effect. It is time to start again. Jesu Christ is coming soon.

Let Us Draw Near To God

It is definitely not news to most believers that we are in the “end times” since this is one of those things that we talk about often; but, do we really believe it? It seems like the more we say it, the more lightly we take it. I guess we have heard it so much it sounds like a cliché because a lot of us carry on with such a lazy disposition toward God and the things that pertain to Him, that it is obvious we don’t really believe it and largely, because we have not thought on it enough. The relationship such persons have with God is so dry and lacking in luster that they make God appear boring when the real problem is the fact that they barely engage Him and as such are unable to glean from Him and radiate His glory. A believer’s relationship with God only thrives to the extent that one is ready to make the effort. Most of us only engage God, when we are overwhelmingly burdened and as soon as our issues are resolved, we return to status quo; it ought not to be so. Engaging or cultivating a vibrant relationship with God takes a deliberateness on our part. Unless and until we make the effort to work at this relationship, it remains boring or even dead which said state is often reflected in the believer’s life.

Luke 18: 1 “One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.”

Ephesians 6: 18 “Praying always”

Proverbs 3: 6 “Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

God desires to have a vibrant relationship with us which is why He is open to communicating with us always and everywhere. He makes it clear that He desires to be a part of our everyday life and even our decision making.  Never mind those who think we disturb God when we commune with Him; God is so interested in our lives that He takes the time to show us which path is fit when we seek His will. The onus is on every believer to either accept to have that relationship with God that He so desires or to reject His outstretched arm. Whilst it is true that God hides Himself, it is our honor to search for and find Him and as we do that, we are cultivating a beautiful relationship with Him. He makes it easy for us to find Him by giving every one of us the Holy Spirit who knows all there is to know about Him. The challenge for a number of us is the fact that we don’t even care enough about the depth of our relationship to even need The Help He provides so that the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives is just to facilitate our speaking in tongues. We must remember that uncultivated relationships gradually die despite that we may be unaware of its death and still carry on just like Samson who shook himself not knowing that his strength had left him because is head was shaved. A bad relationship is bad despite what we may like to think or believe. It is always what it is. We always get back from a relationship what we invest in it. What are you investing in your relationship with God?

Proverbs 25: 2 “It is God’s privilege to conceal things and the king’s privilege to discover them.”

Luke 6: 38 “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full-pressed down. Shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

If indeed these are the end times as we believe they are, then it is time to work on our relationship with God. It takes some form of “pressing” to go forward in any God related thing including even our relationship with God. When Paul says “I press on to reach the end of the race” it included even working at his relationship with God. We need to “press” that we might go forward. Of course, pressing is not passive so a lazy person will struggle with their relationship with God but it starts with a decision and grace is available. We have to wake up from a life of ease and get into serious business with God. We have to work at leaving behind us any weight that might make it difficult to enter His presence thereby stemming our maturity. Every weight should be cast aside whether they be failures, success, un-forgiveness and whatever else there is, they must be put aside that we may enjoy our relationship with God and the benefits. It is worthy of note that when we work to cultivate our walk with God, we enter into that rest can one can only have in Him. It is time to push the limits of our relationship with Him and the benefits will no doubt be immense.

Hebrews 4: 3 “For only we who believe can enter his rest.”

Philippians 3: 13 “No dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus is calling us.”

Unless A kernal….

I definitely believe that change is a constant factor in a believer’s life. If we want to live successful Christian lives, we must yield to God and allow Him change us because He will not force the change on anyone. The change that takes place at the point of salvation is only the first of several other changes. As we go on in our walk with God, we are changed from glory to glory in our bid to be like Christ which is God’s desire for us. These series of changes that take place in our lives, are interesting because not one of them is meant to leave us worse off. It is always change that makes us better no matter how difficult the process may seem. It is therefore safe to assume that the process is not over while it is yet “ugly and difficult” because every time God is done with a particular level of glory, everything is beautiful. It is as beautiful on the inside, or even more so, as it is on the outside because God who Himself sees all things, including the  things hidden from all eyes, always works to ensure that what we see on the outside is a reflection of all that is on the inside.

Ecclesiastes 3: 11 “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from the beginning to the end.”

2 Corinthians 3: 18 “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

At some point in our walk with God, every committed believer comes to the realization that change is imminent. Yet, it isn’t something we look forward to because of the discomfort and pain it comes with. From one level to the other, depending on the level of one’s commitment, the process can be really painful. I have many wishes concerning how God should go about this process and would have been willing to counsel Him as to how to deal but He has not asked nor does He ask our opinion as to how to go about His business in the life of any man. Indeed, we are too unqualified to counsel from our very myopic view, a God who sits in the heaven of heavens and sees further and clearer than we can ever see and has our best interest at heart. All our experiences, I have found, are also based on the different paths to and various expressions of success that have been mapped out for us as well as the extent to which we respond to His love. I can confirm that no experience permitted by God in the believer’s life, is meant to destroy them: and even when we walk into experiences, by reason of our wrong doing, that should destroy us our God is working to ensure that at the end of it all, it works good for us.

John 12: 24 “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels – a plentiful harvest of new lives.”

So, to get to the next level of glory, one must yield to the extent that one dies to who they are. It takes one becoming as dead to successfully go through the experiences God allows to bring us to the next level of glory. Hence, the process is likened to the planting and death of a kernel of wheat which eventually gives a great harvest.  The level of humility that is required to go through each experience successfully, demands that one die to themselves. The seed falls and is buried in earth, hidden from all eyes; and in that dirt, it begins to increase until its expansion can no longer be hidden and it is the same process that takes us higher. God works far away from prying eyes to increase us and in such a way that one barely has enough strength to “keep it together” and as such is left with no strength to explain to anyone what is going even if they understand it: but when God is done, the evidence of His goodness will not be hidden.  God’s goodness in a life don’t need to be announced; they announce themselves when God is done. If they have to be announced, then you are moving ahead of yourself because God is not done yet.   

Hebrews 12: 5b – 6 “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”

Mark 10: 29 “Jesus replied, and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good news, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property-along with persecution.”

It is sad that a number of us do not accept that this process of transformation also comes with some painful experiences and so, some such persons have aborted the process over and over again whilst others are backslidden. Such believers are convinced that life should be a smooth ride from the point of salvation which Jesus never promised us. All the good things we expect will surely come to pass but He did say that they would come alongside persecution. Persecution that Jesus spoke of is not just murdering believers for their faith, it is harassment, mental and physical torture and all other bad things done to believers just for our faith. Moreover, satan is the prince of the power of the air and his thoughts are never good; even when they seem good, his ultimate goal is to wreak havoc.  So evil will happen to all alike in a world where he is in control but God who made us more than conquerors through Christ, delivers us from all attempts of the enemy to steal, kill and destroy believers. So as we go through these difficult experiences, let us set our eyes on Jesus Christ who has successfully come through. It will end well.

Just Like Cain - Life’s Lessons PT 1

I used to think Cain is one of the worst persons who ever lived on earth. I mean, really, what sin could a brother commit that would be so terrible that you had to kill him? I thought he must have been a very wicked and evil person naturally and killing his brother was just one other thing an evil person did. Interestingly, in more recent years of my life, I have found that he didn’t have to be wicked to have done that. I have found that even the nicest of persons can do the most shocking of things when under the influence of jealousy and envy and without the strength to control themselves. Yes, it is true, these things happen even between the closest of persons if jealousy and envy are left to have free reign in any life.  They can be so blinding that they can make an otherwise sweet human being, very twisted and vile. They completely disfigure God’s beautiful creation (i.e. man) thereby attempting, albeit unsuccessfully, to discredit His craftsmanship.   No wonder God hates them both.  Cain totally took on another nature when he allowed jealousy to reign in his body lending himself to use by satan who never thinks to do good but always evil. It has become clear to me, that anyone controlled by those two evil emotions will do things even they will regret later or be ashamed of. The sad thing is they may have destroyed something God sent to them to bless them.

Proverbs 27: 4 “Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous.”

1 Peter 5: 8 “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to deour”

After we get born again, a battle that didn’t exist in our lives prior to our salvation begins. The new nature which is the nature of Christ enters our spirit by impartation from the Holy Spirit, but the old nature does not give up easily. He consistently fights to take back the lost territory of our souls. This is a recurring battle in the life of every believer. This old nature, often referred to as the Adamic nature, is often controlled by satan. The evil is not the fact that the battle rages in anyone, but that one allows themselves side with the devil. For every, individual is the determinant of which side wins that battle in their own life. It is indeed our responsibility to resist the devil. God will not do that for us and neither will the devil who is very engaged in this battle. However, God ensures that all we need to win the battle is available to us so that if we have any need for any form of help as we are faced with ensuring that the new nature takes preeminence, we can be confident that God already met the need even before we knew we have the need. It is therefore not okay to make excuses for yourself blaming other people like Cain, for your own wrongdoing. If one does not accept responsibility for their wrongdoing, they may end up just like Cain – murdering their brother. It is the height of selfishness to assume that one’s selfish and vile heart is excusable because of a vile nature which God would rather that we did not have. The heart of the undegenerated man is so vile that God says even the man that carries it, is unaware of the extent of its’ capacity for evil. A number of us have been like Cain several times over though we castigate him because unfortunately for him, we do not physically murder our victims.

Jeremiah 17: 9 “The human hearts is the most deceitful of all things and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is.”

Interestingly, just like it was with Cain, God would keep warning and encouraging us to do what is right. The love of God for us is such that He exhausts every available option to facilitate our doing right always; and even when we do wrong, He is unrelenting in His effort to ensure that we repent Unfortunately, God is unable to do right for us; but He has left us, the right of choice so that it is always our decision what we choose to do. Even satan does not make our evil decisions for us. Our evil decisions are tied to the extent that we are enticed by what satan pretends to offer us. God is definitely not interested in our wrong; He is not looking to building a case round it; He is instead, interested in building a case round the fact that our wrong has been made right which was the thrust of His discussion with Cain before he murdered his brother. God, like He does with us, was trying to make Cain see that He still had an opportunity to make things right. He reminded him that he didn’t have to be jealous of his brother when he could still do right. Yet, he still left him the right to make the decision and Cain chose to align with his Adamic nature or satan which is the option we often choose despite that we are born again. Our enemy uses everything available to him including emotions. God gave us a brain and wants us to use it so He works with truth which He puts before us that we may then make the right decision. Decisions made on His truth are enduring and will stand the test of time because they are based on God’s truth which is unchanging reality.  It is wise to side with Truth always.

Psalms 119: Your eternal word, O Lord stands firm in heaven.”

He Knows Best – Jesus Christ The Son of God

It just seems so right now with all the pain expressed by believers; pain from disappointment. Never in my entire life have I met disappointed believers like I do today; and all because of unmet expectations? So many people complaining against God because they have waited too long for the manifestation of His promises to them, yet nothing is happening and their hearts are getting weary. It almost seems like God wickedly withholds, just to inflict pain on all waiting. It is time to remind ourselves that our God is good and working all the time we are complaining and/or worrying.  I heard Bishop Jakes say "God orders steps and not elevators", based on the scripture that says “the steps of a righteous man are ordered by God”. He further explains that God is a God of process and as such would often not be in a hurry. I couldn’t agree more. I believe God takes all the time needed to ensure that whatever He does is beautiful. Painfully slow as He may sometimes appear to be, it is all for our good. God would not take so much time just to cause us pain. I won’t pretend like I don’t often wish He could be much faster, but I have learnt over time, that His ways are very different from ours and His thoughts far from ours. For our God loves process; He also works to improve us through the process. We must learn to take solace in the fact that His thoughts toward us are thoughts of good. No wonder His blessings make rich. They are carefully crafted by God who would look it over again to ensure that it is well suited to be a blessing in our lives at the right time. Whatever God does in a life, He ensures that it is truly beautiful and permanent.

Ecclesiastes 3: 14 "And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear him."

There is no doubt that God has a purpose to the way He works. In the way God worked during creation, He reaffirmed His love for process and excellence. He definitely pays attention to details. God is Almighty Creator and He could have spoken everything into existence in one day. He is the biggest boss and has all the materials required for the work yet He crafted everything so carefully it took Him one week to put it all together and then He rested on the seventh day after working really hard. One of the most interesting things for me was how God always checked His work Himself to see if it could have been done better. He did not assume that it was perfect because He made it. All we see is the end product (manifestation of promise), we often don’t get to see all the work that goes into making the promise because God hides it from us. After we have long received the promise, God would then sometimes, let us see a glimpse of what went into the making of the promise. The wait is always for good. Our God is not a time waster neither would He steal our time; He came that we may have abundant life.

Genesis 1: 31 "And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day."

To work in the fullness of that which God ordained for us, patience is required. The decision as to the timing is His. I wish patience was a course or lesson in school, something learnt through study; but it isn’t, it is learnt in the school of life. Even people naturally gifted with patience find themselves in pain when they have to wait on the Lord. Our God does as He please; but, He will surely “do”.  I often wonder why God took so long to dry the waters so Noah and his family could come out. My very human mind tells me that He could have done it much faster. I imagine Noah and his family must have been very glad when the waters stopped pouring hoping to get out of the ark shortly but it didn’t happen. Noah kept sending out birds and they kept returning until after a while when the dove no longer returned home signifying to Noah that the water had dried. With God, it is not unusual to wait for the next level so long one gets tired of waiting and can't help but wonder if God has forgotten that He left someone in the middle of a process He started. One thing I can say for certain at this point in my life is that God never starts something He does not intend to finish; will you let Him?

Luke 21: 19KJV “In your patience possess your souls.

Hebrews 6: 12KJV "That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises."

Of course, process takes time and waiting can be painful. I really don't know which one is worse, whether it is the waiting and not seeing any signs or waiting even after one has started seeing signs of God working to fulfill the promise. The second scenario can be really tricky because it’s easy for people like that to fall into the temptation of wanting to help God. It almost feels like God must be stuck, having set the process in motion, He is needing some help completing it alone. He is at work and is just ensuring that it is as it should be. We indeed have need of patience that we may enjoy the fullness of that which He has ordained for us. Though patience may not be one of the easiest things, it is a virtue which we ought to cultivate. As you wait, everything may seem contrary, please wait and that includes when you don’t understand where He is going or you think He is wrong. Times like these are the times when the accuser of the brethren gets really busy trying different options all geared at taking us away from God. Ignore him, and fill yourself with the word of God. Remember that God is definitely working out something. He always has a purpose to all that He does.

Remember how He took the Israelites through the longer route on their way to the Promised Land. Though He did not tell them that there was a shorter route nor did He explain why He did that but He had a good reason. He knew Israel would not be in that Promised ever if they went through the shorter route because the battles they would have faced would have been too fierce for them. Even in the matter of taking over the land when they got there, in His usual way, He gave them the land piece by piece. He drove out the enemy systematically. The more land they took, they more land He made available for them to take. He could have just driven out all their enemies as they approached the Promised but He did not. He did it procedurally. Do not give up on God. If your eyes are on Him, you will not be ashamed. The ultimate victory will be yours.