TAKE HEED WHAT YOU HEAR

Sarah Bassey it was, who at one of our meetings, led young men women to pray that they would not make costly mistakes in their lifetime. I have made some and they cost me dearly so I understand why that prayer point is great. There is no doubt that we would make mistakes in life. In the course of life, we are bound to make one wrong decision or the other; however, we can be so led by The Holy Spirit that we never make a mistake that alters the trajectory of our lives. Can you imagine how terrible it would be for one to be on the right path to fulfilling their destiny and then make a mistake that takes them completely off course? Even if they return to that right path, they would have lost time and may have to endure terrible consequences that one is unable to wipe away. May God help us. 

John 14: 26AMP “But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor - Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name (in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf), He will teach you all things.”

John 14: 6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, truth, and the life”

God knew we would sometimes have challenges with our decision making so He provided us with a Helper - The ultimate Guide who fully understands the path of life because He is the Spirit of Life who searches the mind of Life. This Life is also The Way. As a result, Our Guide is fully equipped to help our decision making and if we follow Him we should be fine; but the problem is with following Him. Now more than ever before, there are many voices out there.  These voices of distraction, which are most dangerous, say nothing useful; they just make enough noise to distract us. They are often so subtle one does not immediately realize their capacity to take them off course until you are already off course. They sound just like the other voices and may not even be obviously wrong but wrong nonetheless. Even correct word coming from the wrong spirit is wrong. The spirit negates the seeming truth of the word.

Acts 16: 17 – 18TPT “She kept following us, shouting, ‘these men are servants of the Great High God, and they’re telling us how to be saved!’ Day after day she continued to do this, until Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit indwelling her, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus, The Anointed One, to come out of her, now!’ At that moment, the spirit came out of her!”

Mark 4: 24NLT “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given.”

We are in perilous times; we must all be very careful what we lend our ears to. The bible does encourage us to listen well as soon as we start listening so that one is able to very quickly discern if it is something they need to turn off instead of wasting time listening to the very end. I feel like hell is pouring out words to counterfeit the fact of God speaking to us in these last days through His word. Everywhere, everyone is speaking.  Please don’t waste all of your time listening to things you should not be listening to. If it is a conversation you are not able to walk away from, shut out their words and think on things that are pure, true of honest report. 

Hebrews 1: 2NLT “And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through His son”

Philippians 4: 6TPT “So keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honourable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on very glorious work of God, praising him always.”

2 Corinthians 11: 14b - 15 TPT “even satan transforms himself to appear as an angel of light! So it’s no wonder his servants also go about pretending to be ministers of righteousness.”

There are so many “prophecies” out there which somehow find their way into our phones. Sadly, we don’t even check to see if the prophet is committed to Christ; as long as it sounds like something one Christ led prophet has said, it becomes our self-consuming ambition to seek its authenticity. Leave it alone. Whether true of not, is it from the right place? Don’t you know that even the devil transforms himself to appear like a true angel? Let us stop chasing shadows especially in these times when there is so much to “care about”. We don’t want to invest energy and time in the wrong things. We must guard our ‘ear gates’ so that our hearts are guarded so that we make less bad decisions. Costly mistake is not a luxury we can afford. If it happens it happens but we must do our part to prevent them. God does not want us to make them hence the presence of our Helper in our lives. Please be careful.

Borrowed culture – The “mini-me” Idea

The fact that a number of us look to the world for mentoring is a sad reality. Many of us, despite that we are believers, let the world set the pace for our lives and then try to fit our Christian beliefs in that pace. A lot of us have borrowed culture from Hollywood “stars”, a people made known by their vocation which often places them, in a manner of speaking, “in our faces”. Enabled also by social media, we see them so much, we think we know them and they have become the people we look up to. The problem with this for believers is that we look up to them so much they help form our thinking & culture because we begin to think and talk like them. Unfortunately, Contrary to our belief, it is not possible to look to them so hard and still look to Jesus as we should. Moreover, it is only natural to become like what you admire and most of them are unbelievers who don’t have access like we do to sacred information.

2 Corinthians 3: 18 “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord-who is the Spirit-makes us more and more like him as we changed into his glorious image.”

Joshua 24: 15 “choose today whom you will serve.”

So we love Jesus but we also love “the life of the “stars” which is most often unreal. This may not have been a problem but for the fact that we admire them so much, we are unable to focus on Jesus as we should. We gaze on them adoringly; idolizing them. So, they influence our mindsets to the point where we lose the “Jesus mindset” and return to the mindset we were saved from. Sadly, we don’t really appreciate the “born again stars”. We love Jesus Christ and enjoy serving Him; we believe we look to Him when in reality, we don’t. Our general perception of life is shaped by the lifestyle of these stars.   

Hebrews 12: 1b – 2aKJV “… and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.”

Contrary to the belief of some believers, their lifestyle is not without its cost. If we accept the culture, we must pay the price too. It is only natural to suffer similar consequences if we make similar decisions. If you plant cassava, you won’t harvest oranges except God works a wonder; which He can, but He already told us the wise thing to do which is to plant what you desire to harvest. We also can’t live the borrowed “star” life even when it contradicts God’s word and expect bible result. Indeed some of the things we see about them are a mirage; like most people, they also ‘put their best foot forward’. So we take on extra burden measuring our lives against an illusion and ourselves against people. The end is misery.

Galatians 6: 7 “Don’t be misled … You will always harvest what you plant.”

One the things we learnt from this borrowed culture which has the potential to impact mental health and ruin generations, is the “mini-me” idea. Believers, more than others, should know that no two persons are exactly alike, not even parent and child. Though we all are mad in God’s image, He made each person wonderfully and very special so that we may ultimately, “display His many-sided wisdom”. We all must be allowed to express our individuality within the limits of our God given liberty and as inspired by God’s word. Whilst it is true that some children look exactly like a parent, they are not the parent. Indeed, some children referred to as “mini-me” have grown up looking a lot different from the parent who refuses to accept this truth. Please think, when did it start to matter whether or not they look just like you? I have met people who could be mistaken for me who have no blood ties with me.  

Psalm 139 “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous-how well I know it.”

It is even worse when the parent tries to, directly or indirectly, manipulate the child’s response to life or circumstances so that they make decisions they would have made just so that people can say they are really alike. In doing so, they unwittingly truncate the child’s destiny or make it more difficult for the child to be who God made them because they make two personalities in one person; one is who they want the child to be and the other is who the child is. This is especially worse for children who are desperate to please; a good trait the parent exploits. It is not fair to the child and can cause self-esteem issues. It’s almost as though they question God’s choice of who the child should be. Your child is not you and has a destiny to fulfill which they need to be real to do. You don’t have the power to re-create; you are not God.   

Colossians 2: 9 “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

These parents really desire to perpetuate themselves through the child. Some decisions they instigate the children to make have terrible consequences but they are so deceived they erroneously believe they can manipulate the consequences. Many young people are suffering for this kind of “abuse”. The “mini-me” thing is not a God thing and the long term effect of it is devastating. It is time to rethink some of these things we borrow from the world especially in the face of the challenges young people face. Parents, as custodians working with God to ensure children accomplish their God pre planned purpose, must resist the temptation to attempt to recreate a child.   

Change – A Constant In The Kingdom

Over time, I have found that change is one of the things that remain constant in Christianity. We are constantly being transformed: consistently evolving. From the very beginning of our true relationship with God, He begins to change us that He may truly be able to fellowship with us. As one yields oneself to the word of God, the word begins to turn a lot of things in our lives around and the ‘real us’ begins to be expressed. The word won’t allow the real person hide anymore because the ‘real us’ is who God sees and wants to work with. He made that person for His pleasure. This transformation sounds so easy but in reality I would say, it is easy and yet tough. It is tough, not just for the person or persons evolving but also for all those around them. It is a process for all parties affected and one from which they will all benefit. Of course, there will always be those who fight the change because it changes everything for them. Yes! They believe they love you and may be close to you but they are acting in the flesh and unwittingly trying to frustrate their friend’s destiny just like Peter tried to stop Jesus from fulfilling his purpose. It is your responsibility to ensure that doesn’t happen.

Mathew 16: 23 “Jesus turned to Peter and said, get away from me, satan! You are a dangerous trap for me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

2 Corinthians 3: 17b “And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from (one degree of) glory to (even more) glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

The truth is there is a high price to change for the person changing, yet we must allow God change us. Our God wants us to be like Him. To be like Him is certainly not to physically look like Him since God is a Spirit, but to look like Him in the spirit which is the core of man. Then whatever we are on the inside, will be reflected on the outward. The end product of this transformation work will certainly be beautiful; for our God is so beautiful, He is indescribable. This change is a process because it is in stages which actually makes it more difficult. Just when one thinks they are settled, here comes another exercise and all of these together can be frustrating; so frustrating, it has caused some to fall from the faith. I guess it may have been easier if the change was only in man’s spirit; but it transforms the entire being impacting the soul and body and our wills are not often easy to deal with. The process begins with God’s word taking us apart thereby ensuring that we see ourselves as we are and realize we need to drop certain things, turn away from them and align with God’s Word. No one ever suffers permanent damage for this process; instead it takes us higher from one level of glory to another. In those tough times, before all things become beautiful, we must know for certain that God through the process, is working His eternal purpose and at the end of it all, we will come out beautiful fitting into His picture.

Romans 12: 2 “… be transformed and progressively changed (as you mature spiritually) by the renewing of your mind (focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes)...”

Hebrews 4: 12 “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our inner most thoughts and desires.”

Though the word of God is not seen, it is active and powerful and as such, does not need man’s help to accomplish His purpose in any life who is yielded to Him and has their eyes fixed on Him. Though we sometimes feel the need to push and prod people to improve on their work with God, I think it just makes us feel like we are doing something because all our pushing does nothing except God’s word does it. To see the written word is to see The living Word – Jesus Christ. To study and meditate on the written Word is to keep one’s eyes on God. Uncomfortable as change is, God demands that we keep changing, getting better and better. If we insist on remaining the same then we cannot be like God. I think we always think the ugliness of the process is an indicator of the finished product so a number of us abort the process. However, it is not so; the result is awesome. So, though we may be afraid of change, we must allow God change us; the benefits are immense.

God Opens Doors: Find Them, and Walk Through Them

I am sure you know the saying “when one door closes, another opens”. It sounds like something people say to make it easier for one to accept that “one door” and probably the only door they have had for a while, is closed. Well, I believe it is true especially for believers in Christ. It is very unusual for a major door to shut for a believer and God not have another door opened. All we need to do is find this new door and walk through it. The problem with some of the doors God opens is that they are often “window size doors” which may be incomparable in size to the ones that shut. As my Pastor would say, “wisdom is to go through the little door that would most likely lead to a much bigger one” which would remain unreachable until one goes through the little door. A number of believers are stuck for looking out for big doors. We often assume God will not open a door smaller than or even same size as the closed one. Unfortunately, it is often not so. Perchance, the journey from the window size door to the big door may expose us to that process we need to keep going forward. My point is “Ignore the size of the door and go through.” Great miracles are born in mangers sometimes.

Ruth 2: 11 & 15 “Boaz replied ‘But I also know about everything you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband. I have heard how you left your father and mother and your own land to live here among complete strangers… when Ruth went back to work again, Boaz ordered his young men, let her gather grain right among the sheaves without stopping her, and pull out some heads of barley from the bundles and drop them on purpose for her. Let her pick them up, and don’t give her a hard time.”

Ruth was humble. She started out gleaning like the others but before long, had barley left deliberately for her. What if she hadn’t gone out to glean because it was too low a job for her? Pride, which God opposes anyway, is a major stumbling block to believers. It prevents us in various ways, from enjoying all the goodness God has laid out for us. Sometimes it does this by ensuring we choose the losers package which is often more attractive; God’s best gifts sometimes come in tiny sizes making them too small for “our big egos”. Worse is the fact that it also disconnects between God and us so we are unable to see from God’s perspective or enjoy His grace. This either leads to frustration or discontentment and finally, murmuring and complaining pushing God even further away. Until that wrong attitude of mind is changed, one suffers when God already laid out good which remains unreachable, for pride.  

James 4: 6 “And he gives grace generously. As the scriptures say, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

I sometimes think it may be easier for successful people to be humble. They should not feel the need to prove any point. I see a lot of people who seem to be going through “temporary difficulties” struggling with pride. They desperately want people to think they are doing great when they really are not. Sadly, very often, the people they think are watching them don’t even see them. They are themselves very busy trying to resolve their issues. Meanwhile, God is ever willing to help if and when we humble ourselves. He will restore us also. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Sometimes to get to the top of the next mountain which may be much higher than the last one you were on, it may be compulsory to walk through a valley. Walk in humility and listen out for our Shepherd who guides us through the journey to the next mountain. Too many believers are wandering in the valley who ought to be at the top of a mountain. If Ruth didn’t take the lowly gleaning job, she would never have ended up in the lineage of Jesus Christ and we would not be talking about her today. It was not the most convenient thing but her attitude was right from the

Ecclesiastes 10: 18b “idleness leads to a leaky house.”

Another sad thing is many of us try to anesthetize the pain from the valley experience but it fails. Instead of investing energy in making it less painful, we could leave that to God and invest all our energy in going forward instead. We can’t see clearly or hear correctly when in the valley if we are also focused on making the pain feel better or hiding it from others. Our Shepherd is managing the pain as it should be and if any pain seems outside of His care, He allowed it to build us up for the next level. The shame of returning with nothing made Naomi call herself “bitter”. She already felt “put down” when God had not put her down. She wanted to ‘say it’ before someone else tells her. The truth she had forgotten is that a chain of bad occurrences never determine your life’s destination except you allow that. Only you and God have the power to determine that and God’s plans for us are always good to bring us to a glorious end. 

Mathew 18: 18 “I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”

Jeremiah 29: 11 “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

He Is Working; You Just Don’t Know How

Today, I am thinking of Naomi and cannot help but be glad that Ruth came into her life. Interestingly, Ruth was not even her own child but we probably would never have heard about her if Ruth did not enter her life. Her own children had all died. They died too early for her to reap the full benefits of having children. However, it was for one of them that Ruth came into her life and I guess this was God’s way of consoling her; no wonder the saying “the replacement is always better than the first”. I wonder if her children would have done all Ruth did for her and even put her in Christ lineage. The thing is, God works in mysterious ways and we must give Him room to do that which He does best. Most of the bible stories are nothing less than fascinating but someone paid the price for us to either be corrected or even encouraged by them. We must learn to wait patiently for God even when it looks hopeless because He is very often working to cause everything to work together for our good.

Hebrews 10: 36 “For you have need of patient endurance (to bear up under difficult circumstances without compromising), so that when you have carried out the will of God, you may receive and enjoy to the full what is promised.”

Ruth 1: 20 “Don’t call me Naomi, she responded. Instead, call me Mara, for The Almighty has made life very bitter for me. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me home empty. Why call Naomi when the Lord has caused me to suffer and the Almighty has sent such tragedy upon me.”

Naomi had become so bitter at her God that she had decided to alter the course of her destiny, by asking to be called “bitter”, to align it with the events of her life as she saw it then. What she did not realize was that she had enough time left on this side of eternity, for God to change her story and enter her name in this book that will be read as long as earth remains. In her opinion and to all intents and purposes, the best period of her life was over and there was nothing to live for anymore; but God was just beginning. There was no indication of an exciting future for her. She more or less returned home hopeless which is understandable given her circumstance; but she forgot that God is Himself, Life. Naomi must have loved and trusted God at one point otherwise her daughters in law would not have met with and fallen so deeply in love with her God that they wanted to serve Him but tragedies of her life had dulled her love.  Love is obviously more than a feeling; it is a commitment. True love endures all and is long suffering. It takes a commitment to see love through to the end inspite of all.

Revelation 21: 8 “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshippers, and all lairs-their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

I wish God would always move just when we are about to give up but it is not always so. We can’t explain it either. I think it gets more complicated because He doesn’t tell you that He is working on “it”, not does He let you know that it will soon be over. God truly wants us to trust and love Him. Thank God for Ruth who trusted God enough to believe Him to the very end despite everything. It is worthy of note that Naomi went from that woman whose life drew others to God, to the woman who was so disappointed in life and frustrated with God that she complained to the point where she asked everyone to call her “bitter”. This is not unlike us when God seems to be looking the other way as terrible events unfold in lives. Sometimes, they happen so rapidly that it seems like God has set out to destroy one; but it is not so. Not only is He setting such persons up for great good, He is also preparing them to deal wisely in life.

1 Corinthians 10: 13 “The temptations in your life are no different from 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.”

Sadly, complaining and murmuring against God is never a solution; instead it facilitates our disconnection from God. Though complaining may be instinctive sometimes, we must practice self-restraint at times like that seeking help from The Holy Spirit. God is not pleased with complainers and murmurers. Whilst it may not be unusual to get to that point where one is fed up; it is what we do when we get there that is most important. That is the point when one seeks help form The Holy Ghost like never before. Don’t try to do it yourself or in your strength which will fail you: we have no capacity in ourselves to carry the weight of life’s challenges. Life throws very hard punches sometimes and often when we are ill prepared, but God is never caught unawares. One day you will find that you came through it all and you are still standing.

God Already Took Care of It - Our Minds

No doubt, life has changed so much in my own lifetime. The changes are so significant that if I don’t, myself, make a number of changes I probably would not be able to survive. So, life is a lot different now from what it used to be. With all the civilization, what should have been an improvement on our lives appears to be more of a problem. It feels like hell unleashed demons like never before; and much more sophisticated ones too so that all the innovation meant to be a blessing seem to be destroying lives much faster than they are improving them. There is always one demon waiting to use that new idea against humanity. Yet, not one of these has taken God by surprise.

Isaiah 60: 2NKJV “For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.”

Job 5: 12 – 14 “He frustrates the plans of schemers so the work of their hands will not succeed. He traps the wise in their own cleverness so their cunning schemes are thwarted. They find it is dark in the daytime and they grope at noon as if it were night.”

Truth is that many believers do not believe that God always knew that all of these would happen. We seem to think the devil takes God by surprise with his every act. Almost like God only starts putting His response together after every satanic attack: but that is not correct and it is sad that we don’t know better. It is sad not only because it belies God’s greatness, but also because that mindset would ensure that we never respond correctly the challenges. There is truly “nothing new under the sun”. God saw it before the beginning of time and already did all that is required to ensure satan is never the victor in any challenge we face. This truth must be real to us so we can live it. Sadly also, we often don’t even care to know Truth; we would rather that God does all the work, fixes the problem and we wake up to the solution. Unfortunately, it is not so. God completed His part, we must do ours. We always have a part to play and God has given us Help in the person of the Holy Ghost who is a very willing Helper.

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

Ephesians 1: 13 “And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.”

As soon as we get born again, we are sealed with The Holy Spirit so that from the very beginning we have all the help we need to survive in this “tough world”. God immediately goes to work on our minds knowing that in a strange way, we fall or rise in our minds. In giving us The Holy Spirit, God is already working from the very beginning to ensure that our minds are kept very healthy setting the stage for our victory in every difficult situation. He then goes further to let us know how to work with the Holy Ghost so we can enjoy having His help fully. Straight up, one of the first things that happen in us after we get saved is soundness of mind which The Holy Spirit facilitates. Our minds are healed.

2 Timothy 1: 7 “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but (He has given us a spirit) of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline (abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control.”

 

God knows that a sound mind is required to live a successful life and the devil knows this too so he works assiduously to ruin our minds. The Word of God who is also Jesus Christ, is the biggest healer of the mind. The fact that life throws challenges at us is not surprising; we were warned from before the beginning of time: our challenge is with the health of our minds because that is the determinant of whether or not we will be taken down. God gave us a very healthy mind, we must work to ensure it remains so by ensuring its alignment with God’s truth. This is the real issue – are you allowing your mind that transformation? The world has always been known to have superficial values; but when one gets saved, to desire to retain the superficial values whilst yet seeking to grow in Christ leads would only lead to an unhealthy mind. Keep your mind healthy.

Romans 12: 2 “And do not be conformed to this world (and longer with its superficial values and customs), but be transformed and progressively changed (as you mature spiritually) by the renewing of your mind (focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes), so that you may prove (for yourselves) what the will of God is.

MANAGING SUCCESS – THE POWER OF OUR THOUGHTS

Our mindset is a major player in managing success. It is therefore important that we check our hearts frequently to ensure that the things hidden therein are not only appropriate, but also what we intend to store. They must be right thoughts; right because they align with the word of God. It is true though, that the enemy often suggest thoughts to us which must not be retained hence the need to check our hearts frequently so that we can very quickly identify, expunge and replace such thoughts with the right one. Just expunging wrong thoughts is not enough, we must be deliberate about having them replaced with the right thoughts. It is our job to ensure that we are always in control of what we think on; no one can do it for us. It is easy to assume that it is okay to think any thoughts since no one sees them but not only is that wrong because God sees them, but we also are the product of what we think on. At the end of the day, our thoughts are made manifest in our actions. They are not hidden even from man, forever. So we must be deliberate about ensuring that our thoughts concerning every issue are thoughts that will do us good and not bring us to shame or cause us to act disgracefully. Many believers have failed just because they thought of themselves a little higher than they should have.

Philippians 4: 8 “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about the things that are excellent and worthy.”

Psalm 119: 9 “How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word.”

Romans 12: 3 “…I give each of you this warning: Don’t think of you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.”

It is of utmost importance that we do not wait until we become “successful” to begin to give great consideration to who we chose to be and how we desire to carry ourselves. Without a doubt, there is enough convincing revelation today that we are destined for greatness, so that success should not take us by surprise. We must therefore be prepared for it. It may be too late or cost much more to learn to manage success when you're already there. It is wise to cultivate the right attitude of mind whilst on the path to it so that what God meant for good to us remains so. We must bear in mind that all good and perfect gifts, including success, come from God. No doubt our participation is required for our God given blessings so I am by no means suggesting that we be lazy; but God sets the stage, empowers us to do what is required and then breathes upon that which we have done to make it successful. Just knowing this makes us a little more balanced helping to ensure that we return the glory to whom it rightly belongs - God. Of course there is always the other voice which always suggest that we take the glory but if we prepared our minds already, we will not be deceived or lured away by that voice. The gift actually belongs to the one who originated it and we are but stewards who will be required to give an account for the way we managed the gift. If we always remember that we are only stewards for the success, we will most likely deal correctly.

James 1: 12 “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father”

It is not wise to expend energy guarding all we have which we can never really guard. The Giver of all good gifts is the best watch man and is able to keep all that is committed to Him. We must do our part and then, let Him do His which leaves us with more strength enabling us to effectively guard our hearts which is our job to do. There is a real need for us to guard our hearts, even from ourselves, because our hearts truly determine the course of our hearts. Even our own thoughts may not be really helpful because our minds have the capacity for more evil than we know. Our propensity for evil is only tamed by the Word of God hence the need to store God’s word in our minds and think on them. What we allow to feed us will eventually determine how we end up with the success. God wants us to enjoy all the success that comes from Him so we must do all that enables us do that.

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

Proverbs 4: 23 “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

Job – A Life Filled With Lessons For Every Believer PT 2

I was listening to a sermon online recently where the preacher, Bishop TD Jakes, asked this question “are you willing to suffer a little to get to the next level?” My answer was, I am not. I love “the next level” which is like a cliché amongst believers where I live and about which we get excited even when we remain on the same level. Going to the “next level” is an enduring dream for believers around here. This should not be strange though, since the bible talks about us going from glory to glory, shining brighter and brighter and so on; consequently, there is no doubt that God’s working in our lives is not only continuous but takes us higher and higher. He doesn’t start and complete everything He promised us in one day. So, we are consistently getting better in every area of life. We should therefore be making quantifiable progress in every area of life. So that people can see and testify to God’s goodness in our lives. I am convinced, that with God, there is always an outward evidence of any development going on inside of us. God wants men to see it and give Him glory. Of course, not often from the very beginning because there is always the period when “God is digging downward in us ensuring that our roots go even deeper; deep enough to carry the next level of His goodness. At this stage, there is no outward display so God is working “secretly” to facilitate our readiness.

 

3 John 1: 2 “Beloved, I pray that in every way you may succeed and prosper and be in good health (physically), just as (I know) your soul prospers (spiritually).

So the problem is not with the next level, we love God’s next level, it is always with God’s method of getting us there which is made worse by the fact that He does not warn people around us to pay attention to what they say about what we may be going through because He is the one at work. So whilst one is dealing with the pain and inner turmoil, they also deal with lying tongues, strange counsel and scornful looks which are all part of satan’s package to ensure that one aborts the process. He knows that if he succeeds with getting one to abort the process, he has succeeded in facilitating their separation from God unto sorrow or depression and loneliness. Job was obviously a man greatly blessed of God who was sensitive to God’s methods and did not want to have any of those painful experiences so, he ensured that he had no sin at and that his children’s sins were also forgiven. He was so careful that he covered sins that may be committed. He definitely did not want to offend God preferring to avoid the painful experiences which he had assumed were only a product of sin not realizing that at a certain level, one was bound to have those experiences; those ones that make one wonder if God is still with them.

2 Corinthians 4: 17 – 18 “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we see now; we fix our gaze n things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

James 1: 2 “…when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.”

We are aware that God does not do evil. So we know that these experiences are instigated by our enemy, satan, who hopes to destroy us via the experience but God who knows that the victory is won and we are well equipped to enforce it coming through the experiences to “ a wealthy place” just like Job did. Job went through what may have seemed like the worst of the worst but he came out to a very wealthy place. Jesus Christ, when He died, seemed like a lost case because he was even buried; yet He came up again. The joke is always on the enemy who expects us to drown in his river of pain but again and again we keep surviving. Job thought his end had come but it was just an inconvenience that preceded another level of joy. Whilst we obviously may not like the suffering, it happens and often without warning. I believe very firmly that God bears with us at times like this knowing how tough it is for us, but we must be careful not to ruin everything with our words. As God watches over us closely, providing all the needed support in these tough times, He steps in like He did for Job, just when think it is all taking a turn for the worst. Until we go to glory, there will always be a next level and God’s plan is for us to get there. It will be sad if a believer lived their entire life only talking about the next level whilst remaining on the same level. Much as we hate the pain often associated with going on to the next level, our desire to keep going higher must outweigh the hate. Unlike Job who in his difficulty did not know he would come through, God has done more than enough to let us know that we would; and that the joy which awaits us outweighs the pain and glory will be returned to God who deserves it all.

James 1: 12 “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward, they will received the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

Job – A Life Filled With Lessons For Every Believer PT 1

Some stories I hear make life feel really tough. Interestingly, life gets worse. When I was much younger, I wondered what the book of Job was all about. I didn’t understand it no matter how many times I read it. Neither did I see its relevance in the bible. I thought it was not of benefit to anyone. As I have gotten older and increased in my understanding of the story, I realize that God certainly allowed it and for obvious reasons. It is indeed instructive for understanding the dynamics of life. In a very simply way, it summarizes the life that many believers would live at one point or the other. There is no doubt that it is meant to be read and understood especially by a people who have been called to live on earth, as sheep in the midst of wolves which can’t happen without the wolves troubling the sheep. Wolves always are described as evil even in children’s cartoon. In asking us to live in the midst of wolves, the stage is set for us to be troubled though we are always overcomers and never victims. The “troubles” don’t determine who we are, God who already won the victory, determines that. He called us sheep and instructs us to remain sheep in the face of all the difficulties or challenges we may face.

Mathew 10: 16 “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.”

2 Timothy 3: 12 “Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”

Job’s story typifies the life of a believer, encouraging us to hold on whilst reminding us that inspite of the extent of one’s difficulty or depth of pain, it will pass. I don’t think it gets worse than what Job went through. His story prepares one for life as a believer. Dealing with life is not taught in schools, not even in bible schools, but God uses different methods to prepare us and Job’s story is one of them. I don’t doubt that no one can ever be fully prepared to face life’s challenges but it helps to know that there is no challenge new to humanity and that every challenge has an end. It is so much easier to hold on knowing that despite the apparent weight of the challenge, God has not permitted it to destroy one but to release them to greater glory. We cannot allow life dictate who we are. We are sheep and empowered to reign despite the presence of an evil one whose only job is to trouble mankind (believers and unbelievers alike). He knows not how to do well and if he appears to do well, it is a trap. His thoughts toward us, unlike God’s thoughts, are only evil so that as soon as he was allowed to touch Job, he did all he knew to do – steal, kill and destroy. Don’t give up in that your situation; there is an end to it.

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 devour.”

There is no doubt that Job was used to living well and enjoyed the honor and accolades he got from the people around him. Yet God allowed him lose even that alongside all he had. No wonder he pondered why God won’t take his life. It didn’t make sense to him anymore to be left on earth. Everything seemed meaningless and God was silent, not offering any explanations. Who would have thought He was actually rooting for Job all that time. Heaven held him in high esteem though men looked down on him. While he was treated with disdain on earth, he was accomplishing God’s purpose. No wonder it is not wise to judge one’s worth by how much men value them. Who would have known that God cared so much He was apparently watching over the entire situation carefully to ensure that Job would not only remain sheep but would be greater than he ever imagined. It is easy to take for granted that God is not with anyone going through difficulties but it is not always so. God sometimes works in unexplainable ways to work wonders. He knows how to bring us out of “it” just in time and who knows, He may be working another wonder in your life

Romans 8: 28 “…all thing work together for good to them that love God who are the called according to his 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.”

The Contention Is Real – You Have An Enemy

There is no doubt that we are in the end times: these are definitely very troubling times. The activities we see around us are a strong reminder that the end is near. Whilst some saints rejoice about this truth, others wish it away and some others even argue that a God so good will not allow any of these “evil events” listed as part of all that will be unveiled in the last days.  It really does not matter what we prefer to or actually believe, God’s truth stands forever. The present times call for prudence on our path. A prudent man sees what is ahead and makes arrangement to hide from the evil thereof. We cannot over prepare for what is imminent – we are in the last days. It will be sad to have all the information that we have and yet pretend like these things will not happen for very selfish reasons because they will happen. We all wish we could live forever but we know also that we won’t; at least here on this earth, so it is wise to act accordingly.

Psalm 119: 89 “Your eternal word, O Lord stands firm in heaven.”

Isaiah 14: 27 “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has spoken – who can change his plans? When his hand is raised, who can stop him?”

In the normal course of my day, I counsel with people very frequently; almost every day. Even if I did not hear from God directly, all of the counselling has confirmed to me that believers are definitely under very serious attack from our enemy – satan. Pressures are mounted against us from all sides - our marriages, finances, health, businesses, relationships etc. Meanwhile minds are greatly troubled; such great turmoil in the minds of many even to the point of them losing their peace. The number of believers with mental health issues that stem from lack of peace or troubled mind today is mind boggling especially when we have a Saviour who is Himself, The Prince of peace. The plan is for us to lose faith in our Saviour. Do you know that some even trust themselves now more than they trust God? No wonder, Jesus wondered if He would find faith on the earth when He returns. Our individual faith is seriously under attack; but people have experienced such things before and have come through, so we must not fail God. If you prepare yourself, you will be better equipped to deal successfully.

2 Corinthians 4: 8 – 10 “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not given to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodied.”

Much as I enjoy going to church and fellowshipping with believers, I have found that I need to ask myself some hard questions daily so that I do not unwittingly align with satan’s plans to ruin us. One has to be very deliberate to survive. In these present times, one cannot afford to assume that they are believers just because they confess that they are and have told themselves so. We need to test our own selves. Look at your works daily and ask yourself if they line up with the works expected of believers. The fruits tell who we are hence we are told that we shall be known by them. It is not just the works/fruits but also the reason you do that good work that you do. For it to be a “God work” it must be inspired by the Holy Spirit. Dead works, no matter how good will count for nothing. You have to think again on your works and see if it evidences the faith you claim to profess. Dead works do not spring from the Fountain of Living Waters and as such do not bring joy or satisfaction but drain them, also making the believer’s life dreary and burdensome which eventually leads to loss of faith. It may please you to know that Jesus came that we may have joy and the fullness thereof. Joy is indeed a necessary ingredient for our survival so that stealing it is an attempt by the enemy, to choke one to death.    

2 Corinthians 13: 5 “Test and evaluate yourselves to see whether you are in the faith and living your lives as committed believers. Examine yourselves not me! Or do you recognize his about yourselves by an ongoing experience that Jesus Christ is in you – unless indeed you fail the test and are rejected as counterfeit.”

James 2: 17 “So you see, faith by itself isn’t good enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.”

Armed with all these truth, we cannot afford to let satan stop us from enjoying the benefits of the victory we have in Christ. We must guard our hearts, living like pilgrims that we are, always prepared for the return of our Saviour, inspite of all that the enemy throws and will continue to throw at us. We must deploy all the instruments of war we know to ensure that we successfully enforce the victory Jesus won for us so that we do not live defeated lives here on earth. You cannot be passive about your faith anymore if you are a believer. It is time to contend earnestly for our faith. It is time to make up your mind what you want to do about your faith. We must do all we know to do to resist the enemy that he may flee from us. It is time to put on your strength “o Zion.”

When We Pray …. Saturday 10th March

If you know me, then you may want to plug into long suffering now because this is my favorite topic; you may have heard me talk about it again and again - Prayer. When things get tough or our enemies seem too strong for us, it is time to turn to our Big and Mighty God in whose name we not only find safety, but who also does all to ensure we enjoy the benefits to us of Christ victory. With all we hear today that goes on in our world, there’s no doubt that it is time to turn to our Big God. If you live in my part of the world, it is even more compelling to do so; not because it is the worst but because God is our only Helper. There is no doubt that there are other things one needs to do beyond praying but what better place to get and who better than God to receive instructions and/or directions from as to what other things need to be done? It is time, now more than ever before, to tarry in the place of prayer for our lives and nation. Whilst we commune with God at all times, it is another level of prayer to tarry; to wait on Him in the place of prayer. We have come into that season when we must do so. Believer or not, people are drawing strength like never before from whatever they believe, we must draw strength from our Mighty God.

 

Daniel 11: 32bamp “but the people who are spiritually mature and know their God will display strength and take action to resist.”

 

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

 

This is about a deeper level of prayer: that prayer where you hold onto God until you have a confident assurance that it is okay to leave the place of prayer. It is waiting on God, albeit, in prayer. To pray at this level, one must sincerely and seriously desire to see God move to alter a circumstance or challenge. We don’t just rush in and rush out. I have heard believers say we don’t need that depth of prayer for God to hear us, maybe true; some others even joke about it: but this and many more are some of the reasons our prayers seem ineffective and incapable of producing results. It is so bad now that evil and unbelieving people laugh when we say we are going to pray about a situation: but in this same Country there once lived a man amongst several others, Archbishop Idahosa, whose prayers even the witches feared. They feared the effectiveness of his prayers because of God’s consistent response. His God is the same God we worship who is just as powerful today as He was then. This is that season when we must shut out everything else more often than we would normally, to call on our God until He answers.

 

2 Corinthians 10: 4 “We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.” 

 

As we tarry in the place of prayer The Holy Spirit guides us such that we pray exactly as we should, remaining insistent as we take hold of all we desire, facilitating its physical manifestation. Unless and until we learn to tarry in the place of prayer, we may not fully enjoy dominion as God originally mandated. In these times, paying lip service to prayer “wont’ cut it.” Negative spiritual activity is risen significantly, we cannot continue like babes and the silliness of carnality is becoming more obvious. Today, many believers very quickly take their battles to the flesh because it seems easier; but the truth is, it is the worst turf for us because the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. Moreover, when we fight in the place of prayer, we deal at the very level where all things originate before they manifest in the physical and God is able to join forces with us to enforce the victory His son won, something He always wants to do. In truth, He does the enforcing and we are only instruments through whom He does it.  

 

2 Corinthians 10: 3 “We are humans but we don’t wage war as humans do.”
 

We must make time for this level of prayer despite the efforts of our age old enemy to stop us from doing so which is why every step forward for us is a victory step. There is no doubt that various things contend for our time but believe me please, it is more often a trick of the enemy to distract us from true prayer. Indeed, it is often in the place of prayer that one remembers everything undone which all seem like they must be done immediately or something terrible will happen. The truth is nothing will happen; the enemy just wants to frustrate your desire to tarry in prayer. If you were “tarrying in gossip” he won’t have reminded you. Just remember even at such times that you are in control and can stop him. When believers sincerely and deeply commune with God, heaven cannot remain unmoved. So, you are invited to our WCO prayer conference. The secret is, men do sneak in too. Time is 9am prompt, Saturday 10th March at God’s Favourite House, Lekki – Epe Expressway, Opposite Oluwanisola Estate, by Chevron Toll gate.   

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.”