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.

My Father Works… So I Work

The reality is that worldwide, life is not as easy as it used to be and those in my Country will admit that it has not been this bad in a long time. So many businesses are crashing, people are losing their jobs and young people are finding it even more difficult to get jobs now. Unfortunately, some are failing, not necessarily because the times are bad, but by their own doing (actions or inactions); these people will not change who they are or anything they do to cause an improvement in their lives. I admit, albeit sorrowfully, that some of these are believers. They also don’t want to fail alone so they ensure that they “go down” pulling at least one other person with them and it is usually by their counsel or whining. They just hate to “go down” alone and would very often take innocent people along with them. These believers never see that they are the problems of themselves so that whatever they are going through is always someone else’s fault and when they can’t find anyone to blame, then it is God’s fault. They often are convinced that other people have some ungodly secrets to their success which they have kept to themselves. They refuse to accept the fact that though God is the source of blessing, we have to partner with Him to be successful.

 

Deuteronomy 8: 18 “Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful.”

The thing about God is that He has done and spoken all He would ever do or say, for us to succeed; yet He also equips us with the power we need to not only work but be fruitful at it.  He has done it all but we have a part to play which we must play to enjoy good success but these believers prefer to wait for God; they seem to think He would create the money and then throw it all down from heaven or send someone to them, whose job it is to ensure that he provides for all their comfort. They are mentally and physically lazy and would rather live in yesterday or tomorrow but never today. It is truly sad to note that this correctly describes some believers. The ones who live in "yesterday" are those who keep talking about how successful they were yet they are not making any reasonable effort to get out of where they have fallen to and go forward whilst the ones that live in tomorrow are those who dream about what would happen when they make money but do nothing to make the money and claim to trust God for it. They always say “they are waiting on God” but God is waiting on them. It is true that there are people who work hard and don't succeed but thanks be to God that this is not the position with spirit filled and led believers. God blesses the work of our hands.

Deuteronomy 30: 9 “The Lord your God will then make you successful in everything you do.”
Psalm 1: 1a &2 - 3 “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked …but they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted by the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.”

According to the scriptures, there is a doing required to prosper. How then does one prosper the way of God doing nothing? Also we can’t blame anyone if we fail consistently especially not God. It is wiser to spend that time we spend on the blame game, trying to figure out the path God has created to bring us out of that bad situation instead. God does not need our background to lift us up because He can take a beggar from the trash and cause him to sit with princes. That is why He is God. He knows that we don't choose your family so He ensures that we have the right to and provides all we need to succeed despite our families so that won’t be our hindrance if we know who we are and do what we should. It is not enough to desire success or to pray consistently and continuously for it; or even go from church to church seeking the “anointing” to be successful. We just need to be ready to do whatever we are required to do when God makes a way. We must do it and do it well which takes work. You can’t want to do it in the most convenient way and yet enjoy all the benefits. Jesus worked and obviously God works.

John 5: 17 “But Jesus replied, My Father is always working, and so am I.”

John 2: 4 “But his mother told the servants, ‘do whatever he tells you.”

The more troubling believers are those who think they will move forward by hanging around 'the boys' so they build their lives around “these boys” and get nothing or get a little for a while and then it stops forever. They spend all their time hanging around “the boys” and have little or no time left for hanging around God. They don't realize that 'the boys' have become their God instead of Jehovah the Most High God. Unfortunately, the boys are mere mortals whom you have chosen to look up to with a view to getting them to meet your needs. The truth is, they will fail at one point or the other and then you dislike the person for something they cannot give; the arm of flesh is bound to fail if you rely on it. If we can rely on a man forever and he truly provides well for us through our life time then he is either a super- man or God. With all the best intentions in the world, no man will be able to meet all of anyone’s needs. If however, one relies on God, He will send a man who will not fail because it is God working through the man to meet your need. It is tough yet easy; but we must trust the God we claim we love.

The Vision Is Not Halted By Challenges; It Is For An Appointed Time

In the past week, for some very strange reasons, I had course to visit and counsel with people from different strata of society going through one thing or the other. Some very wealth, others were wealthy and some others are just on their way to being wealthy. Each experience humbled me and left me wondering, being the thinker that I am, why God would make expose me to their experiences at this point especially so soon after we had a program in church where God moved mightily. I wish I didn’t think so much but I do; I think things over and over again often trying to figure it all out and see if there is some wisdom to be gleaned from each experience. So, each story has gone through my mind repeatedly as I struggle to understand life on another level and the issues that are thrown at us. The one thing I can say for certain is that everyone encounters issues in life and no one can be sheltered from those issues. Much as we may desire to shelter all our loved ones from the issues of life, they will encounter life so it’s best to prepare them. Not doing so is like sending someone out without an umbrella or raincoat when you know for certain that it will rain heavily.

Mark 4: 35 “When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ’Silence! Be still!’ Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.”

It can be very tough when life deals with one in the course of their journey to fulfilling destiny but that must never stop anyone from fulfilling destiny and neither is it meant to. Though it may indeed slow one down, it is not meant to stop us and should not cause us to seek alternative ways to fulfilling that God given destiny. When an elderly person easily though unintentionally communicates intense pain as he talks about relationships and how friends took advantage of him to the extent that they ruined his life, one is compelled to think about life more deeply. Indeed, the only comfort at such times is the fact that there is a healer in whose name the righteous also find shelter and His name is Jesus. Otherwise how does a very elderly man whose lost so much think about restoration especially when his loss was accompanied by a huge chunk of his life? He doesn’t know it but a part of him died with the pain. I honestly maybe better at commiserating with people who lost someone dear, painful as that is; than with people who though living seem to have a lost a huge chunk of their lives  along with their loss and are suffering in their old age. How does one explain to younger people that it does not have to end badly if we take counsel from Jesus? Life can leave one totally confused and feeling very daft and unintelligent.

1 Corinthians 10: 12 “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.”

Proverb 27: 1 “Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring.”

It is easy to assume people go through challenges because of some wrong they did, which is possible, but it is not always so. The truth is life just happens; indeed sometimes the worst people seem to have the best experiences and the determining factor for how one’s life is impacted would be their response to each challenge. I can say for certain that when we respond to life in the flesh, we provide very weak solutions to serious and compelling issues. Those solutions nice as they may seem do not resolve these issues for forever. They are like temporary fillers for challenges that are meant to alter the course of one's life permanently. I would like to suggest that at such times it is best to call out to Jesus immediately. He speaks to storms and they respond but He must be called in. His presence in our lives never prevents the storm that must come but stills it when we call on Him. Very often, we try to deal in the way we know best but there is only one way to respond – Jesus. Flesh never has the solution that stills the storms much as we may like to think otherwise. I am not by any means suggesting that one's flesh may not react; I am only saying that despite that reaction, you need to call out to Jesus. He alone has the solution and when His solution is put forward, it carries power that stills the storm.

Psalms 75: 7 “It is God alone who judges; He decides who will rise and who will fall.”

Habakkuk 2: 3 “For the vision is yet for an appointed time and it hastens to the end (fulfilment); it will not deceive or disappoint. Though it tarry, wait (earnestly) for it, because it will surely come; it will not be behindhand on its appointed day.”

 It is said that time does not wait for anyone and that may be true ordinarily, but we know that God caused it to wait for the children of Israel when they needed to win a battle; we serve that same God and if He did it before, I believe He can do it again. In truth, we do not have time to waste; I can't believe that we already are in the sixth month of this year and it is not going to slow down neither is God taking out all the challenges from life but be assured that God is still working to ensure that you fulfill your destiny. Life seems tougher now than ever before but God is fully in control and He is committed to ensuring that you accomplish all that which is written concerning you. He has not promised a smooth ride and never said it is going to be easy but our eyes must be on Jesus all the time as we are encouraged by the saints that cheer us on.

When Women Pray …

The place of prayer is the place of communion with God. One form of prayer or the other ought to take place when man meets with God. Whether it is worship, thanksgiving or joining forces with Him to enforce the victory He already won for us; it would be prayer in various forms. It could even be God speaking whilst man listens. The point is prayer is man communing with God. Prayer is therefore, where man rubs mind with God allowing his mind to be influenced or impacted by God. No wonder no man who prays often, remains the same; he is constantly being changed to be like God. God expressed a strong desire to enjoy communion with man in Jesus shedding His blood and ensured that every regenerated man has in his DNA a yearning for communion with His maker and/or Father. So our God is never tired of hearing us as some would like to have us believe; He longs to commune with us. 

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

Very often, people try to make a joke of prayer. They make it appear like believers don’t need to pray to be successful and live life to the fullest but that would be lying to ourselves. It is only to the extent that one communes with God that we have victory and live life as God ordained. The times we live in are tough; only those who know their God can do exploits. Moreover, for a believer to operate in dominion, as is our mandate, we need information that only God can give us. Our relationship with God gives us the added advantage of accessing privileged information known to God alone which the ordinary man is unable to access. Our ability to access this information is sharpened by our relationship with the Trinity.  

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.” 

Prayer does get tedious sometimes. Sometimes just “busyness” and challenges of life make it difficult to pray; but these are all tricks of the enemy working through our flesh to keep us from our Father and the place of strength. Sometimes we are even deceived into thinking we can resolve our issues faster than God would so we would rather try instead of praying. These are all distractions, meant to frustrate us and kill our desire to commune with our maker. Also, receiving information from God places us at an advantage because information is powerful, though we must learn to correctly apply the information, so the devil works to ensure we don’t commune with God thereby ensuring that we are unable to access information which makes him seem powerful. Countries are known as powerful because they are well informed and use the information they have to their advantage. 

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

We need to pray now more than ever before. There are things happening even in this Country that make it compelling to call on He who alone can deliver us. Women, as scriptures show, have been an integral part of God’s move; it remains the same today. When women sincerely and deeply commune with God, heaven has not been known to remain unmoved. So please come out to the Standard Alliance Event Centre at No. 1 Providence Street, off Adewunmi Adebimpe drive off 2^nd Lekki roundabout by Standard Chartered Bank on Saturday 18^th October from 9am prompt to 3pm so that together we can, on a Pentecostal platform, call on God concerning our families, nation and society.

Your Success Has Been Determined By God

There is a general belief in my Country that born again believers cannot really succeed in business without compromising their faith. The economic system is believed to be so warped that one has to be at least ‘slightly crooked’ to succeed. Whilst it is true that things are not the way they ought to be, we must realize that promotion comes from God who lifts up one and puts down another so that the success of believers cannot be frustrated by an economic system which God can manipulate for the believer’s good. Just like with every area of life where one has to believe God, we have to learn to bring God into this very unusual economic system and watch Him maneuver it for our good.

Psalm 75: 7 “It is God alone who judges; he decides who will rise and who will fall.”

The believer’s success, anywhere in the world, has been determined by God and is not to be determined by the economy. This is one of the several benefits of being a child of God. However, we have the power of choice to either succeed or fail depending on where our trust lies which would be our focus. Instead of focusing on the God of the whole earth who controls time and chance, we are often so focused on the problems of the economy and our inability to successfully surmount them, that we build our businesses round these challenges. Yes, they may be insurmountable to man but not to God who won the victory and lets us enjoy the benefits. We just need to be focused on Him and ensure that we hear Him as He tells us when to make a move and what move to make. He is more interested in our success than we know and has a major stake in our success.  

Ecclesiastes 9: 11 “I also saw something else here on earth: the fastest runner does not always win the race, the strongest soldier does not always win the battle, the wisest does not always have food, the smartest does not always become wealthy, and the talented one does not always receive praise. Time and chance happen to everyone.”

The challenge with a lot of us is that keeping our eyes on God is tough. It suggests seeking Him, trying to know His mind and getting to know Him; it takes patience. Also, as you keep your eyes on God, you are bound to begin to see changes in your life that make you more like Him and though we are believers, we don’t really want to be like Him; we would rather be like the world because we think becoming like Him makes one suffer loss. So we would rather do anything else than gaze on Him trusting Him to move for us. The devil is playing games with our minds. The secret of true success lies in God; our success is in Him who rewards those who diligently seek Him.

Hebrew 11: 6 “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek Him.”

Proverbs 11: 23a “the godly can look forward to a reward.”

If seeking Him provokes a reward, how then can we suffer loss because we are like Him? If you seek Him, He has promised that you will find Him. If you find Him, you will love and be like Him. Our God has and will never fail so how then can we fail in becoming like Him? Despite the circumstances, you will succeed. Your success has everything to do with God and nothing else. He will work everything for your good but in His own way and time.

Proverbs 11: 28b “But the godly flourish like leaves in spring”

Lessons to learn from the book of Esther

I was thinking about Esther and how she went from being “nobody” to “the queen.” Queen in a kingdom so huge it covered most of the world. Nothing suggested she would be queen and in that palace. How far away, sometimes life can take us from where God would eventually take us, and God allows it. I wonder if anyone thought Esther would be great having lost both parents and was left in the care of a poor relative. As the hymn write says “God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform.” Interestingly, wherever you are at, He is there with you and working to ensure that heaven makes the right turns at the right time. This is the reason I can say with certainty that you will not be a day longer in that pain than you ought.

Job 23: 10 “But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.”

Obviously, a man’s destiny cannot be determined from where he is at; for with God, the pattern drawn by a man’s life may not almost suggest where they will end up. The experiences may add to build character in him though; character that enables one function with godly wisdom in that predestined role. I love all the degrees from the ivy league schools, which of course help in their own way but they do not determine the course of a man’s life nor do they determine his/her destiny. At the very best, they serve to enhance the expression of what the person was destined to be when they enter the role so that there is no need to kill, steal and destroy, because you want your children to go to schools that you cannot reasonably afford. 

God is mindful of the destiny of the children He gave you and will arrange all that is required for them to have all they need to fulfill that destiny. Since every child’s life and/or destiny is different, please be careful how you make decisions concerning your children. If you have to do terrible things to pay for what you consider “a good life” them, you are probably tampering with their destiny. They would ultimately loose that which God has not given them or have to steal and maybe kill to keep it and still lose it eventually. Who would have thought Vashti would one day be dethroned? When it was time for Esther to step into her role, she had to relinquish that role. We must never find ourselves struggling to draw honor from a role; roles come and go but when God’s honor is upon a person, it is permanent whether or not they are in that role. 

Proverbs 31: 30 “Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.”

Beauty is good but as we learn from Vashti’s story, it does not guarantee anything. At best, it can only enhance what you already have. Sometimes we are deceived into thinking that beauty gave Esther the throne but it didn’t. All the ladies chosen for the contest were beautiful and nowhere does the bible say she was the most beautiful of them all. It was her character that won her the place of Queen. Esther was wise and humble enough to give the eunuch the right to make all her beauty decisions for that special night. She obviously had behaved well enough for him to like her enough to “put his best foot forward” for her. Meanwhile, he had been at the job for long enough to know what the king appreciates in a woman. She must have known that if God did not give her the role, no one could.