Jesus Christ - The Health Of Our Countenance!

Jeremiah 8: 22 “Is there no medicine in Gilead? Is there no physician? Why is there no healing for the wounds of my people?

I found out recently that a number of people there are who believe that once saved, nothing bad should come their way. It is their firm belief that God keeps everything bad from believers so that their lives should be some form of a dream in which everything goes the way it ought to. For such people, if anything goes in a direction they think it shouldn’t or out of the script they wrote for themselves (God’s will notwithstanding), it would mean that something bad which is capable of negatively impacting them forever has happened. Such people are hit very hard when faced with challenges. They struggle with processing difficult moments because they don’t even know how to turn it over to God since they made up their minds that bad things should not be happening to them “in Christ”. They become bitter and disappointed in or frustrated at God and refuse to accept that they need to adjust their expectations making it better aligned with the word of God. This is a real problem amongst us and some of the reasons the number of depressed believers is increasing. If we don’t deal with this now, we will shortly start having problems of great proportions which we don’t need.

Psalm 43: 5 “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again-my Savior and my God.”

I understand that there are some things we don’t like to talk about and even more so in Africa where I reside. Some believers will not even mention a challenging physical health problem because they are convinced that to be sick suggests their relationship with God is not as it should be and they would hate for people to even think so because everyone wants to be seen as having the best relationship with God, reality not withstanding. With mental health, it is even worse. Whilst it is true that we ought not to suffer from these things especially mental health challenges, we do and God knew that we would so He already made provision for our healing as well as tell us how we can prevent it from happening: and all of this is hidden in His word. If heaven has not judged anyone disgusting for any illness, then there is no reason to be ashamed or embarrassed by a health situation; even more so when it is a resolvable one. These things would definitely be easier to deal with if we allow ourselves to be to one another, what and who we ought to be.  Life is full of highs and lows so we somehow need one another from time to time and to varying extents. God made it so for reasons He understand perfectly. If it was not best for us, I am certain He would have found a way to fix it.

Jeremiah 8: 8 – 9 “How can you say, we are wise because we have the word of the Lord. When your teachers have twisted it by writing lies? These wise teachers will fall into the trap pf their own foolishness, for they rejected the word of the Lord.”

Jeremiah 8: 10b – 12a “… yes even my prophets and priests are like that. They are all frauds. They offer superficial treatments for my people’s mortal wound. They give assurances of peace when there is no peace. Are they ashamed of these disgusting actions? Not at all-they don’t even know how to blush!”

Interestingly, the one place we have difficulties turning to for help in challenging times is the very place we don’t turn to - The Word of God. This is truth that most of us know yet we won’t turn look in God’s word because it seems too ordinary to deal with such huge problems. Also, it won’t talk to us like as a man would so we don’t see God revealed in it and consequently, do not see the power in it too. We would rather turn to men because it feels easier and more often than not, we are looking to the men to do something which God only can do. Meanwhile, these men dare not point us to God because we will consider them failures without “power or anointing” so a number of them would step into God’s place and try to do what they certainly cannot do so that the end is futility whilst more and more believers lose their minds. We must accept our reality which is that we have a God who though is not physically identifiable yet His existence is confirm by the nature and all that He made including man. I know that it is tough for us to trust one whom we don’t even see but it is what we have to do. To be a Christ follower, we must believe that “He is” and that we must do, even in the face of all that the world throws at us. We must tell ourselves the truth about our very selfish expectations. It is time to manage them differently.

Jeremiah 46: 11 – 12 “Go up to Gilead to get medicine, O virgin daughter of Egypt! But your many treatments will bring you no healing.”

Jeremiah 30: 17 “I will give you back your health and heal your wounds, says The Lord.”

It is indeed a wonderful thing to have a God like ours at a time like this - an ever present God. Christ presence in any life is a privilege with great benefits; but only those who access these benefits will enjoy them. To do that, we have to give ourselves to studying the word and with open minds because The Word we read is not enough, it is the word we let into our lives that makes a difference.  In these perilous times, there is nothing we need more than God’s word; for therein is our strength. Every Word we understand or is revealed to us, is accompanied with power to do what the word says because He who reveals The Word, will always make available, the power to do the word. The darker the world gets, the more we need Jesus Christ the Son of God (The Word of God) who will guide our decision making so that we are able to make decisions that further facilitate the enforcing of our victory.  We cannot afford to let life determine our stability; our God alone will be allowed to do that.

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.”

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.”

God Always Has The Last Laugh

This week has been full of activities: different people calling about different challenges. Some even get disappointed because the responses they get are not what they had hoped for which is also what they believe will resolve their issues. Not one of them remembered to ask if I was okay and not because they are wicked or selfish, but their difficulties are so overwhelming they forgot to ask. As I think of all these difficulties and the fact that they all end up with God along with several other challenges coming from several others, I appreciate God even more and I am just pleased to know that He is not man. I don’t even want to think of Him as man. No one can take on even a tiny piece of the issues He takes on in a minute and survive. My gratitude greatly increases when I remember Jesus Christ, our access to God who willingly made Himself an access and a free one at that. He made it possible for us to reach God and God reach us so that we can take our issues to Him and have resolutions from heaven.

1 John 5: 14 – 15 “And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know that he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.”

It is interesting that John suggests that God will give us all we ask for as long as they are aligned with His will because there are many things we have asked for which God has confirmed are ours which we still don’t have and have waited long for. This was the situation Sarah found herself in when she could not help but laugh “within her” when once again, they were reminded that the promise would yet come to pass. Her response had nothing to do with her perception of God. She trusted Him and His ability to do all things; but she had waited so long it seemed her own particular difficulty could not be fixed anymore. At that point, following the course of nature, she was right; but we have to realize that our God made nature so that He can cause nature to work good for us and not just because of us but because that good was necessary to ensure that His own big picture which includes us, does not fall apart. He is just waiting for the right time.

Romans 8: 28 “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Genesis 18: 11 – 12NKJ “Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. Therefore, Sarah laughed within herself, saying ‘after I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my Lord being old also?”

Waiting on God is not the easiest thing especially when God Himself will not let you forget His promise. Sometimes, when one has been waiting for long it seems easier to just forget the promise. We get tired of hoping and would rather stop hoping; but when God keeps reminding you, it becomes tougher. Interestingly, as He reminds you, there will be people around you who just ask and are immediately gifted by God with the same thing you are waiting on Him for. Sometimes, these are even people known to all as worse than you are yet they get results and you get another word. The fact that God keeps returning with a word suggests that you are important to Him. Your challenge must be part of His big picture and He is watching over everything to ensure it all happens at the right time. Sarah was to her mind, an ordinary woman who had no idea that her story would feature in the bible so that generations after would be encouraged by it. The thing is everyone’s role is often the worst to them but, both you and your challenges are valuable to God. Your challenges are important to encourage others and display God’s many sided wisdom. God has not forgotten you and He is able to fix that challenge?

Isaiah 46: 9 - 10 “For I alone I am God! I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.”

Like I once said, much as I admire some bible personalities, I would rather not be them. Sarah got married early and “married well” as we say in my Country. The man’s pedigree was right and he was doing well; but she had to wait too long to have a baby and adoption did not work well for her. As for Mary the mother of our Savior, won’t it have been easier if she got pregnant the very night of her wedding? She could have done without the shame that followed from being pregnant before her wedding. Neither would I like to be Hannah the mother of Samuel but every one of these women is a blessing to us today. Please don’t look elsewhere for help; God is not unmindful of your pain. He is working to bring all things together because His counsel will stand. He will have the last laugh.

Life Is Not In Charge: You Are Through Christ

As I read through an old blog, I decided to rework and re-publish it just in case one person who reads it may be “going through something” and heard that believers never have “valley experiences” i.e. very challenging times. I wish I could say so but I have had them and I have seen God come through each one with me making me stronger and feeling more blessed than ever. Life is sometimes like a rollercoaster. Some days are easily great and others, one may need to make great. I met someone who never had these experiences, so she does not believe we should have them; but we do and we are not strange. We have learnt to enjoy “hilltop experiences”, inspite of what we may be going through. We do so with an attitude of thanksgiving and confidence that we are who God says we are. Thanksgiving facilitates the renewal of our strength so that we are able to, through Christ, stand and successfully take on what life throws at us. As believers, we must learn to make the most of every day.

 

Ephesians 6: 13 – 14 “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground…”

The songwriter says “nobody told me that life was going to be easy” and in truth, Christ never said so. It is one of those thoughts or suggestions we love to cling to which make us ill prepared to deal; making believers fail so often that the word of God which says we are blessed begins to look like a lie. Our enemy would rather have us deceived so that we are always “putting out fires” making it difficult for us to be on the offensive in this battle for authority on earth. It is sad that having gone through these experiences ill prepared, we fail to prepare our children or those coming after us, to deal better. We instead, tend to protect them from the realities inadvertently working for their failure because one way or the other, life catches up with everyone notwithstanding the depth or extent of one’s walk with God. If anything, it is the way you deal or handle life’s attempts to determine the cause of your life that is a reflection of the extent of your walk with God.

Genesis 1: 5KJV “And God called the light day, and the darkness he called night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.”

The sun rises and sets daily; so every day is bright at some point and dark at another. This is a very real description of the way life works; seeking also to dominate or control man but fails when dealing with believers because God’s presence in our lives makes it impossible for life to enslave us. Of course it still attempts to do so, but we always have the victory; truth that we must always walk in. Every attempt by life on our lives is not ended, until our victory through Christ is established. This is reality we must accept even when it is contrary to what we are experiencing physically. We must train ourselves to accept and live in the truth of God. It doesn’t just happen; we work at making it our reality. It is always our decision what we choose to see happening in our lives. We don’t have to see what others see if it doesn’t align with God’s word. It however, takes real inner strength to see what God sees inspite of what may see physically and that strength only comes from a revealed knowledge of God.

Romans 8: 27 “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”

Hebrew 5: 14 “Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.”

Acts 17: 28a “For in him we live and move and exist.”

God is one Father who loves so much He died for us; yet is not excessively protective. Though He comes with us, He actually does let us “go through” with a certainty that if we hold onto and trust Him, we will come through. Most parents would love their children if love was measured by what parents allow their children go through, because most of them would certainly take their children round the “valley of the shadow of death” but He who loved us enough to die for us takes us through it for the priceless experiences and the prizes set before us. Success is certain for every sincere believer; we need maturity and strength to carry “success successfully.” God does not just make good decisions, but right decisions.

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.”

To all those who think making positive confessions keeps one from “valley experience”, truth is that they don’t. Whilst making them is important, wise and aligns with God’s word as long as the confessions are Christ teaching, they won’s keep you from experiencing life as long as you are in this world. Instead, they will keep you as you “go through” and bring you out a better and more positive person. This is the reason we are more than conquerors. We conquer through Christ and surpass all expectations. We are built to weather the storms of life and come out victorious because Christ already won the victory for us.

Don’t Leave For The Pain; God Is Turning It Around

I had a very special guest today; one of those I actually love to sit with and just chat. These are some of the people who visit, deliberately, to spend time with you and are genuinely interested in sharing your highs and lows as well as share theirs. I am so glad that this visit was all about a new high that God has given her. I suspect she thinks I was sleeping, because I was drowsy, but I was wide awake and her story was another testimonial of God’s goodness. I don’t know what more God needs to do to make us very assured that He is good and always working to bring us to a good place. We must begin to credit God with all the credit that He deserves, which satan would hate because the more credit one gives Him, the more one trusts Him and moves closer to Him in love. Trust is a must for love, if the bible is correct as we all know it is, then loving God and trusting Him must go hand in hand. A relationship not built on trust is already faulty and would end up in the wrong place.

 

Psalm 103: 5a “He fills my life with good things.”

Psalm 37: 5 “Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.”

So you must know now that I love her story. She has been born again, loving and trusting God; believing Him for great things; yet everything that ought to go wrong went wrong. In her own self, she was dealing with personal weaknesses that threatened to destroy her and then she had challenges with her spouse and marriage. As if that was not enough, her family had issues which even included the death of a sibling. It was indeed a difficult time and she doesn’t know this but I sometimes wondered how she coped with life and still found the energy to laugh because I know for certain that laughter in such times, is very costly. No one, but her alone, knows what it cost for her to laugh. Also, from the little one has learnt about God, He won’t give you information as to how He will turn everything around so you are somewhat in the dark. You just go on knowing that “He has your back” which is really like walking blindly. An unplanned walk you embark on, seemingly without a destination and your path remains unlit. Every step is a challenge and/or struggle; yet, bad as it felt when you took the last step, you still have to take another and several others that you may go forward. No one goes forward remaining in the same position.

Ecclesiastes 9: 1 & 4 “Even though the actions of godly and wise people are in God’s hands, no one knows whether God will show them favor. The same destiny ultimately awaits everyone, whether righteous or wicked, good or bad…Good people receive the same promise as sinners, and people who make promises to God are treated like people who don’t… There is only hope for the living.”

If you have not gotten there, you will one day: as life goes on. My question is this – what will you do when you get there i.e. when the challenges come? Some of us are right there now and my question is – what are you doing? Whether or not you act, you have done something. Our response to challenges that life throws is a major pointer to where we are at with God. I hate to say this but everyone will get there one day, believer or not; when you do, will you “curse God and die” as Job’s wife counselled him to do or will you stand? I have lived long enough to see a number of believers go through contrary circumstances and each one responded according to “the amount of God in them.” Some “go through” when they are young and others when they are much older but how are you “going through”? The way you come through kind of determines where you end up. Some, though they came through, have become bitter and wicked because of these experiences, while some others have become very cynical about this faith we share. From what we know, I don’t think the attitude with which we come through will change God or even cause Him to reconsider His methods and anyway, He already provided strength or grace to help us come and to do so successfully.

Job 2: 9 “… Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.”

Romans 15: 13 “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

I have seen a number of people lose their salvation for circumstances like this and as a result lost the opportunity of enjoying benefits God had laid out for them in their future which sadly, they may never touch. They lost their joy which also activates strength and everyone needs the strength to stand whilst trusting that He is working things out as He is indeed. Today, my friend testified; God has completed the work. The end of it was so quick and much more than she wished for that she is still reeling from the depth of the love that God showed in working everything the way He did. The beginning was so slow and the middle too tough; no one would have thought it would end the way He ended it. It is like a dream to her and so shall your own story end – just like a dream. It happened to the children of Israel too, they thought they were dreaming when God turned their captivity around. However, you have to hold on. You have come too far to truncate everything. It is too late to turn your back Him. Please be encouraged, God is working it but you must trust and invest in your relationship with Him.

Hebrews 10: 35 – 37 “So do not throw away tis confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it bring you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay and my righteous ones will live by faith.”

Joy Is A By Product Of His Presence

Please tell me, how are you coping with all that is going on in the world? Everything seems crazy and very unlike it was or we were told it was. It’s almost like the world changed several times over already just in the course of my own lifetime and it makes me feel much older than I really am, which by the way, is not as young as you may think. There is no doubt that we need God (The Father, Son and Holy Ghost) now more than we ever did. How does anyone live, I mean really live, without Christ in these times please? For anyone thinking of doing more than just surviving in these times, Christ is a must. He is the embodiment of all that joy is and makes joy available to all those in whom He is lives a as Lord. So why are sad believers increasing in number? Why are less and less believers able to enjoy the benefits of having Jesus Christ in our lives especially the benefit - joy? We are often so full of bitterness and lacking in joy that we look anything but carriers of Jesus Christ who has come that we may have joy and fullness of it. Can anyone really live, move and have their being in Him and not have joy? Our faith is tied to Jesus Christ and not to our feelings which is more often than not, tied to events around us or our circumstances. Everything around us is on the outside of us and should not determine what happens inside us; if anything, it should be the other way round; it however happens, to the extent that we let it and if it happens often, it is because ‘self’ is our Lord instead of Jesus Christ.

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

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

A life that has Jesus Christ truly in control cannot help but be joyous. You almost want to ask them if they don’t see the world’s problems or don’t care enough to think deeply about them. Such persons are so annoyingly alive and even more so when they are in the midst of other believers who also ought to be full of joy but are not and often because they are totally yielded to their flesh which is unable to give joy. Such persons are often moody, sad, insecure, and selfish and mean while the joyous believers are yielded to Joy and have no choice but to be joyous and even in the most difficult of circumstances. Joyous believers can cry from pain and yet laugh because it comes from their spirit. They are unable to remain sad or miserable or insecure and selfish because they unwittingly resist the flesh in choosing to yield to Jesus Christ. Though they are not perfect, they permit the one who is filled with joy and permit Him to run their lives so that though they live in this world, they seem to live in another Kingdom and all because they are so connected that they are able to ‘draw down’ from that other Kingdom to live in this world. These ones “acknowledge God in all our ways” or most of it giving Him room to direct their path which may not often seem like the best path but is. They walk this path drawing strength from He who goes before them to make every crooked path straight.

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 Spirit.”

At the end of the day, these are the ones that walk by faith which is really trust. If we must have and enjoy this joy, then we have to trust God enough to allow ourselves to be led by Him who knows the way though we don’t. We must think of ourselves less and Him more. He loves those who desire to please Him. In the world we live in today, everything around us wants to make us think of ourselves and even to the point where we deify ourselves and we freak out when we are not in control; but for Him to be Lord, we have to let go and let Him actually have control. No one can have joy and the fullness thereof working from outside in. Joy flows from the inside out. We have to give The Word permission to alter us from inside and that work eventually begins to show on the outward so that we then exude confidence that people don’t’ understand and often misinterpret. We have to learn to trust Christ if we must enjoy that joy that is inspite of everything going on. The trust, and conversely joy, can only come if we give ourselves to study of the word of God. There is no going round Jesus Christ and the benefits are tremendous. Joy is such important medicine and beauty ingredient that; it is amazing we don’t pay for it but someone did and His name is Jesus Christ. Don’t hide it and don’t let anyone steal yours because the devil is working through them to make you lose it.

1 Peter 1: 8 “You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him now, you trust Him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.”

O! How I wish Life Could Be “The Spa”

O! Can someone make life a spa please; I mean, an unreal world becoming the real world? My friend has a Spa where I go when I really want to feel beautiful. Lansey Spa has such a beautiful atmosphere that even if you just visit and do nothing, you come out feeling different in a very good way. The staff are nice, not ‘syrupy sweet’ which is unreal by the way; the atmosphere is right and there is beautiful Christian music playing in the background. The music transcends any issues that may burden one; reaching into the depths of one’s being in an unobtrusive way, yet lifting those burdens albeit so gently you don’t notice that something is changing inside you. I am certain a lot of people leave there with a feeling they want to keep forever. How I wish life could be that Spa but I hate to say this – It isn’t. Soon after I come out of Lansey, reality hits. Almost immediately, issues begin to bombard me and I almost want to turn off my phone, sorry phones if you live where I live, but then you need them on and even making the right decisions as to what you ought to do with the phones becomes stressful.

 

Ecclesiastes 2: 17b “Everything done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless – like chasing the wind.”

 

I am thinking that it may be wise to put a hold on making major decisions until one is in a Spa like my friend’s own. That may indeed be the best place to make serious decisions because whilst you are yet contemplating whether or not you are better off with your phones on or off, you hear that the exchange rate is worse than it was before you entered the Spa and someone died for very poor medical care, which is poor because someone took money they shouldn’t have; it really goes on and seems endless. This is the reality of the life we live especially if you live in that part of the world where I live yet God says “Be Still”. Please tell me, how real is that? It is tough to understand the mind of God when despite all that is happening you hear His word in your spirit saying “Be still”. Isn’t this a tall order for anyone in this part of the world yet that is the life of the believer – receiving the most unusual instruction at the most unusual time? Life does get tough for the believer and sometimes it feels like God complicates it further with His instructions yet His instructions are always right.

 

Hebrews 4: 15 “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin.”

 

Psalm 139: 2 – 3 “You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.”

 

Despite that His instructions often seem out of place, God knows all things because nothing is hidden from Him. He sees all that happen in our lives and also understands the pain we feel because He has been through all we are going and would ever go through. He understands our weaknesses and knows how tough it gets to remain still when one feels an urgent and compelling need to do something.  Moreover, He never thinks to be wicked to us neither will He ask us to do anything we cannot do. Since He formed us, He knows us much more than we know ourselves. Also, as I get older, I am even more convinced that God knows that most decisions made in this state may not move us forward. Wrong as this may seem, it may be the wisest thing to wait a minute than make a very “expensive mistake”. We all sometimes need a minute to think more clearly. It is also good to note that when God ask us to be still, it suggests that He is doing all the work for us and He never fails on any assignments nor does He ever lose any battles. He is such a winner that as soon as He rises His enemies are scattered.

 

Psalm 48: 9 – 10 “He causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear; He burns the shields with fire. Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation.”

 

Chaos is definitely one of the tricks of the enemy to work victory for himself and wreak havoc in lives even the lives of believers. He stirs up chaos in lives and keeps us running from place to place like “headless chicken” as the popular adage in my place says. I guess when one leaves God behind they truly become “headless”. The evil prince of the power of the air has succeeded in making life so chaotic that some people, even believers, now think it is normal for our lives to be chaotic which by the way is different from being busy though it has been greatly mixed up which of course makes even more room for satanic activities so that more people now deliberately walk their way into chaos unwittingly creating the right atmosphere for the devil to operate. Satan loves chaos and knows that for God to come into a situation, the Holy Spirit would first move to restore order so he encourages people to create chaotic atmospheres which they ignorantly hold onto because they are deceived by satan and by so doing, they are themselves frustrating the Holy Ghost and conversely God, from resolving the issues. Please let us take a minute to be still especially at this time.

Life is A Roller Coaster; But Jesus Is Unchanging And Stable

I wish I could be one of those who never have to struggle with “valley experiences” but I do. Life in my own experience can be likened to a rollercoaster. Some days are easily great and others, you may have to make great. I met a lady recently who does not have “valley experiences” but some of us do and it does not make us strange; however, we must learn to choose to make them hill top experiences. We, as believers, must learn to make the most of every day and also give thanks whether or not life feels great. In our giving thanks, I have found that no matter what life throws at us, we come out tops through Christ. I like the song that says “nobody told me that life was going to be easy” because nobody actually did but something inside us just desires for it to be easy. Interestingly, after one has gone through the tough experiences of life, you want to shield everyone you know from these experiences but reality is that one way or the other, life catches up with everyone. So please don’t think you are strange because life caught up with you; nor does it describe the extent of your walk with God. If anything, it is the way you deal or handle life’s attempts to determine the cause of your life that is a reflection of the extent of your walk with God.

 

Ecclesiastes 1: 5 – 6 “The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. The wind blows South, and then turns north. Around and around it goes in circles.”

The sun rises and sets, so it’s bright sometimes and dark sometimes; that is life. How wonderful it is to have God especially at those times when life wants to act like the master in your life? These are those times when one’s needs almost determine the cause of your life because they guide your decision making and everyone tells you to be real and accept the reality of what you all see physically and they have the best intentions. Yet, you struggle with it because you know that what you see physically is not what it ought to be and because you have Jesus you have the opportunity of seeing what it ought to be through His eyes so you know what it ought to and can be. The truth is having Christ in one’s life is a privilege with several benefits. Only those who know how to take advantage of the benefits will enjoy them but it takes being strong to take advantage of these things. You have to be strong enough to determine how and what you want to see despite what goes on around you and only those who know their God can see what He sees. It takes really knowing Him to be certain that despite what you see, all will somehow be well at the end of it all. No wonder God takes us through these experiences that toughen one. The way He says to strengthen the feeble knees is almost as if He is irritated with those who pamper themselves but it’s all because it does take being strong to be more than conquerors.

Hebrews 12: 11 - 12 “No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening – it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees.”

Daniel 11: 32b “But the people who know their God shall be strong.”

God is one Father that loves so much and yet is not excessively protective. He is with you but lets you go through the valley of the shadow of death with a certainty that if you hold on and trust Him, you will come through. I wonder sometimes why He brings one through instead of just taking us around the valley experiences after all He will still be God whether we go through or go round them; but I have found that the maturity and strength one gathers going through often helps to carry the success that comes with it well and prepares one for the difficulties that come with going even higher. There is no doubt that God not only makes good decisions, but makes the right decisions. He knows what we don’t know so that He is better placed to make decisions that have long term positive effects. I know it is tough to keep trusting God when one does not have the full picture and a part of you keeps saying there is a better way which is based on facts you have and seem able to control, but we must realize that His thoughts toward us are always thoughts of good so He will always do us good and He is much wiser than we are.

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.”

I do know that some people are so particular about being positive in their confessions because they believe it will keep them from valley experiences but it wouldn’t. It is important, wise and in consonance with the teachings of Christ for your confessions to align with the word of God but it doesn’t mean you won’t have the experiences you prefer to evade; it just means that your confessions will keep you as you go through it all and also bring you out a better and more positive person. This is the reason we are more than conquerors. We conquer through Christ and surpass all expectations. We are built to weather the storms of life and come out victorious because Christ already won the victory for us.

Romans 8: 27 “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”

THERE IS LIFE CHANGING POWER IN THE WORD OF GOD PT 2

There is no doubt that it is in proper understanding and application of the word of God that we are able to decipher who we are. No disposition or assignment, no matter how major, would describe who God made us to be. God can use anyone for any service He decides to use them for at any point in time and make them right for the assignment if they yielded to Him; the word of God is unchangeable and also bigger than any assignment, thing or persons. Living according to the truth of God is therefore more profitable to us than we can ever imagine. Nobody can ever achieve the ultimate of what they have born to do if they do not operate as the persons they were made to be. Such persons only just struggle through life, sometimes perceiving themselves as misfits and never able to attain to their predestined heights of success. We are all written into God’s word wherein He also completed all He will ever do. 

John 19: 30 “When Jesus had tasted it, he said, it is finished! Then he bowed his head and released his spirit.”

Our part is to reach deep into the treasure chest that is His word and take the treasure that is ours so we can then flourish as we have been destined to. Every believer is made complete in His word. Power accompanies revelation of the word of God which brings the word to pass. Jesus said His word is Spirit and Life; it is living hence its ability to bring life to dead things. God’s word and His Spirit are one and the same so that to be guided by His Spirit is allowing one’s self to be guided by His word. This is the reason Jesus had to leave for the fullness of God to be able to come and indwell us in the person of the Holy Spirit; this is the reason we are able to live a life that is pleasing to God. Living a life that pleases God is beneficial to us because we are then able to access and enjoy the benefits that belong to God’s children. As we are led by His word/Spirit, we are bound to please God; walking in His fullness and the path of love. God is love, it takes walking by the Spirit to express the love that God is. Also, the Holy Spirit who fully understands the mind of God, will ensure that we end up in heaven. 

Romans 8: 14 “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.”

No believer can succeed outside the Holy Spirit. Human effort fails at some point and makes Christianity tedious. Human effort, at its very best can only make one nice or good but the Holy Spirit enables us please God so that we then please men; and because of Him, even our enemies are compelled to be at peace with us. Such is the power in the word of God simple as it appears to be. As long as one is dependent on the word of God, when they stumble, don’t rejoice because they will not fall; they only “stoop to conquer.” It is a Spirit led life. 

2 Corinthians 3: 16 - 18 “But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord – who is the Spirit-and makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.”

However, we must learn to approach the word of God with openness and sincerity. If we approach God’s word with any ill-motive and/or agenda, we would only get a twisted understanding and not the truth or mind of God. Man’s heart is so evil and has great potential to be so warped that it can cause good to appear evil and twist truth such that it appears to support evil. No wonder God says to be carnally minded is death. A person whose life is built on what is good by their mind, no matter how good they are, can be dangerously evil. When we turn to God’s word, we must do so honestly that the veil may be removed, for only then will we understand God’s word and then see Him therein and become more like Him, revealing His glory.  

… AND SARAH LAUGHED

Genesis 18: 11 – 12NKJ “Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. Therefore, Sarah laughed within herself, saying ‘after I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my Lord being old also?”

As I talked with one of my friends about her challenges today, I realized that though she trusts God and believes He is able to do all things, somewhere inside her, she felt her challenge could not be fixed. So that unwittingly, she was questioning “the truth” that says nothing is impossible with Him. When I told her my opinion, which was contrary to hers, she laughed; a laugh reminiscent of Sarah’s laughter. Sarah believed God and did not doubt His power and ability to do as He says yet somewhere inside her was the thought that her situation was beyond fixing. She understood her challenge perfectly and understood that God, who made all things, is orderly. She knew that He would not normally upturn the order of things and even if He thought to do so, she could not conceive that it could be for her. Certainly, she did not realize how important she was in God’s plan to show forth His praises. 

1 Peter 2: 9NKJ “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

I know the pain of having to wait on God; particularly when He appears to be fixing other people and all you get from Him is a word, the same word He has always spoken. Some of those other people may even be some of the worst people you ever met; and like in Sarah’s case, how does one know that God requires their story to be different so that it can be written in the bible to encourage you and me? Sarah was an ordinary woman living a normal life and God did not tell her that a bible would be written in the future in which He would like to tell her story; and how would her story have appeared in the bible if she had failed to play her predestined role? Interestingly, your own role always appears worse to you but do you realize that you and your challenges are valuable to God? Did it ever occur to you that your challenges are important to encourage other people and display His greatness or has the pain sold you a lie that God has forgotten you and cannot fix that challenge? 

Sometimes it is not because of something one hasn’t done or didn’t do right that some things remain pending; it may be that God, who uses His chosen ones differently, has chosen you for His glory. I realized recently that much as I admire the major women in the bible, I would rather not play their part. Yet if they knew each other, some may have envied others not knowing their pain but it’s easy for me to make the decision not to be any of them since I have the benefit of reading their stories; seeing their pain and challenges as well as their joy. I definitely would not like to be Sarah; though she married a wealthy man and at a young age, yet she waited too long to have a baby and “surrogacy” did not work well for her since Hagar and Ishmael ended up disdaining her. Mary, despite the honor of being the mother of our Saviour, had to endure the shame of being pregnant before her wedding. I wonder - could she not have gotten pregnant the day following her wedding day? Did it have to be so shameful? Neither would I like to be Hannah the mother of Samuel or any other woman for that matter knowing their challenges but God doesn’t have to share your neighbor’s pain with you. He deals individually.