Please Permit Me…

Please permit me to celebrate The Godhead. This blog is all about celebrating Jesus Christ the Son of God, God The Father and the Holy Spirit. All Three been wonderful to me and that is inspite of my several wrongdoings. They found me in my own sin, though I thought I was good, and made me realize that I could be the “good person” that I should be. They opened my eyes, by enlightening my understanding, to see that all I had to do to be good was become the child of the only One who is truly good. That was the beginning of a new life for me. That realization that I remained nothing but sinner except and until I allowed myself to be washed in Christ Jesus blood following heaven’s due process for conversion, was the best thing that happened to me because it facilitated my making the right decision – accept salvation that God offers without charging a fee. This is where it all started; when He clothe me with beauty so deep and powerful, it changes the inside as well as the outside; and filled me with indescribable joy that enables one laugh even in pain.

Ezekiel 16: 6 & 8b “But I came by and saw you there, helplessly kicking about in your own blood. As you lay there, I said, ‘live!’ And I helped you to thrive like a plant in the field. You grew up and became a beautiful jewel… So I wrapped my cloak around you to cover your nakedness and declared my marriage vows. I made a covenant with you, says the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.”

As soon as this happened, He went to work on my inside bringing about changes in my life that became visible externally. I could not help but allow Him make the changes that transformed me so much and so fast, I almost didn’t recognize myself anymore and He would not stop or even let go. Oh my goodness, I hate to even remember that at some point, I chose to do my own thing. A terrible idea which I knew He wouldn’t go along with so I thought it best to put some distance between us. Would you believe that He waited patiently, reminding me from time to time that He was waiting despite the pain He must have felt. He just would not let go. For such is the power of the love of He who has to look away from our sin whilst not losing interest in us? Just when I thought I had succeeded in my plan, He pulled me into His already outstretched arm enfolding me yet again with His love. This time, even more glorious. So I can testify that love always hopes and never gives up. Our God is indeed, love. Hence the song writer says in our pidgin English dialect “I never see this kind love before o – wonder 4x. Jesus na wa o”

Ezekiel 16: 60 & 62 - 63 “yet I will remember the covenant I made with you …and establish an everlasting covenant with you. And I will reaffirm my covenant with you, and you will know that I am The Lord. You will remember your sins and cover your mouth in silent shame when I forgive you all that you have done. I, The Sovereign Lord, have spoken.”

God must be celebrated. He loves so much He gives all He has just to ensure that we ultimately share His place of abode in eternity. When I think of how much I enjoy having “my space” I wonder what He is doing ensuring and/or enabling us live that life here on earth that facilitates our making heaven - a grace walk enabled by The Holy Ghost who is a part of This Godhead that I celebrate today. What is most interesting about His help is the fact that it is so unobtrusive that one almost forgets that they are actually helped and would fail without the help. This is why it is so easy to get carried away and become proud. It is easy to think one is “self- made” become your own idol and attracting God’s wrath; but my goodness! I love the way He improves our self-worth with this help that makes us feel important even seeming to draw men to us though they actually seek our Father. Though He loves us to shine and is great at celebrating us, He doesn’t want us to forget that the stage is His. This must be one of the many reasons Nathaniel Bassey says “take your glory King of Kings, take your glory Lord of lords; Take your glory King of Kings, It belongs to you alone.” He is The Original Celebrity: The only one that truly walks on a natural red carpet – the blood of those trampled when His right arm brought Him victory.

Isaiah 63: 3 “I have been treading the winepress alone; no one was there to help me. In my anger, I have trampled my enemies as if they were grapes. In fury I have trampled my foes.”

Unquestionably, He is The Lord. I celebrate my maker; He who paid the price for me which should ordinarily make me His slave but He set me free instead and just left me with pre-defined limits for my liberty. I celebrate the one who paid for me with His own blood. I celebrate He without whom I can do nothing. Please let me borrow the words of another song by Nathaniel as I sing “Take the stage Lord; have your way. I’m just a vessel and nothing more; and when you are done, please take the glory. I am satisfied just to see you glorified.” For every one whose story is similar to mine, please join me as that together, we can celebrate our God.

Is The Peace Of God Ruling In Your Hearts?

There is no doubt that the world is lacking in peace. It appears to get worse as time passes; but worse is the fact that men also lack peace. Peace is such an issue in the world today that some people take unhealthy drugs and smoke unhealthy things because they want to live in an unreal world where they forget all their troubles and seem to live in peace but are in truth more troubled than any other person. Sometimes you talk to people and you can tell just from their responses that they are totally confused and lacking in peace but it ought not to be so with the believer. I am not by any means suggesting that life is always smooth sailing for the believer, because the storms of life do not leave any adult out and as some say “peace is not the absence of troubles”, but there is something about the peace for God which the believer should enjoy. This peace is a gift, one of the privileges enjoyed by the believer and He whom God chooses to bless. It is definitely beyond understanding because it is despite all the storms one may be going through.

Isaiah 48: 22 “But there is no peace for the wicked, says the lord.”

Isaiah 32: 17 “And the righteousness will bring peace. Yes, it will bring quietness and confidence forever.”

This peace which comes from within is not one that men can buy. It is a fruit of the Spirit of God and an outflow of the presence of Christ in  life. Christ is The Prince of Peace and that is the reason every believer is entitled to peace. Though men can’t buy peace, God can and already did.  He paid for the peace and gave it freely to all who receive Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour. Unfortunately, this peace may be inside a person and yet be inaccessible because Jesus is not allowed to be Lord in their lives. Those who have not experienced Him cannot understand this peace; it remains a mystery to them. Such people don’t understand one who is calm and peaceful despite being in the midst of storms. Sometimes, they may even think one is crazy or not smart enough to realize the depths of the storms in their lives but that is not correct. The believer enjoys a certain peace that makes them calm in the face of even the worst storms. This is such a major advantage because one makes the best decisions when they are at peace and we are required to make decisions whenever there are storms in one’s life. Only the right decisions can bring you out well.

Philippians 4: 7 “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

2 Thessalonians 3: 16 “Now may the God of all peace give you his peace at all times and in every situation.”

Nothing and no one can give peace; only Jesus Christ can because He is peace. This peace which people seek in various places and yet are unable to get or even buy since a price which no man can pay, the blood of Jesus has been paid for it by God, has transforming power. This is not happiness because one can be happy and still have that nagging unsettling feeling that is so troubling one can’t get past it. It is much more powerful than happiness; it is a calm assurance that says “even this will pass” and not by power but by God who is with you. This peace though, can be lost for even the silliest reasons which could go from insecurities to selfishness or any other such things which could seem frivolous and small but can ruin lives. Whenever we take our eyes off Jesus, we lose our peace; and that even when our focus is on us. Self cannot give peace; no one else can even if they love you so much. I think if we know how important this peace is we would guard it. It is so important that, as a friend pointed out to me, Paul opened all his all his letters in the New Testament with a prayer for peace to be increased in the lives of people he wrote to. We, as believers ought to take advantage of the fact that we have this peace. It is our decision whether or not we do.

Colossians 5: 15a “And let the peace of that comes from Christ rule in your hearts.”

Think On These Things – Mary and Elizabeth

It’s another Christmas season- another major reminder of the birth of our Saviour. There is for me an intensity that comes with this time of the year which makes self- evaluation very relevant; not to make anyone feel bad but to facilitate the making of decisions that will take one forward. What would be the point in celebrating the birth of our Saviour if one is unable to tap into the benefits of His coming to earth? We must profit from our Saviour stepping into the world and that not just eating and drinking but getting all that is ours on earth and ultimately, eternity with Him. It will be very sad if all we do at this time is eat, drink and buy new clothes; after all coming down to earth was not the easiest experience for Christ. That would be too much a price to pay just for people to party away.

James 1: 25 “But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” 

Whilst it is true that scripture admonishes us to provoke one another to good works, we are also admonished not to compare ourselves with ourselves; the bible says it is not wise to do so. If therefore, we choose to make this a personal stock taking season; the word of God must then be the mirror against which we check our lives. If we compare ourselves with ourselves, we run the risk of getting into unhealthy competition and/or rivalry. These things lead to envy and stir up all sorts of evil emotions. Sadly, it can happen with your best friend or even sibling because it often starts with seemingly good intentions but as they say “hell is paved with good intentions”. These are tricks of the enemy from which we must guard our hearts and apply all diligence to doing so. The sad thing about entering this kind of competition is that you will always play catchup.

Luke 1: 42 “Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believe that the Lord would do what he said.”

Mary and Elizabeth were two different people who realized they were made for different purposes and were content with their God-given roles. Elizabeth could have wished she was chosen to bear the Messiah especially since she faithfully served God for so many years despite that she was barren. She could have argued that it would have been nice for her to have been honored with the privilege of carrying Jesus but instead, she appreciated her role and was content being who she was made to be so that Mary’s visit only provoked good thoughts in her so much so that her baby was impacted. She knew that great honor had been conferred on Mary while she carried a “less special” baby yet she blessed Mary. Elizabeth was happy to bear Christ forerunner; a role that couldn’t have gone to just anyone.  

Ephesians 1: 11 “Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.”

God made every one of us special and unique. We must never forget that to fulfill our purpose, we must remain in our roles. You have failed if your own role is found vacant. God should be proud whenever He looks at our duty post. There will always be many wonderful people all over the world excelling in their own area but you don’t need to be any of them to excel. All you need to be is the “you” that God made, running your race with the right heart and great love for God. Not everyone will deal with Presidents at the level of Dr. Myles Munroe of blessed memory but you can be known all over the world just because you applied yourself to fulfilling your purpose in caring for the poor like Mother Teresa

Lessons to Be Learnt From the Story Surrounding the Birth of Christ

Through this season, I shall be sharing some of the lessons I learnt from the story that surrounds the birth of Jesus Christ. I have shared some in the past but I few a more things to share. There is so much to learn to help one live life to its fullest in the story. I seem to be learning a whole lot more every time I meditate on the birth of the Messiah – Our Saviour.

John 10: 1 “I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber. But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.”

I am intrigued by the fact that God chose to come through the natural way human beings are meant to arrive on earth. It is worthy of note that though God could have come down in the same way He did when He visited Adam and Eve, He chose to follow the appropriate route. God is amazingly orderly. He made the rule and reserved the right to break it; and breaking it would not have diminished Him, He would have still been God. God is so committed to order that He likened anyone who comes into a thing in a disorderly fashion to a thief. Despite that the earth is rightly His; He chose the appropriate route to come down for the salvation of man. There must be strength in being orderly that adds to giving one the victory. No wonder every situation God enters, no matter how disorderly, begins to reorder itself. 

Luke 1: 38 “Mary responded, I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”

Another thing I find interesting is God’s choice of Mary. I like to imagine that there were many other virgins at the time particularly since if you were not a virgin by your wedding night, the man could divorce you. So even if it was not for the fear of God that the girls remained virgins, they would do it to prevent bringing shame upon their families. So it must have been more than her being a virgin that made God choose Mary. Upon a closer look at her discussion with the angel, I found that her heart must have been a major reason she was chosen. Mary trusted God like a child. She definitely did not understand how these things would happen but she let go and let God have His way. How hard it is to say what she said in the scripture above. God is attracted to those who love Him enough to entrust their lives to Him even without seeing where He is going.

John 11: 40 “Jesus responded, didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?”

Again, it is worthy of note that Mary was an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. God did not choose someone high up in the priesthood or daughter of one of the priests for such an awesome responsibility. Instead, He chose a girl who knew Him enough to love Him enough to entrust her life to Him. God is in the business of stepping out of the “priesthood” when he wants to do a new and extraordinary thing. It has nothing to do with position but everything to do with the way you perceive Him and how much you love Him. It has everything to do with the extent to which you would entrust your life to Him.

1 Corinthians 1: 27 “Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.”

WE THREE KINGS OF ORIENT ARE … BEARING GIFTS WE TRAVERSE AFAR…

Let me start by wishing you the very best Christmas you ever had. I appreciate that you have been finding time to read my blog which I do not take for granted. There are so many things we love to do in but can’t find the time to do; so it means a lot to me that you find time to read my blog. My prayer is that, this blog will be for you, a light that leads you to that hidden treasure meant for you in the same way that the star led the wise man to Jesus.

The story of the wise men is one I still find intriguing though I have known it since I was a child. These men knew that Jesus would be born and interpreted the star which announced his birth accurately. They had an idea where He would be born but did not know the actual location; thank God for the star that finally led them but this was not before they had tried in their own way to locate Jesus. Unfortunately, this effort in their own strength led to several deaths.

Mathew 2: 6 “After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place.”  

I have found that worldly wisdom and intellectual power without the leading of God and His wisdom would only take one so far. For the wise men to have been called wise in bible days, they must have had great knowledge. To have identified the star and interpreted it correctly, they definitely were wise but all that wisdom could not take them to their God given gift – the messiah. It was just enough to move them out of their comfort zone and this God does often.

When it is time to relocate, He allows things that make you comfortable to move; as you move certain that you have all you need and trusting in that fact, everything falls apart leaving you lost and confused. Then you are compelled to seek help. If you turn to Him, though He will insist on leading you, He will take you to the destination. The problem is with ‘having to follow’; it makes the process appear tough and slow.  Unfortunately, not following may be very costly. 

God, who knows all things, already foresaw that wrong judgment we would make if left on our own and its consequences, so He offers us the benefit of His wisdom. Who would have thought something as innocent as stopping by to see the king or even pay homage would cost so many children their lives and cause such great sorrow to so many families? This one “polite and/or gracious act” cost so many lives. How one seemingly innocent and/or thoughtless act can be so grievously damaging. These are some of the reasons God likes to guide us and order our steps. 

The bible says wisdom is better than weapons of war so that if we walk in His wisdom then we will constantly walk in victory avoiding the unnecessary battles thereby conserving strength for the necessary ones. As we celebrate the birth of the All-wise one, let us ask for wisdom amongst other things. The fact that you did not realize the extent of damage that your innocent or gracious gesture would provoke will not lessen the damage or justify the act. We cannot afford to continue in stupidity when we have a father who is wisdom personified. I wish all a MERRY CHRISTMAS

Your 2011 Decisions: Invite Jesus to the Table!

I heard an amazing story today that reconfirmed to me again the reality of Christ and His power and ability to do what He has said He will do. The lady I spoke to said to me that in a lot of ways she was getting confused about the reality of Christ what with all of the terrible stories we hear concerning Christians; the testimonies that leave you confused as to the accuracy of our faith. Then she took ill and God in His goodness shows up in the midst of this real bad situation and assures her of the reality of His existence. As she shared her experience with me, I was again reassured of the reality of His existence and my faith in Him was renewed and strengthened.

It made me wonder as to why we celebrate the birth of Christ just before the end of the year. I don’t think it is a coincidence. It is traditional at this time to think through what happened the entire year and then make new decisions that will guide us through the next year. For me it does not matter whether or not Christ was born on this day but the truth is, as the year comes to an end, we enter into a period of deep thoughts and sober reflection. It is a good time to be reminded of Christ. It kind of gives some form of hope for the future inspite of whatever happened in the past year and guides us as we make these new decisions. The truth is that some of these decisions will die immediately we enter into the New Year, some will never see the light of day and some will become a part of our lives forever.

As we make these decisions, I really want to encourage us to invite Jesus to be a part of this decision making. We must realize that Jesus is real and He wants to help us succeed. His plan is not just to put ideas in us but also to empower us and walk with us to ensure that we succeed. I can’t promise you that you will always like the decisions you end up with if you invite Him to be a part of your decision making process but I can assure you that you will make decisions that will take you forward in life. As they say “the best things in life often come in wrong packages” just like some of these decisions are seemingly “wrong packaging”.

The process of inviting Him to be a part of the decision making process is making one’s mind open to His ideas and putting all the thoughts and decisions against the word of God thereby ensuring that they are not contrary to the word. That is the first way to ensuring that we succeed because the Bible says in

Isaiah 14: 24 NLT “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sworn this oath: it will all happen as I have planned. It will all be as I have decided.”

After having, made the decisions, we need to believe that they will be established even as we walk toward having them established with the Holy Spirit as our helper. We need to have faith in God and in His power and ability to bring to pass that which He has said He will do. I don’t know about you but that is where my own challenge begins. One of the things we need to resolve to do is to do whatever it takes to have faith that transforms the word of God into reality in our lives. I trust God to be helper even to achieve that.

Happy New Year in advance!