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.

Which Jesus Have You Received?

I have heard that Jesus is a common name amongst the Jews. So anyone could choose that name and yet not be Jesus Christ the Son of God who alone is the “The anointed one.”  Only He has the power and authority to save man and for which reason He came down to earth to ultimately lay down His life after living an exemplary life for us to follow. He is whom we have to receive to receive the power to become sons of God. Jesus could not have been more straightforward in His speech. He clearly declared that He is the way the truth and the life and if anyone wants to go to the Father, it had to be through Him. He declared that there is no other way but Him. There is however, a problem in the church today. The Jesus that is often preached from our pulpits appears to be different from He that is revealed in the Bible as the Son Of God so that the Christ a lot of people receive is not the Christ of God. This seems to be the root of major confusion amongst believers today – unfortunately, we have not all receive the same Jesus. So when we talk about God or Christ, we seem to be talking about very different personalities; not even almost describing our many-sided God that we worship. This is one of the reasons the body of Christ is right now so disunited and disjointed that nothing inside us connects us anymore. We have no tie in the Spirit that connects us and we hardly ever agree on anything not even matters of the faith we profess of the God we received and worship.

 

1 Corinthians 8: 6 “But for us, there is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created, and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live.”

I do know for certain that God made us all very different and I believe very much that all the differences add to make life more beautiful. I can imagine how boring life would be if we were all the same; this is one of the things people have against the Amish people. They don't only strive to keep their faith but it would sometimes appear like they want everyone to look, act and think alike which isn’t right and this is the reason, we must work to ensure that everyone leans on the leading of the Holy Spirit who knows best the mind of God concerning each individual and is equipped to help us give full expression to who we are. So God made us different and we must respect all our differences and ensure that we allow people express themselves albeit within the confines or limits of the word of God so that only God working in them, will perfect them making them even more beautiful than they ever imagined. The one unchanging personality in life, is God; so that every believer has something in common with every other believer and that is our faith. We have the same God who never changes so that from person to person, there is something common to all believers and that is the beauty of Christian fellowship.

Hebrews 13: 7 – 8 “Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

Our truth as believers should be the same even where the expression of it is different. It is sad that we now have variations of The Truth. Jesus now seems different one believer to the other and that is not true. This is not only affecting the impact of Christianity today, it is affecting generations coming after us and we are almost giving them a strange God. Our perception of God is so colored by our selfishness that God is almost taking on the nature of man. Also, our senses have been so dulled that we can hardly even perceive Him right. The truth is, we are unable to. The God we now describe is like any one of us and that is not true; our God is not a man. In our usual self-absorbed way, every believer makes up their mind who they want God to be and insist that He is that. Then they resist any effort to make them understand the God revealed in the scriptures. We insist on our perception of Him, not caring whether it is right or wrong as long as it makes worshipping God more convenient for us and we worship the strange God we create. We obviously have a major problem.

Luke 21: 34 – 36 “Watch out! D Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”

This confusion is giving satan room in our midst. This is not about different denominations; it is about having different descriptions for a God who describes Himself very simply in the bible and reveals Himself, to everyone who receives Him. If we have therefore embraced Him who presents Himself to us so simply, why then do we struggle with understanding Him? The reality is that we more and more are interpreting God from hearts and the Christ/God we now preach is based on our interpretation; unfortunately that is the God people that hear us then are drawn to. No wonder our God appears to be getting less powerful from generation to generation as the world gets crazier and crazier. There is a need to examine one’s heart from time to time to ensure that one is worshipping the God revealed in the scriptures and has not been lured away from Him? It is time to seek God with all our hearts again otherwise the true faith will become extinct. We cannot afford to do all we do for our children and then jeopardize their destiny and where they end up after life on earth. We cannot ourselves start well and then end up in the wrong place. We must finish this Christian race well.

It Is Your Time To Shine… Breakthrough/Open Heavens

I have come to learn that God’s seasons in our lives don’t necessarily have anything to do with seasons as defined by man but I honestly believe that we are currently in a great season for believers – one that could be described as “open heavens” and this is not because the year is coming to an end but because we are entering an era of great blessings. Though times will get tougher, the light of true believers will, in this season, shine brighter and not because they make things happen for themselves but because God is causing things to happen for them and they work with Him to ensure the manifestation of that which He already worked. Clearly, God’s desire is for us to go higher in every level of our lives not necessarily because of you and me but for the display of His manifold wisdom.  

Ephesians 3: 10 “God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”

Sadly, when God takes us higher as He is doing, it is also a season of goodbyes; not just to people but to an entire phase of life so that one may be released to another life much bigger and higher than that which you lived. So God separates us from one life as He takes us into another. It is about fresh opportunities opening up as older ones pass away. It definitely hurts when people have to leave but we must be willing to let go with sincere good byes. If people are not released to move on when it is time to do so, the relationship becomes an emotional trap. The entire process is an act of God’s mercy despite that it may hurt sometimes. We must allow the death of anything God terminates; for with God, fresh life always comes forth from death.

1 Corinthians 15: 36 “What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it does.”    

  

The truth is coming to a higher level is not often immediately the fun one expects and so many of us leave such breakthrough seasons the same way we entered it; no improvements to our lives. This is often because our expectations are often totally different from the way God chooses to begin to unfold the physical manifestations of the blessings and as a result, our responses and/or decisions are wrong. When our decisions are wrong, they inhibit the full expression of God’s workings in our lives despite that God is desperate for a manifestation of His goodness in our lives. Breakthrough or Open Heavens season sound great and bring so much joy but they come with a lot of changes that may leave one confused and feeling a desperate need to make decisions or do something so no one thinks one is foolish. Under this kind of pressure, we forget that it is okay to be still with a knowing that He is God who is in control and also that this terrain is higher than one ever walked. Indeed people think you foolish if you jump into action immediately. 

We need to carefully take in all that is happening around us whilst leaning on the Holy Spirit for help. As soon as one gets a hang of this new level, you will be required to work harder than you did previously because coming up higher suggest an enlargement of one’s coast. We have lost many blessings and/or breakthroughs because we made decisions too fast which bind and prevent us from fully enjoying the full benefits of these new levels. Those quick decisions we make often turn out wrong because they are often influenced by our past level and not suitable for this new level. We must rely on God who knows the terrain.

Make No Mistake About Easter - It is a Celebration of the God Head

I am so sorry for not posting any blog in that glorious week leading up to Easter. I really hope some of you looked out for my article and missed it. Lol! The thing is Easter is my season of seasons. I just love Easter. It's that season when Christians everywhere seriously call on God despite the fact of it being a celebratory season. I feel like Easter must be a season when the heavens are opened; so many people can not be calling on God through Jesus and the heavens will remain heavy. Easter reminds me of power and then speaks of the foolishness of the wisdom of man especially when he thinks he is at his smartest. Easter is for me that one season that fully describes our faith and God's expectations of us, believers.

Romans 8: 11 & 17 "The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering."

I like to think on and talk about God's display of power as He raised Jesus. I like the very elegant way that God proves His Lordship. He does not fuss, He just does what needs to be done often taking the enemy by surprise and consistently reaffirming the enemy's stupidity such that satan is always left trying to catch up with God and God carries on like nothing is happening; not even acknowledging whatever satan is doing. God just watches His own calendar and when it is time, He moves. He is totally unfazed by how much the enemy may seem to have achieved. With just one move, He puts an end to every activity of the enemy and establishes His authority and power. Our God is worthy to be worshipped.

Isaiah 55: 11 "It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it."

So this Easter story again attest to God's style of displaying His greatness.Whilst the devil was rejoicing thinking He had Jesus where He wanted Him and man in all of His wisdom, which actually was stupidity, thought the tomb was sealed so hard Jesus could not escape and then had soldiers outside the tomb to prevent external help; an angel arrived on the scene. People, only one angel totally finished everything satan working with man had been working at for days and thought they had finally concluded. God was obviously making an open show of His defeat of the enemy. Man in His foolishness had forgotten that the word of God would not return to Him void so that even the Living word had to accomplish His purpose before returning to the Father.

Mathew 28: 2-4 "Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint."

Permit me however to talk about the return of the Master, Jesus, at this time. To my mind, one of the most precious things about Easter is the fact that in His coming He opened the door that has made it possible for us to live the life that will enable us see and be with Him when He returns. It is because of Easter that we can be called the sons of God and also have a hope that we shall be with Him in eternity. Easter is that season when we must remind ourselves that Jesus is coming again and also that there is life after death on earth. Furthermore, that you can make the decision where you spend that life here on earth. Your choice of Jesus crucified, raised from the dead and subsequent ascension is a deal breaker. It is the beginning of an assurance of life hereafter with Jesus. Easter is that season when we ought to remind ourselves that He is coming again so that as we celebrate, we are celebrating that fact of life with Him hereafter.

Self-denial Is a Sure Path to Victory

If we, believers, will have good success as promised us in the word of God and also fulfill our destinies, then we must be able to deny ourselves of some things such that self-denial becomes a part of our lives. Self-denial is denying one's self of something that one can give one's self. It is exercising your will against your flesh thereby compelling it to learn discipline without which one would also fail. So many things beckon to us in life that will ultimately not work good for us but as we learn to deny ourselves, we are able to connect even more with our God. If we must walk with God successfully enjoying all the benefits that are our portion, then we would have to learn to say no to ourselves especially in those tough times when God's desire is different from our desire and we feel strongly the need to follow our desire; those times when we feel compelled to put another person's desire above ours because that is what God would rather that we do.

Mark 8: 34-35 "Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it."

So the dictionary describes denial as sacrifice of one's wants or needs. In truth, it is turning from selfish ways where one's decisions are no longer instigated by how they feel but what God desires. It is going up to the level where it is no longer "our will but His will be done in our lives." Our faith calls for sacrifice. There is a price to pay for the benefits that we receive. In Christ, you don't pay the price to receive but you are required to give back for what you receive that you may then receive more. His gifts come with responsibilities and/or obligations which I refer to as price to be paid. If you will not take on the responsibilities then you may loose that which you have; according to scriptures, it will be given to those who took their responsibility seriously. We cannot afford to bury that which He gives us but we would have to deny ourselves if we must multiply them. With God, if you must get more or go higher, you will at some point be required to give up things.

Mathew 25: 29 "To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away."

As believers, we know that good success is our portion. We get frustrated and angry with God whenever it seems like success is eluding us but the question is what are we willing to give up that we might have this good success which is written into our future? It is never convenient when it has to do with God because it would call for a sacrifice. Some people struggle with denying themselves because they were hardly denied anything as children while some others just feel that they earned the right to have whatever they want despite what God days. Whatever your excuse maybe, the thing to have at the back of your mind is the fact that God has put in your hands the power to be truly blessed or fail; furthermore, sad as this may sound, inability to deny one's self may ultimately cause a believer to end up in hell.

Mathew 25: 30 "Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

I would like to suggest that self-denial was a major part of Cain's problem. He could not be bothered to get for God that which asked for. It was just not convenient. Since God wanted a sacrifice, he did not see why his farm produce was not good enough for God who already stated what he preferred. Going out of his way to get for God that which He wanted was certainly stressful to him. He was one of those who felt God should continue to accept Him just the way He is. It is true that He saves us the way we are but He desires that we then yield ourselves that we may be changed to become like Him. There is a cross to carry, for every believer; to carry the cross requires us to deny ourselves.

A life of Prayer is a must if you must get to the heights that God ordained for you!

I wonder what comes to mind when you see or hear the word prayer and when you hear people talk about a life of prayer. You are probably thinking it is a life for the pastors and intercessors only and then maybe for your mother or wife. I must tell you this - you are the primary intercessor for your own life. Every other person is secondary. As believers, we are meant to live by faith which in reality translates to believing though you do not see; so that believers go forward without a full picture of where they are going but our solace is in the fact that The One that holds our hands to lead the way sees and knows all things so that as long as we remain connected to Him, we will be fine. To ensure that we remain on the right path, guarded by our guide, we have to remain in constant communion with Him. 

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

It is a must that we are in constant touch with Him if we must reach the heights ordained for us and keeping in touch is prayer. A life of prayer speaks of total and absolute dependence on God. It suggests that one is aware of one’s weakness and has elected to tap into God’s strength. Also, God says we are the head; which encompasses seeing from a vantage position. Communing with God helps us see through His eyes giving us a higher perspective than the ordinary which puts us in a class higher than others so that like Daniel, we are more intelligent than our teachers and this has nothing to do with age but the fact that one is rubbing minds with God Almighty.

Daniel 1: 17 “God gave these four men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom.”

Don’t let anyone deceive you, there is only so far a believer can go in life without a good prayer life. Satan, knowing this, has sold us a lie that prayer is tough and we have accepted it so that many of us don’t even try to build a prayer life. In Nigeria, where I live, we have learnt, to ‘contract’ out all our praying to people who talk to God on our behalf and tell us what God is saying concerning us. In return, we ‘bless’ them but the mindset is that we pay them to deal with all our prayer and prayer related matters. How very sad? If communing with God is a chore for you, then there is a problem which can be fixed. Can it really be so tough to commune with a Father? At least make an attempt at cultivating a prayer life and determine for yourself that it is truly tough. Of course, as with any new relationship, it is not the smoothest initially but as you get to know each other better, it becomes more pleasurable. 

1 Thessalonians 5: 17 “Never stop praying.”

What parent would not take pleasure in communing with their child? It is no different with the ultimate Father who takes great delight in spending time with us so much so that He would come down to fellowship with man. Indeed, if we learn to go to Him first when you have challenges, you will find that you don’t need to seek counsel from anyone thereafter. You will operate in such amazing wisdom that even you will wonder at the kind of decisions you make because you know that it is way above your level of knowledge. The truth is God wants His children to operate in dominion and that can only happen if we stay connected to Him so that the Holy Spirit who searches His mind can let us into His mind as we pray. Information empowers you and God is ready to let you into deep things as you commune with Him. Let us not faint in the matter of prayer.