Watch It! Don't Become Over-Familiar With God.

Frequently, I hear people say God does not want to be feared. He wants you to be His friend, which is not a lie, so we get so familiar with Him that we get carried away and forget Who He is. Generally, familiarity breeds contempt so that since we decided that we ought not to fear God, we then get so familiar with Him that we begin to treat Him contemptuously. That only allows God very little or no impact in our lives because He is just a friend and should allow you express yourself as you deem fit. Unfortunately, the God we serve not only wants to be Lord in our lives but also demands that we fear Him albeit, reverentially.

Hebrews 12: 28 “since we are receiving a kingdom that is unshakeable, let us be thankful and please God by worshipping Him with Holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire.

If we must follow God and serve Him acceptably, we must fear Him. The age that we live in is amazing. I like democracy. I like to know that to some extent, the destiny of my nation is in my hands. I like liberty and freedom to say and do what I want to do. I like to have confidence but I am also aware that even good things, when pushed beyond reasonable limits become bad and /or distasteful. It appears we are pushing the benefits of democracy beyond reasonable limits. We must remember that not only was God not elected, He made you and me, and then gave us the honor of allowing us make decisions. We must not abuse that privilege.

1 Peter 2: 17 “Respect everyone and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king.”

In my Country, it is common for believers to say “God understands” which usually means “He knows I don’t mean to insult Him” but then you are being rude. If we fear Him, it will be manifestly evident in everything we do and say. Our views on everything and our position too will be affected. Reverential fear is an attitude of mind that is reflected on the outward. God is who He is; it then becomes your responsibility to learn to deal with Him as He should be dealt with. When Cain treated Him disrespectfully in bringing an unacceptable sacrifice, His sacrifice was not accepted. When Uzzah got too familiar, He died. Indeed God Himself said for the children of Israel to put a reasonable distance between themselves and the ark. I would like to suggest that that instruction was to help the children of Israel so that they don’t get familiar with the ark. Sometimes we think that is the Old Testament but the scripture above in Hebrews is in the New Testament.

Psalm 25: 14 “The Lord is a friend to those who fear Him. He teaches them His covenant.

Just like you and I appreciate those that treat us respectfully, God loves even more those that show Him the respect that is due to Him which is why He would let them into His secret or be friends with them. Recall that God calls us friends so that presupposes that we ought to be a people that fear Him. We must stop paying lip service to fearing God. Though Jesus was God, He had so much respect for the father that the father hid nothing from Him. God reveals things to whom He chooses and to others, most things are parables. Those that fear Him are the ones that have revelation knowledge.

By Your Choices I Will Know Who You TRULY Are.

Did you know that our choices are ultimately determined by whom we truly submit to? Indeed who you surrender to is a great determinant of what you become. We often do not realize that the influence of who we surrender to is vey strong over our minds. Many times we argue that though we surrender to a particular personality or thing, we are in control of our minds. We deceive ourselves by saying we are independent and believe we are allowed to think what we want to think but this is not true. You can’t separate the being you worship from the way you think and consequently, from your choices.

Psalm 115: 4-8 KJV “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they but they, but they see not: they have hands but they handle not: feet have they but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so is everyone that trusteth in them.”

In reality, we take on the mind of whoever we surrender to or worship. We surrender to them because we admire them and their thoughts. So we listen to their thoughts a lot and so the thoughts influence our own minds so that eventually, whether we want to admit it or not, our mind is totally influenced by theirs and that is what forms the basis for the choices that we make. Our choices then determine our tomorrow and also who we are. Even the bible says concerning those that surrender to Jesus, not those that only pay lip service to surrendering to Him, that they think like Him.

1 Corinthians 2: 16b “but we have the mind of Christ”

Sometimes, this becomes a problem to believers. We invite Jesus into our lives which means we are to take on His ideology; but the problem then is that we find that we admire some other ideology which may be contrary to that of Jesus. You admire a lot of things about this contrary ideology but Jesus is meant to be Lord of your life. You admire these ideologies so much that you actually surrender to them though you still profess Christianity. In your mind, you think you only admire it but it does not impact your life. You think “I like what they do but I can’t do it because of my faith.” But eventually, it begins to affect and influence your thinking so that though you have invited Jesus into your life, you worship something else which is controlling your life. That is the dilemma that we find ourselves in today and largely caused by the very deceptive theory that says you are always in control of your mind.

Philippians 4: 5 “let your moderation be known unto all men”

It is important that we evaluate our lives always to ensure that our choices and/or decisions are influenced by the very personalities or ideologies that we truly want to submit to. It would be sad if one thinks they are followers of Christ when in actual fact they are not. Evaluation helps us ensure that we are communicating what we desire to communicate to the world about ourselves. Anyone can get carried away which is why we need this self evaluation. Rev. Emiko Amotsuka describes it like this “you have to call your self to a conference from time to time”

REMINDER: The “Woman Cry out” Prayer conference still holds this Saturday the 22^nd of October but it will now be from 5pm prompt to 9pm at the Oakwood Protea Hotel close to chevron roundabout on the Lekki-Epe Expressway.

Choices, Choices. What Choices Are YOU Making?

Choices! Choices! Once more I am thinking of choices. Isn’t it amazing how even the small choices we make affect our entire lives? The interesting thing about the effect of the choices we make is that very often, they do not immediately play out; they would often play out fully in the future. So that the choices we make today may be the strongest way to truly affect/impact our future. Your today is a very important part of your tomorrow except when God scraps everything and gives us a new beginning. 

Choices we make should be made based on principles and for the believer, our principles should be bible based. It is easy to tell what people believe from looking at their choices. When people live life believing nothing, all you need to do is look at the choices they make; it will have no pattern to it. Their choices build up to nothing and together, make no sense. For such people, the future is bleak. When they look into their future, all they see is nothingness. This is the reason a number of people end up in depression or some even commit suicide.

Hosea 8: “They have planted the wind and will harvest the whirlwind.”

Galatians 6: 8 “Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature.”

Any choice made outside of bible based principles are rooted in the flesh. No matter how subtle the influence of the flesh may seem, it actually made the decision: and the flesh is influenced by the devil. It should not be so for believers but a lot of us still fall into this trap. As believers, if we do not take a definite stance in our minds regarding what we believe, we will do just about anything. We can’t be open- minded. If we are, we permit “the strange birds of the air to build safe nests in our minds” and we may end up like the people that do not know God.

Proverbs 4: 23 & 25 “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life….look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet: stay on the safe path.”

The choices we make can be likened to the blocks that add up to making a building. Every choice is a block added to the building. With every step taken in life, a decision is made and every decision is a choice. This is the reason Christians have to be deliberate. A wrong one could take you several steps back much later in life just like wrongly added blocks can be removed much later in the course of the building, but the owner of the house may suffer some loss. It is good to know however, that we have a God that can cause even our wrong choices to somehow work for our good.

I guess the most difficult choices are the ones between seemingly good things. It’s easier when the choice is between good and bad things. When they are all good things, we are in a dilemma but that is why we must exercise ourselves to discern the will of God at all times. The Holy Spirit always knows what is best for the immediate. 

It's Time To Start Making The RIGHT Choices.

Choice! Choices! Life is full of choices. We wake up every day to choices that we have to make. As soon as you wake up, you are confronted with choices. You need to make a choice to get out of bed or to continue sleeping and that is how life goes on. The thing about these choices is that every one of them, no matter how insignificant it may seem, adds to move you closer or further away from fulfilling your destiny and also deciding where you end up eventually – hell or heaven.

Life is full of priorities and the fact that there is only 24 hours in a day does not help. It is almost as if God did that to ensure that we always prioritize. There are so many things to do every day and yet He expects you and I to find time to be alone with Him. Why? Why can’t I just deal with Him as I move on and go about the things that I do normally after all, He is everywhere and then He is also a Spirit?

God is a God that orders His priorities right and He made us in His image and likeness so that He knows we have the innate ability to order our priorities right too and make the right decisions. At some point in our lives, God begins to make a strong inroad into our lives. Though He does not force His way into any life, He ensures that you are very aware of His presence and His desire to become a major part of your life but then He leaves you to decide whether or not you want Him in your life. This is the first major decision that any man is confronted with and God’s desire is that we make the right decision.

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

From that point on, for those who make the right decision, which is to let God into their lives, decision making should become easier because the Holy Spirit begins to guide you and He is a knowledgeable guide. You have a witness inside you, a voice telling you that this is the path you should walk in. Do you ignore that voice? If you do, He will eventually leave you to begin to make the decisions yourself again. Simple as the choices may be, the consequences of each one of them may surprise you. Some of them have consequences that impact on our eternity. We must not make choices frivolously. The decision to drink a little alcohol finally put Lot in disobedience to God and we never heard about him thereafter.

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

Sometimes, the devil makes it look like as if it is a silly decision and won’t really affect anything but it may come back to haunt you many years down the line. We may say to ourselves that we would think through anytime we have to make decisions but reality is that sometimes, we do not have enough time to think through so what do you do? We need to be full of the Spirit and learn to discern His leading and follow it. The time has come when we must operate at the level God placed us. He did not make us like mere brute beasts that follow their instincts; He made us to follow His voice – the voice of the Holy Spirit. We must begin to train ourselves to discern that voice/will of God.

Romans 8: 9 “But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you”

Are You Bored With God?

Can anyone ever fully understand God? I guess the answer will be ‘no’ because if they did, then they would be God. I don’t understand why He would love man so much and then desire that we would also love Him in return. Even the angels were surprised that God would not only make man but esteem him so highly.

Today, I am thinking about the treasure that is hidden in His word and all hidden therein for you and I because of this great love that God has for us. Why would God hide so much in His word? I wonder! But He has and so there is no going round His word if we are going to succeed and truly be great. You can never have enough of His word. Nobody can overdose on it.

The word of God is like a treasure chest with a lot of treasure hidden therein and the most expensive ones are mostly hidden deep down so you have to search deep to get them. The more I study the bible, the more I learn new things about God which give me a better understanding of Him. As you discover new things about Him, you get excited. Sometimes, you feel like jumping for joy. God is indeed exciting. Of course, if you don’t’ discover new things about Him, He becomes boring and one begins to look for excitement in the wrong places when it’s all in the word.

John 1: 14 “So the word became human ad made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the father’s one and only son.”

There is no gift like the word of God. The greatest gift of all times is truly His word – Jesus Christ. The bible tells us that Jesus is the living word of God. He is the word personified; so that in Jesus we have all the treasure we need and will ever need to live as head and not tail. We have all we would ever need to be lenders to nations. We have all we will ever need to be in health, live a righteous life and then make heaven. Truly, through His word God made all things and will ever make anything that has to be made.

John 1: 3 “God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him.”

God’s word is His “jewel of inestimable value.’ It is His pearl that He does not cast before swine so that simple as it is, not everyone is able to access this treasure chest. Even if they read forever, it will just be a book to them; at best, a book that talks about God but the deep things/treasure hidden therein will not be revealed to them. What an awesome privilege we have as children of God to be granted access to this treasure. A privilege not to be taken for granted or ignored. He does get sweeter and sweeter.

Mathew 7: 6 “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.”

Do you dig in this treasure chest? How often do you dig into it? All you can ever have is dependent on how deep you are able to dig. It is time to go back to studying His word.

Calling ALL Women! It's Time To Pray AGAIN.

Ladies!!! Ladies!!! With each passing day, I am more excited about the fact that I am a woman. It’s the entire thing about being female. I have always appreciated who I am because I appreciate whatever God made and I know He made them good. However, more recently, I have even more excited about being female. I am more certain now than ever before that He deliberately made me female and has a definite purpose for me that only a woman can fulfill.

You may not agree with me on this but I am certain that God made you and me female for a purpose and as soon as you catch on that understanding and then your purpose, you will be proud to be the King’s princess. The princesses are precious. Did you know that fathers more often than not, pamper their daughters a little more and maybe love them a little more too? You and I are His princesses and are very dear to our father.

When you don’t know who you are, you want to be everyone else and end up as nobody. You lose your identity, confidence and self respect; and then other people treat you badly too. You fight for roles that are not yours thereby leaving your own role unoccupied making it available to someone else. Sadly, you can never fit perfectly into another person’s role so you seem to loose on all sides. Woman, God is calling us to be who He made us to be and to take back all that the enemy as stolen from us. He wants us to be vessels of honor meet and ready for the master’s use.

God has always worked with women. In these last days, He is again looking for women that He can work with: women, who are also willing to work with Him hence the Woman Cry Out Prayer Conference holding at the Oakwood Protea Hotel close to GTbank and also near Chevron along the Lekki/Epe Expressway, Lekki on Saturday 22nd October, 2011 from 9am prompt to 2pm.

This is the third Woman Cry Out conference since inception. We have two such meetings every year and this is the last one for this year. From the testimonies we have heard, it is a life changing experience. Women gather in the presence of God and leave very different from the way they came. All women are invited, young and middle aged, old, married and unmarried, working and full time housewives. Wherever you are at, whoever you are, God shall be waiting to meet with you on that day just like He was waiting for the woman at the well of Samaria.

Please come so that together, we may be blessed. We look forward to seeing you.

Do You Want To Go Back To 'Egypt'?

Captivity is a terrible thing but what is worse is for someone who has been set free to prefer and long for life in captivity. Captivity is so limiting and puts you under absolute control of the person and/or personality that holds you captive. The best of your days are only to the extent that He allows. It appears that the most grievous impact it makes on the slave is the latent desire to become like the slave master. To live like you saw your master live; as far as you know, it is the best life anyone can ever live.

Ephesians 2: 2-3b – You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil – the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way.

It is sad for a person who has been set from a life of sin by reason of the shed blood of Jesus to long for and prefer the life in slavery: to idolize the lifestyle of the slave and exalt it above any other. This is what appears to be happening to the church today. I wonder how God feels when people who have been believers for ages and served Him faithfully suddenly begin to look back at their lives before they came to Christ and begin to love and admire it and to talk about it in a way that leaves you wondering if they want to return to it. My question is this – if it was so good in captivity, why did you come to Christ who never compels anyone to come to Him.

Ephesians 2: 13 – “Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.”

This is the story of the Israelites as they journeyed into the Promised Land. They kept longing for all they had in Egypt. Every time they hit a difficulty, they didn’t desire a change in the circumstance, they just longed for what they had in Egypt until they “longed” enough for God to get totally dissatisfied with them. Clearly, they wanted liberty but they thought it would leave them in their comfort zone which was Egypt. What they knew about life and liberty was the life that their masters lived but God was calling them to a life higher than what they had and they were too short sighted to see.

Ephesians 4: 18 – 19a “Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against Him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure”

Remember Lot’s wife who became a pillar of salt for looking back to Sodom and Gomorrah. Let us face it; life there had become terrible for them in Sodom and they wanted to be set free. The culture they longed for was not that of Sodom so why did she look back? Did the life of sin appeal to her? Was she short-sighted and refusing to look beyond what she knows to what God was about to open up in front to her? Was she blinded?

These are the questions we need to ask ourselves today? If your life in the world was wonderful, why then did you get born again? You can’t have the best of both worlds but the world that is before you, the one that God presents is a great one so why don’t you stop looking back and longing for the life your masters lived? You can’t live that life in Christ. You can’t import that culture into this new life in Christ.