The Wrong Fear

A tiny invisible virus brought the world to a standstill in the same way David brought Goliath to his feet. Even the wealthiest people on earth bowed to order of locking themselves indoors.

Our perspectives are changing from how we used to take things for granted, to how we are going to learn to appreciate life more than anything else.

There is no moment than this present time for us to choose our camp in preparation for the shifting because, by the end of this year, no one will be left out of the impacts of the ongoing pandemic. Furthermore, the effect (s) may be individual or collective.

How it will affect every one of us will be based on what we hold on to. Do we hold to the fear of the unknown or the fear of God? The Bible says Jesus Christ prayed for us (John 17:20-23). That’s a robust assurance that He will never hide His face from us irrespective of the situation.

Shalom

The Pain of Others

From January until now, the world descended slowly into the shadow of itself. What many thoughts was only the ‘Chinese business’, is now everyone’s business.

Amid this trouble are scammers who prefer to take advantage of the situation to hurt others. They drain the most vulnerable of their incomes by selling protective accessories at exorbitant prices. We hear of sales of masks or hand sanitisers about ten times their reasonable prices.

When you hear that you wonder what happened to the fear of God? After all, not everyone believes Jehovah exists. Nonetheless, feeding upon the pain of others is a sin. The Bible says God will neither forsake nor abandon the most vulnerable, and these are not just the elderly, those with disabilities or children. Some people are vulnerable as well because they are sensitive and fraudulent folks understand this.

Anything earned at the expenses of the pain of others is never a source of durable blessing. Do you ask why calamities are never far from many? It takes only a few minutes of digging into their lives to understand they have caused so much damaging in many people’s lives.

May the Lord Almighty help us.

A Curse in the Time of Sorrow

Shimei cursed David in the latter’s time of sorrow and thought he could get away with it. No one attacks the Lord’s Anointing and believe he or she will be spare. Likewise, the Holy Spirit is grieved when anyone deliberately inflicted pain to others. The end of Shimei was a sad story (1 Kings 2:46).

In the wake of the Covid-19, there are numerous cases of public display of maltreatment, stigmatisations and verbal abuses levelled against the Chinese in France. Some Asians who are not even Chinese were not spared the brunt of the aggression. Then, much French thought they are safe in Europe and far away from being contaminated.

I took a solid stand to defend them for many reasons. First, as a Born-Again Christian, I understood the message of Christ, knowing there should never be such in my life. Second, as a business person who deals with Chinese businesses. Part of my solidarity was a public display of affection for the Chinese in my neighbourhood.

A few months later, France became one of the worst-hit European countries battling Covid-19. As the doctor said, “The virus has no passport.” Through human movements, it transported itself freely without any constraints into Europe. Some of those who died or infected with the virus are inevitably part of those who partook in negative labelling of the Chinese earlier this year.

Any lessons learned? Absolutely! What goes around comes around. My mother is fond of saying that when you point one finger at someone, the remaining nine fingers are yours. I advise everyone to desist from name-calling people impacted by the virus. It is a sin and Jehovah will not spare anyone who causes pain to others in a moment like this. Do not be the Shimei of our time. Show mercy! Do not be a curse in this time of sorrow.

Shalom.

The Colour of Reflection

There are different colours of worship. Some can be painted in blues (complete irresistible occupation of the entire body), and come in white (pure, calm and collected). Whatever the colour might be, all of them serve one purpose, and that is recognition of Jehovah’s presence as the Light in the life of the believers.

However, there is another form of worship that is deeper than that. I call it the colour of reflection. Such is the ability to sit in quiet spaces to analyse on the ever-present power of God without tendering any personal request. A spiritual state of examination is profound than mere meditation. It is a worship that transcends human capacity to that steep of acknowledgement of the existence of God above all things. Frequently, observing this brings to consciousness the simplest miracles of God one fails to notice before and aid in establishing a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit.

When must one execute? The answer is now. At such a time as this is when every sincere Christian ought to paint the colour of reflection to reignite their faith in Christ.

Shalom

Be A Revival

Through the blaze, and the flame,

In the hurricanes and the unexpected flooding,

When it seems all roads are obstructed, and the world is swirling around so fast.

When uncertainty appears to have acquired wings bigger than the human statures, and the gospel of anxiety litter the streets of humanity;

In all these, Jehovah remains the same.

If there is any perfect time to bring unbelievers to Christ, then that time is now. Be the revival, exhibiting the love, comfort, compassion, and the kindnesses of God to those in your world.

People need God, and they need Him NOW. You MUST stand in the gap and tell them the mercies of the Almighty God has never failed.

Wake up and be the Revival.

Through It All…

There is no better time than this moment to readjust one’s perspective about the way we are used to situations. With the Covid-19, the world has come to a standstill; panic seems to be the order of the day. A look at the media outlet brings back nothing more than chaotic scenarios and thereby banishing the thoughts of fleeing to another country.

People are scared! No doubt about it that the majority of them, in particular, the most sensitive ones are living out their fears by their immediate reactions to the news about the Covid-19.

The question is, what happens after all these frenzies are over? After all, everything has an end to it irrespective of how long it takes? This is why, as Christians, our responses to this ongoing pandemic will determine how we will come out of it? We will get to that point at the end of this ordeal when we ask ourselves whether we have succeeded in helping others (fellow Christians or Non-Christians) through it all.

Let us cease from being part of the contributors to hate messages. Avoid joining others to talk about this pandemic unless we have to offer words of hope. Be the one to light a heart and not start a cry. Be supportive rather than instilling anxiety in others. It is advisable to shut up to avoid contributing farther to any unnecessary problems.

Shalom.

Light A Heart, Not A Cry

Covid-19 is testing human relationships. People are afraid of their neighbours, colleagues, and families.

Among all these people are the older ones. Many of them are in isolation. Some are loving with disabilities. Many do not have children or any close relatives. And some have children but have been abandoned by these children. Overall, the fate of the aged people is determined by the way we respond to them and their demands.

We must give them HOPE because, without it, the older ones among us are the ones who will suffer the most. Check on your elderly neighbours by phoning to them. Be kind to them. Finally, pray for them God’s Protection and Peace of mind that surpasses all human understanding.

Shalom

Heaven is Busy!

One of the reasons why Jehovah’s Kingdom is organised is because everyone is busy. Hardworking equals strict discipline and orderliness. The idle mind is an open door to troubles.

Do God’s Angels have time to gossip? Absolutely not, because they are so bust ”listening for each of His commands”, and therefore, they do not have the time to mess up. Besides, they are in the continual mood of worshipping the Almighty God.

Why not pause to remember these beautiful ones anytime you dare to procrastinate.

Shalom

Collective Heritage

The Lord does not forget those who genuinely care for Him.

Children obey the adults who show them the spirit of authority, but they will not listen to any adults who have exhibited acts of irresponsibility. Examples are seen when many parents say they are finding it difficult to control their children. Perhaps they ought to cross-check themselves to discover where they went wrong. A child who grew up hearing his parent employing filthy worlds in those conversations will likely end up emulating. The same goes for children with parents who smoke or drink a lot. Hence why we hear about pathological heritage and vicious cycle.

A better heritage than the above is the one every authentic Christian enjoys with Jehovah. The more he or she lives in direct accordance with God’s instructions, the more the light of the Almighty radiates nonstop in their life.

Shalom

Pray Today

The good thing about the media is they provide the channel for people to know what is going on either in the local or global. But the wrong side to them is how they are the author of fear and anxiety. This is why I don’t have any television sets in my house. Still, anytime I switch on my radio, the first five minutes are always the report concerning the latest ongoing situation.

Take the case of the Covid-19; it is obvious the contagious level of the media supersede that of the virus itself. In other words, the rate at which the media is reporting the pandemic shows that they aid in spreading fear rather than faith.

Therefore, a Christian should pray. Rather than joining the panic troops, prayer should be upfront. The devil is smart, the Christian is smarter, but God is most intelligent. Prayer protects from knowing the most fearsome horrors of the time. The Psalmist says, “He will hide me in his sanctuary (Psalm 27:5) “, “These evils will not touch me (Psalm 91:7)”. These statements of assurance are the emblems of Faith in God obtained via prayer.

Jesus prays, “I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one (John 17:15).” Thus, His promise still stands, but you can only touch them if you pray. Stop joking others in discussing the pandemic. Pray today because it’s never too late.

Instead, let to be a source of hope for you, for others and your community through your positivity outlook. And the only way you can develop such is through praying.

Shalom.

Women

We say solidarity; we mean friendship.

A friend is that person who will not mind going an extra length to help. It is said women are the builders and breakers of home, which partly is accurate. However, what has not been mentioned is who women can be detrimental to other women.

Take Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9), the adulterous woman (John 8:1-11), Rahab, the prostitute (6:25) and many other; these women differ in terms of their characters, career choices and actions. They have been scorned and rejected in times of needs by other women. The same goes on today where some women are happy to snatch their friends’ husbands, backbite one another and unsupportive of other women.

We hold the International Women’s Day, let us think about our roles as women and how we impacted our fellow women. Are we operating right in the will of God when we deal with these women?

Shalom.

Where Every Sin is Allowed

In this dark time, questions abound about life, in particular, the truth of what is expected of us as Christian. That we are in a critical moment is no doubt given the succession of weird occurrences. In the midst of this is one question regarding the way we live.

Many unpleasant things are happening that resonate well with the days of Noah. For instance, there are people among us who derive pleasure in having sexual intercourse with hens, goats and other animals. Some are convinced that the body God attributed to them is not their bodies and that they were born in another persons’ and thus, they must change their present bodies for them to be what they want to be. Apart from this, the list remains inexhaustible, and in all these, sin is allowed.

Sin is permitted because, without the help of the Holy Spirit, it is impossible to discern between the lying spirit and the truth. Per consequence, the justification for an act is regarded as the directive from Jehovah. We must remember that God does not create confusion.

Shalom

Can You Protect God?

When Jonathan went to war alongside his father and those soldiers, he went with two mission. The foremost is to protect his father, King Saul and the second is to ensure they win the wars to defend their kingdom. If the King died, the entire nation would be thrown out into turmoils until a suitable new king is capable of offering sanity.

Atheists, non-believers, and non-Christians are fond of in attributing, undeserving, unpleasant names to God. In this crucial moment of the CoVid-19 pandemic, many will find reasons to dishonour Jehovah without any remorse?

Do you just laugh when you hear people talk about God in ways that ought to make you uncomfortable? Or do you let them know that God is real, and you will do anything to lift Him higher? God must be protected like we dare to defend our biological fathers unless those who have done the unthinkable. The question is, can you protect God?

In this Time

Moments like these are when people exhibit their inner selves. A time like this period of a gradual global shift in terms of health issues, political and economic changes is a time that defines who one is right with or against.

Tomorrow is March, and already 2020 started in bad shape with the CoV-19 and records of severe weathers. While some people’s reactions were freaking out, some are pretentious to the point of behaving like nothing is happening.

Well, the truth is something is going on. Therefore, in this testing time is when we all need to show the love of Jesus Christ to the world. He did not flee from the leper, and so, we must not condemn the Chinese for being responsible for the pandemic. Pause for a second to think of their current suffering. Show love. Be kind to others. Be genuinely grateful for their life. Be modest. Be honest.

In this time, post the message of compassion, love, and commitment to lighting the word of God in people’s lives.

Above all, let us pray for them, for our friends and family, and above all for ourselves.

Shalom