In a Specific place at a Specific time

‘But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from being in the presence of the Lord [as His prophet] and went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish [the most remote of the Phoenician trading places then known]. So he paid the appointed fare and went down into the ship to go with them to Tarshish from being in the presence of the Lord [as His servant and minister].’
Jonah 1:3 (AMP)

I have no doubt you knew the story of Jonah. God sent him (Jonah) to go and proclaim against Nineveh for its wickedness. Instead Jonah did the opposite. He fled, running away from God.

Jonah’s story is such that it lingers on forever and forever in the mind of every
believer. Even children knew about Jonah as they’ve read from the children’s bibles, TVs and Sunday schools.

However Jonah’s story is a peculiar one. Just as Jonah, himself is an historical personality. There is no doubt that Jonah did not have complete understanding of God’s sovereignty. The bible says that Jonah fled. This is very significant. It was obvious that Jonah did not fully know that God is omnipresent. In his head, he
felt God is just in a specific place at a specific time. He failed to see
clearly in his spiritual opinion to know that God is everywhere. Why in the
first place did Jonah decided to hide from God?

Jonah believed God will not be able to stop him if he runs away. He thought if he goes as far as Tarshish that God will stop bothering him about going to proclaim
against Nineveh.

I would like you to know that Jonah was not the only prophet in the days of Nineveh.
God could have called His other faithful ones to carry out his instructions. However God called on Jonah. The Lord chose Jonah.

How many times you have heard God’s callings upon your life but ignored them? How many times have you run away like Jonah in your bids to avoid serving God? How many times have you concluded in your mind that you are not suitable for pastoral services simply because you, first of all, want to follow your own heart?

There were no airplanes or space jets in the days of Jonah so I bet you must have been thinking of opting for the faster transport alternatives that you can use to
flee from God. For you to think you can run or avoid God’s calling upon your
life is like toying with the unthinkable. God chooses you because He loves you.
He chooses you because He alone knows what’s best for you. You should be the
happiest person knowing that you’re counted worthy of the service of God. You
need to ask yourself what’s so special in you that make God to pick you out
among the trillion of Christians on earth.

At the end Jonah ended up obeying God and because he did, God’s wrath was lifted off Nineveh. The city and its people genuinely acknowledged their sins, and asked God for forgiveness. And God forgave them.  In the same way you will be saving uncountable lost souls when you do what God calls you to do.

Do not bother thinking you can run from God. It’s a waste of time and energy because if you do, He will find you out! And you will still have to obey His callings.
So why not obey! Remember there is no one who has the audacity and the power to
hide from God. Even Satan cannot.  It’s impossible!

Come and I will show you who I am

 ‘Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye,
tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.’ Deuteronomy
19:21 (NIV)

My city is one of the places where it’s been said several times that those driving there
should go back to driving school to learn how to drive properly. Is it those
that are fond of passing the red traffic light without caring about other
people’s lives? Is it about those who overtake even when the speed kilometre is
maximised at 50? Is it about those who prefer to get engross in telephone
conversation while driving at the same time? I wonder how they will be able to
concentrate on the road!

I was driving out to work this morning, thinking out my plan for the day. I noticed
another car right behind me; and in front of me was a motorbike. We, the trio,
were driving at 50 kilometres. It was obvious we were not violating any rules.

All of a sudden I noticed a car overtook the other car behind me and was going to do the same with me, believing that my front was clear. Unfortunately a minibus was
coming on the other side. So this car was in trouble as it cannot come to my
front without hitting off the man on the motorbike. At the same time it was
just too tight to fit in between me and the motorbike.

I had to step so hard on my brake that I felt every nerve in my body rose to life. I
counted my lucks that I had on my safety belt. I was shocked. I could have had
an accident or whatever. Thousands of thoughts ran through my head at that time
and I just realising that this driver was a very careless person. I mean
someone who never cares about safety.

So I followed him. I honed so hard and continued to follow him. I bet he was afraid
or lost. I made up my mind to attract the police with my action so that this
man can pay for what he did. At a point when we got to a stop, I picked my
phone and snapped his plate number. That was when he stopped and came out,
walking to me. I winded down my glass and listened to his desperate voice.

He kept proving he did nothing wrong even when he returned to his car. As for me I had taken his vehicle matriculation number and I had made up my mind to alert the
police. When we reached another roundabout we spotted the Police on patrol. I
slowed down with the intention of going to them. Then I saw the driver of that
car sped off and what I saw was just pure fear. He was a man but he was not man
enough.

I got to the police and one of them was smiling infectiously, waiting for me to talk.

That was when I heard an inner voice warning me to let it go. I felt the heat inside me died out and a kind of empty space was left behind. I knew I was just told it’s
not my duty to get this man into trouble. I knew what awaits him if I had gone
to the Police. He will either lose his points or whatever. Maybe he’s got no
driving license at all!

I smiled back at the police, who now had a puzzled look, before I drove off. By the time I got to my destination whatever resentment I’d felt earlier for this careless
driver had gone. I was curious when I discovered all I felt for his was
compassion. It is easier to get him into trouble but what about pardoning him?

Living a life where everything is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth or a deed for a
deed is not the life of Christ. We are to forgive, to let go and to get rid of
any memories that can hinder our relationship with God. God is love. The kind
of love He has for us is incomparable and if we want to emulate Him, then we
should be ready to forgive without holding anything back in our hearts.

People will hurt us. Friends will make us mad. Family members will deliberately step on our nerves. Colleagues will even betray our confidences. Strangers will spat on our faces. The good news is we’ve got the power to love. The driving force of the
love of God is so strong that if we embrace it willingly we will have peace
with God and with people in our worlds.

If we feel we cannot forgive then let us pause and think of Jesus Christ who freely gave His life so that we might have life, and have it more abundantly. That will
help us to forgive and let go.

How to get to your last Bus-Stop

‘For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.’ (Ecclesiastes 1:18 ASV)

There are several accounts of king Solomon’s relationship with Queen of Sheba though the bible only noted their meeting. One account stated that both of them had sexual relationship. As for the latter, personally I am in doubt about this.

These two had two things in common; they were powerful and wise. They had their peculiarities. With all their wisdom, especially that of King Solomon, he ended up realising his limits.

One thing about Life is that the more a man knows, the more he would love to know. A man wants to know more. He is never satisfied with his level of knowledge. A man wants to be perfect. He desires to be the best, to be above all and all. A man wants to be in charge of everything. He wants to rule the world! He wants to control and does not want to be controlled in return.

If you look at the society, what you will notice is the speed at which individuals are battling against one another all in the bid to win the others over. Giant companies are competing and cheating, and pirating and copying one another in the struggle for power. Politicians are attacking themselves through destructive means.

And the question that will pop into your mind is, WHY?

You should not be surprise because by nature, human being is never contented with single achievement. It is not his fault. It is his nature.

However there is a price attached to every achievement. Nothing in this life is free except Salvation. To get to the top, a man must work hard until he bleeds. To remain slim, a woman must exercise and eat with detailed care. To be a medical doctor, a man must first study medicine. To be a good policeman, a man must go for training. To be a good businessman, a man must learn to master how he handle his money and work tirelessly.

The problem is, a day will come when there will be a final FULL-STOP. This is the day when a man dies. That day he will not carry all his wealth with him to his grave. He will not have his Phd degree in his pocket when he meet God because there is not job requirement in heaven. He will not have his wife lying with him inside his coffin telling him to throw away that packet of cigarette in his hand.

King Solomon understood this predicament of a man when he wrote, ‘I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.’ (Ecclesiastes 1:14 ASV)

Therefore, I’m here to remind you not to forget your salvation no matter what you do. Put God first before any other things. Do not honour another man in the place God. When it is finished for you, it means it is finished for you. Remember your life is like chapters in a book; as you have a beginning, so also you have an end. Death is inevitable and the earlier you accept this, the better for you.

So live your life doing good. Eat well. Sleep well. Worship God non-stop. Preach Christ in all your endeavour, live in harmony with people, do not be lazy, be contented with what you have and work hard if you must BUT don’t get involved in crooked actions.

Above all, never stop praising God every second of your life. He deserves it!

The Shame that flushes your face

‘Wherefore, if meat causeth my brother to stumble, I will eat no flesh for evermore, that I cause not my brother to stumble.’ (1 Corinthians 8:13 ASV)

Christianity is not a joke. To keep on living the true life of believer, it requires constant doings such as praying, reading the bible, attending church services, serving God in every way and most importantly, preaching God in whatever you do.

If your life as a child of God is questionable then there is a problem. The only question people should be asking you is, how we know your God? But when people start saying, ‘Are you truly a Christian? then you need to cross-examine your life.

Your family members should be the first people to benefit from your Christian life. It should your utmost goal to ensure that they, too get to know Christ and accept Hm as their Lord, and personal saviour.

If Christianity is all about food and drink then there is no need to promote Christ because it is needless. On the other hand, christianity is life. Christianity is not religion. It is simply extreme liberty from sins and guilt. It is about ensuring the continuity of other believers in their salvation. It is about solidifying what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross.

Thus be very careful. Be cautious of every step you take. Let your speech, your gestures, your way of dressing, your attitude and your movement reflect presence of Jesus Christ. Be conscious of to how you lead others to God. Do not be their blocking stone. Instead be the one who will successfully lead them to Christ. Watch the way you talk. Do not let it be said that it is through you that that person fell out of the grace of God. Do not stand in their way of salvation. Do not use the name of God to deceive people into helping you financially.

Remember if your actions, if your character and if your life is not promoting God, then please change it so that you will not cause the other Christains to fall from their righteous paths. Imagine the dirty shame that will flush your face upon realising you were the one who let others stumbled from following God!

God bless you.

Who slapped you last night

‘And Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army against army.’ (1 Samuel 17:21 ASV)


Life and it’s abundance never come without a price. We pay for everything with or without our awareness. We spend energy when we walk, when we eat, when we work, when we talk, and even when we sleep because at that point in time we depend only on our breathe to keep us alive.

Apart from paying, we also have things that tend to work against us. Things or people that we may be aware of or not. Often we ask ourselves why we’ve got this sickness, why these persons hate us for no reason, why we cannot have the best we want, why others do not see us the way we feel we are.

We believe, personally that we deserve the best that life has to offer. We believe we are perfect. We believe that no else is like us and that we are geniuses.

One of the most annoying discoveries is that we do not expect to have enemies. What we have failed to understand is that there is no one on this Earth without someone or something working against him.

It is very sad BUT it is the bitter truth. We all have individual enemies and these do not necessarily have to be human beings. Like I stated before, enemies can come in form of terminal sicknesses, spiritual forces, inner struggles, depression, psychological traumas. Also without knowing, we can be OUR OWN ENEMIES!

God, too has His enemies. Satan is God’s number one enemy. Jesus Christ had countless enemies during His Earth ministry. Prophet Elijah had serious problems with Jezebel. Hannah’s closest enemy was Peninah. David struggled for long with King Saul. Moses was not exempted from Pharaoh’s wrath. Do we know that likewise a new born baby has his own enemy? There are those who will not want the child to be born in the first place, I mean those who wouldn’t want the child’s mother to be pregnant at all, not to talk of giving birth.

However there is GOOD NEWS!!!

There is nowhere in this world that it is known that DARKNESS ever triumph over the LIGHT. It does not matter the length of time, the LIGHT always overcome in the end. God remains forever GOD and unbeatable because He is GOD. Satan keeps trying but he always fail. He knew he is a failure who will never succeed but because of his pride, he does not want of give. And we know that the end of pride is destruction.

Just as the Israelites had victory over the Philistinians so also we will have victories over our enemies in Jesus name. We knew we wrestle not just with mere human being but also against spiritual evil forces. Where God intervenes, there is no evil forces that will not perish.

This is why we must not lose hope. We must never give up. We must maintain our confession in Christ Jesus. We must keep on believing. We must strengthen our faith in God through our earnest prayers and thanksgiving knowing without any single doubt that God will lift us, and help us win the battle against our enemies.

How to be God’s Bestsellers…

 

‘To make it your ambition and definitely endeavour to live quietly and peacefully, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we charged you,’ 1 Thessalonians 4:11 (AMP Bible)

 

Throughout my entire life I have noticed that the best way to avoid trouble is to live in quietness and peace. I am not saying this is that easy but I strongly recommend it.

That we, Christians, live in this unpredictable world where things change constantly is just enough reason for us to be fully conscious of how we live our lives.

The truth is we are the most vulnerable. Our Faith is tested every seconds and we have no choice than to keep cross-examining our paths.

For this and many reasons we need to be careful about what we do. We must avoid meddling in other people’s affairs. What are not our own businesses, should not be our own problems. If we cannot stay in our houses but keep jumping into our neighbours’ flats like restless children then where is the presence of God in our lives?

If we are in the habits of gossiping about our colleagues, our friends, our neighbours, our church members, or strangers, are we promoting Christ in our dealings?

Who can come to attack us or accuse us of wrongdoings if we stay away from meddling into other people’s lives? Who can curse us and curse God at the same time if we truly prove we are children of God by our conducts?

Let the unbelievers see God in us. Let them turn to God as results of our lives. Let us not be the accursed ones whose attitudes push people farther away from establishing fixed relationship with the Lord.

To think that manna will fall from heaven to feed us is absolutely unacceptable. Why did God gave us the strength, the wisdom, the knowledge and abled bodies? He wants us to fend for ourselves. He detests laziness. Jesus Christ worked to earn His living when He was on earth. He did not wait for any man to feed Him. Apostle Paul worked to cater for himself. Abraham was very industrious and was one of the richest men of his time. Peter was a fisherman. Moses worked. King David worked. Mary, the mother of Christ worked. There were no men and women of God in the biblical age that did not work. They did not just sat down and waited for God to feed them. They toiled and made their livings from their handiwork.

God is charging us to do the same. Please work we must. Never depend on another man to feed us, to clothe us, to cater for us, to lodge us, to give us pocket monies. Let us glorify God with the work of our hands so that He can bless us abundantly.

What Happen when God is missing?

‘Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge]’ Galatians 5:23 (AMP Bible)

Why do we have the law? Why do we have the police patrolling the street? Why do we have curfew? Why do we have justice? All these are simply because we have crimes, often worst crimes.

Jesus Christ taught us against disobeying our authorities. That because we are Christians do not mean we are free from respecting our societal laws. We are not above the law so long we live here on earth.

As Christians we have the obligation to live in humility and self-control. We must not forget the commandments of God that instruct us to show the image of Christ in us. And what is the image of Christ? It is LOVE.

Where there is love, there is humility. There won’t be anything like pride or envy or jealous or barbaric attitudes.

Humility is required if as Christians we must maintain our salvation. We needn’t show off our wealth as if it so precious to us than the gospel of Christ within us. We must embrace humility in all we do, in our lives, in our dealings with people and wherever we find ourselves. We won’t go far if we listen to the pride urging us to do wrong things. We won’t excel in our relationship with God if we feel we are above His divine laws. We won’t be able to convince unbelievers of the Grace of God upon our lives if we live in the same ways as criminals.

If people cannot distinguish us from the wayward people whose attitudes are far from purity, then what certitude have we got to declare that indeed we are children of God? If we cannot control the rude ways we talk to people, if we dress up in exposing ways, if we indulge in unlawful and dirty business dealings, are we truly elevating the existence of God?

When we allow humility to take charge of the ego in us, we are totally given Christ the maxima positions in our lives.

Let us examine ourselves, can we boldly hit our chests and affirm, without any inner reproach that, indeed we are Christians? Have we asked ourselves, what will happen when God is missing in our lives?

Too much of everything

‘For man’s anger does not promote the righteousness God [wishes and requires].’ James 1:20 (AMP Bible)

We just welcomed in a six-month old kitten and our seven-year old cat found it difficult to accept the new one. For days, it ran outside and only comes in to eat. This is a cat that is used to staying indoors and sharing our bed at times. However things changed all because of this new kitten.

Instead of us to come together, to sort out the best way to make peace between the two, we ended up confronting each other. We failed to come to term and it did not come too easy. I bet the cats must have stood afar or were listening to us from their hidden corners. We almost destroyed everything we’d worked for. We refused to listen to each other. We failed to agree. We, each, believed we are right while the other is wrong.

Days later we discovered the older cat returned home though maintaining some distances from the kitten. Life came back to normal. Then we sat down and retold our stories, trying to find out why we acted, angrily. We looked back, thinking of the consequences of what might have happened if we had not been able to control our anger. It ended well between us, because we acknowledged our faults and apologised to each other.

I cited this example because later during the following days as I reflected back to that small incident, I thought of how many people have allowed their emotions to ruin them. I thought of the level of destruction that anger brought into the lives of many happy couples. I thought of can happen what if these people had not given the chances to their feelings to rule them so that they were able to take charge of their situations.

There is no crime in getting angry. We are humans. We have feelings. We don’t just accept issues without us explaining why this or why that. We want to voice our thoughts. We believe that if those in our world pause to listen to us, it means we are being heard.

Too much of everything causes trouble, I mean, lots of trouble. Do we know that anger is so bad that it is capable of bringing us irreparable damages? Do we know that anger can lead us to losing our establish relationship with God? Do we know that we can turn around a failing situation if we can quickly repress our boiling anger?

Every time we feel the urge to explode, please let us remember the cross. Let us pause and think of the friendship that join us with the other person. Let us go out then and take a short walk in order to clear our heads before we return home to make peace. Let us always remember that God does not want us to lose what He has in store for us. He does not want us to be careless in our ways. He wants us to hold tight to our righteousness because our lives depend on it. Above all, let us masters the strong need for self-control.

May we not lose the kingdom of God as result of our uncontrollable anger in Jesus mighty name, amen.

 

 

 

 

Are you better off?

“As for the rich in this world, charge them not to be proud and arrogant and contemptuous of others, nor to set their hopes on uncertain riches, but on God, Who richly and ceaselessly provides us with everything for [our] enjoyment.” 1 Timothy 6:17 (AMP Bible)

A popular African proverb states that, ‘The world only knows a rich man.’ And to the best of my knowledge this is true.

Have you ever heard about the death of a common man? Were you ever being informed, in the newspaper, on the life of that destitute living by the roadside on your street? BUT you will be one of the first persons to know any recent events about the wealthy man living next door. You must have noticed how some of your church members are revered than the others and you would have known this is because of their affluent statues. The same goes for your colleagues and the people you rob shoulders with in your every-day life.

A man’s life, as far as our society is concerned, is defined by the amount of money he has in his pocket. However this is not the best. Must we respect some people more than the others because of their wealth?

God treats us, equally. He does not choose us based on our possessions. That some of us are better off than the others has nothing to do with the kingdom of God. We are one in God’s eyes. He loves us the way we are. He loves us individually and does not discriminate. His love for us is undivided irrespective of the level of education or the possession we’ve accumulated.

If we must flaunt our money then let us use it to help others. Use it wisely and not try to please everybody when you knew this is to your own discomfort. The best way is to help the orphanage, the homeless, the street children, the sick, the old ones, the handicaps, the mentally deranged and the poor parents. That a man is poor does not mean he should not work. God does not encourage laziness. In fact the Lord wants us to be hardworking and be productive.

It is a privilege to be rich. I encourage it because if we all are poor, how can we have a balanced society? How can we help one another?  Notwithstanding, putting our wealth first before God is a detriment to our salvation. The word of God warns us of the numerous dangers on this.

Let us not think that because we are rich that we are better off than the others. Let us not give pride and ego to destroy the sweet relationship we suppose to have with God. Let us not forget that Christianity is solely about equality and love.

 

That WOMAN in your life…who is she?

“Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals and his feet not be burned?” (Proverbs 6: 27-28)

When Esau discovered that his twin brother had deceived him, he knew that Jacob couldn’t have succeeded in doing this alone. Esau knew his brother’s weakness. He knew Jacob got help from Rebecca, their mother. Esau was stronger while Jacob was soft and tender. Esau was a man of the field while Jacob preferred to stay close to home. Just like normal twins the differences between these two were very outstanding. However it was not mentioned anywhere in the bible that Esau confronted their mother after the ‘blessing’ incident. He knew he dared not attack Rebecca.

Sarah understood the power of divine covenant when she insisted that her son, Isaac, must be the heir and not Ishmael. To ensure Isaac attained this position, Sarah drove Hagar and her son away.

Hannah knew the abundance of blessing behind fulfilling one’s oaths. She did not hesitated to give Samuel away to God under the custody of Prophet Eli. It was a determined move that earned her other biological children.

The rich Shunammite woman failed to accept defeat on her son’s death when she saddled her horse, and went in search of Prophet Elisha. She trusted God and got her son back, alive.

Bathsheba fought non-stop to secure her son’s position on the throne of Israel. Without her fierce efforts in getting access to the old King David, other children from the other wives would have succeeded the dying king.

Why am I citing all these examples?

If you search the bible from Genesis through revelation you will discover amazing histories of warrior-mothers. You will gradually come to understand that that woman in your life, I mean your mother, is not just there to as the baby-machine that produced you.

If you have not come to accept that your mother is more that she is to you, or that she is bigger than the way you look at her, or that she is a phenomena then I implore you to start now. She is there because she’s the one chosen to bring you into this world.

One of my deepest observations about mothers emerged from watching the relationship among men and their mothers. Have you not noticed how attached they are? That a man is married does not mean he will forget his mother. Men are so attached to their mothers, to that point that they often have conflicts with their wives.

The way you treat your mother will result in the way your life will be. It does not matter if she’s the worse mother on earth. If does not matter if she is a drunk, a prostitute, a drug addict or whatever. It does not matter if she’s too hard on you. It is not your role to condemn her. You can flee from her. You can dislike her. You can call her a witch who is blocking your progress. You can abuse her. You can even beat her up.

BUT remember, life is all about this = ‘WHAT GOES ROUND, COMES ROUND.’

Do not be shock when your children turn up as terrible criminals and send you to your earliest grave. There is no what if. The law of the Lord is clear and direct. In His ministry on earth, Jesus Christ never shouted on his mother. He never insulted her. He never hit her. He never looked down on her. Mary was there for him all the times.

Do not be a saint in your church and be a demon to your mother at home. Do not think you can be a renowned counsellor or a celebrity in your society while you are making life miserable for your mother. Do not be so ashamed of presenting your mother to your circle of friends and colleagues. Tell me, a pastor who told you that your mother is a witch and instructed you to run away from her, have you checked how the Pastor’s personal relationship is with his own mother?

For you to have peace with God, for you to have durable successes, for you to be the Christian that God has called you to be, for you to have your prayers answered without any hindrances, for you to look up boldly to your own child and give him instruction without him disobeying or causing you eternal agonies, then go and make peace with your mother.

Let me ask you = is your mother your best friend?  Is she your confidant? Or is she your dustbin? Is she your broom and slippers? Is she your invaluable treasure?

 

 

 

Where is God?


     “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Proverbs 16:7 (Amplified Bible)

King David was one great example of a man after God’s own heart. He was a fighter. He was resilient. He was outstandingly handsome and robust. He was everything; I mean the clear example of what masculine is all about. Biblical Joseph, the dreamer, is another. Out of nowhere and because of his wisdom he became the best help for Pharaoh and Egypt.

What about Jacob, the father of Joseph? What about Abraham? What about Hannah, the mother of prophet Samuel? What about Elijah, the prophet? What about those virtuous men and women of God who stood out among others?

These people had one thing in common – they did not toyed with their righteousness.

     A man is free to live his life as he wants. He has the rights to wake up or to go back to bed. He has the power to do and undo. He has the audacity to put things in places and to retrieve those things. However there are the laws, the physical laws that the societal authorities implemented. Thus a man, though he has the freewill to life, cannot go above these laws. If a man does not work, he will not be able to earn his living. He will be impoverished. If a man kills, he will be killed in return or jailed for life. If a man thinks he can fly over the roof to cause disturbances, there are the police who will come to arrest him.

So when as Christians we are living in such society as ours, we need not forget that we have the mission to always check out ourselves. Where is our righteousness? Have we dumped it in the dustbin? Are we living really for God or for our selfish means? Think of Abraham and Lot. If not for Abraham, God would have wiped out Sodom and Gomorrah without looking back. The Lord remembered Lot and did not destroy him along with the rest of the sinners in city.

It was not as if this men and women of God were 100% perfect. No! They had their personal weaknesses. David lusted after Bathsheba and paid for this, dearly. Samuel’s two sons were just as bad as Eli’s two sons. Jacob (also known as Israel) was a cheat who deceived his brother Esau. Peter denied Jesus Christ thrice. Apostle Paul (formerly known as Saul) hated the gospel with passion until the Lord trapped him. Remember Jonah who fled from God and spent days inside the belly of a giant fish. Think of Solomon who was incapable of distinguishing his relationship with God from his many idols-worshipping women and thus ended up sinning against God.

You can see that these people were just like you and I. However they did not turned away completely from God. They sinned. They acknowledged. They begged for forgiveness. They endured their punishments with humility. They were forgiven. And they stayed with God. As result of their commitment, God lifted them up. He fought for them. He made them powerful and raised them above their enemies. It got to a point in King Solomon’s life that he did not go out to war anymore because God gave him peace from his enemies. Even Abraham lived and ended his life without any chaos. Hannah got the chance she’d longed for when she gave birth to Prophet Samuel and many children afterward. Her rival at home no longer had the gut to mock her. Joseph’s brothers ended up making peace with him. In spite of his turbulent situations with King Saul, David, finally had peace and became the best king ever in biblical history.

Where is God? Is He still having the best place in your life? Have you pushed Him aside and hidden somewhere where you don’t have to think about Him? Are your ways pleasing to God because if they are, then you need not worry about who is against you or who is with you. Examine your life. Cross-examine your actions. Rethink if you must. You may have concluded you’re without sin until you sit down and have a thorough look at the way you’re living at the moment.

If you are genuine about your relationship with God, He will lift you up. He will take you higher than your wildest dreams. He will give you a new song of happiness that you have been battling to earn. He will make your adversaries to assist you in all your endeavours. It is your duty to maintain your righteousness; it is God’s duty to prove His greatness to you.

 

Peace

 

 

WHERE THE GRACE COMES IN

      “ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” (Romans 7:15 NIV)

There is no perfect person. When referring to perfection, it requires severe training to achieve that. For a man to get to that point in his life when he is able to resist sinning then he’d gone through lots of hot stages. Even Apostle Paul, in this verse, explained his limitation. He was very committed to God and His law, and was known for his strictness. However there were times when Apostle Paul, himself, fought the fight against flesh.

We can confess being Christians. We can preach the gospel from dawn to dusk. We can fast non-stop. We can pray without end. However the times will come when we will be limited against our wishes, when we will find it so hard to resist temptation, when we will discover that our old selves are resurfacing and letting us commit sins against our intentions.

Just like Apostle Paul, we will never come to understand why we did what we did, why we acted that way, why we cursed, why we fought, why we quarreled, why we kept grudges, why we go back to purchasing that packet of cigarette and smoked, why we got drunk and slept in our vomits, why we cheated, why we stole, why we became promiscuous, why we did this, and why we did that…why…and so the lists go on.

If we keep on searching in our heads to find out why we did those this, believe me, we will never get the time to communicate with God. The only solution to keep us remaining strong in serving God is to ask for His Grace. Without the divine Grace we are helpless.

The Grace saves us. The Grace delivers us. The Grace prevents us. The Grace speaks for us. The Grace defends us. The Grace promotes us. The Grace lifts us. The Grace comforts us. The Grace encourages us. The Grace carries us. The Grace…Hallelujah! What a privilege that God gives us His Grace, freely!

So when you are about to be tempted, or on the verge of sinning, or committing any atrocities, call on the Grace of God. When you are in a difficult situation and you need help. Don’t forget the loving Grace of God. It’s all you need.

 

THE INTERPRETER OF DREAMS

      “Before I formed you in the womb I knew[a] you, before you were born I         set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” ( Jeremiah      1:5 NIV)

Dreams, like many people believe, are meant to be the pre-happenings of what will occur to us as individual. They’d concluded we are the products of our dreams, meaning what we dreamt of is what we will become.

Some attached so much importance to their dreams that when they wake up in the morning, they rush to jot down whatever transpired while sleeping.

Some also go to the extent of consulting the psychics to help them interpret their dreams.  And whatever these demon-possessed so-called psychics tell them is what these dreamers will react upon. They only tell you what they think you need to know. As long as what they tell you is good and make you happy then the deal is done.

It is great to dream dreams. I mean even the men in the biblical days dreamt, too.

However when we get to that point of relying upon mere human being like us to reveal what’s behind our night dreams, then we’ve drastically diverted from God’s ultimate direction.

Without being told twice or more, we know deep within our hearts that there is none like God. We know that no psychic can ever take the Lord’s place because no matter the length of time or days, this psychic will finish up his life and dies. BUT God does not die! I hope this is making sense to you.

God is the only one who can change the cause of your dreams. He can overturn the plan of the enemies you saw in your dreams and brings it to your best advantages. He can recreate your destiny, polish off your mess, and remodel your broken parts.

Instead of dwelling on your worst dreams and nurturing them to growth through your thought. Instead of wasting your energy as well as your money to contact a psychic to interpret your dreams, why not just cast your entire life unto God. Give him the chance to interpret your dreams.

It doesn’t matter how horrifying what you saw while asleep. You don’t have to worry or be afraid of whosoever threatened you in the dreams. God will interpret them all for your good. He knows you even before you were born. He’s the only one who’s capable of rewriting your destiny.

He is always there and here. Just pray to Him. He will change your dreams.

Let us Pray…

The Societal Poison

‘Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you;’ (Deuteronomy 6:14)

Society influence is what we’ve ignored as far as human understanding is concerned. We underestimate its power without taking conscious of the effects until it’s too late.

Around us, people do things that are unacceptable, things that we should be ashamed of if caught in it but somehow instead of us to correct these people, we, ourselves become entangle in the same act without any remorse.

And God is not happy with this. Moving from serving God to worshipping another god is religion prostitution. It means a so-called Christian has missed his way at that moment when he pushed aside God’s grace over his head and goes to serve his neighbour’s god.

We have one God and only Him you, and I must serve. Whatever god your neighbour(s) serves is none of your problem.

Be faithful to God and He will bless the work if your hands. Also He will give you successes in whatever you do.

And what happened or will happen if you neglect God and go to bow your head to your neighbour’s artificial god?

Well…you know the answer, already.

Peace.

The Grace of Giving

‘But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you[a]—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.’ (2 Corinthians 8:7)

There is a price attached to every act of faithfulness. No one who remains honest with another person loses. Being a true Christian is not restricted to following God. It equally brings you lots of blessings attributed to you.

Everything pertaining to you changed the moment you took that decision to forgo the sinful life and gave your life to Christ. That day you receive salvation; that is a new life fully devoted to God and His kingdom, likewise you are given knowledge to discern, power to overcome, authority to make things work plus eternal life.

By possessing all these beautiful gifts from God, you are empowered and prospering starts embracing you, continuously.

Thus by your faithfulness to God, your life becomes positive and you are rich, but is it just fine by God that you should keep all the wealth He blesses you mainly for yourself?

A grace to give is inside of you. So you must give. There is no excuses whatsoever that you should be a tight-fist.

It is in your giving that the name of God is forever known and appreciated.

So pray to God, asking Him to give you the strength and the joy in the grace of giving so that your passage on the earth will be for nothing.

Peace