The Alternative
Many Christians are forced to question their faith in God in the face of injustice. They wonder why the Lord does not intervene sooner. Many demands change before they cross the line of no returns. That line is revenge.
Injustice can destroy a man’s life and all his existence. Injustice can create the worst or perhaps a monster out of a good person. Injustice can cause a believer to sin against the Almighty.
When the enemies keep maintaining the upper hands, they can settle within their minds that they are doing the right things. They hold on to that mentality that nothing can happen to them. In fact, it is not surprising to see or hear the adversaries justify their evil acts through quoting the words of God.
David could have killed Saul when those chances arose. However, David was a good man with a kind heart. It is no surprise he is referred to as the ‘man after God’s own heart’.
Christ does not say the Christian journey will be a smooth one. But he promised to always help us in time of troubles (John 14:1, John 17:15). Also He assures us not to take revenge for ourselves (Romans 12:19).
It is by far relaxing when God takes over your situation than when you choose to handle it on your own. This is the alternative; to step aside from the wrongs people did to you and let Jehovah fight for you.
You may carry out the revenge and not gain anything from it. You may ended up being frustrated than ever or even ended up with deeper troubles for this. But when God takes over, He does not do any uncomplicated jobs because He will finish it thoroughly (1 Samuel 31:2).
Only way to let Him is first for you to STOP talking about it. Pray to the Lord. Open your heart to Him. They step away completely. Be rest assured He will take over after giving you His peace that surpasses all human understanding.
Be blessed !
When To Say Goodbye
The word ‘family’, resonated throughout my childhood. I was taught to eat together in the same bowl with my five siblings. I was dressed us in uniformed attires with my siblings. We went to church as one. We did practically all of those things family members do. This was a way to create an atmosphere of oneness.
However, doing things together does not imply have a united relationship. It was easier to maintain happy surroundings when the children were young. But it becomes more of an uncomfortable and uncontrollable dilemma when they are adults.
Having a large family comes with lots of disadvantages than advantages. Joseph (Genesis 37:4) and David (1 Samuel 16:11) are vivid examples of this. This is by no means to dissuade anyone from growing his or her family as desired.
The point is, what constitutes a safe family relationship? Do you have to live together forever in order to make things work? Sometimes, many people have to turn their backs on their family members (or perhaps friends) before they came have a lifetime breakthroughs (Genesis 12:1, Ruth 1:16-17).
Whosoever does not make you strong will literally makes you weak. It is not as if your family members are bad or perhaps this may be the case for some people. Oftentimes , there has to be a wide gap for your wellbeing and spiritual development. Abraham might have well stayed in Haran. Ruth had the choice to return to her family. Although his own history was unsettled from the onset, Joseph was taken away to be protected from his hostile environment.
You must leave when God says you have to. You cannot decide otherwise unless you want to remain at the cruise level. The journey to success comes with lots of lessons, some of them are not comfortable. God does not move you away from among others without a perfect plan elsewhere waiting for you.
James and John would have missed been part of the chosen twelve disciples had they preferred their fishing business. Instead, these sons of thunder (Mark 3:17) opted for a better position knowing that they have to suffer for the sake of Gospel of Christ.
Did all these people regret?
May God help us!
Talk To God
I met a beautiful lady last year during a five-day conference on disability at a Methodist church in Raleigh. We got on right from the start! Ours was a friendship like biological sisters, except of course, it was brief.
One day, I was discussing something personal with her when she cut me short and said, “Talk to God.” Have you ever talked to God? She added. It hit me! First I thought she meant praying to God.
“No,” she explained. “You don’t raise your hands towards the heaven, close your eyes and start saying, “Holy Father in heaven I thank you, I blessed you and all that stuffs.” That’s too formal!”
When she was through with me, I realised God desires a friendship with us and not a rigid approach from us. Many of us are too fixed on the conventional platform of prayer that we do not create the atmosphere of informal relationship with the Almighty.
Do you have a boyfriend, girlfriend, father, mother, child(ren), wife, husband, closed colleague, mentor(s), or many more? How do you communicate with them? The way you interact with your family members and friends is not the exact way you will with your boss or customers. This is because you do not know them 100% or share your personal life with them.
It is exactly the same family relationship or friend relationship that God wants from you. Besides, He knows you even before you were born[Psalm 139:16]!
Change how you pray throughout this New Year. Rather, practice talking to God everywhere you are. You don’t have to bother whether you’re doing it right or wrong. There’s no perfect way to communicate with Jehovah. You can choose to go crazy like Gideon [Judges 6:17] and ask Him for signs. But don’t doubt Him like Thomas [John 20:25-26]. You can choose to write poems to Him like David wrote some of the Psalms.
Talk to Him when you go out running.
Talk to Him in the gym
Talk to Him when you’re taking the children to school or taking them home.
Talk to Him in the middle of your board meetings.
Talk to Him when you get confused about your research.
Talk to Him in the shower, in your toilet, on the bus, in your kitchen, when you sad or happy, when you are meditating or among the crowd.
It does not have to be aloud. Think of Hannah [1 Samuel 1:13] and you will master the art of whispering to God. As a matter of fact, talking to the Lord should be a one-to-one affair.
Don’t stop talking to God! He loves it!
The Delibrate Sin
Immediate gratification only yield instant results. After that, nothing else. Money is good. I recommend it. Living a prosperous life is okay. I am happy for that.
However, when a Christian fails to understand the difference between a one-off gratification and a permanent blessing, his or her life will end up in continuous turmoil.
One African proverbial saying is that, “What a man loves much and cannot part from it, is what will ended up killing him.”
To declare being a born-again Christian and still fails to learn to say a big No, in diverse faces of temptation is detrimental to one’s relationship with God.
Lot wanted the best of the lands. He got it. In addition, he received many troubles with it. Jacobs desired his brother’s firstborn blessings. He had it BUT he added years of destructive forces into his life. David wanted a woman so badly that, for one moment in his life he forgot God, and killed a man just to have her. We all know the results. David, the man after God’s own heart, paid terribly for shedding innocent blood.
What do you want to have by all means that you know is contrary to the will of God?
Don’t Think Once!
Don’t Think Twice!!!
Think THRICE!!!
May the Holy Spirit helps you.
A Kind of Man
Many people do not understand why they are different from the others in their world. For some, it may be their disabilities. For others, it may be a sense of being uglier. For another, it could be the fear of being worthless.
Thus, they eventually develop the repeated circles of soul-searching simply to seek the best answer. Oftentimes, in these soul-searching techniques, they forget about thinking in the line connected to God and rather focus on thoughts that further bring them lots of depression, troubles and unnecessary anxiety.
Perhaps, the question here ought to be; “who is ugly or disabled or worthless in the eyes of the Almighty Jehovah?
My answer is, No one!
God created man in His Own Image [Genesis 1:27]. Therefore, the Holy Spirit does not see the ugliness or the disability or the worthless when He settles in the life of a man. Jesus Christ did not care about the disfigured face of any man when He offered His salvation. The Heads of the Trinity see only the man in us. This is the uniqueness and until you get to embrace it, trust me, you will have a long journey of issues.
John, the Baptist was a special man who loved his life as he was. He never searched for the means to modify his life. He was comfortable. And God used him that way.
No judgment. No condemnation. No rejection.
Make God First before anything
New Year, New Beginning.
New Year, beautiful plans. What would happen if God was not part of our plans? Where would that lead us? Into chaos, of course.
Either God becomes our priority and everything other things fall into place, or we are living in total illusions.
Take one more minute to think of how peaceful and assured life will be when we first of put God as the Source of our everything in this year. We then do not have to worry about everything else.
Be blessed!
