When the Undesirable Happens….

Ezr 4:4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building.

Ezr 4:5 And they hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.



Ezr 4:23 And when the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they hurried to Jerusalem to the Jews, and made them stop by force and power.

Ezr 4:24 Then the work of the house of God at Jerusalem ceased. So it ceased to the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.



Yeah, sometimes the wicked do prevail, our weaknesses do cripple us, situations and circumstances overwhelm us, we experience regression instead of progression, darkness instead of light, hopelessness instead of hope….and so many times we fail at encouraging ourselves to continue (as David did-1 Sam 30:6)

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And don't for a moment think it is when we go our own way or when we are in error, but sometimes just as in the passage quoted above (Ezra 4:1-24), we see that our genuine and spiritual progress get halted.

Did it just start? No! The 3 hebrew children experienced that when they refused to bow to the god of Nebudchadnezzar (Daniel 3:13-23); and Job also experienced it (Job 1:12-19; 2:1-8). If we think it is because the Holy Spirit was not around and the manifestation of his power has not been made known, then you will be surprised to know that even so many Apostles died horrible deaths, faced grave dangers, and circumstances that can make us lose our minds (Hebrew 11:35b-39).

While I cannot tell you why God would let His work be stopped, His anointed suffer in the hands of evil and wicked men and allow circumstances and situations to overwhelm us (I lack the capacity to do that), but I can tell you two things I know for sure- without any doubt:

1. God is with you all the way-

Isa 43:1 But now so says Jehovah who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel; Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.

Isa 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; nor shall the flame kindle on you;

2. God will take care of YOU

Psalm 55:22

(CEV) Our LORD, we belong to you. We tell you what worries us, and you won't let us fall.

(ERV) Give your worries to the LORD, and he will care for you. He will never let those who are good be defeated.

(GNB) Leave your troubles with the LORD, and he will defend you; he never lets honest people be defeated.

(GW) Turn your burdens over to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will never let the righteous person stumble.


These are sure words we can live our lives on. It has never failed and it will never fail. By it the heavens and the earth were made and it is TRUE. God is with us all the way, and He will take care of us.


Shallom.

Be Reminded….

Large scale farming has not always been as we know it today. Nowadays we call it mechanized agriculture or commercial farming and so on but several hundred years ago it definitely was not like this and the aforementioned names never existed. Now it is driven machines, then it was oxen (yoke). Was it effective? Yes, in its own small way but never in the magnitude that we have today…



The above exposition bear some semblance to the work of God in our lives. Over four (4) thousand years ago He sent the commandments and various codes for the Israelites to obey that they should be separate from everybody around them and so they can enter His rest, but now, He made a new way of salvation through faith.



Like farming that was initially oxen-driven but now machine-driven, so, it is with God's way with us. Then it was obedience, now it is faith… Then it was fulfilment of all the codes but now it is YIELDING to the work of His spirit in us. Then, obedience to the law could not help us (because of our nature) but now "He works in us to will and to do His good pleasure"



God's intention has never changed. His earnest desire is to have us in eternity with Him. The process may change, but the expected result is still the same.



He loves us and cannot wait to have us home with Him. Does He loves us more now than before? NO! He Loves us either we are saved or  not.... all He desire is to Have us with Him eternally...

Joh 3:16 God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. (CEV)





Shallom.

THE SOLUTION

Among my people (the Yoruba of South West Nigeria) there is a drug called "GBOGBONISE" (try not to bite your tongue…lol). Gbogbonise means "a drug that can cure all ailment". Whatever it is you are suffering from, ranging from STDs, to diabetes to infertility, high blood pressure, rheumatism, headache, even menstrual cramps, just name it. The drug, is able to cure it-so they say. (But please don't ask me).

Is this drug effective in curing all these ailments (and many more not mentioned in this post)? I don't know because I have never used it but I think if it does, other nations would have come to copy the "technology" and the sellers would have become so wealthy and become multinationals... Am glad to let you know that these people are not wealthy and the users have not been 'giving testimony about its efficacy'.

But I know that whoever believes that Jesus is the son of God overcomes the world (1John 5:4-5). Call it the real gbogbonise- you won't be wrong. Knowing that the word of God is true and we have witnesses and testimonies to that effect. I make bold to say it again that " whoever believes that Jesus is the son of God overcomes the world".

Romans 8:37 put it very clear that " In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us".(CEV)

While it is to be noted that we are not fighting against the people and our environment, after all God instructs us to be at peace with all men (Heb. 12:14) and that we should replenish the earth (Gen 1:28) but there is a system of the world that stand in opposition against God and His will, it is against this that we overcame.

This system, bring strife when we seek peace, pain when we need pleasure, lack for abundance, weakness for strength, bareness for fruitfulness, hopelessness for hope, fear for faith, sickness for health etc

However, the good news is that we have our victory. All that we need to do is praise God for it and walk in it. The day His death atoned for our sins, the same day He got our victory for us. He didn't just died so we might be forgiven, His death did that and brought us ABUNDANT LIFE.

Turning our sickness to health, our pain to pleasure, weakness to strength, sadness to joy, lack to abundance, strive to peace and name it. Whatever is not making your life better, He overcame it for you. Just believe…

The same way we believe and we are saved, is the same way we believe and walk in the victory Christ won for us.

Remember, WHOEVER BELIEVES THAT JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD OVERCOMES THE WORLD. 

Andrea Crouch sang that " Jesus is the answer for the world today…" nothing is "TRUER".

Shallom.

A LITTLE OF HEAVEN PLEASE

If ten people hold 10 flashlights in a dark room composing of about 100 people, what do you have? Illumination for everybody… The flashlight may not be bright individually but when their numbers increase and they work in unison, it might just be as good as one big bright light…



We live in a dark world filled with all manners of evil and wickedness, and man continually grope around in it… sometimes falling, sometimes walking uprightly and straight; sometimes he give up and sometime he hopes…but one thing that is constant all through these phases and experiences is an hunger for "A little of heaven".



He wants, from his innermost part of his being, an experience different from that daily confronts him, he desires an answer to the questions of life, of purpose both for the world and for his life, an answer for the questions science can never give with all its innovation and inventions…



No wonder man seeks extraordinary power from evil sources because sciences, wisdom of men, our ways and machination can never answer the questions in his life or show him anything different what this dark world has to offer.



But God in His infinite mercy gave us a solution in His son and graciously set us to give answer to man's questions. Not through the things man made or makes, but through the gifts of His spirit…



The gifts of the spirit are the medium through which heaven directly manifests in our world today… from word of wisdom to prophecy, to gift of healing, gift of faith and to others (1Cor. 13:7-10), man can be made to see a little of heaven.



No wonder the scripture says All of creation waits with eager longing for God to reveal his children. Rom 8:19(Good News). The creations wants a little more of heaven- the word from heaven, the light for their path, healing for the diseases science cannot heal, they want to understand what they cannot fathom…



Only us can give them their earnest desire and our Lord and Saviour has done His part, He gave us His Spirit and the Spirit releases His gifts has we yield. The challenge is



Will we yield so the we can show " A LITTLE OF HEAVEN". Let us pick up our flashlights and illuminate man's path to heaven.



Thank you,

21ST CENTURY CITY OF REFUGE

In the book of Joshua 20:1-9, the scripture tells us of the implementation of a special provision made by God through Moses for the Israelites. The Provision is the assignment of some cities as a places of Refuge.

Refuge for individuals who accidentally kill another and are fleeing from the "Avenger" of blood (someone who set out to take revenge for the death for his/her relation/friend etc). The city of refuge is the place of respite for the one who accidentally kill another so that he/she will have a chance to have a shot at justice and not killed in vengeance.

An important point to note is that though God frown at the taking of life of one by another, He recognize that there are times when we have little or no control over the outcome of our actions, and such actions can lead to the death of another party, hence, He makes a way of escape whenever such occurrence arises. 

But where are the cities of Refuge in the 21st century? Do we have a place of respite for people "who have little or no control over their actions and the resulting outcomes which include death and hell"?

I know God cares for us as much as He cares for the Israelites in the passage above, so He must have set certain places as cities of Refuge. The question then is where are they? Firstly, we have to know that the cities of Refuge chosen by the Israelites came because they "diligently hearken to the word of God and they carefully obeyed everything Moses wrote". Could it be that in the different countries of the world, we did not obey the words of God to the extent of assigning our own cities of refuge?

To attempt some answers, I will say that as God made provision then, He made provision for us now but in a somewhat different manner. I can authoritatively say that the cities of Refuge in the 21st century is not a geographical location, rather, God as set you and I that He saved to be the "CITIES OF REFUGE" of our world today.

As noted in Joshua 20:5, the avenger of blood can enter the city of refuge to take vengeance but "THE PEOPLE THERE WILL NOT HANDOVER THE ONE WHO KILLS ACCIDENTALLY". Thus, I can say that the people who stand between the avenger and his target represents the cities of Refuge, and they were the image of who we are today.

Brethren, while Christ was on the cross He made a statement that " father forgive them for they know not what they do" and Stephen said the same. Meaning that every sinner (that got Him nailed on the cross) are like the one who killed accidentally, and for as many of us who have been saved (His royal priesthood, His holy nation… 2Peter 2:9) are to stand so that the one who is set to kill (and destroy) will not have access to the boy or girl, man or woman, who go about in sin… and seeks refuge. No wonder the cities of Refuge are among the inheritance of the Levites (those set apart for God. Joshua 21:1-41).

This lead to a very pertinent issue, when the one who accidentally kills is seeking refuge, will they find us A REFUGE? If our neighbors, siblings, colleagues, clients, customers etc do not see us as cities of Refuge, maybe we have not obeyed Him yet, thus, we should go like the Israelites and assign our lives (in totality) as cities of Refuge. 

Let us never forget that WE ARE THE 21ST CENTURY CITIES OF REFUGE. If we forget and are careless, many innocent will die without a chance. 

PEACE.

GOD LED

   Most times in life, we miss great treasures as we go about our daily lives… One of such is found in the book of Joshua 2:1b. Having read this passage so many times, I missed so great a treasure contained in this verse but discovered it recently:

"…And they went and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab. And they stayed there."

Seeing it again and by the help of the Holy Spirit, I began to ask the right questions for the first time. "WHY DID THEY ENTER THE HOUSE OF RAHAB?" I want to believe that her house is not the only house on that wall, and she probably not the only harlot there, how did they end up in the house of the someone who 'believes'?

The story of the spies (humanly speaking) could have been different (though I know God could have made a way of escape for them) if they had entered the house of someone who could have given them away…but the truth is that they found themselves WHERE GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THEM…

Looking at this from my perspective, I once again see how unlimited and amazing the love of God works in my daily life. A friend would always say that 'the same way God order our steps, He also order our stops…'. HE LEAVES NOTHING ABOUT US TO CHANCE, NO HE DOES NOT. He says can a mother forget her sulking child? Even if they can, He will not forget us.

Further, He says if the sparrows are well taken care of, how much more we who more precious than sparrows (Paraphrase) Matt 10:29-31. 

In our present world with all its intricacies, it is good to know that God will always lead us to the place(s), person(s) and opportunities He has prepared for us.

Praise the Lord.

BE YOURSELF

One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (called the Twin), was not with them when Jesus came.

So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" Thomas said to them, "Unless I see the scars of the nails in his hands and put my finger on those scars and my hand in his side, I will not believe."

A week later the disciples were together again indoors, and Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."

Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and look at my hands; then reach out your hand and put it in my side. Stop your doubting, and believe!"

Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"

Jesus said to him, "Do you believe because you see me? How happy are those who believe without seeing me!"(John 20:24-29)Goodnews version

He is nothing like us in so many regards, and when we are at our weakest, the difference between how He treats us and we treat ourselves shows how different He is from us...

He does not make an unnecessary demand of us, He is like a mother who does not expect her 2 year old daughter to cook for her in the kitchen. The scripture says "He knows our frame...". At every stage of our life He understands our weakness and strength and deal with us accordingly with the hope that we will get to live above the level we currently are... He is just so different from us.

In the scripture above, our interpretation reveals that Thomas doubts (and we coin the name 'Doubting Thomas" for him) but Jesus was not looking at that, He rather prefer to quell his(Thomas) doubt to bring Him at par with the other disciples who already believe. Jesus was not condoning Faithlessness, doubt or unbelief, He would rather have us "believe without seeing Him"(John 20:29b) but in case we are like Thomas, He won't criticize us, make us see ourselves as babes in the faith or express disappointment that after 3years of intensive discipleship filled with so many signs and wonders and great revelations, this is the best we could do... No! Jesus won't do that, He would rather remove our doubt as He did to Thomas.

The beauty of what He did to Thomas is that He would gladly do that to all aspects of our lives... whether we are sick when we should be well; poor when we should be rich; borrowers when we should be lenders; students when we should be teachers; immoral when we should be holy; wicked when we should be righteous etc. For He is our high priest, our advocate, He understands all that we are facing(Hebrew 4:15).

All that we have to do is be like Thomas BE OURSELVES, be open and sincere to Him about who we are, what we think etc and when He reveal Himself- the truth, we should not harden our heart but take His help and move from where we are to where He would have us be.

ABUNDANT LIFE FROM ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE

In the calculation of the national income of a nation, or even an organization or a family, there two (2) ways/ perspectives you can look at it, namely: the demand side and the supply side. The demand side is the aggregation of all the demand made by the economic agents in the economy within a time period, while the supply side looks at all that was produced into the economy within a specific time period (products and services…)

Our life as a Christian can also be looked at from two perspectives especially when considering Jesus statement in John 10:10b

                “…I have come so that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly”. (NKJV)

The most popular interpretation of this verse has always been that of us having a blissful, pleasurable, rest-filled life in which all our needs are met and our enjoyment knows no bound…. Sounds like the demand side.

Of course, this interpretation is not wrong like the computation of the national income from either the supply or demand side; however, it is instructive to look at this scripture from another perspective. The supply side.

Thus, the scripture’s interpretation will be something like our having abundant life means that we “extend grace and goodness to others”.

This, to me, is the crux of the matter knowing fully well that we are the beneficiary of these in great measures (and that is why we are here today), Talking about a life that is full of (abundant in) Love, Patience, Kindness, Mercy, Compassion, Peace, Tolerance, Hospitality and other virtues.

Permit me to say that this supply side perspective is the most needed in our days. We are prosperous and advancing in levels that no generation before us thought possible and going with it are crises and challenges beyond human imaginations.

As we are advancing technologically, in knowledge, science and medicine in leaps and bounds, we have more billionaires now than ever, also, we have more poor people, insecurity, perversion, abuse, violence, hopelessness, and desperation all over the place.

It is so disturbing when our eyes are opened to see that behind the smile, nice dressing and make up of our neighbours, colleaugues, clients, even church members are those things listed above...

If only so many more of us think of the abundant life as life full of virtues. And try to make life more “liveable” for others in quality not (quantity alone)… and remembering that our Saviour and Lord is who He is to us because He lived His life from the Supply side perspective… Acts 10:38.

God Bless You.

A DANGEROUS PLACE

Slavery is an unpopular word but there was a time in history when it was the norm and a matter of public discourse the same way poverty and climate change dominate in our time.

Jesus in John 8:35a made a profound statement, though, it is an analogy it speaks a lot on our state today as it did for the people listening to Him inside the temple. Jesus says”And the servant abideth not in the house for ever…” KJV.

A servant (slave) to a large extent, share so much in a house that some even graduate to become a member of the house. They share the same roof with the children, eat the same meals (after all, they make the meals), some like Joseph was in the house of Potipher become so trustworthy that the management of the house/farm/business is turned over to them to management but they “they abideth not in the house forever”- whatever they end up becoming. Expressed in other words, “they share no inheritance with the children”.

So many of us are slaves in the house of God, yes, we eat the crumbs that  fall from the children’s table, we enjoy the same covering they enjoy, the same grace, some favours, sometimes the freedom we enjoy in the house is more than those of the children but we are still not His children.

This is a dangerous place to be. These benefits that accrue by virtue of association can mislead us to think that perhaps we don’t need to be as obedient as we should, as holy as we should, as consecrated as we should, and so on afterall, we are enjoying what the children are enjoying.

It is called costly assumption or self deceit and without listening as Jesus admonishes us right now to whom the fullest of time has come, we will end up as slaves end up….OUTSIDE THE INHERITANCE OF THE CHILDREN.

Why? Jesus make us know that “Not everyone who calls me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do.”Matt 7:21 (GNB)

Let us examine ourselves once again to see whether we are in Christ. It is not a matter of the benefits of sonship that we enjoy or how much use we are of God but it’s all about WHOSE WILL WE ARE DOING. Matt 7:22 (GNB)

The place of Slaves enjoying the status of sons is the most dangerous place. May you not be found there and may I not be found there in Jesus name. Amen

CLOSE TO HIS HEART

It is only God that has to knock at the door (of our heart), (Rev. 3:20); for us, we just enter His heart… after all; we were never far away in the first instance.


God is always in Love with us. Whether we are the woman caught in Adultery, A thief on the cross, Lazarus who was dead for four days, a Leper-an outcast, peter who denied Him, Paul who persecuted Him, the disciples that abandoned Him… and as many demography we can come up with and even you and I whether we are at our lowest ebb or on top of our game… We are always close to His Heart.

One might ask, is God stupid, after all I have done and am doing as well as the intent of my heart… how can He still Love?

That is just Him. He has no explanation, no selfish motive, He just loves. The scripture said “God is Love” (1 John 4:16b). The same way we breathe is the same way He loves… in fact; this comparison is a very poor one when we really consider how much he loves us.

We are like to Him as our new born is to us. Our cry get his attention, our smile melt His heart, all the resources we need, He provided before we were conceived, every help we will need He provide in advance, and so many more. The difference is that He is more considerate, more perfect, has a better understanding, His perspective and view over our lives is complete…

We occupy so much of His heart to the extent He said categorically in His word and asked: “What will separate us from the Love Christ has for us...?” Roman 8:35-39 (God’s Word).

Friends, we are closer to His heart than we can ever imagine. Just let go and enter into His heart… after all, we are the apple of His eyes… Zechariah 2:8b (God’s Word)

Let Him Love you. There is no limit to what love can do and much more will His Love achieve in your Life.
YOU ARE VERY CLOSE TO HIS HEART.

My Discovery

A thought ran through my mind recently during a meeting and further consideration opened my heart to something I have overlooked for a while.

Before I delve into that, may I ask, what is your initial response to a distress call from a friend or family or even anybody?

I don’t know how many people are like me but I can tell you that if I hear a distress call, most times, I put on my thinking cap- search for possible solutions begins. But recently I have improved to the point that I put in a word of prayer (of course after a short mental exercise…hmnnnnn). It is not that thinking is bad…God gave us the ability to think… it is His nature, it is the tool for creativity, but there is something more… that is applicable for all time and has never failed.

That was what crossed my mind and am changed. I see it every day, it has been said several times over but the Holy Spirit shed His light in my heart that I can have a permanent solution all the time no matter what betide. What am I saying, am saying that for every situation, circumstances, distress call, joyful call, praise time, prayer time, THE WORD OF GOD it is.

Whether someone is in need, give the word; someone is sad, share the word, someone is confused, send the word…. Whatever it is, the word is all that we need. JUST APPLY IT!

It has never failed, it does not expire, does not fade, it is not limited, no mountain is too high for the word, no valley is too deep either, “it is alive and active…” Joshua was encouraged to meditate on it (live on it), it was a lamp to David’s feet, and light to his path, and of course Jesus overcame the devil with it…

So for us in the end of time with all its challenges, temptations, perils, deceits, and every other thing that is peculiar to our generation and individual location, the Word of God it is…If we’ll just live on it, live by it, live through it, I know we will not just overcome, have an abundant life here but we will MAKE IT HOME TO OUR SAVIOUR AND MASTER.

MY THOUGHTS: GOD AND HIS WORD

Thinking about God and His word, I discover that He never says what He would not do, He never let go of His word. He does not just speak (His character does not just accept or flow with that…) He is God almighty.
Many times we say things because we find it appropriate or convenient, but our God is not like us… His word are measured and calculated. Yes, He is the most high, and the all-powerful but He is careful about His word. Regardless of our feeling and our circumstance, He won’t sweet-talk or flatter us just to make us feel good. For our God says the truth all the time.
Then when you consider that all of us and the world we live in are products of His word. John 1:4 said “The Word gave life to everything that was created…” Meaning that from man to the smallest of ants, to the mighty oceans and hardest rock are product of His word. Furthermore, our eternity is tied to the word (if we believe it and obey) not forgetting that our prosperity in the here and now is not without his word (Job 36:11).
There is no limit to His word. His word is applicable to different situations and circumstances. To heal the sick, to raise the dead, comfort to those who are sad, hope to those who are lost, strength to the weak, direction to the confused, to handle impossible situation, even to express our joy… His word applies.
For the bible says “For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword…” Hebrew 4:12 (MKJV)
If we believe our world is dynamic and we the way we do things changes over time, we should be encouraged that the Word of God is alive and active. Its applicability is not time constrained and its potency is never diminishing. What the word did for Elijah, Abraham, Jacob, Mary, the Apostles etc, it will do for us.
We should live our lives on the Word of God and if at any time we are required to give anything to anybody, wherever, we should not hesitate to give His Word.

WHO ARE YOU GOING WITH?

There is a saying among my people (the Yorubas of South West Nigeria) that “show me your friend, and I will know who you are”.

Friend in this regard refers to the people you walk, talk, spend time with, put your life in their hands, and who share your hope and aspiration. In short, your friends are the people who go with you in the long haul. The emphasis on your friend by my people stem from their understanding that the person(s) you spend time with determines so many things in your life. It determines how you are perceived, what you would do, how far you would go in life and so on.

A look at the scripture, the lives of three out of the many characters, also confirms the above saying.

Firstly, we look at the life of Ruth, (in Ruth 1:4-18) she got to a critical point in her life and had to make a choice on who she was going to go with, she chose to stick with Naomi, and her life changed. It changed so much so that as a Moabite, she came to have an inheritance among God’s people and much more that she became King David’s great-grand mother and an ancestor to our Lord and Savior, Jesus. (Matt 1:5)

Similar to the above is Rahab (a Harlot). When the Isrealites were in the wilderness and spies were sent to Jericho, she helped the spies. Of note is that, she is not the only one whose house is by the wall of the city, but she is the only one that gave a helping hand when these men were in distress (Joshua 2:4-18), and of course only her and her family escaped from Jericho alive (Joshua 6:22-23). Furthermore, she also made it to the lineage of our savior (Matt 1:5).

One of the most tragic stories in the scripture is that of Jonathan, the son of King Saul. He had an opportunity like the two women above to choose who to go with but took a different route and had his life cut short. (1 Sam. 20) Though, he knew what was going to happen in the future (like Rahab knew), and his father had already attempted killing him, but instead of going off with David, he stayed with his father and they perished together. (1 Sam 31:2)

Daily in our lives, we choose who we walk with the same way the above characters did, and from the above, we see that our lives can progress towards God and His best for our lives (like Rahab and Ruth) or it can go downhill as shown in the life of Jonathan.

The big question again is “WHO ARE YOU GOING WITH?”.

IT IS NOT OVER! DON’T STOP TRUSTING HIM

“And He said, I will certainly return to you according to the time of life … (MKJV) “Genesis 18:10

God knows our timing. He is the author of it and He sustains it. The Psalmist also prayed that He, God, should

            … teach us to number our days…  (MKJV) Psalm 90:12

God knows that this is the end of another year, year 2011 and He knows our expectations and the desires we have towards this year going to an end. Like He said to Sarah, if he has ever said it to any one of us, you can be sure He will come- though it’s just three (3) days to the end of the year. What am saying is that “Friends, it is not over, don’t stop trusting Him”

No matter the situation- financial, health, family, spouse… whatever, don’t stop. Three days might be a short time to you, but with God all things are possible

Why am I so confident? Firstly, I know that He created the heavens and the earth in SIX (6) DAYS (Genesis 1:1-31) - everything we can see and cannot see. Everything, I mean everything including all those things that man since his creation and stages of development are still trying to grasp.

So, if He did all in six days, three days is more than enough time for Him to meet that your need.

Secondly, there was a situation in Samaria in 2Kings 6:24-30, it was so bad that women arranged and ate their children because of Famine. But it did not end like that because the word of the Lord came

            “And Elisha said, hear the Word of Jehovah! So says Jehovah, Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold at a shekel, and two measures of barley at a shekel, in the gate of Samaria”( MKJV) 2Kings 7:1

Solving Famine in 24 hour, does that sound possible to you? Not for a man or a family or a district but a whole capital city… not a 24 hour famine but one that lasted long enough for mothers to resort to eating their children…

And of course in verse 18, it came to pass exactly as the man of God said.

My friends, 24 hours is a very long time for God to meet that need. If He could do it for a whole capital city in 24 hours, how much more your personal, family, community issue.

So I say again, it is not over, don’t stop trusting Him.

For your information, I’m trusting Him too. I am trusting Him for a truck (costing as much as $12,000) as an end of the year gift but I have less than $200 to my name. But, I know that if He did it for Samaria in 24 hours, He will set up chains of events and deliver it to me.

So, let us trust Him together.

Genesis 18:14a

                        “Is anything too hard for Jehovah?”MKJV

God Bless You.

Tunde.

NOT ABOUT US…

It has never been about us… from the beginning till now and ever after.
We are not our own idea. Let us check it again, did we decide to be born when we were born, how we were born, where we were born and to whom we were born? Better still, who said it was even our parent’s idea?
If it is our parent’s idea, some of us won’t even make it here- contraceptives would have killed us, we would have dried up in used condoms…, and I live the rest to your imagination. Furthermore, if child birth were the works of man, then there won’t be couples desiring a child but without one…
So if it was not our idea to be here when we came, how we came, through whom we came and where we arrived at, who said, then, we can live our lives by our idea?
These questions, if we sincerely ask ourselves and answer them (sincerely too), our lives would have more meaning, our decision making simpler, our objectives clearer and our values stronger.
Can we imagine our car saying it made itself, came to our house by itself and would run in a way that it chooses? Say for example, it now determines that it would move on specific days of the week, the ignition would now become the brake, and would rather drive itself than we driving it (we won’t control it or set parameters for it)? How do we see this scenario and what is our feeling about it?
But is this not how we live?
The Bible said
So God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female,” Genesis 1:27 (GNB)
“Before I formed you in the belly I knew you; and before you came forth out of the womb I consecrated you, and I ordained you a prophet to the nations”. Jeremiah 1:5 (NKJV)
These two scriptures, among many others clearly stated our origin, and simple wisdom requires that if we are not our idea, we should seek and live by the idea of our originator over every details of our short life over here…

We should know that
“…the way of man does not belong to man; it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.” Jeremiah 10:23 (NKJV)
Guys, it is not about us. It is about our maker and owner. Just as our cars, phones, computers, spoons, plates, houses etc must not live independently from us, so we cannot live independently from our maker. So we do not become like a generation spoken of in Romans 1:21-32.
I wish you Peace.
Tunde.

THE LORD’S DELIGHT

What do you think the Lord delight in?

Difficult question? Maybe or maybe not… But let us really give it a thought.

If we believe that we are God’s image and are in His likeness, then He must have things that melt His heart. After all, we do have such things.

Talking about me, certain things melt my heart. The sight of my two lovely nieces always get me, no matter the mood I am in; A satisfied look on the face of someone I just rendered service to; and so on.

What about you? You probably have a much more interesting list compared to mine, and it is probably longer and more diverse… But the question is not about us but God. What does He delight in?

My devotion took me to Psalms where I saw an interesting verse- Psalm 147:11

          

      “… the Lord’s delight is in those who fear Him, those who put their hope in His unfailing love”.(NLT)

This stopped me for a long time and I had to look again. This is because it would have been more conventional if God’s delight is in those very righteous, very prayerful, strong Christians, exploit-making ministers, those who fast 24/7 and the likes. Not that Christian exhibiting the above are bad but I was surprised the scripture made no mention of these in the Lord’s delight-after all, these are the statistics we use to determine a “Good Christian”.

However, God’s delight is in those who fear Him and those who put their hope in His unfailing love. Put in a simpler English (my English) “God delights in those who live in reverence of Him, those who depend on Him”.

The Contemporary English version (CEV) says “the lord is pleased only with those who worship Him and trust His love”

The Good News Bible (GNB) says” but He takes pleasure in those who honour Him, those who trust in His constant love”.

So, it means that He (God) values greatly any man that considers Him in the actions he takes- to worship Him and Honor Him-a heart that live in perpetual dependence on Him.

Whether, he is strong or weak, rich or poor, in the open or secret… a heart that sees its inadequacies and cling to God perpetually.

A heart that though can live independently of God, but choose to pursue God (His will and desires), A heart that desperately seek God... He, God, cannot resist this… it gives Him great pleasure.

Tunde.