WRITE IN THE HEAVENS
The Hebrew word for “Heavens” is
“Shamayim” which means “heights” or “elevations”. The heaven is a place of the
everlasting blessedness of the righteous, the abode of the departed spirits. It
is an exemption from all sufferings forever, a deliverance from all evil (2 Cor
5:1-2, 2 Tim 4:18) bliss without termination the fullness of joy forever. The
believers heaven is not only a state of everlasting blessedness, but also a
“place” prepared for them called “Paradise” (John 14:2, Luke 23:43). This has
given the privilege to have a home which is stock with treasures.
Therefore, from all indication
the scripture made it clear that heaven is full of treasures made for the
children of God. But it takes power, knowledge, revelation and wisdom from the
mind of God to be able to access and enjoy them while on earth. Look! What you
don’t know has an edge over you. It is possible to access any good thing you
desire from heaven. But you just need to write and sign on it; believe you have
it.
Though these criteria are among
others which can give you access to the treasures in heaven and enjoy it
successfully while on earth:
(a) You
must value it
(b) Be
desperate
(c) You
must be a heavenly citizen
(d) You
must be born again.
The process of getting any good treasure
you desire must show how much you value it because whatever you value is
important and whatsoever is important to you, so desire to have it, so you have
to ask for it desperately. Every good gifts comes from above. Because you are a
heavenly citizen and your father rules over everything in Heaven, so, you
should be able to access any good treasures that you cherish from heaven.
Note: you can’t claim what you
don’t know it belongs to you, as a matter of fact, many of your treasures are
laying fallow not with any wishes but because you don’t bother to claim it,
simply because of your ignorant. Mind you, a citizen of a particular country
have the right to enjoy all his or her father’s right and privileges and the
same thing is applicable to us in heaven.
For any genuine commodity to be
used by the citizen of any country, there must be an authorized body in charge
or control of such commodity and legally signed and approved for use and
consume by its people. Therefore, you are charged to forcefully write and sign
on every commodity you desire to possess. The spiritual significance is that as
you begin to write and sign into the heavens imagining and believing that
everything you desire to have long time ago will be release into your life in
Jesus Name. Amen.
Bro. Samuel
STEPS TAKEN TO
FINDING TRUE LOVE IN OUR MARRIAGES (Gen 29, 30)
There is probably no topic which has captivated
people throughout the centuries and from most every culture than the topic
of LOVE. We put a man on the moon,
broke the speed of sound, and mapped the human genome, but love remains a
complete mystery. Science has not been able to explain it. Mathematicians
cannot predict it. Poets still wrestle with adequate words to describe it.
It may have been more than two centuries ago, but Plato’s
words have never sounded truer, that every heart sings a song, “we are all
looking for love”. At any given moment, we may be far from it but we never stop
hoping the next opportunity is just over on the horizon. We are all
looking for true love.
One of our frustrations with love is our complete inability
to keep it. Like sand slipping between our fingers, the harder we grasp the
faster it seems to fall through. It would be nice if love was as simple as
baking a batch of cookies or building a bird house for the backyard; a simple
set of ingredients, a logical list of steps to take. But we all know the truth;
love cannot be manufactured. It cannot be bought or traded. It cannot be
forced. It cannot be controlled. It cannot be plotted on a map or broken down
into a checklist of dos.
But, it is possible to find true love in every marriage;
even unconditional love! Here are some steps taken to find true love in our
marriages:
1. Love requires you
to reveal your true self to another: The famous author, C. S. Lewis, puts
it best, “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will
be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you
must give it to no one”. Lewis is right. What makes love so hard, and sometimes
painful, is the vulnerability that always seems to accompany it.
To love at all is to be vulnerable. We use the word love to
describe a lot of things. We love food. We love music. We love a good joke and
we love having a good time. Using love to describe such simple things makes the
word seem a little safer. It is safe because we are not exposed. A great cup of
coffee cannot reject us. A song from our favorite band does not leave us
feeling useless. But when we choose to share our life with another person, we
inevitably make a choice to become vulnerable. Unfortunately, vulnerability
leaves our defenses down and often we get hurt.
We all know the feeling: rejection, humiliation,
desperation. Opening our heart to another person, only to be rejected, is one
of the most painful experiences in life. It hurts the most because in love we
are most vulnerable. It’s worse than
physical pain because it shakes us at the core of our identity, our hopes, and
our dreams. Love rushes us to the mountain-top, and when lost, sends
us careening back to the valley below. We cannot help but feel empty. We
cannot help but feel worthless. We cannot help but feel hopeless. We want to be
vulnerable and in that vulnerability to be accepted.
2. Finding true love can
be difficult: The Bible has a remarkable story about a woman named Leah who
discovered that finding true love was difficult. Leah was the daughter of a
wealthy and manipulative man named Laban. Leah also had a sister named Rachel,
one of the most beautiful women in the whole region (Gen 29:17). Leah was
described as, “weak in the eyes”. We do not know exactly what that phrase
means, but it is not hard to guess. Even without the side-by-side comparison to
her beautiful sister, Leah was not drawing much attention (Gen 29:16).
One day, Rachel was herding the sheep when a young man named
Jacob came to the well. His journey's purpose was to find a wife, so it did not
take him long to notice beautiful Rachel approaching. He rolled away the stone
over the well, and watered the sheep for her (Gen 29:10-11). Learning he was
her father's nephew, she ran home to tell Laban the news. Already
head-over-heels in love, or call it love-at-first-sight if you wish,
Jacob stayed on with Laban. When asked what his wages should be, he immediately
asked to marry Rachel. Laban made Jacob an offer (Gen 29:15). “Work for me,
seven years without pay, and then I will give you my daughter”.
It is starting to sound like a romantic story for the ages!
Jacob was so madly in love that he did not hesitate. Seven years he worked,
everyday focused on his prize. One day he would finally be able to marry the
woman of his dreams, Rachel. The Bible records the event with all of the poetry
we would expect from a great love story. “Jacob served seven years for Rachel,
and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her”
(Gen 29:18).
After seven years of labour, the wedding
day finally arrived (Gen 29:22). The party must have been massive. When
night came, Jacob and his new bride, probably wearing her wedding veil, went
into their tent. The next morning Jacob awoke, the Bible says, “and behold it
was Leah!” Jacob had been tricked (Gen 29:25). Laban had switched his daughters
on the wedding night and tricked Jacob into marrying his oldest, Leah. Why?
Laban wanted another seven years of free labour before he would allow Jacob to
actually marry Rachel. Still madly in love with Rachel, Jacob agrees and works
another seven years to marry this younger daughter.
We like the image of Jacob! He was willing to submit himself
to over a decade of manual labour as an act of love for Rachel whom he
considered to be his soul mate. Like a great Shakespearian tragedy, we
want desperately to find that kind of love, too. We want to know that
someone would make such a sacrifice for us. This expression of love is the
deepest craving of our heart. But allowing ourselves to be quickly carried off
in the ecstasy of the moment misses the real heart of the story for Leah. Leah
had never been able to draw much attention. She had always been
the hopeless romantic. But now things were much worse. Leah was married to
a man who never for a moment loved her, and manipulated by a father as payment
for help around the farm. Leah was not loved by her husband, or even her
father. She was used and discarded. When she was most vulnerable she was
rejected (Gen 29:31).
What happened next is subtle, but important for us to
understand our own struggle with love and rejection. In Leah’s first century
world, women cared deeply about building a family, especially having sons, to
which they could pass on their family name. A father’s proudest moment was the
birth of his first son. Soon after being married, Jacob wanted a son. Leah
saw an opportunity! If she could be the first to give Jacob a son, surely
then he would love and appreciate her. Leah must have been excited to find out
she was pregnant and even more excited when she gave birth to the family’s
first son, Reuben. Now surely her husband would love her (Gen 29:32).
Leah believed in her heart that God had blessed her with
this son so that now her husband would finally love her. But nothing changed.
Leah gave birth to a second son, she named him Simeon. Again she believed God
had seen her rejection. Now, surely her husband would love her. But nothing
changed. Leah had a third son, who she named Levi. She honestly hoped that now
her husband would care for her and love her. But again, nothing changed.
Leah’s story teaches us that finding true love is difficult.
True love goes beyond the passion of romance and even finding a partner for the
sake of being married. While romance and having our needs met for provision and
security are important, there is more that we must discover.
3. Your need for true
love reveals your need to be loved unconditionally: Leah’s life was
controlled by the hope that she could somehow make herself lovable. She was
desperate to find a way to earn her husband’s attention. Her broken heart and
desperation to be loved teaches us a deeply personal truth about our own search
for true love. We inevitably all feel the crushing weight of trying to earn it.
Marketers tell us the idea that if we were just a little bit
more attractive, a little thinner, and a little better dressed, then someone
would finally take notice and we would feel loved. But we do not. Culture
pressures us to set aside our prudish reluctance and instead give-away our
bodies; it promises us intimacy leads to love. But it does not. The harder we
try, the more desperate we become to find the magic portion. We believe that with
the poison-tipped arrow of Cupid in our hand, we need only hit our target and
watch as love and intimacy explodes into a vibrant life of
confidence, fulfillment, and passion. But, that is not real life. So, we end up
settling for watching it play out in movies and dreaming about it in novels.
Our own experience feels more like crawling our way through the dunes of the
Sahara Desert, desperate to find an oasis with water. Just when we think we
have finally found true love, we are crushed with the reality that it was just
a mirage and we have nothing to show for it.
Leah helps us realize that most of what we call love and our
search for it is really a desperate expedition for evidence that we are
valuable enough to be loved in the first place. We want to feel like our life
is worth something to someone. We are desperate to be known, not just as a
body, but as a soul. We want to be loved unconditionally. This is where we find
the great struggle of looking for true love. As one author puts it, “To be
loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is
our greatest fear”. Each of us wants to find a way to open up our hearts and
lives and know that in that moment of honesty we will be accepted and not
rejected.
We all know the risks, so we tend toward pretending. Too
nervous to share the truth, we morph into whatever seems most desirable. But
that is empty. We know it and we just do not know what else to do. We feel like
we have to keep the show going. After all, what is the alternative? If we open
up with the whole truth, we face the risk of being ridiculed, rejected and
thrown away.
Honestly, true love has never really been about romance or
passion at all. It is about truth and value. It is about vulnerability and
acceptance. It is about wholeness and finding peace. It is about discovering a
foundation on which we can build our lives and on which we can place our hope
and confidence. It is about feeling like we are worth something. It is about
sharing vulnerability and in the midst of it, feeling loved unconditionally.
4. True love is complicated
by our self-interest: Let me tell you a secret that you probably know
already but are not willing to admit. Unconditional love, the kind that pours
meaning and significance into your life, is hard to find in another human being
because we are all too self-interested and too self-motivated. Our hearts are
bent toward protecting and promoting ourselves. It is not hard to see! We live
in a culture that constantly measures every relationship by what we get out of
it. We stay married only as long as it is benefiting us. We commit to a
marriage or relationship only until something better comes along. The success
of our marriage or relationships is measured by our need for love being met,
instead of seeking to meet the need for true love in others.
The Bible speaks clearly to this fact. It calls our bent
toward self-interest sin, and it was neither the way humanity, nor the world
was created originally. Adam and Eve were the first to experience love and it
was much deeper than what we call love today. Adam and Eve’s relationship was perfectly woven together with one
another, with God, and with the enjoyment of creation around them. There was no
self-interest. Instead, their whole lives were shaped by caring for each other,
caring for the world around them, and thanking God for the experience. Neither
Adam nor Eve ever felt a moment of fear, rejection, or failure.
If you are familiar with the Bible’s story of the first sin,
you will remember it involved a simple proposition. Adam and Eve were forbidden
to eat from one tree in the Garden of Eden. As Eve passed by, a serpent
whispered a temptation. “Eve, if you eat of this fruit you will be like
God”. It is strange that the serpent did not tempt Eve with how delicious the
fruit looked. The real temptation had nothing to do with appearance. Instead, the
serpent did something more subversive. He offered Eve a thought about herself.
Eve asked herself a question she had never wondered before, “What’s in it for
me?” This moment of self-discovery came with massive consequences. Eve ate the
fruit and passed it on to her husband who ate it as well. This act of
disobeying God led Adam and Eve to the startling realization they had been
naked this whole time. It is as if they had been so enjoying one another and
the world around them so much, that they never thought to look down at
themselves. For the first time they felt vulnerable and ashamed. They made
clothes to cover and protect themselves. The consequences for disobeying God
were the loss of relationships. Adam and Eve would never be allowed back into
the perfect garden world. They lost everything. We know their new
world of self-interest and self-protection, because we carry with us the same
sin-bent reality. We long for real love, because we were created to love and be
loved unconditionally. This is probably the most important point in this entire
article. You will never find or experience the true love you are looking for in
this world alone (Gen 2:23-25).
5. There is only one source
of true love: Let us return to Leah’s story for a moment. Leah was caught
up in the struggle to earn her husband’s love. Three sons later, she was still
clinging to the hope that one day he would wake up and start to appreciate her.
She kept waiting and waiting. Eventually, Leah gave birth to another son, her
fourth. Leah named him Judah and announced; “Now I will praise God”. Judah’s
name means something special. It means to praise, or be thankful to God. But,
how could she praise God when her outward circumstances had not changed? Jacob
did not rush home with a bouquet of roses and an apology card. Leah was no more
loved now than she had ever been. But somehow, she was now worshiping and
thanking God (Gen 20:35). With the
birth of her fourth son, Leah had a life altering realization. She realized
that while her husband refused to love her, God was present in her life! God
had noticed every pain, every sorrow, every moment of rejection she had ever
experienced and he was pouring blessing into her life. God loved her
unconditionally! Every marriage God is still in the business of doing good.
You need to realize something important, as well. You may
feel completely neglected and empty, but God is paying attention to your
marriage. You would not be reading this if that was not true. Right now, the
God of the whole universe is trying to show you, there is a greater love and
acceptance being offered to you, than you ever thought existed. That love is ‘AGAPE’.
He loves you unconditionally (John 3:16). Leah did not realize it at the time,
but Leah, and her son Judah, were ancestors of a man named Jesus. This is the
Jesus, whom Christians worship and who the entire Bible anticipated. It is a
fitting end to the story, because no one would ever offer greater hope and love
than Jesus. He would offer exactly what Leah was trying desperately to find. He
did so because God was not content to leave us in hopeless despair and
rejection, stumbling our way through life trying to manufacture the love that
had been lost all the way back in the Garden of Eden. Even though our own
selfish hearts had blinded us from God’s love, God was determined to lead us
back to it. God is paying attention to your marriage right now.
Our rebellion and self-preference is disobedience to God,
and that keeps us away having a sweet fellowship with Him as a family. We are
not interested in His plan; we want our dreams to come true. So we reject
Him and chart our own course. We ignore His instructions and believe whatever
feels right to us. We turn down His love and try to replace it with romance and
passion because it makes us feel good temporarily. God is waiting for us to
call out to Him for help or love for the betterment of our marriage. He blessed
Leah even when she was caught up in trying to earn love for herself. God does
not wait for you either. He chose to act on your behalf while you were still
lost in your sinful and selfish ambitions. God took all of the punishment, that
your disinterest and rebellion deserved, and He poured it out on Jesus, His
only son. Jesus stepped into your place and accepted the punishment, because He
loves you.
The real struggle for love is our desire to be fully met,
and yet fully accepted. When you hear the phase, “Jesus loves you”, this is not
a Christian cliché, but rather the truth of unconditional love. Jesus
knows better than anyone who you are; the good and the bad. He knows every
secret, every pain, every sin, and every wrong. He knows you better than you
know yourself. He knows, because He took your place. He has already paid the
price for your sins, and He did it before you ever paid a moment of attention
to Him.
Do you realize what that means? In Jesus, you are fully
known and still fully accepted. Jesus is under no allusions. He knows exactly
who you are. His love is not something you earned or deserved, yet here He is
offering it to you. No one knows you better, and no one could possibly love you
more. He gave his life for you. And now, He is willing to take the journey with
you, from where you are, to where you need to be in Him; so that you can
experience true love in your marriage.
6. Accepting Jesus’ love
opens the door to a new life: The good news of what Jesus has done for you
is not just salvation from a coming apocalyptic destruction but accepting Jesus’
love, will begin to transform and fill your life with purpose, strength, and
value. Like Leah, you will be amazed at the realization that you have
discovered true love! You can thrive in the amazing joy of worshipping Him with
a thankful and pure heart regardless of what is going on around you. Your value and your identity are
secured for all eternity with Jesus, who loves you so passionately that He gave
His own life. When you understand that truth, it transforms the way you think
about love toward your marriage. No longer does love solely a romantic
relationship that meets your desperate need to find significance and value. Understanding
God’s love fills you with the stability and confidence to face any
rejection or loss, and to know, no matter how much it hurts, your identity and
value can never be shaken. You are secure in God! Without the need to use
another’s love, to salvage your self-worth, you can finally start to enjoy and
appreciate all of the people and experiences that surround you every day. You
can enjoy your life and your relationships the way God that intended it with
your spouse.
Learning to live and grow in the love of God can be a
process, as you throw off the old nature and ways of thinking, and put on God’s
love and right way of living in your happily home. The world around us is
constantly trying to challenge us, and to pull us back. But, every single day,
Jesus continues to express His love as an alternative and pour it to our family
graciously. All that is left is for you to make a choice that your home will
flourishes according to the will of God.
Are you ready to make a life-changing decision to follow
true love and to be loved unconditionally? God is the source of our value and
our hope. Nothing you face in this life will shake loose the love of God in
your life and marriage. With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God
didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition
and exposing Himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything
else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? Do you think anyone is going to
be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way!
Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not
bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in
Scripture. None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely
convinced that nothing—nothing
living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable
or unthinkable—absolutely
nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our
Master has embraced us. (Romans 8:31-39. The Message)
7. Your search for true
love begins with this simple prayer:
Your journey for true love and to be loved unconditionally
begins with a simple prayer. Would you read and believe in this prayer with me?
"God, right now I’m experiencing deep hurt and
rejection. I realize that I have spent much of my life trying to find love and
value in the wrong ways in my marriage. I don’t want to go on living like this.
Forgive me for trying to find my own way and through my strength. Forgive me
for neglecting your precious love, mercy, kindness, etc while struggling to fix
my marriage in my own little knowledge. I thank you that even before I was
aware of it, you have demonstrated your love for me through Jesus’ death. I
thank you that your death offers me a way to know you and to experience your
love unconditionally. Father, fill my heart with a sense of your love in my
marriage and make my marriage heaven on earth. Help me to realize that you are
the source of my worth and value as I walk to make heaven with my family. I
trust you with my life and my broken heart, let it be totally heal so that we
(marriage) will serve and walk in accordance to your statutes and ordinances. Lord,
crown the efforts of my marriage with good success that we will focus on you
alone. Amen
The POWER of MIDNIGHT Prayers (2
Thess 5:17)
Nowadays Christians are nonchalant
toward prayers and are not heavenly minded. A Christian life should be a life
full of prayers according to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer is a communion with your
Creator. God desire that all of His children are filled with the power to pray
and be vibrant. Prayer is the open door to every barrier. Note that a
prayerless Christian is a powerless Christian and a prayerful Christian is a
powerful Christian.
As a Christian, the issue of
prayers cannot be over-emphasizing. You must on a daily basis depend on the
Holy Spirit’s guardian on how to pray, when to pray, and why to pray. We must
keep our inner mind pure and sanctify by the Word of God in order to live a
victorious and overcomer life. There are several ambassadors who did exploits
in the place of prayers. These are: Hannah, Gideon, Elijah, Elisha, Daniel,
Jesus Christ, Paul, etc, just to mention but a few and see the results that
came aftermath, you can still do better in this dispensation (James 5:18-19).
The following are essential
ingredients when we observe the power of midnight prayers:
1. MIDNIGHT is a time of transition, from one day to
another. God can bring a transition in your life as you pray at MIDNIGHT.
2. MIDNIGHT is a time of great spiritual activity, both good
and evil. Destinies of men are shaped and interrupted at MIDNIGHT. If you are
not shaping your destiny at MIDNIGHT, then somebody may interrupt your life at
MIDNIGHT.
3. At a natural level great victories have been won when
nations were caught by surprise as their armies were asleep at MIDNIGHT. Satan
launches attacks at MIDNIGHT: he feeds people in their dreams at MIDNIGHT; he
rapes others in their dream as they are asleep at MIDNIGHT, etc.
4. Great calamities are spiritually effected at MIDNIGHT.
God had to wait until midnight to execute judgment on Egypt: (Exodus 11:4-6)
Then Moses said, “Thus says the LORD about MIDNIGHT I will go out into the
midst of Egypt; and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the
firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the
female servant who is behind the hand mill, and all the firstborn of the
animals”.
5. MIDNIGHT
is the time people are most vulnerable to spiritual attacks. It is the hour
when enemies lay siege and render people defenseless. It is also the time that
you can launch a deadly, surprise attack on your enemies’ camp.
6. As a Christian, you can break open closed doors as you
pray at MIDNIGHT. Samson lay low till MIDNIGHT; then he arose at MIDNIGHT, took
hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two gateposts, pulled them
up, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the
hill that faces Hebron. (Judges 16:3)
7. Mysterious things happen the most at MIDNIGHT. Have you
lost anything or anyone very dear to you under mysterious circumstances?
Chances are that the operation was carried out at the MIDNIGHT hour. Remember
the harlot in Solomon’s time that lost her child by sleeping on it at MIDNIGHT
and at MIDNIGHT she stole her friend’s child: 1 Kings 3:20(KJV) and she arose
at MIDNIGHT, and took my son from beside me, while your handmaid slept, and
laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
8. Great spiritual transactions happen at MIDNIGHT. Solomon
got wisdom from God at MIDNIGHT (2 Chronicle 7:12). If you are not receiving
something good at midnight, then chances are high that there are evil changes
happening against you at MIDNIGHT.
9. Very wicked operations happen at MIDNIGHT but we can
change that. We must arise and fight. We must wake up and pray. If we do, we
can have great impact in our societies and Churches (Mark 14:43-52).
10. David, the man who never lost a single battle in all his
life, has this to say: At MIDNIGHT, I will rise and give thanks to you, because
of your righteous judgments. (Psalm 119:62) What excuse do you have? Do you
say, “I wish I arise but I’ll be tired”? Do you have a busier schedule than
that of King David (President of the nation of Israel?). I don’t think so.
11. Do you know better than what Paul and Silas knew? Who
praised and worshipped God at MIDNIGHT: But at midnight Paul and Silas were
praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
Suddenly there was a great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison
were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains
were loosed. (Acts 16:25-26)
12. MIDNIGHT is the best time to make serious intercession: And
He said to them, which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at MIDNIGHT
and say to him, friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to
me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him; and he will answer
from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children
are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give it to you? I say to you, though he
will not rise and give to him because he’s his friend, yet because of his
persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs’. (Luke 11:5-8)
13. Praying at MIDNIGHT is a sacrifice that will not go
unrewarded. God sees our desperation through the sacrifices we make to Him. (Ps
5:1)
It is my prayer that the Lord will help us to understand
that when we are asleep, Satan and his demons aren’t asleep but they are busy
launching arrows at us. May the Lord help us to understand that there are
serious activities that take place at MIDNIGHT much of which are against us as Christians.
May the Lord deliver us from spiritual laziness so that we can rise up to
defend our inheritance and to take back what the devil has stolen from us in
Jesus Name
GOD BLESS YOU AS YOU PRAY AT MIDNIGTH
Bro. Istifanus
THEREIN LIES YOUR VICTORY
It is natural to praise God when
something good happen or when everything is rosy, but it take real sacrifice to
offer praise when you have a tough problem. Then you don’t feel like it because
you are weary or you feel like God has let you down. You think he is distant
from you, or does not really care about what is troubling you when life has
just delt you some painful blows.
Well
here is what make big differences, praising God in the time of Adversity,
though not a natural response but is a sure path to victory.
Praises
invites Gods presences and paves the way for the power to be displayed in your
life king jehosaphat understand this quit well, and deployed the weapon of
praise in war between Judah and combined forces of the ammonites, noabites and
mountseir. As Judah raise her voice in praise the set ambushment against them
(ll chronicles 20; 22-23)
When you are confronted with
situation beyond your power and ability to sing praises To God and he will put
you through.apostles Paul also experienced the power of praise in his life and
ministry when he was locked up in a Philippians jail, he looked away from his
predicament and praise God earnestly (Acts 16; 23-26) miracle happen when you
praise God.
Praises
passes your battle to God it help you place your trust in God and look away
from your problems. It also makes you remember God great acts of the past in
your life and leave no room for you to complain and be negative. Praises lifts
your faiths you cannot sincere rely praise God and remain despondent or
doubtful of his ability to pull you through your circumstance. As you praise
God, your spirit is lifted, your anxiety dissipated, and your nerves calmed. So
when next you are confronted with a situation that is beyond you, praise God
just as Jehoshaphat and he will give you the victory you deserve
A PROFESSOR OR A POSSESSOR
In Matthew 7; 22-23 Jesus say, “Many
will say to me on that day lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy
name have cast out devil? And in thy name done much wonderful work? This saying
has been a puzzle to Christians alike. Is it possible for s person to have such
intimidating credential of service to God and still denied access to heaven? They
ask is it possible to be a hypocrite and not even realize it, of course it is
possible. A Christian poll conducted some year ago revealed that about
ninety-one percent of those who call themselves “Christian” are mere profession
of religion, they don’t truly live by the basic tenets of Christianity.
There
are two categories of people; those who deceive themselves and those and those
who re deceive by other, the first believe they are Christians because they are
born into Christian families beer Christian names, hold position of authority
in the church yet they live in and enjoy sin. They are those the bible refers
to it in proverbs 30; 12
The
second category lacks the knowledge of the Bible; hence make themselves easy
prey to false teacher. They can’t discern the truth from cleverly masked
falsehood. They are victims of ignorance Hosea 4; 6
If you are among these categories
of people, you are not a Christian, bearing a Christian name being in church,
regularly in meetings and being in the workforce of your church is good but
they don’t qualify you as a Christian. A Christian is a person who is saved
from sins by the grace of God and lives soberly, righteously and godly even
amidst the moral corruption in the society (Titus 2; 11-13) he also studies,
meditates and lives by what is written in the bible. You are not a Christian if
you have not asked God for the forgiveness of your sins. Repent and forsake
those sins accept Jesus as your savior and lord, stop all form of ungodliness
and stop being a mere professor of religion.(matt 7;21) only those who posses
the life of Christ will live with him in eternal bless forever and not those
who merely profess to know him. SO BE WISE
WHAT EVER HE ALLOWS
For example, God allowed Israel to settled in Egypt and be oppressed by the Egyptians for about 400 years, reasons: so He might demonstrate His might in the gentile nation and prepare His people to take over the whole land of Canaan. As the Israelites were daily brutalized, their deliverance were unimaginable, let alone their conquering the fortified cities of Canaan. But it happened as the Lord promised.
Here is an important secret: when god allows a problem to linger, it is to fulfill a divine agenda, Sarah had Isaac, Rachael had Joseph, Rebekah had Jacob (Israel). Mano’ah’s wife had Samson, Hannah had Samuel, Elizabeth head John the Baptist, consider the historic role each of these special children performed in their generation and you will agree that God’s delay is a blessing in disguise.
Sometimes God allows His children to have unpleasant experiences so they may serve as instruments for revealing His might and grace to the Gentile world. For instance, Nebuchadnezzar would not have had encounter with the Lord and acknowledged His might had God not allowed him to cast Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into the furnace of fire. Thus, the trial of those three godly Hebrews resulted in the demonstration of godly power that compelled and confounded the heathen king to bow to God’s Sovereignty.
Another reason why God may permit Christians to experience crisis or suffer some momentary setbacks is to test the quality of their faith and their genuine worship and commitment to Him. It is easy to cleave to God in smooth sailing, when things are rosy and favorable, but when the wind howl our path and we will need all of our faith and resoluteness to keep holding on. Despite what Job had gone through, God was so sure of his unwavering faith that He placed a bet of him telling Satan: “Has thou consider my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that fear God and shun evil? And still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movest me against him, to destroy him to destroy him without cause. And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the Lord said to Satan, Behold he is in thine hand; but save his life” (Job. 2:3-6). Can God place such a bet on us? Job held out till the end; and God bless him (job 42:10-12).
When God seems to have abandoned us to our woes, a divine purpose is being worked out. Therefore we should take courage in crisis, pray to Him in while in pain and trust in Him during trials. Let your faith soar through life’s billow roll. Never charge God foolishly, but keep leaning on His promises. Wait patiently and let God be glorified in you. Soon, you will see unpleasant experience turn into an exceeding joy. T hen you will appreciate His love and wisdom in permitting the pains.
Know this: whatever God allows He has your good in mind “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose (Rom. 8:28). God bless you all in Jesus name. Shalom…………………….
VICTORIA .O. OLAIDE
OVERCOMING CHALLENGES OF LIFE
Life is never a bed of roses and so Jesus did not promise a problem free life (John 16:33).Have you ever felt surrounded by the enemy or faced overwhelming odds? When pressure or problems come your way, resist the temptation to make a quick escape. Instead, focus on God’s power and wisdom to help you deal with the problems. God is never intimidated by the sin of the enemy or the complexity of a problem. With him, there are always enough resources to resist the pressures and win your battles.
In the journey of life, all would not be smooth- sailing. It is littered with problems and trials. Even for Christians believe that Christianity should offer a problem free life. Consequently, as they gets tougher and rougher, some Christians draw back disappointed, instead of staying closer to God through life’s storms. Problems are painful and inevitable. They should be seen as opportunities for growth spiritually and emotionally.
When people are down in the depths of despairs a common reaction is to feel like there is no reason to keep on going. Many become helpless, demoralized and depressed. Christians are not immunes against depression. We live in a bad, dangerous and broken world where bad things happen to guide people too. Believers will experience anxiety, despair and darkness. If you struggle with depression, you are not alone, God is with you in that situation like the psalmist, we can pour out our heart to God, follow and guide us safely through the dark valley of life. (Psalm 62:8).
REVELATION!!!
A MASSAGE FOR REPENTACE TO GOD
Then it was
reveal sayi9ng, you have sinned against me the lord your God who created you, then I gave all blame to
devil saying, it is the devil, the devil force me, I try to resist but he
pushed me to sin. Rev.2:2, 4-5, then the lord God ask, have you ever seeing or
heard anything about the devil?
innocently I reply to God, but I
have not seeing you neither, then God “reveal” to me, but you have being
hearing of me, praying to me, requesting for my help, thanking and praising me,
so, if you say you have not seeing me either,
How about all
this you have been doing in my name, you do them without faith or believing
that I will grant all of them for your sake? Then I realize where I have yield
to devil. Rev13:10, and then Jesus still spoke to me saying, have you hear or
heard anything good about the devil,
The one who
gives at left and take at the right hand (collect more than he gives) Rev.1:17,
The one that gives you burden to suffer another
(Rev.2:24-25 God’s assurance),
The one that
makes you not to prosper by jealousy to others. Rev.12:17,
The one that makes you rejoice over temporal
life and weep over eternal (Rev.3:1-2 God’s assurance), the one that push you
to go against my will and when you fall, he celebrate your fall with other of
his colleague.Rev.18:10,
The one who promise riches when he is poor.
Rev.3:17(Rev. 2:9-11 God’s assurance),
The one who
force you to worship him when he has no church or congregation. Rev.2:14,
The one who
push you to fight in the house when he himself couldn’t fight Angel Michael.
Rev.12:7-10, the one that take life but cannot touch the soul, torture the body
but cannot dare the flesh.
God still reveal to me, if you
say the devil push you, it is because you have yield to him, because I told you
that you have power over all the things on earth, you just give a command and
it shall be so, apply the authority I invested in you. Jude.1:9 and when you
overcome him, I shall make all his fake promises to you come “REAL”, and more
shall be added unto you. Rev.2:17, and from that moment I realizes all my
faults and then God concluded by saying, “I take Soul and not life, and I flesh
and not body”.Rev.1:18, and once you Soul and Flesh is condemned, you don’t
have life Eternal (Rev.2:11 God’s assurance) and your body will ever be burnt
into Hell fire. Rev.18:8.
Right from that day I gave
my life to Christ, How about you?
Taming your Tongue: Trump
Should Lose
by
Frederick Hoehn, copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
As recently as a couple of days ago, my neighbor and I
were discussing the Presidential election. I was of the opinion that Trump
would do a better job than Hillary as President.
That neighbor also asked the question, "Do you
really want Trump's hand on the "football"? (the "football" that controls our
nuclear weapons.)
Today, I became persuaded that Trump needs to lose the
election for the sake of our nation.
One thing that helped me come to that conclusion was
Fareed Zakaria, who said today on TV that Trump is a B.S. artist, and doesn't
distinguish between the truth and falsehood.
I believe Zakaria actually called Trump a pathological liar. It seems to me that Zakaria is correct.
If someone is indeed a pathological anything, that
generally indicates the presence of demons in that person. Demons are fallen
angels that rebelled against God at the time that Satan rebelled against
God. But though Trump seems to have
demons, I believe that so does Hillary.
Zakaria said that when President Nixon was lying to the nation, Nixon at
least knew that he was lying. But
Zakaria believes that when Trump lies, Trump doesn't know that he's lying. I recon that's probably right.
I remember that President Nixon got on TV and said, "I'm not a
crook."When I saw Nixon say that on TV, I was inclined to believe
him. Later events showed that Nixon was
a crook, after all.
Does this mean I agree with Zakaria on everything?No, I've heard Zakaria
say some good things, but I also think he's said some incorrect things.
But when Zakaria says Trump doesn't distinguish between the truth and
falsehood, I believe Zakaria is correct.
Does this mean that I like Hillary? Not really. And I believe Hillary has also lied. But it now seems to me that Hillary IS THE
LESSER OF TWO EVILS.
I've seen before, many times, how Trump shoots off his mouth, saying
things that should not have been said.
The Bible says, "Death and life are in the power of the
tongue." (Prov 18:21)
And Trump seems not to have proper control over his tongue. If elected, Trump could conceivably start
World War 3 with his out-of-control tongue.
The Bible also says,
"Do you see a man who is wise in his own conceit? There is more hope of a fool than of
him." (Prov 26:12)
I believe Trump is a man wise in his own conceit. And who is it that could fix Trump's conceit
and pride?
The Bible says, "The meek shall inherit the earth, and shall
delight themselves in the abundance of peace." (Psa 37:11)
What do you think, does Trump qualify for the benefits of this Psa 37:11
promise?
No way. Where is Trump's
meekness?
Another scripture is, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty
spirit before a fall." (Prov 16:18)
I perceive that Donald Trump has not built his house on the foundation
of Jesus' words.
Therefore, Trump will lose.
May God have mercy on our nation.
Seems like someone said that Trump is a Presbyterian.
No, Presbyterians are Christians.
My Mother was a Presbyterian before she became a Pentecostal.
Trump's behavior is not that of a Christian. Jesus said, "You shall
love your neighbor like yourself." (Matt 22:39)
I just don't see that in Trump.
Do you?
Does Trump really think that his TV program, "The Apprentice,"
which was somewhat successful, qualifies him to be President of the United
States? I don't think it does. Nor his involvement in the Miss Universe
Pageant.
The Bible also says, "He that has no rule over his own spirit is
like a city that is broken down, and without walls." (Prov 25:28). By his
saying whatever first comes to mind, I believe Trump doesn't properly rule over
his own spirit.
The Bible says, "In a multitude of counselors there is
safety." (Prov 11:14). But Trump seems to think he doesn't need
advisers.He's wrong. He very much needs
advisers. A proper President needs to be
thoughtful, and clearly, Trump is not a thoughtful person.Trump tries to let on
that he's a very successful businessman.
But I understand that Trump has filed bankruptcy like six times.That
doesn't seem to me very much like a successful businessman.
Trump apparently also cheated his customers with his "Trump University,"
where people paid a lot of money to be taught about success, and then it shut
down, and they didn't get what they paid for.
I understand that people have sued Trump about that. Early in the
Presidential campaign, seems like it was announced that Trump was
self-financing his campaign.But more recently I've seen ads on TV that say,
"Trump Needs Your Help," asking for donations.
But Trump, I thought you were self-financing.
Generally, Presidential candidates will make their income tax returns
public when they run for President. But Trump has refused to do so.It seems
clear that Trump has things to hide, financially.
I don't see Hillary as lily white, but I now see Trump as worse than
Hillary.
Americans need to pray that we'll get the best President.
I believe that Trump is not Presidential material, and would be likely
to shipwreck our nation if elected President.
Frederick Hoehn
American Priest
CHRISTIAN GIVING
Giving
generally, may refer to a gift, which is simply the process of transferring
something without the expectation of receiving something in turn. This
definition has a positive meaning from the Christian perspective. The background
of Christian giving is found in the word of God (the Bible). In Genesis 1:31 we
see God as the originator of giving. God gave all to mankind for all he need.
Above all is His gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus in John 1:16. Christian
giving surpasses any types of giving that the world may offer.
Worldly giving entails those types of
giving with expectation to receive something in return. To further understand
the issues about giving, these cogent questions must be asked;
How
do we give?, where do we give?, when do we give?, are there blessings attached
to giving?.
Matthew 6:1-4 teaches us how to give, verse
1 says make certain that you do not perform your religious duties in public, so
that people we see what you do, if you do these things publicly, you will not have any reward from
your father in heaven. Verse 2 says, when you give something to a needy person,
do not make a big show of it....They do it so that people will see it and
praise them. I assure they have been paid in full. But when you help a needy
person, do it in such a way that even your closest friend will not know about
it. Christian giving is suppose to a secret matter “And your father, who see what
you do in private will reward you’’. Christian giving should be done willingly,
not grudgingly or under compulsion and should be done cheerfully (2 Cor. 9:7).
Christian giving is not optional and
it should be done in a proper manner in order to get God’s blessings. Be
conscious of the fact that, your giving is to the Lord and is seen by the Lord.
The Bible also teaches that giving is an act of worship 1Cor. 16:2. “The
liberality of God’s blessings to us is connected to the liberality of our
Christian giving. “2 Cor. 9:6.” Even as we give as Christian, we are sowing. He
who sows many seeds will have large crop and he who sow a few seed will have
small crop”.
The Bible also teaches us that
there is blessing in giving. Luke 6:38 “Give to others and God will give to you
also. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping hand, poured
into your hands that your hands all cannot hold’’.
Finally, remember that our
treasure is in heaven, do not store up riches for yourself here on earth. This means we should invest properly in
propagating the gospel of Christ here on earth.
May God help us in Jesus Name. Shallom
Victoria .O.
Olaide.
Going Through Hard Times? THIS TOO SHALL PASS
Going Through Hard Times?
I had the pleasure of preaching at County Line Baptist Church
yesterday. I had been praying over the sermon and the service for several weeks
and felt like God wanted me to encourage folks to hang in there.
I saw a preacher on TBN promise that if we mailed in some
good money, that the economy would not affect us. The truth is though, that the
Word of God promises us hard times. Every character in the Bible suffered. Paul
told Timothy to endure hardness like a good soldier. No one is exempt from
suffering in this world.
We are being taught that if we pray right, talk right, tithe
and go to church that everything in life will be sweet victory. But the fact is
that you can do all of these things with a good heart and still find yourself
in the midst of a terrible storm.
Jesus had troubles. Abraham had troubles. Paul had troubles.
Moses had troubles. How about Job? A Baptist preacher sent me a painting of the
Early Christian about to be fed to the lions. Underneath the caption read: “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for
your life”. I’m sure that smiling Joel Osteen would not agree, but it is the
truth.
God sends us many trials, test and storms. Those that He does
not send Himself are permitted by Him. Every time we find ourselves under
pressure, we need to focus on a few points that will comfort and encourage us.
1) The Word of God says in Romans 8:28 that ALL THINGS work
for the GOOD of those that love God and are the called according to His
purpose. All means all. Good times and bad times. God is totally in control and
has a perfect plan. When things are hitting you from every direction at once,
just remember that somehow all of this stuff is working out for your good and
for His Glory.
2) Things could be a lot worse, but they can also get better.
Coni is a hospice nurse in an hospital, the other night she had a patient that
took their young son to the Children’s Hospital for test. They were given the
grave news that their child had leukemia. They left the hospital only to
realize that their house had burned to the ground while they were gone. People
are suffering all over this world and will be until Jesus comes back. Be
thankful for what you do have. The Bible also promises us that these
afflictions shall pass and that all things are temporary. Praise the Lord!
3) The deeper the trouble, the deeper the Grace. Paul
suffered from a thorn in the flesh. He asked God three times to remove it. God
replied that His Grace was sufficient. When we get ourselves between a rock and
a hard place, then that is where the grace of God is strong and heavy!
Do not lose hope. God loves you and has a Plan for you.
When God Closes the Door
Genesis 7:1-16
In Genesis Chapter Six, God saw the Wickedness of mankind
and it Grieved God in His Heart. He said that he would destroy mankind off the
face of the earth. But, there was one family and one person who found Grace in the
eyes of God. It was Noah and his family. Note a few things about this man
called Noah;
[1]-Noah did as the Lord Commanded him to do.
[2]-Noah had Faith in what God was going to do.
[3]-He Preached for 120 years without a single convert.
[4]-He and his family were the only ones saved.
But, notice the last six words of Verse Sixteen of our Text
Verses today; "AND THE LORD SHUT HIM IN". Let us notice some
important points about that door today.
1. The Door is Open Right Now: (The Age of Grace) Revelation
3:20
2. The Door Could Close at Any Moment: (Two Ways)
[a]-Death: Hebrews 9:27
[b]-Rapture: Matthew 24:36 & 44
3. The Door is almost Closed Right Now: (Evil Today) Matthew
24:37
4. When the Door Closes, It would Not Re-Open: Matthew
25:1-12
Have you come through the door? God awaits for you. The Door
is open. Why not come through that door today.
The accuser
A nine years old boy Sam and her sister Julie went to spend
their summer holiday with their grandparent. Sam do have a catapult because he
love to shoot stones in the trees, but wasn’t a good shooter. One day he was
coming back and at the grandparents backyard he saw his grand mum’s pet duck
beside the pond and decided to take a shoot saying ‘after all I am not a shot
shooter, just to scare the duck’. Sam took the shot and unfortunately hits the
duck and the duck could not survive it. He immediately had the duck buried and
turning back he noticed his sister Julie saw the whole thing happened and he
begged the to keep it as a secret, and they all went inside the house. That
night the grand ma asked Julie after the dinner to come help her do the dishes
but she replied ‘grand ma Sam told me he would love to do it’ whispering to Sam
‘remember the duck’ he has no choice than to do the dishes. The following
morning their grand pa asked both Sam and Julie for a fishing which they both
love to do, but the grand ma sail I will need Julie to stay back and help me do
the launch, then she replied ‘grand ma Sam told me he would love to do the launch
with you’ whispering to Sam ‘remember the duck’ he has no choice even though he
was not comfortable with it so he stayed back. About three weeks later Sam has
had enough of Julie’s blackmail, he summoned courage and called his grand ma
and said ‘grandma really I don’t know how you are going to feel but I mistakenly
kill your pet duck please can you forgive me?’ his grand ma gave him a big urge
and told him I already forgave you, Sam was amused, the grand ma smiled at him
and say ‘I know you did, I saw the whole thing happen I was standing at the
window, I saw the whole scene, I was just waiting to see how long you’re going
to make Julie make a slave of you.
God is always standing at the window, He is just waiting to
see how long we are going to let the accuser manipulate us, the good news is
that He has already forgiving us.
1 John 1:8-10 (TLB)
8 If
we say that we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to
accept the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins
to him, he
can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. [And it is
perfectly proper for God to do this for us because Christ died to wash away our
sins.] 10 If we claim we have not
sinned, we are lying and calling God a liar, for he says we have sinned.
QUESTIONS TO ASK AS YOU STUDYING THE
BIBLE
Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the
LORD listened and heard. MALACHI 3:16
QUESTIONS TO ASK AS YOU STUDY EACH
CHAPTER:
Ø Since
the ultimate aim of Bible study is to
know God better, what does this chapter tell me about God's character and
personality?
Ø Since
God has given me the Bible to change my life, what needed corrections or
adjustments in my habits or character come to mind as I explore this chapter?
Ø In
this chapter, what are... the key verses, the key phrases, the key words? the
key points or principles—and how do they
work in my life?
Ø In
this chapter, do I see any...
commands to obey?
promises to claim?
standards to live by?
examples to learn from?
commands to obey?
promises to claim?
standards to live by?
examples to learn from?
Ø What
three-to-six word title could I give to this chapter, to help me remember its
teaching?
QUESTIONS TO ASK AS YOU BEGIN YOUR
STUDY OF EACH BOOK:
Ø If
you're already familiar with this book, which passages are your favorite parts
of it?
Ø If
this were the only book in the Bible you knew about or had access to, what
things could you still find out about God?
Ø As
you scan this book, what types of
Bible literature does it appear to contain? (You may want to review together
the different types, such as those listed here:)
· poetry
· historical
or biograp
· historical or biographical narrative (a record of people and
events)
· teaching
or sermons
· laws
or covenant agreements
· parables
(short stories and word pictures with a moral point)
· proverbs
(short, wise sayings)
· prophecy
(statements from God about the present and future)
Ø What
appear to be the main divisions in this book?
Ø From
what you understand about this book, who wrote
it (and when), and for what original
audience was it written?
Ø From
what you see in looking over this book, what would you say the author was
trying most to accomplish?
Ø Which
chapter in this book would you say is the key chapter, the one that best
summarizes or reflects or unlocks the meaning of the entire book?
Ø From
what you see in looking over this book, what kinds of answers and guidelines
and solutions in life do you think we can reasonably expect to find in this
book?
Ø What
four- to six-word title would you give to this book, to best summarize its
content and significance?
Ø When
you get to heaven, if you asked God, "Why did You include this book in the
Bible?" how do you think He would answer?
Read the chapter... reread
it... and reread it again.
Dare to Leave the Boat
Scripture: Matthew 14:22-33
When it comes to trusting Jesus,
what keeps us from getting out of the boat? What keeps you from daring to trust
Jesus? Let us look at the reasons we are afraid to leave the boat, and the way
Peter overcame them. This morning I want us to dare to trust Jesus completely.
I.
Dispel disillusionment
When the disciples first see Jesus
coming at them they mistake Him for a ghost. They have spent the whole night
afraid the storm would drown them, and now a ghost shows up. Things were going
from bad, to worse, to worse. It was the epitome of out of the frying pan and
into the fire. The first thing that must happen to get out of the boat is that
our disillusionment must be dispelled. Have you ever noticed that we make the
problems of life worse in our head than they really are? As humans we are
masters at creating terrible events in our minds and worrying ourselves to
death. Have you ever watched some old suspense movies? Those directors knew
something about our ability to create fears in our head. Today we show everything
and leave nothing to the imagination. But old movies will let you know
something bad is going to happen and then not show it. Those directors allowed
our minds to fill in the blanks. The disciples are filling in the blanks. They
see a figure walking on the water toward them and they assume that it must be a
ghost. Is that not just like us? We often make our fears greater than they are.
But how do we handle real fears?
We must know the person of Jesus.
Do you know how they train Federal
agents to spot counterfeit money? They put them in a room for days and have
them count real money. Then after several days of counting real money, they
slip a phony bill in. More often than not, the agent will catch the fake naira.
Why? Not because they know so much about counterfeit money, but because they
are so familiar with the original. That is how we need to be. We must become so
familiar with Jesus, that when false promises or pseudo-saviors show up, we
spot them for who they are. We must know Jesus, in the deepest most personal
sense. Only through a personal relationship with Him will we be able to
recognize Him. Only as we grow to know Christ deeper will we be able to
identify the fakes. The disciples mistake Jesus for a ghost when He shows up.
Only when Peter is sure that it is Jesus walking on the water does he dare
think about getting out of the boat.
How is your relationship with Jesus?
Is He your Savior? Is He your Lord? Is He your friend that sticks closer than a
brother? All of us in this room could identify the President of the United
States, but if he were to walk through the door, would he know you? That's the
kind of relationship we must have with Jesus before we can even think about
getting out of the boat. One where we know Him, and He knows us.
II.
Defeat distractions
Peter leaves the boat when he knows
that it is Jesus on the water and not a ghost, and for a little while he walks
on the water. Peter does the impossible, but then things change. Peter took his
eyes off Jesus and focused on the storm.
When Peter got out of the boat he
was focused on Jesus, on the source of his power. Then Peter shifted his focus
from the source of his power to the problems that surrounded him. We will sink
when we get distracted from Jesus, our source of power? Distractions can come
in two forms, the obvious and the subtle.
Peter gets distracted by the obvious
stuff. The thunder booms, the lightning cracks, the wind whips, and the waves
pound. There's a storm going on around Peter. It's easy to see why he gets
distracted. He's afraid. Just a few moments ago he was hiding in the boat from
the storm, now he is exposed in the middle of the storm.
We get scared by things that look
like they will over take us, and we turn from Jesus, the source of our power
and peace. When I was in seminary I served a country church and had a fairly
new car. One day I went out to start the car, and nothing happened. I thought I
had a dead battery and went through all the trouble of getting a new one, only
to discover my cables had shaken loose traveling those back country roads. Once
a tight connection was re-established, the car worked perfectly.
When we choose to focus on the
problems rather than the power, we sacrifice our connection with Jesus. Jesus
is a power greater than the problems we face. When our problems distract us
from Jesus, we turn from the greatest power there is to a lesser power. John
writes in I John 4:4, "the One who is in you is greater than the one who
is in the world." If we focus on the problems then we will lose sight of the
one greater than anything.
We can also get distracted by subtle
things. If you are like me, then you get a lot of offers to be involved in some
good things. They are not problems, but they demand time and attention. How
often do you evaluate those things in light of the kingdom of God and eternity?
Do you ever ask yourself, "Is this part of God's will for my life?"
"Will this help the kingdom of God advance?" "Will this make an
eternal difference in someone's life?" Like I said, they may be good
projects, noble endeavors, but they may also distract you from your main focus.
The problem is we get too busy for Jesus. I have an evangelist friend whose
wife says, "If the devil cannot make you bad, then he will make you
busy." That's good advice. We can get distracted by good things as well as
bad. We do not need to get busy doing good things, we need to get busy doing
the things Christ has for us to do.
III.
Destroy doubt
When Peter got into the boat, the
disciples worshiped Jesus. We get the feeling that this worship of Him was
different. Amazingly this is not a first-time event for the disciples. Earlier
in Matthew chapter 8, the disciples are in the boat when a storm comes up. So
bad is the storm that they think they will die. Sound familiar? Only instead of
walking on the water, Jesus is asleep in the boat. The disciples wake Jesus,
and He speaks to the winds and the waves and the storm calms. The disciples
look at one another and say, "What kind of man is this? – even the winds
and the sea obey Him?" Compare that with what they confess here. Now they
say that Jesus is the Son of God. How did they get from "What kind of man
is this?" to "You are the Son of God."? Something about the
whole experience opened their eyes to the power and ability of Jesus. Before
this encounter Jesus was just an amazing man, but now the disciples saw Him as
the Messiah and Son of God. So how can we see Jesus for who He really is? How
can we move from seeing Jesus as just a great man, to the only one who can
change our lives? We must spend time with Him. It is simple, but sometimes it
is the most obvious things that we fail to see. To know Jesus we must spend
time with Jesus. When the storms of life come, how long will you wait till you
call on Jesus? Don't we often try to think our way out of problems and search
for others who can get us out of our problems, before we look to Jesus? Why is
Jesus not our first refuge in difficult times?
No matter how we answer that
question, there is a deeper problem: We doubt Jesus. We trust our skills, our
intellect, our money, our position, or our connections more than we do the Son
of God. We only turn to Jesus as a last result. We put Jesus on a time
limit. If Christ does not handle our problem within certain about of time, we
assume that He does not care, is not able, or is too busy. So we go to someone
or something else. Not only must Christ be our first choice, He must become our
only choice. I can imagine the question that may be in your mind: "But
what if Jesus does not help?" Jesus may not come when you want, do what
you want, or follow your every direction, but Jesus does care. He is
all-powerful, and he will help. Notice that the storms do not calm down until
Jesus gets into the boat. The whole experience with Peter walking on the water
happened while the storm raged. Sometimes Jesus does not remove the problems of
life, but He shows up and walks with you through them.
That's where trust and faith come in.
Our life is built on Jesus and Him alone, not Jesus and something else, or
Christ and someone else. When we realize that all we need is Jesus we will
trust Him. It will not matter if the storms rage or the lightning flashes. All
that will matter to us is that we have Jesus. No doubts in His ability, no
questions about if this is the right course for our life, no wondering if
Christ can.
When I was a youth minister I
brought a band for an evangelism event. They were wild and crazy and the kids
loved them. In the middle of this insane event, the lead singer said, "It
is impossible to come into the presence of Jesus and leave the same way you
came." That is what has happened to the disciples. They have come into the
presence of Jesus, and just Jesus. They have seen Him do the incredible and
that has dispelled the disillusionment, defeated the distractions, and
destroyed the doubts. That is what we need to do. To know Christ personally, to
stay focused on Him, and to trust Him only. When we do those three things,
Jesus can look at us and say come out of the boat, and we will.
Whatever it is, the One greater than
fears, problems, and doubts are here. Jesus is waiting on you to believe in Him
and risk it all. Come on, leave the boat and walk on the water. Jesus says you
can do it.
Where will
you spend eternity???
Every major happening in this world, including the time and
season of it unalterably fixed and determined by the supreme power of God.
These events are not only punctually determined, seem simple and casual, such
as the breaking of a new day; nightfall; springtime and harvest are in the counsel
and knowledge of God.
Every purpose of God has its own time and it manifests as
ordained by the Almighty and also up held “by
the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3). As for the world, He has ordained a
time for its expiration. A time when Christ will come again to take away His
faithful bride (I Thessalonians 4:16). Then the world will be judged for its
sinfulness. His time-clock is already ticking away by the minute, whether man
is aware of it or not. Man may scoff and sneer at the possibility of the world
coming to an end, but nothing will alter God’s time-table for this universe.
Fortunately, though, God has revealed a whole lot of the coming events to us in
the form of prophecies, promises, teachings and warnings as contained in the
scriptures. The onus is on the wise therefore to take heed to these things.
The foremost and greatest of the events coming upon the
world soon is the catching away of all true believers in Christ to meet with
the Lord in the air (I Thessalonians 4 : 16). This event will happen so
suddenly that the Bible compares it to the ‘twinkling of an eye’. There simply won’t be time for careless
Christians to re-order his or her life and none, whatsoever for the sinner who
has been putting off salvation to quickly repent. Today remains the day of
salvation as the spirit of God presently pleads ‘seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon Him while he is
near’ (Isaiah 55: 6).
After the rapture, a chain of events will follow in quick
succession, amongst which is the wrath of God being poured down from His cup of
indignation without mixture on all the remaining inhabitants of the earth
(Revelation 14: 10). A wise person therefore will understand that these things
are not in his power to influence or change and will, as a matter of urgency
submit to God’s way of escape from the wrath to come.
The cheering news for you reader is that ‘the Lord is not slack concerning His
promises as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us – ward, not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance’ (2
Peter 3 : 9). It is not the desire of God to condemn any soul to judgment
forever; His delight is to see that everyone takes advantage of His gift of salvation
and prolonged patience with Him. Therefore, if you have not been born again,
come to Jesus today in sincere repentance and He will receive you. If you are
saved already, then rededicate yourself to pleasing the Lord and watching for
His appearance at all times. Know that your redemption is nearer than when you
first believed. Keep your garment of
righteousness untarnished by the flesh and world.
The coming of the Lord is at hand. Reader, don’t be so
attached to the affairs of life that you become unmindful of His coming. God’s
time-clock is ticking louder and louder. Soon it will all be over. Soon the
period of grace will be gone, soon the door of mercy will be forever shut. But
the questions remains where will you
spend eternity???
Victoria Olaide O.
No comments:
Post a Comment