Inspired!

Inspired!

“[16] Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action).” 2 Timothy 3:16 AMPC

There are people who claim that there are contradictions in the accounts of events laid out in the Bible. There has to be some amazing power behind the bible that even with different versions that have been produced through the centuries, the truths of the Word of God have not been changed or successfully challenged. That is consistency. That is power of a kind that the world cannot explain. The verse above starts with this very incontrovertible fact: all Scripture, even the parts that make you uncomfortable, is God-breathed. It is God who ordered the total destruction of a nation, and He also is the One who showed mercy to another nation simply because it showed mercy to His people. 

The verse above also makes it clear that the words we read in the Bible are given by God's inspiration. Mortal men, with their limitations and weaknesses, were moved by an amazing and extraordinary God to put down the words we read today. These mortal men are like us, not spirits. They were not perfect all at once, but God used them as and when He pleased, to lay out His perfect plan for all mankind. The perfect God is the only One who can use the imperfect to bring perfection to all who put their trust in God. Reflect on the truth that right from the place of man's first sin was the place of God's redemption plan. The mind of God is revealed by what He has laid down. It will be very profitable for me to know God's mind and live by what He shows me.

That is the value of the latter part of the verse above. All that God says has an assignment to work out in my life. There will be times when what I need is instruction for daily living. There will be times when reproof and conviction of sin is what I need at a specific time, as correction of error and discipline in obedience. There will also be times when I need training in righteousness, to know how to live in holiness and in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose and action. What area of life does God not cover? What challenge does God not have a solution for? What life question can exist that the word of God does not have an answer for? The eternal God has made His will known; He waits for us. How do you respond? God's time of favour is here. 

Helped!

Helped!

“[23] Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!”

Psalm 139:23 AMPC

David, the man God testified to as a man after His own heart, is credited with writing this song. The first two verses tell you what you need to know about both David and God. The writer admitted to the truth that God indeed knows him the way no other person can. He knew that there was no surprises when it came to God. Even the thoughts of David were known to God even before David thought of them. That is power on a level that the mortal mind is unable to fully comprehend. As you read the entire chapter, you see the power of this God and the weakness of man in full display. The One who made man has already established his days in His book, even before any of these days come to pass. Reflect on the story of creation and see the wisdom and power of God in full display.

It is in this light that the verse above is to be reviewed. If David already admitted that God had already searched him thoroughly and had known him, why this prayer? How do you ask an already Omniscient God to search you thoroughly? Is there anything about the created that can be hidden from the view of the Creator? The message here is total allegiance. There is a difference between knowledge and action. There are men who know that God is powerful, but they will never bring themselves under His authority. Even the devil knowa that God is powerful, but his eternal damnation has already been sealed. To ask this God to search me is to accept His power and authority over me, and that I will accept His view. 

To ask God to try me and know my thoughts is to embrace His processing. I admit that sometimes I do not always get it; I may think I am the best at whatever I do, but I must leave room for God to deal with me the way He wants to, not the way I think He should. I must choose to be open with the God before whom I will stand for judgment anyway. I know that I may not always see my own faults, motives, or blind spots,  but I trust that God's dealings are not to hurt or harm me but to help me. If God could put His breath in me, it means that He is invested in my success. My best gift to God is total submission to His process. He is the One who can hold me to the end and bring me into safe harbour. He will not force Himself on anyone. Would you submit? God's time of favour is here. 

Delivered!

Delivered!

“[13] [The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,”

Colossians 1:13 AMPC

Paul and Timothy who wrote this letter to the saints of God in Colosse would know the value of what the verse above presents. Both men did not have what you would call a very attractive start in the faith. Paul was a man who was fresh from supporting murder, to being a willing traveller to go and do more. Timothy's birth circumstances would have made him quite unqualified for the roles he played, if not for the guided assistance of Paul. Both men had a past from which the death of Jesus played the fundamental role: changing the eventual outcome from eternal death and securing eternal life. It does not matter what the past or even the present looks like: all of us need to encounter the power that was made available at the death and resurrection of Jesus. 

Reflect on what the sacrifice of Jesus means: He who knew no sin became sin for us. He came in my place, stood in my place, paid the price I obviously could not pay, and offered me a way out from under the control and influence of sin. I could not save myself; in fact, at the time that Jesus died, I was not even born, so it was not like I even knew I needed His help. The Omniscient God knew what was ahead, and He provided a way of escape for me, even before I knew whatever trouble was ahead. That is a love that does not make human sense; that is a love that is not conditional upon my acceptance or rejection of Him. There is nothing I can do that will lessen the weight, height, depth or scope of the love Jesus has for me. This is the definition of love that the world needs to know and experience. 

I note that the impact of this love also means that He has not left me in a vacuum. He did not just save me from sin; He also brought me into a different kingdom. He did not leave me as an orphan to fend for myself; He secured earthy relevance and eternal security for me. Let it be clear that the best of us, without Christ, is under the control and dominion of darkness. Education, earnings, expensive jewelry and elocution do not save a man. None of these things can be of value at the judgement seat. What counts is the finished work of Christ. He has transferred us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His dear Son. That is new ownership; new vision, pursuits and priorities. That inner change must now drive outer focus. As someone who understands what has been given, it is now a daily submission and embrace of all that has been given. Do you know who and whose you are? God's time of favour is here.

Pray!

Pray!

“Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God's consecrated people).” 

Ephesians 6:18 AMPC

Paul was concluding this letter to the church in Ephesus and he was speaking to different classes of people: slaves, masters, children and parents. For each group, there was a right way to engage so that the message of Christ will be attractive to others. No matter my station in life, or what I have or lack now, the call of God upon my life requires me to be careful and intentional about how I conduct myself. The understanding of who and where I am will help me stay strong and focused on what God desires from and for me. Do you know who and whose you are? Are you clear on God's expectations from you? As we always say: God does not force Himself on anyone, and He will not go against the exercise of my freewill. 

The introduction to the part where the verse above is taken from reads: “In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].” It is only IN Him that I can draw the strength that is referred to here. It is only in union with Him that my output can reflect His inner presence. It is my association with Him that will drive my presentation. One way to get the strength that is in focus here is to pray the way the verse above lays it out: IN the Spirit. It is a focus on the One who knows the mind of God and can help me focus on what really matters. I do not know how to pray as I ought, but the Spirit of God is able to direct ny heart and thoughts appropriately. The Spirit of God is the enabler, strengthener and support. 

It is not a one-off; it is a stready engagement. You do not do it only when it feels good, but at all times. It is not a formular for always getting what you want; it is a process of submission whereby God is able to work on and in me to be what He wants me to be. 

There is also the need to balance prayer with watching in alertness. You pray, and then you observe. You keep at it. The heart is always in a state of alertness to what God is saying, so that the knees and lips can respomd the right way. There may be a change in direction as instructed when God has my heart and full attention. I must also pray for God's people too. The change that God wants to do in my world will be led by broken and yielded vessels. Am I one? Can God count on me to also raise one? God's time of favour is here.

Endure!

Endure!

“Blessed (happy, to be envied) is the man who is patient under trial and stands up under temptation, for when he has stood the test and been approved, he will receive [the victor's] crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12 AMPC

The way God deals with His own differs from person to person, but one truth that we can all hold on to is the fact that there is an earthly and an eternal dimension to whatever God allows. James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, was writing to the twelve tribes scattered abroad among the Gentiles. How had this happened? How did God's people find themselves in strange lands, even though they were Christians? Who says God calls us to earthly comfort alone, with no view of eternity? He will make us relevant here on earth, but He will also preserve us for eternity. This is the full package of the call of God on a man's life. Am I His own? Is He my God?

For all who are called by God, know that trials and tough times are built into the fabric of our development and growth. It is by resistance that the skill of a captain is proven. It is by pressure that the skill of a sportsman is proven. How do I claim I can endure if there has never been anything that can test that statement? The natural man finds the path of least resistance; the spiritual man craves the pressure, because he knows that this is God's way of preparing His own for the heights ahead. God does not push us out to face the tough times on our own; like the pharmacist that He is, everything is calibrated to bring out the best in us, so that we can be whole at the end.

That is why the verse above calls all who submit to God's process 'blessed'. Only God speaks this way. Jesus went to the cross, and now He has obtained eternal life for all who come to Him. In the same way, for all who endure the tough times, there is an eternal reward in view. If the promise is a crown of life, this tells me that nothing escapes the attention of the One who will reward accordingly. He is not a God who can be deceived; He knows my heart, and He can determine its sincerity. Seek God's approval, not man's validation. He is the One who can help us stand. Submit to His process; earn His life. God's time of favour is here. 

No Fear!

No Fear!

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

Isaiah 41:10 KJV

The source of the information determines the potential for impact. Man can make promises but there is always the divine will of God that will determine whether that promise can be fulfilled. As we read the chapter from where the verse above is taken, we encounter the One who has authority to change destinies an impose His will on all He has created. He is the One who sets up a king to defeat and destroy other kings. He is the One who gives victory to a king over other territories that he ordinarily would not dare enter. When He calls, who can ignore Him? When He directs, who can resist Him? When He commands, the devil has no choice but to obey. 

The One we speak about here has introduced Himself to us in this manner: “Who has done such mighty deeds, summoning each new generation from the beginning of time? It is I, the Lord, the First and the Last. I alone am he."  Reflect on this: when you consider who this God is, all that He has made, and all the amazing things you see Him do, how do all these things prompt you to respond? Is it out of fear or a sense of awe? Would knowledge of God push me to hold Him in awe or avoid Him out of fear? He is the One who raised a king to destroy stronger kings. Other nations saw this, and rather than seek this God, they went after idols. Who do you seek? Why do you seek Him?

For the nations that sought after idols, we all know how they ended. Even when Israel as a nation forsook God and went after false gods, we know how God punished the nation. God has a message for all of us here: He does not take rebellion lightly, but be sure that He will support, sustain and strengthen the one who holds on to Him. Abraham was the man who walked with God by faith, and we see the results of that personal walk in the life of a whole nation till today. God does not force Himself on anyone, and He will not go against the exercise of my freewill, but be sure that He will show up when a man's heart is fully committed to Him. Where is your heart focused on? 

The message in the verse above is for those who are fixed on God. There is no other fear for those who have made God their fear. The Lord is with them that fear Him. His presence is all I need. When He is with me, I need no one else. He will raise men that will help me. He will provide resources for the assignment He has given. He will help me go farther, run faster, walk closer and serve better than I could in my own strength or wisdom. We see this in the lives of the people of Israel. It is the same God still; His rules of engagement have not changed. Is He my sole strength, or am I seeking alternatives? Does He hold all? God's time of favour is here. 

Roll It!

Roll It!

“Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.” Proverbs 16:3 AMPC

At the heart of the verse above lies a very important truth: God wants to be involved in every area of my life. There is nothing like a 'no-go' area for God, if I want my life to have meaningful impact. He made me, formed me, gifted me, planted me, and also surrounded me with resources and people that will help me in the journey of impact and relevance, and also prepare me for eternal life with Him. It is also good to look at the life of the man who wrote these words: Solomon the son of David, the greatest king by Israel's records. David may not always have made the right choices when it came to women, but it is instructive to note the impact he had on this young man.

How does a young man seek God if there is no one to show Him the way? How does a young man know the right steps to take if there is no right example to emulate? David did his best to show Solomon what trust in God looks like, and the early years of Solomon indeed showed that he learnt a lot from his father. Picture David telling Solomon about the lion and the bear, as well as Goliath. For me, the lesson is obvious: what are the examples I am presenting for the children that God has given me? What Godly teaching am I modeling? Does my own personal life show that I trust God, even before I dare to tell another person to also trust God? 

From that background, and considering what Solomon asked God for, we now know the value of a life that trusts God completely. This was a man who was given a blank cheque to ask God for anything, even to the lives of his enemies, and all he asked for was wisdom. We know how his life panned out; we read of the many people who came from the ends of the earth to hear him speak. We know the wealth that he amassed, that till today, there is still no one who can match up to his daily spending. However, we also know how the end of his life went; we read of the many wives and concubines he had, who then turned his heart away from the God who had helped him thus far. 

His story makes the lessons in the verse above even clearer: there is nothing I can do outside of God. His breath is in me, so I am empowered to live like Him. I have His power and authority to plan and execute lofty ideas, but I must make sure to check on Him all the way from planning to execution. I do not have the slightest idea what the next minute brings; I need the help of the One who actually created the days and knows what each one has in store. It cannot be some; it has to be all. As we know, if He is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all. If He is in charge, my heart knows to seek Him before I set out. Roll it all on Him; let go of the controls. Let God lead every step of the way as we work and plan well. God's time of favour is here.