A Heart- Matter

John 3:3 KJV
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus was a morally upright man. He had everything going well for him: he was a Pharisee, the class of rulers and leaders back in those days. He also taught the law so he had to be learned. He had all he could get, at least on the surface. But he wasn't happy; something was missing. But because of people's opinions and perceptions, he had to come seeking answers at night. And what he got was surely not what he was looking for but it was what he needed at that point in his life.
He came to Jesus under cover of darkness and actually confessed that he knew that Jesus was sent from God. Whether that was to put Jesus in a good mood or not, Jesus knew his basic need and hit it on the head with the statement quoted above.
Nothing else matters if you are not born again. You can be busy doing all the good, moral things but nothing counts to your credit if your heart is not owned and held by Jesus. The only way to God has been spelt out:  John 14:6 KJV- Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Your heart is the battleground. Whatever controls your heart controls your life and determines your destiny. Whatever you yield your heart to, the same is your master. Check your heart again and confirm who is in control there: God or yourself.  You can't be neutral as there is no middle ground between both. You either have him in you or you do not.
Are you proud that you have him or due to the double lifestyle you live, you just can't dare declare for him publicly? Are you like Nicodemus, full of activity, zeal, knowledge and wealth but very poor in your relationship with God? There's a lot to learn from knowing God and the ultimate reward is an eternal dwelling place with him.
Seek him out NOW. Tomorrow may not be there for you to decide. No pretence,deceit or procrastination. It may just be too late when you are ready for it.
His time of favour is here. Key into it.

Earning God's Respect

Genesis 4:4-5 KJV
And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

Cain and Abel were brothers, sons of Adam and Eve. Both had grown up under the same roof and under the same discipline and instruction. They had watched their parents worship God and I'm sure had picked up a few lessons on process, procedure and purpose of the worship of this God. Why then would both sons offer sacrifices to God at the same time and one will be accepted and the other rejected?
There's a need for us to check our motives for serving and seeking God.  Our wants, needs and desires all become so important and weighty that we just have to find an immediate solution to them. We come to God, seeking him to wave a magic wand over our problems and make them disappear, forgetting that with God, there's a purpose to every pain. We seek God out only when it is convenient, and when that does not go well, when he says NO or HOLD ON to our requests, we sulk and react badly.
God deserves our awe, respect and fear. Our attittude in worship is far more important to God than the actual act of worship itself. Worship is more of a spirit-act than an actual event and that's why our worship of God must move from the realm of scheduled activities to heart-worship, the type only God's Spirit can inspire.
Any other worship, no matter how good it looks or how sweet it sounds, remains at the realm of the physical and can never earn God's respect. No wonder Cain was mad because his sacrifice was not accepted by God. His attitude was all wrong and it pushed him all the way to hatred and murder.
Watch your worship of God. Does it flow from an appreciative heart that recognises the supremacy and sufficiency of God? Or does it flow from a heart that seeks a reward for worship? Do you seek God for who he is or for what you can get only?
His time of favour is here, so watch your worship.

Waiting......

I really cannot say what was on God's mind when he made the promise that Israel will serve a foreign nation for 430 years. I can imagine the pain he must have felt when the people cried out to him for help, generation after generation, but he could not yet bring them out because the time had not yet come. Generation after generation came, cried and died and it appeared as if God didn't care.
But when the fulness of time had come, Moses was born and brought up right in Pharaoh's palace, so he could learn the ways, customs and practice of the land of Egypt. He also had temper issues that God had to deal with because of the people he had to lead.
God's timing is indeed strange. He does things as he sees best, not as it suits us. He sees so far ahead and sees how everything fits together into his ultimate plan, while all we see is the now and the immediate. We must therefore trust his wisdom, timing and silence. Atimes, he says nothing so we can trust him in the dark times; atimes he says yes if it lines up with his will at the moment; atimes it is an outright no if it is not the best for us. Whatever his response, I'm in the hands of a God who has perfect understanding of who I am and what I need and he knows the best time to align the supply of my needs with the fulfilment of His purpose for my life. I must trust him completely. His time of favour is here.

Check your eyes!

Numbers 13:30-31 NIV

Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”  But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.”

The Israelites were a pampered people. God had promised them another nation's land, free of charge and God was bringing them in to possess the land. Israel was not stronger than the original inhabitants of the land yet God was assuring them that his presence with them was a guarantee of victory. Yet, a regular 12-day journey turned into a bitter experience of wanderings, pains and death for 40 years. Still, there was a constant stream of provision,protection and guidance all through the 40 years. Here they were, at the point of entering to possess the promise that had been made by God and sustained by Him through the years. Yet, they could not believe that God could do all that he had promised. Some of them were even ready to go back to Egypt, claiming that slavery was better. May God have mercy on us. May our eyes be open to see all that God has put in place for us. Hiss Word says: Eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, neither has it come into the mind of man what God has in store for his people.
Out of 12 spies, only 2 saw what God saw. 10 saw something negative and the effect of their negativity cost the camp the lives of everyone who was 20 years old and above, even Moses himself. It just shows that you must watch the things you see, hear and allow into your heart. If you can't see your problems from God's point of view, you are in for a life of struggles and regret.
Go back to the Word and let it refresh your thoughts, changd your mindset and convict your heart. Then, you can see what God sees about you and key into his purpose and plan for you.
Nothing else matters. The world economy thrives on negative reports, newspapers sell on sensational news, people don't care about your problems because they have got theirs too. Only God understands and holds the solution to those problems. Give all to God. His time of favour is here.

His Presence or His Presents?

Joshua 1: 8-9(KJV)
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Indeed, God is a good God.  He made a promise to a man called Abraham and long after Abraham had died, God was still working out the promise and seeking to fulfil it.  One major attribute of God which I have experienced is His ever-constant reliability to uphold his Word. Once he has said it, you can bet that it will come to pass.
But like every other person, we love to claim the good without doing good. We love the promises but we conveniently forget the conditions. Abraham walked with God to his dying day, armed only with the promise of great things in his future. Isaac held on to the promise too, and Jacob and Joseph kept reminding their offspring of the wonderful promises of God. These ones didn't see the promisef land but they held on in faith and complete obedience to the promises of God, doing all that God asked them to do. If only we could learn from them.
Nowadays, sinners claim promises belonging to saints and believers, while even believers themselves simply confess a promise with theirr lips but their hearts have wandered away in search of other alternatives. Joshua was told: I am with you. Be strong and courageous. Stay connected to the Book of the Law, my statutes. That is the only guarantee of success. The Word of God gives the promise, it is our obedience andd faith that activates the blessings attached to those promises.
If you want to be blessed, stay connected to the Word and stay obedient. His time of favour is here.

Riches and Eternity

Psalm 49:16-17, 20 NIV
Do not be overawed when others grow rich, when the splendor of their houses increases;  for they will take nothing with them when they die, their splendor will not descend with them.  People who have wealth but lack understanding are like the beasts that perish.

There's a sobering thought in the verses quoted above. The issue has never been with riches or wealth; it has always been with the attitude we put up with it or the place we give it in our hearts. We spend our  whole lives working and striving to make money and gather riches; we look around us and see our 'mates' who seem to have moved on and moved ahead; we admire and respect the wealthy, without much thought as to the source of the wealth or the erernal state of the holder of that wealth. We spend our entire lives chasing a mirage, thinking that if only we are rich, then our problems will be solved.
There's just one small issue with that thought: riches are temporal, ephemeral and earthly, nothing leaves this side of eternity. Solomon was the richest man in history; he testified that there was nothing his eyes saw that he did not get for himself; in fact, by biblical calculations in the Dakes study bible, his daily feeding cost was over six million dollars. What could be more pleasing? Yet he reflected on his life at a point and concluded: 'All is vanity'. There's a place for riches and if we are to live strong, purposefully directed lives, we must know its place and keep it in its place.
The other side of the verses above is the man who does not know what he enjoys in Christ. There's a promise that says that God has given us ALL things that pertain to life and Godliness. Why then do we struggle to survive? Why does it seem as if we just cannot make it, no matter how hard we try? God has released to us the riches of his storehouse and the contents are all ours. We cannot draw from it without fulfilling the condition: knowing and accepting Jesus as Saviour and Lord. That is your access key. All things are freely given in Him and the knowledge of him opens up your treasure. If you are struggling with debt, lack and pressure, check your relationship. If its cordial, make a demand on heaven's resources. God only responds to the demand of faith from his own children. If you remain ignorant of your entitlement in God, then you are like the man described above, who is in honour, yet without understanding. Such a man will perish in ignorance and lack, not because there was no supply, but because there was no awareness of his entitlement. The Word holds the keys to our upliftment and favour, read and believe its contents, then hold God to the words he has spoken. His time of favour has come.

Your Priorities?

Psalm 119:72 NIV
The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

We all have life goals, no matter how incredible they sound or look or how simple they are. Even the most unassuming, humble person has a fair idea of where he wants to get to or what he wants to attain over a period of time. Some goals are so simple that a minimum of effort is all that is needed to attain them. Some are so complex that something outside human effort is required to bring them to pass. One thing is certain: there's nothing much that can be achieved outside the help of the One who created us.
God has awesome knowledge and incredible power.  As we read through the pages of Scriptures, we see seemingly unrelated threads coming together to actualise the plan that God had made years ago. Israel was promised Canaan. But there was famine in the land while Egypt had food. Israel and family had to go to Joseph in Egypt and stay there due to this famine. For over 400 years, Israel remained there until Moses led them out back to Canaan, the land initially promised. Do you know how many of God's promises were fulfilled due to this story alone? Abraham was promised this same miracle, Isaac was promised the same, Jacob did the initial movement, Moses began the recovery,  Joshua completed the journey, Kings Saul and David and others sustained the promise and till today, Israel is a force to be reckoned with. It all began with a promise by God.
There's no amount of worldy wisdom, guile or labour that can guarantee you success. There's no amount of earthly knowledge that can be acquired by a man to make him cock-sure of success. God is the only determinant of success and he alone knows the timing, circumstances and location of the blessings he has in store for you.
All we need to do is to key into his plan and purpose and trust His wisdom and timing. Whatever else you do must be done in consonance with His will.
His time of favour is here and all that he has in his storehouse of blessings are ours if we can key into his will and purpose for our lives.

Power of Words

James 3:8-10 NIV
but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.

Indeed, science has become so advanced that it has practical answers to most of life's questions. At a time, people claimed it was impossible to fly in the air with the aid of machines. Now we have airplanes that go from Nigeria to the UK in six hours and missiles that cover the same distance in less than a tenth of that time. Discoveries have been made, boundaries have been broken, limits have been ignored and life seems to have been simplified. Why then do we still have upheavals and restlessness all around us? In spite of advances in modern science, why does it appear that we have not really moved?
There's a side to that question that the verses above can answer. There's a part of our creation that holds the key to our breakthroughs, successes or destruction. It is the tongue. With all the advances of modern science, there's still no one who can tame the tongue. Wars have been fought and lives have been lost due to the use of the tongue. Was it not the murmurings of Israel that cost Moses the promised land? Was it not a simple request from the thief on the cross that made him pass from death to life? It all starts with the use of the tongue. It is what you say that determines what you get. If there's confusion in your speech, when nobody csn predict the fruit of your lips, when you can produce blessings and curses from the same mouth at the same time, then there's a doubt as to the sincerity of the faith you profess.
God created all our parts to give him glory and nothing else matters in our quest to glorify him in return. We must find and maintain the proper use of the tongue if our lives are to make impact.
When the use of a thing is not defined, abuse is inevitable. Let God take the glory through you and the fruit of your life.
His time of favour is here; his favour doesn't work where there's no flavour. Let flavour proceed from your lips and watch God move you from labour and stress into rest.

Fear God

Psalms 34:9-10 KJV
O fear the Lord , ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.
Sounds ordinary but the blessings and benefits attached to the fear of God is enormous. If fear is bad as God himself has said, how then do we avoid the extremes and have a healthy, good fear of God as   commanded?
Fear on its own is a negative power, and it holds whoever it possesses down, preventing such a person from ever trying,daring or attempting anything for God. A man controlled by fear doesn't think outside the mental box he has been caged in of his own free will. He doesnt see oppourtunities when they arise andd he always seem to think that the entire world is against him. No wonder the bible calls fear a torment. To make matters even more complicated, Revelations say that the fearful are among the ones who will have their part in the lake of fire.
Why then must we fear God? If fear is evil, what good can this kind of fear do? The fear the world produces limits you and makes you unable to love freely; the fear God commands releases you to love freely and unconditionally, not minding whether the love is reciprocated or not. The fear the world demands keeps you from enjoying the best God has for you but the fear of God liberates you and makes all of God's resources available to you. The fear of the world is so all-consuming that there is no place for faith but without faith, no man can please God. That is what the fear of God will produce in you: faith in God and in his ability to do all he has promised.
What then shall we choose: shall we focus on the fear-inducing sights and sounds around us or are we going to fear God alone? Are we keeping our hearts free from anything that will draw us away from faith in God? Or are we allowing anything to pass through our minds?
Whatever you need from God, faith is the activation key. Lions are strong,quick and powerful creatures yet they go hungry when there's no prey to catch. It then means that strength, wisdom and guile are not enough to guarantee you sustenance; you need the fear of God to take root in you and produce the fruits of faith and absolute dependence on God and what he can do.
His time of favour is here.

Your Heart

Proverbs 4:23 KJV
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
There is a need to take a close look at the things that touch on your eternal destination. It becomes important to pause a moment and ask yourself how far you have come in this journey of life and whether you are even headed in the right direction in the first place. There's no better place to start that examination than checking the contents of your heart.
First of all, I have come to understand that the heart is the seat of all fruits that are seen, good or bad. No matter what you think, say or do, and no matter what people think of you, the starting point is always your heart. The things you see, hear and meditate on are the raw materials of the seeds sown in your heart. And then,you nurture them, feed the seeds, water them also. Of course, when the time is right, the nature of the seeds sown will be manifest.
The time to take care is now, when you have the power of what you allow into your heart. You do not have immediate power over what you see or hear but you definitely have control over what stays seen or heard. If you browsing legitimate sites on the internet and a pornography site pops up, the next click you make will determine the kind of seed that you will allow take root in your heart. If you are in traffic and someone cuts you off and starts to snarl at you, your next word or action will determine the kind of fruit your heart will produce.
It all starts and ends with you. The verse says out of your heart flow the issues of life. That depends on the seeds sown over time through the decisions you make daily. Examine your heart then and check its contents. Can your heart's contents give you life? His time of favour is here, so get rid of all contamination and filth so God can find you as a clean vessel He can bless.

What do you see?

Jeremiah 1:11-12 NIV

The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?” “I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied.  The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.”
There's a lot going on in the world that calls for caution. People die in fires, accidents and even in their sleep. Wars have been fought and wars are still being planned. Earthquakes, tornadoes, tsunamies and tremors serve as a reminder of our humanity and our mortality. In the midst of all these, God keeps speaking and for as many as are listening, directions are given and lives are being impacted.
What does it take? There's a need for us to see things from God's perspective if our lives are to make sense. God asked Jeremiah a simple question: What do you see? Looks innocent but I believe a point had to be established: what you see determines how far you will walk with and work for God. If you don't have a clear sight of where God is taking you to, how do you determine if you are on the right path or if you are anywhere close to your destination?. If you can't work out the state of your inner eyes, how do you avoid the pit of sin, destruction and deceit?. We must work that out by ourselves; God will not do for us what he has empowered us to do; we are the ones to WORK out our salvation with fear and trembling as God has already done his bit.
Jeremiah was commended for giving correct answers to God's question. God went further to back up Jeremiah's statement by giving him an assurance: if you can really look well and see God at work, then all his blessings as promised are yours. If you can't see God at work, then you can't experience his power,presence and privileges.
God's Word is trustworthy. Get a Word from him today and trust him to watch it till it has been fulfilled.
His time of favour is here.

Knowing the Psalm or the Shepherd?

Psalm 23:1-6 NIV

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,  he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.  Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  Surely your goodness and love will follow: me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
There are not too many Psalms with a more personal touch that this one. It flows from a personal relationship with the One referred to as the shepherd and it highlights relational points all through the verses. You do not find any abstracts; it all comes down to the personal knowledge of the psalmist with the shepherd.  As you read the verses again, you see ' my shepherd'; 'He'; 'You'; . Even where you read 'i', it is because 'you' has already played his part.
God is the only One who can supply wants, lead into refreshing places, nourish, correct, feed, guide, restore,protect, provide, anoint and bless. Because we are limited in scope,sight, insight and inspiration, we must go back to the Source of our lives for all these things.
It is all about relationship though. As natural, responsible, human fathers, if your son and any other person outside your immediate family asks for something, wouldn't you be inclined to first give it to your son? That is the same way it is with God. God has an inexhaustible storehouse of resources that the demand of earth can never dent but until you become his own, some blessings never become yours. Just as the son is the natural heir to his father's wealth, so are God's children.
So the question arises: do you know the Psalm or the Shepherd? Some can quote the entire chapter but have no idea about the person, power, personality and prestige of the Shepherd. You can never know who you are until you know whose you are.
Know the Psalm but better still, know the Shepherd. He wants to bless his Own, because his time of favour is here.

Spirit or Strength?

Zechariah 4:5-7 MSG
The Messenger-Angel said, "Can't you tell?" "No, sir," I said. Then he said, "This is God's Message to Zerubbabel: 'You can't force these things. They only come about through my Spirit,' says God-of-the-Angel-Armies. 'So, big mountain, who do you think you are? Next to Zerubbabel you're nothing but a molehill. He'll proceed to set the Cornerstone in place, accompanied by cheers: Yes! Yes! Do it!'
There's a message that the world preaches and is gaining ground now: 'you don't need God. All the things that happen to you are the results of the choices you make daily. Whatever you want, go for it. You can make it happen'. While there are some elementary truths hidden in that broad thought, there are some half-truths that require correction and a few thoughts that will inspire total dependence on God.
Firstly, without doubt, we are products of our choices. If you aspire to be a medical doctor, you don't go poking into law thesis and journals; you hit all the medical journals you can find. You don't sit at home and practice on lizards; you pay for and get a formal, organised education on how to practice the medical profession. You bear the stress, and burn the midnight oil so that one day soon, you will be referred to as a medical doctor. However, your becoming a medical doctor may not be what your Creator wants for you.
This is the second point- you owe it to God and ultimately to yourself to find out exactly what God wants for you. This is where most of us don't get to. We already have a clear idea of what and where we want to get to, but we forget that the vehicle taking us to that destination is driven by God. We plan and strategise, seeking jobs that will pay well, forgetting that a high salary can't buy you either joy or heaven. It may make you happy externally but until a man finds his God-ordained niche and is busy for God there, he will never be truly satisfied.
Human strength or wisdom is deceitful; it gives you a false sense of security and makes you dependent on personal effort. I love what Ecclesiastes 9:11 NIV says:I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.
As we strive to live, let us remember andd respect our limitations. We don't know it all, neither can we do it all. The clay can never argue with the potter and ask what the potter is doing or why he's shaping a particular vessel in a particular way.
God is all-knowing and he knows best the things that work for us. As we work, let us strive with the help of His Spirit. Only then can we have true joy and find fulfillment in the things we do. It doesn't matter how 'boring' you think a job is; wait until it is inspired by God. His time of favour is here.

Status Change or Status Update?

Psalm 113:4-9 MSG
God is higher than anything and anyone, outshining everything you can see in the skies. Who can compare with God , our God, so majestically enthroned, Surveying his magnificent heavens and earth? He picks up the poor from out of the dirt, rescues the wretched who've been thrown out with the trash, Seats them among the honored guests, a place of honor among the brightest and best. He gives childless couples a family, gives them joy as the parents of children. Hallelujah!
Indeed, it is a mystery the way God works in the lives of his creation. We try and reason God out, we logically process his ways and actions, yet the more we think it through, the more confused we get. We forget that the created can never fully comprehend the reason and the purpose of the created outside the help of the One who created it. How do you go to a mechanical engineer, with no prior background or knowledge in medicine, for medical advice on cancer? Or do you take your well-worn car to the medical doctor for diagnosis? God is the Creator, inspiration and sustainer of ALL things our eyes can see and it is only God that can repair,restore,re-organise and revive all that concern his creation.
That is why He has to be praised. A look around us gives clear insight into the kind of God that we have. How do you explain a shepherd boy with no experience becoming king over Israel? How do you explain hungry lions being kept quiet overnight because God's child-Daniel- was spending the night in their den? Or how do you explain how a promise and a covenant made with Abraham still operates more than 8,000 years ago? God is not your regular guy who forgets what he says or has to be reminded of his responsibilities. He's the God who is celebrated in the verses above as one who is higher than all, working out his best in the lives of His children.

Praise this God. He lives in it and works through it to bless us. You want a status change or you want to update your present status? Praise is the key. His time of favour is here

Power of Praise

Acts 16:25-26 MSG

Along about midnight, Paul and Silas were at prayer and singing a robust hymn to God. The other prisoners couldn't believe their ears. Then, without warning, a huge earthquake! The jailhouse tottered, every door flew open, all the prisoners were loose.
Is there a better way to describe the power of praise? Man is so limited and so myopic that he cannot fully comprehend the power of praise by his own power; you need the help of the Holy Spiritual to be able to praise God effectively.
Paul and Silas were in prison. They had just healed a girl by the power of the Holy Spiritual, and instead of being celebrated, they were insulted; instead of being decorated, they were lashed. Instead of being honoured, they were locked up. Any reason to praise God here? Paul and Silas saw plenty. God never sees the way man sees and He never comes to the same conclusion man does with his experiences. That is why man can cry out for help in front of the Red Sea, while God is saying: move forward through that same sea. Man will see the giants and the rugged inhabitants of Canaan, while all through the years, all God was saying was: it is a land flowing with milk and honey. If only we could see things the way God does, we would praise Him with more joy, zeal and understanding than we do now. We are cajoled and begged to praise God in corporate worship, we are encouraged to count our blessings and see what God has done. Until a life can see God at work in ALL the experiences of life, that life cannot fully comprehend the power, purpose and the end-result of praise. For Paul and company, it began with lashes, it ended with salvation for the entire household of their jailor and a witness in the hearts of all prisoners there that there is indeed a God who works wonders in the lives of those who praise him. How else would the jailor have heard of God if God did not make a way through the Red sea of prison for Paul.
The next time you are tempted to complain about your experiences and challenges, turn to praise and see God at work in your life. He is the master architect who can make masterpieces out of the most broken of vessels.

Open doors

Joshua 6:1 NIV

Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
We live in a physical world. We procesd everything through our senses of sight,smell,sound,taste and touch. All that we go through are experiences we can relate to physically. We cannot comprehend the things we do not see,neither can explain the things that do not conform to the physical senses God gave us. God is the source of these senses but i want to introduce to you a God who does not need these senses to prove his might and power.
Consider the verse above. Jericho's walls,according to history, was so thick that chariots could be arranged side-by-side. The city was so secure that people ran there for safety. That was what the physical senses told us. What did God say: just by the shout of his people, ancient walls came down flat. Which of our human senses can explain that?.
All around us, men have devised means of satisfying their senses. We see high walls of protection, we see layers of man-made security, we see men drink to take the edge of the stress off their minds, we see women who sell their bodies, either out of choice or compulsion, for the temporary thrill of pleasure. Unfortunately, anything inspired by man does not last. It is only that which God gives that will stand the test off time.
How do you explain the iron axe-head that floated in water or the cruse of oil that never failed to flow when there was famine? How do you explain the 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish or the walk on water by Peter?  How do you explain the delay in going down of the sun and the moon by a whole day just because Joshua asked God for it? Our senses are good because God gave them to us but they cannot be relied on when God is at work.
Jericho was tightly shut down and locked up but when God's people shouted, the entire wall came down of its own accord without a single stick applied. That same God is still at work today in the lives of those who seek him truly, not relying on their senses, but trusting the wisdom of him who can fetch water with a basket to disgrace the bucket. Ask the One who can pay temple tax with money found in the mouth of a fish. His time of favour is here.

Judgement and Timing

' 1 Peter 4:17 KJV

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?.
If there is anything that frightens me, it is the situation Christians of today find themselves. We have mastered the art and practice of Christian living; we know what is expected of us: the rituals,the practices and the behavioural patterns. We have a good idea of how to talk right and do right but it still beats me why there is not much power at work in our lives. We go for programs of power,great anointing and deep revelations, yet most lives are shallow, powerless and directionless. What,then, is wrong? Is it God not doing enough or is it us not doing enough?
I believe God has done his bit and still continues to do so. Right from creation, God has craved fellowship with us his creation. He has put in place opportunities for growth,relationship and love for us. The problem has always been with man; our greatest gift seems to be our greatest problem- our brain. We try to reason God out and expect him to conform to our idea of God. We strive to meet God at our level,instead of the other way around and we then wonder why God seems so far away. We call and call, screaming ourselves hoarse while pleading for ephemeral,earthly things, forgetting that God wants more for us than we could ever ask for and all we could ask for is far less thsn what God could do.
What do we do then? We have got to go back to the basics. The apostles of old understood one major way of reaching God: you had to seek his will and purpose first of all and watch God do yours for you. You had to first seek his will and then see God working to establish your own plans. Not the other way around.
Some of us are filled with the sense of our own importance. We reason that without us, the local church cannot move forward. We forget the immortal,timeless words of Jesus: 'I will build MY church.......'. None of us can sustain something we do understand its origin so we must be careful what we do with it. God has promised that his judgement will start from his house so as Christians, we have got to live right. The time to do that is now, when change is still possible. If we cannot be right examples, then we cannot give God the control he needs to do right for us.
Forget other people outside the fold. You just watch your own life and get things right. God will work out his own plan in our lives even as we seek to establish his own plan on earth.
His time of favour is here

Dwelling or Renting?

Psalms 91:1 KJV

'He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty'. This verse says a lot about the relationship God craves with us.
First of all, a choice needs to be made. God has given every single created person the power of choice. If there's any area of human behaviour that God does not interfere, it is in the exercise of man's free will. Most times,we choose what we want,when we want it and how we want it, expecting God to give his seal of approval to our choices. We conveniently forget that the created can never be as wise as the creator. All created things must respond the will,purpose and direction of the creator. So, the promise in the quoted verse above is a blank cheque, open to HE who decides to fulfil the conditions attached to the blessings.  The promise is for him that decides to dwell,of his own free will, in the secret place of the Most High. It is open to all, yet,unfortunately, not many have learnt how to come into that secret place.
Furthermore, the blessing is tied to DWELLING. You don't rush in and rush out of the presence of the rulers and kings of this earth, how much more the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. We are in a hurry to wake up, in a hurry to eat and drink, in a hurry to get to work, in a hurry to get rich and in a hurry to 'make it'. No wonder then that our relationship with God is shallow and hollow and we die so quickly and so early when we have no time or patience to listen to direction or leading. We must dwell in His presence if we are to enjoy the benefits of His presence.
There is a secret place of the Most High that hides the blessings of God. It is where God is seen at work and at home. No man discovers this place and remains the same. We must do our best to find this place and remain there. The blessings of His secret place are celebrated in the open by those who have discovered that secret place.
A careful look at the difference between a tenant and a house-owner buttresses this point. Tenants,no matter how long they stay in a house, can never take care of a house the way the owner will do. Tenants know their living-in is temporary; landlords know they are there to stay so they take good care of what they own. Are you living-in temporarily or dwelling? Are you there for what you can get or what you want, or do you just desire to dwell where God is, so you can discover and experience the blessings of His secret place?

Battles and Victory

Many of us go through life,oblivious to the dangers around us and carefree about the things that God commands. We have come to accept some things as the norm and we have taken some blessings from God for granted. We rush to sleep at night and rush out of bed,rush to bath and brush and to rush to work and business, not caring so much about the state of our souls.
But let us remind ourselves of what Isaiah 54:15 and 17 say: 'Behold, they shall surely gather together,but not by me: whoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake... no weapon formed against thee shall prosper... this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord...'. It doesn't matter how nice you are or act, people will dislike you for personal reasons. Jesus who came to give life met with a horrible death at the hands of the people he had come to save. How much more we who are called by his name. The verse above 'assures' us that men will surely gather against us, but the nature of your relationship with God determines the quality of the protection you receive from him. If you are not his servant, you do not fall under this heritage or inheritance. No father leaves his entire fortune to strangers when he has children who have been born to him and have been good to him while he was alive. That is how God is. If he has no part in your life, you have no claim to any of his blessings. If he's not your Master and Lord, you have no heritage to claim.
We must find time for the things that have eternal value and not expend all our energy on those things which do not last. The enemy is always planning evil but for those who know their God, exploits will be their experience.
Build your relationship with God starting today. He longs to relate with us and give us access to the inexhaustible resources of heaven. Let him. His time of favour is here.

Legacies

One fundamental truth we must address is the legacy we are presently establishing and preparing to leave for the next generation.
Check out the foundation of the lives of Jacob and Esau. They had a father who was the recipient of a promise passed down from his father. Isaac knew what God expected of him so he lived within the confines of the land God had promised he would bless him in. But here's the clincher: because of personal,ephemeral considerations, Isaac and Rebekah chose sides with their sons. For Isaac,food was the consideration and the condition under which he would bless his son. For Rebekah, it was probably the prophecy at the birth of the twins that helped her choose sides. Jacob the younger was promised greater blessings than Esau the older. The choices had been made and the repercussions were grave.
Friends, life is about choices. What you do today counts towards your tomorrow. Isaac spent his old age in worry and anxiety as Jacob ran away for more than 20 years while Esau swore to kill Jacob. The first day Jacob left home was the last day Rebekah saw her son. Isaac didn't see Jacob for the same period and Esau kept being a pain by marrying heathen women because he saw that his father did not approve of these women.
What you do NOW counts. Watch every action,word,thought and relationship. The seeds you sow now are the fruits you will eat tomorrow. As someone said: ' Live as if Christ died yesterday,rose up today and is coming back tomorrow'.
Live right, do right,think right, be right. Sow the right seeds. His time of favour is here.

Excuses?

If you are looking for a reason why work,labour or effort does not count with God, come with me as we look at the stories of 'blind' Bartimaeus and 'short' Zacchaeus. Two men with varied backgrounds and experiences but with a common need- the touch of the Saviour. That is the fact today- we all need the touch of the Saviour. It doesn't matter how 'good' you have been or how 'sinful' your past was. When you come to the saviour, the entire past is rolled away and a fresh start is granted.
The blind man had nobody to help him see so he begged along the road. He must have heard that someone called Jesus was going about doing good but he had no means to travel. Then one day,that Jesus was leaving Jericho town and the blind man heard it was Jesus. He began to shout. People around him asked him to shut up, afterall, Jesus couldn't be bothered with one out of the millions of blind people there. The man raised the volume and intensity of the shout. That is persistence,faith in action. It does not listen to popular opinion,neither does it conform to acceptable behaviour. It is unusual faith that gets attention and that is what both men got. Zacchaeus was short and hated by all because he was a tax-collector. He had no friends, no sympathy but he had a plenty of heart. He heard Jesus was passing by but here he was, no friend, no height, no political clout that could command Jesus' attention. For both men, they did something that God could bless as their faith in action. For Bartimaeus, it was increased,annoying shouting; for Zacchaeus, it was climbing a tree. For both men, Jesus stopped the entire crowd with him and addressed them personally, meeting their needs and giving them Life.
If we rely on people's opinions, we will miss the call of God for our lives. People seem to have a good opinion about what you can do or must not do, but in the eventual analysis, what people think isn't as important as what your Creator thinks. The same people who asked Bartimaeus to shut up were the ones who told him: be of good comfort. Arise, he calls you. While Jesus was giving life to Zacchaeus, people with Jesus were still glorying in his past,calling him a sinner. Zacchaeus had moved beyond his past and had received life.
One big lesson: Do not assume that all the people you see with you on this journey to heaven believe in the journey. Some are there because of friends,some are there because they need a quick-fix solution to their problems. So many people were pressing on Jesus until the woman with the issue of blood reached out to touch. Many were touching him but only one reached out in faith.
Don't put your destiny in the hands of a created being like yourself. Don't let popular opinion keep you from reaching out in faith to touch Jesus. He has all you need and all you could ever desire. Man can only lift you as high as his mortal arms will allow. Let God's everlasting arms do for you what no mortal man can do.
His season of favour is here.

Working Smart?

'Go to the ant,you sluggard; consider her ways,and be wise'. I'm not sure that there is any creature created by God that is smaller than the ant. Yet, its work rate is amazing. You see a deep sense of organisation and order without any visible sign of coercion or leadership. Each knows what to do, the best time to do it and how best to do it in order to achieve the ultimate aim of the colony. None works for itself; none shirks responsibility. Each contributes to the centre so that when the need arises,the stored-up contribution can give back to the need of each one.
No wonder then that we are asked to go and learn from the ways of the ant. What lessons can we garner from them:
1. Ants work during harvest: Ants are known to gather food in summer while the harvest is ripe. There is a right time for everything and even the best of intentions will not help you once you do not do the right thing at the right time. Even sleep can be an obstacle if done at the wrong time.
2. Ants save for the future: I once saw an ant drag part of a cube of sugar over several obstacles,corners and temptations just to get it to the storehouse of food. It could have eaten it when tired but there was a task to be done and there had to be no rest till it was accomplished. It could have given up after several trials but it kept going back to it. When it became too heavy, it broke the cube further so it could carry it bit by bit. How many of us have quit at the first sign of disappointment? How many had turned back and simply refused to write an exam again simply because they failed once? Did you consider that maybe that experience could be part of the seeds God could use forr your future good? We work so hard and give in so easily and we wonder why our lives are the way we are.
3. No excuses for failure: I'm not sure there's any ant who knows his father or mother. I'm not sure education was important to their work ethic. I just know that whatever had to be done was done well and done right. They didn't wait for the economy to get better before they worked and saved for the future; they worked and saved with what they had NOW. Too many times, we get caught dreaming about what might have been or What ifs. Truth is, why not work now with what you have now,while God works out the eventual end of your efforts? You cannot predict how what you do now will end but what I do know is that if there's zero effort from me, God's 100% multiplication on my effort will still amount to zero.
I must therefore work hard and work smart, keeping in mind that nothing I do is in vain. It is when I fold my hands and do nothing that all my labour will be in vain.
May my life produce the fruit God intends and may the work of my hands lead to the blessing and increase of others. His time of favour is here.

The God of Variety

People see God as a boring God; a God with no sense of style,variety or flair. I have heard people say that God does not allow individual thought and expression but in my brief years alive, I haven't seen a God more socially-aware or a God who is more life-conscious as the God I serve.
Psalm 139 talks a lot about the complexities of the human body and the great power of the mighty God. Examine the omniscience of this God- who knows what you need even before you open your mouth to ask. No matter how far I wander, his love will never let me go. Consider the omnipotence of God- who one who took the most stepped-on and the most common of materials- dust- to make the most complex and the most unpredictable of all his creation- MAN. Take a good look at yourself and tell me with certainty that you understand everything about yourself. Haven't you seen couples who begin to themselves and each other with different eyes even after 35 years of marriage. That is all down to the God of variety, the one who is too skilled to make boring creatures.
Consider the omnipresence of God,the One who is everywhere and anywhere at the same time. Not even the devil, powerful as we think he is, can make a claim to omnipresence. Only the God who made all things,who calls all things into existence by the power of His Word and who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think, is the One we can trust to completely sustain and finish what He has started.
Take a good look at yourself and point out what is boring about you. Is it the unique DNA code that is peculiar to you that nobody outside your immediate family can share with you? Or is it the unique fingerprint that even your twin from the same egg cannot share with you? Do I talk about the purpose for your existence or the niche that God has carved out that only you can occupy? We spend so much time envying other people and their gifts that we forget that we also have been gifted so that as we ALL work together, God's ultimate purpose will be established and his will be done on earth here as it is done in heaven. Is that not the import of the Lord's prayer? Or do we just recite it from memory, fogetting that all God desires is that all the various gifts and parts that he has created will find a synergy and create an unbreakable chain of grace that the world cannot but notice.
We are called to be different, not to blend in. We were gifted to be unique, not to envy another person's uniqueness. Live as God has ordained: doing His will and fulfilling His purpose. His time of favour has come.

Faith and Works

The story of the boy with the dumb Spirit that the disciples could not cast out is our focus this morning. Many times, we are stuck between what things God wants for us and the things we can have faith for. We struggle with what God's will is and what we believe are his promises that we can claim. I believe that whatever God has promised is mine if only I can believe God for it. Even things that seemingly sound impossible arr made possible with the exercise of faith in God and his will for our lives.
Joshua once asked the sun and the moon to stand still while Israel fought a war. God did it because his child requested by faith. Jairus got his daughter raised from death because he asked in faith. Even king Hezekiah got his death sentence revoked and his life extended by 15 years simply by asking God.
But I want to sound a note of caution here. My asking from God in faith is not an automatic guarantee that I will get it exactly the way I asked for it. Paul asked for the thorn in his flesh to be taken away. God refused but gave him something that more than compensated for the weakness- GRACE. That is the God-factor.
Faith is key to our walk with God but what happens when God does not answer exactly the way we want him to? Do we fold our arms and watch or do we keep working, trusting God's wisdom that his ultimate will will be done and his purpose will be established. I believe that faith is key but our works are the physical proof of our faith.
As we trust God to bring his will and purpose to pass in our lives,let us continue to do what Philippians 2:12-13 says: WORK out your salvation with fear and trembling,for it is God who WORKS in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. It is well

Generational Legacies

Have we ever asked ourselves this fundamental question: What will I be remembered for when I die? What legacies will outlive me? What am i leaving for the children God is giving me? These are fundamental questions that need answers and what I do now are the seeds that will bear the fruits that will determine how I end.
Israel was given a clear warning at the entrance to the promised land of Canaan: They were to teach their children about the laws of God so that they would in turn know God and pass the knowledge to their own childdren. We know now that after some time, the fathers stopped talking and the children stopped listening or caring about the things of God. What we have now is a generation of youths with a shallow knowledge of God and an even more frightening lack of fear for God and his commands. Is it a wonder then that we have a world so confused and confounded?
Pity the generation that arises which does not know God or his requirements; pity the nation where the leaders do not know God or walk in his ways; pity the family with a complete lack of the knowledge of what expects or demands; pity the life with no God,no love and no faith in God or his abilities.
I pray that we will not crowd God out of our lives. May we never be so busy that God will be the price we will pay to make a living. There is no true life outside of God. Find god,find Life. He's the Way,the Truth and the Life.

Power of Words

'Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof'. Proverbs 18:21 KJV

The tongue is probably one of the most physically insignificant parts of the body but also one of the most crucial in the fulfilment of destinies. A greater part of who we are and what we become in life is largely dependent on the tongue. Lives have been built up and torn down due to the use of the tongue and the exercise of what the modern world calls 'free speech'.

It is fundamental to our understanding of this fact if we remember that God created all that we see now by the exercise of the tongue. He spoke and the earth came to be. He calls himself the Word and he exists as the written Word,the spoken Word and the Word that became flesh. Whatever it is that has been created exists through the Word of God and any repair,restoration, renewal or revival that we seek in any part of our lives can only come about through the Word of God. If God can so cherish his Word, imagine  the power that he has bestowed on us whom he has created and empowered with his nature. He has endowed us with the power to do all he can do. That's great responsibility and calls for a need to watch closely how we exercise that privilege. We are the total of the words we speak, the words we hear and the words we act upon. If God can say in Proverbs that we must not curse a deaf man who can't hear your words, then what you say affects you much more than the person you are speaking to.

Remember Caleb and Joshua? Their words guaranteed them entry into the promised land. Remember Rahab? Her words saved her entire generation. Remember when Israel went to spy Canaan and the words the 10 spies said? Remember what James says in James 3: 'the tongue is a fire'? That is the power of words. We have a choice today: to build up with our words or to tear down with our words? Check out your controlling influence; whoever or whatever controls you will influence the words you speak and the fruit your life and words will bear. God's season of favour is here.

Fixing your gaze

Elijah was indeed a great prophet of God. He was used by God to instill sanity and Godly fear into the hearts of the most godless king and queen Israel ever had- Ahab and Jezebel. Here he was on Mount Carmel, mocking the prophets of Baal, and then calling down the fire of God to consume an entire altar that had been soaked in water. Just after that, 450 prophets of Baal were killed, rain was promised and delivered and Elijah ran on foot to Jezreel ahead of Ahab's chariot. Talk of a prophet literally on fire for God.

And then,Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah and he ran away. You would wonder why. We may not know why but the gravest danger is to take your eyes off God to see the challenges surrounding you. We trust God to a point and when it appears as if things are not getting better, we shift focus and begin to try option B.

Sometimes, we have a clear idea of how our prayers will be answered and we expend so much energy waiting for that answer, while God would have had his way and moved on to the next level.
We must fix our eyes so steadily on God that our challenges lose their strength in the light of the trust we have in God. We must never get to a point where we think we can make it outside of God. Our past achievements don't matter, what counts is what you are doing now and who you trust now.

Elijah's ministry effectively ended when he ran. God met him while on exile and while he was busy talking of all he had done for God, God was already appointing successors to the kings of Syria and Israel and the effectively-vacant post of prophet.
Spiritual check: Where is my gaze fixed? Who am I dependent on? Do I have a record of achievements for God that keeps me from moving on to the next level with God? Am I so fixed on the stormss around me that I cannot recognise the presence of the Master of all storms? I must keep on trusting the wisdom of the master. It may not happen the way I plan but what matters is that God is glorified.

Naaman didn't get clean tilll he dipped into Jordan the 7th time; the rain clouds didn't appear till Elijah's prophet was sent to check the 7th time; Jericho's wall didn't fall till the 7th time of marching around the city on the 7th day. Hold on,keep trusting, keep believing God. No records exist of his failures. His time of favour has come.

Faith and Works

"That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises". Hebrews 6:12 KJV

I have not seen a single promise of God without any condition; any promise that says that no matter what you do, the promise will operate over your life needs to be re-examined. Even the promise of salvation and eternal life are for those who choose to accept Christ's finished work and believe in the efficacy of the blood.
The Bible is full of both sides of the faith and works argument. Abraham had a promise of unquantifiable blessings, yet we know how hard he worked to get the timing,location and heritage right. He didn't leave anything to chance by assuming that since God had promised, he didn't have to do anything else. He worked hard.

Yet, we see the children of Israel, armed with the promise of a better land, thinking that since the promise was made by God, he was bound to honour it no matter what they did. And we know the end-result- those who heard the promise didn't enter the promised land,not even Moses. It was their children, who didn't even know anything about what God had promised, except for Joshua and Caleb, who made it in.

Faith doesn't preclude hard work. Hard work is in fact, proof that you believe the promise. Folding of arms, assuming that the promise will come to pass with no input from you, is sheer laziness. With 0% effort, God's 100% blessing gets no results. Faith without works is dead.
Get the promise and believe it, then work hard at it to ensure its fulfilment. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. His time of favour is here.