Watch what you read

Psalm 1:2 NIV

but whose delight is in the law of the Lord , and who meditates on his law day and night.

Yesterday, we took stock of where we walked, stood and sat. Your focus and priorities determine where you stand, where you sit and who you associate with. One fact- you can only make a withdrawal from an account you have been making deposits into over time. Life does not give you credit; it only makes a demand from what you have sown. What is the quality of your investment? What is the quantity of your investment? Just how careful are you about the things you invest your time on? Is it about the lastest novel/film releases; is it about the latest fashion; is it about the newest trend, or is it about the living, breathing, changeless Word of God, which is able to bring about the change you desire?

Invest time on the Word of God. The Psalmist must have tested many other options for him to arrive at this conclusion- it is the Word of God that is the focus; nothing else compares and nothing else matters. If we can have the same single-minded focus, then our lives will be less complicated as we allow God work in us that which he deems perfect.

Study his Word, meditate on it day and night. Take time out to know God's mind on issues that touch you. Delight in His Word and God will delight in you. His time of favour is here.

Watch where you are!

Psalm 1:1 NIV
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,

Watch where you are right now. Today's extract is a little familiar so the lessons only need emphasis. A lot of the decisions we take today reveal the state of our inner man and our priorities. Where you stand, sit and walk today will determine the quality of your decisions and your eventual destiny. Are you comfortable with people of crooked ways? Watch yourself; soon, you may walk like them? Are you comfortable among people who crack 'lewd' jokes, and you laugh it off? Soon, you may talk like them. Are you comfortable among people who enjoy mocking others, speaking evil about others? Soon, you may talk like them.

Watch you life closely. Whatever or Whoever you permit, will eventuay control yo: God or the devil. Make the wise decision: give God the control, let him direct your sitting, standing and walking. Only then can our witness to the world stand the test of time. His time of favour is here.

Waiting on God

Isaiah 40:30-31 NIV
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;   but those who hope in the Lord  will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

There's a limit to what human strength can achieve. There's a limit to the length of days, years, strength and power that we have been given in human form, therefore there's a limit to the help that humans can give you. Of what use is relying on a promise made by a mere mortal man, who's not sure of seeing tomorrow? Isn't it better to trust in the limitless, powerful all-knowing God,who's able to take you farther than any human machination, arrangement or connections can take you.

As we wait on the Lord, our strength is renewed. These wordz sound odd, in the light of the hustle and bustle of life's expectations. We are taught to hurry, and oppourtunities come only to those who are brave, but there's a grace that demands I wait on God before I run, a grace that demands I wait for directions before I commit, so that God's impact could be felt more. No human connections could lift Joseph from the prison to the palace, and no human power could change Jabez's destiny. It all starts with absolute dependence on God and his grace and strength.

You want to go farther than you have ever gone in life? You want to run faster, jump higher or walk worthy of the grace of God who has called you? Wait on God........then move in His strength. Long after human ability has expired, God's grace will continue to sustain. His time of favour is here

Ageless Blessings

Psalm 37: 25 -26-  I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.
They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.

Who ever told you that our lives were private and personal and that whatever we did, good or bad, was for our own selves alone? Where is it said that my actions had no bearing on the lives of others or that there were things I could get away with by virtue of the circumstances of my birth, upbringing or inheritance? Today's extract points again to the timeless truths that ALL we do, whether good or bad, has a perfect measure of payback, and because God is Righteous, the payback will be perfect for our actions.

David took a good look at what God had brought him through and he could say it, without any doubt, that God always rewards and blesses those who put their absolute trust in Him. It does not matter the generation in which you live in, what matters is that we seek God for who he is. As we seek him, we see him at work in our lives, blessings us out of our generation into the next, long after we have gone. David did his own bit; he didn't allow the past misdeeds and mistakes stand in the way of his relationship with God; he just simply went back to God. No wonder God so blessed him that till today, his descendant sits on the eternal throne of David, in fulfilment of the promise God made to David centuries before Christ.

There's a need for us to examine our lives again and straighten a few things. All I do now is a seed that my children coming after me will reap. They will definitely partake of good if I do good now, and the opposite will also be true. Watch your life today; life goes beyond amassing possessions, gaining and retaining power or seeking prestige; the eternal  legacies of my life should be my priority. Would God be glad that I passed through earth, or would my life be a waste? Would my generation rejoice that I was born or would my life be just ordinary, no impact, no blessing, no eternal value, no legacy?

I want my children to enjoy God's blessings as I have done. The time to start is now. His time of favour is here.

Rights to Sonship

John 1:11-12 NIV

He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

There's a gift that has been given and is greater than all other gifts. There's a gift that was given and which guarantees the hope of eternal life. There are blessings that only association with this gift can guarantee you, and this gift is Jesus the. Saviour. It really doesn't matter what you or I think; our impression of who he is only matters as it relates to the question of our eternity; it doesn't change who Jesus really is.

He was born into a family,a community and a people, but familiarity with his background prevented his people from accepting him. He spoke with his own people but because they knew his father's house, his message was rejected. Isn't that pretty much what we do today? We get so familiar with church activities and equate it with the true experience. We get involved in activity and programs, seeking to fill the vacuum only God can fill with activity and presence in church. We forget that this faith isn't based on activity but on faith on the finishex work of Christ on Calvary. It is not your membership of church that saves you; it is your faith in the finished work of Christ that gives you hope of a future.

The invitation is still open: to ALL who receive him. That is the condition to be fulfilled. As you receive him and accept his finished work, all that he has promised: His presence, power and possessions become yours by right.

Accept him today and watch him work wonders in your life. He does not guarantee you a tribulation-free life; he only promises that he will be with you and bring you to a safe and expected end. Rejoice, as his time of favour is here

Stand......

Ephesians 6:10-11, 13 NIV

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

If there's any advice or counsel that this season requires, it is what these verses propose. If there is any danger or evil that this season portends,it is the counsel of these verses that will confront the danger. We live in a season of fear, fulsome evil and terrible events: there's murder without mercy, malice, back-biting, wickedness, covetousness, stealing and the likes. We seem to have our sense of right and wrong, as we now celebrate people with plenty of money, not caring so much how the money is gotten. We respect possessions, instead of honouring the possessor himself; we glorify created beings, instead of giving all due praise to the Creator himself. No wonder then, that our lives lack direction, meaning and purpose as there can never be peace in a life that God does not hold absolute sway.

Today's word then becomes important: no matter what's going on around you, who's living inside of you is the most important thing to watch. Every other thing can wait, the condition of your inner man cannot. The devil is busy at work, seeking lives to destroy and mislead, and it is only as we hold on to the full armour of God that we stay connected and protected. There's no other way, no other option; you cannot take part of the armor and take off the rest; you are not fully protected. It is only the full armour of God, complete in all its impact, that will stand for you when all else fails.

Are you fully protected? Are you standing in the full armour of God? Are you taking your stand on the finished work of Christ, or are you still striving to make it on your own? Remember, it is only someone who has put his total trust in God, that makes a valid claim on his protection and provision. Take your stand in God now, his time of favour is here.

See, Eat, Live

Revelation 3:20 NIV

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

It is amazing that words like these still exist in the Bible. The Creator of the Universe, the owner of life itself, the One who spoke everything into existence, the One who we call the King of kings and Lord of lords, has to take permission to enter into a life he created. It is only this kind of Creator that gives his inventions and creations minds of their own. He does not force his opinions or impressions down anyone's throats; he just gives you an invitation that is yours to accept or decline.

Imagine the scenario: God, who One who created the heart itself, stands at the door and knocks. He could open the door himself, or remove the door completely, but he chooses to wait for me to open willingly. He informs me that I must count the cost before I follow him, so that the decisions I make and the consequences of my decisions are mine to enjoy or suffer. He stands there, waiting for a decision for or against him, and he will stand there until a decision is made.

There's an open invitation for as many as hear and are willing to open to Him. His invitation is personal, as there can never be someone opening the door of another person's heart; it is a personal walk and a personal decision. He promises to come in and eat with the person, the picture of complete comfort,trust and peace. You don't eat in an enemy's house, neither are you comfortable in the house of anyone who isn't familiar with you. It then means that accepting His invitation means accepting his Presence, his power, his peace and his possessions. Accepting him means that you make room fo him, so that he holds absolute sway. He is in full control of the heart, so that everything else bows to him. Have you accepted his invitation? Is he in your heart or is he still knocking, hoping that youbwill open? Remember, the invitation is only for a while, and one day soon, either by choice or compulsion, every knee will bow and every tongue confess tha Jesus is Lord. Why not confess willingly now and live with him forever, than reject him now, live large now, and perish without him forever? The choice is yours, his time of favour is here.

See, Eat, Live

Revelation 3:20 NIV

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

It is amazing that words like these still exist in the Bible. The Creator of the Universe, the owner of life itself, the One who spoke everything into existence, the One who we call the King of kings and Lord of lords, has to take permission to enter into a life he created. It is only this kind of Creator that gives his inventions and creations minds of their own. He does not force his opinions or impressions down anyone's throats; he just gives you an invitation that is yours to accept or decline.

Imagine the scenario: God, who One who created the heart itself, stands at the door and knocks. He could open the door himself, or remove the door completely, but he chooses to wait for me to open willingly. He informs me that I must count the cost before I follow him, so that the decisions I make and the consequences of my decisions are mine to enjoy or suffer. He stands there, waiting for a decision for or against him, and he will stand there until a decision is made.

There's an open invitation for as many as hear and are willing to open to Him. His invitation is personal, as there can never be someone opening the door of another person's heart; it is a personal walk and a personal decision. He promises to come in and eat with the person, the picture of complete comfort,trust and peace. You don't eat in an enemy's house, neither are you comfortable in the house of anyone who isn't familiar with you. It then means that accepting His invitation means accepting his Presence, his power, his peace and his possessions. Accepting him means that you make room fo him, so that he holds absolute sway. He is in full control of the heart, so that everything else bows to him. Have you accepted his invitation? Is he in your heart or is he still knocking, hoping that youbwill open? Remember, the invitation is only for a while, and one day soon, either by choice or compulsion, every knee will bow and every tongue confess tha Jesus is Lord. Why not confess willingly now and live with him forever, than reject him now, live large now, and perish without him forever? The choice is yours, his time of favour is here.

Price of Rebellion

Numbers 16:29-33 KJV

If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the Lord hath not sent me.  But if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord .  And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them:  And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods.  They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.

Very long one, but worth repeating here for emphasis. God's work calls for patience, long-suffering and perseverance, but there are times that his assignments may not make sense or may involve drastic measures. When a man does not understand the scope of his assignment, or forgets the limits of his call, ministry and assignment, he opens himself up to the sorrows associated with the passage just read.

Korah and his group felt that God could not be speaking to Moses alone. They may have also been involved in temple ministrations but they wanted the main thing. They were not content with the peripheral, they wanted to be the star attraction. How can a man seek to take glory for an assignment that he was called to carry out; an assignment that was not his own in the first place. Like Korah, we catch ourselves wishing we could have more visible ministries, and be more recognised, but there's one lesson that today's extract has taught me: God owns the work, determines its divisions, and understands just how best the gifts of each man will work together to achieve his ultimate purpose. I do not have a say in the matter, because truthfully, I cannot fully understand myself outside of the God who created me and gifted me my peculiar characteristics.

Very strong warning: God is the giver of gifts, he is the owner of destinies. He alone knows who best will achieve a set purpose. Envy, jealousy and hatred will do no good. Stay within his boundaries. His time of favour is here.

Change has come.....2

Judges 6:14-16 KJV

And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?  And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.  And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.

Fairly long passage, but one that summarises our thoughts on what God is calling us to. One thought that has run through all our devotions is that God does not call you to do mighty things by yourself or in your strength; he takes the ordinary things in your hands and lives and turns them into extraordinary miracles.

Gideon was not from a popular or well-connected family.  His tribe-Manasseh wasn't even given priority in Israel; his other brother- Ephraim- waa even more popular, more 'blessed'. But there's a God that sees beyond the physical limitations and can do the most mighty things with the most unqualified material. God told Gideon to go in the same ordinary might that he had to save Israel. Gideon took a good look at himself and didn't like what he saw: the CV wasn't right, the skills weren't there, the brains weren't sharp enough. God however does not need those things to prove he is God. He is the One who calls, and he does the equipping, the placing and the strategies. A wise man will only cooperate with God and will not attempt to get any glory for himself.

All Gideon needed was already in his hands: his availability, and his strength. He didn't see these, but God did, and it is only God's opinion that counts, not anyone else or even our own. It was this same might God used to save Israel. The miracle you need is in your hands now and it starts with you. Who can end your case when God has not closed the books yet? Man only sees the immediate and makes decisions on the things he sees; God sees the eternal and makes decisions that will lead us to that eternal end. He is not looking for self-made, already competent people; he's seeking for Gideons- unqualified, unworthy, incompetent, and absolutely clumsy people, throught whom his glory, grace and greatness can be seen and appreciated.  After all, I exist to bring glory to God, not to seek attention to myself. I give God praise, because he is working out the best for me. I rejoice, because his time of favour is here.

Change has come.....

1 Chronicles 4:9-10 KJV

And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.  And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.

Indeed, life can seem 'unfair'. We seem to dwell so much on the negativity around us that it blinds us to what God is doing around us. We seem to focus so much energy on what is wrong that we just cannot see what God is doing right around us. There's something deep and powerful about where and how we begin but there's even something more powerful about where we end up. We are tempted to focus so much on where we started from or where we are now, that it keeps us from seeing where God could take us to. We limit God and ourselves by only seeing the immediate, forgetting that God is a God of the past, the present and the eternal future.

Jabez was born under the strictest conditions- in pain and sorrrow. His mother named him pain, and he was associated with sorrow. He didn't have much,  but one day, he realised that God could give him everything he needed. He came to a point where he knew that God alone could bring the change he needed. He cried for change and got the change he needed. His name did not change, but everything else had changed. His background was hard, but he refused to let his back be kept on the ground; he called on the God who is able to restore ALL that seems lost and hopeless.

You must get the focus right: many of us think that education will get you there. Masters, PhDs, professional qualifications only add a small bit to the quality of your life but as to the eternal question of your destiny, only God matters. We think that good jobs, bumper salaries, a beautiful home and fantastic possessions will give us that inner peace; we strive for position and power, seeking to fill the void our hearts have, forgetting that the God- shaped vacuum in our hearts can only be filled by the One who created the heart. Until we call out to the One who created us, our lives wouldn't make much sense.

Need change? Need a fresh start? Need to rise above the mitigating circumstances of your birth or present realities? Call on God today; he's the One who can make beautiful melody from a life of  broken chords. His time of favour is here.

Why bother?

Colossians 1:27-28 KJV

To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:  Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

Why preach Christ? Why bother? What exactly is the reason and the push for the wave of outreaches going out daily? Why bother talking at all? I believe that the dangers of not talking far outweigh that of talking about the salvation we hold and claim.

Paul's testimony here is a pointer to the fact that one day, all we do will be judged. All decisions and actions will be audited by God and subject to the conditions he had laid down and made known through his Word. It doesn't matter what excuses we come up with; he has made known his expectations from us and we will do well to adhere. There is a hope and a glory to be revealed in us through Christ, and there's a fearful expectation of judgement for as many as would reject him. God has done his bit; he's given us a Saviour and shown us the way. What we do with him now determines what we get and where we end up eventually. Paul is teaching and warning us now to take heed to our lives now. Are you bound for heaven now or is there a need to examine your ways and life again? Is there a need to do an audit of your life now, so that God can find you worthy when he returns?

Remember, we are only here for a season; what we do here are seeds towards eternity. Sow right, reap righteousness. His time of favour is here.

Very Present Help

Psalms 46:1-2 KJV

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Many of us have, at one point in our lives, wondered at the timing of God, and the ways he works. We are in trouble, and we call out, but it appears as if God is on break. We cry out atimes, and it is as if our voice never leaves the room. It appears as if heaven's doors are shut against us. We seek and search for answers, but we only find more questions. We can only ask 'WHY', because nothing is clear to us.

Today's extract just goes to underline the importance of trusting in the wisdom and power of God. Today's word would not make much sense to the man who has found alternatives to God. This would no mean much to the man who seems to be self-made and self- sufficient. As long as I can look around and find 'help' outside of God, then this passage would not make much sense.

But if I have come to a final conclusion that it is God or nothing at all, if it is God that rules in the affairs of my life completely, if I have closed my heart to all other alternatives, and made God the owner and ruler of my life, then I am open to his leading and direction. Wherever he leads, I go. Whatever he's doing, I'm cooperating. I may not understand now, what matters is that I allow him to perfect all that relates to me.

Peter was sleeping in prison the night before his 'execution'; Paul and Silas praised God in prison after being beaten; Joseph held on to God in the pit, in Potiphar's house and in the prison, no wonder God led him ultimately to the palace. God is a refuge and strength,but we must willingly submit to his authority, wisdom and direction. God will not go contrary to the exercise of our will and he will only go as far as you allow him.

You want his help? Ask today and as he works, allow him have his way. His time of favour is here

All things are for good- 2

Philippians 1:6 KJV

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

We established yesterday that it is difficult to accept that even terrible things have a function and a purpose in our lives. We cannot process God's process and procedures, and we struggle to understand just how a loving God could allow so much hatred, bitterness and pain among his creation. What we cannot accept is yesterday's conclusion: we have a role to play. God does not force himself on us. Our walk with him must be out of love and devotion, not compulsion. It is a fact that God can bring good out of anything he allows, but we will only help ourselves if we allow God do his work and trust his wisdom and power.

This is the essence of today's extract. God is always at work. He's always seeking lives he can impact, souls he can save and vessels he can use. He is a God of grace and mercy, constantly cheering us to victory in the race he has set for us, supplying all that we need so we can end well. One thing you can be sure about is that with God, there's no abandoned vessel. There is no incomplete assignment. If God could create a perfect, complex earth, with mysteries about it still unsolved and unrevealed, then no man can conclude on your life, based on what he can see now, that this is your best. Under no circumstances can man look at you and conclude that what he sees is your best, because with God, your best is always still ahead.

As you move out today, move witb this consciousness: God sure knows what he's doing and I will wait for him to manifest his glory and power in my life. He's a faithful God, and his nature prevents him from lying or deceit. Whatever he says he can do, he can do. If he says he is working and training you into perfection, then believe me, he's truly at work and the results have a guaranteed good end, as I cooperate with Him. His time of favour is here.

All things are for good

Romans 8:28 KJV

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

This is one of the few verses we all know so well and are quick to quote when we are trying to encourage others. The only problem is that it becomes difficult to swallow when we are the ones in need of encouragement and comfort in trials. We accept God's blessings but struggle with the beatings he allows. We willingly embrace the provisions but reject the processes God passes us through to get the provisions. We claim the promises but forget the conditions and timing for the promises. No wonder then, that many of us fall away from grace, struggling with accepting the hard but simple truths of the words of this passage.

On a personal note, I have had to deal with the death of a sibling. It did not matter then that I was a Christian, I just could not accept the fact that someone that young had to die so quickly. People quoted this same verse to me severally, but it was not easy to deal with. I caught myself asking why a few times, but what God has taught me over the years is that even if he has to explain the full details to me now, I may still not fully understand his reasons for everything he allows. Alll I needed to do was trust his timing, wisdom, power, strength, comfort, grace and provision. Just a few days ago, after about 5 years, I can still see my late sister's picture and sincerely say: Thank you Jesus.

ALL things work together for good. We are not the ones who determine the outcome of our experiences, and we are the ones who categorize experiences as good or bad, depending on what we seek at that point in time. For God, he's always at work, seeking to ensure that all ends well. Picture the moments faced by Daniel, Joseph and the 3 Hebrew boys just before the lions, the prison and the fiery furnace experiences. It must have been hard that God did not save them FROM it, but rather delivered them IN it. Greater glory was achieved for God, and a universal declaration was made about worshipping the God of Israel because of the experiences of Daniel and the 3 Hebrew men.

Indeed, if you love God, everything God allows in your life has a function, a lesson to teach, a glory to reveal and a God to be magnified. If you can settle the question of your allegiances, and determine whose you are and who is in control of your life, then you can begin to enjoy the fullness of the grace and favour that comes from knowing that as long as I belong to God and love him, all he allows are for my good, and ultimately for his glory. There's no greater joy than knowing that as I live everyday, there's a God watching my back, screening my experiences and carefully charting my life's course to the safe harbour of heaven. I rejoice, because his time of favour is here.  

Victory......in Christ

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 KJV

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

For as many that are still trying to earn God's approval by dogmatically following after set rules and regulations, that ship sailed away a long time ago. The law, with its rules and regulations, was given to guide man towards God, so that as man obeyed the requirements of the law, man would please God. What the law could not provide for was the fallen, human nature of man, which prevents him from willingly seeking to obey God. The natural man hates rules and does not succumb willingly to regulations. It has to be cajoled and atimes coerced into obeying rules. The law could not provide itself with the enablement to obey its own dictates. No wonder that the law was grossly inadequate and unable to draw us any closer to doing God's will.

However, a new law, with new grace and enablement, is available for as many that submit willingly to it. It is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus; a law that in itself, has the capacity to enable us please God and to guarantee us life after this life. This law gives us victory over sin, over death and over the devil, the very forces at work under the old law.

There's a choice to be made; a law we must willingly submit ourselves to. There's no compulsion, no force. It is a decision not to be taken lightly, but one that we all must take at a point in our lives, but our eternity depends on it. Both laws have an enforcer, a spiritual entity guiding each, and a destiny attached to each. Sin is the sting of the old law, constantly reminding us that, on our own, we can never meet God's approval. But there is a law of grace, constantly reminding us also that we do not have to run the race on our own, as there's grace available to help us. Christ is the power behind this law, graciously lifting us up even when we fall.

Grace is still available. All we could ever become is connected to the law that operates over our lives. Which one have you submitted to? His time of favour is here.

Grace.....Available

Titus 2:11-12 NIV

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age......

God is an awesone God. By his nature, he could compel us to fear and worship Him,  but his nature also abhors compulsion. He does not force us into submission or servitude; he simply offers us something better than what anyone or anything else could possibly give us.

As we stand here this day, know this: God's grace is an open cheque for which alll kinds of withdrawals, for all kinds of persons, are allowed. God has no favourites when it comes to grace, as he has freely, totally and absolutely given his grace to all men freely, so that all may come to the saving knowledge of His son, Jesus. It is a free gift, but it is under-appreciated. Because we don't have to work for it, we do not appreciate its worth.  Because it was freely offered to us, we do not fully understand the cost. Because it appears that God is a patient God, mostly not given to immediate punishment for sin, we push our boundaries, continuously trying new ways of offending God, not too concerned about the effects of our actions.

Today, the word of caution goes out again: grace is available, but grace is exhaustible this side of heaven. A day is coming when grace will not be a plea, but judgement will reign supreme. A day is coming when bowing to God will not be an option; even the devil will bow to the Lordship of Jesus himself.

Since the offer is still open, why not take advantage now? The offer of salvation will not be withdrawn until the last breath is taken- ask the thief on the cross. Say NO to ungodliness and unrighteousness today; say YES to life through Christ Jesus. His grace calls you, your life needs it, it will always be available until it is too late. Before it gets too late, take the offer. His time of favour is here.

Eternal Blessings

Psalm 103:17-18 NIV

But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord ’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

We all love good things. We crave them, we desire them, we pursue them like life itself. As Christians also, we often desire God's blessings over everything that we have and hold and we always ask God to bless the works of our hands and the fruits of our lives. What we do not ask for frequently is the grace to always obey God in everything. What we do often is to remind God of his promises everyday, while we do not take time out to ensure that we are in His will where he can bless us abundantly.

Today's extract has a promise, a premise and a pre-condition. God's promise is his eternal love and righteousness. To fully understand what God's love encapsulates, look at David- a murderer, an adulterer, yet a man after God's heart. He loved God and showed it; he did his best to glorify God in all he did, and when he did wrong, he was careful to seek forgiveness and mercy. No wonder his children enjoyed amazing mercy and had a promise of eternal kingship.  All I do today are seeds that will bear fruits that generations coming aftee me will either enjoy or suffer. It all starts with me or if before now, it had been bad fruits, the good seeds can start with me.

You want God's eternal blessings? Obey him fully. You want God to shower you with his love and favour? Love him completely by obeying him completely. You desire that generations after you will also enjoy his favour? It all starts with you and what you do today. Be careful about the seeds you sow, and the fruits will be to your benefit and the generations coming after you. His time of favour is here.

Comfort.....as God intends - 2

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

From our last thoughts, if God then allows hardships and pains, what does he intend to derive from seeing us 'suffer''? What lessons do we think he intends that we learn from our experiences? Does he not know or understand that the God that we know is a God of prosperity and not of poverty?

If there are lessons I have learnt over the past few years, it is that the sum of all our experiences is not to break us, but to mold us. What God intends for us through the experiences he brings our way is that we become more and more like the vessel he can use to bless a dying world. Is there any amongst us who has a company full of employees, and then promotes people based on sentiments like where they come from, or just how much hypocrisy they can exhibit? Don't you promote based on tested, proven and tried people, who have passed various tests of character, integrity, honesty and dedication to work? If man's standards can be this stringent, do we expect God's standards to be any different? Can we dare expect God to promote us when we run away from his school of trials? How do we get his deep blessings when we avoid his deep experiences?

I believe that ultimately, God intends that we pass through the fire so that our testimony could bless others more. He intends that through these experiences, lives are molded and encouraged. If all you need from God is earthly comfort and convenience, then you are knocking on the wrong door. Heaven does not supply that kind of comfort. What heaven gives is comfort in the midst of the most distressing of circumstances, so that at the end, there is a message to the world. Who else is better equiped to encourage a life that has lost a loved one like the man who has experienced same?  Who else will be better suited to lift someone else up like the man who has fallen several times but God has helped up?

God always uses and promotes those he has tested and proven, and such a man never graduates from this school till death. No experience is wasted, as long as we keep depending on God to use our lives to bless the world. Keep holding on, keep enduring, keep fighting, there is a lesson to be learnt and a life to be blessed. His time of favour is here.

Comfort.....as God intends-1

James 1:12 NIV

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

It is amazing just how bad the message of the gospel has been watered down in this generation. We now live in an age where people go for convenient and comfortable teachings, words that appeal to the emotions and whip up sentiments. We now prefer to go to churches where prosperity and welfare are the focal points. While these are not bad, I believe that these issues do not fully encapsulate the teachings of Christ.

While he was on earth, Christ was careful to warn us not to take the decision of following him lightly. He said somewhere: if a man cannot hate his father and his mother, he cannot be my disciple. He said somewhere else:  I have not come to bring peace to the earth, but a sword. Father will rise up against son and have him put to death. All these because of the cross and the message it represents. Just before he left, Christ said: ......in me, you will have peace. In the world, you will suffer persecution, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. He never promised us convenient Christianity, what he promised us is a walk of his ever-constant Presence, Provision, Protection and Power. Thatvis the summary of his coming and the legacies he left us.

Where then, do we place the message: come to Christ and all your problems will be solved. OR my God is not poor, so I must be rich, and all the incomplete and one-dimensional messages that surround us these days? How do we balance God's legacies and promises with his expectations of us?

I believe that what God demands of me is absolute trust in His wisdom and power, no matter what road he leads me through. If I have come to understand what God wants from me, and I'm walking in his will, then I can comfortably leave the working out of his end-purpose to him. If I trust that his plans for me are the best, then waiting on him would not be a problem, but if all I have heard is that God is a God who wants to bless his people abundantly, but nobody tells me what I need to do or who I need to be to enjo these blessings, little wonder, then, that there are shallow believers today who are only following Christ because of their wants and fall away easily at the slightest bump or delay in the road.

This Christian walk calls for a lot of trust in the One who calls. If it is his call, it is his responsibility to sustain the call by providing all that the call needs to be fulfilled. How he does it, and what he brings along the way, is his prerogative. His time of favour is here......    to be continued........

Being the Change God requires...

2 Chronicles 7:13-14 NIV

“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

It is amazing just how much we think that the problem of this country is all about leadership failure. Many of us hold the president of the country and his team of ministers solely responsibe for the rot in this country, yet we forget that there is a fundamental flaw in the cobstitution of every mortal, unregenerated man, that keeps him from admiiting responsibility or accepting blame. We point fingers all over the place, accusing everyone else for our problems, forgetting to soberly examine ourselves to see where we have missed it also.

Today's scripture gives a clear idea of God's position as it relates to his own people. Please note that the focus of these two verses is on 'my people'. God is holding his people responsible for determining the course and destiny of the nation, community and environment where they find themselves. If I cannot be trusted to stand up for God where I am, how can God depend on me by entrusting great things into my hands? If I cannot be trusted and trustworthy, how can God commit heaven's treasures into my hands? If I cannot live above sin, how dare I blame someone else for the woes and troubles I'm experiencing?

God calls out to his peope today. We are the ones that will lead the change and be the change God is looking for. From the verses above, all God requires is for his people to turn from evil and return to him. When they return, and call on him, he promises to heal the land. When the land is sick, check the state of health of the inhabitants also.

You want change? Lead the change, be the change. Let God count on you to turn away from evil so that when you cry out to God on behalf of the land, God will deliver. His time of favour is here.

Sent......

Isaiah 61:1-3 NIV

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,    to proclaim the year of the Lord ’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,   and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord  for the display of his splendor.

Fairly long passage, but one with a lot of lessons for us. There's a fundamental truth that runs through these verses and it is this: God is interested in my well being and welfare; he seeks my joy and peace of mind, and everything he gives me or promises me is for my benefit and enjoyment. God never intended that I will pass through life with a limp but that I will live life abundantly. He never intended that I pass through life un-noticed, making no impact, but that my life will be a living, breathing testimony of his favour and grace.

The control valve of these verses is the first sentence: the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me. This is the focus: everything I am now or everything I could ever be in life is from God. No man can ever be greater than his creator or survive outside the environment created for him by his maker. No man has achieved much in life by kicking against his creator and sustainer. Many of us think that there are principles we can live by that will guarantee us success in life without God being involved. While we may prosper physically, there's an enduring grace and an eternal flavour that comes when you allow God direct everything you do. Every ministry, impact and assignment must be inspired by God for it to make the necessary impact. His anointing must be present for his Presence to make impact. My ministry will not go far or be effective without the help of the Holy Spirit, so I must seek him before any assignment.

Eveything listed in these verses are only possible when God is involved, so get God on your side today. Make him the basis of all your decisions and actions. Seek him before taking on any assignment and watch him make you a wonder to your generation. Change has come, because his time of favour is here.

Constant Reminders.....

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 NIV

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

One of the saddest realities of our age is the reality of work. We have come to a point where what we want to possess have become more important to us that what God intends for us. We rise up early in the morning in pursuit of daily bread, striving hard to ensure that we can afford to put food on the table. We strain ourselves, sometimes to the point of death, pursuing after the symbols of success, forgetting that it is only in God that true success is found. It is only in God that true liberty can be found. As we strive to obey him, he strives to bless our work and give us al that we desire.

What I deduce from these verses is that it appears that there is no room for anything else except God's Word. It is to be our focus when we rise up, when we go out, when we come in and when we sit with our children. It is to be the only pursuit of our lives. How then do we find time for work and other things? I believe that the spirit of these verses requires that I see my entire life as a complete offering to God and his Word. In everything I do, say or think, and in the kind of company or friends that i keep, God is the only pursuit and priority. He is the standard, and everything else must answer to him or fall to pieces. When I segment my life, giving God control over some areas while retaining control over other areas, am I not deceiving myself? If I keep God out of my conversations and company, how would sin not be present? If there is no constant Presence guiding my words and thoughts, how would God be pleased to bless my work? If I understand what God requires, it then means that from my waking moments till I sleep, everything I do and say is guided by God. God is praised and lifted up in all my decisions. This, I believe, is the import of these verses quoted above.

Indeed, I must see my whole life as an offering to God. I must give God total access, allowing his Word total control over all my decisions. Only then can my life make an impact and be a blessing. His time of favour is here.

Who is this God?

Jeremiah 33:2-3 NIV

“This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.¹

There is always this quiet confidence that tells you that there is indeed a God at work in the affairs of men. There have been times when I must have had cause to doubt if God cod indeed help me. It was not as if I doubted his power, I just felt that my case was different and I could not be helped. There have been times when I felt all alone, as if I was running this race on my own: no help, no guide, no direction. But as I read these words, I am reminded again that God is who he says he is. If he ever tells you that he is a refuge and strength, he really is. If he says he will guide my paths, I better believe him. If he says nothing is impossibe for him who believes, then indeed, so is it.

Jeremiah wasn't comfortable where he was. He was in detention, but who says that you have to be comfortable for God to speak to you? Joseph's preparation for the palace started from the pit, into Potiphar's house, then to prison, before the palace. God's best is for us, no matter what our external circumstances dictate at the moment.

God says: call upon me, and I will answer you. His promise is not tied to our circumstances; it is tied to our actions. Jabez wasn't popular initially, he had issues, but when he called on God, God changed his destiny. Moses had a lifetime of dependence on God; no wonder God spoke with him as a friend. People, God is still looking for people who would see beyond their physical circumstances and see God at work in their lives. God is seeking people who will look beyond their present inconveniences and see what God can do for them. His riches, wisdom, wealth and power are unsearchable, and he's looking for people in whose lives he would deposit these great treasures. Can God count on you? Can he find you faithful? Can he count on your total dependence and trust in Him,  no matter the prisons, pits or the problems you are currently experiencing? His time of favour is here.

Whatever he Says.......

Matthew 1:22-23 NIV

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

It doesn't matter how strange, how tough or how incredible God's Word sounds; all I need to do is settle the issue of who said it. A lot of what we hear and read are processed through our human senses, but there is a truth these days: even my senses can be deceived and lead me astray. A lot of our decisions, steps and actions are guided by what we hear daily and if we are not careful, we will make costly mistakes based on these sensory messages.

How do you accept the fact that a virgin will conceive and bear a son? How do you accept the fact that a woman gets pregnant and has a son without the natural process of human relations? If your heart cannot accept that truth, then how ca you accept other 'truths', like Peter walking on water, Jesus calming the storms, or feeding the five thousand? If one is easier to believe, am I not logically processing what I hear, accepting only the things that are convenient? If I take only the things that my head can explain and reject the rest, then I am being short-sighted and faithless.

If God can make a virgin conceive and feed 5,000 men with only 5 loaves, what else can't he do? If he can pay tax from money found in a fish's mouth, what can't he provide? If God can raise the dead, what situation is beyond his help that he cannot reverse or correct? All I need to do is to stop trying to logically process what God can or can't do, and start trusting his power, wisdom and greatness.

God is God, and he can do anything that is in his Word and he has spoken about. Get him to speak to you and that Word is surely coming to pass. His time of favour is here.

Give attention to the things that matter

Proverbs 27:23-24 NIV

Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds;   for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.

It is important to take stock now of the things we are engaged in now so we can prioritze. There are so many things competing for space and attention in our lives that we need to pause for a moment and consider what things we need to give up and what we need to hold on to.

Riches indeed do not endure. A lot of the legacies of the rich men who have died now have become extinct. We amass wealth for generations unborn, not sure who will eventually live to spend the wealth. We store up precious, yet perishable treasures, which have no eternal value to us, unless they have been gotten righteously and used for God's glory. We assume that the more we have, the more happy we will be or the better our future will be. Let me just summarize these thoughts with Jesus' words: a man's life does not consist of the things he possesses.

There's more to life than what you hold; it is about who you know, who has what you need. Until you have him who has everything, everything you hold now is fuel for the fire that is coming. Until you get your priorities right, all the pursuits and possessions are all in vain.

Watch out, his time of favour is here.

Your Faith......

Matthew 15:28 NIV
Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Many of us have read the story highlighted above of the Syro-Phoenician woman who came to Jesus for the healing of her daughter. I'm sure many of us have wondered why the woman stayed through the insults, the avoidance and the attempts to send her away. She stayed through and got what she wanted, even though there had been great obstacles on her way.
Let's relate to a few: she did not deserve what she got. She wasn't an Israelite then and there was no covenant of healing with her, yet she got what she wasn't entitled to. Why? Because she persisted. Nothing good comes easy, neither does it just come by claiming it in words; your life must show that you desire it.
Jesus gave a parable that seems like an insult: it is not proper to take the bread meant for the children and give it to dogs. Pause for a moment and ask yourself what your response would have been if you had been told that. I'm sure there would have been an 'appropriate and worthy' reply. For this woman, what she wanted was too important to let words bother her. It must be the same with us. Words of men must not keep us from what the Word of God has promised us. If men say theirs, hold on to what God says. It was what Jesus said that mattered at the end, not what the disciples said or even what Jesus said initially. It therefore means that as long as God has not closed the chapter and verse of my life, the book is still open and more good things can be added. I must keep asking God what I want until I get it or he tells me its not time for it yet. What man has got to say is not important; it is what God says that counts.

Let your faith take root in what God has promised and watch him do the incredible and the miraculous. His time of favour is here.