The Right Company

Acts 4:13 NIV

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

Where you are now is a reflection of your knowledge and awareness. What you do now is a reflection of what you have accumulated through the years. What you say and do now reveals the investments you have made and the priorities you have established for your life.

Peter and John didn't know much of the world and its standards and expectations. If you were to ask them about current economic realities and share price indices, they probably won't know anything about that. They were unschooled, ordinary men, men without Any formal education or 'potential', at least,by worldly standards. But there's a fundamental point made here about this men and it is the most important pursuit, priority and purpose that we could ever aspire to: these men had been with Jesus. Brethren, it doesn't matter where you go for further studies, or where you work at the moment. You could be paid millions and make no impact in any life. You could have all the symbols of power and prestige and still be empty of meaning and direction. What is important is who you know, not what you know, or what you have. The world places so much emphasis on acquisitions: wealth, knowledge, power, position, possessions and prestige; God emphasizes an acquisition of a deep  knowledge of him.

Knowing God opens the door for the blessings that the world does not understand and cannot have. Knowing God opens doors that earthly knowledge cannot unlock. That is why a man can do a particular kind of business and prosper abundantly, while so many others try the same thing in the same environment and fail woefully. The difference is who you know.  The entire panel here were full of learned people but today, we don't remember them at all, they remain faceless and nameless. But we read about Peter and John today, ordinary men made great by the extraordinary God, men who were in themselves unqualified, but made right and qualified by God himself.

Who do you know? What are your pursuits today? What are your priorities? Can men see the difference in you or do you just blend in with the crowd, afraid to stand and defend who you know. The blessings of this knowledge are amazing and God who sees ahead knows just what to do with what is ahead. All we need do is trust his wisdom and direction and watch him do extraordinary things with an ordinary life. His time of favour is here.

The Right Response

PRO 20:22 NIV

Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the Lord , and he will avenge you.

As we walk in this sin-filled world, there is a need to keep examining our motives and intentions, so that we don't run foul of God's commmandments and instructions. Because we are dealing with human beings created by God, we just must realise that we have no power to change anyone or demand a specific kind of behaviour from them; we just must keep at our own assignment, Trusting that God who has called us by himself will work out that which concerns us.

What, then, should be our response when people offend us? what do we do when people don't understand why we do what we do, and they oppose us violently, trying to discourage us from doing what God has called us to do? How do we react even when they try to harm us physically or emotionally, simply because we profess Christ?

Today's extract warns us against revenge or retaliation. It encourages us to wait for God to act in our defence, not for us to defend ourselves. Because we do not have full knowledge about other people and their motives for doing whatever they do, we have to depend on God's wisdom and timing and trust that He knows what he's doing. Our sense of right and wrong is offended when it appears as if people are getting say with it, but we must learn patience and trust as we wait for God to do what He knows best how to do. Ours is to keep working and fulfilling purpose, He will work out what is best with what we give.

As you go out today, this week and the new month ahead, let God always have his way in your life. Never think you have all the answers. God, who gave you a purpose, knows just how best He will work it out, no matter the opposition that arises. His time of favour is here.

The Right Heart

Psalm 51:11 NIV

Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

If there's a prayer we need to make these days, it is the words before us today. If there are words that we need God to uphold in our lives today, today's extract gives the precise words. Let us make one quick clarification: we need God in our lives. It is as simple and straightforward like that. Apart from him, we amount to nothing and there's nothing we can achieve if we pursue it outside of his leading. We need his grace and favour, and we need his presence if our lives will make impact in the present.

Moses understood the importance of that Presence; He wasn't going anywhere without it. Elijah carried it with him everywhere He went, no wonder He made an impact. It is the same God at work today, just different generations. There's so much noise around us today so many distractions and ' alternatives', but I tell you, there's no substitute for the presence of God. Men will labour by physical strength to obtain what God's presence will bring you while you are working and waiting. Men will kill and maim to obtain what God's favour will give you without stress. Its all about the presence of God.

Today, as you go out, don't leave home without it. Life is complex and unpredictable and you need certainty and preciseness to walk in it. Go alone is the one who knows for certain what lies ahead and He alone is the one who will bring his best plans to pass in our lives. His time of favour is here

The Right Love

1JN 3:18 NIV

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

There is a malaise and a disease that seems to be spreading very rapidly these days, and it is insincerity and pretence.we have mastered the terrible art of deception and falsehood; we can now say one thing, while we really mean the very opposite. We seem not to be bothered too much by this, as it now appears to be the normal order of business. Even the church, which is to be the shining example of all that is Christ-like, seems to have been caught up in this issue also. There are some who are sincere and truthful, but there are some who have led others astray and mortally wounded their confidence by their acts of deceit and deception.

What is God's expectation for us who profess and confess his name? What does He demand from us who claim to know him and walk in his ways? Can we be trusted to mean what we say or do people have to double-check our sincerity before they believe what we say?

Today's extract was not given to unbelievers but  to believers by John, so it is not impossible to believe that the church today too will have issues with trust. It is easy to find the right words to move other people to do what you want, but is your heart sincere and truthful? For single guys in courtship, do you just say the words to get what you want, or do you speak honestly an act honestly? For the single ladies, can you make a vow of faithfulness and chastity and stick to it, no matter what 'friends' are saying or doing? For the married, are you sticking to the vows you made years ago, or are you finding untenable excuses to be unfaithful?  Remember, nobody can go to heaven or hell on your behalf; you would have to work out your salvation as a personal walk with God.

True Love is of God and it is his nature, so any kind of love not following the pattern laid down by God isn't true love. Love is best seen in action, not in words. As we live our lives daily, let there be a vivid consciousness that we are being watched and observed daily and our lives will only make an impact if lived under the leading, direction and inspiration of God himself. He is Love personified, he's Truth revealed. Love therefore can never be fully understood or lived out outside of him. Live in God, live in true love. His time of favour is here.

The Right Priorities

PSA 84:10 NIV

Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

A basic understanding of our purpose in life will help put the verse above in the proper perspective. If only we knew, understood and pursued just what we knew we were created to do, our lives will have less stress, less waste and greater impact. Unfortunately, we have allowed a world without direction to dictate a new direction for us; we who have Christ seem to have allowed a world without Christ tell us the things that are important to us to pursue. We now have 'Christians' who are no different from unbelievers in politics, business, and all. People can't make a distinct difference because there's not much difference. We come to church, and we carry the same attitude there: we jostle and hustle for position and recognition, things that the world hunger after, and we then wonder why the church seems to be ineffective and without impact.

The Psalmist here had a specific and unilateral  focus; he knew what was important and necessary and that is what He pursued. He wasn't after position, power, privilege or possessions; He just wanted a place in the courts of the Lord. His sole and upmost pursuit was the will of God, dwelling in his presence and serving him wherever He directed. It does not matter where you serve; what matters is who's commissioning the assignment you are carrying out. Are you doing what you are doing for Christ, simply because there's something to gain from it? Are you working in church or working for God? Is God the dictator of your life's pursuits and goals, or are you negotiating with God, trying to determine for yourself where best you think you could fit in?

Remember, the rewards God promises for service are not tied to activity but to his own ordained purposes. You don't get something for doing just anything; your reward comes for doing what God has ordained and fulfilling purpose.

Get your clear direction today and stop comparing assignments with other people. They don't have your own purpose, neither do they know your end. God does, and it is He who blesses and rewards faithful service. Get your assignment from him today and get busy working for him. He's faithful to his promise to bless. His time of favour is here.

Holding on to the Promisor

Hebrews 10:23 NIV

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

In these difficult days of economic and social upheavals, when it appears as If things are going haywire,  it is difficult to have any measure of certainty about life itself. It seems to me that there is so much unpredictability around us. You put in so much effort into something, the end-product saddens you; you spend so much money on a project which fails woefully; you invest time and resources in preparing for an exam which is failed comprehensively. You wonder whether there's something wrong with you or If you really know God or you are on the right track. Life will throw you curve-balls that will question the faith you profess and the hope you possess.

When these things happen, where do you go? What do you do? Who do you hold on to? What is your anchor When the storms of life hit and it appears as If you are sinking? Today's extract seeks to change our focus from what is happening around us to who is living in us.

Faith does not deny the present; it sees beyond the present. It does not ignore the realities around; it just sees God at work, irrespective of what is going on around. It then means that it should not be the external that determines the state of things for me; it should be the internal. The Lord does not promise calm seas for me as I travel, what He promises me is a calm heart, which has an assurance of the presence of the Lord of all storms. He doesn't tell me that there will always be clear skies; all He promises is that there will be a clear assurance of his leading and direction as I journey on.

The Word for today then makes sense as I trust God for a life of purpose, direction and impact. I have to trust in the wisdom of a God who sees beyond the present into the future. I have to trust that He knows what he's doing and where he's taking me to, no matter how rough the road looks or feels. He could take me through the fiery furnace or the lions' den, or my route could pass through prison on the way to the palace. What is important is that I know who has promised to be with me and I hold on to him, no matter what comes. He has promised not to allow anything beyond my ability to bear to come to me, so If He allows it, it is because He knows I can bear it.

I have seen God at work in the strangest of ways. The end-product is the miracle but the process God works through is the mystery beyond my understanding. I am now learning to trust in his wisdom and timing as He brings me to the place of perfection. His Word of promise is the anchor you must hold on to when the storms come, because it is only his Word that lives forever. Every other situation, circumstance or issue always comes to pass, never to stay. Trust his Word today, and see his faithfulness at work. His time of favour is here.

The Right Order 2

JAS 4:7 NIV

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

In this race set before us by God to run, it is important for us to know what is expected of us and how we are to run the race. There are always competing interests, attractive distractions and personal interests that must give way If we are to run this race successfully to the end. Today's extract underlines one basic truth that we will face as we run: the devil will come and try to distract us. He knows the importance of running our race well and the blessings that will accrue to us, so all he's interested in doing is giving us alternative distractions and pursuits that will keep us busy and away from the race set before us.

The lesson before is simple: get the priorities and order right. No man can successfully resist the devil without first of all submitting totally to God. The devil has been fighting for relevance even before the account of creation in Genesis started so you can call him an experienced warrior like Goliath. You can't come against him in your strength or by intellectual prowess; he's smart, savvy and skilled in warfare. Your only hope is to Submit first to God then resisting him Becomes possible and easy.

Have you submitted totally to God or are you still holding on to a few areas of your life, thinking that you can handle those areas yourself? If you want victory, peace and life, then you must learn to submit your fears, strengths, wisdom, knowledge, achievements and all at the feet of Christ himself. It is in him and through him that a man can enjoy victory on this journey called life itself.

Have you submitted or are you still trying hard in your own power to resist the devil? Remember, help is available for you, as long as you are totally dependent on God. His time of favour is here.

The Right Wages

PRO 22:4 NIV

Humility is the fear of the Lord ; its wages are riches and honor and life.

Just as we established two days ago, there's no true life outside of life itself. We see life from the myopic point of view of a world that is empty of meaning, direction and true flavour. We have allowed the world without True life to determine how our lives should be lived. We forget that popular adage that says: ' You cannot give what you don't have.' A world without true life can never tell you or show you or lead you to the true life, since it does not even know the way.

But there's a way to get there: it is the way of humility. Our extract today defines humility as the fear of the Lord. It seems to me that If a man claims He fears or knows God, it is seen in his attitude, conduct and conversation. Everything He does is done with a heart that is totally submitted to God and his will, ready to obey without question, and humble enough to be led by God, even into unfamiliar territories. Am I that person, or does God have to bang me on the head for him to catch my attention? Am I so far gone, that I have to be for forcibly humbled for me to acknowledge God in my life?

These are pertinent questions we must answer, If our lives are to have the impact they were created to have. Funnily enough, just as it is in the physical realm, so is it in the spiritual. Men work for Wages and salaries and what you get is based on what you do or for how long you work. God also rewards us for what we do, but for him, He places more emphasis on your motives for working, not on your work itself. In the first place, you canf determine the outcome of your actions; you can only ensure you are working for God with the right heart of humility. He is the One who will reward accordingly and his Wages are both earthly and eternal, as seen in the wages specified. Riches and honour are for this life and true  life itself is the crowning reward.

Are you working for the True Life Himself or are you working to improve your own life? Can your present wages pay your way to eternal life? He has shown you, o man, what is expected of you. Choose life, live right, be humble and totally submissive to God, then watch him do wonders with a totally surrendered life.  His time of favour is here.

More than Conquerors

ROM 8:37 NIV

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Indeed,life is a battlefield. I'm not sure there's any place at all in the Bible where God promised us a swell ride through life or a trial-free existence; what He promised us is His Presence and power that will sustain us through all the events that will certainly come our way. We hear of people being told that If they come to Christ, all their problems will be taken away. People come and after a bit of walking with Christ, they get discouraged when it appears that the issues do not seem to be going away. We just must settle in our hearts early enough what following Him entails before we get into it.

He has advised that we count the cost before we follow. He has advised that unless we are ready to abandon father, mother and family, we may not be able to follow him. It then means that coming to him means a total abandonment of everything else; nothing  ese becomes more important than our walk with Jesus. He takes precedence over every other thing and it is his priority that must be our own priority also.  No matter what comes, we rest assured in his Presence that can sustain us through the most distressing circumstances and we know that because we are in him, it is only what is best for us that He will allow to come our way.

His love for us is awesome and inexplicable. His grace and mercy speaks for us long after our wisdom, strength and qualifications have failed. His love will never let us go; he's always there for us, giving us victory and making us triumph over challenges, so that ultimately, our lives can speak of the mercy,grace and power of God. Enjoy his mercy, be grateful for his love, live out the victory his death and life have secured for us, for his time of favour is here.

The Right Order

PRO 21:21 NIV

Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.

Our generation seems to have gotten the order of things confused. We think it is by pursuing riches and prosperity that we will get honour and respect. The world respects wealth and shows favouritism for people with it. The world's standard supports the pursuit of wealth by all means. We think that with it, we can buy respect, honour and worse, heaven.

God lives by a different standard. There's a verse that atimes frightens me when I read it. It says: Luke 12:15 NIV

Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

We dedicate our entire lives to the pursuit of possessions, thinking that the more we have, the happier we will be. We think that we would earn more respect and be relevant, If only we had more things. We sacrifice our family, integrity, peace and joy, as we chase after things that hold no guarantee of peace. At the end of the pursuit, we are left empty of substance and life, because true life is not based on what you have but on who you know. Life is Jesus himself and without you, you have not really begun to live life.

Our verse says: If you pursue after righteousness and love, you will get prosperity and life. The world says it the opposite way. Unfortunately, the world's version looks more attractive, but I have not seen anyone who went down that road and had a good end. God's way is the true way and as we choose to obey him, He will bless us beyond the world's standards and expectations. His time of favour is here.

Give Thanks 2

PSA 68:19 NIV

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.

There's an erroneous teaching going on these days that says that when you come to Christ, all of your problems are over. You cease to carry any, you simply hands them over to Jesus. Some say: since Christ has suffered, I cannot suffer anymore. While this is true to an extent, there's a deeper truth than this. Knowing Christ is not the end of challenges; it is having a mighty hand to help sustain you through the challenges. There's nowhere in the Word of God that we are promised an easy ride through life; what He promised us is his ever- constant presence in the midst of the most distressing of circumstances.

People with the largest hearts of compassion and understanding are people with the most difficult lessons life has taught them. How does God use you to speak to the world when you have not learnt any lessons yet? Of what use is an untested, unproven vessel, which has not been subjected to any stressful situation? How do you know how it would stand up to the heat that is coming?

Matthew 11:29-30 NIV

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

These words of Jesus himself are instructive. He has a yoke we must bear as his children and as we carry it, He has promised to bear the yoke with us. He doesn't abandon us to our fate; he's always there, even when all familiar faces walk out. He's the omnipresent God, who is always watching over his children, ensuring that no circumstance gets so bad as to swallow them. He deserves Praise for who He is and what He has done. Praise him, in the midst of the most distressing circumstance; praise him, even If events around you give you no reason for it. Let me remind you of this again: we look so long at closed doors, forgetting the many others that God is opening for us. Praise will open doors that nothing else will. His time of favour is here.

Give Thanks

1CH 16:34 NIV

Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good; his love endures forever.

We live in a needs- focused world. We see everything from a materialistic point of view, judging men and sorting them according to our idea of importance, primarily, on what they have or own. We pursue after the things we don't have and wish to have what other people have, thinking that the more we have, the happier we will be. We equate our value with created things, forgetting that we were purchased with the most expensive price- a life. We can never get satisfied with created things until we get the Creator himself living in us. He made us and until we have him, a part of us will always be empty and unfulfilled until we have him.

It is therefore important to evaluate where we stand today. Do we appreciate what he's given us or done for us? Do we appreciate who we know, or do we hanker after the things we desire to have? It is only when we appreciate the person of Christ, and understand the value of his Presence and blessings, that this extract above will make sense to us. The verses before the one above talk about trees, the sea and other parts of creation praising God for his power. What more could be expected of us, who are made in his likeness, to also praise God for who He is? Let's not look so much at what we think we don't have, and remember that when we have God, we have everything. He's the One who has all that we need and as we praise him, He is moved to work in our defence, making all crooked paths straight and perfecting all that concerns us.

Are you praising God today, or grumbling? Are you staring at the closed door, not seeing the many open doors God is placing in front of us? Praise God today and always, for his time of favour is here.

Dependable Words

PSA 119:114 NIV

You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.

Life has its challenges. From the day a man is born, the sinful nature starts to work. This nature does not admit its helplessness or inadequacies; it doesn't admit that it cannot save itself or help itself, and that it needs a Saviour to give it order, direction and purpose. We keep struggling in our power, wisdom and strength to earn God's approval, thinking that this could be achieved by an application of effort. Unfortunately, God's help, mercy and grace cannot be earned, it is freely bestowed on us by God by his free act of mercy and grace.

There's nowhere strength is appreciated. He is the refuge and the strength that we need. Whatever you did not create or ordain, you have not been given power to sustain it. Because God is the creator of life, He alone knows how best to keep that life and to supply all it needs to prosper. All I need to do is to trust his power, wisdom and grace, relying on him for ALL things.

You cannot mix the two together: you are either trying to do it yourself or you have given complete control to God to work things out. You can't sit on the fence, trying to play smart with God, giving him partial control over some areas of your life, while giving him full control over some other areas. He's either in charge or he's not.

The Word was with God in the beginning and it is the Word that created the world. If this Word has the capacity to sustain life for as long as it has done, then He has the capacity to sustain your life for as long as you trust him. Trust his Word, enjoy his grace, for his time of favour is here.

Cure for all time

2CH 7:14 NIV

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.

I cannot think of a better time this verse makes more sense to us as a nation than now. We live in strange times indeed: men profess Christ with their lips but the expression of their lives betray him. Men claim to have met Christ but the fruits of their lives do not show that Christ has met them or knows them in any way. We now have 'Daraprim' Christians, who are fervent and active in church on Sundays, but are their own bosses every other day of the week, doing things as they please, cutting corners in order to make a tidy profit, and living by instinct instead of by the Spirit. No wonder the world has no respect for the power of the Word, because we who are supposed to uphold its rules and precepts are the ones who are flouting the rules. No wonder then, that this country is where it is, and it appears as If Christ has abandoned us.

There's a glimmer of Hope here- God still calls out to his children to make the necessary changes required and be the influence for change. For there to be a restoration, those who profess Christ must be the change. 'If my people, who are called by my name' makes it clear that If change must come, it must start with us. If we are to enjoy the fullness of what God intends for us, we must be the change and lead the change required. The required steps are listed- humble yourself, pray, seek God's face and turn from wickedness, God's promise is that He will hear, He will forgive and He will heal our land. What more can we do when all that is required has been spelt out for us? What else would God do than to provide the remedy for our ailment? The disease has been isolated and identified, its cure and dosage have been made known. All that is required for the disease to be completely eliminated is for us to follow the dosage, avoid the issues that will promote the disease, and get the cure required.

Am I seeking the cure or am I feeling secure in my ignorance, thinking I don't need the cure? I desire healing for my land and all that is connected to it, so I will do what it takes to get it. His time of favour is here.

God is for Me!

ROM 8:31 NIV

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

There are challenges on this road called Life. We are constantly bombarded with trials, tribulations, temptations and turbulence. Atimes, our hearts tremble at the enormity of the issues that we face daily, and we wonder If we would not be crushed one day under the weight of these things. But there is one promise that God makes which is the focus of Today's lesson- God is on our side. He's with us, no matter what goes on around us. He's working out that which is perfecter in us, and as we trust his wisdom and leading, we will experience the joy that no amount of money, possessions or wealth can guarantee you.

Next time the devil comes with his tricks of discouragement and despair, remind him that If God could give his only Son for my sins, there's nothing else too big for him to give up for me. If He could give me his all when I had nothing to give him in returns, then there's nothing else that He will not do for me. I take comfort from these words and I remind myself constantly: If God is on my side, then I fear no multitude. With God, I'm more than a conqueror. I only need to fear when all men are for me and God is against me. His time of favour is here.

Staying Strong

ROM 15:5-6 NIV

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I wonder why God is not always referrred to as the God of blessings. He's the One who blesses and he's the One who can change unpleasant situations into favourable circumstances, yet in most verses, we see God described as the God who stays with us in the most distressing of circumstances. It appears as If God's power and nature are best seen and understood in the midst of difficult situations. How else can anyone learn patience and endurance except through these experiences? How else could God be made known publicly than a public demonstration of his power to sustain even when external circumstances are not palatable?

He could have saved Daniel from the lions' den, or kept the three Hebrew men from the fiery furnace. He could have kept Jesus from the cross, but maybe there would not have been the great praise and glory that followed these happenings. God allows us to go through troubled waters so that our faith can be strengthened and God's glory better appreciated.

When things look rough and unpalatable, and it appears as if we will drown, God is working out an endurance and a patience that will lead to greater glory and praise to God. Our lives were made to praise and glorify Him, and it is as we work and walk with him that this glory is revealed and established.  Learn patience and endurance and watch your life glorify God, Just as it was created to do. His time of favour is here.

Sowing and Reaping

GAL 6:7 NIV

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

God is indeed awesome. There's a lot He has done for us that we may not fully appreciate, just as there is a lot He has done that we also take for granted. As humans, we live as If there's no reckoning to be done or an account to be settled. We feel that we can do things anyhow or anytime and there will be no consequences. What Today's extracts show is that as long as we are on earth, the law of sowing and reaping is unbreakable. No matter how you explain away the motives for doing whatever you do, God who sees the truth behind every action will reward accordingly.

The scary part is that you do not reap exactly the same measure that you sow: guy always reap much more than you sow. A man puts 4 grains of corn in the ground and reaps more than 4 whole cobs of maize. The result of reaping is always a multiple effect of sowing.

We must therefore watch what we sow, so that we do not reap what we did not plan for.  For every action, there's a equal and opposite reaction. If you want to reap good, sow good words and deeds today. If you want to reap blessings, sow acts of kindness. If good is not your target, then you can sow whatever you desire. It will all come back to you. His time of favour is here.

Genesis 8:22 NIV

“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”

Life is Brief......

1PE 1:24-25 NIV

For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

Life indeed is brief. Its best spells are few and far between. There are situations and circumstances that arise in life that makes you wonder why we pursue the things we do. All that we own and hold are fuel for the fire that is coming. We chase after the created things, thinking they can replace the Creator himself, but as we will all be aware eventually, Nothing can replace God in our lives. As I read these verses, I am made aware of the brevity of life. No matter how rich or beautiful we are now, there's a process of time and change that will reveal the shallowness of all that we own and hold. We would realise eventually that all these things are not as important as the personality of the Creator himself.

No matter what you acquire, nothing is as important as the person of the Creator himself. He is the Word that lives in the beginning with God, He is the One actively involved in creation and long after this world as we see it is over, He will continue to exist. All who find him find life and all who live in him enjoy eternity.

Have you found him? Are you holding on to Him or seriously searching for the ephemeral things that do not satisfy? His time of favour is here.

Exchange of Destinies

ISA 61:7 NIV

Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.

Have you met the God of awesome possibilities, the God that can change destinies and restore Hope to the most hopeless of circumstances? Have you met the God who makes streams of water flow from the most unlikely places? Let me introduce him through his works: he's the One who created a highway through the Red Sea, so his people could pass on dry ground. He is the one who provided manna constantly, faithfully and regularly for 40 years in the wilderness. He's the same One who turned a fiery furnace into a coldroom for 3 Hebrew men, and he's the same one who shut up lions' mouths for the sake of his child, Daniel.

It then means that God is still Very much in the business of doing great things. He wants to change destinies and bring about change in the lives of his children. He's the One who knows the end even before the beginning started and it is He alone that has the power to bring all his children to that good end He already has planned.

It doesn't matter where you stand now; what matters is who you have given control of your life to. You could be in a lion's den, you could be passing through fire, you could be in the midst of the most difficult situation, but If you are travelling with the right company, which is God, then you can rest assured that He will bring peace, joy, hope and favour into the most distressing of situations.

Circumstances do not last forever; only God does. If you want to enjoy eternity, then find yourself in God. He alone can carry you into the safe harbour and the eternal home of rest which He has promised all those who trust him. His time of favour is here.

Salvation.... Full and Free to all men

TIT 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,

Indeed, it is a free gift offered to all men everywhere and it is an open invitation with no strings attached. All that Christ demands is that we trust in His finished work at Calvary and trust its sufficiency and efficacy.

God's grace has been freely given to all men, and it has been given without conditions, or with any hidden motives. What this grace does is to show us our options, and to encourage us to take the right decision to follow Christ. This grace opposite beyond our past and sees where we are supposed to be. This grace looks beyond our qualifications and sees our potential, even in the midst of the thickest darkness of sin.

If indeed we have moved into the realm of grace, then our character, conversation, conduct and company must show that we have new priorities. Ungodliness and sin must make way for self-control, uprightness and sin-free lives. That is his expectation, because his grace makes this possible. He has not asked me to fight alone or walk alone or work alone; his grace has been promised and has been made available for me.

The best way God's grace can be appreciated is to see its practice in a life that professes to know and have Him. If my life's practice denies my mouth's confession, then I bring reproach to the name I claim to bear. If I live out God's grace in my life, the world will sit up and take notice and would want to know why I'm different. It is a call to be different, to be unique and to stand out from the crowd, because you bear a different name and answer to a different grace.

Is my life showing that unique difference? Does my life show that grace that people will notice and want to identity with? Is my present life attracting others to Christ? His time of favour is here.

Growing......in Love

PHP 1:9-10 NIV

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

There's Nothing God gives us or demands from us that does not grow. Everything that is God's nature, attribute and characteristic is expected to grow in us as we grow in our knowledge of Him that has called us. Just as no parents pray for a child that remains the same weight,  size and height for a long period of time, so also God expects that as we have been born anew in him, we will grow in our knowledge of him.

God is always at work in us, seeking that which is best for us, and making sure that the enabling environments for growth and deeper insight into God are provided. We then have a choice: take hold of the oppourtunities provided and deepen your relationship with, knowledge and insight of God, or just be content with a mediocre, shallow knowledge of God.

You can only be relevant in God's hand in this end times as you grow in your knowledge of God. God's mysteries are deep and will require that we put in our best to know more about God. Oppourtunities will come, his Word will always be preached, there will be occasions where iron can sharpen iron; we must take advantage of all these things. Remember: you can't give what you don't have. It is from the abundance stored up in the seasons of plenty that you can draw out in the seasons of lack and want. His time of favour is here.

Light Shines.......

JHN 1:5 NIV

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

God is indeed awesome. The Very first thing God spoke into existence was light. You may wonder Whether that is the most important thing, or why God had to pronounce it into existence, but I believe that light just had to come first because it speaks directly to the nature and power of God.

Since creation till now, most of what God created has been soiled by sin. Man fell and has to find his way back to God; some animals given as food to man have turned against man; the ground was cursed because of man's sins, but light remains as it was at creation because it is the Very nature of God. It is not within the control of the devil because God himself is the light of the world. It doesn't matter how thick the darkness, the smallest ray of light makes a big difference.

God indeed is light, and all who come to him have light and live in the light. Light reveals truth and darkness or evil cannot hide in the light. If you cannot allow the light to reveal who you are or what you do in secret, then go back and check the quality of your beliefs or the strength of your convictions. Light is God's attribute, God's nature, God's personality.

Till eternity comes, God's nature will not change, and darkness will never overcome light. Seek out the light today, let him take away the darkness of sin, evil and the devil. His time of favour is here.

'Graced' Words

COL 4:6 NIV

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

If there's anything God has given us that can destroy and at the same time build up, it is the tongue. Wars have been fought, lives have been destroyed, hopes have been dashed and destinies have been ruined due to an improper use of the tongue. Lives have also been set at liberty, dreams have been given life and hopes have been rekindled through a kind word, a helping hands or an act of grace. It all boils down to the understanding we have of the power of our tongue. With it, men are blessed and curses; with it, we praise God and elevate man. Out of the tongue proceeds a mixture of the good, the bad and the downright ugly.

We need to evaluate our lives, examine our actions and words and learn from our mistakes. God spoke the entire world into being Through his words and it is still the same Word that is upholding the world as we see it now. He has given us the same power of creation because his breath is in us. We cannot therefore be false to our nature and live contrary to the person and nature of the One we were created like. It is an absurdity for a creation of God to be destructive or abusive. It goes against the nature of God in us to live contrary to his commands.

Not even the sin of the first Adam could make God pronounce curses on man. I stand to be corrected, but there was no where and in no version of Scripture will you see God pronounce the word 'cursed' on the man or on the woman. What God cursed was the serpent and the ground because of man. God increased the intensity of the labour of childbirth for the woman, but we know that in Christ, even that has been dealt with. Can we dare speak or act contrary to what God himself has instututed?  Should we pronounce words that go against the powerful, creative force of God's Word?

Let us watch our words and ensure that God's grace and mercy is seen in our words. That is the strongest message the world will sit up and take notice of. His time of favour is here.

Watch the pointed finger

ROM 2:1 NIV

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

How easy it is to find faults in other people, while not seeing anything wrong with your own life. How convenient it is to point out other people's faults and inconsistencies, while being cpmpletely blind to your own. We find it so easy to sit on the appropriation seat, apportioning blame to others, while giving ourselves a clean bill of health. Today's extract seeks to point this out to us, with a word of caution so that we do not belittle the mercies of God that we enjoy or deny the same mercy to other people.

I must sit down daily and examine my life in the light of the Word of God. It is the only mirror that tells you who you really are. People's opinions about you will keep changing based on what they can get from you or see in you; and because man's knowledge is limited, He doesn't see the big picture or the real you that God created. Why, then, do we seek to pattern our lives after people's opinions or expectations of us? Why do we crave the approval of people who are in the minority, no matter how many they are? Why base my decisions and actions on the actions or inactions of mortal men like myself, who may have selfish, ulterior motives for everything they do?

God alone is the God with complete absolute knowledge of every action and reaction of man, and He alone can judge appropriately. Let us judge our own actions in He light of the mirror of God's word and leave the motives behind other people's actions to the true and righteous judge. He will give due and appropriate reward to all men for what they have done. He cannot be deceived, because every gift, potential and attribute was given by the Creator himself.

Judge no man, show mercy to all, afterall, it is by the same mercy of God that you stand forgiven, cleansed and purified. His time of favour is here.

Worth of the Word

2TI 3:16-17 NIV

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Of all the books that have been written, and of all the ones that will ever be written, there is None that has been villified, abused, misunderstood, mis-applied and been a blessings more than the Bible. It is amazing just how much of life's complex issues the Bible has answers for. It doesn't matter how complex or secular; God's Word has an application solution that will answer all these questions.

But like all mysteries, its discoveries are in the diligent and persistent search for the secrets they reveal and the blessings they bring. We are too busy to create time to search the Word of God for the blessings it possesses, and we then wonder why our lives are not enjoying the best God has on offer for us. We Amin through the pages, not paying close attention to what we read, and we then wonder why we are not getting much insights and revelations from the Word.

All Scripture is inspired by God, and its insights hold lessons that guarantee eternal life for us. Its precepts are good as doctrines, its instructions help build us up, they correct us when we go wrong, and train us up to be Godly people, people God can be proud to make use of. But it all boils down to our availability. Lessons are lost when the student cuts classes, or does not do assignments. Growth cannot be measured because the lessons are not being followed, and there can be no promotion to the next level If the tests of the present class are not passed.

If I want to be complete and mature, I must subject myself to God's school of faith and experience. Everything He allows or brings My way is tailored specifically to help me mature well. I must go Through this school and I must depend solely on him as I walk and work for him. May my life not reject the lessons tailored specifically for my growth. May my life enjoy increase and favour in every way. His time of favour is here.

Life...... through the Spirit

GAL 2:20 NIV

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

This extract is one of the most difficult aspects of our Christian experiences to explain. Thank God for the Holy Spirit who helps us walk and work in line with the will of God for our lives. The moment I truly give my life to Christ, one fundamental thing that occurs is that I have identified with Christ in his death. The reason why He died was because of my sins, and as I come to him for cleansing, what I have done is to walk in his steps- dying to sin so I could live to righteousness. If I have accepted Jesus, I'm saying that I appreciate his sacrifice and I want to live my life in appreciation of this free gift. Just as Christ had to die so I could live, so do I need to die to sin so I could live to righteousness.

It then means that If I'm really saved, there's no place for personal opinions, preferences and prejudices. My life is no longer my own to live as I choose, but as Christ chooses. I cannot determine the direction of my life by myself, because I willingly gave up that choice when I handed over the control to Christ. He doesn't take away the power of free will; what He wants is that I come to him willingly, surrendering my life to him and allowing him dictate the course, pursuits and priorities of my life. It is not a compulsion; it is an exercise of free will.

Salvation does not deny your personality; it enhances it. Christ does not seek to make your life dull; He wants you to enjoy true life. What we think is good for us may not be the best for us, and who is better qualified to determine the purpose, use and direction of a thing than the One who created it?

It is therefore important that we settle the issue of who's in charge of our lives today. What we have now are Christians with identity crisis: you never really know who's in charge of their lives. They say on thing, while their lives do the opposite; they struggle with the control, thinking that giving up total control will make them less human or dependent. Key lesson: until you lose yourself in God, you can never truly find your true self. Until God takes charge, you will continue to struggle with the natural man who hates submission. Until God takes dull control, your life may not fully comprehend its purpose.

Let Go and let God. He wants the best for you; afterall, He created you and kept you alive for a purpose. I must find out that purpose and pursue it with the help of the Holy Spirit. He alone can help me finish well. His time of favour is here.

Focus

HEB 12:2 NIV

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

If there's a message the world needs right now, it is to get its focus right. The world system and its priorities seem to have messed up our minds; we now seek possessions, power, position and privileges. We attach our worth and value to the total value of what we own and hold, thinking that we would be more valuable to God or to other people If only we had more money, more cars, more houses, more and more things.

Today's extract seeks to shift our focus back to the right path. We are encouraged to fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. His example is worth following. He knew his worth wasn't tied to what He had, so leaving everything to come to the earth as a mortal man wasn't such a big deal. He could have found another way to give us salvation, but it had to be done through sacrifice. He left everything, so we could have everything. He paid the price so we could earn the prize without paying for it. All He asks for is that we believe and accept what He has done, so we can enjoy what He has provided.

Jesus' end speaks volumes about his life and impact. Everything He left so He could help us, He got it all back, even with greater glory. Therein lies the message: there's Nothing you sincerely and truthfully do for man that is in vain; God rewards in his own way and at his own time. All we own and hold do not belong to us; it is a trust that must be administered as a blessing to other people. God who sees our hearts will reward us accordingly.

Shift your focus from a 'getter' to a 'giver'. Use your time, resources, possessions and position to help others.  There's a covenant of blessing and reward attached. His time of favour is here.

Mercy........

PSA 51:1 NIV

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.

There's no place for self-glory when it comes to walking with God. There's no place for human effort or labour when it comes to the free gifts of God. If we had to work for the salvation and redemption we now have, I wonder what we would have to do to fully repay God for all his gifts and benefits. Gratefully, we do not have to do anything except rely on the finished work of Christ on the cross for us.

Today's extract further buttresses our helplessness and the futility of human striving when it comes to pleasing God. We cannot lay claim to any human perfection and we cannot pay the price by ourselves. God's mercy then Becomes Very important in our walk with Him, because everything we would ever be or do is tied to his mercy. It is his mercy that brings forgiveness, it is his mercy that gives redemption and a new beginning. It is his mercy that also guarantees eternal life, when this present one would have ended. Am I still relying on my power to make it? Am I still striving hard in my own power to please God, thinking that I can do anything to merit God's mercy?

As I go out today, my prayer is that the mercy of God will be available to give me a fresh start and a new, clean stand with God. I pray that I will always enjoy his favour and grace, so that my life will be a reflection of what God can do with a life that relies solely and totally on God, not on human effort or achievements. His time of favour is here.

Thoughts.....Pride

ROM 12:3 NIV

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

Pretty strong words from Paul, but words that are timely and relevant to our present generation. We seem to have moved from a faith-based experience to a work-based existence. We have replaced faith with plenty of works, thinking that the more active or involved we are, the better our chances of getting God's approval. With the amount of effort and time we put in, we think that we are irreplacable, and that God himself should be pleased with our service. We forget that the life we have is a gift itself, and its owner could place a demand for the life at any time. We forget that with God, service of a life is not as important as the total offering of a life.

God is looking for a completely surrendered life; one that appreciates the sacrifices and examples laid down by Life himself. He emptied himself of all his nature and entitlements, taking the form of mortal man, and dying a disgraceful death, all because of the love He had for the works of his hands. The same is expected of us, as we spend our lives in service to other people. The world is hungry for change, it is eagerly expecting the manifestation of the sons of God. The world will not settle for empty words or thoughtless actions; rather it will make room for someone with the same mind as Christ; someone who knows that his worth and value is tied up to how much of God He knows and how much of God he's willing to show.

Are you such a person? Do you know where you stand in God? Is your heart settled on God and his expectations for your life, or does God have to beat you on the head to draw your attention? His time of favour is here.

New Commandment of Love........

JHN 13:34-35 NIV

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

This extract will be better appreciated when we compare this to the position we were before grace came. The last of Moses allowed you to take 'an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth'. If someone killed another in error and did not make it to the cities of refuge in time, another was allowed to strike the 'murderer' to death. I wonder where we would be today if that was still the case.

Grace has come and it has reached out with a new rule and example. The law showed no mercy; justice was meted out as deserved. Grace however, has come to show us a new way of life and a higher form of love for other people. There's an example to follow: that of Jesus himself who showed the highest form of love to die in our place so we could enjoy his own kind of life. He didn't wait for us to prove ourselves worthy of his love; He just loved us all the same.

He has shown us an example and He demands compliance. Our lives have to show who we believe in and whose precepts we follow. If I have Jesus in me, then my life must show a new life-focus, a new direction, a new love. This is the loudest message our lives can preach. It is the only language the entire world can relate to, as its expression knows no language, ethnic or tribal backgrounds.

Am I showing this new life? Do I even have the new life living in me? You cannot give what you don't have. You want love? Get the personality of love Himself and watch love expression itself through you to touch the world one life at a time. His time of favour is here.