The Right Words

1CO 1:4-5 NIV

I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge—

The words of Apostle Paul here is a timely reminder of who we are and what we stand to gain when we come to know the Lord. There are many issues that life will throw at you, trying to shake out the temporary and the unnecessary, while leaving only the important. As we walk with the Lord and grow in our knowledge, understanding and discernment of God and his ways, the clearer things become to us and the easier it is for us to accept his will for our lives, no matter how "inconvenient" it may look like.

Paul could testify to the grace of God because he was a living testimony of what the grace of God can do in any life. It isn't so much about who you were before or what you had done, or whether you were the best for the job or not, it was just that God's grace is the differentiating factor. We are nothing outside the grace of God and we can achieve nothing outside of his grace. No wonder Paul moved from a persecutor of the church of Christ  to a propagator of the gospel of Christ. The letters he wrote and the impact he made on the churches outside the Jewish land, is a testimony to the fact that what you hold now isn't the determinant of how far you can go in life.

Whatever it is that is happening to you is preparing you for the great place that God has prepared for you. As long as you depend on God, relying on his strength and wisdom, there's no limit to what God can do with your life. He will take the ordinary life you think you have and produce extraordinary miracles through it. He will take your 'ordinary' words like Samuel and Elijah and back it up with his power, making sure that your words have the desired effect. All it takes is total dependence on the grace of God. He will work out the other details and make you his mouthpiece and his message of grace, hope and life to the world. His time of favour is here.

The Right Time

2PE 3:9 NIV

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

It is rather unfortunate how hard we try to predict how God moves. We think we have known him so well that we can determine, with a fair amount of certainty, what God can do or won't do. We think we have walked with him long enough to know how he operates and thinks. Fortunately, God always disappoints man's expectations, otherwise, we would have been in deep trouble. If man could play God or predict God, then imagine what the world would be like. Thank God for not giving man that kind of power.

As we look at today's extract, what strikes me is that God always loves us to a fault, no matter our past or our baggage. He knows our weaknesses and shortcomings, and he's always giving us grace to repent and return to him. No matter how bad the sin or terrible the past, God is able to give a fresh start and a new beginning. Man is the one always counting scores and seeking to settle scores; God is always seeking to save man and guarantee him eternity. If God appears slow, it is because his love will not let us go without a fight. He will keep giving you oppourtunities to return to him.

This is one of the reasons why God should be feared. As powerful as he is, he does not force his will or ideas on you. He wants you to come to him willingly, out of love for him, not a sense of duty. He is looking for willing disciples, not compelled followers. The warning is this: one day, the oppourtunities will cease and judgement will come. Then, it will be too late to repent or return. While there's still time, it is now that is the best time. Today is the day of salvation, not tomorrow, not anytime else. Make today count; seek God out. He's waiting to save. His time of favour is here.

The Right Walk

PSA 119:1-2 NIV

Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord . Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart

We love to claim the blessings but we don't do much about the conditions for the blessings. We know all the verses in the Scriptures that talk about what God can give you, but we don't do much about the verses that talk about our responsibility. We love convenient Christianity- the type where you always get something for whatever you put in- but truthfully, our faith won't make much sense if it had to flow along these selfish lines.

Today's extract seeks to put our walk with God into proper perspective. God is always looking for people he can bless but the problem is with us. There's nothing God will do with the blessings if nobody claims them, and there is nothing to prove that God is stingy. Why, then, does it appear as if God doesn't want to bless us? What I have learnt is that all of his blessings have situational and circumstantial conditions for them to be fulfilled in our lives. You cannot expect that God will bless you while you are involved in adultery or fornication, neither will you steal from your place of work and expect that God will truly favour you. There is a minimum standard that God demands from his children. Every other person around you may be doing something, it doesn't make it right. God is the determinant of what is right and he has made his will and desires known through his word. There are no excuses and no plea of ignorance.

To be truly blessed, you must walk according to his law, not as you please. You must follow him with ALL your heart, Not part of it. Half-hearted devotion to God is as bad as outright rebellion to God, because God cannot trust that you will stand for him when troubles come. I pray that God will find me worthy to entrust me with his immense blessings. May my life be one that will attract his awesome power. His time of favour is here.

The Right Stand

ROM 1:17 NIV

For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

When I read the Bible- God's revealed truth- what do I see? When I open up the treasures, what do I take away from it? Do I just read for fun, enjoying the stories that make up the contents, or do I use the Spirit behind the contents as a guide and guard for my own life? 

One of the most fundamental lessons I have learnt over the years from reading the Bible is that intellect and education is not the major requirement for understanding its contents. You don't get a clearer picture of what God is saying by getting a doctorate degree in theology; you just need one major ingredient only: FAITH. Faith is the requirement for pleasing God, as established in Hebrews 11:6. It is the summary of the walk of all the men of God that we read about today, and it is still the only thing God rewards today as we also walk with him.

As today's extract shows, it is all about faith, from first to last, and nothing in between. You don't start with faith, and somewhere in the middle of the journey, think that works Will profit you. You don't start with faith in God  and think that when difficult situations come, you can consult the devil by the side and still think that you will end well. There are no substitutions for faith, and there is no where that works, self, personal achievements and all are criteria for winning God's approval.

One thing is clear. The walk with God is a walk of faith. The future may be uncertain and unsure, but the knowledge of the God who owns and holds the future is enough to quieten all storms and doubts. No matter what is happening now, there is an understanding that with God on your side, tomorrow will work out fine because you have a God who is busy working out all the details of your life. You know that no matter what the world's standards are today, because the world never has a definite and clear standard based on truth, the standards will give way eventually. But because you have based your life on something more stable and permanent- the word of God himself who is also the truth across all the ages, you are rest assured that come what may, his promises and his life are your experiences. Don't settle for less than his best. Don't give up before you walk in his perfect will. Then can you truly enjoy the life that he has purposed for you. His time of favour is here.

The Right Place

PSA 33:4-5 NIV

For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.

It is very easy to take a look around and get discouraged. When you consider what goes on in parts of the world, you may just wonder whether God really cares about everyone or if he really can solve the world's problems. Today's extract establishes the fact that, no matter what the world wants you to see or think, there is nothing that is beyond God's attention or help. If God says that the earth is the Lord's, then it is truly His. If God says that the silver and the gold belong to him, who is the one that will deny that truth? If you believe that his Word is true, then all parts and provisions of his Word are true, not just the convenient and easy-to-believe parts. There's a part of his word that says that in confirming the promise made to Abraham, he swore by the two greatest, unbreakable things: his Name and his Word. Whatever he has promised, his name and that word are at stake. God has put his word on trial, and he dares anyone to call him a liar.

No matter what you are going through today, never let go of God. You could lose everything like Job, but don't ever let go of God. God is able to replace more than everything that you have lost, just like he did for Job, but nothing can replace God. Get a word from him on your situations and circumstances and watch God move heaven and earth just to bring his word to pass in your life. You have got to hold on, Trusting him totally, knowing that God is able to do all that he has promised. His time of favour is here.

The Right Connection

1 Corinthians 2:9 KJV

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

God indeed is awesome. There is nothing the devil has done that God has not forseen and made adequate plans for. When the devil stole the blessing of Adam, God was there to restore the blessings through the seed of the woman. No matter how complex the generation or how difficult the terrain, God has always been several steps and great thoughts ahead of the devil and his devious plans. It doesn't matter what the devil does or what man tries; God is always in charge, ensuring that even the worst of situations produce the best of outcomes, in line with the good and perfect purpose he has in mind for everyone he has created.

It doesn't matter how 'good' or how 'bad' things are now; its nothing compared to what God has in store for you. It doesn't matter just how much of the lies of the devil you had believed in the past; what matters now is what you believe now. Today's extract seeks to change our focus from what we see around us now to what God seeks to do in our lives. He's changing our inner state to accept the great and awesome plans he has for us, plans that our present minds just cannot comprehend now. He is the mighty God and the awesome ruler over the affairs of men and he is the One with the final say over the affairs of his creation. Whatever he allows, happens, and whatever he resists cannot happen. What he needs from us is absolute dependence and trust in his power, wisdom and strength. What he needs from us is that we love him unconditionally, trusting that as we hold on to him, Through all the things he will bring our way, we will look back one day and see that truly: God has great plans for me. His time of favour has come.

The Right Help

ISA 41:10 NIV

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

We live in strange times indeed. It is the age where innocence is lost and life seems brutish and short. I have heard of robbers writing a community, telling them to make adequate cash withdrawals for their coming. I have heard of Mothers and fathers making use of their own children for money rituals, so they could be rich. I have seen children from good backgrounds, with a sound education and a positive background, turn out to be objects of pain and regrets for their parents and relations. It appears as if the more advanced and 'enlightened' we become, the more diabolical and godless we become. We seek more mental development and no spiritual depth. We make more money and spend so much on acquisitions, yet we are no closer to the kingdom of God. We pursue things and abandon purpose, and then we wonder why our lives lack direction, impact and meaning. The questions then arise: what do we do? What can we do? Where do we go for help?

Today's extract has timeless, pertinent advice for all of us. The world around us is slowly decaying and it will not get better because it operates on a different principle from the Word of God. The world does not understand trust in God, it only understands a dependence on self. The world cannot sustain its dependants; it can only push you to seeking out help from other sources outside of God.

It is very important that the man who would go far in life must live on the principles of this verse. What is happening around you can upset you and make you abandon God. Fear is a product of a heart that has chosen his own path by himself, and leaves no room for God. When troubles come, Where would he go? When a man has told God that he's self-made and self-sufficient, what help can God give such a person? When the storms of life come, and threaten to capsize the boat, who's the first person you call? So many questions, but all of them have a focus: to get us to change our view and to fix it firmly on the one whose Presence and power is all we need to survive this season of fear. It is his strength alone that can sustain when all has failed. It is he alone that can uphold with his Righteous right hand and it is he alone whose help is without cost and without stress.

Today, God's word to us is this: Do Not Fear. He's with us as we run this race and it is he alone that can sustain till the end. Don't let anyone deceive you into thinking thatvonce you come to Christ, all trials and problems are over; His powerful right hand  WILL take you through the roughest storm, but his promise of sustenance, provision, protection and Presence will ensure that you come out victorious and successful. Nothing works outside of God. His time of favour is here.

The Right Test

PSA 139:23-24 NIV

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Today's extract flows from a careful study of the worth and value of man. The Psalmist had considered God's wondrous works and his mighty acts, and had clearly seen that there was something fearful and wonderful about man. Man isn't the physically strongest or the most appealing of God's creatures, but He is the most intellectually gifted, emotionally- stable and the only eternity-minded of all of God's creatures. He alone has the record of the whole of heaven witnessing his creation, endowment, empowerment, assignment and partnership. It wouldn't have bothered  God if other animals didn't act according to plan; man's fall had grave repercussions for the entire creation.

It is however amazing just how God can bring so much good out of so much evil. I don't know how God can take what looks like a bad thing and chart a path of eternal good out of that. That's God. No wonder the Psalmist dedicated an entire chapter, out of many others,  to celebrating God's grace on man.  However, I see a warning here- God has done his own part, and has restored us back to God, giving us a new stand and a new hope in Christ. What is required is that we take advantage of this free offer and stand in his will, doing what He commands. Like the Psalmist prayed, I must allow the searchlight of the Holy Spirit do its work in me. Atimes, I could deceive myself into thinking I'm okay, but God can show me where I need to make amends. He is the Truth himself, and He is the Life, so if I really and truly seek life, I cannot do it outside of him. I must let him search My heart, purify my thoughts, cleanse my motives and intentions from all wicked ways and means so that I can be found worthy of eternal life.

If at the end of my race on earth, with all I have experienced, I still don't qualify for heaven , then if has truly been a wasted life. Eternity is God's plan and purpose; the seeds and the foundations are found in my everyday life. How am I living now? Can my present fruits qualify me for eternity? His time of favour is here.

The Right Heart

James 5:16 NIV

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

I have always imagined just how difficult this passage is to obey. How do I confess my sins to someone else and expect someone else to do the same?  In this modern world of superior thinking and class- consciousness, can you really get people to open up to you in honesty and sincerity? If there's anything I have learnt over the past few years, it is that we have built artificial walls of emotional, psychological and physical barriers against the need to relate on this level with other people. We judge people on the basis of what we think we know about them or what they possess. We equate possessions with value, thinking ourselves inferior if we don't have as much as the other person. But there is nowhere in today's extract that what you have matters; it is who you know that matters. It is not about your bank balance or the size of your house, it is about your spiritual balance and the size of your heart.

Do you have Christ living in you? That's all that matters. It is He who allows you see beyond the possessions into the problem in the heart of man. It is his Spirit in you that enables you to seek reconciliation with others so that healing can occur. It is your acceptance of your weaknesses as human beings that opens the door for God to work his wonders of healing through you. As you Submit to his Spirit, He works through you to ensure that sin submits to the power of God.

There's a miracle that happens when sin is confessed. There's a restoration of fellowship that occurs when love is expresssed and offences are forgiven. It is in this atmosphere that love can thrive and God can move. No wonder answered prayer is tied to this verse. If you want answers to prayers, follow the framework of this verse. If you want a healthy, fruitful balance in your relationship with God and man, follow the pattern laid down by this verse. The result of this healthy lifestyle is seen in the extract before us today: answered, fruitful prayers. If God is to answer our prayers, we must get the foundation right. If God is going to do great things through us, then we must allow his Spirit break down all artificial and emotional barriers. There's no room for class consciousness or building of walls or cliques. There's no room for bitterness or silent anger: speak it out, let it out so that offences can be brought to light and forgiveness shared. You can never be effective or make any kind of impact if sin is present; you can never make an impact until you make peace. His time of favour is here.

The Right Place

Matthew 6:1 NIV

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

I believe we are indeed living in perilous times. We are in an age where people think that they can win God's approval by being seen to do right before men. We now think that the opinion of man is the opinion of God, or we think that if we can get people to like us, maybe then, it is a sign that God likes us too. We seem to forget one very important fact: man is fickle and unpredictable. During the lifetime of Jesus, didn't we see one particular week when the people were shouting: Hossana, Hossana, and by the end of the same week, were already shouting: Crucify Him, Crucify Him. That is the stuff of man. No wonder Jeremiah declares in Jeremiah 17:5 NIV:
This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord .

Your best intentions will not win you God's approval. God doesn't deal with us on the basis of what we strive to accomplish by our power but what we depend on him to accomplish through us. God's rewards and blessings aren't for hypocrites or men-pleasers; his blessings are for those who have found him and seek to please him in every way depending on the grace of God to achieve what they could never dream of achieving by their own power.

There's a need to raise men whose focus have shifted from what man says to what God says. There's a need to raise a generation whose entire pursuit is the purpose of God alone, not man's personal agendas. God is looking for men that He can entrust with the deep things of the kingdom, men whose hearts have been completely given over to God and who are not distracted by the temporary dazzling lights of the world and its distractions. Am I the man God is looking for? Can He depend on me? His time of favour is here.

The Right Heart 2

Luke 6:27-28, 31 GNB

“But I tell you who hear me: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,  bless those who curse you, and pray for those who ill-treat you.........  Do for others just what you want them to do for you.

If there's anything that has proven difficult over the years, this passage is one of them. I have heard people say that Christianity isn't stupidity, and that God does not expect me to take just anything in the name of Christianity. But in reality, we know that the call to receive Christ is a call to the denial of self and right, and the imposition of the will of God on you. You surrender your desires and wants and take up God's own. You stop living for yourself alone and start living to please God alone.

This is where the issues lie. Even when you are trying to live right, how can you be held responsible for other people's reactions? Why would God place a burden on you to take whatever people do or give you and turn it into something good? Even when it seems as if I have done my best, it may not be enough. What do I do? God expects me to keep at it, doing my best, living for him, showing the same character traits that He showed when He died on the cross for me. He didn't wait until I was lovable or nice; neither did He wait until I was deserving of his love. He showed love even when I was at my worst, ignoring him and hating him. He expects the same from me, because I carry his nature and his Spirit inside of me. I have been renewed to be like him and to think, talk, act and react like him: in love, no matter what the other person gives back.

What it then means is that other people's reactions shouldn't be my focus; I should just watch my own life and the fruits that my life bear.  I am a city set on a hill, and people watch from every point. They must see the difference and the light must so shine that it shows the glory of God. Is my life that kind of example? Am I reacting in anger or in Love? Do I have the nature of God in me, or am I still struggling with the sinful nature, trying to get even with people when they offend me? Remember, every seed sown will bear fruit in greater measure than was sown, so watch what and how you sow. His time of favour is here.

The Right Heart

1 John 4:18 NIV

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Fear and love are two extremes. The two aren't made to co-exist in the same heart. God is love personified and love can never be understood or truly felt outside of him. A man who seeks to experience love has to first of all experience God. When a man has God, then He can have and know love.

Fear, on the other hand, is rooted in the law. The law was given to regulate man and his behaviour and it prescribed punishment for all who fell foul of its requirements. Because it was not possible to obey all the requirements of the law by human power, it then meant that punishment was frequently applied. Fear of punishment was therefore  valid and could make a man so conscious of the law's requirement that He had no room for love. A man who's therefore under the law can never fully comprehend love and its demands.

The man who has Christ has been freed from the dictates and demands of the law. He's subject to a higher law that gives freedom. He's still obedient to physical laws, but he's not reliant on his strength to obey,but on God, who gives strength to obey. He's dependent on the higher law of liberty, and his heart is set free to truly experience and show love.

Which one are you bound by: the law that oppresses or the law that gives liberty? If you want your life to make impact as it was created to do, then your heart must be truly free for it to make impact. What you don't have, you can't give. Is your heart set free? Has it itself experienced God's love? His time of favour is here.

The Right Hunger

Psalms 63:1 GNB

O God, you are my God, and I long for you. My whole being desires you; like a dry, worn-out, and waterless land, my soul is thirsty for you.

There's a God-shaped vacuum in every life that nothing else can occupy or satisfactorily fill. There's a bit of God breathed into man at creation that nothing else can fill except He who created man. Unfortunately, man has devised various things as alternatives to God: there's now power, position, possessions, privilege and so on. We think that the more we have or become, the happier we will be. But as evidence around us points out, more money has never led to a happier life. More possessions do not guarantee joy. The fact that things look good for you on the outside does not necessarily mean that all is well on the inside.

Today's extract is a timely reminder of our need to depend absolutely and totally on God and God alone. The Psalmist here had a thirst that nothing else could satisfy. He had a deep longing that no activity, acquisition or achievement could fully quench. Nothing Worked for him except if God was in it with him. That should be our greatest desire and pursuit. God is the ultimate and He should be our ultimate. The world has its dazzling lights and distracting objects: they make you think that life will be more colourful If you got these things, but we know that It is only that man that has God that truly has everything. It is the man who has given God first place and the only available space in his heart that can truly enjoy the benefits and blessings of his presence.

Is your land like a dry, weary land in need of the refeshing presence of God himself or are you trying to find other things to use to satisfy that thirst? Is your whole being longing for God or longing for the physical, temporary thrill that doesn't truly satisfy? Get your priorities right: nothing and nobody except God that fill the place of his Spirit in our hearts. You need him and him alone, nothing else matters. His time of favour is here.

The Right Response 6

1 John 3:16 NIV

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

It appears to me that there is a strong emphasis on love these past few days. There have been many versions flying about,,many of them fake, false or manufactured by man for his own selfish desires. Many variations of love have now been mistaken for love: infatuation, lust, inordinate sexual appetite, incest, sodomy and similar abnormalities have been described as love; in fact,the act of sex itself has been described as 'making love' in some instances. Can something that looks so simple be this complex and misunderstood?

One lesson must be established from the outset: love can never be truly or fully interpreted or explained or understood outside of God. There's a fundamental foundation to love that is rooted in Christ because love has always been defined in the Bible from God's perspective, not man's. Love has always been understood on the basis of the identity and sacrifice of Christ, not what man has done or can do. That is why true love here is seen as the sacrifice of Christ, who died for us, not because we had earned or deserved it, but because it is his nature to love like that. He did not wait for us to love him first, or to be deserving of that love; He didn't do it because there was a financial or emotional gain to benefit; He did it for us freely and fully, just because He loved us.

We just must examine our hearts today from this perspective: do we truly love for no reason or do we build relationships on the basis of what we stand to gain? Are we waiting for people to show themselves worthy of our love before we show them love? Do we love like Christ- sacrificially, totally and absolutely, expecting nothing in return while giving your best, or do we wait for convenience and comfort  before we can show love to others? Remember, if it is not love as defined by the owner- Love himself, then it is not love. His time of favour is here.

The Right Response

Luke 6:37 KJV

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

It seems to me that today's extract is an apt warning for today's Christians. We have elevated our egos and status to the level of Christ, thinking that we have sufficiently known him to the point where we can legislate on how other people should live their lives. We have come to a point where we think that with what we know, we can change the course of history and dictate terms and conditions to other believers. We are quick to tell the world what to and what not to eat, wear or drink. We want to dictate the life of other people, pointing out their faults and mistakes, under the false assumption that we ourselves are Any better. We point the finger at other people's faults because they are evident, forgetting that as human beings, we cannot but offend each other, and it is as we see beyond the faults and see the person as the focus of God's love and attention, it helps to put everything in proper perspective.

These are clear warnings to all of us not to be too quick to judge, condemn or hold grudges. For every reaction of ours, there's an equal and opposite reaction. If you judge a man without having complete knowledge of all facts and figures, someone else will do the same to you. If you are quick to condemn others, then be ready to hear the same words from someone else about you.

What Christ calls us to is a life totally given to peace, holiness, righteousness and love for others. It isn't always convenient because offences must come; we are human beings and we must offend one another once in a while. What is important is to remember that your brother, who has offended you, was created the same way as you and is the target of God's great love, just like you. If you want to pray and be answered, then your heart must accomodate other people's faults and mistakes. Afterall, you aren't perfect either; you are a product of the same grace of God.

Forgiveness is essential because God has laid an example for us. He did his bit when we weren't interested in him but He did it anyway. How much more, then, should we live like him, forgiving others and letting go, so that God can answer us when we call on him? Remember, even in the Lord's prayer, forgiving other people is a necessary pre-condition for your own prayers to be answered. His time of favour is here.

The Right Response 4

Psalms 103:1-5 KJV

Bless the Lord , O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.  Bless the Lord , O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:  Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;  Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;  Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Indeed, our God is awesome. He reigns and rules in the hearts of men and does as He pleases with all He has created. As we examine our hearts and lives, I'm sure that we will find reasons to praise God more and complain less. I think our manifest headache these days is because we spend so much time looking and lusting after the closed doors beside us that we simply ignore or do not notice the open doors in front of us. We spend precious time wishing, waiting, watching and whining for a better life out there, forgetting that true change starts from within- a grateful heart of praise and thanksgiving for all that we have presently and for what God himself will give us as we ask.

Today's extract seeks to direct  our hearts to the things that matter. We are to bless the Lord everytime, everywhere, everyday and every chance we get. The reasons are made known here and as I look at these reasons, I have cause to be more grateful because there's nothing left that has not been taken care of: the past, present and future. He's forgiven our sins and healed all our diseases, promises that his cross has taken care of; he's crowned us with his tender kindness and compassion, guaranteeing our eternity in the future. He doesn't forget to take care of us here while we are waiting for our eternal redemption: He also satisfies our desires with Good things, so that our strength is constantly renewed. What has He left out? What hasn't He thought about? What can happen to us that will be beyond his power, wisdom and strength? What can happen to me without his permission and authority? What can the devil do to me without speaking to God first?

I'm a product of God's great grace and mercy and I am a product of careful planning and awesome wisdom. There's nothing accidental about my experiences and there's nothing usual about the God I serve. He alone is the one who can make useful, awesome vessels from pieces of broken pottery. His time of favour is here.

The Right Response 3

ROM 11:33 NIV

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!

I have not seen or heard anywhere else that a person can be the embodiment of wisdom and power. It is only in the Bible that you read that Jesus is described as the wisdom and the power of God. He was referrred to by John as being there in the beginning with God, and He is the One through whom all things were created and for his pleasure were all things created. Revelations says that He is the One who has been found worthy to break the seals and open the scrolls, so the blessings for his children can be revealed and appropriate punishments meted out to his enemies. His ways are not our ways, and his thoughts are not our thoughts. He is the beginning and the end of all creation, sustaining all things by his powerful Word. He calls the things that are not as though they were, which is why light can be brought out of the thickest darkness and a life can be formed out of dust, the most unlikely raw material.

His promises are trustworthy because they are backed up by two immutable, unbreakable things: his Name and his Word. Whatever He says, He can do, and if He says it, He will work out the circumstances for the fulfilment of these words. Ours is to trust and walk with him, knowing that He knows just how this journey will go, and how it will end. His wisdom is indeed beyond searching out, and his ways are mysterious. He's the only One who's capable of working out the future, even from a terrible past, because He knows the good end prepared for us and He will work out ALL things happening now, towards that good end. His time of favour is here.

The Right Response 2

JER 32:17 NIV

“Ah, Sovereign Lord , you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.

Have you sat down to consider the world around you and how everything fit together? Have you considered all the amazing and puzzling things around you and wondered just how they came to be? Have you considered the mighty seas and its raging surges, yet it has not covered the whole earth? Hot as the sun is these days, have you asked yourself why it has not burned up the whole earth? As we consider the puzzle called creation, there's no way it will not generate questions in your mind as to the greatness, power, wisdom, knowledge and absolute dignity of God seen in his creation. He has sustained all he's created through the centuries. As one empire rises and falls and another takes its place, God's hand is seen in creation, pulling the strings and setting everything in its proper place.

It is therefore necessary and important that we accord the respect and awe due God to him. He is the unchanging changer who turns things around for our good, yet He himself remains the same faithful God through all generation. He is the one who calls himself the I Am that I Am, who is always relevant and contemporary no matter the age or generation, the one who is father to the fatherless, husband to the widow, strength to the weak, food to the hungry and hope to the hopeless.

This Morning, I raise my voice and join the multitude in worshipping this great, awesome father, who loves us no matter how far away we wander or how polluted we become. I praise him for his wonderful plans for my life and the structure He has built around me to help me. I Thank him for family to love and care for me, and I Thank him for the gift of work and play. I Thank him for oppourtunities to talk to him and hear from him in return and I Thank him for the hope of eternity, which keeps my focus on him till the end of time. Indeed, our God is awesome. He deserves all praise. He's powerful, Nothing is beyond him and nothing suprises him. God you are awesome, your time of favour is here.

The Right Confession

ROM 10:9-10 NIV

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

I believe that these verses above hold the answers to some of the problems that we face today. We are made aware of our sinful nature and our helplessness and inability to save ourselves. We are reminded that the solution to our nature isn't in ourselves at all, but rather in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. We are then reminded Just what is expected of us so we can reach out and enjoy what Jesus had sealed for us so many years ago. That is where the easy part stops.

We now know what we need to do to be saved but it is amazing just how slow our response is. We do everything else except the right thing and we wonder just why things are no different for us. We talk about our sins to the wrong people and in the wrong environment and we wonder why things are not different. We go to the extreme atimes when we are sorry for our sins: we cry bitterly and get emotional, yet we don't do the right thing or go to the right person- Jesus himself. Thats the difference between Judas Iscariot and Simon Peter when they sinned. No wonder the guilt remains.

Today's extract is clear- you have to confess right and believe right. Its not enough to be sorry and confess your sins; you have got to do it right. As I open my mouth, I must confess that Jesus is Lord if I want to be saved, while also believing in my heart that his sacrifice on the cross was for me. It is a complete package. My mouth can't confess what my heart doesn't believe and I cannot stand on a promise that I do not believe. If I'm to be forgiven and set free, I must confess right and believe right. Jesus is the way,the truth and the life, and if anyone will have him, you must come to him on his terms and take him at his word. He promises salvation and freedom to all who come to him believing He can save. Do you need him? Seek him out today and enjoy his free gift of salvation. His time of favour is here.

The Right Response

COL 3:13 NIV

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

The world is what it is today because we have learnt how to count scores and keep records of wrongs. Our sense of 'worth' and 'value' is offended when people wrong us and we feel it is our sacred duty to right these wrongs and correct the faults. This attitude May work for those who aspire to no standards at all or who live by the standards of the world, but for as many as aspire to God's standards, then we strive for a higher level of responsibility and accountability.

Offences are bound to come. Human relationships have not evolved to become faultless and perfect. Because we are all human beings, with our weaknesses and peculiarities, we will offend others, either deliberately or inadvertently. How we now handle these issues speaks a lot about which standard we uphold and live by: God's, or the world's.

God's standard is exemplary; he does not ask us to do what He has not done himself or demand from us what He has not given us power to do. When we were the worst of people, and we scorned and rejected him, He sent his one and only Son to die for the sins of the whole world. He didn't have to do it, He did it Anyway, because He loved us so much. He wiped our slate clean, by forgiving us all our sins in the present and giving us a promise that if we only confessed and forsook them, even future sins are forgiven, as long as it was not too late. He then calls us to the same standard, asking us to relate the same way with our fellow man, who He also died for. The world is looking for change, the world is hungry for a new direction and it is those of us with a new heart that will lead the new change, because what you don have, you can't give.

Has the change in heart occurred in you? Have you learnt to forgive others the way God has forgiven you? Can you wipe the slate clean for others the same way God did the same for you? His time of favour is here.

The Right Response

MAT 5:43-44 NIV

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor    and hate your enemy.’  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

It is very convenient to respond to people who have met us half-way. We find it easy to love people who are lovable and approachable, people who have made it a habit to accommodate other people's weaknesses. We find it convenient to respond to people with whom we share common interests and pursuits. This is Fine, but unfortunately, not spectacular. This is the minimum standard expected of a world without the Saviour. The world thrives on reciprocal commitment- I do for you and you do for me. That is the world's attitude.

There's an attitude that goes beyond the minimun standard of behaviour and demands from us exceptional behaviour. We are asked to Love our enemies, and pray for those who despisefully use you. Talk order. How do you love someone who probably wouldn't rest till He/she takes your life? How do you show love to someone who's planning your downfall and celebrating your weaknesses? How do you pray for someone who treats you like crap? How do you wish a man well who does not wish you well in return?  Difficult questions but with a simple answer.  God does not expect me to do these things by my own power, that is why he's given me the Holy Spirit.

No amount of personal labour or strength can make you love the man who seeks to kill you. No strategy can overcome hatred more quickly than love, shown God's way. It is the strongest message a child of God can preach, because it is the language that all men understand, no matter the culture.

The way you love and the people you choose to love will show just whose child you are. If I cannot Love all men, no matter what they may have done, How do I prove that I know a God who gave himself up for our sins when we were the most unworthy of that love? What message am I passing across with my life? If I want the world to know God, the quickest and the best way is by my focus on love, the very nature of God. Live right, love right. His time of favour is here.

The Right Heart

1TH 5:16-18 NIV

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

If there's a challenge we face in the world today, it is how to keep a good heart in the midst of the dirt and evil around us. In these days of economic recession, financial meltdowns and political turmoil, how do we keep ourselves fresh? How do we maintain the right attitude when everything seems to be going wrong around us?

The answers to these issues have been given to us: we must work on our hearts to have and see the right things. We must condition our hearts to see how God sees, think as God thinks and do what God expects. We are to rejoice always and pray always, not because we will always have cost days, but that we can see what God wants us to see in those situations He allows to come our way. What else can teach us the fruits  of patience, perseverance and self-control more than the trials God brings our way? How else do we appreciate the joy God gives if sorrow does not threaten?  How do we value the privilege of being able to talk to God if we do not have any need of him?

We are encouraged to give thanks in ALL circumstances because whatever God allows has a lesson it must teach and a season it must manifest. It cannot last forever because God alone is the One who lasts forever. Everything else comes to pass and as it comes, we must take the lessons, apply them with joy to our lives, learn the points to note and move on with joy to the next one. His will for us is always perfect and purposeful, because He has no room for wastages. If He allows it, it is because there's a lesson to it. Learn, Live, Laugh and Leave in the right seasons. His time of favour is here.

The Right Confession

1JN 1:8-9 NIV

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Today's extract wasn't written for people outside the church. It was written for the benefit of people like you and I, who have come to understand our origins and know where we are coming from. It was written for our benefit so we could relate with our past and appreciate God for the sacrifices He made to bring us into this new place where we are now.

We were born into sin, that is an incontrovertible fact. Adam's sin was passed down to all generations so by default, we all need help. Nobody can claim righteousness of any kind or work out salvation on his terms; you just have to come to him on his terms for his help. His help is full and free salvation to all who ask for it.

That is the issue: it looks so simple yet not too many people believe in it. If it required so much effort and resources, so many people will kill to get it, but because it looks free, it is unattractive. All God asks for is that we confess our sins and forsake them, and He will work out the rest. He's a faithful God, who can be trusted to keep his promises and who can do everything He claims He can do.

Need cleansing and a new beginnng? Confess your sins to him today. It doesn't matter how bad they are; Jesus forgave all sins When He died so you are comprehensively covered by his death and life insurance. His time of favour is here.

The Right Life

ROM 8:2 NIV

because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

Indeed, there are always two laws at work in every life: the law of the Spirit who gives life and the law that awoke sin in us and leads to death. No matter the level of maturity, there's a need to watch out for both laws as their operations in any life goes a long way in determining the final destination of that life. Today's extract has already done the hard work for us by stating clearly the end-result of both laws. One is the law of sin. It reminds us of our fallen human nature, the one that was picked up in the garden of Eden, and which all men are subject to at birth. This law is the one the world without Christ lives by and it is the law that will pronounce the sentence of death to ALL who are under it, because there's nobody alive who can fulfil ALL the requirements of this law. Even the Bible says that if a man obeys all the law, yet fails in one, he's guilty of failing all the commandments. That's frightening. It then means that no matter how hard I try, I can't make it on my own. No amount of resolutions or decisions can help me keep the law. Its operation thrives on sin, and its end is death.

But there's another law, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. This is the law prescribed by God to save us and guarantee eternal life. Its peculiarities include the fact that nothing you do makes you qualified to enjoy the benefits of this law because all that was required had been done by the one who laid down the law. He saw our helpless state and decided to help us. He gave his life so He could meet the demands of the law of sin which required that blood be shed for sins. He died so that all who believe in his finished work can come under a new law, one that speaks of true life- both here and in the life to come.

A very pertinent question then: what law guides you? Under which authority is your life operating presently? Have you passed from death to life? Are you still under the bondage and direction of the law that has no life to give or are you under the law that is Life itself? What you do now and how you live now is the greatest testament to the law that you have submitted to. Get Christ, get true life. His time of favour is here.

The Right Love

1 John 4:10 NIV

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Indeed, love is seen in action. A lot of us mistake emotions for love, or we reduce love to the value of gifts and presents, thinking that love has a value that can be quantified in monetary terms. Today's extract however shows that love, properly so called, isn't so much of words but in action; it isn't so much of value received but value given; it doesn't look for reciprocal giving; it just gives because it is its nature to do so. The example before us is so apt. God's love for us wasn't subject to us being worthy of it; He loved us in spite of ourselves. We hadn't done anything to deserve the love shown, but then love would not be truly love if it had to wait for perfect conditions before revealing itself.

God took it upon himself to do all the work. He created us in his image so we could live, love, talk and walk like him. He endowed us with all that we needed to please him, but when sin came, that nature became corrupted. God still didn't give up on us, He sought a new way of bringing us back to himself. Then came the ultimate proof of love: the gift of himself as the price to be paid so we could earn the prize of eternity. He didn't wait till we were the best of people; it was his gift that changed us to be what we are now. He didn't wait for us to work hard and pay back part of the price because we simply couldn't afford it, He paid the full price, even while we hated him and just didn't want anything to do with him.

Today, we are what we are because of that gift that was given. We stand before God and we can claim his blessings because of the gift that was given. We can show love now because the perfect example of love has been shown. We have a purpose and direction now because God's love has put us on the right path. May his grace be sufficient for us as we seek to reproduce this love in the sick and dying world we find ourselves. The world has seen the normal, the usual, and the convenient. It is time for us who have experienced true love to show the world what it is missing. His time of favour is here.

The Right Attitude

Romans 8:18 KJV

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

I'm still not sure that there's anywhere in the Scriptures that God promised us clear blue skies or a stress-less existence. In fact, He continues to remind us that what we will get on earth is tribulations and trials, all tailor-made for our good and growth, so that we could turn out exactly as He intends. What He promises us is his presence, protection and power, as He prepares us for the place that He intends for us to occupy.

As we take stock of our lives today, it is apparent that there are no freebies anywhere. Life itself seems to be a struggle, with physical death as the only apparent end to the struggle. But there is a secret God's Word reveals- it is in his word and through his word that the secrets of true success are revealed. A man who will live in God's abundant life, both here and in the life to come, must take time to unearth and uncover those secrets from the Word. It is as we live by his word that we overcome the challenges that will come.

Let us settle one issue though: I know people say that God is s God of prosperity and He wants his children to be prosperous. If there's anything I know also, God will not give you blessings that will deny you a heavenly home. If He knows that giving you something will distract you from your goal, then He will keep such until the time when you are mature enough to handle it properly. God does not exalt and use a vessel He has not tested properly in the furnace of trials and found it able and capable. If you want to be mightily used, Submit to God and his perfect will. He alone knows what lies ahead and He alone knows what He needs to teach us so we can be all He wants us to be. His time of favour is here.

The Right Pursuits

Matthew 6:33 KJV

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Many of us can quote the passage highlighted above from memory. We know what it says and what the wordings are; the issue is if we actually believe what we read. It is human to want a better life for ourselves; it is human to seek to improve our lot materially, physically and financially. What we do not seem to know is how to go about this pursuit. Men have devised various ways, diabolically and otherwise, of securing this better life for themselves, but on the evidence that we see around, that doesn't seem to work well either. We have gotten the order backwards, thinking that we can pursue our own things first, then find time for God's business. It doesn't work that way at all.

Today's extract seeks to put into proper perspective what we need to do, and how we need to do it so that we can get all that God intends for us to get. His kingdom is the highest assignment that a man can be involved in, and it is in this business that purpose is discovered and pursued. Until a man finds out his purpose in the scheme of God's plans, everything He does will amount to chasing after the sins. God intends for us to have a taste of his kingdom here on earth, that is why he's promising that if we seek his kingdom here on earth, establishing his will in the hearts of men, then are we truly alive and in line to enjoy his richest blessings. I am yet to see a man of purpose and direction living without impact or effect; it is not scriptural.

Are you seeking the kingdom of God or are you pursuing the kingdom of man? Are you saving up for the unseen tomorrow with physical materials or are you investing in tomorrow by doing God's business today? Whatever you seek is tied to the kingdom of God and it is in his kingdom that true riches, honour and wealth are released. Seek God, see prosperity; his time of favour is here.

The Right Strength

PSA 33:16-18 NIV

No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love

Fairly long passage, but one with an unambiguous message: man and his inventions have no use when it comes to spiritual things. All of man's inventions and creations were designed to help improve his life but in reality, most of them only make his life worse. We now build higher walls and steel-reinforced doors and windows, yet robbery does not reduce. We now have wonders-on-wheels in the name of cars, yet lives are lost daily due to lack of self-control in the use of these things. Many examples abound of man's inability to use what He has to create a better life for himself because there's a fundamental road in his thinking: man thinks that these things are what gives him security and peace, not God. This is the fundamental problem.

There's no greater deception in the world today that is greater than the idea of a self-made man. Man thinks that he is what He is because of his own efforts and labour, and thinks that He can make things better by his power and strength. Man, through all generations, have been made to think that He is self-sufficient, in need of nothing or nobody else. The reality of life however reveals that man's inventions have not really improved his life or made it better, because the focus is on created things, not on the Creator himself.

You can never get comfort from Trusting in things around, instead of God himself. How can i expect that something created can sustain and uphold something else that was also created? How do I expect that a secured fence can keep out the God who is limitless and boundless? How can the highest form of security keep out a God who is a Spirit?

If I want God to act on my behalf, then I must get my priorities and pursuits right. I must put my complete trust in him and him alone. When you keep your eyes steady on him alone, his eyes watch over all your steps. When your hope is in him alone, He sustains you through all the experiences that could come.  Are you Trusting your connections or Trusting in God? Are you eyes fixed on your certificates or qualifications or fixed absolutely on him. His time of favour is here.

The Right Spirit

2TI 1:7 NIV

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

In a  broken, sinful world we find ourselves, there are lots of forces at work. The quest for power, possessions and position have driven men to seek out strange gods and powers, and this has in turn led men into captivity and bondage. I have heard of women seeking the gift of children from people/places where you can't find good ones. I have seen men seek gifts from sources that do not give anything away freely; something must be sacrificed to get these 'free' gifts.

But there's a God, the creator of the entire earth, the Lord of everything visible and invisible, tangible and intangible. He owns all things and He gives all things to all men as He sees fit. He makes promises only He can keep, and whatever He says He can do, He can be trusted to keep his word. He's the only God I have seen who gives you something without merit or connection, as seen in the gift of a whole life for the sins of the whole world. If God could surrender his own Son to die for a world that didn't know him and didn't even care who He was, then what won't He give us if we are his children and have accepted his Spirit into our lives?

It is this Spirit of God that is the focus of this extract. Because He is of God and God himself, He reproduces his nature in the vessel He possesses. How can fear rule in the same place where the owner of heaven and earth sits? How can storms overcome a ship which has the Lord of all the earth as its captain? How can a man with the Spirit of God lack discipline and self-control? As we examine our lives today, let us check our vessels and be sure we have the right contents. A man who claims to have God should have obvious traits and character qualities which are consistent with what you claim to carry. The man who also does not have God would display an obvious absence of God in his life because you cannot give what you don't have. Check your contents and your life's output? Is it consistent with a life ruled by the Spirit of God, or is it the devil and self still in control? Whoever rules the life controls the output and determines its eventual effect and destination. If you want to make heaven, give the Spirit of God control. He will determine the right output that will bring glory to God and will make impact in the world. His time of favour is here.

The Right Place

1SA 2:2 NIV

“There is no one holy like the Lord ; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.

It takes knowing God to know what He wants from you, and it takes the fear of God for a man to walk with God, no matter what is happening around him. As I look around at the happenings around, I realise that it is futile to put your trust in anything else except in God. There's no economy so sound that is free from collapse and there's no place so secure that the devil cannot penetrate. The only safe and secure place is in God, the Rock of ages. He's the Giving because He alone gives true security. It is not about high walls and bullet-proof cars and doors, it is about the place of rest, where even a fiery furnace or a pride of lions could not penetrate. Ask Daniel, Jonah, the 3 Hebrew boys and many others who had seen the Rock at work.

Let one thing be clear though: your abiding in the rock is not a guarantee that there will be no storm; the woman who said the words above had been barren for years. What God promises us is that nothing can overcome us as long as we are in the Rock. It is the place of eternal rest and security.

A point of caution also: God is also Holy. Many times, it is the blessings we want to claim without the demands of a right walk with God. Deuteronomy 28: 1 -14 contain so many blessings, but we start the claim from vs. 2, forgetting the conditions required for the blessings to work. God is Holy, and anyone who would work and walk with him would have to follow and maintain his standards. Holiness is the first requirement for seeing God and if you can't see him or approach him, how does He act on your behalf?

As we go out today, let us be mindful of our actions, words and thoughts. God is Holy, and it is a right walk with Him that moves him to act on our behalf. Let us get that right today, and see him move mountains on our behalf. His time of favour is here.

The Right Thoughts

PHP 4:8 NIV

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

With all the negativity going on around us, it is becoming increasingly important that we guard our actions and reactions. We hear things and see things happen around us, and without really bothering to find out the truth behind these events, we react and respond, causing more harm and damage. Because we are creatures without complete and absolute knowledge, our actions, reactions and words will be based on that limited knowledge.

There's an encouragement today to spend our time thinking up the right thoughts towards people and situations around us. Our thoughts are powerful beyond what we think and our lives are products of what we think. The Bible itself assures us that 'as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he'. It then means that our thoughts are the raw materials that will birth the fulfilment of our purpose. It doesn't matter just how much of might is deposited in a man, if He does not know, or he's afraid to draw on that might, He will end his life as a weakling, afraid of all the things God had destined him to overcome.

Am I thinking the right thoughts? Are my present thoughts good enough materials to help fulfil my purpose? Do I need new thoughts, a new direction, a new perspective? God is the determinant of purpose and it is left to us to find out our purpose from him and pursue it under his direction and leading. May his grace be sufficient as we run this race under his guidance and leading, aligning our thoughts with his plans for us. His time of favour is here.