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Showing posts from August, 2011

Repairing Broken Altars 2

In 1Kings 18:4-39, a contest was called by Prophet Elijah to prove who the true God is. The people had been wavering between God and the demon god Baal. Even if they would want to return to the true God, the meeting point between them and God had been destroyed. For this relationship to be restored, a repair must be effected at the point of meeting. One thing that the Lord would want us to see as part of our discourse is the steps Elijah took before calling on God and getting such an awesome answer. Elijah knew that before God can answer any prayer, there is a need to return to the location of the meeting. When God is set to speak or interract with a person, there is a location. God does not work hapharzadly. That was why in the Old testament, He told the people to worship Him in the place He had chosen to put His name. By the time we got to the New Testament, He declared that we must worship Him in Truth and Spirit - which can only take place in the heart of the person. Friend there

Repairing Broken Altars 1

So many children of God get so frustrated, angry and disillusioned when they do not get answers to their prayers. Some have left the faith or change churches because they believe God is not answering them any more. It is as if God is not even there any more. They feel they have given and sacrificed so much to the Kingdom that the answers to their prayers must be commensurate to these efforts. The Bible is very clear both in the Old and New Testaments on why prayers are not answered. It is not because our God is insensitive to our plight nor is He deaf to our cries. Unfortunately, it is our iniquities and the desires of our hearts that puts us at opposite ends with the Father. He told us clearly in Leviticus 26 that He would walk contrary to any person that walks contrary to Him, by Ezekiel 14, He declared that when a man comes to Him with multitude of idols (ungodly desires) in his heart, He would answer such a person according to the multitude of idols in that heart. By the time we g

Seasoned With Salt

One of the first indication that a man is becoming like Jesus in discipleship is his speech. The word must be our abode, the circumference of our lives. The word must become flesh, that is, become a reality in our lives. The Bible says out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. The good man speaks from the good that is stored in his heart, while the evil man speaks from the evil that is stored in his heart (Matthew 12:35) .  By what we say and how we say it, who we are is revealed. No wonder the Bible tells us in Colosians 4:6 'Your speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.' The life of a child of God must be seasoned with salt because salt seasons and preserves. Salt in a man's life is evidenced from his conversations. If the salt in his life is still viable, his conversations will carry life: building and restoring. The Bible says we are the salt of the earth, when the salt loses its saltiness

Am I Hurting Myself?

To hurt oneself is to cause an injury or wounding to oneself. One could wonder, why would I hurt myself when I am not a masochist? A masochist is someone that derives pleasure from being intentionally hurt or punished. Just that definition alone puts you off and you declare 'no I don't derive pleasure from intentionally hurting myself, that would be evil'. Unfortunately, on a daily basis children of God continually inflict pain and injury upon themselves which they attribute to the devil. How can this be, you may wonder.  When a person that claims that he or she is a child of God, loves the Lord, a bonafide citizen of Heaven willfully disobeys the commandments of God then such a person is setting himself up for hurts and disappointments. You cannot deceive or cajole God. If you claim to know and love Him then you must obey His commandments. When we disobey Him, we not only sin against Him we hurt our souls. If we despise the word of God we hurt ourselves (Proverbs 13:13).

Temptations, Trials, Tests et al! Part 2

Yesterday, we saw that God does not tempt anyone but He arranges tests and trials to expose what is in our hearts. This exposure is actually for our benefit, so we could readjust ourselves to look more like Him. Tests, trials and temptations are not the prerogative of a few but a standard of God that all must pass through and excel. No person can reach his or her full potential without facing these and overcoming them at every stage of his or her life. Hebrews 12:4-11 admonishes us to see these trials and tests as a way of God disciplining us. Why? Verses 10 and 11 tells us that God wants us to share in His holiness and it is guaranteed to produce a harvest of righteousness and peace once we do not run away from the process. Jesus Christ never promised us a trial, test, temptation free world, rather He promised to keep us from falling during this impasse if we put our trust in Him. When going through a test or trial do not despise the resultant picture you see of yourself. Instead of

Temptations, Trials, Tests et al! Part 1

James1:13-15 tells us that God is not tempted by evil nor does He tempt anyone, rather each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires. A lot have fallen into the traps of the enemy based on the desires they have inside. The whole essence of temptation is to dangle the desired object before the person and make the person do things that he would not have rationally done. God does not tempt any man, He tells you as it is and will not force you in any form to take or make decisions in His favor. Temptation is the forte of the enemy, the devil. It has being a weapon he had used from the beginning with Adam and the woman; he used it with Christ and he is still using it.  The Lord's prayer that reads in part "do not lead us into temptation" denotes that a man that willfully goes against God is in danger of falling into temptation. No wonder in Romans 1:24, the Lord declared that He gave up such men to the desires of their heart. When God gives

Stay Focused!

A warning was set out in Hebrews 12:1-2; unlike Peter, we will not ask if it is for the disciples alone or for other people. The Lord is expressly speaking to His children. Those that have declared for Him and say it is Him they will serve. Verse 2 of that chapter says "looking unto". This means looking away from something to see something else. An undivided attention, looking away from all distractions in order to fix one's gaze on an object. Having eyes for no one but Jesus Christ ALONE! Unfortunately, so many having roving eyes.  You want the gifts of Christ but not His Person, we know most of the Scriptures about getting and receiving from the Master, but we neglect to know how He wants us to live on a daily basis. Just like the man Jesus told to follow Him. The man replied no problem, but let me go and bury my father and mother first; the other said let me go and say goodbye to those in my house first. The Lord declared 'any man who puts his hand to the plow an