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In Retrospect...

       I once sat under an amazing Preacher expounding on the desire of God for us to live an abundant rich life. According to her, that was the whole reason why Christ came, lived, and died for us. This message resounded greatly among the Congregants. Everyone wanted out of a life of struggle, never having enough, and desires and expectations not being met. Everyone wanted an abundance of everything good in this life! However, as great and acceptable as this message was, it seemed like an incomplete one in my heart.         So many of us are on the pews because of what we think we would get. If the money runs dry for some, they will begin to question and doubt their faith. The Scripture: "...I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10b NKJV) has been taught in all forms as God telling us to be wildly prosperous (moneywise of course). Prosperity is good, don't get me wrong, but when it is not balanced, it quickly becomes an

This Same Jesus

       A world riddled with violence, sin, and every form of darkness stops to celebrate the birth of someone they have refused to acknowledge that His life, living, death, and resurrection are for them. Indeed a paradox! A world that believes that as long as they celebrate or remember Him as an innocent, defenseless, and harmless babe living in a manger, He will not return or at least, will delay His return. Some have even gone to the extent to say He has returned and is walking among us. They are not the only ones to be fooled so.         When Jesus was giving the final instructions to His disciples before He ascended to Heaven, it was as if there were cotton balls stuffed in their ears! Jesus explicitly told them: "While He was together with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “This,” He said, “is what you heard from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now" (Ac

A Contrary DNA

       Is it possible for one to be good, and live a good life of integrity, truth and love without the power of the Holy Spirit? Many seem to think it is possible. That is why such are quick to occupy the seats of judge, jury and executioner over their fellows.       A young man once shouted down a preacher for preaching holiness and right living. The young man felt the preacher was a hypocrite for suggesting to his listeners to give their lives to Jesus Christ so they can live lives of righteousness, integrity, truth and love. The young man believed that every human has the innate ability to do so without the help of an invisible God. To the young man, God was cruel to make people live dismal lives instead of enjoying themselves.        Apostle Paul made a declaration in the Bible that makes us understand that the ability to be good and righteous is not innate in man without the help of the Lord Jesus Christ. The laws (commandments) of God are great but they awaken a desire in an unr

Don't Lose Your Hope

The book of Job is one controversial book amongst Christians and one that non-believers use to prove that our God is not just and kind. They argue if He was, why put a good man through all that to test his faith? I have found myself asking this same question in recent times. 'Why did You let that happen to me Lord, why couldn’t You stop them from saying that to me?' For you, it could be anything at all that you feel in the moment; even questions you have not been able to ask out loud. The Message Version of the Bible titles Job chapter 1 as “ A Man Devoted to God ”; and it says: “ Job was a man who lived in Uz. He was honest inside and out, a man of his word, who was devoted to God and hated evil with a passion. He had seven sons and three daughters. He was also very wealthy—seven thousand head of sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred teams of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and a huge staff of servants—the most influential man in all the East!” The description of Mr Job was f

A Call To Pray

       With all that is going on in our nation, this is not the time to pray but for action, someone said recently. This sentiment, sadly, has been echoed up and down the length and breadth of the country. However, this sentiment, no matter how much sense it seems to make is not right. This is precisely the time we must pray as a people to God to bring back our nation from the brink of a certain disaster as we approach the general elections slated for next year!         We must understand that as long as the house is divided, it cannot stand. The Body of Christ in this nation is divided, and the nation as a whole is sharply divided among tribal and religious lines. A microcosm of what is happening in our country presently took place in Israel during the days of the Judges. The Bible tells us: "In those days, there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever he wanted" (Judges 21:25). Looking around the country, it looks like there are no laws, or deliberate inaction on the

Don't Falter In Your Faith

       Listening to some of the Prophets of this time, makes one wonder if there is hope at all. There is so much gloom and tales of woe in these prophecies that make you wonder if we are not in the tribulation period spoken of in the Bible. Even though the world is not yet in the tribulation period spoken about in the Scriptures, the days are nevertheless dark. Many Christians all over the world are being persecuted for their faith. In our neck of the woods, many are killed and kidnapped because of their faith.       In some instances, many may not see physical confrontations, but there are passive aggressions toward many professing Christians. Many have been denied promotions, positions and access due to them. All these happenings are enough to dampen the faith of many. Many's faith has waxed cold because of the myriad of problems as a result of their belief in Christ.         The Lord God knew this time will come and is encouraging us not to falter in our faith. If anything, thi

In These Times, Be Persistent

      These are indeed dangerous and equally interesting times to be a child of God. The Scriptures had spoken about times like this, with many examples, and ways to live a life of triumph over the shenanigans of the devil and his agents spread over all facets of life. With all manner of philosophies and teachings sweeping across the land, we were warned: "Beware that no one distracts you or intimidates you in their attempt to lead you away from Christ’s fullness by pretending to be full of wisdom when they’re filled with endless arguments of human logic. For they operate with humanistic and clouded judgments based on the mindset of this world system, and not the anointed truths of the Anointed One" (Colossians 2:8, TPT).         The danger of not adhering to the instruction is to be persuaded by 'right-sounding nonsense' that pushes you from standing in the surety of the truth of God's Word. So many are truly called of God and they believe they are serving God t

What Makes And Keeps A Person Happy?

        There is a mad rush these days to pursue or buy anything that will make one happy. It is like this 'happiness' helps one forget the sorry state of the economy, the mess of relationships or even the life the person is living. I once asked a colleague what makes him happy. His answers ended up confusing him when I asked a follow-up question to his answers: 'would the things mentioned give you happiness always?' He tried to argue that it is impossible to be happy always. This is a lie, and it is not of God. The happiness that flows from God is lasting, except we disconnect from Him! The short-lived one is NOT from Him!           In the Bible, a blessed man is said to be a happy man. Meaning, in some translations, the word 'blessed' is explained as being happy, content, or prosperous. Some dictionaries describe 'Happy' as a feeling or showing pleasure or contentment. Many times, happiness is always substituted for joy. Joy is mostly described as a fe

Are You Truly Contending For The Faith?

In the past there arose false prophets among God’s people, just as there will continue to be false teachers who will secretly infiltrate in your midst to divide you, bringing with them their destructive heresies. They will even deny the Master, who paid the price for them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow immoral lifestyles. Because of these corrupt false teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. They are only out for themselves, ready to exploit you for their own gain through their cunning arguments... (2 Peter 2:1-3a, TPT).       We live in very strange times, if God had not warned us about them in the Scriptures, many of us would have felt what we had believed is a lie! Even now, many are beginning to think what they believe and held on to concerning God and His ways may not be so true after all. Many teachers of God's Word are even questioning the veracity of the Word. Some even went as far as challenging what they had read in the Scriptures.     

Are You On The Lord's Team? 2

        Have you signed on to the Lord's Team or you are on the enemy's team? Our call as sons of God is to showcase the glory of God to a dying world. We know this because the Bible tells us: "The whole universe that God has made now waits for something great to happen. Everything is waiting with hope to find out who God's children are" (Romans 8:19, EASY). This means the whole world is waiting for the true members of the Lord's Team to be revealed. Members that are loyal and committed to the goal of displaying the light of His glory in every sphere of life. Why is this so? The Bible tells us it is because: "Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth..." (Isaiah 60:2a, NLT).         Beloved, look around you! It looks like the whole world is on a maddening spiral down a crazy rabbit hole. Principles of life we hold dear as humans no longer mean anything. Life has become cheap and expendable at every cause and excuse. Governments

Are You On The Lord's Team?

       I am not an ardent football fan but I am always fascinated by the teamwork of the players. And I noticed that the team that exhibits great cohesion always carry the day. Watching one of those matches, the Lord began to teach me a valuable lesson about our place in His purpose for creation, our present time and His return. Please permit me to share the experience with you.         Many in the Body of Christ do not know what their place is in the Body, thus, they abuse the Grace of God upon their lives by wasting it on ventures that are of no eternal value. The Bible tells us: "But [the time is coming when] the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14, AMPC). Beloved, from the first chapter of Genesis, we see the desire of God to fill the earth with the knowledge of His glory. He told the man to multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. This command was not for man to perpetuate self-will on the earth bu

Be Sensitive To These Issues

      We are living in times when the Scriptures are truly unfolding in our times. The happenings throughout history have been mentioned in one form or the other in the Bible. We may choose to disbelieve this but it doesn't detract from the truth. One curious thing that is playing out now before our very eyes was what happened when Jesus healed the demoniac man in Mark 5. Jesus asked him his name. I believe he was asking for the man's given name. But he was so far gone from him being possessed by the enemy, that he gave the enemy's name instead. He said: "What is your name? He asked him. 'My name is Legion', he answered Him, 'because we are many" (Mark 5:9).           Some years ago, looking at the Scripture, we would feel how sorry the state of the man was. The question in many minds was, how can one person be many?! Of course, we know it is because of the many demons that resided in him. But it was incredulous. Curiously today, many that have deviat

Raising A Generation that knows God

      I was sitting in a hairdressing salon the other day and an argument ensued on why many Christian children, especially teenagers are immoral, do not respect their elders and do not want to hear about God. The discussion was quite interesting with everyone laying the blame on parents, teachers and even the religious teachers. This argument set me thinking as I have witnessed continually delinquent children growing up to become delinquent adults and parents themselves! God knows that training a child is much more than taking care of their physical needs.        The growth of a child into a successful human being that would give his/her parents rest is dependent on how much of God's Word is sown inside of them. The Bible tells us: "Remember with love all these rules that I give to you today. Teach them and explain them every day to your children. Talk about them when you sit at home. Talk about them when you walk along the road. Repeat them when you lie down. Repeat them whe

Know The Truth For Yourself

  "I’ve written these things about those who are attempting to lead you astray. But the wonderful anointing you have received from God is so much greater than their deception and now lives in you. There’s no need for anyone to keep teaching you. His anointing teaches you all that you need to know, for it will lead you into truth, not a counterfeit. So just as the anointing has taught you, remain in him" (1John 2:26-27, TPT).        Throughout the Scriptures, we see the devil use simple and factual logic to try to dissuade his targets from obeying the instructions of God. We saw him employ such tactic against the woman in the Garden of Eden, and even against our Lord Jesus Christ. The same tactic he still employs today. The arguments he proffers sound right and solid but they are not true and will lead the unsuspecting on a collision path with God, which is his end game.         In recent times, arguments, counter-arguments have arisen in the Body of Christ about some words,

Wake Up And Be Aware!

      In recent times, especially with the deadly virus that ravaged the world, all manner of ideas and doctrines have risen within the Body of Christ. A question arose during the lockdowns, can Church be done somewhere else apart from a particular structure? All manner of teachings arose, that with the rise of technology, one can do Church from and in anywhere. Even when many within the Body saw that within that question laid a trap by the enemy to make Believers contravene the injunction of the Lord that says: "And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near" (Hebrews 10:25, NLT).        With this idea arose ideas that seek to expand, undermine and rewrite certain aspects of the Bible to fit the deviant minds of the advocates. Many now believe the Word of God should only encourage and motivate Christians. After all, God is Love and only desires that we should live 'good

What Does The Love Of God Mean To You?

      When it gets to this period of every year, many come out to declare it as the Season of Love. A time when people show their loved ones how much they love them. Many equally say it is a time to remind the world about loving one another. This mantra has equally passed on to many Church programs about this time. Many organise programs for the Singles and Married on the efficacies of love. It seems many in the world and some of the Churches agree on what the 'season' is.        Amusingly yearly, the Churches that believe this is the 'season of love' come up with many justifications to run the programs earmarked for the purpose. Interestingly, one of their justification is "God is Love"! Now, if they believe "God is Love" (which is true by the way, 1John 4:8), why is He celebrated and magnified on a particular day of a particular month? Is He not still Love on the rest of the days and months? When you need to justify your actions, then something is

A Call To Revere Him!

"Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I was compelled to write to you [urgently] appealing that you fight strenuously for [the defence of] the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints [the faith that is the sum of Christian belief that was given verbally to believers]. For certain people have crept in unnoticed [just as if they were sneaking in by a side door]. They are ungodly persons whose condemnation was predicted long ago, for they distort the grace of our God into decadence and immoral freedom [viewing it as an opportunity to do whatever they want], and deny and disown our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ (Jude 1:3-4, AMP).       Irreverence cloaked as Reverence has crept in amongst us. Sadly, many of us are none the wiser. You may wonder what does this mean? It means when that which is said to be common is now irreverent, and that which is revered is now said to be common. All around us, it is as if many have los

The Blessing Brings You To His Feet

      The New Year began with many plans being drawn and old ones looked over to see why they did not come to pass. Based on the Scriptures, by faith, it costs God nothing to bless us of all that we have ever dreamt of or asked for. But the question is, is that the goal of God, to give a man everything he desires? We may argue that Jesus said: " ...I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance" (John 10:10b). Yes! But is a man's life defined and qualified by the amount of substance he has or doesn't have? A man's life is way much more than what he has or doesn't have. Many of us agree with the foregoing, but we live like our lives are the total of what we have or would have! We forget that God always has a goal in mind in all that He does.        From Genesis to Revelation, we never saw Him waste resources or create things for the sake of it. Everything is created to have a grand purpose and all work in sync to please Him! This we cannot compre