REVIVING HOPES AND DREAMS

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live” JOHN 5:25

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what The Spirit saith unto the churches…” REVELATION 2:11

 

We are believing God to make His Word good in our lives this year as we look forward to the many benefits He has in stall for us. Among the many things He will be doing is, bringing a revival in every area of our lives. Certain dead situations in your life shall be revived. The life giving Spirit of God shall hover over certain dead situations and at the voice of God give life. Many hopes and dreams shall come to life. Many lost dreams and projects shall be retrieved and revived. Dreams you gave up on a long time ago are coming back to life. God is restoring to you all the years the locust have eaten (JOEL 2:25). He stands crying, if any man thirst,  let him come and drink. To all that are weary with your journey, hearken to the voice of Jesus calling, as many as hear Him shall live. If the dry bones can only hear The Word of The LORD, they shall live, ” Again He said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear The Word of The LORD. Thus saith The Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live,Then He said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith The Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel” EZEKIEL 37:4-5, 11-12. God is giving life, and as many as hear Him shall live.

That same Spirit which raised Jesus Christ from the dead, is ready to quicken your mortal body “But if The Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you” ROMANS 8:11. If only you can hear His voice, if only your ‘dry bones’ could hear what He says! That hour now is, this is the year of God’s favour, it is the year and hour of His visitation. Those who hear His voice shall be revived. Maybe like the woman with the issue of blood, you have spent all your living trying to change your situation, but keep getting worse. Just reach out and touch the life giving hem of His garment, you will be made whole. He who calls the stars by their names (PSALM 147:4), is calling out your name. He who who called Lazarus from the grave is calling out your name. He is calling you out of your grave. He is speaking life into your dead situation, “And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live” EZEKIEL 16:6

As the world lay confused and choked, as the very last breath of human institutions gets spent, the glory of God shall be risen on you, His Spirit will give you life. They will come to the ‘tomb’ and find you risen. You shall be a living among the dead. Those who hear shall live, says God’s Word. As many as can tune in to God’s frequency, those who will be on the same wave length will see a revival. Scripture says that the secret of The LORD is with them that fear Him, to them He will reveal His covenant (PSALM 25:14). The secret to reviving that relationship will be given as you hear. That business strategy will be revealed as you hear His voice. Go back and pick that old diary of yours, look out for the plans you penned down sometime ago. They are are coming to life. This is the hour of God’s visitation. Arise and shine, hear and live. You will never be the same again. In The name that is above all names, Jesus Christ, Son of The Living God. Amen and Amen!

HOW LOW CAN IT GET?

“For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water” JEREMIAH 2:13

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” JOHN 15:5

 

If there is one thing that should be made clear without any iota of ambiguity, it is that God always wishes the well-being of His people. I wish above all things that you may prosper, and be in health, even as your soul prospers, He said (3 JOHN 2). Jesus said He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly (JOHN 10:10). I think that these two scriptures should settle any argument on God’s position regarding our well-being, for in the mouth of two or three witness shall every word be established. Now, there is this condition of the carnal man or the unregenerate soul that seems to want to have nothing to do with this good thing. The carnal mind scripture says is an enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be (ROMANS 8:7). There is something one brother said onetime during a bible study session worth noting. He said, there is something about the fallen state of man that always makes him want to go opposite to the ways of God. It is way beyond my imagination how a man can choose eternal damnation over eternal life. It is very sad but that explains various dispositions under various influence. Moths by nature are pulled or drawn towards light. Whether the light or flame will burn them doesn’t seem to come to the equation, they are just drawn even if it means taking their life. I do not think that any man in his right mind will forsake a fresh flowing stream to drink from a stagnated stinking water. When you see people do that you know straight away that something is wrong. When a man leaves the comfort of a healthy, habitable human community to dwell in tombs like the man in the country of the Gadarenes, you know something is wrong (MARK 5:3). In the same way when men forsake the Fountain of Living Water, and dig for themselves broken cisterns which can’t even hold water, you know something must be wrong.

Now why would any man in his right mind want to forsake God who is that Fountain of Living Water, and dig for himself broken cisterns (arm of flesh), which can hold no water? In my humble opinion, something must be seriously wrong. Unfortunately, that is the state of most men, children of God and the world alike. If you abide in me, and I in you, you bring forth much fruit; for without me you can do nothing, said Christ Jesus, yet men will have none of that. Seems that God does all He can to draw men to Himself, so they may have a serene and fruitful life, but we choose to exercise our free will otherwise. Jesus wept as He beheld Jerusalem because He desired to gather and brood over them as the hen does its chicks, but they will not allow Him (LUKE 13:34,35). They chose destruction over their safety. Such is the state of a corrupt carnal soul that, it is contrary to the peaceful life issuing from the throne of God. We need spiritual renewal. We need to cast off the cloak of the carnal nature and put on Christ Jesus who through His Spirit gives life. It is a curse to forsake God and make flesh your arm ,”Thus saith The LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from The LORD” JEREMIAH 17:5. Return to God your Father O prodigal son, He will have mercy, He will abundantly pardon. Why fill your belly with the husk of pigs when you can feast on a fatted calf? Return thou to the Fountain of Life and have life, abide thou in Him and have a fruitful life full of possibilities. You will never be the same again. In The Name that is above all names, Jesus Christ, Son of The Living God. Amen and Amen!

IT GETS WORSE BEFORE IT GETS BETTER, SOMETIMES!

“Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things” EPHESIANS 4:9-10

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit” JOHN 12:24

 

It appears that sometimes it has to get worse before it gets better. It appears to me that sometimes before glory and honour is shame and despite. To be moulded into a glorious and honourable vessel, the clay has got to be crushed and beaten down. Shame and dishonour is so demeaning in a way that certain people would rather die before it comes their way. I know you must have heard this before, “death before dishonour”. People would rather die than suffer shame. For your sake I wish you never have to suffer shame and dishonour, but if it does, know that the road sometimes to the top is down below. For your sake I pray that anytime you happen to find yourself in such situation, you receive empowerment from God survive, knowing that weeping only endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning (PSALM 30:5). The most glorious and respected king ever to grace the throne of Israel, a man whose throne is established in Christ by an everlasting covenant, a man described to be after God’s heart had to suffer shame and ignominy. I am talking about king David. He once had to suffer the shame of appearing like a mad man having spittle running all over him before Abimelech to preserve his life, and this was a man that had been anointed by God to be king, “And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me? Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?” 1 SAMUEL 21:13-15. You may one day have to be crushed and pressed so the valuable juice in you may come out. The grape always has to be pressed in other to get the wine. The alabaster box will always have to be broken for that sweet odour to fill the room.

You may have to be stripped of all personal glory and honour in other to be glorified by God. That no flesh should glory in His presence is evident for all to see. That Gideon and his men take no glory for the victory Himself had wrought even before the battle, He stripped Gideon of thousands of soldiers to just three hundred, “And The LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me,And The LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place” JUDGES 7:2,7. He puts His treasure in an earthen vessel that the excellency of power may be of God, and not of us (2 CORINTHIANS 4:7). Many great men have suffered dishonour before honour. Of Jesus, scripture says that He descended first to the lower parts of the earth before His ascension far above all heavens. He is given a name high above all names, because He descended low to take upon Himself a shameful death, even His death on the cross. A grain of corn will remain the same until it falls to the ground and die, then afterwards it brings forth much fruit. You may have to be stripped of personal honours. As bad as it seems, you will have to get rotten before being glorified. It may be such a lone and demeaning valley, but you may have to walk it. In as much as you would like to have the cup pass, you sure have to drink it. Ain’t no other perfect way to glory than that. God always chooses the foolish and base things of this world to confound the wise, that the man who glory can only glory in Him, ” But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in The Lord” 1 CORINTHIANS 1:27-31. Be tight and remain calm, hope in God, be still and see the salvation of The LORD. Your shame is not to your destruction but your elevation. Remember that sometimes, it has to get worse before it gets better. You will never be the same again. In The Name that is above all names, Jesus Christ, Son of The Living God. Amen and Amen!

THE CHOICE ALL YOURS

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!” LUKE 13:34

“Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” 1 TIMOTHY 2:4

 

I do think that one of the most important gifts God gave men is the power of free will, the ability for one to make his/her own choices. God being a sovereign ruler of the universe, having the power to do whatever He wants, still sees it fit for men to make their own choices. With the free will though comes accountability. He is like, I have given you the power to make your own choices without any restriction, but know that there will be repercussions for each choice you exercise, good or bad. The good thing is, with our free will comes the added bonus of guidance into choosing what is right to preserve our lives. For example you have God say something like, ” I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live” DEUTERONOMY 30:19. There is a choice between life and death, blessing and cursing. The choice is ours but He tells us to choose what is right, that is, life from death, and blessing from cursing. He leaves you not without a witness in that He guides you into what is right, but the choice is still yours in the end. The love of God demands that He guides you and give you valuable clues into making your choice. Matter of fact He tells you what is right from wrong, and the rewards for each. What really stuns me is how we exercise this free will, and utilize the guidance we receive from right and wrong, life and death, blessing and cursing. I struggle to understand why man will choose death over life, and cursing over blessing. I once read a post saying, “life is too short so get wasted”. It was a jaw dropping experience. My reaction was, how can this person realize that life is too short yet wants to get wasted? See, life and death is set before this person and he chose death. Can any man blame God for the actions of this man if he perishes? He said, choose life, but man says no. Man prefers a reprobate mind to the knowledge of God which brings life. Having exercised their right to get wasted even though that which might give them life is revealed to them, God according to the exercise of their free will, gives them over to their reprobate mind, ” And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient” ROMANS 1:28

If I’m right, I have only seen two places in the bible expressly stated that Jesus wept. One was when Lazarus died (JOHN 11:35), and the other was as He approached Jerusalem beholding the city (LUKE 19:41). In all cases He wept out of love for both. With Him weeping over Lazarus’ death, the Jews said, “Behold how He loved him!” JOHN 11:36. In the case of Jerusalem, it was also for love. His love for the city made Him reach out weeping to save them, he longed to gather them together , as a hen does gather her brood under her wings. The sad thing is, they will not permit Him. He was for their peace, but when He spoke, they were for war. They chose destruction over their own safety, death over life. How often God longs to snatch that soul out of fire but will not be permitted! With such a reprobate mind and gross contempt for God, life, and blessing, they even choose to blaspheme name of God who has the power to deliver them, “And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give Him glory” REVELATIONS 16:9. God loves the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son. Whoever simple believes Him has life, but man will not. Man chooses death over life and darkness over light, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” JOHN 3:19. It is like Him having a vineyard on a fruitful field. He fences it, gathers the stones and plant it with the choicest vine. He builds a tower and a wine press in the midst thereof. After having done all He had to do to ensure productivity, He looks for grapes but it brings forth wild ones. He asks, “What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?” ISAIAH 5:4. God will have all men to be saved. He longs for your safety and welfare, but the choice is yours, whether life or death, blessing or cursing. He urges you to choose life, and to choose blessing. Use not your liberty of free will to satisfy your sinful nature. You will never be the same again. In The Name that is above all names, Jesus Christ, Son of The Living God. Amen and Amen!

TRUE HAPPINESS ‘UNMARXED’

“Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance” ACTS 2:28

“But the Angel of The Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life” ACTS 5:19-20

 

It was only yesterday when a friend and myself were talking about happiness in this life. He made a point in the middle of the conversation that seemed to sum up everything to me. He said, paraphrased, if only I could know what God wants me to do in this life, I will be happy. I couldn’t agree more. He implied that true happiness is in finding what God wants you to do and pursing the same. I woke up today to find one’s status update which supposedly was a quote from Karl Marx saying, the only way to true happiness is the abolishing of religion. Can’t really say much about that because I don’t really know what he meant by that. If what he meant was what I’m thinking he means by that statement, you can see how pathetic humans can be. If what he meant was doing away with everything that has to do with God, you can see how low and depraved the devil can make one. Ain’t it amazing that men try to run away from, and shun the very thing that constitute their happiness? In their quest to be wise, they become fools. There is a gospel song in the Akan dialect of the Ashanti tribe in West Africa which goes like, those who do not know our God, should they choose not to serve Him is no big deal, but we who know are God will serve Him forever. Like that scripture says evil men and seducers in the last days shall wax worse and worse (2 TIMOTHY 3:13). Also the prophet Daniel spoke of the same in these last days, ” And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits” DANIEL 11:32. As evil men who shun and deny the same God who is the fountain of their happiness wax worse and worse, and are corrupted by the lies of the devil, those who know their God shall be strong and do exploits. Like I said before I don’t really know what that statement about abolishing religion means, but if it’s to do with doing away with God, and things that has to do with Him, I pray for his poor soul.

The first reaction of a corrupted soul in response to divine light and influence is to hide himself. They hide themselves from the very presence that brings joy, even when God walks in the cool of the day wanting fellowship with His creation by calling out, man where art thou? (GENESIS 3:9). Woe to the man who fights his Creator. His Spirit will not wrestle with you forever. Seek Him whiles He can be found and whiles He is near. Draw close to Him and He will draw close to you. Scripture says let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man man his thoughts, and let him return unto The LORD, and He will have mercy upon him: and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon (ISAIAH 55:7). The King of Kings is coming, and with a rod of Iron He will subdue the nations, till He makes all His enemies His footstool.

Joy or happiness in its fullness comes from the very presence of God. It comes when the ways of this life are revealed to man by God. Clearly He states, thou has made known unto me the ways of life, thou shall make me full of joy with thy countenance. The ways of this life are revealed in His Word. The Psalmist said, Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and light unto my path (PSALM 119:105). For me, life gets exciting regardless the circumstance when I see God confirm again and again, and show us how to live through His Word. Just like Moses said to the Israelites concerning God’s Word, It is not a vain thing, it is your life ( DEUTERONOMY 32:47). We live not by bread alone, but by the words which proceed out of the mouth of God. It is your life, His Words are to bring joy from His presence. How can one abolish the very fountain of His happiness. God will have all such in derision. David said “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against The LORD, and against His anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: The Lord shall have them in derision” PSALM 2:1-4. You want to bring it, bring it! Karl Marx is dead and gone, but The Word of God abides forever. It will still be thriving when you and myself are dead and gone. He sets before you life and death, joy and sorrow. I urge to choose life, I beseech to choose joy. This life and joy is in His Son Jesus Christ. The ways of this life as revealed in His Word brings joy everlasting, joy in this world and the world to come. Seek and pursue this joy and your life will never be the same again. In The Name that is above all names, Jesus Christ, Son of The Living God. Amen and Amen!

HOLDING DOWN YOUR LOT (THE CITY OF GOD)

“But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days” DANIEL 12:13

“Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by” ZECHARIAH 3:7

 

Everything that has a beginning has an end. All created things have an end, there is a time to be born and time to die. But there is one who from age to age is still the same, one who has no beginning and no end, one who throughout all eternity changes not. To Him every being that walked this earth will stand at the end of the ages. From us He will require, and to Him will we account. All things are reaching the climax, the end of all things is drawing near. I wake up morning by morning thinking, what will God say to me, and how will I answer when I stand before Him? What good is there in all our toils, and all the labours we wrought under this sun, if not for the life hereafter is? To all the toils wrought under this sun, which have no positive reward in the life to come, the Preacher labels vanity and vexation of spirit. We seem naturally to be so much conscious of our future reserved unto perishing than that future which is forevermore. The perishable future is that which we seek on this earth which from the beginning is spoken of as reserved unto fire. The imperishable future is that which remains when all that is seen disappears, when the shakable is shaken and the unshakable remains. That which is seen, both heaven and earth shall disappear at the face of Him who sits on that great white throne, and no place shall be found for them (REVELATIONS 20:11). Every man’s work shall be revealed by fire. The fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is (1 CORINTHIANS 3:13). Wherefore, seeing that all these things shall disappear, the Apostle Peter asked, ” what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness” 2 PETER 3:11.

But go your way till the end be, Daniel the Prophet was told,( speaking of an eventual end of all things). You shall rest, He continued, and stand in thy lot at the end of thy days (this signifies Daniel going the way of all the earth and receiving his reward in the end). Every man shall walk his own valley and hill and in the end stand in his lot, good or bad. This God made clear, we shall stand in our lot at the end of days. Question is, what will our lot be? You won’t share your lot with anybody, not with your spouse, relatives or friends, not even with your own children. The reward is to every man according to his works (REVELATION 22:12). He that has this hope in him purifies himself even as He is pure (1 JOHN 3:3). God is the portion of our inheritance if we do purify ourselves. He will maintain our lot, which lot will fall unto us in pleasant places, a goodly heritage that will be (PSALM 16:5,6). He pointed to Joshua the high priest, the lot of holy and godly men who walked this earth and said, if you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, I will give you a place to walk among these that stand by (standing in their lot). Hear this O child of God, what He says to one, He says to all. Like Joshua, your lot is reserved among the witnesses that stand by God in their lots, if you walk in His ways and keep His charge. Are we building on things eternal or perishable things? When last did you spare the thought of the eternal future in your thoughts of earthly future. We seem to think daily about our careers, success and a foothold in this present world. Rarely do we entertain the thoughts of our success, and foothold in the world to come.

The end of all things perishable, all things earthly is near, and every man shall stand in his lot. What will yours be? How will you answer when The Most High demands? Scripture says that by faith Abraham sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tents with Isaac, and Jacob, who were heirs with him of that same promise. Why? They looked for a city which have foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Scripture says that they desired a better country, that is, an heavenly. Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared for them a city (HEBREWS 11:9,10,16). You purify yourself if you have this hope in you, you count all things but dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, you press on if you may apprehend that for which you are apprehended of Christ Jesus. We look forward to that city of God where our citizenship is, knowing that He is faithful that has promised. Till the end be, keep on keeping on, strive to enter through the narrow gate. Your life will never be the same again. In The Name that is above all names, Jesus Christ, Son of The Living God. Amen and Amen!

HEAVEN WALK OF FAME

“Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” LUKE 10:20

“To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect” HEBREWS 12:23

 

Most times in the bible you find Jesus helping to readjust the views, perceptions,passions etc of people, especially His disciples. It was and still is a good thing, because most of the times we have distorted ,and misplaced views on certain things. Men as we are, always need adjustment, and direction into the truth. The Spirit of God indwelling the saints now, is the perfect Agent of God leading us into all truth, adjusting our views and focus through His eternal Word. Life whichever way it’s seen, is a form of investment. You are always building for something whether you are aware or not. It is just like the covenant of the moon and sun. As long as this earth remains, there shall never be a cessation of the sun ruling over the day, and the moon over the night. There will always be seed time and harvest time. A man will always reap what he sows. These are laws that cannot be changed. It becomes therefore important that men are led into the right things, and given the right focus. It is important that someone helps adjust our path as we try cutting a straight one. The path you choose will always lead somewhere without a doubt. To those bent on incessant acquisition of mundane wealth and riches, He shows where better to heap and store treasures, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal” LUKE 6:19-20. Here you find Him readjusting our views on treasures, and the best place to store them. In the case of Martha and her sister Mary, He realigned Martha’s needs and priorities, what she should be troubled and careful about, “And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her” LUKE 10:41-42. Jesus always tries to point man to the ultimate good. He cuts off unnecessary distractions, and like a Good Shepherd, guide us home with His rod and staff.

This is exactly what He did with His disciples when once they came from a missionary assignment, rejoicing over the fact that even the devils were subject to them through His Name (LUKE 10:17). They had joy, and rightly so they had to rejoice. It was a great triumph of one kingdom over the other. The Kingdom of God triumphed over that of the devil. Their joy however was misplaced and needed realignment. Jesus rejoiced in The Spirit with them (verse 21), He rejoiced at how God chose to use ordinary men like that for His glory, but He had to put their joy right. They were to rejoice not for the miracles wrought through them in His Name, but that their names were written in heaven. To have one’s name written in heaven must be ultimate cause for one’s rejoicing. No amount of joy, of success in ministry can ever be compared to having your name written in heaven. Human beings are kind of obsessed with their names and how they want them portrayed. A good name is always better than riches as the bible says (PROVERBS 22:1). We have examples of people being paid millions for just an endorsement. There is also the case where an unknown persons association or collaboration with a well known name can catapult him to fame. Human beings always like to have their names ‘immortalized’ one way or the other. Statues of people are made in various forms as a ‘perpetual’ monument. When men are long dead and gone they still have a craving to be remembered. Certain names transcend various generations as a way of preservation. Immortality as they call it, is seen every where and in many things. Heaven and earth however shall pass away, but God only has immortality, “Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen” 1 TIMOTHY 6:16. The things that are seen shall be shaken and removed, that the unseen and unshaken shall remain. The heavens and the earth you see shall be removed, but that which is unseen, where The Immortal God dwells in light, is forevermore.

I read a caption on the hollywood walk of fame, it said “Where the stars are immortalized”. I will quote something I found on wikipedia about the hollywood walk of fame, “The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California. The stars are permanent public monuments to achievement in the entertainment industry, bearing the names of a mix of actors, musicians, directors, producers, musical and theatrical groups, fictional characters, and others”. Here you have the names of people embedded in a five pointed star made of terrazzo and brass. They used the phrase permanent public monument. I have watched people bow down and kissed their stars on the side walk. People have cried for joy at their induction into this walk of fame. I hear it attracts about ten million visitors annually. Jesus however points us to true immortality, He points to our permanent inscription in the ‘Heaven Walk of Fame”. For that He said to rejoice. Scripture says that the wall of the city has twelve foundations, and in them, the names of the twelve Apostles of The Lamb (REVELATIONS 21:14). Our names and immortality is in Heaven where God dwells, we have been inscribed in heaven, in The Lambs Book of Life. In this we are told to rejoice, not because of any earthly success. I am so glad to have been granted immortality by God. Can’t wait to walk on that street of gold, and live forever. God Himself shall wipe away every tear from our eyes. Some have already crossed to the other side, and as a cloud of witness surround us, waiting for our induction (proper), “God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect” HEBREWS 11:40. May The Spirit of God continue to adjust our views, and point us to the true. May our joy be heavenly. Our lives will never be the same again. In The Name that is above all names, Jesus Christ, Son of The Living God. Amen and Amen!

LIFE’S ANXIETIES AND GUARANTEES

“The steps of a good man are ordered by The LORD: and He delighteth in his way.Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for The LORD upholdeth him with His hand” PSALM 37:23-24

“He will keep the feet of His saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail” 1 SAMUEL 2:9

 

I have said this several times, the greatest truth I discovered in scripture with regards to living is what Jesus taught when He said to take no thought for our lives (MATTHEW 6:25). Humans as we are live in expectation of certain things together with the anxieties. As The Shepherd of our souls, He shed light on how guaranteed we are of being fed and clothed destroying every anxiety. We always live in hope of something no matter how small or big. We live in hope of certain things, not willingly but by reason of been subjected to those things. The poor man lives in expectations, so does the rich man. Each has his own anxiety, one lives in fear of daily bread, the other has so much in abundance that he lives in fear of thieves and robbers, he lives in fear of being killed or wounded for what he has. People do take insurance on their lives. They do so if God forbid something happens to them, the families might have something to lean on. Payments are made monthly to these insurance companies against an evil day. We could go on and on with various examples, but the question is why do people act this way? Fear of course! Whether the actions taken against future catastrophes are prudent or not, we may not know, but what we do know is the motivation which is, fear of the unknown, the future. I believe that it’s a good thing to take a life insurance, albeit with a reliable and potent cover. It is a good thing to take a life insurance, not with a company that can be shaken by a recession. Life insurance is a good thing but not with the mundane insurance companies which as it were, are like a broken reed which pierces the hands of those who lean on, but a heavenly insurance, leaning on that Everlasting Arm which cannot be moved or broken.

We are ensnared by words, we make and are made guarantees that are not always reliable, not because people willingly want to let people down, but because of our frailties and insufficiency as men. But our sufficiency is of God. Jesus showed us how birds take a life insurance from God and are free from all anxieties, ” Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” MATTHEW 6:26. Scripture says that not a single sparrow falls to the ground without God (MATTHEW 10:29). He has His eyes on the sparrow, but you are more important than the sparrow. I heard one man sometime ago talking about birds and the state of their hearts. He said that birds have the healthiest heart of all. If this proves to be so, you can understand why. They live a stress free life, no anxieties whatsoever. Why is God not in control of your life? May be because you have not subjected your ways to Him. May be because you are not trusting Him with your life like the birds do. Why the anxieties? Why the stress and the depression? May be because you are loosing your life insurance policy. You can’t make any more payments, and years of contribution is slipping through your hands. May be some greedy Wall Street thief is gambling with your life insurance, wasting your contributions on some yacht and a private pad somewhere on an Island.

God upholds the steps of His people, He orders their steps. God establishes the path of the righteous. He does so because they commit their ways to Him. Like the sparrows, He watches over them and not one falls to the ground without Him. His eyes are upon the righteous and His ears open to their cry (1 PETER 3:12). He orders our steps not as it were, with some remote control, not as if every decision and every incidence is of Him. He orders our steps that even by our own mistakes, through acknowledging Him, turns to our good. We trust Him with our lives and acknowledge Him in our ways, and He directs our steps (PROVERBS 3:5). All things work together for the good of the righteous because He takes a life insurance from God. They are not afraid of sudden fear, because God is their confidence, “When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken” PROVERBS 3:24-26. Even though Joseph’s brother meant evil by selling him away, God turned it for his good and established him by His own purpose. See, if God is your Shepherd, if He is your confidence, you shall not fear any evil thing. Take an insurance policy from Him,and sleep safe. Trust Him with your life and be established. Your life will never be the same again. In The Name that is above all names, Jesus Christ, Son of The Living God. Amen and Amen!

THE MEMOIR OF A WARROIR

“I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members” ROMANS 7:21-23

“If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto theeshall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him” GENESIS 4:7

 

Over six millennia of war raging and still counting, the battle between good and evil, the flesh and the spirit, until all His enemies are made His footstool. Creation pants, and groan in pain together until now, looking forward to the manifestation of the sons of God. Till the physical delivery from bondage unto the glorious liberty of the sons of God, till corruption puts on incorruption, till death is swallowed up in victory, it’s on, the raging continues! Sin lies at your door, God said, his desire is have you, but you must master it. Teach my soul how to war, be the Captain of my soul, should be our prayer. From victory unto victory, The Captain of our souls will lead us until every foe is vanquished. He teaches my hands how to war, said the Psalmist, that a bow of steel is broken by my arm (PSALM 18:34). And of Joseph he said, The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: but his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob (GENESIS 49:23-24). In this battle between good and evil, sometimes the arrows of sin and its poison takes a hit, sometimes we are sorely grieved and wounded, but the arms of our hands are strengthened by the hands of The Almighty God. The bows of the sons of God will always abide in strength, sin shall not have dominion over us.

Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth! A little leaven leavens the whole lump. There is this fire in our members, this leaven in our flesh, which wars against the laws of our mind. It wars against the wholesome truth, the engrafted Word which is able to save our souls, and brings us to captivity. The writer cried and said, O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? But then God left us not without a witness, the nemesis is always crouching, he is always present at the door, but we must master him. Walk in The Spirit, He said, and you shall not fulfill the desires of the flesh (GALATIANS 5:16). This is the witness of God, God teaching our hands to war. The desires of the flesh, the will of the sinful nature lies at the doors of our hearts. Every now and then its motions work within us to bring us to captivity, yet left He us not without a witness. Lest the enemy takes advantage over us, we are not ignorant of his devices (” CORINTHIANS 2:11). His desire is to steal, kill, and destroy, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ our Lord. He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly.

We have not received the spirit of bondage, but The Spirit of adoption. If we live in The Spirit, so must we walk in Him. The mind of The Spirit is the mind of a victorious warrior, that of the fleshy carnal mind is an enmity. It is not subject to things of God, neither indeed can be (ROMANS 8:7). Strive to enter in at the strait gate, He said (LUKE 13:24). In that He said strive, he meant to contend as in a war. The battle line is already drawn. In any contest or battle, you sometimes get hit, but he who endures to the end shall be saved (MATTHEW 10:22). It’s almost like sometimes we go out of town living the doors wide open, yet crouches the nemesis at the door, yet know we that as a serpent, he lies by the way, as an adder he lies in the path. He bites the horses heel, so that its rider fall backwards. He who endures to the end… Tough times don’t last but tough people do. Thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph through Christ Jesus. May He help us yield to His Spirit, and not to the will of the flesh. May He lead us from victory to victory, and from glory to glory. We shall live and not die, win and not loose. Till all His enemies are made His footstool, till corruption puts on incorruption, till death is swallowed up in victory, lean on that everlasting Arm. May The Arm of God be your strength, sin shall not have dominion over you. In The Name that is above all names, Jesus Christ, Son of The Living God. Amen and Amen!

THE LIFE GIVING BLOOD

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul” LEVITICUS 17:11

“Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you” JOHN 6:53

 

Without any controversy, the life of all flesh is in the blood. The day you have shortage of blood is the day you die. For this reason the heart, which is the pumping station of blood to all parts of the body, is the most important organ in the human body. Any heart defect affects the the human body so much, because the heart in this condition isn’t able to pump blood to all parts of the body as it should be doing. Matter of fact, the day your heart stop beating is the day you die. The importance of blood is very well underlined in the increased campaign in blood donation. The blood one donates can effectively save life by transfusion. As you are reading this now, there are millions of people around the world today on their sick beds waiting for someone to save their lives through blood donation. Again it a basic fact that certain blood groups requires certain blood types. We have the ABO (AB A B O) blood system and their compatibility. Certain blood types can receive from certain types. One type is a universal donor, whiles another is a universal recipient, that is, one can donate to all blood types, another can receive from all types. All truth are parallel they say, as it is in this physical or natural, so it is in the supernatural. The rituals of the law was a shadow of things to come. The physical illustration and ordinance on blood was a pattern of the spiritual, and a type of that which was to come. It is evident through scripture that the blood of people slain  especially that of the Martyrs cry out to God even after death. We have the example of Abel, ” And He said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground” GENESIS 4:10. Again those slain for the testimony of God speaks, “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” REVELATION 6:9-10. If the blood of the innocent cry out to God, you can imagine how many are still crying out through the various blood sheds, whether of war, abortions, etc.

This same blood which gives life is also given by God upon the alter for atonement of souls. Atonement simply means to appease. Atonement is pacification, and it brings redemption, and forgiveness of sins. Through out history, in any culture of the world, men have always had this understanding of the significance of blood in atoning for souls, both Jews and Gentiles. This atonement has in itself the idea of giving life for life. Judgement always demands satisfaction, the nature of every law both human, and divine requires that, or it is no law at all. In the case of man fallen by transgression, the judgement of God required satisfaction, and that is when atonement comes in. In the traditional African religion, and other pagan religions throughout the world, blood is always shed to appease the gods. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin (HEBREWS 9:22). All nations, tribe, and tongue, seem to have the knowledge of the importance of blood.

The Law as we know had a shadow of things to come (HEBREWS 10:1). The natural had ordinances of divine services (HEBREWS 9:1). It was to be our school masters teaching us until the time of the promise, when God’s own Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, be revealed to take away the sins of the world. The first covenant having a shadow of things to come, was to give us a knowledge of the true. God through the first covenant was showing that life of all humanity was in the blood of His Son Jesus. He showed through the first covenant that redemption by atonement is through the blood of His Son, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins” COLOSSIANS 1:14. This was exactly what Jesus was saying to the Jews, when He made mention of having life through the eating of His flesh, and drinking of His blood. He wasn’t creating any vampire impressions or making any reference to cannibalism. He wasn’t talking about the physical eating of His flesh, and drinking of His blood, but the spiritual. We have already established the physical importance of blood to the human body, and how a life can be saved through blood transfusion. We have also established blood compatibility, universal donors, and recipients. Jesus Christ is a universal donor, and God has been so gracious enough to make every soul a universal recipient  Just like people go willingly to donate blood to various blood banks to save lives, so Jesus Christ willingly laid down His life for the life of humanity. The blood that drips from His veins, and His wounds, running through our spiritual veins, brings life to our souls. Again just as the blood of the slain speaks, so the blood of Jesus speaks, ” And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel” HEBREWS 12:24. He is the mediator between God and man. He speaks on our behalf to The Father, and because He lives forever, He is able to save them to the uttermost that comes to God by Him (HEBREWS 7:25). He gave His life for your life, His blood for your blood. He made peace with God through His blood. Now He is calling to all who thirst to come to the river and drink. No more guilt, no more condemnation. He forgives any sin, and is therefore calling out to everyone to turn away from their sins, and to receive His free gift. Our lives will never be the same again. In The Name that is above all names, Jesus Christ, Son of The Living God. Amen and Amen!