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How to win in life battles 1

Graceful Voice

This message is a prompt to show you how to win in life challenges, It my prayer that you will find the help you need over those situations you are going through that you urgently need divine intervention.

God is always ready to help you and you may like to have a look at how the Lord regards you. Read Psalm 103:1ff.

As you go through the attach message, develop it and apply it to your life. god-is-with-us-he-is-our

God bless you. Remember I am your brother and friend. I support you in prayers.

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How is corruption defined?

I hope this message meets you well and uplift your soul and spirit. I hope it sets you up or encourage you to continue to engineer social change in your community, be it physical or spiritual.

Actually it is a question and you are going to help to set thing in order, that is, writing this piece better than anybody can and believing that generation of yours who read it now and in future will be proud of you.

I saw a definition of corruption online and it reads: 

 “corruption:

1. dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery.

synonyms: dishonesty, dishonest dealings, unscrupulousness, deceit, deception, duplicity, double-dealing, fraud, fraudulence, misconduct, lawbreaking, crime, criminality, delinquency, wrongdoing, villainy; bribery, bribing, subornation, venality, graft, extortion, jobbery, profiteering; payola; informalcrookedness, shadiness, sleaze, palm-greasing; malfeasance, misfeasance; archaicknavery; raremalversation

2. the process by which a word or expression is changed from its original state to one regarded as erroneous or debased.

“a record of a word’s corruption”

synonyms: alteration, falsification, doctoring, manipulation, manipulating, fudging, adulteration, debasement, degradation, abuse, subversion, misrepresentation, misapplication; rarevitiation”

So who is corrupt?

I have heard people use the  word ‘corruption’, exclusively irrespective of what is the real picture around them.

I have an interesting Bible passage that I will encourage you to read; it is like a movie story; actually it was a horror.

Judges chapters 19 to chapter 21.

I found Judges 20:17-21, very disturbing when I read it many years ago until the Lord explained it to me.  The explanation is in  Judges 20:26-35.

In Judges 20:17-21. God told the Israelites to fight the Benjamits, but they lost, they were beaten mercilessly by the Benjamites. However, it was a different thing entirely in Num. 20:26-35, where the Benjamites were beaten almost to extinction.

You know what the Lord told me, sinners can’t judge sinners!  A further study of Judges 2:10- 21, will show you how the Isrealites lived. They liked like sinners because they were. Everyone did whatever they pleased irrespective of what the law says or who is hurt. They were lawless, corrupt, godless, unmerciful, you just name it.

We can make a difference in our societies. This is a tough call and daring but we can. Every little step counts.

How do we define corruption? Exclusively? Some of our countries are so rich in religion and can comfortably export it but it has not imparted their national live. It is just like where “everybody does what they like”. People are only called “sinners when they are discover; actually sin is sin when it is committed, not just when sinners are found out.

It is not about what my friends and I thinks about someone or a situation but about what is right. If the Bible is not your standard what is? How do you interpret the scriptures?

Let the Lord be Lord. God bless you.

Ref. Google.

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God’s Panacea for Peace

Panacea for peace

How You Can See the Glory of God

“For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed in the man who trusts in You!” Psalm 84:11-12 (NKJV)

You can see and experience the goodness of God in your life and circumstances. The glory of God speaks of his goodness, favour and salvation. You can experience healing for your body, grace for everyday life and victory in life’s battles.

You can experience the glory of God by faith. You should believe in him as the scriptures say “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently see Him” Heb. 11:6 (NKJV)

Jesus told Martha in John 11:40, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God” (NKJV). This happened at the tomb of Lazarus, Martha’s dead brother, when Jesus went to raise him from the dead. Martha had argued that Lazarus must have passed a point where any miracle could happen in his life “Martha, the sister of him that was dead, said “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days” John 11:39 (NKJV)

In the natural realm you cannot find fault Martha’s argument but God can overrule the laws of nature to help you.

There are people who believe that their lives’ situations and circumstances will be different if Jesus is with them physical or if God would come down to them. Well, I might as well let you know that there were people who saw and touched him but did not get anything out of it. There were people who followed him everywhere just to find fault with his teaching; they did not get anything. There were disciples who argued with him before he did some miracles. They lived in natural realm – unbelief. Thomas was one of such; he was an Apostle!

“Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. And I am gland for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him” Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him” John 11:14-16 (NKJV).

There were many leaders who did not believe, like Nicodemus who came to Jesus to discuss with him. Many leaders in our present time don’t believe, though they lead Churches and Fellowships.

“There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night …. Jesus answered and said to him “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” John 3:1-2, 9-10, 12

There are some things you need to know and do:

You may struggle with having faith and with believing in God. There is nothing wrong with that. It is the battle of faith and you must overcome the resistance. You must believe.

You need to find out who God is by studying the Bible.

You need to be in fellowship with believing Christians to help you along your faith journey.

You must care about yourself enough to pray and ask God to help you.

You must continue to trust God despite contrary evidences and pressures of life.

Well, the first step before all the above, is to accept Jesus as you Lord and saviour.

“If you believe, you will see the glory of God”, Jesus said.

God will do it! Pray

Prayer is not a suggestion, it is God’s ordained way to meet the needs of his people. Christians are to continue in this way no matter contrary suggestions from the devil and other sources.

“Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms.

Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him. Anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him” James 5:13-15 (KJV)

Pressures of life can drive people to doubt the presence and the power of God; that is not new, it has been from the beginning. Believers believe God and live in confidence and trust in God’s power and love.

The scripture says in Heb. 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” Heb. 11:6 (KJV)

  • Whatever challenge you are going through now, commit it to God in prayer and trust him to help you. That is what God wants you to do.
  • Praise God as you wait for his intervention in that matter.
  • Be sensitive to his leading, in case he wants you to take any action.
  • Be willing to obey him.
  • Some answers to prayer may not need your contribution. Just allow God to do it.
  • Be aware that the devil and his agents may come with fear and doubt. Don’t yield to them.
  • You can pray about anything and you can pray anywhere and at anytime.

God delights in helping you. Psalm 35:27.

God bless you.

When Wickedness and Evil Increase – The End is Near!

Sometimes we are challenged by increase of wickedness and oppression. We get caught up in situations that are awful and seemingly insurmountable; many people despair for life and mourn at such times. These situations come in various forms and I am not going to single out some of them here. At such times the wicked and oppressors feel on top of the world, brandishing venom, hatred and are eager to show how much evil influence they can wield. It is not new.

The scripture says in Daniel 3:19-27 “Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire. And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.”

King Nebuchadnezzar was very angry at the thought of the defiance of his order about removing freedom of worship. He commanded increase of punishment to the three Hebrew children. The king deployed his mighty men of valour to deal with harmless and unarmed men; while the public watched with excitement at the humiliation that these men would soon be put into. The atmosphere must have been tensed and charged with dreadful fright. It was a time no person wished to be an Israelite. It had been escalated to a fight of the gods against men, king against the commoners and king Nebuchadnezzar against God.

The scripture says in I Sam. 17:42-47, “And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

The above scripture was another occasion that wickedness and oppression increased against the army of Israel, who were ill-equipped to fight the Philistines and their champion, Goliath of Gath. It was a spectacle watching an untrained boy going against the odds. Neither his people nor the enemy gave him a chance. The only thing he had was his sling and the only person he counted on for support was God. Once again it was the battle of the God of Israel against the gods of the Philistines. It was like David embarked on a suicide mission. You can only imagine the vexation of Goliath and he was determine to deal with this insult and afterwards deal with those who sent him.

Evils don’t last for ever, no matter how long it takes. All over the world wickedness is being multiplied and ruthlessness is just the heading of the next News bulletin, on radio and television. The Newspapers are painted all over with pictures of violence and crime.

When evil and wickedness increases their end is at hand.

Instead of the three Hebrew children suffering agonising shame and humiliation, King Nebuchadnezzar did. Instead of David reeling in pain and blood, Goliath of Gath did. Instead of you suffering humiliating, defeat and shame, your enemies will. This pattern cannot fail for those who put their trust in God.

The scripture says in Isaiah 59:18-19 “According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence. So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him”

Whatever you might be going through, it might seem as if the odds are against you; your faith in God might be under fire and the power of those that hate you might be overwhelming and it might look like you have no chance or support of any kind; the Lord God Almighty is there for you. Those who trust him are never put to shame. It is human to feel agitated and bothered but keep believing, the wicked shall not rule over you; wickedness will surely be overthrown. The mighty men of Nebuchadnezzar were destroyed in his fire and the Philistines lost their champion in his plot; this pattern will not fail also.

Jesus faced the greatest vile the devil could muster, he faced the greatest humiliation the devil had at the cross; the enemy did not know the “game plan”, the blood for redemption was to be released in that fashion to account for everyone who will believe. When it was all over, the prince of wickedness found out the truth. He lost. He is still working wickedness but it won’t change the victory Jesus won. You have that victory available to you if you believe and keep believing.

Ref.

Bible Quote. http://www.biblegateway.com

Prayer and Faith in God

prayer and faith 1

Domestic Violence and Bullying: Walk Away From Trouble

Warning: This article is capable of changing your life; you can stop reading now if you don’t want any change to your life circumstances.
Quite often we are faced with avoidable crisis and a tragedy because someone failed to act on time in a crisis which they ought to walk away from. A long time ago I engaged in a counselling session with a mister of the gospel whom I had the privilege to discuss a situation that was brought to him about a domestic violence of detestable nature. The condition had become life threatening but the partner suffering the abuse was “enduring and long-suffering”. (She was mindful of what people were going to say”, she was considerate of “keeping the bond of unity”, while the other partner was “enjoying the oppression and the terror he was unleashing on her”).
Recently I was confronted with a similar situation. The sufferer was suffering horrible humiliation and staying put. The reasons were “love”; it was “I can bear living alone” and “what will people say?” she was trying to be the “Christian”, yet both of the partners worship in the same church.
In most cases the victims don’t fight back either because their tormentors were stronger, richer, holds a particular advantage over them, are forbidden by religion or culture to act or are their bosses at work. The result is that many who feared loneliness now sleep alone in lonely graves; others have scars so visible that people can’t miss it. There are a lot of cosmetic applied to cover marks left on people’s face. It could be both way – men hitting women or women hitting men.
Many years ago I was told of a man who asks his wife to remove all her close, positioned her on a table and lashed with a cane her on her buttocks. I was told of another woman who was hit until she fainted and was spared when a Christian sister came visiting. I had opportunity to stand up against a brother who was justifying what he called “holy slaps”. What he meant was it that was okay for men to slap their wives. It is wrong and unrighteous. It is brutality and obscenity.
The demons that work violence are not sympathetic and no person should mess about with them. How can anyone explain the horrible bloodletting around the world? Cain killed Abel but was quick to complain about his punishment. Pharaoh Egypt killed new born babies at birth, humiliating their mothers in misery and pain.
The following scripture tells of the humiliation of Samson despite the fact that he had opportunities to walk away from trouble. (Please read it patiently)

“Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her. 2 When the Gazites were told, “Samson has come here!” they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. They were quiet all night, saying, “In the morning, when it is daylight, we will kill him.” 3 And Samson lay low till midnight; then he arose at midnight, took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two gateposts, pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.
4 Afterward it happened that he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. 5 And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”
6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and with what you may be bound to afflict you.”
7 And Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings, not yet dried, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man.”
8 So the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings, not yet dried, and she bound him with them. 9 Now men were lying in wait, staying with her in the room. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he broke the bowstrings as a strand of yarn breaks when it touches fire. So the secret of his strength was not known.
10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Look, you have mocked me and told me lies. Now, please tell me what you may be bound with.”
11 So he said to her, “If they bind me securely with new ropes that have never been used, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man.”
12 Therefore Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them, and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And men were lying in wait, staying in the room. But he broke them off his arms like a thread.
13 Delilah said to Samson, “Until now you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me what you may be bound with.”
And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head into the web of the loom”—
14 So she wove it tightly with the batten of the loom, and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep, and pulled out the batten and the web from the loom.
15 Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where your great strength lies.” 16 And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed him, so that his soul was vexed to death, 17 that he told her all his heart, and said to her, “No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.”
18 When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up once more, for he has told me all his heart.” So the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand. 19 Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. 20 And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.
21 Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison.” Judges 16:1-21(NKJV)
You must not allow yourself the pain of violence, humiliation and abuse; at least, you can walk away in the face of abuse, persistent hitting, and domestic violence. Jesus walked away from the mob the wanted to throw down from a cliff. Luke 4:28-30, says “So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.” (NKJV)
He also walked away from people who wanted to kill him before his time “After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.” John 7:1 (NKJV).
“Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death. Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.” John 11:53-54 (NKJV)
David did not wait for Saul to kill him. He did not wait for Saul to do all he pleased and “let God judge him in the end”, as some want people to do. When he sensed that his life was in great danger he fled from Saul.
Psalm 115:17 says “The dead do not praise the LORD, nor any who go down into silence.”
The Lord told me some time ago “you don’t need to fight a battle that you can’t celebrate even if you win”. I know I could give the people concerned a good fight but I walked away. (Please I am not talking about physical combat). You certainly might have what it takes to fight in some instances but it is not sometimes worth it.
Subscribe to a tenet that frowns against domestic violence. Stand against bullying and set your mind against using religion, culture or employment to promote abuse, harassment and cruelty. Don’t bother about what anyone says against you for your stand. You have a right to live for what you believe.
I believe in the Almighty God through Jesus Christ; I am filled with the Holy Spirit and called of God. My beliefs are not rascal and my stand on this issue is not malicious except to those who enjoy cruelty, oppression and hurting other people.
– The best way to handle domestic abuse or bully of any type is to speak out.

– There are valuable support that you can access. Search online.

– Don’t keep quiet bullies don’t understand that, in fact they enjoy watching you cry.
– Report an abuse and violence. Don’t wait until they maim you before you act. There is help for you.
– Abuse can be physical, verbal or Psychological. Many people are struggling with image and confidence in one form or another, why allow someone to damage you in this way. Walk away from it.

– In Britain bullying is illegal, don’t tolerate it. Find out what obtains where you live. No society should tolerate domestic violence and bullying.

The friends and relations you give optimum sentiment to as reasons for prolonged abuse are not in your position and don’t understand what you are going through. The sympathy they desire is phantasm; a delusion that has no returns on investment; jettison it. At least you can walk away.

Reference:

Scripture Quotes: http://www.biblegateway.com

Hearing From God: PROPHET DONKEY!

This is a special message to someone and it is my prayer that as you read it, the Holy Spirit with enlighten your heart to find out whether this is for you; if it is, please endeavour to do sometime about it. It is not my intention to judge you; in any case, there is no way that I will know of your particular situation but God knows. You may not need this message at the moment but it could become relevant to you in a very near future; when that happens, please, endeavour to turn to God, hearken and ask for help. Please read through the scripture passage below with an open heart. I encourage you to “enjoy the story”, if you read it in that way you might “run into God” in your very busy schedule and “fast drive”. Please see the short note at the end of the passage after you have “enjoyed reading through the scriptures”.

Number 22: 2 – 38 (NKJV)
2 Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel. 4 So Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this company will lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. 5 Then he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying: “Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me! 6 Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”
7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the diviner’s fee in their hand, and they came to Balaam and spoke to him the words of Balak. 8 And he said to them, “Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the LORD speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.
9 Then God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?”
10 So Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, 11 ‘Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come now, curse them for me; perhaps I shall be able to overpower them and drive them out.’”
12 And God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.”
13 So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Go back to your land, for the LORD has refused to give me permission to go with you.”
14 And the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak, and said, “Balaam refuses to come with us.”
15 Then Balak again sent princes, more numerous and more honorable than they. 16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me; 17 for I will certainly honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore please come, curse this people for me.’”
18 Then Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more. 19 Now therefore, please, you also stay here tonight, that I may know what more the LORD will say to me.”
20 And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men come to call you, rise and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you—that you shall do.” 21 So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.
22 Then God’s anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the LORD took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 Now the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road. 24 Then the Angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. 25 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck her again. 26 Then the Angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam’s anger was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff.
28 Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”
29 And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!”
30 So the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?”
And he said, “No.”
31 Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. 32 And the Angel of the LORD said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me. 33 The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live.”
34 And Balaam said to the Angel of the LORD, “I have sinned, for I did not know You stood in the way against me. Now therefore, if it displeases You, I will turn back.”
35 Then the Angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
36 Now when Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the city of Moab, which is on the border at the Arnon, the boundary of the territory. 37 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not earnestly send to you, calling for you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you?”
38 And Balaam said to Balak, “Look, I have come to you! Now, have I any power at all to say anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that I must speak.”
Note:
Sometime we may get so much obsessed with what we want to do, or where we want to go to that we shut God’s voice out of our lives. This is a very sure way of walking into a wall, a dead end and into trouble.
God’s purposes sum up into a conclusion. His glory. God won’t bless and curse at the same time. There are very complex issues that we must be careful how we handle or deal with them. One of the messages I posted in this blog titled “Can a believer in Jesus Christ be curse by a Christain Leader…? What would you do if you are tempted to do such a thing? Israel belongs to God and Balak had no right to destroy or bring a curse upon Israel. That is just one of many situations possible in our walk with God.
Many people who are doing great work for God sometimes becomes impervious to the voice of the Lord. They go on to a point where they need “prophet donkey” to rise up in their situation. God pushes Himself to the point of using unlikely things to stop them from destroying themselves.
The scripture says of something like this, “Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.”  2 Peter 2 :16-17 (KJV)
You may be feeling inferior as child of God. You may feel that God can’t use you. Everyone around you might have told you that you are “useless” when it comes to doing any great thing for God; I want to tell you that if God used the donkey to minister to a big time and internationally known prophet like Balaam, God can use you.
1 Cor. 1:26-30 says “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 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.” (KJV)
I believe that if you actually got to this point, reading through this message, you will never be the same again. You are in a personal relationship with God; give it close responsiveness.

Ref. Scripture quotes: http://www.biblegateway.com

Hearing From God – Do You Know the Witch of Endor Also?

“The Philistines assembled and camped in Shunem. Saul also assembled the whole Israelite army, and they camped at Gilboa. When Saul looked at the Philistine army, he was very afraid—terrified. He prayed to the Lord, but the Lord didn’t answer him through dreams, the Urim, or prophets. Saul told his officers, “Find me a woman who conjures up the dead. Then I’ll go to her and ask for her services.”

His officers told him, “There is a woman at Endor who conjures up the dead.”

After disguising himself by putting on other clothes, Saul left with two men and came to the woman that night. He said to her, “Please consult with a dead person for me. Conjure up the person I request.”

The woman told him, “You know that Saul rid the land of mediums and psychics. Why are you trying to trap me and have me killed?”” 1 Samuel 28:4-9 (GW)

You might not know how much people know until you ask for “help anyhow”! Saul was in “big trouble” and “he needed help anyhow”. He wanted to know the outcome of the battle he was going into. He wanted to know the future; he wanted to hear from God. God did not answer him and in his desperation, he asked his followers if the knew someone who can conjure up the dead.

The scripture says Saul inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him, either through dreams or Urim or through prophets. Saul told his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium so I can go to her and make my inquiry through her.” His servants told him, “Look, there’s a woman at Endor who is a medium.” (NIV)

His servant knew one at Endor. “His officers know a woman at Endor” (GW).

Do you know the witch at Endor also? Do you know the hidden places where people go to seek the future?

Many people don’t care how they arrive at a solution and from whom it comes from. They will tell you, “The end justifies the means”. They believe in “solve the problem and colour the testimony”. God is not enough, as far as they are concerned.

Is God enough for you?

You may be surprised how many people in “church” who know “places”, like the servants (officers) of Saul knew. Some year ago I engage someone in a discussion while on evangelism and I could not believe the things I heard. He told me awful things some people engaged in to grow a church. The discussion was as a result of an incident that happened when I pastored a church then. We engaged a local builder to build a shade for us and he was to raise a section as an altar. When I went to the church in the evening to see how much work he had done, I found him waiting for me to know what he should put in the altar place; why? I asked him. He told me some “stories”. I told him to complete the job, I don’t have anything to put there. There should not be anything there. Since that time, I had been told several stories. Horrible tales!

Do you know the man or woman of Endor? Saul did not get away with it, and God is not partial. It is a shame to deceive other people but it is repulsive to deceive one’s self.

God is enough for those who trust him. It doesn’t matter what is achieved, serving God with the powers of darkness does not suffice.

Ref: http://www.biblegateway.com

This article is published also in http://www.gracefulvoice.com