How to win in life – Comfort to a man of God

It my prayer that this word meets you well and brings the breakthrough that you so desire at this time. This is a special message to a person of God. You may know someone who may need these words and may wish to send it to him/her. (Please, I am not talking about “a send to everyone stuff”. Be sure the person needs it.

You may be in such a situation like a cross road, you are surrounded be evidence of the power of God but you are just dry and empty inside and it looks as if the word of God is bouncing off you. You are tempted to ask question the reality of the Lord, like John the Baptist did.

“When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight. Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” Luke 7:20-23 (KJV)

God is control. Don’t give up. The power of God all around you is real despite your challenges. Give God the control and wait for your breakthrough.

The devil is defeated and you know it. However, the fleshed can be a real issue (this doesn’t apply to all.), you can’t understand why your “declarations” are not coming “the way you want them” see Isaiah 55:6ff. 

Remember the great things God is doing around you, (even through your hands), and be encouraged. You will step into a miracle soonest, but, let the Holy Spirit take control; NOW.

Satanic conspiracy against you are destroyed in Jesus name. Let the light of his glory shine upon you even in the gross darkness of this world. 

You are an overcomer and I am praying for you.
Reference: 

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

How you can overcome reproach

how-to-overcome-reproach

You don’t have to suffer in silence or live in shame, pain and agony for ever; turn to God for help. You must not give up, it is never too late to turn things around. Joshua 1:9. You can always contact me to join you in faith prayer. Study the attached document.

The Humiliation of A Prince

“And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” Gen. 32:28 (KJV)

Your life is up to you and what you want out of life. We all need people, some permanent, and others temporal. The only permanent relationship is your decision.

It might surprise you to know that you choose whether to have a relationship with God or not, That is the ultimate decision you can ever make; God presents you with opportunity to enter into a relationship with him but he never compels you to do it. You are the master of your destiny.

The scripture says, “He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 2:11-13 (KJV)

Jacob was sent out from his father’s house to prevent a big trouble between him and Esau, his twin brother, over family rights. His grandfather Abraham was very rich and passed on the inheritance to Isaac his father. Isaac was so rich that his neighbours envied him. God favoured Jacob and blessed him. He was chosen by election not works.

The Scripture says, in Rom. 9: 9 – 16, “For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son.

And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;

(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)

It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.

As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.

For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” (KJV)

On his way to his exile, Jacob had an encounter and God blessed him specially. The events that followed never portrayed him as blessed. He actually suffered humiliation in the house of his uncle Laban for the next twenty years.

Jacob started a family that he doesn’t know where they would end up. He could only dreamt of the fame of his father. The more he told his story the more Laban plotted his downfall and humiliation.

Laban knew that there was something about Jacob that brings success and the only way he thought he could keep him was to so impoverish him, so that he cannot afford to travel back to his home.

He tormented him mentally so that he couldn’t think of any good thing. Laban masterfully crowded Jacob with women and created family chaos that drained his power, strength and focus. He constantly changed the terms of the relationship with Jacob and set unachievable targets. It was the humiliation of a prince! God had to intervene to set him free. Evils do not last forever.

“And the Lord said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.” Gen.31:3 (KJV)

You might be like Jacob, Struggling against the odds to fulfil your destiny. You might have ran into things that want to choke God’s purpose out of you and you are barely hanging on a lifeline. Your frustration might be so big that you constantly sigh and groan.

You need to wake up like Jacob did. You are not going to breakthrough by avoiding a necessary conflict to bail yourself out of your quagmire. Your struggle might be against anyone but your destiny is the only heritage that you can count on for the future. Esau dropped out of God’s will because of nonchalant attitude to the things of God. He cherished porridge more that his heritage and the promise God made to Abraham.

It was never the responsibility of Laban to believe in the future of Jacob; all he cared for was himself and his family first. Whatever story that Jacob has could as well be a fairy-tale and a daydream. You are the manager of your relationships and your visions.

The word of God says, “Then Jacob got angry and started an argument with Laban. “What have I done?” he demanded. “What’s my crime that would cause you to come pursue me so violently?

Now that you’ve searched all my belongings, what did you find that belongs to your house? Set it here in front of our relatives and we’ll let them judge between us!

Meanwhile, these past 20 years that I’ve been with you, your sheep and goats never had miscarriages, I never once ate any of the rams from your flock, and whatever was torn by beasts, I never bothered to bring to you. Instead, I bore the losses myself. Even so, you demanded that I provide restitution for anything that was stolen, whether during the day or the night.

As it was, I was attacked by drought during the day and by cold at night. I never got any decent rest. I’ve lived in your house these 20 years – serving fourteen years for your two daughters and another six years for your flocks.

During all that time you changed my wages ten times. If the God of my father-the God of Abraham, the God whom Isaac feared-had not been with me, you would have sent me away empty handed. But God saw my misery and how hard I’ve worked with my own hands-and he rebuked you last night.”” Gen. 31:36-42 (NIV)

Are you a prince in shame and drudgery? You must break-free. You must go after your destiny. You must fulfil the call of God upon your life. It is your responsibility and you are the one that will give account of your life.

There may be people who feel that God created you to serve them and help them in their mission. It is only you that can determine that. Whatever you choose, for as long as you are happy with it, that okay.

You must pray to discover God’s will for your life. What is it that stirs up and you want to do something about it. What are the challenges you feel you have the solutions to? What are the things you enjoy doing?

You need to study the word of God and let the Spirit of God give you revelations as to what the Lord wants you to do.

You might have a calling to meet the need of others. You might be keen on helping the needy and weak. Are you happy to help?

Humiliation is not humility. Stupidity and foolishness are not the same as be pious and devotion. Serving God in humility might make some people to take advantage of you and cause you pain and shame but God normally shows up at an appointed time to prove to all that you are his. He did it in the life of Jacob, Moses and the early disciples.

Sometime people love staying in their comfort zones which might clearly be against the will of God.

The scripture says in Exodus 14:10-1, “And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord.

And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?

Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:” (KJV)

To many Israelites who left Egypt during the Exodus, it would have been better to remain in slavery, but that was not God’s plan. They had no respect to the will of God and complained and murmured. They paid for their wrong attitude.

May the Lord help you in your journey through life to fulfil his counsel and purpose for your life. Amen.

Reference

Bible quote: 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

The Dragon Shall Not Prevail

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How to handle one of the strongest satanic onslaughts

As a believer, what is the most offensive thing you have ever heard? What is the phrase that upsets you most?
In this message I will discuss one of the most offensive and upsetting things I have ever heard and which I am sure troubles many Christians; and how to deal with it. I am sure that it can really trouble your faith in the place of prayer and in life. This is one of the variants:
“Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’” But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.” (Exodus 5:1-2. ESV)

It upsets me when someone says “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice…..I do not know the Lord!”

We are confronted with this phrase in various ways and attitudes. It is an affront from the devil and his agents that carries a lot of effects on many of us. There are people who are bold enough to verbalise it; some others say things that make you feel they are in charge of the world and the people in it. They just mean they have the last word and no person can do anything about it. (Many people who say such things follow it up with actions). Sometimes the enemy brings it up in our thought in the place of prayer. When this happens, you are likely for feel terrified, confused, irritated or at the worst put off from believing as you ought to. The enemy may bring pictures and memories of horrible situations, which is capable of upsetting you.

This has been an age long tactics of the devil and he has continues with it through the generations. If it is not a potent weapon, he will not deploy it in his attack; so be careful.
Lets see some more examples in the scriptures.
“Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” (Job 1:9-11. ESV)

“Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” (Dan. 3:14-15. ESV)

“Has any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’” (2 Kings 18:33-35. ESV)

There are variants of this immodest attack on God and on his people; they mean the same thing in a broad sense. The enemy uses it as occasion suits him. The devil and his agents disrespect God and his people; he is insubordinate and vulgar.

How to handle this affront
1. When you hear any of the above statements I highlighted, the first thing to do is to discern its source and the level of warfare it might signify. It is from the devil and you should be very alert and sensitive to the situation.
2. Don’t be overwhelmed because of this challenge. You might be offended but it is normal, don’t overact. You are not going into physical fight – it is spiritual. Ephesians 6: 12-13, says “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” (ESV)
3. You should understand that God is very interested in this kind of battle. The battle has shifted from just your fight; the Lord normally takes up the challenge, if we trust him to take over. There are many battles we face but something like this is attack on the person of God.
4. Search the scriptures to find out instances where such challenges took place and position yourself to allow God handle it. You must pump-up your faith with the word of God and stand firm on God’s word.
5. You should be ready to pray and do serious warfare. Pray in faith and don’t drop your guard. Sometimes it may take a prolong battle.
6. Don’t overlook any threat that carries such words; the age notwithstanding, there is usually a “power” behind the speaker. In spiritual warfare things happen that can astonish you. (please don’t engage people in physical fight; the devil commonly use them for his purpose)
7. Keep at the word of God to hear what direction he wants to go. If you have matured believers around you and you feel like talking things over with them please do but be careful, it is not everybody that really knows the implications of this matter and if they are casual about it or indifferent, you may have a serious case at hand added to the one you already want a solution to.

In all the places where these phrases were used; the Lord dealt with them severely. (Search the scriptures). If you are having such an issue at hand, hand it over to the Lord; hold on to the word of God no matter the battering pressures from the devil and his agents. The word of God says in Jer. 32:27 “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” (ESV)
The confession in Daniel 4:34-35 is interesting. “At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever,
for his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;
all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
and he does according to his will among the host of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth;
and none can stay his hand
or say to him, “What have you done?” (ESV)

Reference.
All scripture quotes are from
http://www.biblegateway.com

Visions from God

Many things have been said and written about visions and there are a lot of things that can be said about visions from God. Vision is one of the ways that God communicates with us. This way of communication like many others has been so mystified that it brings trepidation to many Christians. I want to throw a bit of light on it to help someone gain more understanding about walking with God. Abraham, Isaiah, Ezekiel and many other people had visions from God.
“After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” Gen.15:1. (NKJV)

“The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah” Isaiah 1:1. (NKJV)

“Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.” Ezekiel 1:1 (NKJV)

Vision is about seeing. Vision in the spiritual realm is much like vision in the physical; it is the ability to see things but not with the physical eyes. Another way of helping you understand this is to liken it to a dream. In visions you have no control over the things that you see. You just see what is revealed to you. It is not something you struggle about and it is not about opening your “eyes wide enough” in other to see. In a vision from God, God allows you to see something he wants you to see. If you do “anything special” in other to see visions, then it is something to beware of.

“Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep. And he said to me, “What do you see?” So I said, “I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.” So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?” Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts. ‘Who are you, O great mountain?
Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”’” Zech. 4:1-7 (NKJV)

In the scripture above, Zechariah saw a vision from God. The angel actually asked him about what he saw, just to make sure he saw exactly the “pictures” before him. The ability to see is what is known as seeing vision. This vision is entirely different from the vision of having a plan, a perception, or insight about doing or following a certain course in life.

Vision from God is not the same thing as clairvoyance or divination as practised in some places. If God gives you a vision, he is mostly likely to give you the understanding of it. Visions from God to his children are not nightmares; though God may show a believer what he intends to do as a judgement to wicked people. God will most likely show you things that are unambiguous and you may not need further search for understanding. Searching for meaning to visions can be burdensome and subject to vagaries of interpretations; so in most cases, God doesn’t put that burden upon his children but this is not usually the case for none unbelievers.

The spirits of unbelievers are dead; that is, it is insensitive to God and their minds are clogged with many things that are anti-God and they cannot understand the voice of God in any way. So, the first thing God seeks with unbelievers is to bring them to conviction and repentance before any other thing; when unbelievers close this door, the door of judgement open upon them.

It is useless trying to force a vision. Many people attempt to do this to appear special or to manipulate others. It is falsehood and it is just like a blind person who attempts to describe something he cannot see or feel. The problem really is that many people allow themselves to be deceived by the ploys of people who manipulate spiritual things. For instance, does it take hitting ones head on the wall to see? If anyone does that, he may become fantasized and prone to demonic influences. The scriptures revealed this about some who called themselves prophets in Israel many years ago.

“And the LORD said to me, “The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart.” Jer. 14:14 (NKJV)

I know that sometimes, in believers’ meetings or services, someone can fall under the anointing and may not be conscious of his environment for some time and when he comes round, he might say he saw a vision. Such experiences are normal for as long as they are not attempts to manipulate other people.

Every vision is subject to biblical scrutiny and confirmation through the word of God, the Bible. Nothing should be accepted in isolation and if you are under undue pressure from another person to accept a “vision”, walk away from it. True visions have nothing sinister about them. The proof of visions is their fulfilments.

If you don’t see visions, you are no less a Christian; you are not superhuman if you do. God gives us various abilities according to his purpose. The most important thing is to be a child of God. God can speak to you and there are various ways he speaks to his children. I have had the privilege of being involved in some of them. The best attitude to these things is to see oneself as a messenger, “just like the mail man” whose job is to deliver mails to people’s houses. The joy of the job is in doing exactly what it demands.

We must not see ourselves as lords over God’s people because we have the gifts of God; doing so is much like taking the glory that belongs to God. Every gift must be exercised in love.
Visions are still part of the ways God speaks to us today and if you have this gift please exercise it in a godly way. You must not allow people to put you off it. Let Jesus be glorified in all you do.

Ref:
Bible Quotes: http://www.biblegateway.com

Who Killed John the Baptist?

Please don’t offer the easy answer! It is important to look intently into this incident and consider the role played by each person involved and then draw a life conclusion.

“Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known. And he said, “John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.”
Others said, “It is Elijah.”
And others said, “It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets.”
But when Herod heard, he said, “This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!” For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife; for he had married her. Because John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.
Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee. And when Herodias’ daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, “Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you.” He also swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”
So she went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask?”
And she said, “The head of John the Baptist!”
Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”
And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. And he went and beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.” Mark 6:14-29 (NKJV)

Who Killed John the Baptist?
-Herodias wanted to kill John the Baptist.
-Herodias told the daughter to ask for the head of John the Baptist.
-Herod’s Daughter requested for the head of John the Baptist.
-Herod wanted to please his guests, his wife and his daughter.
-Herod gave the command to kill John.
-Executioner killed John the Baptist.

From the above scripture, Herod claimed responsibility for the death of John. The guilt of that wrongdoing followed him from the time it happened till death and definitely it will come up against him on the judgement day.

What part do you play in the events of your life and in issues concerning other people? We will all give account of all our actions before God. Many people, including some preachers, live as if life ends here on earth. I want to remind us of some scriptures lest we forget.
“And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” Acts 1:10-11 (NKJV)
“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” 1 Cor.15:19 (NKJV)

Pleasing people rather than God is in vogue; it is seen as the “ticket to the heights” but beware, “it could become one too many.”

John the Baptist lost his life to men pleasers. None of the people involved can be exonerated. Herod abused his authority and the daughter abused her privilege. The bitterness of Herodias was murderous. She crowned her adulterous life with murder. (She could not tolerate John the Baptist for saying the truth.) Our jobs will not be accepted as an excuse for meddling with bad things. You have a choice!

Whatever your conclusions are on this, it is okay; however, it is one of those things to account for some day.

Ref;
Bible quote: http://www.biblegateway.com

He Was Almost There!

Some years ago I had a friend who planned to marry. A lot of preparations were put into it and a good sum of money was spent. When the time came he informed me he was travelling to get married; I wished him well (I couldn’t go with him). For several weeks he did not come back; I was very worried but I could not contact him. One evening, I finally got to him, but he was very unhappy; he told me his story, the bride did not show up for the wedding; she backed-off at the last moment. (The family stopped her from going through with it.) They were almost there!

There was another man who nearly got there. He almost made it to heaven. The following scripture tells his story.
“Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!”
But he said, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason. For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.”
Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”
And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.” Acts 26:24-29 (NKJV)

During his trial, when the Jewish leaders accused Paul of insurrection, he was brought before Festus the governor and Agrippa the king and the above quote was an excerpt of that encounter.
Agrippa said to Paul “You almost persuaded me to become a Christian.” He never became one. It was like he got to the gate of heaven, to the throne of mercy and then turned back. He was almost there! It is unfortunate. What would Agrippa say when he finally gets to the judgement seat of Christ? What stopped him from going through with it?

If he wasn’t fit to make a sound judgement about eternal life, how was he able to govern people; making very serious decision like the one involving Paul, issues that could cost someone his life? Job 32:9 says, “Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment.” (KJV)

He could also have considered what his friends would make of such a decision. Mark 8:38 says, “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” (KJV)
He was ultimately responsible for his actions. It doesn’t matter what other people think or say, we are responsible for our decisions. It is important to understand this so we can stand up for what is right.
Was it that his position made aligning with the Christian life difficult for him? If that is the case where is he now? We must not cling to things that don’t last to the detriment of things that have lasting and daring consequences. King Saul of Israel lost his dynasty because he preferred being a “man of the people” to obeying God. He lost the kingdom and lost the people.

You might have had or heard of experiences of “being almost there”. They can lead to unimaginable frustration, stress and even depression. Sometimes they could be things outside our control that caused them and in that case we couldn’t do anything about it. At other times we were solely responsible for what happened. People usually have difficulties recovering from incidents.
To avoid being caught up in very ugly situations like that, we must be very prayerful and watchful.
We must develop our characters, so that we can live for the highest ideals.
We must appreciate what friends and relations are, and what they are not and cannot be.
We must give time to study, so that we can have valuable information to help us at critical times of decision making.

It is important to know that when it comes to choosing between God and any other thing, God must have the pre-eminence. You might be at a crossroad about making a decision of eternal value, I urge you to choose God. Today is a good day to choose Christ. Do it.

Ref:
Bible Quotes: http://www.biblegateway.com
This articles is also published in http://www.gracefulvoice.com

Your Past in Your Present

We cannot underestimate the power and influence that our negative past has over our present. It is very subtle how it creeps in from time to time. There are many people who have so much complication with their past that their present is a wreck. You must deal with that stronghold if you are to enjoy liberty, freedom, productivity and fulfilment. Many nations, people and individuals are still wallowing with the evil of the past; things that they can’t change and the pains they only play out in their imagination. Year after year nations commemorate catastrophes; re-awakening the hurts of the past to the demise of the present. The following scripture tells the story of people like that and the response that all of us should pay attention to.
“When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.
His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.
But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.” Gen. 50:15-19 (NIV)

These were men that concealed their evil deed for several years. They were under a hideous oath not to divulge anything about what happened to Joseph. Now their past refused to go away even after Joseph showed them love. They were not convinced of his sincerity. That is exactly how many of us treat the love of God. Many people keep coming back to God to confess the same old sin over and over, without acknowledging that “God’s mercy endures for ever” They can’t accept that his love is everlasting. In this mood, they fail to enjoy the freedom that salvation brings.

The following scripture speaks about people who find it difficult to accept who we are now. There are many parents who still “babysit” their adult children. They “baby them” all about the places. They are others who cannot bear the site of our new level of life. They want us to still be “old fools” world without end. They see themselves as the “choiced, gifted, born-leaders, etc.” They are quick to play down other people’s achievements in very subtle ways. The Jews treated Jesus like that. The scripture says,

“Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Messiah? But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.” Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him,” John 7:26-28 (NIV)

Jesus resisted their backward and parochial mentality. Most times people paint the false humility picture of this evil. However, the question is, would Jesus have been considered “humble” if he accepted their perception of him. Would Jesus have fulfilled his ministry better if he accepted their view about his divinity? While I don’t support pride or arrogance in anyway, I must stress that being who you are irrespective of what other people think of you, is the best life you can ever live.

You cannot make a difference in your generation being someone else. You must discover yourself and live it out. Sometimes, your life might be carved out for a future generation and the present system or community viewpoint cannot understand a thing about you or pay for your worth. Many things we enjoy today sounded foolish to the first people who heard about it. For example, the Wright brothers announced they could fly and were called “foul”; who dares undermined their claim today? You can name others. Many great inventions that were foolish to many people who first heard about them are just all around you (Just look around you where you are now)

Many “school drop-outs” are doing great exploits in many areas of life but their former brilliant old teachers still wonder about “that dull boy” they had committed to “would amount to nothing” garbage bins. You must deliver yourself through the power of God from your negative past. It is time to move on. Forgive those who you need to forgive, leave behind you those that refused to forgive your past. Forgive yourself and move on.

God has made you new. Live it.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Cor. 5:17-21. (NIV)