Stepping into God’s Zone

Caution: This message is capable of changing someone’s life for good!

You are very unique and special; whether you realise, acknowledge, accept or reject this truth is entirely another thing. You are who you are by the working of factors and forces known and unknown; some were as a result of birth, experiences, education or lack of it, environment – positive or negative, relationships and many others. Whatever your social or economic standing; influence or achievement, you are unique; you don’t have any other person exactly like you.

There are other people that are very unique all around you and just like you, they were made by certain factors and forces; some are known and many are unknown. They have become who they are and are important to the community either as positive or negative occupants who must not be ignored.

God is very important and very unique. He is important in the world and in lives of people, whether they acknowledge it or not. There are many who love and cherish him, in response to his love. There are many who acknowledge him as great, though not specially attached to him. There are people who ridicule God and all he stands for; here are some examples;

“Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”  Daniel 3:13-15 (NIV) Emphasis mine.

“Elisha replied, “Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says: About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.”

The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?”

“You will see it with your own eyes,” answered Elisha, “but you will not eat any of it!” 2 Kings 7:1-2 (NIV) Emphasis mine.

God ignores many of the affront and disrespect from people and let everyone live as they wanted.

However there can be instances where people step out of their realm and jurisdiction to zones exclusive to God and other people to challenge their uniqueness. I will like to say concerning God, that sometimes, humans stepped into the “God zone”, in a public challenge because of their own influence powers, education, influence or many other things they can boast of.

It results in conflict. If you continue to read the reference scripture above, in the Bible, you will see the outcome. In the two instances it ended in shame for Nebuchadnezzar and death for the other fellow. The actors in both cases exerted their powers and understanding and the outcomes is a big lesson for all.

It is important that we appreciate our uniqueness in harmony with that of other people. We do this by respect, understanding and at worst tolerance.

We will do well to live and do our businesses while allowing others the right to do theirs.

When there are conflicts, it is important to resolve them and move on. In most cases being overbearing in matters relating to other people’s right of worship, existence, relationships among others is never something to do; it never pays off. Nebuchadnezzar found out in a very humiliating way.

There are people who are ingenious and have done unique things along their lives’ journey; it is only good to acknowledge them and move on. Their lives have been a blessing just like yours has been especially if you have lived productively.

It is important to respect and honour God. There are many things we might never get to know and there are things about God, though simple, but will remain mysteries to many.

Disrespecting people who love and serve God is just like stepping into and trampling on other people’s uniqueness and rights. You don’t want that happening to you, so why do it to others.

We all develop and grow; what looks so unattainable at a time might well be within reach within someone’s life time, so never give up on yourself.

Reference:

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

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 – Beware of “Prophet Zedekiah”

1. Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage.

² Some years later he went down to see Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle for him and the people with him and urged him to attack Ramoth Gilead. ³ Ahab king of Israel asked Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?”

Jehoshaphat replied, “I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will join you in the war.” ⁴ But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the Lord.”

⁵ So the king of Israel brought together the prophets—four hundred men—and asked them, “Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?”

“Go,” they answered, “for God will give it into the king’s hand.”

⁶ But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?”

⁷ The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”

“The king should not say such a thing,” Jehoshaphat replied.

⁸ So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.”

⁹ Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them.

¹⁰ Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns, and he declared, “This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.’”

¹¹ All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. “Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious,” they said, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.”

¹² The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the other prophets without exception are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably.”

¹³ But Micaiah said, “As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what my God says.”

¹⁴ When he arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?”

“Attack and be victorious,” he answered, “for they will be given into your hand.”

¹⁵ The king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”

¹⁶ Then Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’”

¹⁷ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?”

¹⁸ Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing on his right and on his left.

¹⁹ And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’

“One suggested this, and another that. ²⁰ Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’

“‘By what means?’ the Lord asked.

²¹ “‘I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said.

“‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’

²² “So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.”

²³ Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. “Which way did the spirit from the Lord go when he went from me to speak to you?” he asked.

²⁴ Micaiah replied, “You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inner room.”

²⁵ The king of Israel then ordered, “Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son,

²⁶ and say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.’”

²⁷ Micaiah declared, “If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Mark my words, all you people!” 2 Chron. 18:1-27 (GNB)

You have the right as a child of God to hear from God and to say so. There are many people who might think they have the prerogatives over other believers to hear God. God has the right to speak to any person he wishes to; denying God this right and denying other believers this privilege is out of place and a negation which has grievous consequences

“Prophet Zedekiah” will have none of that and can go all length to insist on his superiority. Beware of “prophet Zedekiahs” of this age.

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

Ref: http://www.biblegateway.com

You can’t serve God with the powers of darkness

“There is nothing that can justify serving God with the powers of darkness, evil and of the devil,” says the Lord. That was the word of God while I worked on this message.
Engaging the powers of evil in Christian worship is currently widely reported all over the world and I have observed awfully increases of sinister practices in the way many people are handling Christian services. These practices are not new, they have always been there and God has always declared his abhorrence to them. These confusions were common in Sodom and Gomorrah, in Egypt, among the heathen nations driven out from Palestine, during the reign of several kings in Israel and in many other instances. Solomon lost a substance part of the David’s dynasty because he got involved; Saul lost his life because he slipped back to witchcraft practice, Elijah destroyed about 400 prophets of Baal because of adulteration of worship in Israel. How come some people think it is acceptable now?
The scriptures says in 2 Tim. 4: 3-4, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
The following scriptures tell of an incidence where God frowned at consulting powers of darkness.
“Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and lay sick; so he sent messengers, telling them, “Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness.”
But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?
Now therefore thus says the LORD, You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’” So Elijah went.
The messengers returned to the king, and he said to them, “Why have you returned?”
And they said to him, “There came a man to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you, and say to him, Thus says the LORD, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’”
He said to them, “What kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things?”
They answered him, “He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”
Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty men with his fifty. He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, “O man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’”
But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
Again the king sent to him another captain of fifty men with his fifty. And he answered and said to him, “O man of God, this is the king’s order, ‘Come down quickly!’”
But Elijah answered them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
Again the king sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up and came and fell on his knees before Elijah and entreated him,
“O man of God, please let my life, and the life of these fifty servants of yours, be precious in your sight.
Behold, fire came down from heaven and consumed the two former captains of fifty men with their fifties, but now let my life be precious in your sight.”
Then the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king
and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word?—therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’”
So he died according to the word of the LORD that Elijah had spoken. Jehoram became king in his place in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, because Ahaziah had no son. 18 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?” 2Kings 1:2-17 (ESV)

Jehoram, as a king in Israel, was setting a bad course for people because of something he wanted so dearly, his health. He was misguided and went after the powers of evil to seek help. The king did not like how Elijah intercepted his messengers (just like some people may not like this message), so he sent soldiers to arrest him; and because of the rudeness and arrogance of two of the three captains sent, they suffered severely for it.
King Jehoram eventually died in his error, according to God’s judgment. Please understand that he was not seeking for medicine, he was seeking help from priests of Ekron. He was subscribing to their gods. He snubbed the right ways and felt he could do just anything irrespective of the consequences.

In Acts 8:9-13, 18-24, we read the story of Simon the magician, who deceived people Samaria for years with evil powers. He used sorcery to make himself someone. He liked being called “this man is the power of God that is called great.” Let us read more of his story,
“But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great.
They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.”
And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.
Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money,
Saying “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!
You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.
Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.
For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.”
And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”

When the gospel got to Samaria, Simon’s folly got out of the bag and people discovered the truth. He was not done yet and wanted to buy the power of God so that he could lay hands on people and perform signs. Peter could not be bought over, and sternly rebuked Simon. Simon got the shock of his life. (Peter, of course, won’t be considered wise, in many places today, for turning down an opportunity to make a lot of money). Some people might suggest that he should do it and repent afterwards; that is the underlying reason why many people consciously dabble with evil.
I have heard that it is believed in some places that, “whatever you do to get money is not sin”. Shame!
Someone once said of a pastor, who had some problem with sin; “people say what he did was bad, yet his church is increasing with people” Shame! To this person church growth and fame supersedes living according to the word of God. The problem here was that even non-Christian found what happened very horrendous. The state held it against him.
You cannot use the powers of evil to please God. Satan tempted Jesus saying, “…, all this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.” Luke 4:6-7
Jesus rejected that suggestion and by it, showed us an example which is too hard for many people today to follow.
“And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Luke 4:8
There are many people today who have set out to deceive other people, including believers, who are careless and greedy. Their ways were already revealed in the scriptures.
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;” 1 Tim. 4:1-2 (KJV)
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ………. high minded lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as their’s also was.” 2 Tim. 3:1-9
You can’t serve God acceptably with the power of the devil.
Why people are deceived
– Greed
– Laziness
– Spell
Many people get deceived because they are greedy and so ready to compromise. The perpetrators believe they can deceive people and also deceive God. They believe they can always repent and outwit God. Some of these people are never believers; they saw the Christian faith as a business opportunity and they grabbed it and started manipulating people. They are very clever and many Christians are naïve.
Many people are lazy; they can’t read the word for themselves and want prayers from every person who says he prays. They feel God answers other people’s prayers except theirs. Like Simon, they are ready to pay for prayers.
Many people are gullible and play into the hands of “religious laud talkers”. These talkers boast of high things and tell people things that suggest that they are “deputy gods”. They see themselves as “assistant gods” who actually control what God does. Lies!
They manipulate people, telling them they will be cursed if they ever question their authorities; like Simon, they hold people in great fears and terrors.

Despite the wonderful opportunities we have to study the word of God, many people are deceived because they refused to read. In some places the prerogative to read the Bible is for their leaders. Only their leaders interpret the “word of God” correctly. Lazy! I once saw a church online where their “pastor” asked people to go and eat grass; and they did. Deceived!
Go and study the word of God and learn the truth for yourself. The word of God is written for every one of us and the Holy Spirit is able to help us understand it, if we ask him. Stop running to and fro to “collect fire”; it might be “strange fire”. It will be like going from fry pan to fire.
Today, I bring the word of God to you, “…… “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.” Gen. 19:17.

Remember Lot’s wife. Luke 17:32.

If you believe in God you must either stop using the powers of the devil to serve God or you must stop patronising those who do.
If you don’t believe God will punish people who meddle with evil powers in the name of serving him; your Christianity is suspect and you are wide open for trouble. Don’t think you can fool God and fool the devil. The devil will surely demand his ransom very soon.
God will not spare this evil, so, repent today. There is plenty to enjoy in God. He loves you and is willing to bless you.

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

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

The Problem with Choice

We are products of our past choices and our future is as predictable as the choices we make today. Choices are tricky because there a many things that work underground to influence whatever we choose to do.

Choices vary in weight and consequences; some have lasting effects on us while others are just “one of those things” issue. We must be very careful when making choices whether big or small. For example, making a relationship choice is weightier than making a choice about what to eat but a wrong food choice can be as problematic as a wrong relationship choice at a long run.

Choices are elastic in nature and can be dealt with, with proper support. We can deal with whatever choice we have made with proper information, education, mentoring and counselling. We can prayerfully handle past, present and future choices and their probable consequences. However, the problem with choices is that many of them are like the spider’s web. If an insect gets entangled in a spider’s web, it seems to me that, the insect normally feels, “I can handle this” and starts to struggle with it. Most insects never get free without some external help. An on-looker sees the web as fragile but it never is to the poor insect caught in it. Most people see people in difficulty as “stupid”, however, if that is true, then all human beings are. Someone once said “who does not need help?” I want to ask, who has never made a poor choice?

Another problem with choices is that many people get to a point where they fear that making a change in their life is very late. For example, many people who are having career problem may feel that making a fresh start is impossible but when placed side by side with a wrong choice, I feel that a new beginning is the winning streak. It is the mark of courage; it is the mark of a champion. It is never too late to make a fresh move. Some require gradual adjustments while others might require radical actions. If for instance you have been made redundant because of technological developments in your industry, you can choice to get some training elsewhere rather die bemoaning your “bad luck”. You can always find a way in life if you choose to have a positive attitude to life.

Do not be box-in by traditional way of thinking, like “the old wine is better”. Think outside the box, embrace changes and be positive. Life has many sides and you can always enjoy some fun even if there is “a shift” or change of horizon. What will friends think? I don’t know and I won’t suggest you do their thinking for them; you will be sapped if you choose to do that. What will they say? I don’t know but it is more likely they will be limited by their “environment which is always parochial, Judgmental and self-centred.” In any case, you are responsible for your life and accountable for whatever you choice. However, you are never going to sit down to give account to many of you “limiting influences”.

You can you to win today no matter what the challenges are. The first step could be making a good choice (a fresh start, maybe!). The next will be following it through with courage and focus. The journey is always better with God; so commit your ways to the Lord and trust him to come through for you. You have a friend in me – I want you to succeed.

Surely, You Can!

Praise The Lord

“Praise the LORD! Praise The LORD, O my soul!

I will praise the LORD, as long as I live;

Surely, you can

I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.

When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that day his plans perish.

Blessed is he whose help is the Lord God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made the heaven and the earth,

the sea and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever;

who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry.”

Psalm 146:1-7 (ESV)

You can praise God in your heart

You can praise God at work (in your mind)

You can praise God at home

You can praise God while driving

You can praise God in your fellowship group (church).

And if you are in UK,

You can join us on Sundays (10 am -12 noon)

At: Clifton Village Hall, Nottingham NG11 8EB

To praise the Lord;

You can adapt this post for your use in your group;

(Permission to use granted)

You can praise the Lord anywhere.

If anyone asks you why, you can always say, “Because I can”

N/B: This post is also published on http://www.gracefulvoice.com

Hearing From God: The Voice and The Hand

It is very important to learn to hear from God and to be watchful always. If you are not sure of the “voice” and the “hand”, wait for God. Don’t allow the enemy to take advantage of you. Not now and not at any time.

The Voice and The Hand

Be Strong – Change 1

Warning: The Post you are about to read is capable of transforming your life.

Change 2

N/B: You can remove the “Egyptians” in the scripture quoted above and put your challenges, struggles, disappointments, sickness, barrenness, and emptiness in its place. (put anything that has been bothering you endlessly)

God is able to change your situation – today is your day for change.! Let God handle it.

 

If God Spoke to You – Hang on to it

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If God spoke to you – Hang on to it