Why God Keeps On Doing Great Things?

Recently I was invited to a church member's thanksgiving service. Sometime ago he was bedridden and his illness was not promising to a point that he eventually lost his job. However, God's grace was upon him and he was healed, got another job and continued with his life. He has a home (which he continued to establish in spite of his illness), a family and a job. He wanted to give thanks to God for answering his prayers and hence the service last Sunday.

When he personally invited me two months ago, I immediately knew I was not going to miss this occasion. As I thought and prayed about this function, I could tell that my faith was soaring. I recalled all the times this man pushed himself to church and how he would cry out to the Lord in prayer and how he would sing and dance for the Lord, forgetting about his health condition - fast forward to today, he preaches the Word of God with a meaning.

I asked myself why God continues to do wonders for us. Why God performs miracles? I realized that He does not do it just for fun. He does not do it just to please the person receiving the miracle. He does it for a specific reason. That is the message God imparted in my heart. Somehow I knew God wanted me to relay this message. That is why I was least shocked when I learnt on the day I am one of the selected individuals included in the programme to give a testimony. After all we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

So, why God keeps on doing great things? This is what Joshua told the Israelites, "For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over, that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever," (Joshua 4:23-24).

God does not want us to be just a reservoir of His blessings. He wants us to be a flowing river of His blessings so that all the people who get to know of our blessings may turn to Him. The hand of God is powerful and all people should know that so they may glorify Him.

What does fearing the Lord mean? David said, Come, you children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the LORD. Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it." (Psalm 34: 11-14).

In other words, the fear of the Lord means living a righteous life. God is always ready to listen and answer the prayers of the righteous. The Apostle James says the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. The Apostle Paul says the kingdom of God is righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

God has promised that he will dwell in us and walk among us. He has promised that we will be His people and He will be our God. He has promised that if we do not touch anything unclean and separate ourselves from the evil, He will receive us. He has promised that He will be our Father and we will be his sons and daughters.

"Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God," (2 Corinthians 7:1). My lovely friends let us seek His kingdom and his righteousness first. It calls us to be pure in heart. We have to ask God to cleanse us from anything that separates us from His face and that is sin. We often say nobody is perfect but God has told us to be perfect because He is perfect. Let us strive for the perfection of His holiness in fearing him. We can never see God without holiness. Jesus said blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.

We all desire to enter his kingdom, which is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. It is amazing how much peace you have when you know your heart is clean. In the book of the prophet Isaiah 32:17 the Word says the work (or fruit) of righteousness will be peace and the effect of righteousness will be quietness and assurance forever.

My friend let us make it a point that we align ourselves with the Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus Christ and keep endeavoring to be righteous. My prayer these days to the Lord is that "Create in me a clean heart oh God". Let us seek Him with a clean heart. Let us seek Him in truth. He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Let us acknowledge Him for every blessing he pours unto us and that way the gospel of Christ will spread and many people will begin to fear Him. Bless His holy name!

The Faith and Assurance I Have in God

We were saved by grace through our faith in Jesus Christ and this grace was a gift from God. This has made us a new creation (workmanship), created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (see Ephesians 2: 8-10).

The Word of God instructs us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This is a clear indication that being saved is not enough, but we have to grow in the knowledge of our Lord. God rewards a man according to his conduct and to the fruits of his doings. Therefore our knowledge of Christ should be effective and bear fruits.

God prepared our good works beforehand and the onus is on us to grasp them and walk in them. We can only grasp that when we are spiritually mature enough and with spiritual immaturity we have no access to what God has prepared for us. In Galatians 4:1-2 Paul wrote, “Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father.”

What this means is that when you become a child of God you have the good works that God prepared for you but until you grow to the rightful stage where you become a son of God (mature), you can’t have access to them.

Paul also illustrated this point by saying, “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal,” (1 Corinthians 3:1-2).

The book of Hebrews explains that everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

In other words, those who are mature are wise enough to discern both good and evil and they are led by the Spirit of God that knows even the depths of God. The Spirit reveals the hidden things of God. Therefore, maturity means being led by the Spirit, walking in the Spirit and living in the Spirit.

God speaks to us (his children) in a way that we are able to comprehend, hence the illustration of milk and solid food. That is why people of this world count God’s wisdom as foolishness because they cannot understand the language he speaks and they have no relationship with him. Sometimes someone may say something led by the Spirit and you fail to understand because you are still a child. I recall someone telling me that God said I should ‘separate myself’ and at that point I could not understand what the statement meant. However, as I grew in his knowledge I began to understand that message and I obey.

God speaks wisdom to those who are able to discern his wisdom. “However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,” (1 Corinthians 3:6-8).

This is the wisdom that we should yearn for. God established our purpose here on earth before time began. We need to listen to him in order to grow, meditate in his word day and night. He instructed Joshua to ensure that the Book of the Law shall not depart from his mouth, but he shall meditate in it day and night, that h may observe to do according to all that is written in it. “For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8)

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Holy Spirit teaches us all things and guides us as we read the Word of God. This is where we draw our strength. This is where gain knowledge and wisdom to understand what God says. I have been keeping notes of the time I spend reading the Word of God it is amazing to track how I have grown from strength to strength.

There have been times when I have been challenged and my faith called into question but through the knowledge and wisdom from God I emerged a conqueror. This is confirmed by the scripture, “A wise man is strong, Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength,” (Proverbs 24:5).

The Word of God is pure and never changes, and he always fulfills his promises. Faith is not just believing God can; but it is believing that God WILL. That is why we always rejoice in his name. Listen to him when he says be thankful in ALL circumstances, he means just that. It all makes sense when you have the knowledge and wisdom to understand why you should be grateful when you are going through a painful experience.

God rewards those who earnestly seek him. I pray that we grow and eagerly wait for his wisdom and knowledge all the time. It is not a once off experience, it is a continuous journey that goes through high mountains and dark forests but we never give up because we know God will lead us through- He is our hope. This is what he says:

“My son, eat honey because it is good and the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste. So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul. If you have found it, there is a prospect and your hope will not be cut off,” (Proverbs 24:13-14).

Praise the Lord

Praise the Lord

The Lord is my rock, my fortress, my deliver.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want

The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?

The Lord is on my side, I will not fear. What can man do to me?

The Lord is for me among those who help me. Therefore I shall see my desires on those who hate me.

The Lord is my strength and song and He has become my salvation.

The Lord is your keeper. The Lord watches over you.

The Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by the day or the moon by night.

The Lord is righteous; He has cut in pieces the cords of the wicked.

For I know the Lord is great.

And the Lord is above all gods.

The Lord is gracious and full of compassion; slow to anger and great in mercy.

The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all His works.

The Lord is righteous in all His ways, gracious in all His works

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him; to all who call upon Him in truth.

LET EVERYTHING THAT HAS BREATH PRAISE THE LORD!!!

(The is a compilation of lines in the book of Psalms and I have compiled them to praise the Lord mainly for whom He is. As long as you know who He is you will find a reason to rejoice in His name all the time no matter what you are going through. He deserves to be praised and let us praise Him for who He is!)