You Can't Keep A Good Man Down!

(This article was first published in the Swazi Gospel Sun, Nov 13 -Nov 26, 2010)

There is a popular saying that goes, ‘You can’t keep a good man down’. As I am writing this piece I am reflecting on the words by the great Psalmist, King David I read last night saying, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand.” (Psalm 37:23-24)..

It is very saddening to see someone going down, deep down into troubles. It is even worse when you cannot figure out how you can help this person get back to the top. Getting in a difficult situation sometimes is inevitable and most of the time is avoidable. However, the most crucial step is what you decide to do when you find yourself in that situation.

The greatest mistake we make is that we tend to run away from God instead of running back to Him. We tend to think that we got ourselves in this situation and therefore we will get ourselves out. We tend to convince ourselves that we will deal with it in our own way. We forget that God can deliver us from whatever situation. That is the fastest way to drive ourselves further into the quagmire.

On the other side of the coin, there are times when we find ourselves in sticky situations not because of our own doing. It might be the environment around us or people who are all out to ensure that we do not succeed in whatever we are doing. Let us face it, we are living in a world where people find pleasure in seeing other people disheartened and frustrated. You better understand that is what makes gossip news so sweet for them!

One of the most encouraging stories I have read in the Bible is the story of Elijah when he fled from Jezebel. Most of us know the story of Elijah and how he killed the prophets of Baal after demonstrating how the God we serve is great. Jezebel was not pleased at all and vowed to kill the prophet of God.

“Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.” (1 Kings 19: 3-5).

Elijah had come to a point where he felt ‘enough is enough’. He did not see the reason for living and was greatly discouraged. Even though he stood firm and represented God’s kingdom in a hostile environment, the troubles were not coming to an end. I know some people are feeling the same. They are asking, “Why me Lord?” Do not be afraid, God is watching over you.

As you read the story of Elijah, God sent an angel to Elijah while he was sleeping and gave him some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. Elijah ate and drank before going back to sleep again. Remember, Elijah had been running away from Jezebel for a day’s journey (estimated to be between 32 to 40 kilometers); obviously he was hungry and tired. God provided for his needs contrary to what Elijah had prayed and asked for. Elijah was acting on his feelings, his emotions but the good Lord knew exactly what he needed at that particular time!

Although he was down, Elijah, a good man of God was not out. God was holding his hand throughout the situation. When he did not have the strength to go on, God was there to pull his hand. You can’t keep a good man down!

“The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.” (1 Kings 19: 7-8)

My dear friend, it does not matter how many problems you are facing God will give you the strength to rise above them. Elijah found himself in a very disheartening situation. The Israelite had rejected God’s covenant, God’s altars had been destroyed, God’s prophets had been killed, he was the only one left and his life was sought after. However, God was with him throughout these circumstances.

The Apostle Paul writes in the Epistle to the Philippians that whatever happens let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. All you have to do is to turn to God and remain faithful to Him. David says “Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.” (Psalm 37:3).

When you are in that dark corner and you have given up on life, just run back to God, He is good and always ready to forgive. His mercy is abundant to those who call upon His name. When the enemy is laughing you cannot be shaken because you know a good man cannot be put down.

Today stand up and say, “Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, The LORD will be a light to me” (Micah 7:8).

A good person is the one who trust in the Lord all the time and ensures that he/she walks according to the will of God. Get up and eat, for the journey is too great for you! We have the Word of God that we can feed on to gain strength. Whatever happens, just remind the enemy that ‘you can’t keep a good man down!’

*All scripture quoted from the New King James Version unless stated otherwise

Encouragement is a Daily Necessity

(This article was first published in the Swazi Gospel Sun, Oct 30-Nov 12, 2010)

I find it a bit funny that each time I want to write about encouragement as a subject I end up doing it instead. It is like a farmer who is trying to teach someone how to plant cabbages and ends up doing the planting. I want to believe encouragement is something we need to live by.

Most often than not I find that people need someone to say or do something to give them courage when they are in their lowly state. In the absence of an act of encouragement the enemy finds an opportunity to come in and plant thoughts that will drive that particular person away from the Lord. How many times have you seen or heard of people turning to alcohol, drugs, sexual activities and even suicide because of depression? Somebody could have noticed the signs at some point.

In most cases we are so pre-occupied with our lives that we become oblivious of the people around us. The Word of God says, “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others,” (Philippians 2:4 NKJV).

To me this simply means that you should care about the next person. You should be ready to listen when they need to get something off their chest. What I have come to realize is that once someone talks to you about what is bothering them they feel relieved and better. What encourages them is that at least someone cared to listen.

One of the amazing experiences is when someone comes to you with their problems and hope to get a solution from you when you are also dealing with your own issues. Each time I offer words of encouragement to someone I feel re-energized and encouraged myself. That has inspired me to keep on encouraging the people I interact with.

What we say is very important. You should know what the right words to say and the right time to say those words. “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” (Ephesians 4:29 NKJV)

This is an important part of life because you never know what the devil might do during that time when the person has lost courage. The Word of God says, “See to it brothers that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness,” (Hebrews 3:12-13 NIV).

Sometimes people wonder how one manages to keep a positive attitude in all situations. True, this is not so easy and it comes as a result of surviving several trials and tribulations. In this life I have learnt that my challenges are nothing compared to what others are going through. That makes me feel better, but it doesn’t take away that I am facing a challenge and I have to deal with it.

Let us be frank, there are times when you wish to be left alone to deal with the situation on your own. These are the times when you do not need anyone to come to you with ideas borrowed from self-help books. These are the times when you do not even have the courage to open your Bible. These are the times when you get tired of hearing people telling you “it’s going to be ok!” In essence these are the times when you do not want to hear from people who want to help you.

The other day I was touched by a friend who sent me a message about the troubles she was going through. What was most difficult was that she could not spell out the real problem. All she could say was that it was something that has to do with her past and now manifesting itself and messing with her life.

This is just one example of people who are going through such emotional rough patches that they cannot share with other people lest they are judged or ridiculed. The enemy finds a perfect opportunity to install thoughts of death or ‘permanent loss of memory’ as the best solution.

How do you come out of such a situation with a positive mind? Paul says, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content,” (Philippians 4:11 NKJV). To be content means to be satisfied (or happy) with who you are, whatever happens it does not change who you are. You are complete in Jesus Christ and you can do all things through Him because he strengthens you. In other words, you remain with the faith that Jesus will give you the strength to pull out of any situation.

It all begins with locating yourself – who you are and where do you stand? If you have a solid foundation in your life you will be content with the knowledge that whatever the situation, it shall not sweep you off your position. Instead it will make you stronger than you were before.

I have learned that in whatever state I am in I should be thankful to God. What is it that I should be grateful for when things are not going my way? When everything I do seem to be crashing against the wall? My dear friend, God knows and his eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him (2 Chronicles 16:9).

Whatever happens, remain loyal to God and you will find great satisfaction inside your heart. The Word of God says many are troubles of the righteous but the Lord delivers him from them all. As long as you believe in this, you will be content with you current state of affairs and wait patiently upon the Lord. Remember this: “Now godliness with contentment is great gain,” (1 Timothy 6:6 NKJV).

Working Your Faith In Times of Trouble

When you are in trouble the only thing you need is someone to come to your rescue. As children of God we are blessed because we have our Father who is always watching us and saying, "Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other,” (Isaiah 45:22). The confidence that we have is that God will always be there for us.

I am thinking of the Apostle Paul. He was jailed and the Philippians paid him a visit. It is amazing that Paul was the one who was jailed and probably needed to be encouraged to stand strong. However, he turned things around and exhorted the people who had paid him a visit.

Despite being in chains, Paul never lost faith and instead his faith soared. To him all the difficulties he was facing were good for the furtherance of the gospel. To him the fact that he was chained because of Christ was making him happy because that was spreading the gospel without fear and much better than words.

As Paul continued to encourage the Philippians he said, "Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ..." (Philippians 1:27 NIV). I think that is where most of us as Christians fail. When we are faced with challenges, our actions tend to be more driven by emotions. We tend to act in anger, pain, sorrow etc. We end up saying things we were not supposed to say, do things we were not supposed to do because of the trouble being too much to bear. Whatever happens, we should remain godly.

When we come to God for rescue, we should come to Him with a clean heart. The Apostle Paul says God has not called us to uncleanliness but to holiness. Another Apostle, one of my favourite characters in the Bible, Peter testifies to this when he writes, "But just as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct;" (1 Peter 1:15).

Holiness the only way we can see God and we can be called God’s people. "Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” (2 Timothy 2:19). God only listens to the righteous.

With that foundation, whatever happens we surely shall establish our faith in God no matter how big are our troubles. Although I am not a fan of ’how tos' because they tend to grow into 'laws', allow me to forget about that for a while and consider how to work your faith when troubles surround you. I will draw lessons from Psalm 3, which David wrote when he was running away from his own son Absalom who was turning against him.

1. When you are faced with troubles, this is what you need to know and believe:

• The Lord is your shield - Whatever happens, know that God will always protect you 
• The Lord is your glory - You are worthy before God and the troubles that you are facing do not mean that you are a worthless person as you or some may think. You are honourable.
• The Lord is your lifter - God is the One who can make you rise above every situation. Even when you are down, He will lift you up and keep your head up.

2. With that knowledge, this is what you need to do:

• Cry out to the Lord - This means that you need to call out the name of the Lord and He surely shall hear you. Although He sees what is happening, He needs you to call upon Him to your attention.
• Lie down and sleep - What this means is that you need to take a rest (relax). In other words, do not press those panic buttons. Sometimes you need to act as if nothing is happening and when you 'wake up' to your troubles you will realize that the Lord is sustaining you.
• Do not be afraid - The enemy delights at inducing fear on us when we are in trouble. Even when tons of troubles are all around you, do not be frightened. In the absence of fear, there is faith and vice versa.
• Ask God to save you - When you say "Arise, O LORD; Save me, O my God!" He surely shall answer your prayer. You need to call upon Him in faith to come to your rescue.
• Praise the Lord - The risk is that once He sets us free from our troubles we forget to give Him the credit. Give Him all the praise because salvation belongs to Him and He is the one who gives blessings to His people. When I read the history books in the Bible I realize that in most cases people would rejoice before the victory comes. That is a good lesson to learn and adopt.

Have faith in God. He loves us and does not want us to perish. All that He needs is for us to look at Him and be saved. "A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all," (Psalm 4:19 NIV).

*All Scripture quoted from New King James Version unless stated otherwise.

A Quick Note - God is Faithful

You might have noticed that I have not posted something new for a while. Do not press those panic buttons, God is still great and there is no other God besides Him. He is the only Rock of our salvation. Each day I grow in understanding that everything is from God and through God and to God (Rom 11:36). He brought us into this world and through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ he made a way for us get back to Him.

All we have to do is to holdfast to His Word because He is faithful. He shall never leave nor forsake us. He shall never forget us. "Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, they may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have indelibly imprinted (tattooed a picture of) you on the palm of each of My hands; [O Zion] your walls are continually before Me," (Isaiah 49:15-16 AMP).

Life, Oh Life!

I was walking, thinking that I know my destiny. I read so many books and articles on how to find the road to successful life. Tried so many methods on how to live my life. When all failed I decided I will live my life my way. Nobody will dictate to me how to live my own life. I pressed on in my own way. Little did I know that Jesus will come and say, "I AM THE WAY!

I discovered that this world is enveloped by so many 'truths.' Everyone claimed to be on the true side of life. I came to a point where I told people to hold on to what they held as the truth. Think about it, one will say if you love something let it go, if it comes back it was meant to be yours. Another will say if you love something keep it and nurture it. Both are correct. I was convinced that everything is the truth depending on where you stand. However, Jesus came and said "I AM THE TRUTH" - the same yesterday, today and forever!

Hey, have you noticed that life has been given all sorts of names? How many times have you heard the statements "life sucks!", "life is a b**ch", "life is not fair" etc? Did you know that the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit? I did not know until I met Jesus who smiled and said, "I AM THE LIFE."

My dear friend, Jesus is the Son of the Living God and he boldy said, "I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

He is the only gate to get into the presence of God. "Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He designates a certain day saying in David, "Today," after such a long time, as it has been said: TODAY, IF YOU WILL HEAR HIS VOICE DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS," (Hebrews 4:6-7).

[Taken from my personal Facebook profile notes]

"You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand"

When Jesus was washing His disciples' feet, Simon Peter could not believe that the Lord was about to wash his feet. He could not believe Jesus was actually taking such a lowly service. When he actually asked Jesus if indeed He was going to wash his feet, Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand," (John 13:7).

Sometimes Jesus will do things through that you may not even understand. He may direct you to do things you do not understand yourself. Sometimes He may lead you on uncomfortable grounds, that you may feel lost, lonely and rejected. Sometimes people may even think you are going crazy. Sometimes you may even ask Him "Why this Lord?" You may even ask yourself if you should be really doing that. When you listen carefully, He will be right there with you saying, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

My friend, if you really know that the Lord is leading you to do what you are doing, just obey. He is actually taking you to another chapter of the book that He authored long before the foundations of the earth were laid. If you call Him Lord, just do what He says. Keep your eyes fixed on Him. "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God," (Hebrews 12:2).

You may not realize what the Lord is doing in your life at the moment, but walk in faith and you will understand why he is doing what he is doing!

Note from the Facebook page

Endure the pains of your pruning - it stimulates new growth!

In John 15: 1-2 Jesus says, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."

As you read the passage you will realize that we are the branches. I do not think pruning is something each branch looks forward to. It must be a painful exercise. However, each branch endures the pain and the results are awesome if the pruning has been well done. Our Father is a faultless gardener and therefore the results will always be awesome if we endure the pain of pruning.

The challenges, pains, difficulties, suffering etc. we go through are part of the pruning process. The reason we are being pruned is because God knows that we are fruitful branches. If that was not the case he would simply cut us off. Because we have chose to abide in the true vine, he is taking care of us.

Pruning is an important exercise. Experts will tell you that pruning stimulates new growth, controls the tree size, and improves the size and quality of the fruit. As you go through challenges know that you are experiencing a new spiritual growth. Know that God is in control of your growth and how big you become. Most importantly, the pruning determines the greatness and quality of the fruits you bear.

In whatever circumstances you are going through, just hold on to Jesus. He says, "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples," (John 15:7-8).

Note from Facebook page

Thank You Lord For Your Mercy – My Personal Story

The prophecy pronounced

The Macmillan Dictionary defines mercy as the act of forgiving someone or not treating them severely, especially someone who you have the authority to punish. I like this definition because it clearly explains what God has done for me over the years.

As I was looking back in my life, I have realized that God has shown his mercy to me in a number of occasions. The sad part is that I disobeyed his voice and warnings. Although he had the authority to punish me, he saved me instead.

The story dates back to 2002 when my father passed away. He died on a weekend and his funeral was held on the following weekend. During the week preceding the funeral, a lot of people came to mourn and for prayers. This particular night, I knew there were people who had come for prayer. I was sleeping in my room and did not bother being part of the service (probably I needed some time alone to deal with the loss).

However, somebody came to fetch me from my room instructed by one of the brethrens who had received a prophetic message about me. Apparently this man saw a vision of me arguing with two young men over a petty issue and they eventually stabbed me with a knife. Other people in the room also concurred with this and one of them even said I will follow my father soon. The message was clear, I should pray for God’s protection and they prayed for me.

Days passed by, I was stressed and living in fear. I knew God was beckoning at me during that period but I turned a deaf ear to his voice. The same prophecy was related to me on two separate occasions in church by different people but still I could not recognize God’s voice nor take heed to the warning. I was against His instruction, “Do not despise prophecies,” (1 Thessalonians 5:20 NKJV)

For a while it died down and I was living my life as usual. Although I knew that God was the source of my strength, I never gave my life to him. Like a typical young man I experimented a lot of things with my life, thank God I was brought up with Christian values and I had sober morals, so I did not engage in some of the destructive activities.

Attacks confirming the prophecy

I thought the prophecy was gone and I was enjoying my life until I was harshly reminded on the 31st December 2007. It was around 7pm, a bit darker and I was with a cousin walking towards my cousin’s home in Manzini. Two guys approached us and they pretended to be starting a conversation with us. Before we knew it they pulled out knives.

My cousin managed to escape and suddenly I was surrounded by more than five guys. I looked around and all I could see were shiny objects in the air, some sharpened on both edges. I knew I was in trouble. One of them tried to stab me but the knife missed my shoulder by inches, it was like somebody pushed the knife away (I guess that was the hand of God!).

I didn’t fight back, they took away my belongings including about E600 cash, cell phone and a number of cards. I came out unscathed. Later on we proceeded with our plans to cross over to the New Year at Café Mogambo (an entertainment spot that has gained popularity for hosting massive end of year parties).

The prophecy was renewed. Somehow I knew I needed to give my life to God but I simply swept that away from my mind. It was a traumatic experience and I thanked God for the protection. But still I hardened my heart.

A similar occurrence happened again. On the 6th December 2008, at about 4am I was from clubbing and a friend dropped me at the gate at my cousin’s home. I walked past the main house to the one we use with my cousin. Somehow I went to the back of the house and when I came back towards the door, there were two men wielding their knives. I tried running away and raised alarm but that was a bit late. They got hold of me and calmly warned me against fighting back or I would be dead meat!

Again, they went away with some cash and cell phone. God was good to me because I was not harmed. But still I did not give my life to him!

It was a harsh reminder once again but God still showed his mercy. Since that incident, God was speaking to me strongly but still I continued to resist his call. In April last year something tragic happened. My mother was attacked by two thugs who stabbed her several times on the head and chest at a bus stop.

For some time I felt guilty that I was somehow responsible for this incident with my disobedience. It was like the people close to me are now suffering and that was much painful. Still God was talking. During a family evening prayer a prophetic word was pronounced to me. This time the message was straightforward, “Surrender your life wholeheartedly to the Lord.”

Hunger and thirst for God

By this time my ignorance had turned into greater hunger and thirst for the Lord. I had the longing for the word of God. Sadly, some forces were pulling me away from Jesus. I went to church but came back with emptiness in my heart. I would read the bible, I even downloaded some bible reading plans from the internet but still I could not understand what I was reading. I tried praying but I could not find the words. It was a heart-piercing experience.

I believe the Spirit of the Lord was already doing its work now. I felt a strong conviction to talk to someone and that person came into mind in a flash. I don’t think I had actually met this person at the time but we were good friends on Facebook.

I sent her a message on Facebook detailing my feelings. I think it was around May last year. She sent a short reply saying she will pray and return with a Word from God in three days time. I waited patiently and indeed after three days she came back with a response.

When you are hungry for God you wish to hear what God is saying to you. The response was,

“God says you need to separate yourself and reconnect with Him. You’re too busy at the moment. Make a conscious effort to spend quality time with Him. He loves and misses you too. I’ll be praying with you. Separate yourself.”

What a powerful message! Believe me; it did not make sense to me. I did not have the energy to go back and ask her to talk in simple language. The last two words stood out though, “Separate yourself.”

It took about seven months after this to finally surrender myself to the Lord Jesus Christ, allowing him to be my Saviour. The fight inside had intensified and I was helpless. Knowing what is the right thing to do but without power to get rid of the forces holding you back is such a strenuous battle. It is even worse when that dark cloud is still haunting. December last year my girlfriend was also robbed in a similar fashion – by two men carrying knives. It was so devastating that it was not only me suffering but the people close to my heart.

Jesus rescues me

I was in church at Madlangampisi on Sunday, 10 January 2010 when the defining moment came. The Reverend announced that the Word of God will be shared by a young man whom I believe is a testimony to God’s grace. He preached about the battle with sin.

Armed with my Contemporary English Version (CEV) bible, these are the words that touched my heart and I immediately opened the doors for Jesus to come in and dwell in my heart.

“But in every part of me I discover something fighting against my mind, and it makes me a prisoner of sin that controls everything I do. What a miserable person I am. Who will rescue me from this body that is doomed to die? Thank God! Jesus will rescue me,” (Romans 7:23-25 CEV)

What a timely Word! The procedure in my church is that after the Word has been dished anyone is free to stand up share. I am not sure if anyone understood what was happening or what I meant because when I stood up and read this scripture again. I remember saying “Jesus has rescued me!”

(I think one old man discerned this because after the service he came to me, put his hand around my shoulder and said, “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”)

I was a new creation. The following day I had a four-hour long conversation with my younger brother who has devoted his life in preaching the Word of God. I did not tell him what happened in my life the previous day and we had a candid and deep discussion about Christianity and I asked all the questions I always had (and there were so many!). That is one of the discussions I value in my life.

Discovering my purpose

That marked the beginning of a new journey. I began spending quality time with my Jesus and marveled at how wonderful it is. I separated myself (yes, it made perfect sense now!) Each time I would pray and when I opened my bible the Holy Spirit would lead me to a scripture that answered my prayer. It was so encouraging. This one particular night I was crying out to the Lord to make me understand why he called me. The moment I finished praying, I opened the bible and my eyes were fixed on this scripture;

“If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me. If you utter worthy, not worthless words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them,” (Jeremiah 15:19 NIV).

I knew in my spirit that was my purpose. I believed that was the reason God was patient with me. He wanted to use me as his spokesman. A small voice kept on asking “are you sure?” I have come to realize that God has a way of confirming what he has said (in case you have some doubts). He confirmed this to me in a dream. In the dream I was invited to talk to young people. When I came in, the auditorium was filled to capacity with young people and when I opened the bible, you guessed right – Jeremiah 15:19 was on my face!

I have had an interesting spiritual journey thus far. It came to my spirit that I should share this testimony. Why? “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23 NKJV)

God is a merciful God. I was disobedient and ignored his voice. He could have removed his protection and I would be history. Instead, he faithfully renewed his mercies every morning. However, not everyone can receive such mercy. “For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy (Rom 9: 15-16 NIV).”

When you hear the voice of the Lord, you better obey my friend. God wants to use you for a specific purpose and if you trust Him with all your heart He will prosper you. He will fulfill his purpose for you. He cares for you hence he is protecting you. He is a patient God and does not want anyone to perish but everyone should come to repentance.

When you come to Him, He will renew you. He says, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My Statutes, and you will keep My judgements and do them," (Ezekiel 36: 26-27 NKJV).

When we have come to repentance, let us remain faithful to him. “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily while it is called “Today” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin,” (Hebrews 3 : 12 -13 NKJV).

Thank you Lord for your amazing Mercy!

God Has Chosen You, Be Strong and Do It!

So many times when we are faced with challenges we wish we should not be the ones given that responsibility. It is not because we are running away from the responsibilities but it is a natural feeling that you get when you cannot figure out whether whatever you are doing is worth your time, energy and effort. You look at the returns and you think you are wasting your time. This is more noticeable when you are dealing with people who seem not to appreciate all that you are doing for them.

I have always held that each one of us is called for a specific purpose as a child of God and whatever we do it should be for edification of the next person. The most important thing is to find and know your purpose, what God has called you to do.

No matter how small or big the task may be, you have to do it with excellence because that is what God wants you to do. There was a time when Jeremiah felt his efforts were fruitless and questioned God why he had to let him suffer. God simply said, "If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me."

For as long as God is keeping us breathing, we have to serve Him, following what He has called us to do. David wanted to build a house for God but the Almighty stopped him because that was not his responsibility. Instead, he chose his son to do that. We have to be careful not to deviate from our divine calling and do other good things for the Lord. We should always look up to Him for direction.

When God gives you an assignment, it is not always an easy road, but we have to be strong. Glory to Him because He always prepare us for the journey. When the time came for David to tell his son about the assignment God gave him, the instructions were very clear and I believe each one of us should adhere to them.

"As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do it” (1 Chronicles 28:9-10).

My dear friend, whatever responsibility God has given you, do not give up when things seem to be falling apart. God has chosen you for that particular responsibility so be strong and just do it. He will be with you all the way if you serve him with a loyal heart and a willing mind. God bless you!

Seek God With All Your Heart All The Time

For years Asa reigning in Judah there was no war because God had given him rest. This is because he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and destroyed everything belonging to foreign gods. He commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment.

God is always ready to give us rest and all we have to do is to seek for his presence. He is ready to deliver us from all troubles in our lives as long as we set our hearts to seek him. He is our God and all we have to do is to be His people and He will dwell in us.

"Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, HE WILL BE FOUND BY YOU; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; but when in their trouble they turned to the LORD God of Israel, and sought Him, HE WAS FOUND BY THEM.(2 Chronicles 15:1-4).

This simply means that if we transgress from doing His will we lose sight of Him. Sin is what separates us from his presence. We have to repent and He will restore us to serve him. When you repent from your wrongdoings, you are basically turning back to Him and definitely you will find Him. Interestingly, like the Israelites we rush back to God when we are in trouble, but the Lord, being the Good Shepherd is always welcoming.

When Asa heard this prophecy he called his people and they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord of their fathers WITH ALL THEIR HEART and WITH ALL THEIR SOUL and whoever was against the covenant was put to death. This is an indication of how much they dedicated themselves to seeking the Lord as a unity.

They even made an oath before God. "And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their soul; and HE WAS FOUND BY THEM, and the LORD gave them rest all around." (2 Chronicles 15:15).

I am putting an emphasis on the statement "He was found by them" because it gives assurance that if you seek the Lord with all your heart and soul you will surely find Him. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him; to all who call upon Him in truth.

The story of Asa is a great lesson on relying on God's wisdom as well as leaning to your own understanding. He made a treaty with Ben-Hadad the King of Syria, in a bid to overcome Baasha king of Israel.

God was not pleased with Asa that he relied on the Kind of Syria instead of the Lord. He sent Hannan to Asa who said, "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars." (2 Chronicles 16:9).

God simply removed his protection and troubles began. Three years later Asa became ill and even worse he did not seek for the Lord even in his sickness. That is the sad story. For the better part of his life he was loyal to God and enjoyed God's presence but he lost it and died a sinner. We have to be loyal and seek God's presence to the end. Even when we falter along the way, we have to rise up and mend our ways, seeking for the Lord.

His son Jehoshaphat took over the reigns. Like his father, he continued to seek for the Lord. However, he erred by assisting Ahab who disobeyed God's word to go into a battle. Ahab was killed but Jehoshaphat safely returned home.

"And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Therefore the wrath of the LORD is upon you. Nevertheless good things are found in you, in that you have removed the wooden images from the land, and HAVE PREPARED YOUR HEART TO SEEK GOD" (2 Chronicles 19: 2-3).

Jehoshaphat was saved because he continued earnestly to rely on God's power (although he emulated his father by disobeying God towards the end of his reign). Even when you have lost track, God is always available to restore you, as long as you earnestly seek Him with all your heart and soul all the time!

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!)

Supplementing Self – Control with Perseverance

Perseverance is defined as a steady persistence in adhering to a course of action, a belief or a purpose. Until he ascended from this world, Jesus continued to preach and teach what the Father had sent him to do. He never backed down even when his authority was questioned several times.

Jesus was here to fulfill God’s purpose for us. He faithfully served God until the end. He could not stop doing his mission until he finished what God sent him to do, i.e. save the world from sin. There was a time when Jesus felt like the journey was tough for him. When he was in Gethsemane he began to be sorrowful and trouble. He told Peter, John and James, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me,” (Matthew 26:38).

When he was praying Jesus asked God to take the “cup” away from him. Being in human body, Jesus was feeling and seeing the sorrow that was about to befell him. It was a painful experience for him that he wished it could be reversed. This was his purpose and for a moment he felt like it could be reversed. Now here comes perseverance… he immediately said, “Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Even during this painful moment he persistently adhered to his purpose. Remember he said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and FINISH HIS WORK,” (John 4:34). If Jesus was not steadfast in allowing the will of God to be done even when it hurt the most, would he finish his work?

Even thought the spirit was willing to take the pain, the body was weak. However he allowed the will of God to be done. That is why when he prayed for the second time he said “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done,” (Matthew 26:42).

Here we learn how Jesus persevered to do the will of God despite the pain he was feeling. He was steadfast in prayer. The only way he could defeat the temptation of giving up doing God’s work was prayer. When you pray, God will fulfill his purpose for you. Remain steadfast (firmly loyal, constant, unswerved). When you persevere, in addition to your ability to practice self-control, your knowledge of Jesus Christ will be effective and productive. You will realize how much he loves you through the wonderful works he will do for you.

See also http://stanleylistens.blogspot.com/2010/05/effective-and-fruitful-knowledge-of.html

Supplementing Knowledge with Self-Control

Challenges and temptations will always be there and you need to overcome them. Discipline and self-control are essential when dealing with temptations. Your knowledge is tested when dealing with temptations and you have to use your knowledge. However, your knowledge will be worthless if you do not use it to exercise self-control.


Jesus himself faced temptation at some point and the devil used the knowledge of heavenly secrets to tempt him. Jesus resisted and the devil fled. If you resist the devil he will flee from you and Jesus is a perfect example of self-control practice in this incidence.

The devil knew that Jesus had the power to turn the stones into bread but Jesus drew from his well of knowledge and said, “It is written ‘Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,’” (Matthew 4:4). He controlled himself from not yielding to the temptation of performing a miracle thus obeying the commands of Satan. You see, when the devil tempts you he uses your strength and power. You have to resist.

The devil realized that Jesus was using his knowledge of God and decided to use the same strategy to tempt him. When you defeat the devil on one level, he raises his standard as well. The devil used what is written in Psalm 91:11-12 to tempt Jesus. But the Lord used the word of God again and said, “It is written that you shall not tempt the Lord your God.” The truth is that God would keep the promise and send angels to catch Jesus if he threw himself from the highest point of the temple because he is as faithful God. However, Jesus controlled himself not to listen to the devil and test God’s promise.

The devil was even willing to risk everything he had if Jesus bowed down to worship him. Mind you, Jesus would have accomplished his mission to take the world away from the hands of the enemy, but he refused to worship anyone else other than God. The devil presents everything wonderful to you, and he presents the easiest options to achieve your goals but without self-control you can fall into that temptation.

You need to supplement your knowledge of the heavenly secrets with self control. In that way, your knowledge of Christ will be effective and fruitful. God will reward you with great things as you grow in knowing him.

Supplementing Virtue with knowledge

Because of our faith in Jesus, we live a righteous life. In order to reap more rewards of our virtue, we need to add knowledge to eat. We need to develop the earnest desire to know him and we shall receive the fruits of his knowledge in abundance.

Jesus asked his disciples who do people say he is and he then asked them, “But what about you, who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15). Peter replied by saying that he is the Christ, the son of the living God.

Because Peter illustrated that he has had the earnest desire to know Jesus, he was blessed and his knowledge was effective and productive. He received all the powers from Jesus and his work after the ascension is well documented in the book of Acts.

Another lesson we learn here is that the more you seek the knowledge of God, He reveals to you the mysteries that are hidden from men. For his knowledge of who Christ is, Peter received this blessing from Jesus;

“Blessed are you Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven,” (Matthew 16: 17-19).

This is it! Because Peter supplemented his virtue with knowledge, he received a powerful blessing that gave him authority to control everything on earth. More than anything he received the keys to the kingdom of heaven. He received the anointing to lead people to the kingdom of heaven.

The knowledge of the heavenly secrets is a blessing given to those who seek the kingdom of God and are walking with Jesus all the time - those who develop a close relationship with him. The disciples asked Jesus why he was speaking in parables to the crowd and he responded by saying that the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has not been given to them.

“But blessed are your eyes because they see and your ears because they hear. For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear but did not hear it.” (Matthew 13: 16-17).

The revelation of the secrets of God was not given to many righteous people because they did not have the privilege of knowing Christ. If you seek to know more about the secrets in heaven, you receive your fruits in abundance. “Whoever has will be given more, and he will have in abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him,” (Matthew 13:12).

You can have faith, live a righteous life but if you do not seek the knowledge of the secrets of heaven, you even risk losing what you already have.

Supplementing Faith with Virtue (goodness/righteousness)

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things shall be given to you as well,” (Matthew 6:33).

In this message Jesus was teaching about not worrying about the future but instead putting your faith in God. Jesus was teaching that our priority should be seeking God’s kingdom and his righteousness. Because we have faith in God through Jesus Christ, Jesus was teaching us to supplement our faith with his righteousness (virtue).

In other words, we should live a righteous life so that we receive the kingdom of God. These are the fruits therefore: “All these things shall be given to you as well”. The things that we spend time and energy worrying about shall not be fulfilled unless we rest our faith in God and then strive to live a righteous life. God already knows what we need and he shall provide as long as we focus on entering his kingdom (through living a righteous life).

We are longing for good fruits through our knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we need to be good ourselves just as he was and is a good teacher and Lord. If we do not add goodness/righteousness into our faith, how do we expect to bear fruits?

Jesus told the Pharisees who thought he was driving away demons from a man by Be-elzebul’s power, “The good man out of his good treasure brings forth good and an evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth evil,” (Matthew 18:35).

Prior to that Jesus figuratively said that you make a tree good and its fruits will be good. In order to bear good fruits of knowing Christ we need to add goodness to our faith and our prayers will be effective and productive.

Living a good life simply means doing the will of God. The kingdom of God is for the righteous and that is why Jesus was teaching us to first seek that. Jesus also said, “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of Heaven but only he who does that will of my Father who is in Heaven,” (Matthew 7: 21).

In other words Jesus was saying that many people may have faith in him but that alone is not enough to enter the kingdom unless you live a righteous life to supplement your faith.

Effective and fruitful knowledge of Christ

“For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love,” (2 Peter 1: 5-7).


Faith is the foundation of the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we received him as our Lord and saviour, we began to have a relationship with him. We began to know him simply because we believed (had faith) in him. “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave them power to become children of God,” (John 1:12).

Through him we have become children of God. More than anything we have become friends with him because we believed in him. Knowing him is not enough though if it is not effective and does not bear fruits.

Jesus said, “You did not choose me but I chose you that you should go and bear fruits and that your fruit should abide (last) so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” (John 15:16).

Peter presents seven qualities that are needed to supplement our faith in Jesus Christ. “For if these things are yours and abound, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (2 Peter 1: 8).

The seven qualities are:

1) Virtue (goodness/righteousness)

2) Knowledge

3) Self-control

4) Steadfastness (perseverance)

5) Godliness (Holiness)

6) Brotherly affection (kindness)

7) Love

The important thing to note is that Peter presents these qualities as building blocks, with faith as foundation of everything. In other words faith is the root of our knowledge and as you grow in knowing him you develop each quality and grow deeper into knowing him thus bearing fruits.

In the next discussions we will look at each quality and draw some lessons from Jesus’ teachings and his life with regards to each quality.

The Lord Will Fulfill His Purpose for Me (Psalm 138: 8)

“His Divine Power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness,” (2 Peter 1:3).

What the Lord has commissioned has to be accomplished. Each one of us has a purpose to serve the Lord. God has a purpose for each one of us. He says he knows the good plans he has for us, plans to prosper us. Because he is the faithful God, what he has purposed shall be accomplished.

In Isaiah 55:11 he says, “So is my word that goes out from my mouth, it will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

Once God has spoken, it shall be so. I know God has a purpose for me. He has empowered me to serve that purpose. He has armed me to fight a good fight and serve him as my Lord and Saviour, the only true God.

His divine power has given us everything we need for life. There is nothing that can withstand his divine power. Through his power we have all the resources we need to serve God’s purpose. There is nothing that we cannot do because we have everything we need. As long as we are willing to allow God to fulfill his purpose we shall conquer.

How do we get hold of the resources that we need? It is though the knowledge of Jesus Christ and as Paul stated, there is nothing that surpass the greatness of knowing Jesus Christ. You cannot taste the greatness of knowing Christ if your knowledge is ineffective and unproductive. You cannot accomplish God’s purpose if your knowledge does not bear fruits.

The Worth of Knowing Christ - Part 2

Standing Firm in the Lord


(Philippians 3: 12 -21)


1) Pressing on towards the goal

My call is to receive the glory of God, to attain my portion of the glory – that is the biggest prize. “I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Pressing on means you have the faith that you will reach the end of the race. You are not prepared to give up. You have the courage to go on. You do not fear the path you need to go through. No matter what comes you just press on.

“For God did not give us the spirit of timidity but a spirit of power, love and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1: 7). If you want to know Jesus you need to remember that the Spirit you have is powerful and not faint-hearted. You press on because you have the love for what you are doing. You press on because you have the passion for what you are doing and nothing is going to stand on your way. Jesus is love. If you love him you would not allow anything to stand on your way to get to him.

Self-discipline is an important element when you press on. You ensure that you avoid things that will distract you from reaching your goal. There will be challenges along the way to distract you but you need to have the discipline to overcome the challenges. “Blessed is the man who preservers under trial, because he has stood the test, he will receive the Crown of life that God has promised to those who love him,” (James 1:12). Press on (persevere) even when you face trials.

2) Forget the Past

“Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do is forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,” (Philippians 3:13). Paul knows very well that he was persecuting the people of God but he never allowed his past to haunt him. He forgot about his past and pressed on.

Sometimes we allow our past mistakes, failures and backgrounds to hold us back. We forget that our faith in Jesus Christ has made us a new creation and the past is gone. Jesus Christ has qualified us to inherit God’s glory. We are born again – rooted and built up in him. Therefore the past has nothing to do with us. We need to forget the past and press on.

3) Mature

“All of us who are mature should take such view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have attained,” (Philippians 3: 15 -16).

Forgetting what is behind and pressing on requires one to look at things from a mature stand point. Those who are matured are those who are led by the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God has the power to reveal or clarify what may not be clear.

Paul says let us live up to what we have already attained. Being led by the Holy Spirit is a gift for the matured. “We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God that we may understand what God has freely given us,” (1 Corinthians 3:12).

The Spirit teaches us everything and reminds us everything that Jesus said whilst he was on his mission here on earth. Therefore we should live up to the Spirit so that we may know who Jesus is. If we live up to the Spirit we will forget the past and remember what Jesus taught us. We will press on to what God has promised us through Jesus Christ.


4) Fellowship

“I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly,” (Psalm 111:1).

The Psalmist demonstrates the importance of praising God, not just on your own but with other people. He talks about praising the Lord in the company of people that live according to God’s will (council of the upright and in the assembly).

Paul also encouraged us to worship the Lord with others. Because Paul knew he was righteous and living according to the will of God, he encourages us to follow his example as we join others in our quest to know Jesus. Joining with others comes with a caution: “take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.”

This means that we should be careful of the people we associate with when worshipping God, are they led by the Spirit of God? This basically cautions us to discern the nature of the spirit leading the people we worship with “for sinful nature (spirit of the world) desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit what is contrary to sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want to do,” (Galatians 5:17).

This warning guard us against losing track of our goal, i.e. losing the Spirit that teaches us God’s way. Take note of those who live according to the pattern that was given to us so that we “do not put out the Spirit’s fire.” (1 Thessalonians 5:19)


5) Set your mind in heaven

Our citizenship is not here on earth but in heaven. This is where Jesus is seated on the right hand of God. Our focus therefore should be where Jesus is – heaven. If we focus on earthly things then our destiny is destruction.

Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and here thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be,” (Matthew 6:20-21).

We can have everything on earth but these things are temporary and we may lose them anytime. The things of this world may defer us from our quest for the truth (Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life).

Paul says, “What is more I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ,” (Philippians 3:8).

In order to know Christ you do not have to spend time thinking about earthly riches, but think about Christ. We have to be like-minded with him because we have the mind of Christ.

Conclusion

When all has been done, ran a good race, we get a better understanding and knowledge of Jesus and he will crown us. He will transform us from our earthly bodies and we will be like him (glorious bodies). “That is how you should stand firm in the Lord,” (Philippians 4:1).

The Worth of Knowing Christ - Part 1

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death (Philippians 3:10)


a) I want to know Christ

Hebrews 1:3 says, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for his sins, he sat at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

Knowing Christ is equivalent to knowing God and the knowledge of the Holy One means understanding. Jesus is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact representation of God.

I want to know Christ.

I want to make a relationship with Christ.

I forget about everything else and I yearn for the glory of Christ.

I want to be sustained by the powerful word of Christ.

I want to know Christ.

I have a burning desire to know him better

I want a deeper understanding of his glory

Meeting Christ is not enough, you have to have a mutual relationship with him. To grow as a Christian you have to have a better understanding of who he is.


b) I want to know the power of his resurrection

“Since you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God,” (Colossians 3:1). Knowing the power of his resurrection means focusing where he is. He was raised and he went to sit at the right hand of God.

He conquered the world and hence he is the Lord of Glory. Therefore we should set our hearts where is, on the things above, were our treasure is. “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal,” (2 Corinthians 4: 18).

The power of his resurrection is that we were raised with him. “When you were dead in your sins and in the circumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,” (Colossians 2:3).

The power of his resurrection made us to be alive. The power of his resurrection is a fulfillment of the promise that if we believe in him we shall have eternal life. We are born again because we were dead in our sins. The only way to know the power of his resurrection is focusing on the things above.


c) I want to know the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings

Knowing Jesus means building a relationship/friendship with him. A true friend is one who shares even in his suffering, the pains of his friend. “Now, if we are children then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. If indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” (Romans 8: 17).

In the consequent verse Paul says: I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. “But rejoice that you participate in the suffering of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you… However, if you suffer as a Christian do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name… So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good,” (1 Peter 4: 13-14, 16, 19).

As a Christian you should not fear when you suffer because Christ also suffered but endured until the end. Fellowship in his sharing in his suffering means staying strong by doing the following:

i) Rejoice

ii) Praise God

iii) Commit to the faithful Creator

iv) Continue to do good


d) Becoming like him in his death

The humility of Jesus Christ was outstanding even in his death such that the people who watched testified that surely he is the son of God. He suffered like any human being but he humbled himself even though he was in the very nature of God.

That is the attitude we need to develop. Even though we may be co-heirs with him that should not be something we boast about and exalt ourselves. Pride should not overrule the way we handle ourselves. “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: …and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:5, 8).

Conclusion

I WANT TO KNOW CHRIST JESUS AND THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION, AND THE FELLOWSHIP OF HIS SHARING IN HIS SUFFERINGS, BECOMING LIKE HIM IN HIS DEATH

[Know who he is, focus on where he is, appreciate how he felt, and do what he did when he died]

God reveals his secret wisdom through his Spirit

(2 Corinthians 2: 1 – 16)


Delivering God’s Message (Verse 1 – 5)

The world today is invaded by a lot of eloquent speakers who are making money as motivational speakers. They come with inspiring words and methodologies of how you can live a successful life. They come with wise words that remain as quotable quotes (also known as words of wisdom). They have become authorities in the fields they operate in. Some of them are even using such eloquence to teach or preach the word of God.

However, Paul chose not to be caught up in this web:

• He did not use eloquence or superior wisdom to proclaim the mystery of God.

• He decided not to analyze his audience or try to understand the people to whom he was proclaiming the testimony of God and how he can pitch his presentation to be acceptable. All he decided to know was the message of Jesus Christ and his crucifixion.

• He came to the church of Corinth in his low state, lacking self confidence and obviously not fit to stand before a crowd.

“My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power so that your faith may not rest in men’s wisdom, but on God’s Power,” (I Corinthians 2:4-5).

There is nothing wrong with eloquence. There is nothing wrong with the words you use to spread the word of God – but it is an issue of motive and the end result. The motive should be to serve the Lord. The end result should be people praising the God rather than you as the messenger of God.

Paul says his message and preaching was with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power. The motive was to demonstrate the power of the Spirit that was leading him and the end result was that people rest their faith on God’s power.

God’s Secret Wisdom (verse 6 -10)

Psalm 25:14 says the Lord confides in those who fear him and Psalm 111:10 says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

God bestows unto us his wisdom once we start to fear him (profound respect). We can only fear him if we have faith in him. Fearing him means we begin to have a friendly relationship with him. He confides in us. You confide in someone that will understand what you are telling him. You confide to someone who is mature enough to comprehend the secret you are sharing and will be mature enough to handle it.

Therefore we need to mature in our relationship with God. Paul (called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God) says, “We do however speak a message of wisdom to the mature… …God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began,” (2 Corinthians 2: 7).

As you mature in fearing God, the Lord increases your wisdom and you gain access to what God has placed in a safe place for you. There is a wisdom that God has hidden and you can only access it once you grow in his knowledge and understanding. This is the wisdom “that God destined for our glory before time began” (which God decreed before ages for our glorification). God reserved a portion of our glory which we can only attain once we are mature.

God’s secret wisdom cannot be understood by those who do not know him, who do not believe in him and who do not love him. Paul refers to the rulers who crucified Jesus says if they understood God’s wisdom they would not have done so. This was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.”

In short, what God has prepared for those who love him remains a secret and inaccessible to ordinary men. However, Paul says, “But God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.”

The Spirit of God Reveals God’s Secret Wisdom

We have received the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. The Spirit we are talking about here is different from the spirit of the world. The spirit of the world is something that belongs to the world but we received the Powerful Spirit who (a being) comes from God and this is the spirit that makes us understand God’s secret wisdom that has been prepared for us.

This is the spirit that Jesus promised, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you everything I have said to you, “ (John 14: 26).

If we have the Spirit in us, the Spirit will teach us words to express spiritual truths, in spiritual words, to spiritual people. A message from God’s secret wisdom can only be disseminated to those who are mature. That is why Paul says, “We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature.

Why? It is because men without the Spirit of God cannot accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. The standard is too high for them such that they dismiss such things as foolishness. This is because they “cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned,”

Once you mature, you are able to access God’s secret wisdom; you become led by the Spirit of God; you have the power to make judgment about everything. You also become above reproach, no man can judge you.

In Romans 8:14 the word of God says, “Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” The son of God has the power to make judgment about all things and he is not subject to any man’s judgment.

“Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out ‘Abba’ [Father]. So you are no longer a slave but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir (Galatians 4: 6-7).

When you start to fear the Lord, you become a child of God and you begin to be wise. As you grow and mature you become a son of God and because God has made you an heir, that is when you can access the wealth of God. That’s when you gain access to God’s secret wisdom.

In the Presence of the Lord

Nothing is greater than being in the presence of the Lord. I understand David when he says, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 139:7). The presence of the Lord is an awesome experience.

God searches and knows you very well. He knows what you want to say before you say it. He knows your thoughts and he is with you everywhere you go.

The greatest wonder of being in the presence of the Lord is that we gain the confidence to face anything. In the previous post I mentioned that if we have faith in him he hears our prayers and provides whatever we need. The reason is simple, he knows what you need and all you have to do is to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well,” (Matthew 6:33).

When you are in the presence of the Lord there is no need to be worried and afraid. “You came near when I called you, and you said, “Do not fear.” (Lamentations 3 :57).

This is the God who said to Moses, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest,” (Exodus 33:14).

This is the God who assured Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go,” (Joshua 1:9).

This is the God who declared to Jeremiah, “I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you,” (Jeremiah 15:20)

This is the God who encouraged Paul in Corinth, “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city,” (Acts 18: 9-10).

This is the God who said to Daniel, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them,” (Daniel 10:12).

God wants us to go on and do his work, what he has sent us to do without fear because he is always with us. Like the good shepherd he is always taking care of us and there is no need to be worried.

Like Daniel, we need to set our minds towards gaining understanding and humble ourselves before God. “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way,” (Psalm 25: 9).

As Jesus said, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him,” (John 14:23).

God loved us through Jesus Christ so that we shall have eternal life and nothing will separate us from this love. He will never leave us nor forsake us. What more can we ask for other than the presence of the Lord?

The Almighty says, “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve,” (Jeremiah 17:10).

We need to keep our hearts pure all the time to better position ourselves for the blessings from the Lord. We need to keep our minds clear so that we are able to focus on what God wants us to do.

Therefore my prayer just like David is, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting,” (Psalm 139:23-24).