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The Captive of the Mighty!

Jesus Christ Crucifix

Jesus Christ Crucifix (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the captives of the righteous be delivered? But thus says the Lord: “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible be delivered; for I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children. I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh, and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine. All flesh shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” Isaiah 49:24-26 (NKJV)

Luke 1:68-75 says, “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, who have been since the world began, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to our father Abraham: To grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.” (NKJV)

It is the will of God that we are free from all forms of incarceration. Many people, all over the world, are in one form of captivity or another; these include political, economic, social and spiritual bondage. Many people are unaware of their situation and some others are simply helpless. The worst set of people in this problem are those who think it is the will of God for their lives. They see it as their spiritual obligation to God; Luke 1:68-75 shows that it is not the will of God.

Luke 13:10-17, says, “Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.  But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.” The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite!Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?”And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.” (NKJV)

The Jewish religious leaders were upset when Jesus healed the woman with the spirit of infirmity. They must have used her to challenge people about “spiritual devotion” but Jesus proved them wrong and the scripture says, “The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite!Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?”And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.”

“After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda,having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.” He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’” John 5:1-11 (NKJV)

Some people, out of their own will, get into captivity; some people are held captives by other men.

“Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.” Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.  But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel. So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.” Exodus 1:8-14 (NKJV)

The Egyptian took the Israelites captives in a very cunning manner. Some people sell themselves to captivity because of debts, some are war captives and some people even get into captivity because of their jobs. In a cynical way, drugs and alcohol put people into habit captivity. The prey groan in agony, humiliation, pain and shame; they lose the dignity, earning and future. The captor on the other hand brags about his exploits and deceit; he mounts constant pressure and watch whimsically at the agony on the face of  his victims.

“But thus says the Lord: “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible be delivered; for I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children. I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh, and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine. All flesh shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

God wants you free, if you are under any kind of captivity. He is will to do it at the highest cost to the captors. That was why Jesus paid the price for your redemption. You can be free from now.

“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,in whom we have redemption through His blood,the forgiveness of sins.” Col.1:13-14 (NKJV)

“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” Gal.3:13-14 (NKJV)

The scripture says that even the “lawful captive of the mighty shall be delivered”. God can do that too; nobody is hopeless in this matter. It is the will of God that we enjoy freedom. It is not everybody that will like the idea that you should be free but I am not here to serve their purpose or bother with their views. I am a servant of God declaring his counsel to you.

  • You need to know the truth
  • You must be willing to see that it happens (no violence please)
  • You must trust God to perfect that which concerns you.
  • You must keep praying until you possess your possession
  • Find out the promises of God for your life through the study of the word of God
  • You must never expose yourself to the dangers of captivity
  • Break and destroy every covenant of the enemy upon your life
  • Disconnect yourself from every form of religious captivity. Bondage is not a spiritual virtue. This is a very serious issue and difficult to do. (The captors are going to hotly contest your freedom in every way possible; they will do anything it takes to hold you in their chain)
  • Set yourself free from captivity of the mind. This tells you that you cannot be free; that is how you were made (you cannot change); you will die if you dare make a move to be free; you are too old to change; your background will not allow the change (it is in your DNA); there are many things your mind can suggest.
  • You must keep confessing your freedom, God wants you free. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jer. 29:11 (NKJV)

We cannot serve God as we should if we are in bondage. Captivity destroys every form of true expression in worship.  Psalm 137:1-4 says,

“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept When we remembered Zion. We hung our harps upon the willows in the midst of it. For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song, and those who plundered us requested mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?” NKJV)

 

Ref.

Scripture quotes: www.biblegateway.com

Copyright: Graceful Voice Inc. www.gracevoice.com www.holyspiritcomfort.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A Traumatic Tragedy – Praying To The God You Don’t Believe In

"Praying Hands" (study for an Apostl...

“Praying Hands” (study for an Apostle figure of the “Heller” altar) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Praying to the God you don’t believe in, is one of the worst things you can ever imaging. People who pray to the God they don’t believe in waste their time and energy in a fruitless exercise.

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Heb. 11:6 (NKJV)

“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jer.29:13 (NKJV)

The Scripture says that those who go to God (for anything), must believe that God exists and that he rewards (helps) people who call on him for help. That is the fundamental principle in seeking God. The second one is that those seeking God must be focused and committed to it. There are no half measures.

There are a lot of challenges confronting people every day ranging from the most basic things like health, food, water, housing to ostentatious life-style. There are relationship challenges and economic pressures driving people “mad” on constant basis; these things push people to seek for help from others and from God. Challenges of life are common to all, including kings and nobles. (Daniel 2). (See my article “Someone to interpret your dream”.) I believe that no person is stupid because they are going through challenges of life. Those who run to God for help in their time of need are blessed.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord.” Jer. 17:7 (NKJV)

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” Ps.34:8 (NKJV)

“He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, and shall not despise their prayer.” Ps. 102:17 (NKJV)

Praying to the God you don’t believe in or who you don’t trust to help you is a dishonour to God and weariness to the soul. Time is very important; you can never recover lost time; in that sense, time is life. Prayer requires energy and concentration; praying to the God you don’t believe in is a waste of energy. It ends up in frustration. It is a tragedy.

Granted that there are people who are confused and traumatised when they are in trouble and runs to and fro looking for solutions, there are many people who are in church, who doubt God. They attend church services and prayers meetings but don’t really believe in God as a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. There are many people who are in church today who don’t delight in God’s words or his ways – it is difficult to figure out what they are seeking for. The scripture says:

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” Ps.34:4-5 (NKJV)

God loves you and want to help you. God wants to be your friend and his demands are not grievous, it is important that all who comes to God must believe there is God, they should trust in his grace and goodness. Jesus loves you.

 

Scripture quotes are from http://www.biblegateway.com

 

 

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Love – Delilah’s Way

Samson and Delilah (2009 film)

Samson and Delilah (2009 film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Love is one thing that has been expressed in many ways; it has been described and interpreted in numerous ways both by saints and villains. Sometimes you hear of some instances of love like Romeo and Juliet and you are moved with emotions close to tears; at other times you hear love stories like that of Samson and Delilah  and you freeze with anxiety and fright. The question here is what kind of love is Delilah love for Samson?

“Afterward it happened that he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.” Judges 16:4-5 (NKJV)

Samson fell into the category of men who could do anything for the women they “love”. In his first love attempt, the father of the lady tricked him and it end up in catastrophe.  His search for love continued and when he met Delilah, he devoted himself to be a good lover despite the apparent danger; however Delilah could not resist the love for money against the love for Samson.

Delilah plotted schemes for the Philistines to catch Samson. Thrice she failed to trap him and questioned Samson’s love. – Judges 16:15. (Great demonic deceit), I have always wondered why Samson was so daft that he could not see through Delilah evil plots; we must never toy with demonic schemes.

“So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and with what you may be bound to afflict you.” And Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings, not yet dried, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man.” So the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings, not yet dried, and she bound him with them.  Now men were lying in wait, staying with her in the room. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he broke the bowstrings as a strand of yarn breaks when it touches fire. So the secret of his strength was not known. Then Delilah said to Samson, “Look, you have mocked me and told me lies. Now, please tell me what you may be bound with.” Judges 16:6-10 (NKJV)

How do you react to threats to your life? I have heard many stories of people who ignored danger signals until it is too late to do anything; they fail to deliver their lives from an avoidable danger. There are people who tolerated people who pointed guns at them several times. The “hunters” usually said it was just a joke until they became victims of horrible killers. People have ignored threats of knife crime until they lay still in the pool of their own blood.

“When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up once more, for he has told me all his heart.” So the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand. Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him. Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison. However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaven.” Judges 16:18-21 (NKJV)

A lot of people have been destroyed in domestic violence, office squabbles, and political intolerance etc, when they could have walked away. The Christian community is not speared of unholy plots against other fellows, for whatever reasons. Many believers have fallen victims of plots they apparently saw coming but ignored. It does not do anyone any good when the evil matures and results in horror. Why do they do it? Why do bullies thrive? Love? Do we need to raise Samson to marry Delilah?

I have heard “love” preachers who are as “blind” as Samson in his relationship with Delilah. Samson ignored the word of God in the first instance; various attempts to save him fell on deaf ears. “Flesh” ruled over him. He had a “love” preacher who destroyed his life. Sometimes people think they can love people more than God does (John 3:16). Today, a lot of people want to re-write the Bible in the name of love. There are demonic compromises that are destroying the church in the name of love; in many places people want to drag God into unrighteousness as if he is blind or has lost all his attributes. There are people who pray hard to “muscle” God into their mould of “anything-goes”; after all, prayers can do anything.

Samson lost his eyes, grinded at the mills as Philistine’s slave and died because he gave his love to an undeserving person. I was taught that when you make mistakes you seek to correct them. If you find yourself playing around threats to your life or well-being, keep off. If people have plotted against you (including “religious brethren”), if you kept quiet at the first attempt and then survive the second one, if you don’t do something about it, (at least tell God about it), you are at risk (High risk). If it happened to Samson, it may happen to you.

God loves you and wants all to go well with you. Commit you relationships to him; listen to him and handle things as he leads. God cannot mislead you. Don’t trust in the arm of the flesh and don’t allow the flesh to have dominion over you.

 

Scripture quotes are from http://www.biblegateway.com

 

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It Was Such A Bad!

Jesus and Saint Peter, Gospel of Matthew 4.18-...

Jesus and Saint Peter, Gospel of Matthew 4.18-20 Français : Jésus et Saint Pierre, Évangile selon Matthieu 4.18-20 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Many of us are familiar with situations where expectations fail to come through as planned. There were days when things went haywire and everything fell apart.  It could be such occasions where an unguarded moment of “madness” made everything to break and fall at the wrong places.  Many of such experiences usually linger around longer than we hope they should and many people struggle to recover from them for a long period of time. It reminds me of the day Peter had an encounter with Jesus.

“When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net” Luke5:4-5 (NKJV)

Peter and his friends were fishermen and were at work throughout the night in the lake. It was a day that their skills did not yield any good return on investment. Their expectation failed, their plans and hopes were dashed and their customers had nothing to buy that day and were extremely disappointed. Frustration was written all over them as they washed their nets. You can comprehend their level of frustration from Peter’s word in the scripture quoted above; “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing.” It was such a bad day.

When Jesus came and the multitude gather the scripture said, he “saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.” Luke5:2-3 (NKJV)

It was the boat that must have received a lot of backlashes from its owner (you know how we heap blames and hisses on people and things to easy our frustration – call it transfer of aggression, if you like). It was one of the boats that their owners had quickly forgotten its usefulness in the good old days. It became the Master’s vessel at the time Jesus borrowed it. Peter must have been consumed in the gracious words that proceed from the graceful voice of Jesus. The crowd that followed Jesus swallowed up the usual fish buyers and transformed the negative atmosphere created by unfruitful labour. Peter’s pains suddenly resurfaced when Jesus turned to him and said ““Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”  He retorted “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” His heart was full of faith in Jesus because of the words he heard him speak but his head was full of pain and doubt because of his bad night at work. He was at a cross-road.

Peter’s faith in Jesus prevailed; he said “nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” I am glad he did. It was a bad night but the day needn’t end like that! Every bad experience is always in the past, the future has no records except the ones people export into it. The future is a gift from God and there are gracious words from the Master that we can act on, regardless of our bad days. You may have a head full of fears and doubt but you can nonetheless choose to heed the graceful voice. Sometimes, people assume that where there is faith, there should be no struggles with doubt; but that is not the reality, the truth is that faith is, a trust in God in the presence of great evidence of a likely failure and embarrassment.

I don’t know what you are going through at the moment; there is hardly any person without a life challenge. Some people, despite their great fame and wealth are being eaten up by sickness; sickness that the very best of medical personnel has no solutions for ; Like the woman in Luke 8:43, “And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any” (KJV). There are people who have been blessed with children and are struggling to feed them while some people are traversing land and sea looking for the fruit of the womb. Many young people are looking for jobs while many others are fed up with their jobs. Many marriages and relationships are in shambles and many governments are helpless about the situations in their countries. Who does not have a need?

You may be wondering who cares and why is it my concern? God cares. God loves you and I am sent by God to reach you with this message. I want to be your friend. We may never meet but I will be praying   for you that God will visit you and turn around the bad day. Psalm 30:5 says, “…….His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.”

You may wish to hear God speak to you; why not read the Bible? Read the Book of Mark and see the things Jesus did. He can do something for you too.

You may wish to tell God about your challenges; God is already waiting for you to come.  Matt.7:7-11; Matt. 11:28 (NKJV)

God fixes bad days. Those who turn to him always come through with a smile and surprise. Peter did. Luke5: 4-8, says, “When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (NKJV)

Reference:

All scriptures used are from www.biblegateway.com

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What Does The Future Hold? – Seek The Mind of God

English: Scroll of the Psalms

English: Scroll of the Psalms (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The year is running to an end and a lot of people are looking ahead for what the future holds. Many people will take time to reflect on their lives and make New Year resolution; of cause, many of such resolutions are broken soon after they were made. The word of God says that you must overcome the strongman before you can take his place. “It is not by might, not by power but by my Spirit, says the Lord.”

The believers’ approach to issues of the future is to seek the mind of the Lord. James 4:13-16 says, “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.  Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.” (NKJV)

The reasons why you should trust the Lord with your future: Jer. 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (NKJV) God is interested in you and his thought for you is a good thought. God want things to go well with you. It is important to know that we know very little about how things will generally turn-out. For instant, in United Kingdom, there were forecast about drought in the year 2012, however, the year has become the wettest since record started.

The following are some important steps you can take about the future.

  • Psalm 37: 3-4 says, “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. (NKJV)
  • Prov. 3:7-8, says, “Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh,and strength to your bones.” (NKJV)
  • Psalm 1:1-4, says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
  • Get your information right. Don’t go through the future with on with confusing information. If you didn’t get it right, go back to God.
  • Don’t allow other people’s opinion of you ruin your life. Find out the plan God has for your life and follow it. You seek for it through prayers, studying the word of God, meditation on the word and obedience.
  • Be willing to repent and ask for forgiveness when you miss it. Sin is a reproach to people. Prov. 14:34 says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” (NKJV)
  • Don’t seek unwholesome popularity that is against righteousness. “Don’t just be a man of the people” Men may appoint you to a post but it is God that positions people for greatness.
  • Don’t just follow the bandwagon. Exodus 23:2 says, “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:” (KJV)
  • Be thankful. 1 Thess. 5:18 says. “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (NKJV)
  • Be prayerful: 1 Thess. 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing” (KJV)

Phil. 4:6 says, “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” (KJV)

Col. 4:2 says, “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” (KJV)

Psalm 37: 5, says “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass” (KJV)

  • Trust God to help you. Psalm 37:3 says, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.” (KJV).
  • Do your work honestly, with integrity and be focused. 1 Thess.4:11-12 says, “….. make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: you should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you,so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” (NIV)
  • Stay away from other gods. Jer.25:6 says “And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt” (KJV)
  • Service the Lord with gladness.

It is my prayer that all will go well with you in the coming year; as the scripture says, in Isaiah 3:10 ““Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them,
For they shall eat the fruit of their doings.” (NKJV)

Farewell and God bless you.

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Celebration is an Attitude

First page of the Gospel of Mark, by Sargis Pi...

First page of the Gospel of Mark, by Sargis Pitsak, a Medieval Armenian scribe and miniaturist (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Christmas is here and with it comes a lot of concerns about how to celebrate it; and the usual questions like “why should we celebrate Christmas?” “Is 25th December the right day for Christmas?” Well the truth is that, the celebration goes on. This article focuses on our attitudes towards celebrating seasons, occasions and events, especially the Christmas celebration. Christmas celebration focuses on the birth of Jesus Christ. It is about God’s love for humanity. It is about meeting the most important need in the lives of all people.

 

The first celebration of Christ’s birth was divinely orchestrated; Luke 2:8-16 says, “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold,an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:  “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven,  that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”  And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.  Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.” (NKJV). Many years later celebrating the Lord’s birth was formerly entrenched into the world calendar and called Christmas; it has become a phenomenon.

 

There are a lot of human concerns and burdens of life; the weight life’s burden has made many people to drift away from understanding God’s love. While many people long to be loved, they are never aware that God loves them in a personal way and the devil is doing all he can to black out the love of God from human mind. God loves you and that is why he sent Jesus Christ to the world in human form.

 

I spent many years without celebrating my birthday; there were a lot of concerns that took the place of birthdays in my family; some years later I met people who thought that celebrating birthdays is importance; I read from the Bible the need to be aware of our years of life. Psalm 90:12 says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (NKJV). My attitude to celebrating my birthday changed. I don’t need to spend a lot of money to do it; I spend time with my family and give glory to God for the gift of life. It still does not mean a thing to many people that I was born and it doesn’t have to. It matters to God and it does to me.

 

Celebration is an attitude. It is not about food or drinks; it is not about gathering people and dancing to music. It is about making a conscious choice to be happy irrespective of the troubles all around you. It is about choosing to give God praise and rejoicing about whatever you are celebrating. If you subject this choice to opinions of people, you will only have sadness and gloom trailing you.

 

Celebrating Jesus is a joy to me. I don’t do it only on Christmas day; I do it often. It is a joy to me that God loves me. I survived the most terrible conditions in life because God kept me. I choose to celebrate Jesus; I don’t care about the arguments and the distractions. God loves me and that is sufficient for me.

 

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I Won’t Be Denied!

John 10.10 says “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” AMP.

I want you to imagine yourself as a hard working person, working under the most tasking, odious and humiliating conditions. You were willing to go through the most tedious experience of your life.

I imagine you did it to provide the essential things of life for your children and at the end of the period of your work you collected you pay and returned home to your family, happy that they will enjoy the fruit of your labour. You are a good parent.

I want you to imagine also taking one of your children to the supermarket to buy something he/she wanted. You gladly went to the counter to pay. Now you have paid for the item and packed it but suddenly someone comes by and collects the item you purchased for your child and starts walking away with it; what will you do? I don’t know what you would have done but I know what I would do. I will have shouted at the invader, I would have ran after him and caught him; call the police if need be and I would have fought to recover the item.

Luke 18:1-8 “Also [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up). He said, In a certain city there was a judge who neither reverenced and feared God nor respected or considered man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, Protect and defend and give me justice against my adversary. And for a time he would not; but later he said to himself, Though I have neither reverence or fear for God nor respect or consideration for man, Yet because this widow continues to bother me, I will defend and protect and avenge her, lest she give meintolerable annoyance and wear me out by her continual coming or at the last she come and rail on me orassault me or strangle me. Then the Lord said, Listen to what the unjust judge says! And will not [our just] God defend and protect and avenge His elect (His chosen ones), who cry to Him day and night? Will He defer them and delay help on their behalf? I tell you, He will defend and protect and avenge them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [persistence in] faith on the earth?” AMP

I learnt this lesson and made up my mind: “I won’t be denied”. Jesus paid a high price for my good. My salvation is included, John 3:16 says “God loved the world this way: He gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life.” GW; my health is included, I peter 2:24 says “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” NKJV;  my finances are included, 2 Cor.8:9 Say “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” NKJV, and many more. I shall not be denied. It is important to me because the sufferings of Christ were not in a hidden place.

1 Peter 5:1 says “I appeal to your spiritual leaders.I make this appeal as a spiritual leader who also witnessed Christ’s sufferings and will share in the glory that will be revealed.” GW

Luke 24:15-20 says “While they were talking, Jesus approached them and began walking with them. Although they saw him, they didn’t recognize him. He asked them, “What are you discussing?” They stopped and looked very sad. One of them, Cleopas, replied, “Are you the only one in Jerusalem who doesn’t know what has happened recently?” “What happened?” he asked. They said to him, “We were discussing what happened to Jesus from Nazareth. He was a powerful prophet in what he did and said in the sight of God and all the people. Our chief priests and rulers had him condemned to death and crucified.” GW

I will not be denied. The devil, his demons and their agents cannot hold me back. God is with me I cannot be denied. Matthew 28:20b says ““And remember that I am always with you until the end of time.”” GW. God is committed to helping me possess my possessions, that is what Luke 18: 1-8 is talking about.

You need the knowledge of the word of God to actualise this. Study the Bible and get committed to what it says.

You must insist in prayers that you must have what God says you should have. The devil is not a gentleman, don’t treat him like one.

You must act and live by faith. God has made available to you all that is needed for a good life on earth. That is what John 10; 10b is talking about. Don’t be denied.

 

 

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The “god Figures”

Jesus

Jesus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Bible clearly points out that God does not want us to make images of him in any form. Making images of gods is very common all over the world and that dates back to early human history. These images commonly called idols are worshiped by some and despised by others. People’s attitudes towards them have been judges variously all over history. For example:

“King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it.

Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “Nations and peoples of every language, this is what you are commanded to do: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.” Daniel 3:1-6 (NIV)

There are other images people hold of God; these are images of people, they include images of fathers, religious leaders (called by various names), political or national leaders and so on. God does not approve of these too. The scripture says:

“But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ” Matthew. 23:8-10 (KJV)

These figures have held many people in “mind captivity” all over the ages. People have related to God according to how they perceived or related to these “god figures”. For example, when we say God is our father, the image of an earthly father pops up. If people had a good “father – child” relationship, they are glad and happy with God as father; they recoil, if they had a harrowing experience with an earthly father; at that point they are bemuses about the idea that God can be a father.

There had been many religious leaders or leadership institution that people adore and honour. They represent God in people’s minds; they become images that people hold in highest esteem. People call them leaders, fathers, God sent, and many other names like that. These in many instances posed great dangers, given their human frailty; in many cases these “god figures” had succumbed to their human weakness and wrecked the faith of many people. Those occasions have driven many people away from God; in some cases some people who were established in faith had abandon their faith in God completely. The church history is chequered with a lot of these experiences and it has made evangelism difficult in many places.

There have been great leaders who came to leadership with great zeal and fervour. They had great accomplishments but failed to deliver in morals and were not accurate in judgement in some decisions; they failed the test of being “gods”. Their followers usually get discouraged and disappointed. The unfortunate thing  is that many people pass on this experience to God. They see God as inadequate and unable to deliver on his promises.

Men are not gods and there are no gods except the almighty God. Men who play god are in error and should stop; the glories derived from such efforts are false. Great men of God are still men and subject to the passions of men. People should wipe off the god images they hold of other people both physically and mentally. This will save them from error, pain and mental agony that accompany human failures that belittle people including the “god figures”.

God almighty through Jesus Christ has made himself available to all people. Those who seek him find him. The scripture says,

“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jer. 29:12-13 (NIV)

It is true that God has placed people along our part to help us in our relationship with him; we should appreciate and honour them but we are never allowed to see them as God. They are not.

 

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Hearing from God – Prophesy

First page of the Gospel of Mark, by Sargis Pi...

First page of the Gospel of Mark, by Sargis Pitsak, a Medieval Armenian scribe and miniaturist (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hearing from God is very important in the life of every believer. Hearing from God is not a one-sided thing, it is not only a human desire; God wants to speak to his children. That means that it is something that is readily available to everyone who desires to hear God. All you need to do is position yourself rightly and you will enjoy this fellowship with God.

God speaks to us through prophesy. In prophesy God sends a message to you through someone else. This is a very common way that God used in the lives of the Israelites. It is commonly identifiable in the Bible.

“The Sovereign Lord never does anything without revealing his plan to his servants, the prophets. When a lion roars, who can keep from being afraid? When the Sovereign Lord speaks, who can keep from proclaiming his message The Sovereign Lord never does anything without revealing his plan to his servants, the prophets. When a lion roars, who can keep from being afraid? When the Sovereign Lord speaks, who can keep from proclaiming his message? Amos 3: 7-8 (GNT)

God appointed prophets whom he used to convey his purpose to his people. “The Lord spoke to Jeremiah in the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah, and he spoke to him again when Josiah’s son Jehoiakim was king. After that, the Lord spoke to him many times, until the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah. In the fifth month of that year the people of Jerusalem were taken into exile.” Jer. 1: 2-3 (GNT)

The proof of prophesy is that it must not mislead the people of God; it must not contradict the revealed “absolute truths” of the word of God, (for example, the fact that there is one God is an absolute truth, the sinfulness of man and the need for his salvation through Jesus Christ is an absolute truth.) All prophesies are proved by their fulfilment. All prophesies lead people to God.

Prophesy as a gift is different from the office of a prophet. Prophesy comes anytime God communicates in that manner. It can come from the prophet or someone God chooses to use. The prophet stands in the office to constantly point God’s people to the direction God wants them to follow. This does not mean the ability to see through people or the ability to always have something about the future to say to every person that comes around. Christian prophesies is not clairvoyance; these are different and far-apart as far as Christianity is concerned. In fact God forbids believers from associating with clairvoyance.

“Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,  or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you.” Dt. 18:10-12 (NIV)

I know many people are drown towards seeking prophesies and prophets as an obsession; however, this means of God speaking to people is as normal as any other way God chooses to use to speak to you. Prophesy is one of the most abused Christian experiences and some people have used it to exploit others. It has been used to intimidate and scare people all over the ages against the will of God. False prophets are common everywhere and many of them are so crafty that it takes discernment and the help of the Holy Spirit to escape their antics.

God is interested in the lives of his people and is ever will to guide and help them.  The scripture says:

“Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture” Psalm 100:3 (NIV)

All who desire to hear from God must learn to worship and praise God. They must learn to pray and study the Bible. They must learn to wait on the Lord and be eager to obey him.

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Hearing from God – Visions and Dreams

Figures 047 The Lord Appears to Moses in a Bur...

Figures 047 The Lord Appears to Moses in a Burning Bush (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One thing I want us to know is that it is important to God that we hear and understand him. It is not just important to us as humans but it is also important to him. What does that mean? It means that you should relax and let this happen without struggles. I know many people are bothered with this “hearing from God thing”, but there is no need to be uneasy about it.

Jesus said “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” John 10:27. (NKJV)

“And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.” John 10:16 (NKJV)

The scripture say “So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”

And he said, “Here I am.”

Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.

And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” Exodus 3:4-10 (NKJV).

You might have noticed that in Exodus 3:4-10, Moses was going about his own business when God appeared and spoke to him. He was not doing any “religious thing” in any form. What God told him was primarily God’s business. God has a business to do and wants people who will listen and obey him, in order to accomplish his task.

I want us to look at “hearing from God – visions and dreams dimensions.” God uses pictures to speak to us. It is these pictures that are described as visions and dreams. Visions are messages revealed in pictures. People normally see visions while they are awake or partially awake. It may or may not come with a voice.

Genesis 15:1 Says “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” (NKJV)

Numbers 24:4 says of Balam; “The utterance of him who hears the words of God, Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Who falls down, with eyes wide open:” (NKJV)

Psalm 89:19 says “Then You spoke in a vision to Your holy one, And said: “I have given help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people.” (NKJV)

Dreams are almost the same things as visions but they take place while we are asleep. When we wake up we can recollect the pictures and voices; there had been instances where people forgot the dreams and the messages. This is very unfortunate; if it happens, you must take it up in prayers.

Job 33:14-16 says “For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, While slumbering on their beds, Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction.” (NKJV)

There are three dimensions of “dream”; there is the dream that comes out of daily activities. People carry on with their lives while asleep. For example, there are people who shout “Goal” as if they are playing or watching a football game while asleep.

There is dream that I want to classify as nightmare. These dreams are horrifying and wearisome. They come from the enemy to frighten their victims. They are full of bad messages. If left unrestrained, they can become realities. If you are experiencing this type of dream, you must pray against it. Any time they occur, pray and cancel it, in Jesus name.

Then there are the visions of the night. God sends a message to a person while asleep. Remember, God can show you what he wants. However God does not terrify his people. He does not frighten his children.

I had some issues with this when I was young. God spoke to me often through the visions of the night. when read from Joel 2:28-29 ““And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” (NKJV) I did not understand why I had “dreams” as a young person. I took it up in prayers and the Lord told me that, that was not the whole meaning of that scripture. It was then he told me that what happened to me were the visions of the night and showed me this verse in Job 33:14-16.

Visions and dreams could become intricate to many people; there are people who run around looking for interpreters of dreams and visions. I have learnt to keep it simple. God will not tell me things that are too mysterious to understand if he expects me to obey him. Don’t get me wrong, there have been times that God told me of future events that I didn’t understand; in such instances, I took time to pray and he revealed more things to me. In some instance, he told me it was just for information (this may seem strange to some people but as you walk closely to God, you will discover this truth).

Don’t forget, those who desire to hear from God must commit themselves to him. They must pray always and study the Bible.

Reference

Bible quotes: www.biblegateway.com

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