April 13, 2013 · 10:03 pm

So Who Killed Jesus Anyway?

At times it is hard not to chuckle when I hear people having a heated discussion about who killed Jesus. Some say it was Pilate that killed Him while others blame the Jews for killing Him. Further still, others blame Judas Iscariot – for he was the one that betrayed Jesus into the hands of the Sanhedrin. So which is it? Is it the Romans (Pilate/soldiers) or the Jews (Judas or the Sanhedrin)?

To address this question, we have to look at the purpose for which Christ came into the world and the reason he was called to this purpose by God. The bible tells us that the purpose for which Christ was born was to redeem mankind from spiritual death through his death on the cross. In other words, he was born for the express purpose of dying. Here is how the author of Hebrew puts it:

Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil – Hebrews 2:14

So it is clear that Jesus had to die! Now, a question that can be asked is when did Jesus have to die? Would he have lived longer if someone had not decided to kill Him? That answer is no! Here is why:

Prophet Daniel had already prophesied that 483 years (69 weeks) were going to pass between the time Cyrus was going to release the children of Israel to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem and when the Messiah would die!

Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The streetshall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself – Daniel 9:25 – 26

Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years. Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week… – Genesis 29:27 -28

By the time Jesus started his ministry in his 30’s, he only had about 3 years before the 483 years would be up. Since Jesus came to fulfill prophesy and He mentioned that nothing written in the Old Testament books would pass away but be fulfilled (Matthew 5:18), we see that Jesus was determined and obligated to die 3 years after his ministry began.

Note: The 62 weeks or 434 years refers to the end of the period of the Old Testament until the death of Jesus. There were 400 years of silence between the Old Testament days and when angel Gabriel spoke to Mary about her pregnancy; another 9 months until Jesus was born; another 30 years until Jesus was released unto His ministry – the age when a Jew was old enough to be considered a priest. A simple addition (400 + 0.75 + 30) gives us about 431 years. Hence, Jesus’ ministry had to be 3 years long for him to fulfill the prophesy written in the book of Daniel.

So then who really killed Him? In a sense, no one did! He gave himself over willingly to the guards who came to arrest Him. He gave Himself over because his time was fast approaching. Before his time, no one could touch him even when they tried. If His time had not come, He could have easily escaped from their midst as He had done before (Luke 4:29 -30). We know He gave Himself over willingly because of the following passage of scripture:

Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, “Whom are you seeking?” They answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am He.” And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground – John 18:4-6

The key point is that ‘they drew back and fell to the ground’. If you read the entire event, you will find that he had to ask them again. See, the guards did not arrest Jesus but Jesus gave himself over to the guards. Why? It is because his time was at hand to fulfill the will of God.

When we examine why Jesus had to come die in the first place, we see that it was to become sin for us so that we would become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). He had to come because we all fall short of the glory (Romans 3:23) and our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). In this sense, we all killed Him.

Food for Thought: Jesus killed himself because of his love for us because we gave him no choice in the matter.

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April 1, 2013 · 3:51 am

Can I Go To Heaven Without Jesus?

Mistake in math on chalkboard“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come – Matthew 12: 31 – 32

Many people have used this scripture to say that we cannot ‘complain’ to God. That if we complain, we are speaking against the Holy Spirit. When I hear this, I often question whether the person has ever forayed into the book of Psalm for it is awash with what can certainly be termed as complaining. Furthermore, not being able to speak our minds to a God who willingly killed Himself for us when we did not deserve it seems a little bit unreasonable. Trust me, God can handle our complaints. In fact, He is interested in hearing our hearts rather than our lip service. Our phony lip service just reveals that our heart is filled with fear-based deceit.

Speaking of hearts, the scripture tells us that man speaks out of the abundance of his heart (Matthew 12: 34). Therefore, whatever a man speaks reflects what is in his heart. If he speaks against the Holy Spirit, it is because his heart is against the Holy Spirit. If his heart is against the Holy Spirit, it is clear that he does not have the Holy Spirit within him. No man willingly receives something his heart is set against.

Lightbulb MomentLight-bulb moment: A receptive heart is central to receiving the Holy Spirit

Our marquee passage of scripture above reveals to us that the sin of rejecting the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Though God has made it possible to be saved in this life and the next through the reception of the Holy Spirit, the onus still lies on man to answer the calling of God unto salvation. While other sins will be forgiven, the sin of rejecting the Holy Spirit will lead to eternal separation from God. There simply is no forgiveness for that rejection.

Since the only way to receive the Holy Spirit onto salvation is to accept Jesus as God (Romans 10:9-10), it becomes clear that the unpardonable sin is also the rejection of Jesus. But what about speaking against Jesus the man? Well, the bible says we can be forgiven of this (Matthew 12:32). If you disagree with and speak against Jesus turning water into wine, you will be forgiven this sin. If you disagree with Jesus turning over the tables in the synagogue because you think all anger is bad, again you will be forgiven. But is you reject Jesus as your Lord and Savior, well this is a different story.

Lightbulb MomentLight-bulb moment: The sins of rejection some of the things Jesus did as man out of ignorance will be forgiven, but the sin of rejecting Jesus as Lord and Savior (God) will not.

See, the rejection of Jesus itself is sin because this rejection comes out of pride and stubbornness. How so? This is because the nature of God and the godhead is revealed throughout creation (Romans 1:20). Hence, no one on earth can claim lack of knowledge of God and the Holy Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit is God, He will always lead us to Jesus. Why does the Holy Spirit lead us to Jesus? It is because only through Jesus can all of our sins be forgiven for He is the one that lived a spotless and sinless life. Without being spotless through forgiveness upon confession, the Holy Spirit would not have been able to make its home in us.

So, I beg you not to commit the sin of rejecting Jesus today. Trust God, this sin will not be forgiven.

Food for Thought: Rejecting Christ is tantamount to accepting death.

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March 16, 2013 · 3:52 am

Breathe In God (Part II) – New Testament

Sever yourselves from such a man whose breath is in his nostrils for of what account is he? – Isaiah 2:22

The process of getting saved through confession and belief (see Romans 10:9) in punctuated by Jesus breathing the Holy Spirit into us –  just as He breathed the Holy Spirit into His disciples (see John 20:22). He not only does this upon confession but then He seals His Spirit within us by the power of his death and resurrection – so that we can no longer die spiritually. In a repeat of what happened in the beginning when Adam was formed (see Genesis 2:7), Jesus again breathes the breath of life into man – so that we are born again. Again, this new birth through the breath of the Holy Spirit embedded deeply hidden within us and is covered with the blood of Jesus so that nothing foul or evil can penetrate. This time around (unlike in the time of Adam), the breath of life cannot escape, be corrupted, or be extinguished.

Lightbulb MomentLight-bulb moment: New Birth (salvation) ensures that we no longer need a respirator to breath but can live on the breath within us (the Holy Spirit)

Whereas once before, Satan used to enjoy us breathing from within for it was the breath of death, now all he tries to do is suffocate the breath in us. He no longer wants us to inhale deeply so as to draw out and unleash the breath of life (the power of the Holy Spirit) into the world. Rather, he wants us to breathe out only what the world tries to introduce into our nostrils. Instead of taking deep breaths from within, he wants us to breathe out from our nostrils what has entered into our nostrils. If you have ever tried to breathe from you nostrils, you know that it feels much like suffocating – for it is not from within.

Lightbulb MomentLight-bulb moment: If we do not tap into the Spirit of God within us, then we suffocate and die to the life inherent in God

Now, the only thing palatable to breathe from the outside is the word of God through our sensory organs. When the word of God enters through our nostrils and goes into our Spirit, it agrees with the Spirit and produces the power of God that we may breathe out and impart onto the world. Should we simply stop at breathing in the word of God into our nostril without inhaling deeply so it reaches the Spirit, then the word that we breathe out is powerless for it has not been touched by the Holy Spirit. Hence, we have to make sure we breathe in deeply in order to experience the goodness and power of God in our lives.

Lightbulb MomentLight-bulb moment: Anything we breathe into our nostrils that is not the word of God is the breath of corruption from the outside world.

To summarize, this discussion is only reiterating what the Apostle Paul says when he implores us to walk in the Spirit that we have received (see Galatians 5:25). In other words, Paul is saying that if we have received the breath of life (the Holy Spirit), we must tap into that Spirit by breathing deeply so that we may exhale (produce) the life and goodness inherent in the Spirit of God (see Galatians 5:22). Furthermore, we must breathe in the word of God deeply if it is to have any power and produce any fruit in our lives.

Thus, Isaiah 2:22 for the born again believer is really saying this: Sever yourself from that person who has the Spirit of God but refuses to walk in the Spirit for he is only fulfilling the desires of the flesh – fornication, lewdness, and so forth (see Galatians 5:19)

Food for Thought: Just as there is no point owning treasure we can never reach, it does no good having the Holy Spirit here on earth if we do not walk in the Spirit.

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March 6, 2013 · 2:06 pm

Breathe In God (Part I) – Old Testament

Sever yourselves from such a man whose breath is in his nostrils for of what account is he? – Isaiah 2:22

Prior to the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, man was spiritually alive for the breath of life was breathed in by God into his nostrils (see Gen 2:7). Hence, prior to the fall, it was perfectly alright for man to breathe from his nostrils.

To digress a little, prior to the redemptive work of Christ on the cross, man’s spirit could be corrupted and die for his spirit was not yet sealed with the blood of Jesus. It is because Adam’s spirit was not yet sealed that his spirit was able to die when he was disobedient to God. But hallelujah, because of the blood of Jesus, our spirit no longer dies when we are disobedient. What a loving God!

Lightbulb MomentLight-bulb moment: The blood protects our spirit-being from corruption. Just as the blood protected the Children of Israel from the angel of destruction in Egypt, the blood protects our spirit-being from being touched by evil. It is the blood that keeps us clean and so guarantees our entry into heaven.

Once Adam’s spirit died, the breath he was drawing from his nostril was no longer the breath of life or the breath that leads to a life of abundance, goodness, and greatness. Because his spirit had died, his breath had become the breath of death – a useless breath that produces only those things that come from death – things that cuts down rather than builds up, destroys relationships, and produces all manner of ungodly things. Prior to Christ, many men were not living but simply existed!

Lightbulb MomentLight-bulb moment: Without being born again of the Spirit of God, the only thing we draw from within us is the breath of death.

But God is not cruel. Prior to Jesus, he made a way for man to experience life. Although the Holy Spirit could not reside within man, the life of God could be experienced when the Holy Spirit breathed His power into man from the outside. Since man could not breathe life from within, the Holy Spirit became the respirator that sustained man as he waited for Doc Jesus to perform spiritual surgery. Hence, prior to Christ, real life was only experienced by allowing the Holy Spirit to breathe into man’s nostrils.

It was this external breath of God (and not the breath of man) the prophets and men of God in the Old Testament relied upon. It was the breath of God that propelled Abraham to wealth, Isaac to become prosperous, and catapulted Joseph from the pits to the palace. Conversely, those who relied on their own breath such as King Nebuchadnezzar were relegated from the palace to the wilderness. Hence it is clear why Prophet Isaiah warns us to not to keep company with people whose breath is in their nostrils. The ungodly things that come out of them will corrupt our good character.

Food for Thought: When we choose Christ, we choose the ability to live every second of every day. We do not have to go through periods of merely existing.

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February 18, 2013 · 2:28 am

3 Reasons Why Prophesies Fail! (Reason 3) – Pompous Attitude

I dont know why my prophesy is not coming to pass And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage – 2 Kings 5: 10 – 12

Perhaps the reason the wonderful things spoken into our lives are not coming to fruition is because we have dictated to God how He is to accomplish them. An attitude of ‘I am too good to do this’ or ‘surely God cannot use this person to help me’, keeps us from fulfilling His best for us. See, too often we judge a book by its cover (its outwards appearance), but God judges a book by the substance of what is inside (see 1 Samuel 16:7). I wonder how many times we have missed out on the treasures God wants to lavish on us simply because we pass on the old rickety, web covered box.

Reason 3: Pompous Attitude

The reading of the story of Namaan in 2 Kings 5 warns us of the peril of determining for God how he is to bring things to pass in our lives. If we are not careful, we can fall into the trap of prideful dictation to God – telling Him how to do what He has promised to do. Too often I hear believers state that they will not settle for less than what God wants for them. That is great and admirable! The problem many times is that they have not asked God about what He wants for them, when He wants it for them, and how He wants to give it to them. Too often, we allow Gods best to bypass us simply because of our dreaming and fantasizing; our dictating to God. See, life is not about what we want and how we want it, but it is about what He wants for us and how He wants us to attain it. Trust me, what He wants for you is far better than what you could possibly imagine for yourself (see Ephesians 3:20)

Unlike Namaan, we must take our eyes off the outward appearance and focus it instead on what God says. We do not have to understand it; we just have to humble ourselves and follow His plans for us.

Just think about the fact that Jesus – the savior of the world – was born in dingy old manger where animals eat and likely do their business. If someone told you today that a king was born in a manger, would you believe it? If we are honest, most of us would probably say no! Instead of questioning God about His tactics, we ought to be like the shepherds who were told about the birth of their King. We should just listen and obey.

Remember, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (Proverbs 3:34).

Food for Thought: It is not wise to oppose your blessing by being prideful.

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February 4, 2013 · 2:44 am

3 Reasons Why Prophesies Fail! (Reason 2) – Unpredictable Response

I dont know why my prophesy is not coming to passThe instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it – Jeremiah 18:7-10

Did you know that it is possible to change God’s mind about the word that He has already spoken? The passage of scripture quoted above certainly proves that it is possible. How do we do it? God tells us that our disobedience or obedience is one way for us to change His mind about what He has already spoken. Another way to do is through the petition of a righteous man.

Reason 2: We cannot predict people’s response to prophesy

We have to be careful about judging a person a prophe-liar when what they have prophesied has not come true. Why? This is because the fulfillment of prophesy is in part due to disobedience or obedience of the person, people, or nation to which the word applies. Remember that prophesy is the word of the Lord.  At times, this word from God is simply a warning aimed to get a change of behavior or heart so that God may relent. At times, the word is an unchangeable proclamation! Either way, both of these are words from God.

In essence, prophetic words are words that foretell what God has planned for us. But just like when Abraham intervened on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah, we may be able to petition God to change his mind on what he has pronounced. Remember that God was going to destroy these cities for their unrighteousness, but Abraham was able to talk God down to looking for a few righteous men. Sadly, even this was too much to ask.

Now, if the example of Sodom and Gomorrah does not grab you, for God destroyed the city anyway, what of that of King Hezekiah? Prophet Isaiah brought the word of God to Hezekiah that he was going to die (Isaiah 20:1) from his illness. Not wanting to die, Hezekiah petitioned the Lord for His life and lo and behold, the Lord changed what He had planned. We see in 2 Kings 20:5 that the Lord extended Hezekiah’s life because of His prayer.

This shows us that God puts loving mercy and grace above prophesy. He wants us to give Him an occasion to relent and speak new words of life over us. What a loving Father! This is why Paul tells us that while prophesies might fail, love never fails!

Even Jesus had to take obedient action to fulfill prophesies about Him – He had to be obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit. See, God will never take away the free-will He gave us just so that prophesy is fulfilled. No! He is more in the business in convincing us that His prophetic words are profitable for us to act upon. This action may be confessing our faults, petitioning him, or acting in obedience.

For every word of prophesy from an individual to be fulfilled regardless of obedience requires God to disregard justice, mercy, and his other attributes. He will not do that! Furthermore, He loves us too much to take away our free-will so that every word of His would be fulfilled. If He did that, He would be a tyrant and not a loving-King.

Food for Thought: We have to move a muscle to enter into the good things God has already spoken over us.

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January 30, 2013 · 5:21 am

3 Reasons Why Prophesies Fail! (Part I) – It was a Prophe-lie

I dont careLove never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

– 1 Corinthians 13: 8 – 10

What do you think when prophetic words do not come to pass? Do you automatically think that someone has prophe-lied to you? If you say to yourself that ‘real prophetic words must come to pass no matter what’, then you may want to read 1 Corinthians 13:8 – 10! Now, why does this passage say that we know in part and we prophesy in part especially now that we have the Holy Spirit within us who reveals things to us? What should we do with prophesy? How do I know if what I am hearing is a prophe-lie? Hopefully your questions are addressed as we examine the reasons why prophesies fail.

Reason 1: The prophetic ‘word’ was really a prophetic ‘dream’

Not all words that come out of the mouth of prophets are words from God. The scriptures put it this way in Jeremiah 23:28:  The prophet, who has a dream, let him tell a dream; And he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully.

Note: If you ever wondered where ‘in your dreams’ came from, wonder no more!

Just like the prophet who prophe-lied that the congregation of Israel was only going to spend 2 years in captivity or the false prophets who told King Ahab that he was going to be victorious in battle, we too can become dreamers if we are not careful.

But can we deduce if a prophetic word is a dream? Absolutely!

The story of the man of God in 2 Kings 13 who was sent to Jeroboam will shed light on this. See, this man had heard from God that he should return back to his home a certain way, but decided to turn another way because of the lying words of another prophet who simply wanted some company.

Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.”

16 And he said, “I cannot return with you nor go in with you; neither can I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place. 17 For I have been told by the word of the Lord, ‘You shall not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you came.’”

18 He said to him, “I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’” (He was lying to him.)

19 So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water.

Unfortunately, this man of God decided to listen to the lying prophet and followed him. As a result, the man of God paid the price of death for his disobedience. The irony of it is that true prophetic announcement of the man of God’s death came by the same prophet who had first lied to him (see 2 Kings 13:20 – 23!

Here are a few things this story relates to us regarding prophesy:

  1. We should never doubt what the Lord has told even if another  ‘prophet’ tells us different
  2. Our obedience to what the Lord tells us is critical to life; disobedience blocks out the blessings of God
  3. Even true prophets fall prey to dreaming. Hence, no amount of prophesy from anyone beats listening to the direct command of the Holy Spirit
  4. If we are hearing contradictory prophesy about a specific situation, then one of the prophecy is not of God, as God will NEVER contradict Himself. Also, God will never contradict the scripture.
  5. The best kind of prophesy is confirmation of what the Lord has already told us. Yes! We can now hear from God who longs to speak to us directly.  Therefore, all prophesy really ought to be confirmation. If it’s not, we need to check the health of our relationship with God.
  6. We become prophe-liars the moment we take our eyes off God to entertain ourselves, our circumstance, or others.

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January 23, 2013 · 2:15 pm

Overcome Your Mountain: ‘Speak in Faith’

iStock_000000883811XSmallThere are two kinds of mountains (troubles) we will face in this life: natural mountains (those we stumble upon) and self-made mountains (those we create).

Natural Mountains

Natural mountains are those that Satan places in our path to do us harm and to stifle our God given purpose and in so doing change our predestined path. Whether in the form of a lovely distraction or a deadly circumstance; whether inflicted by sickness or inflicted by people, these are real mountains we encounter simply because we live in a fallen world. Natural mountains represent the trials and tribulations to which Jesus says we shall overcome because He has already overcome the world (see John 16:33). Furthermore, the way we attain victory over these mountains is by introducing faith. Here is how the bible puts it:

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith – 1 John 5:4

Note that this passage does not say faith brings victory. It says that faith is our victory. Hence, faith is victory. It does not say victory (faith) will overcome the world. No! It says that victory (faith) has already overcome the word (past tense). From this, we can no longer call ourselves people of faith without living in victory over the trials and tribulation in our lives.

Self-made Mountains

Man-made mountains are those troubles we heap on ourselves though sin and disobedience. These are the mountains we have built up over time as we refuse to turn back from our evil ways (our heart) and our evil doings (our actions).

Now, it is this particular kind of mountain we have built in the impurity of our inner self (our ungodly hearts) that many of us fail to recognize, for we convince ourselves that God is only interested in what we do (actions). But this is not true! Here is what the bible says:

…For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart… – 1 Samuel 16:7

Hence, God cares as much about our hearts as He does about our actions. It is because of this truth that He calls the Pharisees a brood of vipers. Although they (the Pharisees) were blameless when it came to righteousness that came from the law (works or actions), their hearts needed major reconstruction!

Wait Emmanuel; does God correct us based on what is festering in our hearts? I am glad you asked. Here is what the scripture has to say about it:

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart; I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings – Jeremiah 17:9 -10

The answer is yes! Moreover, this correction may come through the actions of other people – such as when God allowed the Chaldeans to take Judah captive as a result of Judah’s sin. While some of the false prophets thought it was the Chaldean’s fault, it was really the fault of the people of Judah for not repenting. Let me put it this way:

Lightbulb MomentLight-bulb moment: If people are always causing you trouble, check yourself for you may be the problem. People tend to manifest and become the manifestation of what you have allowed in your heart.

Lightbulb MomentLight-bulb moment: If you are always climbing one mountain after the other, it is likely that you have put some of the mountains there. Have you?

Overcome Your Mountain – ‘Speak in faith’

Now, no matter the source of the mountain, faith remains the answer. All we have to do to overcome is ‘Speak in faith’. Note, I did not say ‘Speak in hope’. If your mountain is self-made, all you have to do is confess (acknowledge) and repent (turn away) from your sin and ask God in faith to relent in the time He may be found, and He will.

The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it – Jeremiah 18:7-8

Similarly, when you tell the natural mountain that you have stumbled upon to be removed in faith, the mountain will move.

For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says – Mark 11:23

If in doubt as to the source of the mountain, instead of praying ineffective prayers, ask God to reveal its source (your heart or Satan) and then speak to it in faith. Remember what God has promised:

 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them – Mark 11:24

Food for Thought: We should not be mountain climbers but should be mountain movers

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January 15, 2013 · 4:28 am

3 Keys to Take Hold of Your Birth Right

Morning Sunrise near BellingenWhile the Lord had already given the promised land of Canaan to the Israelites, they still had to take possession of it (see Jeremiah 32: 22 -23).  Just as Israel had to take possession of the land God gave them, we also have to take possession of all the victory and glory that has already been won for us on the cross of Calvary. See, God has already paid the price for us so we may live heaven or earth and attain all the covenant blessings. It is now ours by birth-right – by being born again of His Spirit. Yet, many of us constantly forfeit our birth-right simply because we do not know how to take hold of it. How much it must hurt God to see us refuse His blessings.

So how do we take hold of our promised land (heaven on earth)? We take hold of it the same way that the Israelites took hold of their promised land – through faith and obedience, and by patience and prayer. And unlike the Israelites, we make sure that we keep our promised land by refusing to revert back to disobedience. We have to maintain an attitude of letting go and letting God.

Faith and Obedience

In the battle of Jericho, the children of Israel were successful because they obeyed the commandment of God by marching around the city seven times and by blowing their trumpets so that the city walls would fall. Think of how silly the commandment of God must have seemed. Some may have said, ‘Do what God? You mean to tell me that if I march around this city and blow my trumpet, that this wall, this great wall that is more than twelve feet wide is going to fall.  You are very funny God!’ But Joshua was well trained and understood that no commandment of God is silly. His faith was strong in the Lord and he had seen the power of His might beforehand. He knew He had to do just what God told him if the walls were to fall down and if they were to take the city.

Lightbulb MomentLight-bulb moment: Victory is not about our logic, thoughts, or feelings. It’s about faith-filled obedience to the word of God.

Patience

Looking again at the battle of Jericho, can you imagine the complaints against Joshua? ‘Come on Joshua, this is silly’, they must have said. ‘We have already walked around this city six times and nothing has happened. Instead of wearying us by walking, why don’t we build up our strength to take this city in battle?’ While it is tempting to revert to our own ways when we do not see the result of what God is telling us instantly, it is best to stick with what God has told us even if it means going around the same mountain many times. Remember, it took 21 days for the angel of God to reach Daniel because the Prince of Persia withstood him (see Daniel 10:12 – 13). Likewise, patience is essential if we are to take hold of the blessings God has for us. Remember, it is by faith and patience that we inherit the promises (see Heb. 6:12).

Prayer

After the victory at Jericho, Israel decided that they no longer needed God. They allowed success to get to their heads and so did not go to God in prayer prior to sending out an army against the puny city of Ai. As a result, they tasted defeat and lost men in battle. Oh, how too many of us leave God after He has granted the desires of our hearts. The story of the battle at Ai is a warning to us that we lose every time we forget God and take matters into our own hands.

If only Joshua had asked God (prayed) concerning what to do before he sent men to battle at Ai, God would have beforehand revealed the sin that existed in the camp (see Joshua 7:10 – 11). But no! Men had to die before God was sought after.

Lightbulb MomentLight-bulb moment: We suffer unnecessarily when we leave God out of our lives. Just as prayer was the first thing that went out of the window after the victory at Jericho, the erosion of a prayer life (not when asked) is always the first sign that we have begun to rely on our own strength.

To conclude, the keys to take hold of what is rightfully yours by birth are as follows:

(1) Seek God in prayer

(2) Obey His voice no matter what

(3) Patiently wait for the victory that is already yours.

When you do this and do not turn back, you ensure you spend all of your days in the Promised Land rather than be cheated taken into captivity by the king of Babylon (Satan). Satan has stolen too much from us. It’s time to take back what is ours!

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January 6, 2013 · 3:08 am

My Plea to the Church: Be a Titus and Stop Killing Your Wounded

P1010003As believers, we have to stop killing our wounded through our inaction. Too many of us leave those who have been attacked by the robber (Satan) by the way side. We refuse to heed their cries for help as they are getting attacked but instead we love to cross step aside and go about our business.

The Good Samaritan

Rather than be the Good Samaritan (Jesus) to those in our ranks that have been wounded by the devil, too many us walk on by in pride! Instead of lending a helping hand, we enter into the unprofitable exercise of assigning blame while the patient is dying. We say, ‘You see, his problem is that he did not put on his cloak of zeal. Her problem is that she did not put on her armor this morning. If she had put on that armor, then Satan’s arrow would not have touched her. If he had his cloak on, then nothing would have happened to him’.

Too many of us are too quick to harshly judge one another as if we are perfect in putting on the armor of God on a daily basis before going out in the battlefield. If you tell me the answer is yes, then what you are telling me is that you have never told a ‘white’ lie (belt of truth), you have walked in perfect peace everyday of your life (shod your feet), and that you have never acted in an unrighteous manner ever since you got saved (breastplate of righteousness). You are telling me that you have always attacked every problem in your life with the word of God (sword of the spirit) and have never resorted to your own ways even once! If you say yes, all I can say is wow!

The truth is that it is only by the grace of God that we are protected from evil. It is God’s grace that prevents the devil from pulling our pants down and thus shaming us when we forget to tighten out pants with the belt of truth.  If we are to be honest and humble, it is the Lord that mercifully shields us in the areas we have left ourselves susceptible to attack. He Himself covers us and receives the blows of the enemy on our behalf just as He did and just as many animals do in order to protect their young-ling.

Lightbulb MomentLight-bulb moment: If the animals understand the concept of shielding their weak ones, why is it that we simply tend to leave our wounded in their time of weakness?

Instead of following Jesus’ example in shielding His beloved (us) from death and destruction, why is it that we just prefer to watch each other crash and burn? Are we that prideful? Where has the love gone these days? Instead of being good Samaritans and nursing our wounded to health, we have tended to be quick in throwing stones.

Stone-Throwing

It is because of this stone-casting tendency that too many people cover and hide their short-comings rather than ask for help. They fear they are going to be ‘put down’ just like a wounded race horse is put down rather than receive the loving care and restoration that Jesus shows us daily and expects us to show one another. So, hypocrisy, phoniness, and deceitfulness reigns supreme.

Rather than put down, we are meant to help restore those who have wondered from the truth (James 5:19). Rather than run away from those who have stepped into the muck of life, we ought to wash their smelly feet. You see, Jesus tells us to wash each others feet because He knows that none of us go through life unsoiled at some point. The truth is that we need each other! We must be our brothers keepers – no only to keep each other from trouble, but also to keep each other alive when we are wounded.

How horrible that we have made our Christian journey a survival of the fittest where we are only looking out for ourselves; laughing in pride as we step on those that have missed the mark. When will we realize that no one is fit enough to go it alone?

Lightbulb MomentLight-bulb moment: Only one is fit – God! Since we are not God, we all need each other to survive. Isolation leads to death!

It is because we are bent on going it alone and refuse to tend to our wounded that the number in our army – which is God’s army – continues to dwindle. And so we continue to lose the battle for families, communities, and nation for we ourselves are not healthy to do much good – too many are wounded and are not receiving care! Our numbers are too small and too many in our ranks are too weak to fight a good fight. And instead of crying for this, too many of us simply chuck it up to it being the end times and pat ourselves in the back for staying strong. Our mercy, grace, and love walk has become so shallow that our heart no longer breaks like God’s heart breaks every time something ungodly occurs.

When we say that the nation(s) have gone away from God, I wonder if God is saying ‘I know this, but I have made you my hands and feet. I have given you a task to make disciples (not just new converts) and handed you the baton for the ministry of reconciliation and restoration. What are you doing?’

God’s Heart

Oh brothers and sisters, my plea is that we take care of our wounded so that the world may see and be encouraged to join our ranks for they know they will be cared for. For what is the benefit of joining our ranks if they are going to be treated the same way the world treats them. Let us take care of our wounded so that the heart of the enemy may grow faint when he sees that we are still as numerous and as strong as at the beginning despite our walk through perilous terrain.

Just as Jesus has promised never to leave us nor forsake us, our motto should be no soldier left behind! That our brothers and sisters will never walk alone. Let us be a Titus today!

“God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus” – 2 Corinthians 7:6

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