When Hit With Trial of Lifetime

“But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” (Genesis 22:7 NKJV)

 

Nothing is said about the emotional trauma that Abraham was going through at this very low point in his life particularly when Isaac asked, “Where is the lamb for the offering?” We know there is no real answer to Isaac’s question until
centuries later when John the Baptist standing before the people of Israel saying, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

 

Where did this man find the strength to carry through this unpleasant task?Where did he find the peace to follow God’s command? Genesis 22:5 gives an insight as to the Abraham source of strength: “Abraham said to his servants, ‘Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.'” Abraham is not trying to be deceptive, but somewhere within him, there is the consciousness that God who had said Isaac is the heir, will do something to save the day. In the struggles of that night, in meditation, he probably began to reason that”God has given me promises, and I have lived with God long enough to know that when God gives a promise, He carries it through. God has said that in Isaac  all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. Isaac is the answer to the fulfilment of the promise, it can’t be any other. If God has asked me now to offer him up as a sacrifice, there is only one explanation. God intends to raise him from the dead.”

 

So firm is his faith in the character of God that he believes in the resurrection. This is confirmed in Hebrews 11: “By faith Abraham offered Isaac. . . Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead…” (Hebrews 11:17,19). Abraham risked everything he had and trusted on the character of God.. Because of this wonderful triumph in his life, Abraham calls this place, “God will provide”

 

When we are in the lowest of our life, let’s learn to trust in God that provides. God’s ways with us are such that when it seems as though deliverance will never come and we do not doubt His integrity nor compromise our faith in Him, His intervention will surface. People’s disappointments are God’s appointments. It is never too late for God. Even if Abraham had been required to carry the slaughtering of Isaac to its end, his heart was quiet in restful peace because he knew God of resurrection. Regardless of what He calls you to lay on the altar in obedience to Him, remember He always know what is best, and He always have a plan that is good and perfect for you.

AUTHENTIC PRAYER.

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, God, have mercy on me, a sinner. I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God.” (Luke 18:13-14a)
 This man came into the church remorseful and unmindful of whoever may be around watching. He stood with his eyes cast down and all he could say is, God, have mercy on me, a sinner. He was aware of his helplessness and he decided to be naked before God. He saw himself on the lowest possible level, a sinner that no other man was like! He believed that without God he could do absolutely nothing to help his position.
He did not come by way of any merit whatsoever. He was penitent but did not come to God from that perspective, he saw nothing good about himself, nothing to lean on, but God. How did he come to this place? Exactly the opposite of the Pharisee who Jesus spoke of earlier. He did not look down on someone else below him, he looked up to God. He judged upward, to God. He saw no one but God, he heard nothing but the high standard of God.  Lord, I’m the sinner. I’ll never be any better in myself, I’m simply a sinner, I need your mercy!
Authentic prayer acknowledges only God’s adequacy. That is the point held on to by this tax collector. Our help must be in God. This man looked for help nowhere else. He said, God be merciful to me. In that word ‘have mercy’ is hidden the wonderful story of Jesus, the cross and resurrection. He used a theological word which means be propitiated to me, that is, having had your justice satisfied, Lord, now show me your love. And he believed that God’s mercy was available, for, Jesus said, he went home justified. He was changed, he was different, he was made whole. He laid hold of what God said, and believed him.
This is where Jesus leaves us. Perhaps for the first time we can say, Lord, be merciful to me, the sinner. Even after years of Christian life, of being a pastor or a deacon or the most dutiful worker in the church, we can start again, and say, Lord, let me reckon upon Your faithfulness to me, let me count upon Your willingness to be in me and work through me to make my life all that it ought to be.
Be merciful to me O Lord for I am the sinner.

“WHEN YOU FEEL SO POWERLESS “

“I will speak of the Lord, He is is my refuge and fortress, in Him I will trust.”
Many times it appears that the forces raging against us are so much more powerful than us. It is a time when  we come face-to-face with something we can’t fix and it like drowning may likely be the result. That is what happens when  we are under the weight of a daunting and overwhelming issues of life. There are three persons you should speak to, yourself, others or God. Self effort under this situation is doomed to be help for the arm of flesh will fail.  Turning to man may be an option but the Bible says “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans.” Pa 118:8. The only one to turn to is God. That explains why the psalmist says “I will speak to the Lord ………’
Speaking to the Lord means declaring the Word to the Lord in prayer. This was the approach of Jeremiah when the people of God were confronted by the most powerful empire of its time – Babylon. In this overwhelming difficult and powerless situation, Jeremiah turned to the Lord, speaking to the Lord by declaring the word, ‘….I am against you, O destroying mountain, …. I will stretch out my hand against you, and roll you down from the crags, and make you a burnt mountain”   (Jer. 51:25); “I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams and male goats.” (Jer. 51:40); Then the heavens and the earth, and all that is in them, shall sing for joy over Babylon, for the destroyers shall come against them out of the north, declares the Lord. Babylon must fall for the slain of Israel, just as for Babylon have fallen the slain of all the earth” (48-49). Zechariah too in Zechariah 4:7 say “Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: …”
Jeremiah’s message was this: God is all-powerful. ‘By his power he made earth. His wisdom gave shape to the world. He crafted the cosmos’. This all-powerful God is on your side: ‘I’m on your side, taking up your cause’. Therefore he says, ‘Don’t lose hope. Don’t ever give up’ (v.15, 36, 46). 
When you feel powerless and overwhelmed, fond out what God’s Word says about your situation, believe it and declare it. And because God’s Word cannot return to Him void (Isaiah 55:11), you will see what you believe and confess come to pass. The Babylonian empire, which seemed so powerful collapsed – like every other empire before or since, but God’s people not only survived, they continued to grow and flourish. Every ‘Babylonic siege over your life shall collapse and you will grow and flourish.
DO YOU FEEL SO POWERLESS, IS THE SITUATION BECOMING UNBEARABLE AND INEXPLICABLE, SPEAK THE WORD, YOU WILL SEE THE MOUNTAIN MOVING.

“MEDITATING ON THE WORD”

“I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation” (Psalm 119:99).
Transcendental meditation, as eastern religions is often called, is not same with biblical meditation. It is dangerous and actually opens up one’s mind for Satanic attack as it is found in New Age thinking. Biblical meditation consists of reflective thinking usually on a specific subject to discern its meaning or significance or a plan of action. Psalm 63:6 says “When I remember Thee on my bed, I meditate on Thee in the night watches.” When we begin to focus or pondering on the word of God, we allow the Word to mould our thoughts and activities and by so doing we will start moving into a spiritual, life-giving understanding of truth from God. Meditating in the Word of God is one of the greatest keys to obtaining and understanding truth in our lives. It fill our thoughts with the thoughts of God, to allow ourselves to be consumed with the things God has said. When we become consumed with what He has said, it becomes effortless to do the things He said to do.
David lists understanding as one of the benefits we will obtain from meditating on God’s Word – “I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation” (Psalm 119:99).
“The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130).God never intended for meditation to merely produce more knowledge. Instead, His true intention was that after meditating His Word we will receive a greater understanding of God, of His ways, and how to activate His Word. Once we begin a regular habit of meditating the Word of God and not just reading it, we will receive insight and an understanding of how to walk in the principles that He reveals to us.
Joshua 1:8 is a classic scripture on the subject of meditation. It describes what will happen when we make a daily practice of meditating on God’s Word: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
One purpose of meditation is to put us in a position that empowers us to “do” God’s Word, not just hear it. Joshua said meditating on God’s Word day and night will cause us to “observe to do” all that is written. As we meditate on the promise of God, we will see things in the Word that we have never seen before, even though we may have read it before. And the revelation knowledge that comes from meditation will enable us to act according to what we have seen.
True meditation will bring us to the place of responding to God’s Word with action. And true Bible faith demands that we take action. Begin meditating on God’s Word and expect to see what to do about the situations you face today.

 

The Marah Tree

“Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, ‘What shall we drink?’ So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet” (Exodus 15:23-25 NKJV).

 

The passage is a powerful example of God opening our eyes to His availability. Just after the Israelites had been delivered from Pharaoh’s army, they went into the desert where they had no water. God led them to the waters of Marah which was bitter and deadly and therefore not good for drinking. But why will the good God do that? I believe it is show them His sufficiency, availability and relevance in their lives no matter the situation or circumstance they may find themselves.

 

We may have been faced with “bitter waters” many times in our lives. Situations, problems, or tragedies will arise to challenge our walk with God. The Holy Spirit has come to provide the wisdom, counsel, or might we need to turn those waters of life from bitter to sweet! God told Moses to take the tree and put it into the water. Moses’ obedience brought a miracle, and the miracle brought a revelation: God did not want them to drink bitter waters. He wanted to reveal their hearts in order for their hearts be changed where needed. The experience revealed that while Moses was God centred, Israel was not and that God is a good God; and Israel needed to know that. If they would simply obey Him, He would care for them.

 

Unfortunately, even after the great miracles, Israel would not continue to walk with God. They refused to listen to His instructions. Psalm 81 opens us into God’s heart as He was reaching out to His nation. “But My people would not heed My voice, and Israel would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels” (Ps. 81:11-12 NKJV). Israel would not heed the counsel of God and no wonder they wandered in the wilderness. The Psalms tells us what would been the resultant effects had Israel heeded the counsel of God. “Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! I would soon subdue their enemies, and turn My hand against their adversaries. The haters of the Lord would pretend submission to Him, but their fate would endure forever. He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat; and with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you” (vv. 13-16).

 

Their experience could have been much different. If they had learned the lesson from the bitter waters of Marah, they would have seen how to reach out for counsel and wisdom from Jehovah God. Counsel came to them as it does to us. The tree at Marah represents the Branch: Jesus Christ. He will turn the bitter waters of our lives into sweet.

 

May the tests of life bend us towards Jesus, that we might open ourselves to Him at every  new depths, heeding His word and experiencing His healing. By the grace of God, may we make the journey and know His healing that we might live the Jesus life. Amen.

GOD KEEPS RECORDS.

You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your Book? (Psalm 56.8 NKJV)
God is represented as having records of men, of their works, and of God’s dealings with them.
The infinite and eternal God is a personal God and He relates to everyone individually. He knows all things, and has a record of all human conduct, including thoughts, words, acts, and motives. In the above passage, David referenced a book belonging to God: Book of Remembrance meant for every believer. Malachi informs us that “Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name. (Malachi 3:16 NKJV). This book holds every act of faithful service done for the Lord. This book is directly connected with another very important book called the Book of Life (Revelation 3:5; 20:15). If a name is removed from the Book of Life, that person’s good deeds will also be removed from the Book of Remembrance.
These two books will become handy during the time of the judgment, “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14). Satan will stand to accuse us before God that we are not worthy of eternal life. He will point to all of our sins and lay our faults in the worst possible light, declaring that we don’t deserve any more than he does to be saved. Revelation 12:10 calls Satan the “accuser of the brethren…which accused them before our God day and night.” Jesus does not excuse our sins, but rather points to the immortalized record of our lives and shows Satan that every one of those sins have been confessed and forgiven by Him, that His blood covers them and only our good deeds remain. This is very good news for us! “……… but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20b).
But as we rejoice, we must also remember not to take the mercy of God and His grace for granted by trying to cover up or ignore our sins. They must be confessed and forsaken. John emphasised that “But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” (Rev. 21:27)
Sins that have not been repented of and forsaken will not be pardoned and blotted out of the record, but will stand as a witness against us in the judgment.
May we search our hearts sincerely and make things right with God so that our life’s story may be shared throughout the endless ages.

 

“The Deep Riches of God’s Wisdom”

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them? For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.” Romans 11:33-36
Beyond human’s exploration is what Paul refers to as God’s inscrutable wisdom and his ways. There is no way man can fathom the greatness of God. Our minds are limited to grasp His greatness, ways and His unsearchable judgements. Even when we can understand what he tells us about himself, but even beyond that, there is much more that we cannot know. There are depths of riches of His wisdom and unsearchable judgments.
With this at back of Paul’s mind, he contrasts it with the impotence of man. He asks three very searching questions:
* His first one is, Who has known the mind of the Lord? What he is asking is Who has ever anticipated what God is going to do? Have you? Have you ever been able to figure out how God is going to handle the situations you get into? We all try, but it never turns out quite the way we think it will.
* The second question: who has been his adviser? or Who has ever suggested something that God has never thought of? Or has He ever been deficient of ideas and he desperately needed help? Never,
* Paul’s last question is, Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? That is, Who  has ever given God something that he didn’t already have? Paul says, Everything we are and have comes from him. He gives to us; we don’t give to him.
Paul concludes,

For from him (God) and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. God is the originator of all things; all things come from him. He is the sustainer of all things; they all depend on him. As C. S. Lewis puts it, To argue with God is to argue with the very power that makes it possible to argue at all! He is the end purpose. All things will find their culmination in God including you and me. He is why all things exist. Therefore, to him be the glory forever! Amen.

GOD’S PRECEPTS AND PRINCIPLES

 

“My son, attend to my words; consent and submit to my sayings. Let them not depart from your sight; keep them in the center of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh. (Proverbs 4:20-22 AMPC)

 

God’s precepts and principles is a two edged sword, put them into practice, you’ll see it come to pass and if violated, you will receive the repercussions. For every action, there is an equal consequence or reaction to that action. Many lives have   been so messed up that it is easy to think death might be a mercy. I have seen lives so flawed that it is easy to wonder why they were ever born. Many lives have been distressed and troubled that it is easy to describe their lives as hell on earth. The only panacea that can save man’s life from being wasted is the discovery of wisdom embedded in the word of God. It is life to those that find it, for it teaches a person how to live purposefully and successfully.

 

People who think the God’s principles are archaic, onerous and restrictive to been successful and having pleasure are not only fooling themselves, they are digging a grave of discomfort. Nothing works around them both within and without. They would not know how to treat parents, spouses, children, employers and neighbours. They would not know how to make marriage, family, business, church, or society work at all. Profane activities breed nothing but disease, death, dysfunction, poverty, misery, and ignorance. Light and progress are by the Word of God alone, and the people that follow it are blessed indeed (Proverbs 8:12-21; Psalms 33:12; 144:15). Nothing works outside of the divine guidance in the form of commandments!

Moses reminds us of the import of following God’s command, ” …… For it is not an empty and worthless trifle for you; it is your [very] life. By it you shall live long in the land which you are going over the Jordan to possess. (Deuteronomy 32:46-47 AMPC). Joshua was told, he could achieve success and prosperity by remembering, meditating upon, and obeying God’s law (Joshua 1:8). Jesus came bringing even greater light and He promised life and life more abundant for keeping His sayings (John 10:10).

 

To live your life without God’s words is insanity. They are life and health for body and soul. Neglect His words to your own peril and pain. Read and remember it for your great pleasure and profit.

SUSTAINING THE PRESENCE OF GOD

 

“And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil” (Deut. 11:13-14 NKJV). 

 

As I set to write this, I am still overwhelmed with what God did in our Thanksgiving Service – June Edition. The Lord moved mightily right from the beginning of the service, there was no room for sermon, no format, the testimonies were unprecedented and everyone was bathed in the power of God. No doubt God is opening heaven to bring to us floods of His goodness and mercy. He is bringing increase to His people in every dimension of life. 

 

However, to sustain this experience, there are clear directives that we must adhere strictly to. The above passage stipulate conditions for the blessing and outpouring of the Spirit – that people must walk in obedience to the instructions God had given them. The instructions were clear. They centered on a familiar but sometimes still uncomfortable word: obedience. To obey God’s Word, we must make it the first priority and final authority in our lives. Obedience is going where the Lord says to go and doing what He says to do. Isaiah 1:19 says, “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land”(NKJV). 

 

The Word of God emphasis over and over that there are blessings that come with obedience, but there are also penalties for disobedience. Although many people want the blessings, they do not want to obey. If we are to be full of God’s presence and experiencing His blessing, we must cultivate an attitude of obedience and a yielded heart toward God and His Word.

 

Andrew Murray in his book, “The Blessing of Obedience” says, “Without obedience there cannot be the spiritual power to enter into the knowledge of God’s Word and will. Without obedience there cannot be the confidence, boldness, and liberty that knows that prayer is heard. Obedience is fellowship with God in His will. Without it there is no capacity for seeing, claiming, and holding the blessing He has for us.” 

 

If we will choose to follow the instructions in God’s Word regarding our time, attitudes, giving, priorities, and willingness to yield to His influence, we will create an atmosphere around us in which God can move, bless and be glorified in our lives. 

BLESS AND CURSE NOT

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” (Romans 12:14)

This cannot be the natural reaction of an average man.

It is indeed humanly impossible to bless those who are persecuting one or wishing one evil. Man naturally, will go around badmouthing people who are not nice to him. He will want to run them down, speak harshly about them and possibly persecute back. But this is what the Word tells us we don’t need to do and we should not do. Paul here, describes the kind of love we should show to people particularly those who are unfriendly, mean, maltreat or oppress us. Paul gives some very practical help on this.
In verse 17 Paul says, Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Later, in verse 19 he adds, Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written, It is mine to avenge, I will repay, says the Lord. Revenge is one of the most natural of human responses to hurt, injury or bad attitudes. We always feel that, if we treat others according to the way they have treated us, we are only giving them justice. We can justify this so easily. “I’m only teaching them a lesson. I’m only showing them how I feel.” But have forgotten the many times you have injured others without getting caught yourself. But God hasn’t forgotten. This always puts us in the place of those Pharisees who, when the woman was taken in adultery, were ready to cast stones and stone her to death. Jesus came by and said to them, He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone, (John 8:7). None could for obvious reasons.
Paul’s admonition is, Don’t try to avenge yourself. First, because God knows it and he is already doing something about it. Leave room for God’s wrath. Second, God alone claims the right to vengeance because he alone can work it without injury to all concerned. He will do it in a way that will be redemptive. We don’t give God a chance when we take the matter into our own hands. May the Lord teach you this hard lesson of blessing and loving those who have done us wrong.