Young&Saved

Following Jesus in the 21st century

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...CLOSE YOUR EYES

I’ve heard numerous of Christians say, “let’s close our eyes and pray...” and to be frank I’ve mentioned the phrase without fully understanding the concept behind it. Some say we ought to close our eyes as we pray so that we are not distracted by the things that surround us. Well, that’s one way of looking at it.

In my lifetime I have attended a good share of prayer meetings and Christian gatherings, and in some of these places I have heard the convener say phrases like “pray, pray, pray...” “Pray louder so that He hears you”.

Well, so what is prayer? I believe that prayer is simply one’s personal communion with the Divine Creator.

DOES HE HEAR ME?

There are times I have moved my lips and uttered words, and yet I felt that the good LORD could not hear me. This often happened when I had violated His precepts and sinned against Him. In a time such as this I asked DOES HE HEAR ME? More accurately I wondered if He wanted to hear the prayers of this wretched sinner. Reader, if you feel this way remember and believe that 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” There have been other times where I haven’t done anything “wrong” per say. There have been instances where God feels a million miles away and my heart has grown cold to prayer. Dear reader if you ever find yourself in such a situation remember that to persist in prayer for God will hear even the groaning of thy soul as long as you have faith. For Hebrews 11:6 says “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who [diligently] seek him.”

 HOW SHOULD I PRAY?

There are different ways in which one could pray from sitting before the Lord as David did (1 Chronicles 17:16), standing as the tax collector did (Luke 18:13), bowing as Moses did (Exodus 34:8) and various other ways one may choose to pray in. However, I believe all these ways add up to nothing if we have no faith in the God we claim to be praying to; and that all is vanity without the sincerity of the soul. Hannah (1 Samuel 1:12-13), “As she continued praying to the LORD, Eli [the priest] was watching her mouth. Now Hannah was speaking from her heart. Although her lips were moving, her voice was inaudible. Eli therefore thought she was drunk.”I believe that in whatever position we pray in, it is all about the state of the heart, for God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7); and also about diligently seeking Him. You might pray so loudly, prostrate yourself on the ground, pray in the most “spiritual” stance and even have a million people applaud your  “praying skills” but if all this is done out of self exaltation it is surely in vain (Luke 18:14). Thereby, may our prayers be a cry of faith (Heb 11:6) and echo of humility (Like 18:14). Above all may our prayers be a spiritual act of worship done in truth and whole heartedly.

 PERFECT PRAYER

As I write this blog I am still a student of prayer. I am one still exploring the depths of the Master’s quarters of grace and in that regard I cannot subscribe to you the perfect prayer remedy. All I can say is keep reading and believing in the writings of the One who teaches us how to pray. Like the disciples, may we say “...Lord, teach us to pray...” Luke 11:1

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BUSTED HEART

LORD JESUS, give me a deeper repentance, a horror of sin, a dread of its approach; help me chastely [purely] to flee it, and jealously to resolve that my heart shall be Thine alone. –Puritan prayer.

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

The human heart is the birth place of all human rebellion against God. Our impure words and actions are the echo of the rebellion established in our hearts. Jesus said, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow (abundance) of his heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45) [NIV]. In all my years on this earth I have never seen a mango tree produce grapes as its fruit. It would simply be unnatural. In this portion of scripture Jesus Christ was talking about recognizing each tree by its fruit for no good tree produces bad fruit and no bad tree produces good fruit. In other words, (believe it or not) our words and our actions are a result of what we have stored up in our hearts.

WHAT IS THE STATE OF YOUR HEART?

There are sometimes during our Christian walk were we begin to feel content with our stand with God, with this contentment comes compromise; the comfortability of our “little” sins. When we no longer strive for holiness, righteousness, purity, prayer, obedience to Scripture and God Himself; simply because we feel “Christian enough” or “holy enough” may the Lord God open our eyes to our folly. Some people walk around thinking God is pleased with their actions because their lives are good and easy, when a matter of fact is that God is NOT pleased with their actions. “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). The heart of man is wicked and deceitful even to the man who owns the heart. Therefore, it is easy to fool ourselves that we are of God yet we are living in sin.

WHO CAN UNDERSTAND THIS DECEITFUL HEART?

The Psalmist in Psalm 139 understood that the only One that knows us better than we know ourselves is God the Creator. The surrender to God in these verses is profound. To say, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24). This is telling God that our hearts are deceitful and our evil thoughts displease God. O Lord Reveal any evil in us and instruct us in Your ways. I believe that verses should be one of the things believers ought to practice for them to grow.

The Psalmist in Psalm 119:11 says “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.”

(source: www.evangelicaloutreach.org )

The Psalmist hides God’s word in their heart. It is of paramount importance that we hide the Word of God in our hearts, for it is this Word that purifies us, cleanses us and makes us good trees that bear good fruit.

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David's 73

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me – PSALM 23:4 This verse has been read in numerous churches for centuries and it’s been recited at funerals, so that it may bring some sort of hope. BUT…What happens when it seems like the valley of the shadow of death is hunting you down? What happens when you see the prosperity dawn on the unrighteous? What do you do when things are not working in your favour? Pray? Run? Cry? Turn away from God? Lately, I’ve been interested in Psalm 73 and the more I thought about the Psalm the more it become clear to me; about David’s frustration, envy, reassurance and satisfaction. Basically, “What do you do when you are Christian but you are losing in life?” and all those be joyful always verses don’t seem to work with you. “What do you do when all your Christian friends are quoting the Bible to you, but nothing seems to be working in your life?” F R U S T R A T I O N (Analogy) Speaker: I have a testimony. Congregation: TESTIFY! Speaker: I launched a business plan and it has been successful. My business’ profit has tripled!!! Congregation: Praise God! HALLELUJAH!!! You (thoughts): My business plan failed and the bank is repossessing my house as collateral damage. Psalm 73:1 “Surely God is good to Israel, to those pure in heart.” Psalm 73:2 “But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.” There are times in life when it may seem like God has blessed all the saints but you. Where it seems all your friends and family that have sought the Lord have been blessed for following God. Leading you to frustration as your trouble starts to take a toll on you and you begin to question your Christian faith as David did in verses 13 and 14. Psalm 73:13 “Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.” And v14 “All day I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.” What do you do when your reward for righteousness is pain? Trust God?

E N V Y Psalm 73:3 “For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” Envy is defined as resentful desire of something owned by or in possession of someone else or others. David throughout verses 4 to 12 expresses his envy and frustration over the wealth, good health and pure prosperity of the wicked. He envied those that dishonoured God. You might be thinking “this is not me and I would never do such a thing.” A practical example is when we envy celebrities that have publicly denounced God and His ways, when we envy their wealth, fame and even beauty because they seem to be perfect. Sometimes when people become envious and bitter they are blinded to God’s wisdom and plan. Then, they tend to blame God for all their pain. Psalm 73:21-22 “When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.” R E A S S U R A N C E Psalm 73:16-17 “When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.” Our reassurance is not that we will escape hell because we choose to follow Jesus Christ. Our reassurance is that we will get to spend eternity with the Creator. At this point it’s self explanatory in the sense that when God is our desire and our satisfaction He is our greatest treasure. S A T I S F A C T I O N Psalm 73:25-26 “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is my portion for ever.” In the good, the bad and the ugly times in life, choose God for He alone can satisfy. When you prosper in all you do, forget not the Lord. For the times when all else fails you including your own body let the Lord be your portion and strength. I just want to quickly clarify something, at this point it’s not about whether David’s problems went away or not. What I have derived is that through it all he chose to trust God and by doing so, God opened his eyes to “…in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Rom8:28) .

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UNDER THE CAN

“First [sin] startles him, then it becomes pleasing, then easy, then delightful, the frequent, then habitual, then confirmed! Then the man is impenitent, then obstinate; then resolves never to repent, and then he is damned.” –Jeremy Taylor Have you ever done an experiment whether in a science class or simply at home; that involved a burning candle and a tin can? If you haven’t that’s alright, let me explain. When a burning candle is placed under a tin can the burning candle goes off. The reason is that a burning candle uses oxygen and produces carbon dioxide; and under the can there’s a limited amount of oxygen and soon enough the burning candle turns off (keep in mind I'm not a scientist, so my explanation might not be 100%). Now, take the burning candle as your spiritual life and the tin can as conformity, compromise, fear, sin and all things that murder Christians spiritually. Let me describe two types of individuals who are under the can. There are those whose candle is still burning and there are those whose candle is no longer burning. The difference here is that individual A has recently gotten under the can and the individual B has been under the can long enough to kill their fire. The honest truth about the two individuals is that none is better than the other and they both need to escape the can so as to escape eternal condemnation by God. HOW TO ESCAPE THE CAN 1. CALL UPON THE LORD “...Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” -Romans 10:13 God is faithful and just to forgive our sins when we confess them. Let me clarify something the tin can in your life does not have to be a big dark secret. It can be something that you knowingly do and have become accustomed to. The little areas of compromise that seem harmless are the can in your life and you need to escape them. 2. PRAY, READ, MEDITATE “Pray continually” –1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it...” –Joshua 1:8 When we are in the presence of God continuously, we will learn about God and what He expects from us this is done through prayer and reading the Word. Put on the armour of God which He provides for us through His Word. His grace is sufficient for us all especially when we are weak He is strong and will provide a way out for us when we are tempted. 3. DELIBERATE OBEDIENCE Just to be candid with you God can rescue from the can when you ask Him but He cannot forcibly keep you from being under it. WHAT AM I SAYING? Being outside the can is ultimately your choice and your choice alone, God cannot force you into being a saint. You have to take deliberate action into obeying God’s Word. I like to call it “deliberate obedience”. For instance, you struggle with lust then take deliberate action and do not watch movies that will provoke you to sin. Don’t use “God is still working on me” as an excuse to sin. Flee all unrighteousness and ungodliness; take deliberate action into obeying God’s Word.

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ROCK OF AGES

SINGING: “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee…” I have been thinking about this hymn lately and there’s something so powerful about the LORD GOD being the Rock of Ages. Personally, I believe that having God as the Rock of Ages implies that HE is a timeless GOD, a GOD that is strong and whom is NOT subject to circumstances. I particularly took a liking to the third verse of the hymn Rock of Ages, which says: Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling, Naked, come to Thee for dress, Helpless, look to Thee for grace, Foul, I to the fountain fly, Wash me, Savior, or I die.

Now, I want to put it out there for everyone who is reading this, to know that when God is your Rock of Ages your life will be filled with joy. When God is the foundation of your life and all that you do, He will bless you and you will find favor before man and God.

• Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling. When we look at the first and second line of the third verse of the hymn we see that there is nothing of worth we can bring to God except our surrender and repentance. In Psalms it says the earth and all that is in it belongs to God. I want you to understand that God is our provider whether or not we feel that we need His provision. When we cling to His cross and embrace all its “terms and conditions” He sets us free because of His glorious mercies.

• Naked, come to Thee for dress, Helpless, look to Thee for grace,

These lines are stating that the Rock of Ages is provider of all our needs whether physical or spiritual needs. The other Sunday, the Senior Pastor for the local church I attend pointed out something that blew my mind. He read out 1 Corinthians 10:3-4 “They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.”[NIV] Note: “they” implies the people of Israel that wandered the desert. When the pastor read this is was like what… that was there all along? And funny enough I have read this book before. The mind blowing thing about this scripture is that rocks do not give water or provide food. You never see people going on rocky lands and digging a well for water, and definitely we don’t see farmers planting seeds on rocky ground because we all know that the ground is too hard for the seeds to take root. But, from 1 Corinthians 10:3-4 we see that Christ the Rock of Ages indeed takes care of us. If you are going through a time of need put your trust in the Lord for He alone can provide all things according to His riches and glory. Psalm 84:12 “O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in You.” [NIV]

• Foul, I to the fountain fly, Wash me, Savior, or I die. As bizarre as it may sound the Rock of Ages is the only Rock that will cleanse us of our unrighteousness and make us whole.

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There is power in HIS love.

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ARE YOU...

Quick questions… “What makes a man or woman great? Are you are great person? If you are great…what makes you great?” (I’m guessing you have these questions)

I want to be candid with you today, 2015 has been the year that has changed my life, from the way I think to the way I interact with others. 2015 has been a “game changer” as some would call it. I have achieved beautiful goals and experienced the wonderful nature of God’s mercy. However, at the same time I have made grave mistakes that I regret (wishing for a time machine) but what I have learned from all this is that my hope should only be built on CHRIST THE MESSIAH. Now, back to the questions above… “What makes a man or woman great? Are you are great person? If you are great…what makes you great?” Is it your ability to command a crowd? Is it your ability to attract attention when you are in a room?

For the purpose of this blog the term “great person” will not particularly refer to a person who has the most money, fame or power but rather the person with most charisma, who is the most positively influential and courageous.

HOW TO BE THIS “GREAT PERSON” 1. HUMILITY Are you the most humble person you know? If your answer was yes then there is a problem. There is no true humble person that parades themselves as humble. As a man or woman who is actively seeking God, humility is a great characteristic to have. Lately, I read Jeremiah 38 which is about the time when Israel had deserted God and they had angered God so much that He was sending some of them into exile and others death by the sword, famine or plague. Now in this chapter Zedekiah King of Judah has a conversation with Jeremiah the prophet and he asks Jeremiah to be honest with him about what God is saying. So, Jeremiah tells him that if he surrenders to the King of Babylon, he and his family will live but if not they all die. 2 Chronicles 36:12 “He [Zedekiah] did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the Lord.”

The result was… Jeremiah 39:5-7 “…the Babylonian army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They captured him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon at Riblah where he pronounced sentence on him. 6 there at Riblah the King of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the nobles of Judah. Then put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.” If you want to be a “great person” then learn to be humble, listen and learn from those around you. What distinguishes Zedekiah from his father Josiah, a man of positive influence (2 Kings 22 and 23) is humility. In other words, if you want to more than survive and thrive then humble yourself first before God then man.

2. LOVE There is great vulnerability in loving someone or anything. To be able to love is courageous because you risk getting hurt. Do you remember the following men from any story in the bible Shammau, Igal, Palti, Gaddiel and Gaddi? Do you recognize Joshua and Caleb? I bet you do! The former five men and the latter two men have one important thing in common, they were all part of a spy team Moses had assembled to spy on the land of Canaan. Why do most of us remember Joshua and Caleb and not the other ten? It’s because they loved God and trusted God’s abilities. If you want to be a great person trust the Lord. David is good example of a King who loved and trusted God. Nelson Mandela was a charismatic and courageous leader. What made Nelson Mandela a great person was the ability to love those who inflicted pain on him and have the courage to bind two conflicting groups and be triumphant.

3. GRACE Luke 2:40 “And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon Him.” Here the passage is talking about Jesus Christ and the grace in this text is referring to the word “charis” in which the words charisma or charismatic are derived. To be a great person you have to realize that it all comes from God. God is a God that provides according to His will and glory. The foundation of true greatness is a relationship with God and the manual is simply God’s word which comes with the endless pursuit of maturity and knowledge.

Are you a great person?

-Humble yourself and seek the LORD…you will touch the sky with your knees to the ground.

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MISSED CALLS

A few years ago I remember I received more than 10 missed calls from my mother. When I saw the missed calls I freaked out because I was sure hell was going to break loose (ha-ha… I’m kidding) on a serious note it wasn’t a good thing, I KNEW that my mother would be mad at me and that I was in trouble.

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH TODAY’S BLOG?

Well, it has a lot to do with today’s blog. In Sunday school we were taught all these bible stories about people who were called by God. Stories of people like Samuel, Moses, Jonah, Ruth, Timothy, Paul and Abraham. Missing my mother’s calls was bad but the worst thing would be to miss God’s calling. When you miss God’s calling your life will never be the same and not in the good kind of way. In Matthew 22:1-14 “Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to summon those who had been invited to the banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Look! The feast I have prepared for you is ready. My oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.” But they were indifferent and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest seized his slaves, insolently mistreated them, and killed them. The king was furious! He sent his soldiers, and they put those murderers to death and set their city on fire. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but the ones who had been invited were not worthy. So go into the main streets and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ And those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all they found, both bad and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the wedding guests, he saw a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But he had nothing to say. Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” [NET]

I love this parable because it provides an analysis of people who are called. From this parable we can learn numerous things. However, in today’s blog we will focus on the following:

1. ANYONE CAN BE CALLED Throughout the bible we see that the people GOD called were of different times, classes, age, tribes and gender. From the parable we draw that anyone who is available can be called by God, according to v10 “…those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all they found, both bad and good…” We observe that Moses at the age of 80 was called through the burning bush (Exodus 3 & Acts 7:30), Ruth a Moabite was called through association with Naomi (Ruth 1:16-18), Rahab the prostitute was called through faith (Joshua 2:9-12), Samuel the young boy was directly called by God (1 Samuel 3) and many other people. Let me be clear, you cannot expect to be called like Samuel or Moses or any other man of God because you are not them and they are not you.

2. DUTY OF THE CALLED Those who are called have a choice. The beautiful thing about a calling is that we are at liberty to choose whether or not to respond. However, we have to be aware of the consequences of ignoring the call and the reward of responding to it. Using the parable we note that the people called from the streets had the responsibility of attending the banquet in their wedding clothes. From the scriptures we see that when Samuel realized that God was calling him, he responded by saying “Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:9) and after this Samuel told Eli everything the Lord had said although he was afraid (v18). When we are called and when we have responded to the call, we have a duty to fulfill. If we ignore the call of God we will be subject to God’s wrath as the initial guests were subject to the king’s wrath in the parable. We ought to do the work God has called us to do…it’s time to RISE UP and take a STAND.

3. DISTINGUISHED PEOPLE When you are called, you are required to separate yourself from the crowd. Let’s be clear, I am not advocating segregation or anything like that. In Deuteronomy 18:5 God called the Levites “For the LORD your God has chosen them and their sons from all your tribes to stand and serve in his name permanently” and Numbers 8:14 “And so you are to separate the Levites from among the Israelites, and the Levites will be mine.” According to the parable those who were called to the banquet had to dress in a certain manner and if they failed to do so they we were cast out. (Matt 22:11-13) “But when the king came in to see the wedding guests, he saw a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But he had nothing to say. Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!’” If you have been called by God, separate yourself from sin and seek God’s righteousness.

2 Peter 1:3 “I can pray this because His divine power has bestowed on us everything necessary for life and godliness through the rich knowledge of the One who called us by his own glory and excellence.”

“To be called by a king is a great privilege but to be called by GOD is the greatest honor of all time.” – Temwa_Cee

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Dear Reader

Hello, It feels so good to be blogging again…I pray that as I write you may be enlightened and changed (in a good way of course). I have had a lot of ideas since my last blog on what to write about, but basically for me it comes down to what God is saying. A few weeks ago, I posted a status on my Facebook…which said:

“WHO IS MORE IN DANGER, THE PERSECUTED OR THE COMFORTABLE?

2 Timothy 3:12-13 ‘In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.’

Isaiah 5:20 ‘Woe to those who call evil good and good evil…’

Isaiah 5:24 ‘Therefore, as tongues of fire lick up straw and as dry grass sinks in the flames , so their roots will decay and their flowers blow away like dust; for they have rejected the law of the LORD Almighty and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel.”

This question was on my mind for a while and I know in my natural being I would have said the people in danger are the persecuted but in this context it’s not like that. The world is changing from bad to worse and that should not surprise us because the Scripture has warned us about this. (Passages like Matthew 24, 2 Timothy 3, 2 Peter 3, Joel 2: 28-32, and so on) Truth be told we are living in the last days, and the recent world events are evidence to this. I believe that for those in the Lord, should… “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12 and verse 14 states “Bless those who persecute you; bless do not curse.” As believers be strong and courageous about the Word, do not be overtaken by pointless debates with unbelievers that yield nothing but confusion and anger. Now, get this straight I am not saying that do not stand up for the Word and what is righteous, you should so in manner led by the Spirit. However, 1 Corinthians 1:17-18 “… preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.” The moment we start to use wise and persuasive words in order to “win” people over to God we attempt to empty the cross of its power. Spread the gospel in love and JUST THE WAY it is.

Now, back to the question “WHO IS MORE IN DANGER, THE PERSECUTED OR THE COMFORTABLE?”

I believe that if you have known the light of God and you still choose to live in the dark simply because it is comfortable in the sense where you do your own thing and where you see no need for GOD and all that church stuff, there’s a problem. Luke 23:31 “For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?” [KJV] Spurgeon wrote an enlightening commentary on this and he simply stated that if the punishment for the innocent righteous holy Son of God was crucifixion hence the concept of the green tree, what would the punishment for the sinner (the dry tree) be?

Isaiah 5:24 ‘Therefore, as tongues of fire lick up straw and as dry grass sinks in the flames , so their roots will decay and their flowers blow away like dust; for they have rejected the law of the LORD Almighty and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel.” In God’s wrath no-one stands a chance. God is a merciful, loving and just God. He is also a jealous God that wants you and your worship for Himself. He is a holy and righteous God that does not tolerate sin. He does not condone sin NOT then and definitely NOT now. The truth is we have all fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and we were all born with a sinful nature, and unless we are born-again we will not be a part of the kingdom of God. That is why God sent His Son, Christ Jesus to die for us and pay the ransom. In His love, according to Romans 5:8 “…God demonstrated His love for us that whilst we were still sinners Christ died for us. God wants all men to be saved 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” It is time we make a decision to follow Christ before it is too late.

“WHO IS MORE IN DANGER, THE PERSECUTED OR THE COMFORTABLE?”

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TERMS AND CONDITIONS

For this blogpost follow the link below. http://ow.ly/Nu1ik Be blessed

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THE CUP

I’m no soccer expert but I believe football (soccer) is a great sport that many have fallen in love with. People wait in line for hours or sit in tight uncomfortable places just to watch a game. The football players train for a lot of hours just for one game. They eat right…train right…and do everything they can in preparation for the game. The football team works hard all season just to get to the finale where they play for “the cup”. “The cup” is so important because it cost the team and the football club so much to get to the finale. The cup may not be the point of soccer but I believe it’s a symbol of the sacrifices the team made.

I’ve been thinking about the cost of following Jesus. There’s a cost for everything we do…whether we see it or not, it’s there. Following Jesus in the 21st century is not easy to be honest because we are living in a time where the world is changing; wars, massacres, homicides, deadly diseases, xenophobia, earthquakes and so much more.

Following Jesus in the 21st century is more than repeating the alter call prayer…it’s submitting to God and being ready to drink from the cup Jesus drunk from. Now, WHAT IS THIS CUP?

Matthew 20:20-28 it’s a story of a mother’s request for her sons. Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. 21 “What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” 22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered. 23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.” [Extracted from NIV BIBLE]

In this text obviously the cup being spoken of is not an actual cup it’s a figurative word representing an event or situation. WHY DO I SAY THIS? Jesus asked them “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” then in Luke 22:42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Jesus said this as He prayed on Mount of Olives. This was nearing the time of His betrayal and crucifixion. The cup represents the crucifixion period and all that He faced so that we all may be saved. When we accept Jesus into our lives we accept to drink from the cup He drunk. We have to understand that Jesus was beaten and broken for us, He was ridiculed and rejected and even His own disciple Peter denied Him. Following Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior means you will have to be ready to be ridiculed and rejected by the world. You have to be ready to die for the King you proclaim to serve. You have to be ready not only to talk the talk but be ready to walk the talk. Luke 14:27 “And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

The narrow path is never where the crowd is found. To follow Christ is to be ready to daily die to self. To follow Christ means to stand up for the truth even when no-one stands with you. Following Jesus means standing up for sound doctrine. We have to understand that though it seems costly there is surely a reward for all this. We cannot get the reward if we did not lose anything. Luke 14:33 “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”

“Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” ~Jesus

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“If your brother doesn't have your back, WHO WILL?

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SOUND DOCTRINE

I write this with a heavy heart…yes I said heavy. I write whilst burdened but keep in mind that I am not saying that I am superior to you…for all have sinned and have fallen short of God’s glory. Sound doctrine is a “touchy” topic amongst Christians but I’ll be writing mostly from a biblical objective point of view. I’m not writing to tell you what preacher you should listen to or what Christian ritual is “sacred enough”. The theme of my blog is “following Jesus in the 21st century”…my question is ARE WE TRULY FOLLOWING CHRIST?  Now, some of you might have noticed the church (the body of Christ according to 1 Corinthians 12:12-31) has been flooded with different doctrines over the years. The issue here is that not everything that is being preached and being pursued by the church, is the Word of God. Now, you might be thinking “Temwa are you sure?” well my answer is yes. WHY?

Here’s why…Generally, the church today has compromised on God’s truth and substituted that with the world’s lies. HOW? 2 Timothy 3 and 4:1-9. Certain things stood out which I will gladly quote, 2 Timothy 3:2-5 “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, unfeeling, uncooperative, slanderous, degenerate, brutal, hateful of what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. They will hold to an outward form of godliness but deny its power. Stay away from such people.” If we were honest these things described in these verses are things we see in the church today. Some of us might even take part in such…if we were honest enough to admit it. A form of godliness but deny its power…here just for clarity the bible is referring to double standards…in more explicit terms HYPOCRITICAL behavior.

Psalms 4:2 “How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?” How long will we (the church) turn God’s glory into shame? HOW DARE WE take the cross lightly and trade the truth for a lie. How long will people (the church) love delusions and seek false gods. Here let’s be open minded to the fact that false gods can be your social media, relationships, school, friends, sports, work, ourselves (self-idolatry)…ANYTHING. The Bible states the cravings of a sinful man are not from the Father. For some the “misplaced glory” they acquire from…let’s say leading worship in Church or serving God…here I’m referring to the thoughts and motives of a sinful man. 1 John 2:16 “For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world.” The truth of the matter here is that we are living in a fallen world where God’s truth has been distorted to suit the desires of man. In some churches (institutions) the gospel has been diluted to “bring people into the church”. APPALLING!!!

2 Timothy 4:3-4 “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” I am burdened because we as the church ought to present ourselves as the pure bride. Yet we have made ourselves blameless (which we CANNOT do) by accepting false teachings. Such as speaking things into existence. If a preacher says “I speak a house into your life” and your reply is “go deeper ‘man of God’”. First of all God alone has the power to speak things into existence. These things sound so okay but they are a deadly poison that satisfy the itching ear. Romans 4:17 “…the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.” WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO US?  2 Corinthians 11:3 “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”

  Paul in Berea in Acts 17:10-12…I’ll highlight verse 11 “…for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” I believe that as the church we have let down our guard we have not examined the Word we receive from the preachers or anyone else who stands behind the mic; claiming they are speaking on behalf of God. I’m NOT saying analyse grammatical errors and if they are any call them heresy…NO! What I am saying is (Proverbs 4:23 “…Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”) examine the message…what is this person communicating…cross check the smallest details (context and content) with the word of God. On that note Jesus in Luke 22:40 “…‘Pray that you will not fall into temptation.’” and this was on the Mount of Olives, He was talking to the disciples. Later on we see Peter denying Jesus (Luke22:54-62), I believe it’s because he did not pray when Christ asked them to pray. Applying this to our world would mean we ought to PRAY so that we will not be tempted to follow doctrines of the world…doctrines that are pleasing to the body but deadly to the spirit. Let us not deny Jesus Christ. The cost of salvation is far too great to be lost just because we were lazy to pray, read the Word and examine what we are being feed.

Ephesians 6:11 ~Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

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KNOW US...

My friend’s sister is a medical doctor, and normally you wouldn’t know that the young lady is a medical doctor. However, the thing that sets her apart is when she’s wearing her doctor’s coat and her stethoscope.

WHERE I AM GOING WITH THIS?

Lately, I’ve been thinking about modern day Christianity and religion. The things we do in the name of God and religion. Here are questions I’ve been asking… What is religion? What is Christianity? Is Christianity a religion or a lifestyle? Perhaps both? I feel like Christianity has been lost in transition. Sometimes we’ve based things on how we feel and not what God is saying.

A friend of mine believes that Christianity is a lifestyle and some people believe that Christianity is a religion. Now, these are their options…however, WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? James 1:26-27 "If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." In addition Jesus said in John 13:35 "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Now, let’s notice that the scriptures DON’T say they will know us by the way we speak in tongues, neither by the way we dress in shiny suits on the Sabbath, nor by the way we fast, pray and jump around in the name of God. Not even the way we prostrate ourselves. Jesus said the people will know us by our LOVE .

What is this love JESUS is speaking of? Mark 12:30-31 "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these”[ESV]. True Christianity is when we obey these two commandments.

Today I’m writing to remind you that our Christianity…our worship…our very being should be defined by God’s word. Presenting our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual act of worship and loving those around us (including those who despise us)…this what Christianity ought to be. Remembering that we are saved by grace and NOT our own works.

~Romans 5:8 “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

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EMPTY VESSELS

I vividly remember in sixth grade that my teacher wanted our class to do a science project where we would make a pinhole camera and a tin can telephone. Now, the thing about tin cans is that when they are dropped they make a lot of noise. As the saying goes “empty vessels make the most noise”. However, I prefer empty vessels because empty vessels are easier to use than filled vessels…I’m not saying this figuratively. I mean you don’t have to empty the empty vessels before use because they are already empty. (…I think I’m over-using the word “empty”)

Anyway, there’s this amazing story in 2 Kings 4:1-7 (must read) but I am quoting verses one to six only “… ‘Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.’ Elisha replied to her, ‘How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?’ ‘Your servant has nothing there at all,’ she said, ‘except a little oil.’ Elisha said ‘Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side. She left him and afterwards shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, ‘Bring me another one.’ But he replied, ‘there is not a jar left.’… ” [NIV BIBLE]

WHAT AM I SAYING?

I’m saying that for us to be used by God we have to be empty jars (empty vessels). We wonder about who God uses and start pursuing “a religious life” but the truth is we need to let go of the ungodly things that are filling us up and distracting our focus. I can personally say that it is hard to let go of the things I like for God but I try to keep in mind that the Christian walk is an uphill battle. The thing is empty vessels are vacant or unoccupied vessels whilst filled vessels are occupied vessels. John 3:30 “He must become greater; I must become less.” this verse to me is basically saying empty me Oh Lord and fill me up with what You want. In 2 Kings 4:1-7 Elisha instructed the woman to find empty jars so that God can make perform a miracle for her and her family.

There’s a famous story in John 2:1-11 where Jesus changed water to wine at a wedding at Cana in Galilee. In summary, the wine at the wedding run-out meaning if they weren’t going to do something the wedding would be an epic fail (in my opinion). My focus is verse 7 “Jesus said to the servants ‘Fill the jars with water’; so they filled them to the brim.’” Here we see that in order to fill a jar it has to be empty. As people who are seeking God we need to be empty jars before God, which are ready to follow the instructions He is going to give us. Both passages show obedience to the word of God and vulnerability towards God.

We should recognize that God can use anyone and everyone if we are ready to receive what He has installed for us (2 Kings 4:6 “there is not a jar left”). The men and women of faith being accredited to in Hebrews 11 were not perfect but available; they were empty jars ready to be used by God. A few examples are Jacob the man who stole his brother’s blessings, Moses the murderer, Rahab the prostitute and David was an adulterer and murderer. But God used them despite of their sin… David a man after God’s own heart, Rahab a woman of faith found in the lineage of Christ, Moses the man who spoke with God face to face and Jacob one of the forefathers of the nation Israel.

God wants to use you…

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UPHILL BATTLE

Can you imagine pushing a big boulder up Mount Everest? YES…that would be a heavy and totally unbearable. Now, imagine being placed in the middle of a battle field where guns are being fired, grenades are going off; soldiers are dying and you’re dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Ha-hah! Scary right? My point is that many Christian are placing themselves in such a dangerous scenario daily were they are not equipped for what their day holds. WHY? Let me explain! Luke 9:23 “then he said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me…’” Remember: the notion of pushing a big boulder up Mount Everest…yes that! It is the same thing with dying to self…it is not easy. Now, think of the strongest person in the world helping you push that big boulder…the burden would be bearable. I believe that this is what a Christian’s life ought to be every day. When we die to self and carry our crosses daily knowing that the Holy Spirit is our helper in our endeavor. The other day is was reading Ephesians 6:10-20 and it reminded me of what a friend had said, that God equips us to do his work. Ephesians 6:10-20 “…be strong in the Lord and his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions…” I was going to say you should read it later but…I decided to put it in. The passage is emphasizing that we wear the FULL armor of God not half or quarter. You can’t be walking around with the sword alone. What if the devil releases those flaming arrows? …my point is that if you were being deployed into a warzone you would make sure you’re fully equipped and not falling short so that at the end of the day you survive. The passage encourages us not only to have the armor but to wear it properly. For example, it says “with the breastplate of righteousness in place” meaning it should be worn were it ought to be worn ...on your chest area not on your head. The part I love is “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” it reminds me of Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow…”. The word of God is powerful it should be the weapon we use when the devil confronts us. Do you recall the passage in which Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil? Jesus used scriptures (the living active word of God) against the devil and Jesus defeated him. As a soldier it is important not only to wear the full armor but also communicate with the commander in chief about the warfare strategies and whether backup is required. WHAT AM I SAYING? I am asking you to PRAY and READ THE BIBLE… talk to GOD ask Him what you ought to do and read the Word for the renewal of your strength. NOTE: The war was won on the cross when Christ died for us but we continue to fight our daily battles against the evil one and our own flesh, so let us be equipped and ready.

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GOD-SERVICE

To love Him is to obey Him, to obey Him is to trust Him, to trust Him is to know Him and to know Him translates to fearing Him. Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” someone said that God would have chosen to put anything as the first verse but He chose the statement “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” should be the introduction to the Bible. I want you to see past the ten words and see that the verse establishes God’s sovereignty. This is confirmed in Romans 4:17 “…—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.” GOD IS AWESOME… #Super_cool. Now, that we have established that God is sovereign and powerful, I want to talk about integrity…yes integrity. The type of integrity that translates from the inside out and behind closed doors. The integrity our personal lives and nation requires. Sometime ago, I was studying the book of Genesis and I came across Joseph, I believe he was a man of integrity (Genesis 39). You should totally read the passage...but basically the passage is about how Potiphar’s wife wanted to commit adultery with Joseph (the slave boy). Potiphar’s wife says “Come to bed with me!” but Joseph refused and said “‘with me in charge’ he told her, ‘my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No-one is greater in this house than I am…How then can I do such a wicked thing and sin against God.” (V7-9) What really gets me is the line “How then can I do such a wicked thing and sin against God.” First of all, the courage he had to stand up for what he believes in…was incredible and most of all He acknowledges his God. His reason for righteousness was God…he could have easily said “you’re not my type” if he didn’t find her attractive enough or if he did the he could have said “the master will find out and have my head”…you know…something along those lines. However, Joseph displayed his integrity and his reverence for God by condemning sin. Joseph loved God…obeyed Him and most of all He knew his God and feared Him. I believe many of us struggle with how to be a man or woman of integrity. A while ago I struggled with true integrity, situations where I did “good” when I knew I was being watched by people but God has set me free from that. Now, the here is everyone thinks you’re an apple but really you’re just pear. (Disclaimer: Superiority of a fruit varies between different people. This is only for illustrative purposes) Anyway, back to eye-service, the thing about eye-service is that you fall through the cracks because you can’t please everyone and then your real intent is revealed. True integrity is God-service not eye-service, which means honoring God in every situation. When we stand up for what is right in the eyes of God even when it makes us uncool --Integrity. Integrity derived from the knowledge and fear of God that is true integrity. Our lives and our nation need integrity. From the petty situations to the high-scale incidences, we need to be a people of integrity. From little things like stealing sugar from a sugar-bowl to bribing to an officer to help you move up in a line so that you “save time” (as if everyone else wants to waste their own time) or simply when people siphon government money for their personal use, these are things that need to change. Our mind-sets need to change if something is wrong then it’s wrong, say it as it is. In Daniel 6:3-4 “Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4At this the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They found no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.” Let us be such a people. When our enemies look for faults let them find none, not because we know how to be extra secretive but simply because we are trustworthy and not corrupt. ~To love God is to obey Him, to obey Him is to trust Him, to trust Him is to know Him and to know Him translates to fearing Him.