Understanding God backwards...

Psalm 131
My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore. 

I love I love this Psalm... Can I say again how I love this Psalm!

Let me tell you why I love it, I love it because it stills me; it steadies me, like a lullaby sung over a baby in a rocking chair soothing the baby to sleep - this is a lullaby to my soul. When things don't seem to be working the way I expect them to, when impatience comes knocking at my door - I am learning to let Psalm 131 get the door for me.

There are times when you know you are in the right place, on the right track, on course of the plan which God gave you but the territory to which which you have been sent is tough.

Exodus 5 vs 22-23 "So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me?  For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all"

That was Moses with the Lord, after Pharoah had heaped even more hardship on the people of Israel because they had asked to go and sacrifice to the Lord. Sound familiar anyone? You have just arrived in the city where God sent you, it's your first month on the job He gave you or your first day on the ministry He asked you to begin - and all of a sudden they've cut the lights in the new church office, there's a colleague that has just been transferred to your department who doesn't seem to like you very much and the new neighbours did not roll out the drums to welcome you, actually they seemed rather put out to have a new face about.

The Lord continues the conversation with Moses and this is what He says:

Exodus 6 vs 1 -3 "Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land." And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the LORD.   I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them"

Now you will see what I shall do with you in this new city... you will see what I shall do on your new job... you will see what I shall do with you in the new ministry.

What I have just done in the last sentence is apply Exodus 6 to "your" circumstance. That, I believe is what God wants to do, if He has sent you - there are times where that requires for you to be still - to place your hope in the Lord, to stand and remain standing to see God's salvation in your situation despite what appears to be opposition and resistance to your success in what He has sent you to do.

There is one simple thing which I have learnt to do and this was something Pastor Patrick taught me, He asked me once "what was the last thing God said to you? Go back to that..." If God has not said something new, go back to the last thing He said to you, didn't He tell you this was it and has He said its time to leave yet? If the answer is no, then friend where are you going, who are you going with??

God is not wishy washy, willy nilly, He doesn't change His mind on a whim or as per circumstance, He is very focused on His assignment. If you read further - Exodus 3 vs 4 - 8, you will see how God refers over and over again to His convenant with Abraham, Isaac & Jacob. The Lord had not changed the last thing that He said, He made a convenant, had an assignment and He was committed to keeping it, same way He is committed to keeping every promise and fulfilling every assignment He has given us.

God said something in Exodus 6:3 - He said they knew me as their sufficiency - God Almighty - the literal translation from Hebrew is "in-El Who sufficies". He is saying you have known me up on till now as the Great Provider, the Strong One, the One sufficient to provide, but now again you will see another dimension of Me as The Lord that is Master of all - Jehovah - Yahweh.

In Nigerian Pidgin English there is a term we use called "Oga". It is a term which depicts the one in charge - in control. There is also a song that we sing which goes "Jesus na You be Oga" translates "Jesus it is You that is Master". I woke up this morning with that song on my heart...

They say hind sight is 20/20. I remember coming to a point in my life and reflecting back on some experiences I had some ten years ago and saying 'now I see why God let me walk through that path, if I had gone the other way I wouldn't have learnt this or learnt that, I had to go through A so I could get to B... I had to go through C so I could handle Y' I got a sense of understanding what God had been doing from the beginning of the matter - only when I got to the end of the matter; Sometimes you will only understand Him backwards....

He has the blue print of life so He can see what you can not see - so don't concern yourself with matters too great for you. Don't suppose to know more than Him because ermm... you don't.

Wean yourself, train yourself to be content with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God as your guide. God is it time to move on - we move, is it time to chill here - we chill.

Lamentations 3:24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

Be content in this "But He knows the way that I take..." Job 23:10a. God is not oblivous to our challenges, struggles or the paths that we take.

We used the following analogy on our prayerline: God's vision is like a "helicopter" vision compared to our "foot-wagon" vision, His ways are higher than your ways and so He can see much further than you.

God was saying in Exodus 6 that He is Lord of Pharoah, Lord over circumstances, Lord over cities, governments, neighbours, colleagues, jobs - He is the God who fulfills mandates. God who keeps convenants, God who completes assignments. The God to whom everything will bow, as He lines things up to work together for your good & to fulfill His purpose.

God allowed Pharoah's heart to be hardened so that He could judge Egypt with great judgements for all the wickedness they had exacted on Israel, that Israel would come out with great spoil from the Egyptians, that He would glorify His name Yahweh and that Israel would know Him as THE LORD.

There are times when you wonder but Lord You could do this in a twinkling of an eye - If we look at Exodus 9: 15-16 - we realise that God is also aware of that fact and He makes a note of it. The Lord's ways are not our ways - He wanted to bring Israel out with great judgement on their hard task master, He wanted to show His power and proclaim His name through that experience. He made Moses great amongst the Egyptians, causing them to fear the God of the Israelites which made Egypt to be favourably disposed toward Israel such that Israel could spoil them. Checkmate! 

Exodus 9: 15-16 "For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go."  

God is the Master Chess Player and He has all the best moves!

Exodus 7: 4-5 “But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.“When Pharaoh does not listen to you, then I will lay My hand on Egypt and bring out My hosts, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by great judgments.“The  Egyptians shall know that I am THE LORD, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.”

Exodus 11:3 The LORD made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh's officials and by the people.

Exodus 12:36 And the Lord had given the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

Exodus 3: 21-22 “And I will make the Egyptians favourably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. Every woman is to ask her neighbour and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians.”

My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.

I find it soothing just reading Psalm 131 and meditating on it - when anxities threathen, when impatience comes calling, when circumstances disappoint...

The Labourer

John 21 vs 15- 19 "When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”Jesus said, “Feed my lambs." Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” "

The Lord asked Peter these three times in order to emphasis the importance of ministry; ministry is an expression of your love for God. If you love Him - you will take care of what belongs to Him, if you love Him you will feed both the sheep and the lamb - minister to both the mature and the immature -  the well behaved and non well behaved - the thankful and the unthankful - like Your Father in heaven.

"that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." Mathew 5 vs 45

The command in John 21 is to follow Christ. Sometimes following Christ means giving up your time or something of yourself in order to glorify God. When the Lord asked Peter if he loved Him all of three times, I understand why Peter felt hurt but I also understand why the Lord asked thrice - because in all the hustle, bustle and challenges of life - it becomes so very easy to forget that there is a direct correlation between our love for God and our ministry to others.

1 John 4: 19 - 21 " We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.  And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. "

As I struggled with my own limitations, my incovenience, my physicality - I heard the Lord say to me - do you love me more than these?

Brother, Sister - do you love God more than these?

Matthew 9 vs 36 - 38 "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

The labourer is one who loves God more than these...

The Lord looks with compassion on the harassed and helpless, on the sheep without a shepherd and He is calling for you brother and sister who "loves Him more than these" What part will you play in His harvest? The Bible tells us to ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest - what this means is that the Lord knows where the harrassed and the helpless are, He knows the exact location of the harvest and we are to pray to Him to send us there. When we go out and minister it is Christ working through us, what He needs is our availabilty - He will do the drawing, He will do the ministering. He is THE LORD OF THE HARVEST and He will not send you out into the harvest alone without Him.

John 6 vs 44a “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him"
Matthew 16:17  "Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven"

For me it took a load off when I understood the above scriptures that it is God who does the drawing, He does the revealing, my job is to pray and my job is to go! I don't need to think up convincing words to touch or draw anyone, I just need to open my mouth and trust God to touch hearts and changes lives - doesn't that put things in perspective?

As Pastor Patrick would say "there is no other person better qualified than you"

Look I am about to die... what's this birthright to me!

That was Esau...

Let's take a look at the text in Genesis 25 vs 29 - 33:

Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary.  And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.  And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

It has been my experience that just like Esau, there are forces pulling at us in today's world to despise our birthright - to despise the promises of God. They come in "oh so" subtle ways but we need to be focused, clear on what our mandate from God is. 

There can be enormous pressure to exchange your promise of tomorrow for a momentary comfort in today - a comfort which will never carry you into your tomorrow.

You might be believing God for something being steadfast in your waiting but there is pressure on you saying look you are just about ready to dry up - what good is this promise when by the time it comes you are as good as dead, compromise and live, take a short cut and get on with it, cut corners - lie & cheat & get a living for yourself lest you perish from poverty being Mr Honest.

Remember somebody was as good as dead once when God gave him a son, that man was Abraham. Hebrews 11:12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

When we look at the life of Abraham Genesis 12 till 25, in particular at chapter 17, we see how clear God was about his covenant with Abraham being established IN ISAAC. God has a plan for your life and His blessing will rest only that plan and that plan alone, when we move outside of the plan of God for our lives - don't expect God to bless it. God could have established His covenant with Ishmael but He DID NOT.

Genesis 17 vs 18 - 21b
And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!” Then God said: “NO, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But My covenant I will establish WITH ISAAC,

I am sorry I have been away...

I haven't blogged in a wee while... Been a hectic 6 months plus... First I moved and didnt have broadband internet for about 3 months, when it did come it had a habit of going off till I finally had to switch to an upgraded service which hopefully should be more reliable plus along the way I did get busy with that thing called "life" but hey, I am back! Although this is part of the thing called life too but I guess you know what I mean when I say life happened!

Well, I just wanted to give a shout out... Hopefully somebody out there missed me X! Well, I missed me - I missed writing...

I wanted to share something that I read today from Living Truth's facebook page titled the truth about Jesus & I quote Charles Price - who happens to be one of my favourite Bible teachers in the whole wide world :)

 "The Truth about Jesus

Jesus is the exact portrayal of what human beings are intended to be.

‘If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.’ (John 14:7)

Major Ian Thomas was the biggest influence on my own Christian life. He used to say that Jesus Christ is the truth about God and He is the truth about humanity. He is the truth about God because He is the truth about humanity –because humanity was created to portray the truth about God. That is what is meant to have been created in the image of God. You look at humanity and you see what God is like. That was what human beings were like before the Fall.

Jesus Christ is described as the ‘second man’ and the ‘last Adam’ (1 Corinthians 15:45-47). He was born a genuine human being; not as we are in our fallen state but as God intended humanity to be when He first created Adam. He was never for one moment less than God but He lived His life on earth as though He was never more than a man. He demonstrated what true humanity is like by living out of the triple disposition of love for His Father, obedience to His Father and dependence on His Father.

Ultimate truth about God and truth about humanity is expressed in the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is the expression of the moral character of God and the barometer against which all claims to truth must be measured. Any ideas we may hold on to that are not expressed in the person of Jesus are at fault. He, as ‘the truth, ’ is the final measuring stick of all things.

Lord, I’m grateful for the truth revealed in Jesus Christ. Help me to live according to that truth"

Stay blessed friends!

Coming to a place of thanksgiving...

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think..." Ephesians 3:20a

In the middle of believing the Lord on an issue, the Holy Spirit impressed upon me to start thanking the Lord. The impression of the Holy Spirit was so strong that it quieted any questions I had within me 'am I just thanking Him because I want to force His hand on the issue? Is this what He really wants for me?' It was like the Holy Spirit had spoken to my inner man and said 'peace be still'!

I thanked Him concerning the particular issue i.e. what He was going to do about it, this did not mean attempting to force His hand to say it has to be my way but rather saying what You are going to do about it is going to be great, meaning whichever way it works out the outcome in the long run will be great, You will steer me in the best direction towards that ultimate good You have planned for me. You said if I commit my ways to You, You will establish my path so I am thanking You for the establishment of my path, I am thanking You for how you will sort everything out above what I asked You for, I am thanking You Lord for that breakthrough beyond my tiny imagination.


As I began to thank my Abba, the Spirit of the Lord reminded me of the word of God in Ephesians 3:20 around which a friend had been sharing a few days earlier. The Holy Spirit reminded me of certain things that God had brought me to, which before He did, I had no idea that they even existed, so really how could I have asked for them? Therefore I realised that one of the principles of faith God wanted me to tap into was trusting Him that He can do much better than I can ask or imagine and to begin thank Him that what He was going to do would be beyond my human requests or well beyond my imagination - better -abundantly better - exceedingly greater.

So I came to a place of thanksgiving, where I began to thank the Lord for that which He was going to do, thanking Him that it was going to be better than I had asked for or wished; the answers started to come through better than I asked or imagined possible!

This kind of thanksgiving represents trust in what God intends to do in and with your life, it signifies surrender that His way is better than your way - you can't out think God, so it's best to let "the PRO" handle it. Why grapple for a tricycle when you can get a Ferari? The Lord says just as the heavens are higher than the earth so are His thoughts higher than ours... see Isaiah 55:9

We really can't out think God.

This kind of thanksgiving facilitates breakthrough and exercises our faith...

''Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God'' Philippians 4:6

Is there something in your life today that you need to be thanking God for - thanking Him that He will do more for you than you have asked or imagined? 

God's grace is sufficient for you

Child of God, you qualify for HIS favour...

The Bible says in II Corinthians 12:9a 'And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee'

Maybe you have a weakness like Paul and just need the strength to make it through, or you are asking for a blessing that you have no qualifications for, in fact that old fox keeps giving you 1001 reasons why such a blessing can not be yours. Well the jury's out and this is what God's word says about it, God's grace is enough for you, God's name is El-Shaddai meaning The All Sufficient God. He qualifies you, He strengthens you... His grace is simply enough... it is sufficient.

Matthew 20: 1-16 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.’

"So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’ But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’ So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”

In the parable above the laborers called early were paid the same as those called late, when those called early complained, the landowner basically said "it is mine to give, I will give to whom I wish what I wish, I will be merciful and gracious to whomsover I wish, I will disperse my magnanimity which ever way I see fit and there ain't a thing you can do about it. Because you are unkind and will have another deprived of mercy and grace, will not keep me from being gracious."

When God chooses to be merciful & gracious to you and the enemy comes with a thousand and one reasons why you don't qualify for it, now you know what the word of God says about it, this is what you stand on. His grace is sufficient for you and it is His to give. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. Romans 9:15

Many are called but few are chosen is written because of the pharisees and scribes who rejected Jesus - they were called but not chosen because they rejected the Father's will. But for those who embrace His will, your portion is grace and mercy with God, you will qualify for things you never worked for, positions you never applied for, first class mentors you never sought, children you never dreamt because Jesus favours you.
 
"Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who bore me these? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. Who brought these up? I was left all alone, but these—where have they come from?’” This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I will beckon to the Gentiles, I will lift up my banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders. Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed.” 


Can plunder be taken from warriors, or captives rescued from the fierce? But this is what the Lord says: “Yes, captives will be taken from warriors, and plunder retrieved from the fierce; I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save. I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; they will be drunk on their own blood, as with wine. Then all mankind will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” Isaiah 49 vs 21-26

Heaven is still watching...

When I heard the man of God say 'Heaven is watching', it jolted me. He said Heaven is watching to see how much we really believe God's promises. He went on to illustrate that the demonstration of our faith will be shown by our actions... what do our actions say to heaven? 

Does my action say Father, I trust you completely with my future. Does my action say, it may not be the way I planned it but I have absolute peace and trust because my heart is stayed on you, so I am beyond fretting about timing now or how things will take shape, you have my absolute confidence. Does my action say, if there is one thing I know about you it is that you are faithful, the circumstances may not be lining up but God You will come through for me. Will I meet with You everyday for the rest of my life because I trust you and I am in fellowship, covenant and relationship with You. Will I tell You every time it bothers me that I judge You faithful, will I fall on my knees consistently and begin to thank You for what I already believe You are going to do, will I begin to ask You to prepare me in advance to be able to handle the blessing and fulfillment of Your word that is coming.

'Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised' Hebrews 11:11

My friend Mo the other day pointed this out to me - judging God faithful. What is the value that we place, that I place, that you place, on God's integrity. To judge someone faithful is to mean that based on the character and the strength of who that person is they will do what they've said.  A lot of young parents love to drop off their kids with the grandparents because they know they will be loved and cared for, they trust their parents... in that regard they have judged them faithful.

My understanding really started to open up that God watches to see if indeed I have judged Him faithful, do I really believe, what does my action say? my attitude? am I speaking with Him about the issue constantly - wheter it is to assure Him that I trust Him that He is still on the case, or to thank Him in advance, or to ask Him to prepare me so that when the opportunity comes I recognise it and when the blessing comes I am equipped to deal with it both mentally and physically. Consistency... do you judge Him faithful? How consistent am I... what does my consistency say about me? Have I set the Lord always before me. 'I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.' Psalm 16:8 To set God always before you means consistency... steadfastness... on an issue, in ur prayer life, in your decisions.

There are so many times that we say yes we believe for one thing or the other but deep down we know we don't, we just can't see how it can happen, we are disgruntled, we are put out, we are weary, we are downright discouraged. It is then that we need to come up higher in our walk with God, come up higher... come up higher in the Holy Spirit.

We need to come up higher to the place of judging Him faithful...

And here are some of the things I have been learning about that...

Jesus said I have many things to tell you but you can not bear them now, when the Holy Spirit comes, the Spirit of Truth, He will guide you into all truth. A lot of times we become discouraged, it is because we are not bearing the promises of God in the Holy Spirit... that is in the strength of the Holy Spirit.

That is why the baptism of the Holy Spirit is PARAMOUNT for every bible believing christian and the gift of an unknown tongue, praying in the Holy Spirit is important for our personal edification.

The bible says 'He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself...' 1 Cor 14:4a

Pastor Agu taught on this the other day and opened my eyes to so much understanding...

He explained the greek word described to mean 'to build a super structure', I went and looked it up on scripture4all Greek to English translation, the word used was translated as 'home building'. When we pray in the spirit we are being edified, we are being built up, being translated to becoming superlative, the Holy Spirit builds us up to receive what God has for us. Your faith or understanding of a situation might be shaky initially but as you open up to God and tell Him what you are dealing with, asking the Holy Spirit to pray for you and begin to pray in the Spirit, as you continue to be steadfast in prayer, you will begin to receive that superlative ability to come to the same understanding that Heaven has about your situation, your faith begins to stand, shakiness starts to fade. Jude said in verse 20 'But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost'

You YET beLOVED to-THE HOLIEST OF YOU BELIEF ON-HOME-BUILDING selves IN spirit HOLY praying

ye yet beloved to-the most holy of ye faith  building up yourselves in spirit holy praying

The above are the two literal Greek to English translations from scripture4all, the same translation of home building is used in both Jude and I Corinthians 14. The words translated to home building are 'epoikodomountes' & 'oikodomei'  respectively.

 

Paul said 'I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:' 1 Corinthians 14:18. Because of the controversy that has been around the understanding of some of 1 Corinthians 14, I feel people have often missed the point. Paul said he speaks in tongues more than all of them Corinthian people, he did not mean that he was speaking a much more celestial language than they were, we all speak according to the same spirit as He gives utterance, he meant that he spent more time praying in the spirit in tongues in his closet than them all. Paul, the man who gave us half of the New Testament Bible by the Holy Spirit, prayed in tongues so much that he could say he spoke in tongues more than the Corinthians. Simple as that big bro Paulo was a major "skabasha" in his bedroom, on his personal retreats, thats one of the reasons he was so effective, full of faith and courage.

Releasing faith, moving from a place of fear to faith can be done in prayer, in the bedroom, on your knees before God, praying in the Spirit, building yourself up on your most Holy faith... this is what I am learning.

 

"I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you." John 16: 12-15

Heaven is watching...

"Heaven is watching" the preacher's words jarred through my thoughts and resonated with me, it reminded me of what my grandmother had said to me. "Demilade" she'd said, "your heart is too big and I worry about you, when choosing a spouse -  promise me that you will watch closely before letting your heart go, that you will be observant - to judge first who is worthy of you - with a heart equally as big as yours"; And I had tried to live by that motto especially in recent times, I think I know now what my responses to Dipo & Boye will be. Dipo and Boye, two men who happened to both be in my life at the same time asking the same thing, both wanted me to say yes to being more than friends and consider a relationship with marriage in view.

Boye... a cardiothoracic-surgeon, Oxbridge trained like I was, our fathers had been at school together, our parents had introduced us and needless to say for them it was a match made in heaven. Boye was good looking, tall, slender, an impeccable dresser, rather easy on the eyes, had that whole Boris Kodjoe thing going on and had the Oxford tlit to his voice, well spoken and well mannered. He'd taken me out to Claridges for my birthday and made sure we'd called mummy, he let her know he was looking out for me, that I wasn't alone on my birthday. He called regularly for a busy surgeon, almost every other day to say hello. He'd invited me as his date for the annual cardiothoracic-surgeons' ball at the Dorchester, Kemi had said that was a total sign of my 'wifey' status, I'd met some of his work colleagues, it was an absolutely grand affair... plus all the good they were doing in the world saving lives. He was an exteremly intelligent man, went to university at 15 plus, already a consultant and visiting surgeon at teaching hospitals in the UK, US & Australia, at 36 that was a considerable achievement and everyone said what a fine mind he had. We moved in the same circles, it was an easy transition hanging out together socially...

Dipo... Dipo... Dipo, we were both project managers on the same program running parallel projects, he was man's man in a no of ways, average height, slightly stocky, slightly rugged with the cutest dimples ever, he had more of the Taye Diggs look, a Cranfield man - engineer turned investment bank project manager. For my birthday he'd got me the Anya Hirschman glitter clutch I'd been eyeballing the last time we'd been at House of Fraser during lunch, I'd said I'd wait for it to go on sale in January but He'd slipped it into my desk drawer on my birthday. He'd been there when I had foot surgery, groceries and take out in hand, quite unannounced, rang me up 5 mins before and said he was in the area and if it was ok he stopped by to see how I was doing. He'd joked about how he'd worried I'd starve to death, cooking up a storm of a week's supply of jollof rice, spiced chicken and efo, he'd also taught me how to make microwave eba all in the same afternoon - to save me standing on my feet for too long... all the while joking that he just felt like showing off his culinary skills, I think I knew better than that or was starting to... The same way he'd turned up at my doorstep the day after my sister had gone off to the US for her masters program and taken me bowling to cheer me up, he knew how close we were. He teased me whenever he called and my voice was muffled because I had been crying from watching a movie but tried to pass it off as a regular cold. He admired me insistently and was always very attentive whenever we were together.

I had been watching these two men for some time now and my decision was made, good enough my project was rounding off and I had already accepted an offer at a different bank, that would sort out the issue of Dipo and I working together.

Dipo - the man who seemed to know me inside out, despite the tough exterior I put up at work, we worked in a cut throat investment banking environment, there were deadlines to be met and deliverables we had to enforce across our teams, with high maintenance investment bankers to please. He saw through all that, He knew when I was hurting even when I tried to hide it, he made a note of things I liked and his heart was huge; Raised by a single mom, he'd put his brother through university. He was kind and also driven, most importantly he feared God, Dipo couldn't hurt a fly. Boye hmmm you couldn't really fault Boye, he did all the right things but I noticed how he never really remembered anything special or important to me except those "official" good boyfriend type things you had to do to tick the boxes, how his eyes glazed over anytime I tried to discuss my work, how his phone calls only managed to last for not more than 2 mins, he didn't even remember I was going in for surgery and then pretended that he did, his work and his opinions always seemed more important than anything I had to say; I always got a sense that I never quite had his full attention, like the other day we went out to the Kemi's party, his eyes kept darting all over the place, scoping like a predator and I knew if I wasn't with him, it probably would have been a different story. He didn't know my story, all he knew was 'I fitted the bill' but Dipo, he knew my story, he knew the stuff that made me up. Boye had no real depth neither did I really matter enough to him, I was his audience whilst he wanted always to be my stage.

Yes the preacher had a point, if I can watch these two men and weigh in the balances their actions, surely the Lord must do the same.... after all didn't He say He looks at our hearts not the lip service that we may pay but the heart and the corresponding actions that demonstrate our hearts.... Paul said I will show you my faith by my works...Grandma was right, now I had found a man with a heart that matched and understood mine & I his...

The above story is fiction, my name is not Demilade and there are no two men called Dipo and Boye vying for my attention at the moment... but I wanted to get your attention. The only reality in it was that I did hear a preacher say 'Heaven is watching' and he challenged something in me and taught me a thing or two... which I hope to share in the next blog.

Some things I have learnt about prayer...

What do you do when things go horribly wrong or when there's a lot coming at you at d same time and you feel overwhelmed or you are just plain... dare I say it... scared?

Cover yourself in prayer... it seems pretty basic but you'd b amazed how many times the enemy talks us out of praying either by trying to make us feel guilty for getting scared or we just get plain lazy or are too busy worrying...

Friend get ye praying...
Get thee to a good old holy roller prayer meeting where there are brethren praying & you can be lifted up... A wonderful woman of God used to tell me 'Sister Lara as long as you can still sit, get yourself to a prayer meeting' and if there is something I learnt from this woman of God and her Pastor husband it was the power of prayer...

There seems to be a lot I'd like to share on prayer, so I'll post this message as a series...

There are several types of prayer and there are several ways you can feel when facing difficulty, my goal is to share scripture and truth on how we should address each situation...

I was reading 2 Chronicles 20 today, it's one chapter that I really like because it encourages me and because Jehoshaphat was so plain. "Brother Jeho" did not form, he was not a "former". Those not familiar with this Nigerian Urban English... to form means to pretend, to hide who you are, to give an impression other than what is. 

The bible says in verse 3 that 'And Jehoshaphat feared...'  However he did not just stop at being afraid, he went beyond himself, he went beyond fear (we can all get scared though we don't always have to but we can). The bible goes on to say that he 'set himself to seek the Lord'. Jehoshaphat ran to God, he humbled himself and prayed, he told God 'for we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us, nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You' verse 12b. Jehoshaphat knew he could not face the multitude on his own and he acknowledged that before God, he knew he was afraid and yep he ran to Daddy...

Neither did he let satan beat him down with the fear, he went to the only place where fear can be turned to faith...he went before God. The bible says in Proverbs 25 vs 26 that 'a righteous man who falters before the wicked, is like a murky spring and polluted well.'

Two things Jehoshaphat did: he did not retreat before the enemy and he sought the Lord where the fear was dealt with, God said 'do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you' 17b

There is a point where fear has to end and faith start, however you may not reach that point until you get on your knees before God in prayer like this... Father I am overwhelmed & afraid but O God is it not You Who created the heavens, the moon and all the stars, my eyes are on You, I am here before you waiting to see what You will do for me, I will wait on you, I will come here everyday and kneel before You and wait on You...

Next time lets talk about how to unlock that faith in the place of prayer.....

Don't cower in the corner...

for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Joel 2:13b

If you feel like you've missed God i.e. you have missed the mark either due to neglect or disobedience or whatever reason... don't hide away from God, He is full of grace and mercy, indeed of great kindness & compassion and regretful of any evil against you. I remember the first time I truly understood  Hebrews 12:24 which tells us that the blood of Jesus speaks better things than the blood of Abel... I always thought... yes ofcourse this is the blood of my Lord, yes yes it is stronger but I didn't quite fully grasp it's meaning until a man of God explained it and I caught it... the blood of Jesus speaks mercy whilst Abel's blood cried out for vegenance - for justice but the blood of Jesus speaks more than justice, His blood speaks mercy on our behalf - herein we see mercy triumph over judgement.

We see God's mercy saying, they should be judged but I accept their repentance and the blood of Jesus which covers their shortcomings, therefore justice has been assayed by mercy. Someone I used to know once said God takes no pleasure in our shame or bringing us down... therefore today friend if there is something that is holding you back from fully enjoying fellowship with God, you feel you have failed and don't deserve a second chance, maybe it's in a particular area, maybe it's life in general, I am here to tell you today, that Jesus says I am giving you a second chance ...maybe it's your fifth chance, God's mercy is available for you today. And not only will He fully restore you, He will surpass your expectations. I always tell people about my Daddy the over compensator... yes He's my Daddy... my Papa... the Elohim of me. Don't just take my word for it, take His word for it 'I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten - the great locust and the young locust (big problem or small problem), the other locusts and the locust swarm (other locust - the uncommon locust... the uncommon problem or situation... the unique issue - maybe you can't even tell anyone about it and the swarming locust - they have come at you in hordes, you feel like an army is arrayed against you), My great army that I sent against you (because of sin and disobedience, you became an enemy of God and His army came against you). Joel 2:25

Now God is saying if you will return to me, with your heart not just saying it and not meaning it, if you will leave what you are doing, priotize getting right with me over all other seemingly pressing committments 'Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber' Joel 2:16b

'Let the priests who minister before the Lord, weep between the temple porch and the altar, Let them say spare your people O Lord...' Joel 2:17a

'Rend your heart and not your garments' - Joel 2:13a. God is after your heart... there are no pretences with God, if you are coming back, He expects you to come back all the way and that begins with the state of your heart before God... your resolve to do all it takes to be right with God, your willingness to obedience.

And this is what He said He will do after repentance and you have to wait for it, you have to tarry before God to receive it and you have to be willing to ask for it.

In vs 28 of Joel 2, God says 'afterward I will pour out My Spirit on all people...' The spirit of God Who can keep you from going back to having to cower in the corner and making the same mistakes again... ask God to be filled with His spirit, for that is the grace we all need to live a holy life.

And this is the conclusion of the matter vs 32 'For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance...' Mount Zion is the mount of holiness and in Jesus there is deliverance.

You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death. The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear. But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Hebrews 12: 18-24

Jesus loves you!