WE DON'T DETERMINE IT BUT...

"But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary" ( Matthew 14:24). 

We do not have power over the wind. We are not responsible for the contrary wind that sometimes blow against us in life. We cannot determine when the wind will blow contrary because the wind never tells us when it will blow contrary. The wind does not take permission from anybody when it decides to blow in a certain manner. 

The disciples were in a ship, journeying on the sea. Suddenly, a storm arose and their lives were in jeopardy. It could be the ship of your marriage that is being tossed with waves because of a contrary wind. The contrary wind may be blowing against your career, your health, your finances or your ministry. Whatever the case may be, I want to encourage you today to look unto Jesus when the odds are up against you. 

The disciples were in a very helpless situation despite the fact that this was a journey endorsed by the Lord Jesus Christ, for He had told them to go ahead of Him to the other side of the sea. They were midway on the sea when a storm arose. Consider the fact that the wind did not blow contrary when they started the voyage. The storm waited for them to get to point of no return before it arose. There were no land borders where they could run and take refuge. The enemy got them in a very tight corner in the middle of nowhere. 

Besides it was night, the fourth watch of the night which ancient scholars considered to be the darkest part of the night. Incidentally, the fourth watch of the night naturally terminates in the dawning of a new day. And so, just before your breakthrough comes, it is the usual pattern of the enemy to assail you with the worst of buffetings. But then, that is also the hour to expect God’s supernatural intervention. 

When the disciples didn't know what else to do, and it appeared definite that calamity was at hand, it was then that the Saviour appeared on the scene, walking upon water and through the waves, trampling as it were, upon the very phenomenon that had threatened their lives. Jesus could ride upon the waves because He had absolute authority over the sea being the Creator thereof. 

Friends, I want you to know that no contrary wind will last forever. The Master is on His way to decree, "Peace, be still" to whatever storm is raging in your life. Only believe. Even though His coming and His actions may not be visible to your sight, I want to assure you that the Lord is working behind the scene on your behalf. Soon, His works will manifest and you will praise the Lord. 

what it does to you and what it does in you

"Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name" (Malachi 3:16). 

Every problem has two dimensions of impact - what it does to you and what it does in you. What it does to you is external, physical and easily noticeable. The external is what you easily relate to and what other people see. But the more terrible dimension is what a problem does in you internally. No one sees that, and sometimes you don’t even see it yourself. By the time people begin to see the internal effects of the problem externally, the harm is concluded and you are already finished. 

This is where you have to be careful because what you bottle up inside may eventually blow you up. This is where finding a godly, reliable, spiritually matured person to share your emotional burdens with becomes important. As they say, a problem shared is half solved. I guess sharing your emotional burdens with another helps a lot in releasing the tension within, helping you to minimize the negative internal effects of life's challenges. A problem shared is half solved because you are lightening the weight within by sharing with another person - an appropriate person. 

The Bible tells us to keep speaking to one another, using psalms and hymns to encourage each other because no one is created and empowered by God to carry emotional burdens all alone (Ephesians 5:19). Again, the Bible says that we should bear one another's burden (Galatians 6:2). Even Jesus Christ got to a point that He had to share the burdens of His emotions with Peter, James and John, although He already knew they would not be helpful. But sharing was nonetheless helpful because it sort of lessened the weight of the sorrow in the heart. 

Nehemiah had a burden that weighed down heavily on his heart. It was concerning the house of God and the city of Jerusalem. Having prayed to God and encouraged by the clemency of the king, Nehemiah went on to share his burden with the king, the queen also being present. The king responded by granting Nehemiah leave of absence to travel to Jerusalem to resolve the issues that troubled his mind. But he even got much more than he bargained for because the king also ordered that Nehemiah's expenses be fully borne by the royal treasury. 

I know that finding reliable people who won't backstab you to confide in is getting more and more difficult nowadays. But prayerfully finding one or two people you could be comfortable with won't be a bad idea. I'm not saying that talking with somebody will automatically solve your problems. However, it does help your internal health. And who knows, you never can tell what positive ideas could come out of such discussions. Above all, the Bible confirms that when two or more people who fear the Lord share with one another, heavenly scribes take note and compile a book of remembrance to be placed before God for executive divine attention. When that happens my friend, all things are possible. 

THE CHRONICLES OF MR HUMILITY prt 1

Mr Humility is the ghost haunting many leaders today, so witches have less to do before they deal with such fellow. I learnt that the absence of Mr Humility in many churches is the reason they have to succumbed to the world instead of the world coming to the WORD.

People in the secular world are so much insecure that they show off their wealth in the face of Mr Humility, he shook his head and laugh, sighed then said the old serpent your father got crushed in his multiple merchandise.

Mr Humility was in Abraham's house when the 3 men visited not knowing Jesus came with them. He got blessed and informed about the impending judgement of Sodom and Gomorrah.

We thirst to know God's mind yet we reject the application of Mr Humility as the manager of our MIND.

Actually, more than 2000 years ago, Mr Humility was humiliated by Herod, chai, he was consumed by worms after being smitten by an Angel of God

Finally, He told me in the meeting yesterday as the least of his staff to tell you to consider Phillipians 2:5.

Signed by

Mr Humility

The CEO,

GOD'S WONDER BANK PLC

FOUR THINGS, PEOPLE DO WITH GOD'S INVESTMENT

"After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: 'Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner'." (Matthew 25:19-21, The Message). 

God has invested into every living being He created. For each of us, there is something that God has made available to you - gifts, talents, skills, abilities and opportunities - which God expects you to use in bringing glory to Him. God’s investments in our respective lives may not be equal but it is equitable and adequate for each individual. The righteousness and justice of God guarantees that. There are at least four things people could do with God's investment in their lives. 

You can waste it. That is the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. The Bible says that after receiving his portion of the inheritance, he went away from the presence of the father and wasted it through a very irresponsible lifestyle. I want you to note a peculiar characteristic of this group - they live their lives away from the presence of God. God is not in their thoughts at all, except and until they have their backs against the wall. All those who live irresponsible, reckless and careless lives fit into this category. 

The second thing people do with God's investment in their lives is to sell it. Balaam merchandised his spiritual giftings and took money to work against the purpose of God (Jude 1:11). Sometimes money may not be involved in the sale of God's investment in a man's life. Samson for instance sold heaven's investment in his life on the laps of Delilah. The key characteristic of this group is that personal pleasure and profit are more important to them than the fulfilment of God's purpose. The welfare of God's kingdom can always be sacrificed on the altar of lust. 

The third thing people do with God's investment in their lives is to hide it. The servant that was described as wicked, slothful and unprofitable kept heaven's investment in the ground. Those in this group are typically the lazy type and their wickedness consists in the fact that they just won't be bothered about making gains for the kingdom of God even if they were presented with quality opportunities. Friends, it is important to be diligent and find out what God has invested into your life, and then go on to use it for His glory lest your slothfulness turn you into a wicked person before God. 

Finally, there is the glorious category who profit with the investment of God in their lives for the good of the kingdom of God. Such are the good and faithful servants referred to in today's text. Such are the Abrahams of this world, the Davids, Peters Johns and Pauls of this world. They are characteristically consumed with a passion to see the will of God come to pass in their generation. Of David, for example, the Bible says he "served his own generation by the will of God" (Acts 13:36). 

God’s plan, provision and expectation for your life is that you would be a member of the last group, the category of those who profit for God with their talents and giftings. Let me close with a strong warning: please never use whatever God has graciously given you to work against God or the things of God. To do so is to incur the wrath of God here and in the hereafter. 

CARELESS LIFE PRODUCES CHEERLESS FUTURE

Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants (Ephesians 5:17, The Message). 

You were created to live a life of purpose. God ordained for you a life that will touch others positively and be a plus to your generation. In order to achieve this, today's Scripture verse admonishes "Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly". Friends, careless living will eventually produce a cheerless future, a frustrated life and a wasted destiny. If you want to have a happy future and a fulfilled life, you must quit living carelessly. Your family life, business and career prospects depend on it. And of course, your eternity depends absolutely on it. 

I find too many unthinking people around in the modern world, people who don't consistently engage their mind, people living thoughtlessly. Too many people live for profitless, unedifying and undignifying pleasure, which the Bible says are not even convenient (Romans 1:28). For example, my mind is yet to capture what meaningful pleasure could be in a man sleeping with another man or with a dog when God has not taken women out of the world. Senseless vanities have become the order of the day, and should this trend persists, it's going to really hurt our world in the not too distant future. 

One important thing that careful thinking will do for you is that it will bring you into a knowledge of God's purpose for your life - your reason for living. In other words, as our verse for today puts it, you will come to an understanding of what the Master [God] wants. As a preacher and teachers of the Gospel who is in daily interactions with all manner of people, my discovery is that there are just too many people in today's world who live aimless, purposeless and thoughtless lives. Even when some claim to have goals in life, you find that such goals are either frivolous, narrow or selfish. But God has created you and me for greater, better and positive global impact. 

Careful thinking about your life and purpose should also bring you to the point of thinking about eternity and your relationship with God. Sadly, for most people in today's world, eternity is not in their thoughts. Yet it is common knowledge that we are not going to be here in this world forever. All human beings have seen people die around them and gone into the world beyond without a chance to return and re-do things. The average person has seen the departure of age mates, older and younger people from this world. But most people still carry on as though life on earth is forever. 

I like the story of a man who was personally known to me. One day, as he told me, he sat in his office and thought about life. He thought about religion, after-life, and God. He came to the conclusion that the religious belief he was professing gave no hope of the kind of eternity he felt should be desired. He said to himself, "the Christian faith offers the kind of life and eternity I desire". Thereupon, he rose from his seat and went home to his wife to whom he announced, "henceforth, this family is a Christian family. From today, we cease to practice our former religion". 

Thereafter, the man went in search of a place of Christian worship and God, whose heart is ever toward those who seek Him in sincerity guided his feet to a living church where he was shown the way of salvation. To the glory of God, the man eventually went on to Bible College, became an ordained minister, and was studying for his doctoral in theology when he passed on to glory. 

"Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly"! 

THE THESSALONIANS FAITH series

Revd OLUWAMUYIWA OKUSEINDE 

"We are bound to thank God always for you, my brothers, as it is right, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of each one of you abounds toward one another" (2 Thessalonians 1:3, Modern King James Version). 

The Bible speaks about the faith of the Thessalonians which grew exceedingly. And the apostle Paul was so pleased with the reports he got about these saints of God that he felt "bound to thank God always" for the Thessalonian Christians. I think it will profit us exceedingly also to find out the nature and character of the faith that was growing in Thessalonica, and then apply ourselves to developing along the line of such a faith. For surely as we have seen from the reaction of Paul, that is the kind of faith heaven is eager to nurture in the believer. 

The first character of the faith referred to here is love, and the Bible says faith works by love (Galatians 5:6). The faith of the Thessalonians was one that spurred them on to demonstrate the love of God among themselves. Jesus said, by this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you love one another (John 13:35). It was His sacred command to the church (John 15:12). And we know that the primary ingredient of the love of God is giving. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son..." (John 3:16). True, godly love majors on giving. 

The implication of this is that a man of faith is not known by what he has received but by what he has given. The Thessalonians demonstrated that they had faith by showing love one to another. The Thessalonian church was a community of carers, practicing what we saw with the early church in the first few chapters of the Acts of the Apostles. Theirs was not a faith defined only by miracles, signs and wonders. Theirs was not just a 'getting' faith; it was a 'giving' faith. 

Space will not allow us to talk in detail about the patience of their faith, the endurance and the longsuffering it engendered (2 Thessalonians 1:4). The Thessalonians were not intimidated by the tribulations they were passing through. Rather, they held fast the profession of their faith in God through Christ Jesus without wavering. In fact, so strong was their faith that Paul said he had confidence in them that they would be faithful to the end and would not disappoint God (2 Thessalonians 3:4). This is the kind of faith that God is primarily interested in seeing in His children - faith that stands firm with God and shows love to the brethren in season and out of season. 

Let me point out that this message is not meant to reduce the importance of receiving by faith whatever we desire from God. Indeed, Paul prayed for the Thessalonians that God should fulfill for them every work of faith with power (2 Thessalonians 1:11). The idea is that everything God has promised, for which the Thessalonians were believing God would be brought to manifestation through the power of God so that God could be glorified through their lives. When miracles happen in our lives, God is definitely glorified. 

But the believer's faith should not primarily be defined by the miracles he amasses. We know from Scriptures and from present day realities of many who have faith in Christ’s power to heal their bodies, meet their needs, and get answers to their prayers, and yet know nothing of Him as the Saviour of their souls. I personally know of people (and I guess you could know one or two as well) who believe in Christ and want to access every blessing available through Him but strictly don't want to have anything to do with Him as their personal Lord and Saviour. 

So the believer must take responsibility for nurturing in himself the faith that grew in the Thessalonians. For such is the faith that will carry us through in this world and make us heirs of the world to come. 

WHEN PASTORS RESTRICT GOD TO THE GATE OF HIS HOUSE!!!

copied from church watch....

WHEN PASTORS RESTRICT GOD TO THE GATE OF HIS HOUSE!!!
It sounds incredible, but it is very true that the men that God appoints to oversee His house often times end up restricting God to the gate of His house (temple or church)!!!
This is a sad reality that is as real in the church of today (New Testament - NT) as it was in God’s temple among the Israelites (Old Testament - OT). And the principle that restricted God to the gate in the OT is the same principle that applies in the NT today – God’s presence WILL NOT continue to abide in ANY place where His word (commandments) are not exalted above EVERY other consideration (Psalm 138:2). God and His word are inseparable. For “… the Word was God…” (John 1:1).
Let’s start by looking at an Old Testament passage that captures our subject very clearly. We see this in Jeremiah 7:1-3, “The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, STAND IN THE GATE OF THE LORD'S HOUSE, and proclaim there this word, AND SAY, HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings….”
Please meditate on those words carefully, and the implication will amaze you. Let’s break it down: God wants to talk to His people. His people usually congregate to worship in His house (temple). So why does God not just address His people in His house? The answer is simple – the leadership of the temple will not allow God’s voice to be heard in the temple! Simple. That was why God’s voice was consigned to the gate. From outside the temple, God, through the mouth of Prophet Jeremiah, tried to reach His people that came to the temple to worship Him. God at the gate!
Perhaps this scenario rings a bell with you? Perhaps you are wondering if you have not seen this exact pattern repeated elsewhere in the Bible? Please let us go to Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
Here again, here is THE WORD Himself now, in person, standing OUTSIDE the door and knocking, seeking entry into any willing heart. Wait a minute, why is THE WORD standing OUTSIDE the church that He PURCHASED with His own blood (Acts 20:28)? The answer is in verse 17 of Revelation 3. In the verse, Jesus describes the condition of His house (the church in Laodicea) in these sombre words, “…thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” This verdict, delivered by the Owner of the church, stands in sharp contrast to the opinion of the leadership of the church on their condition, “…thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing….”
So there was an impasse! Jesus’ assessment of the church did NOT tally with the assessment of the leaders. Whereas, Jesus was ‘weeping’ over the condition of the church, the leaders were ‘smiling’. Stalemate! So, something had to give way… And according to God’s principle, God will usually be the One to give way – for He has said in His word, “… My spirit shall not always strive with man….” (Genesis 6:3).
He expressed this same divine principle in another way in Luke 13:35, “Behold, your house is LEFT UNTO YOU desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” These were Jesus’ words, in LEAVING the nation of Israel to do as they pleased when His words were rejected. For the Lord will NOT impose Himself on any man/institution/nation (except in judgment).
When men persist in rebellion, God abandons the house to them. A notable exception to this spiritual truth is when Jesus took a whip and sent the money-changers out of the temple. But in this case, you’ll notice that it is NOT authority figures in the temple that Jesus whipped out. It was just some traders that were out for some fast cash. Jesus DID NOT whip the Priests, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees out of the temple. What did He do eventually? He LEFT the temple for them, and gathered His followers somewhere else, starting from the Upper Room.
In the passages quoted above in Jeremiah 7 and Revelation 3, there is a common theme in the message that God was trying to pass across to His people. A message that the leadership was not allowing to filter through to the people. We see this in verse 3 of the Jeremiah passage, “AMEND YOUR WAYS AND YOUR DOINGS….”. It is similar to what we see in Revelation 3:19, “… be zealous therefore, and REPENT.” And from this, we can infer that REPENTANCE is a subject that unfaithful leadership will NOT want the people of God to hear, and to respond to.
First, God calls these leaders, anoints them, and gives them clear-cut guidelines on how to lead His people. For various reasons beyond the scope of this article, the leaders deviate from these God-given guidelines. And when God tries to recover His people and return them to the right path, the leaders balk and restrict God to the gates. (Pls see Matthew 15:14). And so, FROM THE GATES, God spoke to His own in Jeremiah 7:2. And FROM THE DOOR, Jesus knocks on the hearts of the willing in Revelation 3:20.
As the second coming of Jesus draws near, and judgment looms, the Lord is awakening His people again. He is calling them to repentance. And urging them to return to His word. BUT PLEASE NOTE THIS: the greatest resistance to the work of repentance in the church in the Last Days will come from CHURCH LEADERSHIP! Just like the greatest resistance that Jesus faced came from the TEMPLE LEADERSHIP. It is an evil pattern that recurred again and again throughout the Bible – both in the Old Testament and the New Testament.
In 1 Corinthians 10:11-12, Apostle Paul warned us, New Testament believers, against repeating the mistakes of the Israelites in the Old Testament, "Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and THEY ARE WRITTEN FOR OUR ADMONITION, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."
Still warning NT believers not to follow the example of the OT believers, he said this in Romans 11:21-22: “For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: OTHERWISE THOU ALSO SHALT BE CUT OFF.”
Brothers and sisters, we are fast approaching the day of this ‘CUTTING OFF’. The day of separation. When the sheep shall be separated from the goats. When the wise virgins shall be separated from the foolish virgins. Behold, the judge is at the door….
In these days, many believers will be forced to make a difficult choice between sitting with unfaithful pastors in the opulent ambience of the church’s circus, or listening intently for the gentle knock of the Saviour calling us all back to repentance. Calling us back to fellowship with Himself and His Father (Revelation 3:20). What will be your CHOICE? Jesus knew that the Last Days will be perilous days. That was why He taught us to WATCH and PRAY. To be watchful means to be observant of all that is going on around us, and to be prepared to take action where necessary. Are we truly watching? Or are we snoozing in the battle that is raging in the Church?
There are practical steps that we can take at both the personal and corporate levels. At the personal level, every believer should begin to loosen his/her allegiance to any man/pastor/denomination; and to pledge the allegiance to Christ ALONE. In these days, there are some things that pastors/
denominations may require you to do, but which are NOT in line with God’s will. Who will you follow? Will you sacrifice your love and obedience to Christ, just to stay in the good books of a pastor/denomination? If the Lord has opened your eyes to the fact that there is a lot of falsehood in the church today, are you going to re-trace your steps, or are you going to tag along with the 21st century versions of the deluded Laodicean church?
At the corporate level, there is ONE THING we can all do together – we can PRAY! We can call upon the Lord to intervene urgently in the deception that is going on in the church today in the name of Christ. God can help His true children to understand His word better. He can expose the wolves that are masquerading as sheep in His fold. He can help us to easily identify unfaithful leaders that are refusing to repent. He can strengthen pastors that are willing to tread the narrow path. There is so much we can achieve together in the place of prayers.