Daring to Trust God!

|”And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10|

A times, I really feel like giving up on some things when I do not see any progress but a challenge comes and I am back on track. It’s hard to give up on God even on the slightest occurrences. Has anyone dared to trust God in the slimmest of all hopes? I have and I have never been disappointed. Many times we trust God for some things, make some prayers that seem not to have reached God and thus we are so discouraged and down... David says in Psalm 42:11 "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God."

We need to realize that when we trust in God, we need to relax and wait on him... and while we are waiting, we ought not to be complaining but rather giving thanks. But woe unto us human beings, we know better how to complain rather than give thanks or praise. I must say we got  a Masters Degree in that! I want to challenge someone this Today:- "Will you dare trust God again even when you feel like he is quiet and seems he never heard your prayers? You can trust him regardless.

Many a times we think that since God did for me this and this and now am not in any problem, I don’t have the problem to seek out for him now; but Solomon challenges us not to lean on our own understanding – (Proverbs 3:5). When you put out your own understanding before God, you are destined to fail. Remember the bible says that the hand of flesh will fail us but God never fails. Isaiah 31:1 says “Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!”

When God delays to answer, we are quick to turn back to our Plan B’s which fail us. Do we have to be hurt, broken and pass thru' painful experiences for us to learn to trust God no matter what? Sometimes we sacrifice our eternal joy, pleasure and peace for something that will last for a few minutes, hours, days, months or even years (As per our projections) not knowing that God has promised us WEALTH and RICHES untold. Have you taken time to count your blessings that God has done for you when you trusted him? Too bad that some of us trust God when we have no other option - I mean when all has failed us, that’s when we can dare trust God coz we have nowhere else to go… Shame on you! You ought to trust God in and out of season

In (Daniel 3:16-18), we see three men who dared to trust God despite the circumstances that were surrounding them. You see, there is one thing here… They could have opted to bow down before the Kings image and have their lives spared... but then lose what God had in store for them; but they had a DARING FAITH. They told God, we are daring you to fail us; we are putting our lives at stake. See this. “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, it is not necessary for us to answer you on this point. If our God Whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up!” (Daniel 3:16-18), That’s the answer that they gave the king. Can you stand with such faith when you are facing trials and a hard and tough terrain in your Christian Life and trust in God is such a manner?

oh my!!!... I feel this.. Look at Esther in Esther 3:16 says that “I will fast and then go to see the king even though it’s against the law, if I perish I perish.” One thing that you ought to know is that the devil is not happy when you prosper. The higher God lifts you, the more fierce the battle to fight becomes. An in this case, Haman was not happy to see Mordecai sitting at the Palace gate and he wasn’t bowing down unto him as the others were doing. You need to know that some people will be affected by your actions, your integrity, character and faith. The plot to kill the children of Israel came up not because they had done anything, but it was because of Mordecai. As a child of God, when you stand and take your place, you need to know that you cause a lot of harm to the devil’s camp because you are a stumbling block to many of his plans. You act as a barrier prevailing over his plans.

God will always place you strategically in places where you will have an upper hand over the enemy. Haman didn’t know that Mordecai was the uncle to Queen Esther. But because god knew what the enemy was plotting, He made sure that He had placed Esther at the right place so that she could act and thwart the plan of the enemy. It is at this point that we see Esther saying that she will go and see the king against the rules of the kingdom if she looses her life, well and good.

Look at these two scenarios; Remember at the back of your mind that some lives are at stake. Someone can lose his/her life here but they are not afraid. There are some things that will demand you to put your life at stake and act on your faith. People say that the line between Faith and foolishness is very thin but I would rather have faith rather than be foolish yet have nothing to hold on and be proud of later. If the three Jewish boys didn’t risk their lives to be thrown in the fiery furnace, God would not have been glorified in Babylon... I like this!! If Esther had not heeded the call of Mordecai his uncle and risked her life to go before the King, the nation of Israel would have been killed then; but they had the DARING FAITH to put their lives at stake and trust God beyond all odds.

I want you to know this morning that "Trusting in God pays a great deal rather than depending on your own strength." These two set of instances are an encouragement to us. The outcome was a testimony that we still hold on to and they serve as an encouragement to you and me. Why don’t you trust God today and be an encouragement to someone? You can give a testimony and encourage someone to trust in God too and benefit.

I believe you will not only trust God alone for your needs but also trust him for your spiritual life and growth too. Do not seek his hand, but rather seek his face then he will show you his hand. I mean do not trust God because of what he can do, but trust him because of who He is then He will show you what he can do to and for you. Some of us we want to SEE what he can DO FIRST then we can TRUST. Let’s not become like Doubting Thomas. When you seek his hand, He will show you his hand but you will know him. You won’t know his face. We seek the blessings and not the Blesser; When you are sick, you need to be healed but you do not want to know the healer; You need PROVISION but you do not want to sit down and know the PROVIDER intimately.

Intimacy with the maker of heaven and earth; You are seeking LOVE. You want to be loved and you want to love back... I tell you today... Till you MEET and FALL in LOVE with the AUTHOR of LOVE who is God... You will mark time... You will jump from one relationship to another with no satisfaction because you will not get REAL LOVE and neither will you give REAL LOVE because you do not have a connection with the source of LOVE and you do not have that REAL LOVE to give out!! God is Love and if you have an encounter with Him, your life can never remain the same. Jacob had an encounter with God and he never remained the same; Saul on his way to Damascus met with God and his life took a turn… You too can be changed by him!

Bottom line... this is what the Spirit says...

• For you to DARE trust the Lord and put your life at stake.
• You got to have a deeper connection than that meets the eye!!

Shadrack, Meshack, Abednego & Esther were people who knew God beyond the physical; they connected deeper with the Lord. Get deeper and intimate with God and some things that you struggle with will come to an END…not just an END but will DIE... DARE to TRUST God again against all ODDS, not only when you got no other OPTION... Have and cultivate that DARING FAITH to dare God.

|“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.”| Psalm 37:3-6

Be blessed!!

Shalom!

Die to Self!

24"I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains [just one grain; it never becomes more but lives] by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces many others and yields a rich harvest." (John 12:24)

 

Dying to self daily is what Paul spoke of so often. It is how we walk in the "Spirit" and not in the "flesh" as we are instructed in Romans 8 and Galatians 5. The whole issue of dying to self daily is the absolute key to living a victorious life in Christ. It literally means that you have to die to self DAILY! This is why so many people who are saved, love the Lord, live beneath their blessings and in constant turmoil. This is how people who know Christ as their Savior end up committing adultery, cheat people, lie, get in bondage to drugs, alcohol, food, sex, gambling, shopping, greed, and anything else people become enslaved to. They don't die to self each day and end up walking in the "flesh" and NOT the "Spirit." Maybe you are wondering how you could be raising your hands to Jesus, speaking in tongues, and being used by God to touch lives one day, and sinning against God the next. The answer is when you fail to die to self each day; you are walking in the "flesh," not the "Spirit."

 

Jesus speaking to his disciples, he was telling them about his forthcoming death but amidst the multitudes, the bible tells us that there were some Greeks who had come to worship at the festival and Jesus knowing that they wouldn't and they knew not the mission of Jesus, He spoke to them in a parable and He spoke to them about the Seed. Jesus was a seed that God sent to the earth that needed to die, so that it could reproduce more fruits of itself. We all know the principle of planting seeds, germination, growth, multiplication and harvest and you and I are one of the fruits that the death of Jesus on the cross bore. We too know about seed and harvest time... and Jesus being the seed, his mission was to die on the cross, be buried (as the seed is buried on the soil) and resurrect with increase of souls which were saved. This is evident in the book of Matthew where he records that when Jesus rose from the dead, saints who had died were seen ascending to heaven.

 

What am I saying? If Jesus didn’t die on the cross, we wouldn’t be saved, we wouldn’t attain our salvation. Jesus said... ‘if a seed doesn’t die, it remains SINGLE... but once it dies, it replicates itself...” and because of the death of Jesus, we are saved and called Christians which means "Christ-like' When a seed dies, it replicates itself meaning that the outcome of the seed resembles the seed that died. And when you and I accepted Christ into our hearts, the same DNA that was in Jesus is in you and me today. That is, the power to multiply, increase and have more "Christ-like" people in this earth... but this will not happen till we die to self. We are so filled with selfishness and we do not want to release ourselves to die so that we can be a blessing to someone else. We are called to be a blessing to each other. This can only come if we die to self Jesus continues in vs. 26 and says… "Whoever loves his life will lose it, but who ever loses his life will gain it” Are you ready to lose or to gain your life?

 

Get your 'self' out of the way so God can work! “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30) John the Baptist was talking about Jesus. At first glance, you may think he is talking about their respective popularity or ministries. He may have. But it must also happen in our individual lives. Jesus must increase in our lives and worldly thoughts that we have must decrease. You must know that our wants and desires as fleshly people are directly contrary to God's desires  and In order for your spirit to grow, it must become unencumbered by your flesh and soul (Mind, will, emotions).

 

The question that needs to be addressed today is HOW does a person "die to self?" The first step is an action, something that you must do. Dying to self is a conscious choice that you must make, one nobody can make for you. It is the act of surrendering your life completely to Christ. The reason why God's word talks about dying to self DAILY is because it is something that we must do each and every day. Our life with Christ is not for an hour or two on Sunday, but literally 24/7. It is critical to make the choice to die to self each and every day. When we get saved, we not only ask Christ into our heart and life by faith, but we give our very lives to Him. In dying to self each day, we are reaffirming that our life doesn't belong to us any longer, it is His.

 

As you surrender your life afresh to Christ at the start of each day, you are allowing your life to be controlled by the Holy Spirit and not by your flesh. It is no longer you but God that is in complete control of your life. You have traded in your thoughts and desires for God's thoughts and desires. It is not YOU that is living; it is Christ living in you as Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20. All of the benefits in God's word exist and are available to those who believe, but there is a price to pay and that price is our very life surrendered, yielded to the Lord. It is a choice, an act that nobody can force you to commit.

Spiritual maturity will happen or be evident as a result of removing the obstacles between you and God. Just like when you were a kid, no conscious effort could make you grow one inch; you eat right, get exercise, and growth happens; same with your spirit. With spiritual growth, as with a healthy body, there are things you need to eat and there are things you must stop eating. The spiritual things you need to 'eat' are many. The basic food groups are: study your Bible, fellowship with other Christians, and be helpful and charitable. In other words, live as godly a life as God give you the grace.

 

Major things to get rid of (with God's help and guidance. You cannot do it alone):

a)    Flesh must die: Dying to self is not physical death. You must consider yourself dead to your flesh. If you are thinking about fleshly things - things of this world - you are not thinking about God. Jesus said that in order to follow Him, we must deny our flesh, and take up your cross daily. (Matthew 16:24)

 

b)    Rebellion or Disobedience: Follow your conscience. If you know something is wrong, don't do it. But remember to het guidance from God through the Holy Spirit. The bible reminds us that “The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

 

c)    Deliberate Sin: This is the most commonly recognized block to God. (Colossians 2:21) God cannot look upon sin. Sin is forgivable though if you are repentant (sorry for what you have done and turn from that activity) but that doesn’t give you a license to keep on sinning. God's grace is not a license to sin, but a way out. Accept it and He will remove not only the sin, but even the very desire. It is awesome. An old sage once said; a clear conscience is the softest pillow.

 

d)   Resentments and Un-forgiveness: A mind that is thinking about how badly they were treated is not thinking about God (God is very polite. He will not yell and scream in your face.) Forgive the wrongs others have done to you. Even if they are not sorry they did it. Resentments only do you harm. I've heard it said that un-forgiveness is like taking poison hoping the other person will die. It's that important. How to forgive? Pray for the other person. Not just some generic prayer for their well-being; but pray that they get all the good things that you wish for yourself. After a few weeks, or even month or so, you will begin to truly feel like you want good things to happen to them. It really works. Also, thinking upon all the things you have been forgiven for is a big help.

 

e)    Fear: The opposite of fear is not courage. Courage is doing what needs to be done even when you are afraid. The opposite of fear is faith. If you have faith in almighty God, what can there possibly be to be afraid of?

 

f)     Guilty Feelings: Confess your sins, and Jesus is just to forgive. (1 John 1:9) if you have confessed your sins and have turned form that sin, and still feel guilty, it is probably just the devil trying to steal your peace. Just keep reminding yourself (out loud is best) that you are forgiven by the blood of Jesus, and it will go away over time.

 

Brethren, in few words, I am saying; let’s die to self. Some things which are stumbling blocks in our lives exist because we have not died to self. We ought to be willing to offer ourselves. Paul said, "Put to death the deeds of the flesh' Colossians 3:5. These deeds are what make us not yield to God and these block our blessings! Once you have died, you replicate yourself and above all, you live in the spirit and you will be able to say like Paul Said... “It is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me.” Choose to die to self today and rise up to be a blessing to many others! The key to living a victorious life in Christ lies in you waking up each morning and making the conscious choice to die to self and allow Christ to control your life. If we don't do this each and every day when we wake up, we will soon find ourselves walking in the "flesh" and not the "Spirit." This is a season of becoming a blessing to others, being the change that you want to see in someone's life...

 

Amen!

Matatu v/s a Christian II

“Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” Psalms 86:11

After finishing writing the first post, I thought that I was done and I was relaxed that I had delivered God’s word and God had spoken to me and to many others that read the devotion write up and honestly, I was amazed by the overwhelming response through emails, calls, comments and I am humbled of what the Lord is doing. It’s not about me but its about him. I cannot boast of anything of my own but it’s all about Him (God) and may all the glory be unto him.

Yesterday evening, as I was going home, I entered this matatu on my way home and when I sat down, someone seated before me turned and said hi to me. And told me “Great to meet you. I do hope that I will get some inspiration too in this matatu as I go home” I asked if he had by any chance read the devotion and he told me yes. There, it dawned on me that there is a lot of influence that we cause around where we are. You may never think that you are influencing anyone but let me tell you - Whatever you do, whether seen or unseen has got impact. A saying goes “People may forget what you said, they may forget what you did to them but they will never forget what you made them feel.” Is there anything that you can be remembered for? if there is, I do hope its positive. May God help us t leave positive benchmarks in our lives.

Seated in the matatu again last night, God again spoke to me and I could not resist to keep this to myself and I had to let it. Here are few more insights that I got yesterday night and this morning:

|One| - This mathree (the slung name for matatu) I was in had passengers on board who were more than the capacity it is supposed to carry. In other words, we were excess in the vehicle. What this means is that, incase a policeman stopped the vehicle, the excess person would be arrested, charged or fines. On the other hand, incase of an accident, the excess persons would be hurt simple because they were not belted as the rest of us had. These are just but a few risks that the said persons had exposed themselves to. Jesus stood up and said in Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest…” You will realize that many of us as Christians we have overburdened ourselves and we are carrying more than we ought to be carrying. Jesus looking at the crowds that had come to listen to him knew that they had so much of a load they were carrying in their hearts.

Paul gives us a solutions to all our cares and worries but yet most of us (I have found myself here many times) seem to think that worrying for ourselves will help us. Paul told the Philippians in Philippians 4:6 “Never worry about anything. Instead, in every situation let your petitions be made known to God through prayers and requests, with thanksgiving.” I am very sure that even when we go to pray, we still come back and worry more wondering. Jesus asks a legitimate question that we all need to ask ourselves when we worry. In Matthew 6:27, Jesus asked “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”  Actually, you will realize that when you worry, you spend a lot of energy for nothing whereas you could have used it somewhere else. Peter urges us by saying “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” 1 Peter 5:7. David knew this secret and thus he could write and say “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.” Psalms 55:22. I dare you to try Him and He wont disappoint you.

|Two| - In this mathree, I found an interesting sticker. I have had seen it before but I didn’t take much thought of it. This is how it read “No calls, Texts only”. This simply means that you can’t make or pick up calls in the mathree simply because of the loud music that is playing. Such mathree’s are simply known as “Boom Twafs”. Most of the time, by the time you alight, its like your ears have turned deaf - you can hardly hear anything. Have you ever reached a point in life where you are hearing so many voices and all you you just want is to be alone in a silent and serene place? There comes a time when there are so many voices that are clogging your mind and you wonder which voice to listen to. At times, you can hear your own voice; the devil’s voice or even heed to some advice given to you by some friends and you may think that it is the voice of the Lord.

Like the loud music in the vehicle till you cannot even hear the person seated next to you, there are times when troubles and issues around us are like that. That’s the time we earnestly seek a voice of reason. Paul writes and says “We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9. When the world is shouting at us, the bible tells us… “be still and know that I am God” Psalms 46:10. Above all, when you need guidance, Isaiah tells us “whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:21. Always, learn to listen to God.

|Three| - Those who have travelled with Modern Coast buses or even Mash, you will realize that before the buses leave the terminus, they take a video of every person in the bus. This is basically to have a record of who travelled with which bus at what time incase of the bus being hijacked. They have put the security of the passenger at the forefront and they do not want to take risk. Did you realize that God cares and watches over you more than a man would do? David says in Psalms 121:7-8 “God guards you from every evil, He guards your very life. He guards you when you leave and when you return, he guards you now, he guards you always.” There is no need for you and I to fear because God cares for us and watches over us. Every move that we make is known unto Him and no harm can befall us.

God speaking to Abraham in Genesis 28:15 and He tells him “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.” This is the kind of God that we serve. He tells the house of Israel in Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” David said; unless the Lord watches over a city, those who watch it, they labour in vain (Psalms 127:1).

|Four| - Every vehicle has got an Insurance cover incase of an accident or anything that may happen to it. When you have an accident in a car, the insurance pays you back the car as well as any medical bills that you may have incurred after the accident. For us, we have an eternal cover in the Lord. The bible tells us “HE WHO dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]… [Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler.” Psalms 91:1, 4. We are ensured of protection in God. No matter what comes upon us or against us, we are safe in his arms. The Message bible says this in verse 4 of Psalms 91; “he shields you from deadly hazards. His huge outstretched arms protect you - under them you're perfectly safe; his arms fend off all harm.” The women of faith sang and said: “In The arms of His Love I find rest, in the arms of His love; There's sweet quietness; nothing can harm me, no reason to fear, safe in the arms of His love” Let’s learn to lean on the everlasting arms of his love where we are safe and secure from all alarms.

|Five| - Whenever you book for a flight or long distance travel, you are given a ticket. This ticket is what will enable you be allowed into the bus or plane when the day of travel comes and without the ticket, you can be assured that without the ticket, you can’t travel. This is the same in our journey of faith. Without Salvation which is the ticket to get to heaven, you can be assured that you will end up in hell. Jesus told Nicodemus "...I say to you, 'unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.... Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." John 3:3-6. After you get saved, you need to have Faith. The bible further tells us that without faith, no one will see God (Hebrew 11:6).

The latter is the most important of all. All the other benefits are all tagged to this last one. Salvation is the only guarantee for you to get the rest of the benefits and blessings that are mentioned. I do no know where you stand, but the truth of the matter is, Salvation is key. And that is the sole reason as to why Jesus came to the earth.  If you are not saved, make sure you do, else, there is nothing that will be beneficial to you.

Amen!!

Just like the Prof!!

^“19Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. ²⁰Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. ²¹The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. ²²News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. ²³When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. ²⁴He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. ²⁵Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, ²⁶and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” Acts 11:19-26

 

A story is told of a professor and his driver. He was a very learned prof and he used to be invited in many forums to teach and speak. His driver used to accompany him in all the forums, then he would sit at the back of the auditorium. When the prof was through, he would drive him off again. Through this, he got to know how the prof used to do his presentation. How he would start, the examples he gave, how he would answer some questions if asked and how he used to end. One day, he told the prof, “I can do the presentation that you do”. The prof asked him, “Really? Then he told him,  the next workshop, I will be the driver and you will be the Professor.

The d-day came and the Prof drove his driver to the auditorium. The ‘prof’ - who was actually the driver, started off his presentation the way his prof did and he did it perfectly to the end. People knew that he was actually the prof. Finally, he gave time for questions and one man asked a technical question that he couldn’t answer. After a quick thought, he told the person who asked, “you may think that you have asked a tough question but I want you to know it is not hard as you think. I will ask my driver to answer you… Little the people know that it was a hard question for him… but his ‘driver’ - the real prof, came and answered the question and then later they left.

We all look forward to and anticipate to be like someone that we look up to. The driver ultimately did not remain to be just a driver but he learnt from his boss the professor. This is the same thing that happened to the disciple of Jesus. Long after Jesus had ascended to heaven, they spread out to all parts of the earth spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. The bible tells us that it is in Antioch that they were called Christians. And why the name Christians? I do believe it is because they behave like Christ and also, they preached Christ in whom they believed. The driver delivered the presentation just like his boss the professor would have done.

Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:1 “THEREFORE BE imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father].” God is our father and a perfect example of how we should be. Jesus his son lived an exemplary life that his disciples emulated and later they were referred to as “Christ-like”. We are his children and thus He expects us to emulate him and be like him in each and every way, and everything that we do. Jesus speaking to his disciples, he told them, “if you abide in Me, and My words abide in you… By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” John 15:7-8. Like a father is proud when his daughter or son excels, so does our heavenly father. And that is what Paul urges the brethren in Ephesus to do. Same thing is expected if you and me. We ought to bring glory to our heavenly father and like Jesus, he can proudly say that “This is my son, in whom I am well pleased.

Paul continues and says this to the Corinthians “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1. Paul knew one thing was sure, Just like Jesus had told the disciples, “unless you abide in me, you cannot bear fruits” John 15:4; thus, unless he looked up to Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, then there is no way that he could be able to be imitated by the Corinthians. In other words, you need to realize that you cannot give what you do not have. And Paul realizing this, He had to make sure that he looked up to Jesus so as he could be able to be looked up to by others. This means that you need to be a mentor. The driver looked up to the professor and he learnt so much to a point that he could do what the professor was doing with ease.

You need to know that there are people who are looking up to you. Your children, siblings and relatives are all looking up to you for one thing or another. In one way or another, you will realize that there are people whom you are supposed to mentor. Who unto you if you do not realize this. This will be accounted of you on the judgment day. it is the prayer and cry of my heart this day that we will not only imitate Christ and be more like him; but we will go another mile and make him known. By this, I mean, help someone else to be able to know Jesus and be like him. This way, we will be imitating Christ and doing what he did.

On the other hand, let’s yearn to know him more. Like the driver, it wasn’t just enough for him to drive the professor and sit back at the back of the auditorium and learn nothing… like Paul, let’s make this prayer that he made and he said “[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]” Philippians 3:10 Let it be our desire, not just to know God (Jesus) but also we be acquainted with him and know him more deeply and at a personal level.

Amen!!

A Matatu v/s A Christian!!

“Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.” Proverbs 30:5

A couple of weeks ago, I was at my lowest point and I was in one of the darkest valleys of life and I thought that I had hit my rock bottom and all I needed was something/a word or someone just to speak to my heart and situation. Nothing seemed to make sense to me and the only place or person I could turn to was God. It is at this point in time that I made a simple prayer unto God and I have seen him fulfill and answer my prayer each and everyday. All I did was to make a simple prayer that was more of a risk to me because I wasn’t sure how God would do it but I knew that He is a God who is not deterred by anything and He can use anything and anyway to fulfill his word and the prayers that we make unto him. It is so surprising, amazing and awesome at the same time the way and means that God chose to speak to me.

Many times, I know you have found yourself at such a point and you really wonder what is happening and where God is at that moment in time. David, the man of God who conquered many kings and won many battles too had such moments. And at one point he writes and says “I will lift up my eyes to the hills [around Jerusalem, to sacred Mount Zion and Mount Moriah] - From whence shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.” Psalms 121:1-2. David understood that when he was surrounded and encompassed by his enemies, God was his only refuge and source of help. Where do you run to and turn to when you are at such a moment? When you are low and discouraged; when your soul and countenance is low, where do you seek your help from? When David was low in his spirit and he needed encouragement, this is what he told his soul; “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you…” Psalms 42:5-6^a. May we teach our hearts to hope and wait on God even when the circumstances do not favour us.

For the last two weeks, God has been speaking to me through the Matatus (PSVs) as they are commonly called here in Kenya. And many of my friends on Facebook have been asking me why I have been so attached to the matatus and where they have touched my heart. Even this morning, one of my friends told me that it seems like we have become ‘bossom buddies’  but God has been speaking to me using them. And this morning, I want to share with you some of the insights that God has given me and challenged me with from these vehicles.

|One| You will realize that very early in the morning between 4:30 am - 5:00 am, you will hear matatu’s hooting on the road to alert you that if you want to travel early, they are already operating. You will realize that many of the drivers and the conductors sleep late in the night and yet they are up very early the next day to get the vehicles ready for you and me to travel in. This challenges me - These are people who are employed and others drive their own matatu’s and they sacrifice so much of their sleep daily so that they can be up to start working. How many of us sacrifice their sleep or even their time to wake up early or even sleep late just because they want to spend time with God? Many of us (I included), we get home when we are so tired from the busy schedule that we had in the day. Those who work in the corporate world will say that I spent many hours seated in meetings and my back is tired thus I need to sleep and rest.

David knew the secret of seeking God in the morning. In Psalms 5:3, he says “In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." Not only did David knew that, Jesus too knew the best time to talk to his father was in the dawn of the morning and thus, the bible tells us "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed." Mark 1:35. There is one thing that I realize when I was young. Whenever we had the family alter after we had eaten, most of the times, we ended up sleeping in between the session. When my dad realized that, he made it a rule that we would be having the family altar then eat. I challenge you, Rise up early in the morning and seek God and get the direction for the day. (Read Isaiah 50:4^b; Psalms 63:1)

|Two| The matatus are always in a rush. They are rushing not only to beat the traffic jam but also other matatu's so as to make most profit at the end of the day! I know most of the Kenyan people like a matatu which they know will take the shortest time to get to where they are going. At times, you will realize that they will overlap and drive on the wrong side of the road. They break traffic rules but they reach their destination. Am reminded that I am also in a race every day! Am running against the temptations of the world!! Like Paul said; Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…” Hebrews 12:1. We need to know that each and everyday, we are in a race and there are people around us who are looking at us to see if we are running this race as per the rules.

Our actions speak more than our words do. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 5:13-16 that we are the salt and the light of this world. We cannot be hidden and whatever we do is seen by everyone. you need to know that your actions preach more than you do. Do not preach water and take wine or vice versa; walk the talk. Paul speaking to the Corinthians reminds us that “… Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God's living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives—and we publish it.” 2 Corinthians 3:2-3. My sister my brother, know that in whatever you do,  you are a letter.

|Three| I have observed that many times, the matatu drivers n conductors have to bear with moody, uncooperative & unreasonable passengers and policemen too. As we run this race, you will realize that the terrain is not the best. Paul said, "and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us..." Hebrews 12:1 I can guarantee you that in this race/journey of faith, not everything/one will be on your side. You will meet with obstacles, hindrances, stumbling blocks but if you persevere, you will come out victorious. Just as the athletes have to jump over huddles and the water pool in the in the 3000 meters Steeplechase race, you also need to overcome the hurdles that you meet on the way.

Paul encourages us and tells un “Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God” Hebrews 12:2 When temptations come, opposition comes, do not sit back and start complaining, instead thank God because He is with you and above all, remember, it is the test of perseverance! and if you hold on, you will come out refined and you will pass the test. If you fail, I guarantee you that you will keep on repeating the same till the day you will pass.

|Four| Did you realize that Matatu drivers know almost every route in town? When a certain route has traffic Jam, the quickly change routes and you arrive to your destination. Paul said to the Corinthians... "No temptation has you in its power but such as is common to human nature; and God is faithful and will not allow you to be tempted beyond your strength. But, when the temptation comes, He will also provide the way of escape; that you may be able to endure it." 1 Corinthians 10:13. Many times when we come to or pass through a rough patch, you will realize that many people will cry foul and think that God has left them,but I want to assure you this day that it is is the promise of his word that He (God) will never leave us nor will he forsake us (Romans 8:5). Solomon says that He is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). What else would we want?

|Five| You see many buses in a bus station lining up waiting for their turn for people to enter in. I was seated in this bus that was ½ full. As per the rules here, it can only leave when its is full thus the driver has to be patient and here I thought to myself: How many times have we(I) walked out on God before He was thru' with me? How many times have we(I) grown impatient with God simple because He hasn't answered my prayer? Many of us are never patient with God or even other people. We are a generation that wants instant things, instant answers to our prayers and yet we know God doesn’t operate in such principles.

God told the children of Israel in Jeremiah 18:5-6 “… the word of the LORD came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.” We are so in a hurry to do our own things at the expense of God’s purposes for our lives. One thing that I have learnt about God over the time is that God is never in a hurry. If you are in a hurry, He will leave you and then later you will catch up with him or circumstances will corner you and you will have no option but allow Him work on you and make you into the kind of a vessel that He wants from you! Would you love to be cornered like Jonah or Jacob was? Moral thought: Let's learn to be patient both with God & Man!

At times, our fellow brethren wrong us and we are never patient with them! We cause tantrums and we reach a point that we are not even willing to forgive. Paul urges us in Ephesians 4:2-3 and says “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” How I pray that we will learn to exercise patience and bearing with one another in everything that we do. We need to realize that the same way that we are not perfect, so are others!! Just as the matatu people bear with our moods and uncooperativeness; and above all, God bears with us, we also need to bear with each other!!

This is my prayer this day for everyone - That God will teach us, mould us and make us into the kind of people that He wants us to be!! For us, Let us be readily available, willing and patient for the Lord to deal with us. The process will not be easy but I promise you that the fruits and the out come is worth!!

Amen!!

 

 

Our God of Restoration!!

¹⁵ When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” ¹⁶ Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” ¹⁷ 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.” John 21:15-17

I am seated in my office desk and there is this one thought that is really disturbing me. If God Loves us, and He truly does, He knows that there are some of us who will love him and others won’t; yet He still loves us unconditionally. I am reminded of this scripture that says “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” 1 John 3:1. I love the way the Amplified Bible puts it across… it says “SEE WHAT [an incredible] quality of love the Father has given (shown, bestowed on) us, that we should [be permitted to] be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are! I am still in awe of why God would choose to love a disobedient, unfaithful and sinful person like me. Mention of any form of sin and tell me if you and I are not guilty of. It is for this sole reason of Love that He (Jesus) agreed to leave his throne in heaven, come and take a human form just like you and me, identify with us and die on the cross paying the penalty of death that you and I ought to have paid.

Last month, I wrote this devotion that has been popping on my mind each and every day. Will the cock crow was the title of the devotion. [If you missed, click here to read] and every time at the end of the day when I sit down and evaluate my day, I am reminded of this. Will I wait till the cock crows for me to action on something that I have not taken an action on? It may be spiritually related or even in terms of my work – and this has been a great challenge to me. Jesus was speaking to Peter after He had had the last super with the disciples. he turns to Peter and warns him that the devil will sift him but Christ had prayed for him. Peter with his ego, he told Jesus that he wouldn’t deny him… but later we see how it went. He denied him 3 times as Jesus had told him.

In the scripture above, you realize that Jesus is speaking to Peter again after they had finished having breakfast with him at the shore of the Sea of Galilee. This is after Jesus had died and resurrected but Peter hadn’t seen Jesus yet. At this point in time, remember that after denying Jesus three times, he might have thought that Jesus would have no trust in him again and thus, he decided to go back to career that Jesus called him from – Fishing. Apparently, this is the thought line that many of us have. The minute we fall into sin, we think that God is so annoyed with us and He might not take us back and thus, instead of coming back to God and repenting, we delve ourselves deeper into sin. But this is not so; Jesus died so that we could be redeemed from our sins and his blood that was shed on the cross was for our forgiveness of sins. John reminds us that if only we REPENT our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us (1 John 1:9-10). If the prodigal son was accepted back, you and I can be accepted back too as we are all prodigals in the kingdom of God.

In real sense and putting this in a layman's language, we can easily conclude that Peter had backslid when he went back fishing and he had his 6 friends alongside him. This is the time that Jesus comes and reveals himself to them. We further know that Peter had backslid by the fact that he was naked and when eh realized that it was Jesus, he dashed to cover himself (John 21:7). Him removing his clothes does not only signify his physical nakedness but also his spiritual nakedness too. You need to discover that once you have fallen back, you do not see any shame of whatever you do; you are not conscious of yourself; simply because the spirit of God departs from you and you are left alone. And this is the state at which Peter was. The bible says it clearly that the flesh and the Spirit are always in conflict to control you (Galatians 5:17) and one cannot be where the other is. If you walk in the flesh, the spirit departs and if you walk in the Spirit, the flesh is suppressed.

Secondly, you will realize that he influenced others to go back fishing with him. With him, he had 6 of the 12 disciples. Thomas, Nathaniel, the two sons of Zebedee and two others not mentioned had gone back fishing with Peter. You need to know that you are an icon of influence wherever you are and there are many people that you influence. The question that you and I need to ask ourselves: – Is the influence that I give others positive or negative? For someone like Peter in this case and scenario, it was negative influence. One thing and I bet Peter knew this is that he knew that he had leadership qualities in him and thus, when he suggested the others that they go back fishing, they agreed with him simply because he was an icon of leadership. Same to you and me. Jesus said that “you are the salt of the earth; … you are the light of the world, a city set on a hill; Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16

You need to realize that in whatever you do, someone is watching you and listening to what you say. In any case, they will do the same simply because they saw you do it – and you will be their reference when they are asked why they did so. Listening to Pastor Oscar Muriu of Nairobi Chapel, he said, and I quote “The higher you rise in leadership, the more mess you make when you fall” This is clearly evident with Peter in this context. The minute we fall, it doesn’t matter how high we had risen in authority or leadership, the people we hurt down the line are many more than we have influenced. You and I have a great calling and a leader leads by influence and not just by knowledge. Jesus called us to be fishers of men (Matthew 4:19). We are called to be world changers - but once we neglect our calling and go back, we fail in fulfilling our mandate. Imagine, Peter influenced half of the disciples of Jesus to leave the calling that they had for three and half years and go back to the fishing business that they were in earlier on simply because Christ had died.

This is what the devil does to us. He comes and speaks to us and we compromise and go back to our old life of sin and bondage and eternal destruction while we forfeit a life of freedom and eternal life given by God through the death of his son Jesus Christ on the cross. Thank God that He loves us and is willing to restore us back to himself. There is always a second chance and not only a second chance with God to come back - but we are not to take this for granted. Paul asks the Romans whether we shall continue sinning so that the grace of God will abound - and he says No!! (Romans 6:1). Let’s learn not to take the grace of god for granted.

You will realize that when Jesus was speaking to Peter after the breakfast, He asked him three times whether He (Peter) loved Jesus. The bible records that Peter got hurt because he thought that Jesus didn’t believe him because he had earlier denied him; but in the real sense, Jesus asked him three times so that He could counter the three times that he (Peter) had denied him. This is what God did. Jesus became the sacrifice that you and I would have offered for atonement to counter all the sacrifices that we would have made for all the sins that we made and thus paying our ransom for us so that we could be reconciled and restored back to God. What else do we need when Jesus did this for us? All we need to do is trust in him and live a life that will glorify him all the time as Jesus said in Matthew 5:16.

How I pray this day that the Lord will help us to live as per our calling and above all, restore us back to him where we have fallen.

Amen!!

Preparing for Blessing!

"And he said, “This is what the LORD says: Make this valley full of ditches.  For this is what the LORD says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink." 2 Kings 3:16-17 (NIV)

The armies of Judah and Israel were out in the middle of the desert with no water and they were getting scared.  They were on their way to Moab but now they were concerned that they were not even going to make it to the battle.  They inquired of Elisha the prophet and this was the word passed to them from God through Elisha. Obediently, they dug the trenches and one morning they looked and mysteriously saw water coming from Edom and filling up their trenches such that they and their animals had plenty of water to drink.

And just what does this verse have to do our personal issues, you ask?  It’s a verse about “blessings and Supply”. The armies needed to be blessed by God and they were, miraculously.  I’d venture that each of us would welcome a blessing from God (I know I would) whether it be in the area of finances or whatever.  So, let’s examine this passage in more detail.

First we see that the armies were concerned.  They had a big problem and didn’t know how to solve it.  Plus this problem was spilling over into other areas of their lives as they were worried they would be unsuccessful in their battle with their enemy.  Are they any big problems in your life that you don’t know how to solve? Where do you turn to seek help as the armies of Israel did? Psalms 121:1 says "I will lift up mine eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? MY help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth" It's so unfortunate that some of us seek help from the wrong places. When Saul was in battle, instead of inquiring of the Lord, he went to a medium to inquire of the dead spirit of Samuel (1 Samuel 28:3-11). but these guys knew where to go!

Let’s look at the steps they followed in this story:

1. Go to God: Note what they did with their problem – they went down to a prophet of God, Elisha, to find out what God was going to do in this situation.  I think that was definitely the correct decision.  If you’re facing a giant of a problem, remember that God is the biggest giant of them all.

2. Prepare for the blessing: Now the prophet told them to do something strange; he told them to dig a bunch of ditches in the middle of the desert.  This might seem like a pointless exercise to you and it might have seen pointless to them, too….but they did it.  They were obedient to God and dug the ditches.  They had to believe that God was going to give them the blessing and they had to put in some hard work to prepare for it. Sometimes God will ask you to do some strange things that you do not even understand yourself, but be obedient.

The armies dug the ditches and the water came.  There is a bit more to the story though.  When the Moabites woke up they saw reflections off of the water from the early morning sun.  It reflected red so they thought they armies of Judah and Israel and Edom had attacked and killed each other.  The Moabites then rushed out to take the spoil only to be surprised and quickly defeated by the armies.

If you think about it, their biggest concern of having no water and thus losing the battle to Moab actually led to their victory!  They went to God and were obedient to Him.  As a result, their immediate need for water was taken care of and their ultimate need for victory was facilitated through the blessing.  Amazing!

So what exactly does this mean for each of us?  How exactly should we prepare for the blessing from God?  Well, that’s a hard question to answer.  I would guess it would be a very individualized answer for each one of us.  What I do know is that we need to take our concerns to God with the assurance that he cares for us and will bless us. Peter reminds us that we should cast all our cares and worries to him who cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7). Where do you take your cares and worries? Learn to trust Him (God) who never fails and He will release blessings for you if and only if you are prepared for the same. 

God bless (prepare for it! - The Blessing)...