It has been confirmed that when conscience is dead, life is doomed both in this world and in the world to come.
SCRIPTURE: Now the spirit speaketh expressly that in the later times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of the devil, speaking lies in hypocrisy having their conscience seered with a hot iron. 1 Timothy 4:1-2.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: When the conscience is dead, life is doomed both in this world and in the world to come.
Earlier, in our previous study, we saw the necessity of living with a clear conscience. The state of our conscience is very critical to our relationship with God. Our conscience affects our eternal destination.
A living conscience facilitates a healthy spiritual life.
Today, we want to look at what constitutes a dead conscience.
It has been confirmed that when conscience is dead, life is doomed both in this world and in the world to come.
1 Timothy 4:1-2 says, Now the spirit speaketh expressly that in the later times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of the devil, speaking lies in hypocrisy having their conscience seered with a hot iron.
When people tell lies and don’t seem to feel anything; when they steal and don’t feel anything; when they commit immorality and don’t feel anything; when they cheat and don’t feel anything; when they kill and still don’t feel anything; their conscience is already dead. They are not safe.
Now, conscience can die in the following ways:
Repeated acts of rebellion.
When you do the wrong thing repeatedly and your conscience pricks you for a while but you refuse to repent, you will be left alone. A time comes when the sinful action will begin to appear normal. That is the realm where some hardened criminals live their lives.
Un-confessed sins
Conscience can become dead with un-confessed sins. This is a situation where the person is doing the wrong thing but does not see any reason to say “sorry” to God or to man.
Excusing or justifying wrong deeds.
Your conscience can die when you excuse or justify wrong deeds. When a person is busy excusing, explaining or justifying a wrong deed, the conscience can come to a point where it becomes unresponsive and dead.
Beloved, it is very important to take heed to this so you don’t run your race on earth in vain. What shows that you are preparing for eternity is living with a clear conscience that is void of offence.
Remember this: When the conscience is dead, life is doomed both in this world and in the world to come.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Refuse to live in rebellion to God.
Don’t live with un-confessed sins.
Refuse to excuse or justify a wrong deed.
Maintain a broken spirit and a contrite heart.
PRAYER: O Lord, I receive the grace to keep my conscience alive always. Deliver me from the tragedy of dead conscience, Lord, in Jesus’ Name.
FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: LIVING WITH ETERNITY IN VIEW
QUOTE: Never sleep over a defiled conscience. Never! Culled from “WHO ARE YOU?” by Dr Paul Enenche.
DAILY READING: Ezekiel 13-15
AMAZING FACT: A person uses 17 muscles when they smile, and 43 when they frown.
PROPHETIC DECLARATION/WORD: Victory over transgression be your portion in this season in Jesus’ Name.
You were created to give pleasure to God with your life, so you don’t live just to please yourself. You don’t live to please society, and you don’t live to please the devil; you live to please God, your Maker.
SCRIPTURE: Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4:11.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: You cannot live with God in eternity if you cannot live for Him on earth.
Yesterday, we saw that one of the things that constitute our readiness and preparedness for eternity with God in heaven is being born again.
Today, we shall look at yet another thing that constitutes readiness and preparedness for eternity with God in heaven.
It is living to please God with your life
You were created to give pleasure to God with your life, so you don’t live just to please yourself. You don’t live to please society, and you don’t live to please the devil; you live to please God, your Maker.
In Philippians 1:21, Paul the apostle said, For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Concerning Jesus Christ, God says, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17
This is also corroborated by Matthew 17:5 which says, While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
Live to please God with your life.
Beloved, endeavour to answer the following questions objectively: Who is your life giving pleasure to, God, yourself or the devil? What you do with money, who is it giving pleasure to? Can God say that He is pleased with your life based on the way you are living? Can God say He is happy with you? Someone is happy with the way you dress or appear, who is that person, God or the devil?
Now, why is it necessary to live to please God? Revelations 4:11 says, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
You are to exist to please God because you were created for His pleasure. So, you cannot say, “I can dress the way I please. I will live the way I want”. No! You don’t have the license to live the way you want.
If God created you for His pleasure and you don’t live in this world for His pleasure, how will you end in eternity? You cannot live with God in eternity if you don’t live for Him on the earth.
So, live to please God with your life, not the devil, society or yourself.
Remember this: You cannot live with God in eternity if you cannot live for Him on the earth.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Refuse to live for yourself, the devil, or society.
Make up your mind to live only for God.
PRAYER: O Lord, from today, I refuse to live for myself, the devil or society. I receive the grace to live for You only, Lord, in Jesus’ Name.
FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: LIVING WITH ETERNITY IN VIEW
QUOTE: And if there is anyone that is trusting God for success and breakthrough on earth, a major key to that is to be determined to give God pleasure. Culled from “WHO ARE YOU?” by Dr Paul Enenche.
DAILY READING: Ezekiel 7-9
AMAZING FACT: The chemical compound in the body which causes feelings of ecstasy (phenylethylamine) is also contained in chocolate.
PROPHETIC DECLARATION/WORD: Receive the grace to please God with your life this day in Jesus’ Name.
As a Christian, it is crucial to live with a conscience that is tender and alive. That is living with a conscience that makes you to know when you have done something wrong.
SCRIPTURE: And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence towards God, and towards men. Acts 24:16
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: A living conscience equals a healthy spiritual life.
In our previous studies, we saw two things that constitute readiness and preparedness for eternity with God in heaven. We saw that being born again and living to please God are necessary requirements for eternity with God in heaven.
Today, we shall look at another requirement for guaranteed eternity with God in heaven.
It is living with a clear conscience that is void of offence before God and man.
As a Christian, it is crucial to live with a conscience that is tender and alive. That is living with a conscience that makes you to know when you have done something wrong. It is a conscience that has the ability and maturity to say “sorry” to both God and man when you have done the wrong thing.
Acts 24:16 says, And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence towards God, and towards men.
Do you know that even unbelievers who don’t know God have conscience that can either accuse them or excuse them? Romans 2:14-15 says, For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;).
So, peoples’ conscience either accuses or excuses them, even though they are not born again or go to church.
There is nobody who kills a person and does not know that he has done a wrong thing. Nobody needs to go to church to know that stealing is wrong.
When you conspire against someone, there is a conscience to hold you accountable. This conscience becomes more active and lively when you become a Christian.
1 Timothy 1:19 says, Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
That is to say, when you throw your faith and conscience away, you make a shipwreck of your destiny. When you walk contrary to your conscience you make a shipwreck of your destiny.
It was Rev. Samuel Wesley who told his son, John Wesley, “The inward witness, the conscience, that is the greatest sign of Christianity”. Let me put it this way: A living conscience equals a healthy spiritual life.
Beloved, ensure that your conscience is alive and tender always.
Remember this: A living conscience equals a healthy spiritual life.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Ensure that your conscience is alive and active always.
Don’t do anything that will kill your conscience.
Repent promptly when your conscience accuses you.
PRAYER: O Lord, I ask that You give me a lively, active and tender conscience. Help me not to engage in anything that will desensitize or kill my conscience, Lord in Jesus’ Name.
FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: LIVING WITH ETERNITY IN VIEW
QUOTE: Anything that attacks your conscience, attacks your preservation. Anything that reduces your confidence in God (which sin will do), also reduces your security from God. Culled from “15 KINGDOM STRATEGIES FOR SURVIVAL” by Dr Paul Enenche.
DAILY READING: Ezekiel 10-12
AMAZING FACT: The human heart pumps blood at such pressure that it would be able to raise blood up to the fourth floor of a building.
PROPHETIC DECLARATION/WORD: Grace to maintain a pure, clear and lively conscience be released on you in Jesus’ Name.
And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.(Genesis 2:20)
Whatever God has not given you, there will be no tenable excuse to God for either having or using it. You better be careful of how you gather! All you need to have in life should be what God has given you. Mind you, there is nothing you really need in life that God won’t give you. If you haven’t had it, it may be that the time you really need it is not yet ripe. All things being equal, when the time is ripe, your needs would be provided by God. We have been told to believe God according to Philippians 4:19 which says, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Do you need anything, please don’t be too desperate to get it. Desperation has always been one of the ways that devil uses to manipulate people to claim what God is not freely giving them. Don’t be too desperate in life! If David was too desperate about becoming a king, he would have killed Saul at the slightest opportunity he had, but mind you, his time to become a king had not ripe and so he wasn’t desperate about becoming a king. There are times that desperation can make you appear before your time and when that happens, you will be held responsible for whatever calamity you expose yourself to. Hear me! To every exposure that God orchestrates, there is a level of equivalent armour. God won’t expose you to any breakthrough without first equiping you equivalently. There are different arrows that are designed for every level of glory and if God has neither trained nor equip you enough to handle such fiery darts, He won’t allow you to manifest. Only desperation can allow you break God’s protocol of timely manifestation. Therefore, don’t be too desperate in life! Be patient with God and with life. Don’t let the devil motivate you. He is a professional motivational speaker! He often uses the word of God to motivate anyone against his or her time. Don’t allow any motivational devil push you against time. Devil may tell you to be desperate like Jacob! He may even go as far as quoting for you a desperate language that Jacob made in Genesis 32:26 “And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.” Yes, it is good to hold on to God, but that is different from being desperate. You see, every act of desperation always end up in a deficiency like what is written in Genesis 32:25 “And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.” Desperation can damage you before that which you are anticipating even comes. You must discern your appropriate time before becoming too desperate about anything. Now, why am I saying all these? It is to cause you to understand the intent of what is written in Genesis 2:20 which says, “And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.”
You see, God’s time is the best. If you settle this in your mind, you will have rest. You must understand that, with God, your time cannot pass. You must believe that God have you in mind as long as you are in His presence doing whatever He bids you. If you are busy for God, most especially in His presence, desperation will not be what would get anything that you need from God for you. Without being desperate, God will give you your need when He is through. Now, see Adam as an example; he was busy giving names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field, but mind you, for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. You know why? With God, everything is turn by turn! It was not yet the turn of Adam’s help-meet. And as you know, God always give the best at the last. That is the principle He followed in Matthew 20:8-12 “So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, BEGINNING FROM THE LAST UNTO THE FIRST. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the good man of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.” You see how favour brought the last to the front! Don’t be too in a hurry when God has not answered you, it may be that God wants to favour you. Thank God Adam didn’t relapse in his duty of giving names to all animals even when God had not given him his own partner. He would have been trapped in the danger of desperation if he had done that. Hear me! It is not that Adam didn’t know that there was not a help meet for him among those animals that God was creating two by two, yet, he was still patient. He saw that he was the only one that God had not created a partner for. He knew that there had not been a female gender created for him, yet, he maintained his rest, believing God’s time is the best. And when God finished with the animals, lo and behold, his time came. May you not leave in desperation before your time comes! Now, do you care to know where I want to point your attention to that made me go roundel? It is that, God knows that none of those animals He created was meant for Adam and even Adam knew. And since Adam knew that those animals were not created for him, he did not also expect God to give any of them to him as his partner. Hear me! God has never given any animal to man as partner, therefore, He says this in Leviticus 18:23 “Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.” Hear me! Confusion is a manifestation of abomination. Anyone you see committing bestiality is in a confused state. Everything is in confusion about such a fellow! Whatever God is not giving you would end you up in a state of defilement and abomination. Beginning from Adam, God has not given any man an animal as sex partner and He will never give anyone. Therefore, anyone who takes what God has not given him for use has committed abomination. Bestiality is an abomination that defiles, simply because God has not given animals to man to lie with. If anyone does it, such a fellow would end up in a state of confusion; he will be defiled and be tagged abominable. God bless you.
Prayer: Oh God my Father, may I never be too desperate to get whatever is not in your mind for me, in Jesus name.
I received an email from someone who is struggling with some decisions that have not worked out the way they expected. The details don’t matter except to say that the person took what seemed to be a step of faith and the result has been a great big mess.
“What did I do wrong?”
That’s a natural question to ask when life rewards your courage with nothing but trouble. The truth is, it’s entirely possible that this person did nothing wrong. Or maybe they did, but their current troubles are not proof that they were wrong in the first place.
That’s a hard truth to accept, especially when you’re the one in the middle of the mess, after you’ve done what you thought was the will of God. There are a lot of things that might be said at this point, but perhaps this one needs to be mentioned first.
Join the club.
What club is that? The International Fellowship of Faith-Walkers Who Feel Like Failures. The bad new is, we’re all a member of that club at one time or another. The good news is the membership includes every major Bible hero. Peter is a charter member. And so is David. And Gideon. And Noah. And Sarah. And Job. And Jacob.
The list goes on and on. Hebrews 11 offers us a long list of men and women who obeyed God even when things didn’t always work out they way they expected. The names written there are like a biblical hall of fame: Abel . . . Enoch . . . Noah . . . Abraham . . . Sarah . . . Jacob . . . Joseph . . . Moses . . . Joshua . . . David. Different people, different stories, widely separated in time and space. Stories that span thousands of years. Stories that encompass murder, natural catastrophe, family treachery, physical weakness, failed dreams, missed opportunities, sibling rivalry, and military conquest. The men and women whose stories are told in this particular chapter differ in every way but one. What they did, they did by faith.
All of them had moments when they must have wondered, “What did I do wrong?” Yet God considered each of them worthy of mention in this great chapter. Our focus in this message is on the man we often call “Father Abraham.” In the Bible he stands as the preeminent example of a man who lived by faith. Hebrews 11:8-10 tells how he obeyed God’s call at great personal sacrifice. It tells us what he did; more importantly, it tells us why he did it. And it clearly shows us that obeying God doesn’t always work out the way we think it will.
Let’s begin with some brief facts about Abraham. When we meet him in the Bible, he is living 4,000 years ago in a far-off place called Ur of the Chaldees – on the banks of the Euphrates River, not far from the mouth of the Persian Gulf. No doubt he and his wife Sarah worshiped the moon-god Sin. He is a prosperous, middle-aged man, successful by any human standard. Life has been good to Abraham and Sarah. Certainly they have no reason to complain.
It is at precisely this moment that God speaks to him – clearly, definitely, unmistakably. What God says will change his life – and ultimately alter the course of world history.
So what does it mean to live by faith in an uncertain world?
Truth #1: Living by faith means accepting God’s call without knowing where it will lead.
“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). There is only one way to describe Ur of the Chaldees. It was a world-class city. Archaeologists tell us that in Abraham’s day perhaps 250,000 people lived there. It was a center of mathematics, astronomy, commerce and philosophy. People from outlying areas moved to Ur because they wanted to be part of that great city.
No doubt many of Abraham’s friends thought he was crazy. Why would anyone want to leave Ur? Obeying God’s call meant giving up his friends, his career, his traditions, his home, his position, his influence, and his country. More than that, it meant risking his health and his future on a vague promise from an unseen God to lead him to “a land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1).
When Abraham left Ur, he burned his bridges behind him. For him there could be no turning back. Once he left the walls of Ur, he was on his own, following God’s call into the unknown.
You say, “He gave all that up?” “Yes.” “That’s kind of strange, isn’t it?” “Is it?”
Please don’t miss the point. When God calls, there are no guarantees about tomorrow. Abraham truly didn’t know where he was going, didn’t know how he would get there, didn’t know how long it would take, and didn’t even know for sure how he would know he was there when he got there. All he knew was that God had called him. Period. Everything else was up in the air.
You want a long life? So do I. You want to rise in your profession? So do I. You want lots of friends? So do I. You want to grow old and die with your family around you? So do I.
There’s nothing wrong with those desires. All of us feel that way. But living by faith means no guarantees and no certainty about the future.
I was once approached by a Christian ministry asking if I would consider a particular position in their organization. I met the people, liked them very much, and was very impressed by what they were doing. As I investigated further, I found that they take very good care of the people who work for them. I liked everything I learned about the people and their ministry. But when the moment came, I decided to say no. This isn’t how I put it to them, but it’s how I said it to myself.
I couldn’t hear the bells ringing.
You either understand that or you don’t. If you don’t, there isn’t much I can say that will be helpful. And if you do, there isn’t any explanation that is needed. But I will add this much. All of us come to moments in life when we say yes or no to certain opportunities simply because it’s the right thing to do at the time. Sometimes we take a job because we need to pay bills and take care of our family. It’s hard to get more basic than that. And young people take jobs in various places as they are building their careers. I just read an article that suggests that the average worker in the US may have as many as 10 jobs by the time he is 40 and will make 3-5 career changes by the time he retires. People make moves and change jobs and relocate and start over again for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes you are forced to make decisions for reasons beyond your control. In these tough economic times, people scramble to take whatever jobs they can find. But there are moments in life when you have a choice, a decision, and you can stay where you are or you can do something different. I don’t know of any failsafe way to know in advance how things will work out.
Abraham heard the bells ringing (not literally – that’s a symbol for a sense of God’s calling), and so he left Ur of the Chaldees. If you truly want to do God’s will, sometimes you will find yourself exactly where Abraham was – setting out on a new journey that doesn’t seem to make sense from the world’s point of view. How would he ever explain his decision to leave the comfort of Ur for the uncertainty of a long trek across the desert? The only certainty he had was that God had called him and he must obey. The rest was shrouded in mystery. That fact makes his obedience all the more impressive. The NIV version of Hebrews 11:8 says he “obeyed and went.” There was no greater miracle in his life than that. Everything else that happened flowed from this basic decision. God called; he obeyed. That truth was the secret of his life. He stepped out in faith even though there were no guarantees about his own personal future.
Let me put it another way. Living by faith means stepping out for God and leaving the results to him. It’s no guarantee of long life and good success. You may have those blessings. But you may not.
The life of faith means, “I am going to be the man or woman God wants me to be, no matter where it leads. I don’t know the future, but I’m trusting him to work out the details. In the meantime, I step out by faith and follow where he leads me.”
That brings us to the second great truth about living by faith.
Truth #2: Living by faith means waiting on God to keep his promises.
“By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.” (Hebrews 11:9). There is within all of us a natural desire to settle down. The older I get, the less I like to move. I value coming home to the same place and the same faces every day. Several years ago we moved from Oak Park, Illinois to Tupelo, Mississippi. As we were packing, our home was filled with boxes waiting to be loaded on the moving truck. It was unsettling to look at bare walls that only a few days before were covered with familiar pictures. Suddenly that home looked less like a home and more like a building where we used to live in some distant past. Now run the clock forward 18 months. When we came back to Oak Park for a visit, we drove past our old home on Wesley Avenue. I had a strange sensation, as if I remembered living there in the distant past. It looked the same but it didn’t feel like home to me at all.
There is a certain rootlessness about our life at this point that is instructive. Now that our boys are in their twenties, they are going in all directions at once. Four years ago our oldest son left to teach English in China. He came back and another son went to China. That son came back and another son left for China. Josh met Leah, they got married and went to China for a year. Mark met Vanessa when they served on the same team in China. After they came back to the States, they got married. When Josh and Leah returned to the States two weeks ago, it was the first time in four years that we haven’t had a son in China. Two years ago our family was together for a total of three days. Last year I think we were all together for about five days. This year we will all be together for three or four days. That’s the way life is – and will be for the foreseeable future. It has hit me that home is a matter of the heart, a moving target, not so much a place as being with the people you love the most. Wherever they are – in the U.S. or in China or anywhere else – is home in the truest sense.
The rootlessness I spoke about can leave you with a vague sense of uneasiness, of trying to figure out where you belong. Multiply that feeling by a factor of 100 and spread it out over fifty years and you approximate Abraham’s situation as he came to the Promised Land. Our text tells us that he lived in tents. I know lots of people who like to camp on vacation, but I don’t know anyone who voluntarily lives in a tent as a permanent residence. Tents speak of impermanence, of the possibility of moving on at any moment, of the fact that you live on land you do not personally own.
That’s Abraham. He didn’t own anything in the Promised Land. God had promised to give him the land; yet he lived like a stranger in a foreign country. If you don’t own the land, you can’t build a permanent dwelling there.
In many ways this is even more remarkable than leaving Ur in the first place. As long as he was traveling across the desert, he could dream about the future. But when he got to Canaan, all illusions disappeared. Think of what he didn’t find:
No “Welcome, Abraham” sign.
No discount coupons from the merchants.
No housewarming party.
No visit from the Welcome Wagon.
No mayor with the key to the city.
No band playing “Happy Days Are Here Again.”
No ticker-tape parade.
Nobody expected him. Nobody cared that he had come. Nobody gave him anything.
God had promised him the land . . . but he had to scratch out an existence in tents. Hundreds of years would pass before the promise was completely fulfilled. Abraham never saw it happen. Neither did Isaac or Jacob.
Was Abraham in the will of God? Yes. Was he right to leave Ur? Yes. Was he doing what God wanted him to do? Yes. Why, then, was he living in tents? Because God’s timetable is not the same as ours. He’s not in a big hurry like we are. God works across the generations to accomplish his purposes; we’re worried about which dress or shirt to buy for the big party this weekend. There is a big difference in those two perspectives.
A third principle at work in Abraham’s life is the ultimate key to the life of faith.
Truth #3: Living by faith means never taking your eyes off heaven.
“For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:10). As I have mediated on this verse, it hit me that there is a certain amount of disappointment built into the life of faith. Sometimes we think, “If I follow God’s call, everything will work out and I’ll be happy all the time.” As Dr. Phil likes to say, let me know how that works out for you. By saying that Abraham was “looking forward” to a city, it really means that he never found what he was looking for in this life. This world comes with a huge helping of frustration built into the core of everything. Just recently I read about a certain baseball manager who led his team to a World Series championship. It was a happy moment, the apex of his career, the proof that he had finally arrived, that he was a success and the best in the world at that moment. The next morning as he went outside to pick up the paper, he thought to himself, “Is that all there is?” The answer is yes, that’s all there is. It’s the same way with everything we do and everything we accomplish.
We live, we die, we buy a house, we sell a house, someone moves in where we once lived. We take a job, we leave a job, someone else takes the job we used to have. And if we are fortunate enough to have a corner office with an incredible view, we should remember that someone else had it before us and someone else will have it after us. If this moment is golden for you, enjoy it but don’t grasp it too tightly because it won’t last forever.
That’s one part of the life of faith. We never reach full satisfaction in this life. “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?” said Robert Browning. And that brings us to the second part of verse 10. Abraham looked for a city with foundations—that is, for a “city,” not a lonely spot in the desert. He wanted to live in a place filled with other people. He also looked for a city with “foundations,” a place with security and permanence that could not be found in a tent. That meant he was looking for a city designed and built by God. Why? Because all earthly cities eventually crumble to dust.
Not long ago I visited the ruins of the ancient city of Jericho. When most people think of Jericho, they think of the city whose walls came tumbling down in the days of Joshua. But that’s only one Jericho. Archaeologists have discovered layers of Jericho, one after another, the city having been built, destroyed, and rebuilt across the centuries. The same is true of Jerusalem. When you visit Old Jerusalem, you aren’t exactly “walking where Jesus walked.” You are actually walking thirty to seventy-five feet above where Jesus walked. According to one source, Jerusalem has been destroyed and rebuilt at least forty-seven times in the last 3,500 years.
That’s the way it is with all earthly cities. Nothing built by man lasts forever. No wonder Abraham was looking for a city built and designed by God.Revelation 21 describes that city as “the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God” (v. 2). In his vision John saw a city of breathtaking beauty, shining with the glory of God, “its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal” (v. 11). Christians have always looked to the New Jerusalem as the final abode for the people of God, the place where we will spend eternity together in the presence of the Lord. But note this. Heaven is a city. It’s a real place filled with real people. That’s the city Abraham was looking for when he left Ur of the Chaldees.
Following God’s will doesn’t guarantee worldly success. He had his heart set on heaven, and that explains why he could:
Leave the beautiful city of Ur.
Walk away from his career.
Leave his friends far behind.
Live in tents until the end of his life.
Start all over again in a new land.
Die without seeing all that God had promised.
Abraham knew he was going to heaven, and that changed his whole perspective on life. He knew not just that he was going to die, but that after death he was going to enter a city God had designed and made.
Let me add one final thought from this passage. If you had been a consultant watching Abraham’s life, you would probably say that he committed career suicide when he left Ur of the Chaldees. It didn’t make sense at the time, and frankly, the rest of his life was never a “success” in worldly terms. Hebrews 11:10 says that Abraham was motivated by a vision of something the people around him simply couldn’t grasp. He was looking forward to something they couldn’t see at all. Following God will sometimes lead you to make decisions that those around you simply will not understand. When that happens, all you can do is to explain things as best you can, and then set off to obey God’s call, leaving the results in his hands.
“Died at Twenty-five, Buried at Seventy-five”
Let me ask a personal question: How long do you expect to live? To put it more pointedly, how many more years do you think you have left before someone holds your funeral service? Ten years? Twenty years? Thirty years? Forty years? Fifty years? Sixty years? How much of that time are you sure of? The last question is easy. You’re not sure about any of it. The truth is, you could die tomorrow – or today – from any of a thousand causes. No one knows how long he or she will live or precisely when they will die. There are no guarantees for any of us.
It’s not how long you live that matters, but what you do with the years you are given. Too many people die at age twenty-five but aren’t buried until they are seventy-five. They waste their best years in trivial pursuits, all the while missing out on the excitement of living by faith.
Here is the whole message in one sentence. Following God’s will doesn’t guarantee worldly success. The operative word is worldly. God has one view of success; the world has another. Joshua 1:8 reminds us that those who meditate on God’s Word will be “prosperous and successful.” Psalm 1 contrasts the fool who looks to the wicked for advice with the godly who builds his life on the Word of God. The latter will be like “a tree planted by streams of waters” (v. 3a). God rewards such a man in this way: “In all that he does, he prospers” (v. 3b). But let’s not confuse that with the false notion that doing God’s will leads to a trouble-free life. Abraham lived in tents all his life. He died without receiving all that God had promised to him. In many ways you could say that by leaving Ur, he forfeited any chance at worldly greatness. Never again would he know the stability and settled prosperity that he had in Ur. From the day he left until the day he died, Abraham was a sojourner, a tent-dweller, a man living on land he did not own.
If it’s safety you want and a guarantee of earthly success, then you’ll have to look somewhere else. But if you are willing to follow Jesus, I can promise you that you’ll never be disappointed in him and your life will not be boring.
If you ever decide to make God’s will the great priority of your life, you will discover that it is indeed an incredible journey. Like Abraham of old, your search for God’s will will lead you out of your comfort zone into the exciting arena of living by faith. Along the way, you will discover that you can indeed survive without absolute certainty about what tomorrow will bring. You may even learn to enjoy living on the edge between faith and absolute disaster. In any case, knowing God’s will will cease to be an academic exercise, like doing your homework before going to bed at night. Instead, it will become the most exciting adventure you’ve ever known as you set out into the unknown to follow God wherever he leads you
1Biography1.1Ministry 2University endowments 3Awards and recognition 4References 5External links Biography[edit] Enoch Adejare Adeboye was born on 2 March 1942 in Ifewara, near Ife, in Osun State, Nigeria.[1] Born to a very humble background, he humorously recalls that even poor people called them (his family) poor. [2] He went to the University of NIgeria (UNN) in Nsukka but because of the Nigeria Civil War, he completed his first degree in the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics in 1967.[3] That same year, he married Foluke Adenike.[4] They have four children namely: Adeolu Adeboye, Bolu Adubi (née Adeboye), Leke Adeboye and Dare Adeboye.[5] In 1969, he obtained a master’s degree in hydrodynamics from University of Lagos. He joined the Redeemed Christian Church of God in 1973 and began interpreting Yoruba to English by Pastor Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi. In 1975, he obtained a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Lagos. He holds a position as Professor of Mathematics at University of Lagos.[6] Ministry[edit] He was ordained a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in 1977.[7] He became General Overseer of the church in 1981.[8] For three years, he filled the role part-time at Unilorin before giving up his university position to preach full-time.[9][10] The church, which was not well known prior to Adeboye becoming the General Overseer, has branches in about 196 nations (as at March 2017), including more than 14,000,000 in Nigeria. Adeboye has stated that his aim is to put a church within five minutes walking distance in developing cities and five minutes driving distance in developed cities.[9] Adeboye is considered a preacher of the Prosperity gospel,[11] a claim he does not deny, saying that “Pentecostals have such an impact because they talk of the here and now, not just the by and by… while we have to worry about heaven, there are some things God could do for us in the here and now.”[12]
HIS DETAILS:
Here is all you need to know about Pastor Enoch A. Adeboye’s humble beginnings and legacy.
Before the 78-year-old became the General Overseer worldwide of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG),he was a young boy born in Ifewara village,Osun State.
Poor background
A farmer named Moses Adeboye and locust bean trader, Esther Adeboye welcomed him into their Anglican family in 1942. Due to his poor background, his parents were unable to send him to school to get a formal education.
Things changed after Adeboye was able to change his parents’ mind by going on a hunger strike. This strike compelled his father to sell his goat in order to send his son to the only missionary school in their village — St. Stephen’s Anglican Primary School in Ifewara, Osun State.
“I was born handicapped, financially and socially. I was born into probably the poorest family in the whole world. Among poor people, my father was considered poor. For the first time in 18 years of my life, I never wore a pair of shoes,” Pastor Adeboye told Vanguard.
Education
Attending St. Stephen’s Anglican Primary School turned out to be a great thing since this was where he discovered his love for books, science, and Mathematics in particular.
This passion for education helped him overcome his financial challenges through secondary school and University.
In order to get by, he had to work as a photographer and do other extracurricular activities. It all paid off when he got a Bachelors (BSc.) degree in Mathematics from the University of Nigeria, Nnsukka, Nigeria in 1967, a Masters (MSc.) Degree in Hydrodynamics and a Doctorate Degree (Ph.D.) in Applied Mathematics, both from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, in 1969 and 1975 respectively.
From Maths to God
Adeboye was a Maths lecturer at Unilag when he crossed parts with Pa Josiah Akindayomi (1909–1980), who founded RCCG in 1952.
Prior to becoming the current G.O, he first attended the church after he was invited by his uncle, Rev. Chris Fajemirokun. His personal walk with God started on July 19, 1973, when he answered an altar call, along with his wife,Folu Adeboye.
Describing the salvation experience, he said, “something overwhelmed me that day — that I was close to hell and I didn’t know it. I suddenly realized that it is possible to have all the Ph.D.’s in the world and still be on the losing side. I know all the formula but I did not know the one eternal life”.
His journey to becoming the G.O began soon after as he began to act as the interpreter who translated Akindayomi’s sermons from Yoruba into English. This was followed by him organizing Bible Study meetings, Crusades, Revivals, Outreaches, and the evangelistic meetings.
Reportedly, he knew he was going to become the G.O about five years before it actually happened. According to several sources, Adeboye got two divine revelations, five years and one year before the appointment.
Unknown to Adeboye, Pa Akindayomi had already known that he was going to be his successor before he even became an RCCG member. Reportedly, the G.O at the time had received a divine revelation in the early 70s that his successor would be “a young educated man”.
It came to pass after the RCCG founder’s death November 2, 1980. Pastor Adeboye succeeded on January 21, 1981. He was only 38 years at the time of the appointment.
Since he became the RCCG G.O, Pastor Adeboye has managed to turn the church into one of the most popular churches not only in Nigeria but in other parts of the world.
Under his leadership, the church has attracted thousands, even millions of people who continuously flock to RCCG for weekly programmes and special ones like the Holy Ghost service.
Apart from being the G.O, he is well known as a mentor to other popular Men of God like Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith church.
Pastor Adeboye is an author, publisher of a daily devotional called Open Heavens, recipient of many National and International awards.
He has also managed to reach the education sector by establishing the Redeemer’s High School in Redemption Camp, Km 46, Lagos –Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State and the Redeemer’s University of Nigeria in Osun state.
On the home front, he is married to Pastor Mrs. Adeboye, whom he exchange marital vows with in a court wedding on September 8, 1967. They had a church wedding two years later. They just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on with a special service at the RCCG National headquarters.
During the service, Pastor Adeboye took some time to appreciate and honor his wife. In his words, “Marry for love. It’ll endure. I’ve been married for 50 years and still on honeymoon. I was the poorest among those lurking around the girl I married. One was a lawyer who had a car; I had nothing. But I told the girl that if you marry me, whatever I am, wherever I ever become will be yours.”
Their union has been blessed with three sons, a daughter, and grandchildren.
Pastor Adeboye has clearly come a long way from his humble beginnings in a village in Osun State.
HURIWA backs Oyedepo, CAN against Buhari’s controversial new law
By Seun Opejobi
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, on Saturday described the amended Company and Allied Matters Act 2020, CAMA, signed by President Muhammadu Buhari as satanic.
HURIWA said the amended CAMA Act was an affront on democracy and aimed at instilling dictatorship in Nigeria.
The rights advocacy group urged the “Federal government to immediately expunge toxic provisions in the amended CAMA Act 2020 which seeks to disempower Non-Governmental bodies and churches and silence independent voices and opinions.
The group says the move is a ”direct affront on constitutional democracy and a new form of dictatorship.”
A statement signed by the right group’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko says it is backing Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church and the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, in their position on the CAMA Act.
President Muhammadu Buhari had on August 7, 2020, signed the amended CAMA Act into law.
Reacting, both Oyedepo and CAN had faulted the Act, described as satanic and ungodly legislation directed against the church.
However, HURIWA, in a statement, lamented that the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, which would ensure the enforcement of CAMA is controlled by “Hausa-Fulani.”
The statement reads partly: “A more recent obstacle to the enjoyment of fundamental freedoms and human rights as encapsulated in the Nigerian Constitution and international agreements that Nigeria signed into, which includes the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the African Charter and People’s Rights is the amendments to the Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020, which forms the fulcrum of the statement.
“On August 7, 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari assented to the Company and Allied Matters Act, 2020 (CAMA 2020), which repeals and replaces the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990. The controversial section 839 (1) and (2) provides that religious bodies and non-governmental organisations will be strictly regulated by the Registrar-General of Corporate Affairs Commission and a supervising minister.
“The law also wields power to suspend the trustees of an association or a religious body and appoint an interim manager or managers to coordinate its affairs where it reasonably believes that there had been any misconduct or mismanagement, or where the affairs of the association are being run fraudulently or where it is necessary or desirable for the purpose of public interest.
“On the crest of the desire of the people, the bill that sought to bring the religious organisations and NGOs under the control and influence of the government was rejected because it would kill the church, but regrettably it is now smuggled into CAMA through the ambush and making the rejected bill a law.
“This is of utmost concern because the establishment of a church has a spiritual foundation and the invitation of a manager who obviously does not share the spiritual insight of the founders of the church would undermine the church, insidiously defeating its purpose. How can a secular and political minister be the final authority on the affairs and management of another institution which is not political?
“Again, we discovered that CAC which will control Churches and NGOs has always been controlled by Hausa Fulani Moslem Northerners since inception. Even when Mrs. Azinge acted briefly, President Buhari brought up kangaroo charges of non-declaration of assets to unseat her so as to make way for the candidate of the Moslems, controlled from the Sultanate in Sokoto. How then can a non-Christian head of government ministry be empowered to determine the running of the church as envisaged by the CAMA 2020?
It is good to have a pastor but do not allow your relationship with God to depend on the spirituality of another person.
SCRIPTURE: This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 Timothy 3:1
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: This is the time to have the spirituality that is buoyant and vibrant.
Events in our world today clearly confirm that we are already in the last days. We are not told in the Scripture the exact date the world will end, but we are given signs and signals to identify the end of the age. We have already explored many of these signs in our previous studies.
Now, how do you live in the last days so as not to be a victim of the spirit of the age?
Maintain a strong personal altar of consecration and relationship with God (Hosea 6:3).
It is good to have a pastor but do not allow your relationship with God to depend on the spirituality of another person. This is the time to have the spirituality that is buoyant and vibrant. Maintain a very strong personal altar of consecration and relationship with God. Ensure that your prayer life, fasting life, Bible-study life are all in shape.
Refuse to be swayed by the winds of falsehood and deception (Ephesians 4:13-14).
Refuse to be swayed by the winds of falsehood and deception. The fact is, there are people who are addicted to error and are missing road permanently. There are those who are addicted to new things, new doctrines, new theologies, and new revelations. But the truth is, there is nothing new under the sun.
Many people are working with the so called new doctrines these days. One of those doctrines is the one that says that you can live anyhow and still make heaven. That is a lie from the pit of hell. Someone may claim that he had a revelation where Jesus gave him an instruction that is the basis of his erroneous doctrine even though the so called instruction is contrary to the written Word of God. Beloved, please know that even Satan appears as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). Some people are permanently looking for what is not missing. They have itchy ears (2 Timothy 4:3); that is, ears that are permanently looking for what to hear.
Refuse to be swayed by the wind of falsehood and deception.
Remember this: This is the time to have the spirituality that is buoyant and vibrant.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Maintain a buoyant and persistent prayer altar.
Refuse to be swayed by the winds of falsehood and deception.
Maintain a genuine spiritual coverage.
PRAYER: O Lord, I ask for Your Help to maintain a buoyant and vibrant prayer altar. I receive the grace not to be swayed by the winds of falsehood, Lord, in Jesus’ Name.
FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: SURVIVING THE LAST DAYS
QUOTE: Just as there is security in the palaces of power, there is security in the presence of the Most High. Culled from, “15 KINGDOM STRATEGIES FOR SURVIVAL” by Dr Paul Enenche.
DAILY READING: Jeremiah 49-51
AMAZING FACT: Nerve impulses in the human body move at about 90 m/s.
PROPHETIC DECLARATION/WORD: Grace to escape the traps of error and deception is released upon you now in Jesus’ Name.
The Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020 bill which President Buhari signed into law on August 7th, 2020 is geared toward enhancing the ease of doing business in the country. It was sponsored by an APC House of Representatives member HON. YUSUF YAKUB, Hong/Gombi Federal Constituency. Ab initio, it has nothing to do with the control of the finance of the church but because of the agenda against the church in Nigeria, the anti-Christian clause was introduced.
The Fulani led government of Nigeria has been exploring ways whereby they can bring the church under their control. A few years ago, they proposed a statutory age limit for General Overseers of churches and after public outcry from the Christian community it was discarded and they went back to the drawing board to strategize and that was how the idea of monitoring the finance of the church came up and using the Corporate Affair Commission to carry out their inimical plot was a perfect match.
The first thing they did was to amend the Companies and Allied Matters Act to accommodate the newly introduced section that empowers the CAC Registrar General the right to remove the trustees of the church, close the account of the church without recourse to the court. The Fulani led government wanted to engage the services of former Registrar General Mr. Bello Mahmud but because of his age and also his tenure had expired, they had to pause.
Lady Azuka Azinge from Anambra State took over the helms of affairs of the Commission as Acting Registrar-General on 9th October 2017. The Fulani led government was not comfortable with the person of Lady Azuka Azinge because she is a Christian and also her uncompromising stand was a concern for them so they looked for a way to oust her. President Buhari refused to confirm her as a substantive Registrar General because of his ulterior motive. On December 23, 2019, The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) ordered the suspension of the Acting Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Azinge Azuka. According to a statement made available, Ms. Azinge was placed on suspension pending the conclusion of her trial on charges bordering on the breach of the code of conduct for public officers. This was a setup aimed at bringing in a Northerner who would do the job for them. Alhaji Garba Abubakar from Bauchi took over and President Buhari hurriedly confirmed him on January 7th, 2020
It is on record that Alhaji Garba Abubakar worked with the committee that amended The Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA)
The main reason why the Fulani led government wants to attack the church is because of the prosperity of the church. They are envious and afraid of the colossal wealth some churches have amassed. That is why they want to have control of the finance of the church and it’s operation so that in the case of war which is already looming, the church will be financially handicapped. Bear it in mind, if they succeed, the Registrar General may wake up one day and remove Rev Chris Oyakhilome from the Board of Trustees of Christ Embassy and replace him with a Northern Muslim.
The Fulani led government is capitalizing on the disunity in the body of Christ to carry out their evil scheme against the church. During the Covid-19 lockdown, the disunity in the body of Christ was brought to the fore.
Before I go further, the Muslim Rights Concern has been accused of collecting $200,000 from Boko Haram affiliate, Islamic State for West Africa Province, to destabilize the country. A former Intelligence Chief in Mali, San Louis Keita, made the allegation in Abidjan, the Cote d’Ivoire capital, at a news conference. The money is for the recruitment of young Fulani men living in the South West of Nigeria to destabilize that part of the country. The Fulani led government of Nigeria overlooked the accusation because it’s part of their plan. Dr. Obadiah Mailafia has been invited to DSS office twice over the startling revelation he made where he revealed that a governor in Nigeria is the commander-general of Boko Haram, they are looking for a way to jail the man for saying the truth.
Three days ago, the Supreme Council of Sharia in Nigeria told President Buhari that the execution of a Christian leader, Retired Major General Zamani Lekwot, and those of others found complicit in the 1992 bloody riot in Zango-Kataf, would bring lasting peace to the killings in Southern Kaduna. An incident that happened 28 years ago where a tribunal set up by the Babangida government sentenced Lekwot and 16 others to death for alleged complicity in the killings, sentences eventually reduced to a short sentence and he later got a state pardon. It is evil to call for his execution when Gov El-Rufai is yet to show Nigerians those he paid money to stop killing.
Bishop David Oyedepo is the number one target of the Fulani led government who are bent on carrying out their Islamization agenda. The reason why they are after Papa Oyedepo is because of his constant criticism of this government and also his wealth frightens them. They know if they are able to capture Africa’s wealthiest preacher, others will surrender easily, but God will not allow it. Papa Oyedepo is an institution. In 2018, he reacted to the media report that he is worth $150 million, he said ‘I’m worth more than that’ he further said that “I’m worth the riches of his Glory” the riches of God’s Glory can’t be measured. Papa Oyedepo can feed Nigeria for years and he won’t feel it.
Pastor E.A Adeboye is the next on their list. Not him as a person but RCCG, the world’s largest church with 40,000 parishes in Nigeria. RCCG parishes in Nigeria are more than all the Mosques in Nigeria. It’s the church with the highest number of cheerful billionaires. During the construction of one of the tents at the campground, not the new one, someone singlehandedly roofed the tent with N25billion. RCCG equally plays a pivotal role in the elections of Nigeria thanks to the millions of members spread across Nigeria.
The third on the list is Rev Chris Oyakhilome who was recently gifted with late Archbishop Benson Idahosa’s personal Bible and after that, the fiery preacher has become a thorn in the flesh of the enemies of the gospel in Nigeria. God has blessed Rev Chris so mightily that you can’t quantify his wealth. During the lockdown, he was a voice for the church and he spoke against the government orders which were not right with the church. He is a threat to the Fulani led government and I believe he must have received the circular which was also sent to Papa Oyedepo
The fourth Kingdom giant that continuously gives the Fulani led government sleepless nights is Apostle Johnson Suleman. Nobody can silence the fiery preacher’s voice. His life and what he stands for is reminiscent of the personality of the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa. Apostle Suleman is someone you can’t gag. He is a staunch defender of the body of Christ in Nigeria. Apart from being a threat to the Fulani led government, his wealth also intimidates them. He condemned the incessant killing of Christians in Southern Kaduna and just yesterday he told Gov El-Rufai to keep quiet and fix the mess in his state instead of looking for who to blame over the killings in the state which has turned Kaduna into a cesspool of blood. There has been plots by the government to bring Apostle Suleman down but they couldn’t.
Another person that the Northerners are envious of is Dr. Paul Enenche of Dunamis. How he became prosperous is still a mystery to them. The multi-billion naira Glory Dome and his constant criticism of the ills in the country is what placed him in their book. Dr. Enenche is blessed beyond measure. The Fulani led government would want to make sure they decimate his influence in the North but God will not allow it.
Another Kingdom giant under the watch of the Fulani led government is Pastor David Ibiyeomie of Salvation Ministries whose church building upon completion would cost over N50 billion. Though he is not a regular critic of the government like others but his wealth is frightening and remember, the main reason why the Fulani led government is after the church is because of the wealth, they want to financially incapacitate the church.
All the generals that I mentioned were all influenced by late Archbishop Benson Idahosa of blessed memory. If he were to be alive we know what he could do. With humility and sincerity of heart, I kindly ask our fathers in the faith to act now before they turn Nigeria to Turkey. The evil schemes of the Fulani led government are similar to what the Turkish Islamic fundamentals did that completely transformed Turkey into a 97% Islamic country. Recently, Hagia Sophia, a 1,500-year-old Orthodox Christian cathedral – was converted into a Mosque
Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has said that there will be no going back on the new Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA).
CAC said the new act has come to stay in the country despite the public outcry that has greeted it. The Commission said it was only waiting for the legislature to gazette it for immediate implementation of the law.
The CAMA bill was recently signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari, and was included in his list of achievements for the last one year.
The Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN), had recently described CAMA as satanic, demanding that the President halts the implementation of “the obnoxious and ungodly law until religious institutions are exempted from it.”
The CAC Registrar-General, Alhaji Garba Abubakar, while speaking to Commerce Correspondents Association of Nigeria (CICAN) in Abuja yesterday wondered why the act was being opposed by religious bodies, especially the churches.
“They must henceforth subject their finances and expenditures for proper auditing, and copies sent to us at the CAC,” he said. He explained further, “The new legal framework applies to all organizations registered with us; be it a religious organisation, NGO or CSO. “Remember that they also have constitutions guiding them.
The criteria to be a trustee of registered organisations are clearly spelt out in the laws establishing them.
“How is it that a registered member who qualifies to be a trustee in an organisation would not want government to know how the organisation is run? What are the responsibilities of the trustees? “What are the responsibilities of the governing council or the board?
How do you manage the affairs of the organisation? How do you use or expend the income and properties of the organisation? How do you appoint members of the governing board? These are the issues the new CAMA has come to address.”
What is your view on this, must the the body Christ sit and fold their hands or stand up against this rising persecution on the church of Christ.
Proverbs”To be angry is to let others’ mistakes punish yourself.”
According to Cambridge Dictionary:Anger is a strong feeling that makes you want to hurt someone or be unpleasant because of something unfair or unkind that has happened:
The journal CNS Spectrums reported in 2015 that 7.8 percent of people in the United States experienced “inappropriate, intense, or poorly controlled” anger. This was more common among adult males.
There’s a perception that people that has visible challenges are aggressive,but it’s not true.People with challenges are vunerable and people easily take advantage of them, when they speak out! their oppressors call them aggressive.
A woman was emotionally abused and when she speaks out someone said “she is angry because she don’t have a husband” A bank in Nigeria took advantage of my wheelchair and defrauded me of 50 dollars, and they will say”he is aggressive because he is on whelchair”
Anger is a normal feeling and can be a positive emotion when it helps work through issues.
Failing to manage your anger can lead to a variety of problems like saying things you regret, yelling at your kids, threatening your co-workers, sending rash emails, developing health problems, or even resorting to physical violences.
Anger can become problematic if it leads to aggression.
Psalm 37:8 “Don’t give in to worry or anger; it only leads to trouble.”
I remember the firebrand man of God, Benson who declared that the planned meeting of Witches and Wizards in Benin cannot hold while he was alive.
People Katherine kulhman, Billy Graham, Smith Wiggleswoth and those great men and women of God. ………. ASK THOSE WHO SAW THE REVIVAL OF 1930s,1970s
AND 1980s, THEY WILL TELL YOU WHY WE ARE CRYING OVER THIS
“FIRE LESS NESS” WE ARE SEEING IN OUR GENERATION OF BELIEVERS.
John Knox prayed: “Lord, Give me Scotland or I die”…
St Patrick, a rugged believer that Brought even dead animals and trees back to life prayed: “God, Give me souls or give me nothing else”….
Brethren, The Hebrides revival prayed:” Lord, If you will not use us, please, kill us”…
The brethren from England who brought the Fire from Azusa Street revival
gathered everyday under the terrible cold.
Their only prayer topic was: “Lord, give us men that will spread Your Fire in the streets of England”.
During the Indonesia Revival, those hungry hearts were seen praying day and night: “Lord, The harvest is ripe… If it pleases You, please use us”.
One prayer that was common during the days of
William Seymour was: “Lord, this is another day that hell must lose men and women. Please, we are here use us”.
Paul said:” Woe is me if
I preach not the gospel”
Rachel said to her husband, Jacob: “Give me children or I die”
But unfortunately, our churches are filled today
with people who are not ashamed of spiritual
barrenness.
We are asking “God give me money. God give me spouse.
God give me visa”.
Where do we see believers
again that will be praying and fasting, and when you listen to them, you will be hearing:” Lord, let Your Fire fall in my community and let their be revival”?
When Paul encountered Christ, he fell and rose. What He asked was:” Lord, what will You have me do”.
But today, when we fall under anointing, we stand to start expecting marriage proposals and visas and employment letters.
This generation of members in our churches have not had a genuine encounter with the Man of Calvary.
No generation has carried Bibles like us without opening it.
No generation is materially driven like ours and we expect the land to obey us.
Jesus said, pray to the Father that He brings His Kingdom on earth.
GOD help us to get it on time. Amen.
Let’s build up our spiritual life cos its very necessary.
If u miss heaven u can never miss hell. Think about it. Hell isn’t a pretty place.
Do the work of an
evangelist now by sharing this message with all your contacts.
Have u ever wondered
what would have happened if we treat the Holy Bible the way we treat our mobile phone?
And we really can’t live without the BIBLE.
Don’t send later, send now.
May the Almighty God grant good success to every one who reads & sends this message. Amen
Throughout the meeting, as my Spiritual Father taught us and led us to pray, I could see that he was a bit tired. He had been on a national tour leading a prayer movement. It was a hectic season.
Just before we wrapped up the meeting. I went to fetch my cheque book and wrote him a token. As I handed it over to him, I told him to please use it to take some good food and have some great rest also. I saw him smile and I was glad.
Friends, you can be a strong defence to your pastors also. David would have been killed in battle by a giant due to fatigue if not that he had a sensitive soldier closeby who sensed that his king’s life was in danger.
I know Pastor can wake up at night with a burden for someone in church but have you ever woken up with a burden to pray for your pastor?
I remember the sad incidence of the pastor who committed suicide in his office right in the midst of a service when his church was waiting for Pastor to bring a word. Who feeds the feeder?
Your pastor brings you a word of encouragement and your spirit is lifted but have you ever wondered who encourages your Pastor? When last did you say “Thank You” because of what he has taught you? Who feeds the feeder?
Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem and realised that the Levites have abandoned the temple to go work on farms so they can have food to eat. The people no longer bring provision to the temple. Nehemiah was sad. He immediately restored the Levites and charged the people to do what was right (Neh. 13:10,11)
I see faithful pastors suffer. I also see lazy ones take advantage of people. But if you know that you are pastored by a shepherd with a sincere heart for the flock, you owe him a sensitive heart.
People talk to pastors about their needs but have you ever asked who pastors talk to about theirs? Do you know that a lot of Pastor’s spouses battle emotional depression? They rarely have a best friend to talk with.
Do you know most children of Pastors in ministry have made a vow never to become ministers? They see their parents give their time and money to others and they become defensive and offended. And yet the same people pay them back with that phrase of “Are you not a Pastor’s child?”. They get hurt and become rebellious.
Can you help us love your Pastor and His family? There are times they have given their best of health and time to the church and it is only their tired minds and bodies they bring to their family. It takes a lot of guts for a pastor to say “No” at times.
Can you help your Pastor finish strong? Send him a message saying thank you for the teachings and the grooming. Do you even have a plan to bless him? Plan it. Can you stir other church folks to insist that your Pastor should take a break and you pay the bills? If all you keep looking for are his faults- it is unfair. Can you sneak to confirm whether he has paid all his bills for his kids fees and house rent? Surprise him.
We can help fix a Pastor’s family. Let the spouse and kids be able to say they are proud of what he or she does. I know there is a reward in heaven but do not let your attitude send your Pastor there earlier than normal.
BELOVED, IF YOU WANT TO BE A WINNER, STAY ON THE LION’S LANE
In the jungle:
The Elephant is the biggest;
The Giraffe is the tallest;
The Fox is the wisest;?
The Cheetah is the fastest;
Yet, the Lion is the KING of the jungle even without ANY of these qualities.
Why?
Because:
The Lion is courageous, is bold, walks with confidence, dares anything and is never afraid.
The Lion believes it is unstoppable.
The Lion is a risk taker.
The Lion believes any animal is food for him.
The Lion believes any opportunity is worth giving a trial and never lets it slip from its hands.
So…
You don’t need to be the fastest.
You don’t need to be the wisest.
You don’t need to be the smartest.
You don’t need to be the most brilliant.
All you need is courage
All you need is the will to try.
All you need is the faith to believe it is possible.
All you need is to believe in yourself, that you can do it.!! The Lion sleeps for 20 hours & works for 4 hours & yet eats meat.But the elephant works for 24 hours & eats grass.Your life’s strategy matters most in your approach to circumstances & situations for you to be a champion or winner always. Stay in the Lion’s mood! That’s the mood for winners
Beloved, your prophet determines your profit; and your pastor affects your future. Who pastors you affects where you willL end in life. Remain under your God-ordained spiritual cover.
SCRIPTURE: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Hebrews 10:25.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Remain under your God-ordained spiritual cover. Do not run up and down because not all that glitters is gold!
Yesterday, we identified three counsels for the end time. We saw that to escape the traps of the end time, we must refuse to be victims of the season, we must watch over our lives and live ready always.
Today, we shall look at some cautions for the last days.
1. Forsake not the assembling together of the brethren (Hebrews 10:25).
Do not forsake the gathering together of the saints in church in these last days. The church is your “Ark of Safety”. People that were not drowned by the flood of Noah entered the ark (Genesis 7:7). In the same manner, anyone who will not be drowned in the floods of disaster in this end time must enter the Ark of God’s safety which is the church, the House of the Lord. So, don’t let any business or commitment take you away from church this season. Don’t be too busy to attend church services.
2. Remain under your God-ordained spiritual cover.
Find out who your pastor is, and stay under such pastoral and spiritual cover (Ephesians 4:11-14).
God brought me in contact with my spiritual cover in the person of His servant, Bishop Oyedepo more than twenty-five years ago and I have not shifted since then. There are people who shift from following their mentor almost every season but I have refused to shift.
Beloved, your prophet determines your profit; and your pastor affects your future. Who pastors you affects where you will end in life. Remain under your God-ordained spiritual cover. Do not run up and down because not all that glitters is gold!
3. Maintain a personal altar of relationship with God (Romans 8:14).
It is good to be blessed by congregational anointing but it is very critical to maintain a personal altar of relationship with God.
You should be so spiritually mature that when you find yourself in a place where you are not expected to be, the Holy Ghost can tell you, “This is not the right place. Leave this place”.
You should be able to see the manifestation of the things of the end time as you maintain fire on your altar.
4. Be a person of conviction (Exodus 23:2)
Be a person of conviction and not a person of consensus. Refuse to be a person who does things because it is popular or because everyone is doing it. Refuse to be a victim of societal influence. Even though everyone is dressing naked, collecting bribe, telling lies, and living lawlessly, don’t join them. Be a person of conviction.
Many people have been destroyed because they don’t have the mind of their own. They live their lives based on what other people think, say or do. But you must make up your mind to be a person of conviction to survive the last days.
Remember this: Remain under your God-ordained spiritual cover. Do not run up and down because not all that glitters is gold!
ASSIGNMENTS:
1. Make up your mind not to miss the assembly of the saints in church.
2. Maintain fire on your personal altar.
3. Remain under your God-ordained prophetic cover.
4. Be a person of conviction.
PRAYER: Thank You Lord for Your Word for me today. I receive the grace to be in the assembly of the saints, maintain the fire on my personal altar and remain a person of conviction, Lord
grow about four times faster than your toenails.
PROPHETIC DECLARATION/WORD: Receive grace for faithfulness and stability in doing the right thing in Jesus’ Name.
