How could you? A tongue talking Christian having another person sit for your son’s examination! Next thing now you would give him money to sort out lecturers and bargain for false grades. “I know you are disappointed in me but I have to take care for him now before I die.” Die, what are you talking about? Listen I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread Ps 37:25(ESV). God will not start changing with you. “Perhaps you don’t know what happened to Ben.” What happened? “He died suddenly and had mortgaged his property to raise a loan for business; now his defenseless widow has 2 children to train from primary school. Let’s see you throw scripture at her.”
What a tragedy; but what an opportunity! Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves."2Kg 4:1(ESV). “Perhaps you don’t know she is not employed, and just has standard-six certificate. What is going to happen now? The poor widow is just exposed. And Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?" And she said, "Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil" 2Ki 4:2(ESV). I can’t let that happen to my own people.” No one’s experience is an excuse to sin. God is faithful even in death. “I see, have you not read that a good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children Pro 13:22(ESV)? Those of you who are over righteous in Nigeria must remember this.”
I wish you had quoted this verse to the end. God’s promises may delay (in our eyes) only to give a bigger testimony. This man died leaving no financial heritage but a godly heritage. Now while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come 1Ti 4:8(ESV). On the strength of this promise the widow received a miracle 2Ki 4:3-6. I guarantee you Ben’s wife will also. She came and told the man of God, and he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest."2Ki 4:7(ESV). After death God was still fulfilling the promise of a double portion to Elisha’s (2Ki 13:20-21), after Lazarus died Jesus still fulfilled the promise of healing Jn11:14.
Don't love money. Be happy with what you have because God has said, "I will never abandon you or leave you." Heb 13:5(GW). Even in death.
Sunday 24 June 2012
Saturday 23 June 2012
The deceit of compromise week 25, 2012
Lowering your standard to do something crooked amounts to abandoning God… “Don’t you dare accuse me of abandoning God! What glory is it to Him that I go hungry and my children are uncared for? How can I introduce them to God if they are deprived of basic necessities? Do you imagine they can listen to that type of gospel? God knows I am not leaving Him. He understands my predicament.For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust Ps 103:14(ESV). I must make hay while the sun shines: making the best use of the time, because the days are evil Eph 5:16(ESV). ” Please don’t abuse your privileges. “No. In a few weeks I shall no longer have this opportunity to help myself and others. Have you forgotten that if a man provide not for his own he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever?” But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever 1Tm 5:8(ESV).
How Satan will quote scripture for you just to justify evil! This thing is wrong. Should you die doing it be rest assured you will face judgement. Don't let anyone deceive you with meaningless words. It is because of sins like these that God's anger comes to those who refuse to obey him Eph 5:6(GW). Compromising Christian standards in hope of financial security is great loss. Do you want to risk your salvation for mere pittance? “Pittance, you call it pittance? This will secure my children’s welfare, not to talk about the different launchings you invite me for.” I hear you. Have you never read Dt 23:18(ESV): You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a dog into the house of the LORD your God in payment for any vow, for both of these are an abomination to the LORD your God. Make no mistake about it: money obtained in such a manner is not only disgraceful but completely unacceptable to God, no matter who receives it from your hand. Your children may die and you will have compromised for nothing. Indeed when you have collected the money your soul might suddenly be required of you. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'Lk 12:19(ESV). “I see you hate me...” Have I become your enemy because I tell you the truth? Have you considered this is a trap for you? Satan is setting a trap for you; you must resist him. You are a father: lead by example.
How Satan will quote scripture for you just to justify evil! This thing is wrong. Should you die doing it be rest assured you will face judgement. Don't let anyone deceive you with meaningless words. It is because of sins like these that God's anger comes to those who refuse to obey him Eph 5:6(GW). Compromising Christian standards in hope of financial security is great loss. Do you want to risk your salvation for mere pittance? “Pittance, you call it pittance? This will secure my children’s welfare, not to talk about the different launchings you invite me for.” I hear you. Have you never read Dt 23:18(ESV): You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a dog into the house of the LORD your God in payment for any vow, for both of these are an abomination to the LORD your God. Make no mistake about it: money obtained in such a manner is not only disgraceful but completely unacceptable to God, no matter who receives it from your hand. Your children may die and you will have compromised for nothing. Indeed when you have collected the money your soul might suddenly be required of you. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'Lk 12:19(ESV). “I see you hate me...” Have I become your enemy because I tell you the truth? Have you considered this is a trap for you? Satan is setting a trap for you; you must resist him. You are a father: lead by example.
Sunday 10 June 2012
The spirit of compromise week 24, 2012
I thought you were one of the champions of doing things right. How come you have changed? “I was one of the champions alright, but look what it has brought me: I will soon retire and then who will look after my children? I have always acted justly and fairly. I always expected to live a long life and to die at home in comfort Job 29:14, 18(GNB). Is it the paltry money that I am not even sure will be coming regularly that we shall be surviving on?” Where is your faith my brother? Do not be as the seed which fell on rocky ground: As soon as life gets hard or the message gets them in trouble, they give up Mat 13:21(CEV). This is nothing but compromise. Have nothing to do with it. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them Eph 5:11(ESV).
“Look we have to do things differently, this is Nigeria after all; if we don’t we lose out.” What do you mean, say this is me or this is you: there is no such thing as this is Nigeria. Do not follow the majority when they do wrong… Ex 23:2 (GNB). “Is that so? Have you not read that in Rome you do as the Romans do?” There is no place in scripture with that advice. What it says is identify with people in order to bring them to Jesus not conformity with the evils in any place. To those who do not have the law I became like a man who does not have the law, in order to win those who do not have the law (although I am not free from God's law, but am under the law of Christ)1Cor 9:21(ISV). “Perhaps I do not quote the Bible as well as I should. Surely there is somewhere that says give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar? That we should give everyone their due: honour to whom honour and custom to whom custom?”
Aren’t you quoting out of context? I belong to Jesus exclusively: no part of me belongs to Caesar or this world. What you are saying sounds very much like “If you can’t beat them join them!” How can you abandon God at this stage? Saint Paul declared that he would rather die than have any man strip him of his cause for boasting. But I have not used any of these rights, and I'm not writing this so that they may be applied in my case. I would rather die than let anyone deprive me of my reason for boasting 1Cor 9:15(ISV). Is it not better to be deprived and die? If we suffer for sticking to principles is it not praise worthy? Who will harm you if you are devoted to doing what is good? But even if you should suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Never be afraid of their threats, and never get upset 1Pt 3:14(ISV).
“Look we have to do things differently, this is Nigeria after all; if we don’t we lose out.” What do you mean, say this is me or this is you: there is no such thing as this is Nigeria. Do not follow the majority when they do wrong… Ex 23:2 (GNB). “Is that so? Have you not read that in Rome you do as the Romans do?” There is no place in scripture with that advice. What it says is identify with people in order to bring them to Jesus not conformity with the evils in any place. To those who do not have the law I became like a man who does not have the law, in order to win those who do not have the law (although I am not free from God's law, but am under the law of Christ)1Cor 9:21(ISV). “Perhaps I do not quote the Bible as well as I should. Surely there is somewhere that says give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar? That we should give everyone their due: honour to whom honour and custom to whom custom?”
Aren’t you quoting out of context? I belong to Jesus exclusively: no part of me belongs to Caesar or this world. What you are saying sounds very much like “If you can’t beat them join them!” How can you abandon God at this stage? Saint Paul declared that he would rather die than have any man strip him of his cause for boasting. But I have not used any of these rights, and I'm not writing this so that they may be applied in my case. I would rather die than let anyone deprive me of my reason for boasting 1Cor 9:15(ISV). Is it not better to be deprived and die? If we suffer for sticking to principles is it not praise worthy? Who will harm you if you are devoted to doing what is good? But even if you should suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Never be afraid of their threats, and never get upset 1Pt 3:14(ISV).
Sunday 3 June 2012
The boiling ring week 23, 2012
I had come into the conference ground at camp of faith in Okigwe to seek God’s face. In the course of the programme I had a dream on one of the nights. It was not one of those dreams that were from too much business. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words Eccl 5:3(ESV). It is true I could not remember every detail in the dream, but clearly at the end of the dream I could see that my house in Enugu had burnt down. The fire had started as a result of the boiling ring. For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, while they slumber on their beds, then he opens the ears of men and terrifies them with warnings, that he may turn man aside from his deed and conceal pride from a man; he keeps back his soul from the pit, his life from perishing by the sword Job 33:14-18(ESV). I prayed and cancelled the dream after I woke up, and after the programme ended I went home. Thereafter I became very careful in the house and gave strict instructions about housekeeping and the use of the boiling ring. You know absolutely nothing happened for a while.
On a given Sunday we were preparing for morning worship and the girl I live with was using the ring to boil water when suddenly there was a power outage. We all went to the service without the electricity returning and settled into the service.
During the service power returned. Whilst the worship went on I suddenly lost my peace and had a burden to pray. I was not certain of what the matter was but as I prayed found myself praying against any networking of darkness designed to rob me of peace. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God Rom 8:26-27(ESV). After a while I felt peace within me and continued in the service. My girl was restless; the boiling ring kept coming to her mind and she began wondering if she had put it off. Her discomfort increased to such a time that before the offerings she slipped out and went back to the house. Smoke had already started coming from within when she entered and went to the socket. There was the boiling ring; red hot and having damaged the container! If she had waited for the service to end the house would no doubt have burned down. We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped! Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth Ps 124:7, 8(ESV).
Hope lives in Enugu with her family
On a given Sunday we were preparing for morning worship and the girl I live with was using the ring to boil water when suddenly there was a power outage. We all went to the service without the electricity returning and settled into the service.
During the service power returned. Whilst the worship went on I suddenly lost my peace and had a burden to pray. I was not certain of what the matter was but as I prayed found myself praying against any networking of darkness designed to rob me of peace. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God Rom 8:26-27(ESV). After a while I felt peace within me and continued in the service. My girl was restless; the boiling ring kept coming to her mind and she began wondering if she had put it off. Her discomfort increased to such a time that before the offerings she slipped out and went back to the house. Smoke had already started coming from within when she entered and went to the socket. There was the boiling ring; red hot and having damaged the container! If she had waited for the service to end the house would no doubt have burned down. We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped! Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth Ps 124:7, 8(ESV).
Hope lives in Enugu with her family
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