He Got Your Back

The Almighty God cannot be swayed by mortal men. He knows the end from the beginning. The intention of our hearts is laid bare before Him, He need not that any should tell Him of any man for He knew all men. This alone should caution us to be careful what we imagine even before we execute them. However, the heart of man which is deceitful and desperately wicked cannot stay without longing for freedom to wander in its lust. The inclination of the heart is such that anything man thinks is evil. God already knows the doom ahead of our imagination and so He prepares for us before we land. But God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Such is the magnanimity of God’s grace. The Lord engages any suitable means to forestall our impending betrayal. He wants to keep us aware of His love, such that even in our unfaithfulness, He remains faithful to us. He brings us to situations, places, events, people, etc., that will leave a definite positive impact in our hearts. Many times we tend to forget. But when the chips are down, He engages our conscience with those songs, words, films, books,etc, to remind us of His love and promises, just for our sake. Oh!, that we may cherish any moment we have to learn at His feet, whether in the car,office,market,school,church,etc.May we not repress those urges to listen to those edifying songs or messages, read those inspirational books, watch those Christian movies, read those Christian magazines, signposts, fliers, etc, for those are the arsenals He uses to guard our hearts in those unguarded moments when we are jeopardized by our environment and people around us. May we be open to His promptings as He keeps drawing us towards the narrow way.

References: John 2:25, Jer 17:9, Rom 5:8

Do It Now

Everything God does has a redemptive purpose. Man may have their own agenda but God's intention remains flawless. Again, God has a generation at heart any time He sets out to do a thing. When the Israelites were about to enter the promised land and the death of Moses was imminent, God would not let Moses go without consolidating what He started. He told him to write a song and teach the Israelites with their children so that when they enter the promised land and forget God in their prosperity, that song will be a witness to them. Moses wrote the song and taught them that same day. I cannot stop to imagine that the life of someone in a Christ less society, a prison or anywhere in the world is hanging on that song God has told you to sing, that book He has inspired you to write, that story/drama He has moved you write and act, that NGO He has told you to start, etc. I don't know what God has told you to initiate and you are still procrastinating. A generation is waiting for your arrival. Don't be sluggish anymore. We are running out of time. Pick your pen and write that song, book, story, etc. Will you wait till all have started worshiping other gods before you start? Now is the acceptable time. Wake up, child of God and do it NOW.

References: Deut 31: 19-22, 2Cor 6:2.

Get on board

We have work to do.We have been enlisted into the army of God for battle.Jesus was an example.He came to do the work of the Father and to finish it.He had focus.He was in agreement with God,for two cannot work together except they agree.Likewise,we cannot work for God except we agree with God.God has precepts,patterns and procedures.Unless we are ready to follow his methods,we cannot work with Him.The work of God starts from us,the life we carry.It is not a physical battle.It is a battle of kingdoms and no soldier entangles himself with civilian affairs so that he can please his master.The first platform we have to engage in the work of God is to carry the life of God.It takes God to do His work,we are only His agents,vessels or channels and God needs worthy vessels.The work of God is to bring the kingdom of God to earth, i.e to annihilate the ruler ship of Satan in the lives of men and on the earth and establish the ruler ship of God,the reign of Christ.God needs us for this task.The earth is gradually bowing to the ruler ship of Satan.Check out the entertainment industry,the government,education,etc.The kingdom of darkness is strategically extending their frontiers to every angle through every possible means.God has called us to lift up the banner of heaven wherever we are.We must not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone that believes.If the agents of Satan can even go naked to please their master and extend his kingdom,we (christians) must deny ourselves and follow Jesus all the way if we must win this battle.

References: John 14:12, Amos 3:3, 2 Timothy 2:4, Rom 1:16

Do a Check Up

Repentance (i.e., changing our hearts to turn to the Lord) is only a first step to partnering with God. When God sees a heart with a genuine repentance, a heart that has come to obey Him, a heart that is wholly given to Him and is bent on listening to His voice without any intention of going back, He responds to that heart. He responds by stripping that heart of anything that has held it captive: those habits, lifestyles, idiosyncrasies, etc, that keeps the heart away from Him, so that the relationship will blossom. No man knows true freedom whose heart is not submitted to the Lord Jesus Christ. God wants to restore our hearts to Himself. He seeks our allegiance. What we have suffered persists as long as we refuse to give our whole hearts to Jesus. He does not walk with an indecisive heart. He is not sure where we belong until He sees our hearts beating for Him, “for where a man’s treasure is, there his heart will be also”. We have to treasure God first, for Him to treasure us, “return to me and I will return to you, says the Lord”, “draw near to me and I will draw near to you”, “come now let us reason together”. The truth is, the Lord wants to do us good. He seeks for us to bless us but we are far away from him. We worship Him with our lips but our hearts are far away from Him. He cannot invest in an enemy. God can go to the utmost part of the heavens to make our restoration complete as soon as He sees our genuine repentance. Our enigmas, questions, lacks, healing, are all found in God. He wants to circumcise our hearts and the hearts of our seeds to love Him with all our heart and with all our souls that we may live. The whole essence of God’s quest for us is that we may live. What a wish! I wish above all things that thou may prosper and be in good health even as thy souls prospers. The life we have now is as uncertain as we are. It takes the life of God in us to make us what we truly want to be. This life of God is Jesus. Does Jesus live in your heart? Is He really your Lord? In case, you’re not certain and you want to be, tell Him to come in now with this chorus;

Lord I give you my heart,

I give you my soul,

I live for you alone,

Every step that I take,

Every moment I’m awake,

Lord have your way in me..

(References: Deut 30: 2-6,Matt 6: 21,Zech. 1: 3,Jas. 4: 8,Isa 1: 18a,Matt. 15: 8,3 John 1: 2)

Remember me

And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. I Cor. 11 : 24-25 (KJV)

To remember is to have in the mind an idea which had been in the mind before, and which recurs to the mind without effort. We are said to remember anything, when the idea of it arises in the mind with the consciousness that we have had this idea before. Remember is often used as synonymous with recollect, that is, to call to mind. (Websters). It is a natural tendency for us to forget, but not all things should be forgotten. The sacrifice of Jesus to secure a place for us in eternity through his body and to grant us access by His precious blood is historic. The aura of life He brings has the capacity to eclipse whatever we’ve been through in life. As the Israelites were leaving Egypt, God told them not to forget the Lord in those pagan lands, but they did. Hence, when He came for the ultimate sacrifice, He instituted the ritual of the communion and said “this do in remembrance of me”. He doesn’t want us to forget Him again like the Israel of old.

Remembering Him reminds us of the finished work on the cross. It will keep our life in check as we sojourn this earth, with all the pitfalls. Thus, in the midst of all the delays, sicknesses, pains, lacks, suffering, etc, He said, remember Me. It doesn’t matter what hell is throwing at us, making us feel that life is over and that it will never get better, He said remember Me.

Remember Me, because-

it is what I said that matters.

everything ends and starts afresh in My death

as I live in you, your life maintains the true flavor.

when you forget Me, your adversary will gloat over you.

If you desire to remain on the winning side of life, always remember Me.

For Me

He is the reason why everything exists,

but He risked the loss of that status and

came, for me.

Nothing appealing could have been

an attraction for Him here, but He

came, for me.

He could have garnered the command

of all by His appearance but He hid it

 and became like me, just for me.

Though He had all the authority to alter

anything to His taste, but He gave it

all up, for me.

His breath alone could put everything

out of balance but He submitted to shame ,

for me.

They even made a sport of Him as if

 He was nobody, but he allowed it

just , for me.

He could have existed happily without

 me but for love, He came,  for me.

Even when I was lost in my wanton

and riotous propensity, clad in sheer

 religious ritual in disguise for a quest

 for God, He broke the veil and reached

out, for me.   

His body could have been a wonder

 to behold. The texture of His skin would

 have made anyone to turn and look again,

 but He let it broken, for me.

Having given up all, for me, He deserves my all.

What about you?

When Fiery Trials Are Hot on Our Heels …

As I peer out the window of my home just outside Colorado Springs, I can see majestic Pikes Peak standing tall overlooking our city. I love the fact that every morning when I open the blinds, there it is. Barring some cataclysmic event, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon, and that is comforting to me. Last summer as I witnessed wildfire explode across the canyon into our city, consuming trees and homes in its path, the mountain itself wasn’t consumed. Even when I couldn’t see it through the smoke, I knew it was there. In a similar way, the trials of daily living feel like they might consume us at times. We strain to see through the smoke, eyes squinting across the canyon of our circumstances. We’re hoping the fire won’t jump the ridge. But then it does. What we thought was manageable is now out of control and the thing we once dreaded is now a reality. What do we do then, when what is dear to us is being consumed before our very eyes? In John 16, Jesus is spending some final moments with His disciples prior to His arrest and crucifixion. These disciples left everything behind to follow and love Jesus for the last several years. They are His beloved friends. In the chapters prior, Jesus revealed to them that very soon He would suffer greatly, die, be resurrected, and then leave them. On top of that, He let them know the world would hate and persecute them. I imagine their minds may have skimmed over the part about the resurrection and highlighted in bold the fact that they were about to be without their Savior and best friend! The fire had just jumped the ridge. In those moments, everything they lived for must’ve seemed like it was about to be consumed. But then Jesus says some of the most compelling and compassionate words in verse 33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” I imagine Jesus saw their panic and grief-stricken faces and felt compelled to give them this encouraging word, reassuring His friends that, while a lot of terribly difficult and painful situations were about to unfold, He had already made provision. No matter what lay ahead, death and tragedy would not have the last word in their lives. Essentially, Jesus was asking them to gain new perspective on what was about to come in light of what He was offering them—peace and certain victory. As I was writing for my new album, Jesus’ words “Take Heart” echoed through the depths of my spirit. In my own life, I have felt fiery trials hot on my heels, and all too often I have become weary of the struggle of this world, even heartsick. I’m guessing it’s safe to say you have felt that way too. But an amazing thing happens when we lift our eyes from the chaos of the canyon up to the face of our victorious Rock who is Christ Jesus. Our perspective is transformed. Our gaze steadied. Our vision clearer. We are able to reach out and take hold of the peace Jesus extends to us as we endure the fire. We no longer have to cower in fear—we can stand in Jesus’ sure and certain victory. My friends, let us lift our eyes to Him and take heart together! For, indeed, He has overcome the world. Source: RBC Ministries