Godly-Tips

ABOVE ALL CIRCUMSTANCES

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 08:44:00 +0000

Life situations often revolve around circumstances. Nothing happens until a circumstance warrants it. You are who, where, and how you are today based on one circumstance or the other. For instance, you don't see stars shining in the afternoon, nor have you seen the moon shining in the day. The circumstances that surround this period do not permit the stars and the moon to shine when the sun is fully active.

Sometimes it works in your favor, and many times it works against you. No matter who you are, the circumstances of life are either there to stop you or to help you. But, I pray for you today, every circumstance that comes your way shall help you a step further in the name of Jesus.

What is the meaning of circumstance?

1. Circumstance is the reason why something was possible or not.

2. Circumstance explains how a certain matter unfolds

3. Circumstance gives the total account of the situation

4. Circumstance is an event or situation that you cannot control - divine programming of God written to bring to pass His will on earth.

No one is exempt from the grip of circumstances, even the birth of Jesus Christ was not without some circumstances. Matthew 1:18-23

There are some conditions, uncontrollable events, and specific details about the birth of Jesus Christ, but all as in both good and unfair circumstances, were designed to manifest the glory of the Father.

What are the circumstances that surround your life today as a person?

What kind of treatment have you received so far by the reason of the circumstances that surround your life? Has it ever worked in your favor?

You might have had a variety of experiences vis-à-vis different circumstances of life. Notwithstanding, if God be for you, no circumstance can be against you. Therefore, every circumstance of life will have no option but to manifest the supernatural blessing of the Father that will catapult you to your divine destination in the name of Jesus.

What are the circumstances that surround the birth of Jesus Christ?

1. DISAPPOINTMENT, SHAME, AND DISGRACE:

This is experienced when an expectation cannot be realized. Joseph was in great preparation to take Mary as his wife until he found out that she was pregnant. There is no doubt, Joseph was greatly disappointed. On the other hand, Mary, as a lady well known to be a virgin, must have found it very difficult to explain her ordeal before her to-be-husband. There is no doubt; Mary was engulfed with shame and disgrace.

Joseph was to suffer disappointment, while Mary was to suffer shame and disgrace. However, God turned it around for their good. Disappointment was turned to divine appointment when Joseph became the earthly father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Disgrace became divine grace when an ordinary mortal, I mean Mary, carried the Immortal and our Lord Jesus Christ in her belly as a baby. Shame became glory when we mention the name of Jesus today and remember the glory that surrounds His birth through the Virgin Mary.

Disappointment is a mocker and a dream killer. Of a truth, Mary was not guilty of the circumstance she found herself in, nor was Joseph. But, God designs every circumstance of life man could find himself to suit His own purpose.

Disappointment is a life-threatening circumstance. You may be an expert at disappointing people. Be warned today, for God is displeased with everyone who is given to deceit.

Isaiah 59:15, "Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment".

Are you suffering from disappointment of any kind, or are you currently facing an embarrassing situation, is your life under threat due to an embarrassing circumstance, or a disappointing situation of which you are not guilty? The Lord will not fold His arms concerning your case in Jesus' name.

2. DIVINE INTERVENTION:

This is a sudden and supernatural involvement of God in order to have control over all situations of life. Divine intervention of God is required to overcome many unfavorable circumstances of life that confront us today.

Joseph had concluded, Mary was promiscuous, but the Lord appeared to him in a dream and revealed the truth about the matter at hand.

How many times has God spoken to us in a dream but without understanding? How many times has God revealed the truth to us, but we still hold in high esteem that which was generally accepted? If Mary were to be one of today's virgins and were later found to be pregnant without a proper marriage ceremony, I wonder how many brothers would still like to take her as wife even after the encounter with the Lord in the dream.

Disappointment, shame, and disgrace will be eliminated when we can hear clearly and take instructions from God. After God spoke to Joseph, his heart was illuminated to know that Mary was not what he had taught her to be, but God was using the circumstance to carry out His divine mandate.

Many ladies are tagged whore today, but they are not; they are only victims of circumstances that are beyond their control.

Many people are poor, sick, and wretched today, not because of their sin as many may erroneously believe, but all that the work of God might be made manifest in their lives. A young man in John 9:2 was reportedly blind from birth. The family has been tagged in the community as sinners. However, the disciples of Jesus Christ came and asked Him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered and told them, "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him".

Many are languishing in prison today, but they are innocent of the crime they are convicted. James suffered this circumstance and died in it. Peter also suffered the same circumstance and did not die because the church cried for God's divine intervention.

It does not matter any circumstance of life you may find yourself, even if it is as a result of the activity of the enemy, please understand that God is aware of it and He will use the situation to bring to pass His purpose in your life. Joseph's brother did all they could to stop him, but the more they pushed, the nearer they drew him closer to the fulfillment of God's purpose in His life. The enemy cannot stop you; they can only help to bring you closer to the fulfillment of God's purpose in your life as long as you stick to Jesus.

And finally, there are some circumstances where expectations are not met as expected. Jesus' expectation to see fruit on the fig tree in Mark 11:13 was very high. He was gravely disappointed when he finally came to the tree and could not find any fruit thereof. He thereafter cursed the tree never to bear fruit again, and the tree withered right away. This is an indication to prove that the fact that a tree is big and has so many green leaves does not mean it has fruit on it. There are some big trees standing as obstacles in your life today; many a time, they stand as a source through which you could get help, but they have failed you not once nor twice. They only occupy space and deny you further opportunity to be blessed by another source. This is a big problem in the lives of many individuals today. Without mincing words, the solution to this challenge remains divine intervention by God. Cry to God in prayer, and He will deliver you from every demonic obstacle.

In conclusion, do not ever judge a man based on face value; God is the only One who knows the reason for every circumstance of life. However, disappointment, shame, and disgrace can only be eliminated by the divine intervention of God. Halleluiah!

HOW MANY LOAVES HAVE YE?

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Sat, 13 May 2023 19:46:00 +0000

In the middle of hopelessness and a state of dilemma, Jesus asked a very intriguing question, "How many loaves have ye?"

It is very unlikely to fathom with the hope that any solution could be offered when found in the situation as recorded in Mark 8:1-10. There was hunger, weakness, despair, hopelessness, scarcity and death in view.

The disciples' response was indeed nothing different from mine or yours except we are schooled and able to comprehend what Jesus did to arrest the situation.

To have a smooth sail and end well as a Christian on earth, it is important to understand the know-how and steps required to tackle many issues that bedevil us.

As far as the present world is concerned, problems abound. Ranging from health, finance, marriage, family, business, spiritual, and otherwise, every man is encumbered daily with pockets of troubles.

However, these problems are not designed to mar us, rather, they help in shaping our lives for the greater glory.

Romans 5:3-5, "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4, And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

5, And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us".

The challenge of feeding the multitude in Mark 8:1-10 was nothing different from the challenges we face today as human beings. Many people have come to the state of hopelessness, despair, despondency, sorrow, weakness, discouragement, sickness, and death by the reason of many challenges confronting them.. But, I have good news for somebody today, with Jesus on the scene, the problem would be addressed and the solution would be proffered by applying the knowledge of God.

Matthew 19:26, "But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible".

The disciples looked at the situation at hand, they could not find any solutions and they became apprehensive. Hunger, lack and scarcity stood as a big challenge before them, but with Jesus, there is a mystery of abundance and an overflow.

Jesus said to the disciples, how many loaves have ye? But, what does this statement mean? Well, looking at this statement critically while studying Jesus on this account. It was revealed and discovered that;

1. This is a statement of courage (bravery, fearlessness, boldness)

Courage is an instrument required first to face any battle in life. No matter how weak a battle may appear, if you lose courage in the first instance, you have lost. Therefore, it is so important to face any challenge with courage, bravery, fearlessness and boldness.

Moses spoke to the people

Deuteronomy 31:6-7, "Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
7, And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of good courage: for thou must go with this person unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it".

May you receive the courage that is required to take and possess your inheritance today in the name of Jesus.

2. This is a statement showing optimism (positivity)

It is required of us as Christians to understand the power of optimism. Even when all the odds are against us, every instruction in the word of God pointed out that we must always be optimistic because with God all things are possible.

In Numbers 13:25-33, the elders of Israel were sent to spy on the land of Canaan before they go to possess it. On getting to the land, having seen how giant the people of the land were, they became pessimistic and declared themselves as grasshopper compared to the people of the land. But Joshua and Caleb refused to agree with the elders and were very optimistic regardless of what they saw.

However, in Numbers 14:10-38, the Lord looked down from heaven and was very angry with the elders for their pessimism. He made a declaration and the elders were denied access to the Promised Land, but Joshua and Caleb were applauded and granted access to the promised land because they were optimistic.

Another instance was found in Luke 23:39-43, on the day Jesus was crucified, two malefactors were nailed on the cross together with Him. One on His right-hand side and the other on His left-hand side. One was pessimistic and the other was optimistic. The pessimist has lost hope and already condemned himself just as he has been judged. He couldn't think anything positive about himself any longer, he decided to start mocking Jesus even when he knew Jesus was being punished for the sin He never committed. But, the optimist looked at himself in his rejected state, he rebuked his friend and refused to give up on himself. He, therefore, turned to Jesus and said Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom. And Jesus replied to him instantly, Verily I say unto you, Today you shalt be with me in paradise.

I encourage you today, please don't be a pessimist, be optimistic, in every situation, be positive, and never say never.

In the darkest hour of your life, may you receive help from above in the name of Jesus.

3. This is a statement of Faith

Everything I have discussed so far is the attributes of faith without which no man can please God (Hebrews 11:6). Every man of faith is always a man of courage. They are always bold and fearless. They are men with a positive mindset. They are men of possibilities, and there are no impossibilities in their dictionary.

In Daniel 3:1-28, faith in God was demonstrated by the three Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Mesach, and Abednego. Amid the storm, they were so courageous, brave, bold, fearless and optimistic. The challenge indeed threatened their existence but their faith in God saw them through. They became victorious, and the name of God was glorified in that situation.

In 1 Samuel 17, David demonstrated his faith in God both with his actions and the declaration from his mouth when he battled with Goliath. He did not allow the stature of Goliath to intimidate him, nor did he look at himself as a man of little stature. He was an optimist and so positive about himself. Furthermore, studying his words when he was talking to Goliath, he only declared his faith in the power of God. How I wish we could all learn to talk like this when facing a challenge.

1Samuel 17:45-47, "Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
46, This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
47, And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands.

I encourage you to stop talking fear, learn to speak faith in all situations because our God can do all things. May your faith never go on holiday when you most need it in the name of Jesus.

4. Thankfulness

Now, here comes the mystery of abundance and overflow. All we saw that Jesus did to command the abundance was to give thanks to God. Mark 8:6, "And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them, and they did set them before the people".

Faith, comprising courage and optimism as discussed above, is an ingredient needed to support thanksgiving that commands the mystery of abundance in our lives. Psalm 67:5, "Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.

6, Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us".

I may not know how to explain this to you; it is a mystery of God. But I have a witness in my heart that the Holy Spirit will reveal it to you.

Now, what do you do when you come to a crossroads in your life, just locate a corner, whether in your house, in your place of work, in your business place, or wherever you may find yourself, and begin to thank God, irrespective of how difficult the situation may seem. Trust me, this may not be very easy to do, but do it anyway. It is a mystery, you don't need to know how God is going to do it, but you can command your expectations and your needs to realization all by thanking Him in the face of the challenge.

Now, when Jesus asked how many loaves ye have, He was simply saying;

How much courage, bravery, boldness, and fearlessness do you have?

How much optimism or positivity do you have?

How much faith in God do you have?

Finally, how much thanks could you give to God?

Conclusion

The little courage, hope, optimism, faith, boldness, and thankfulness you possessed in times of trials is all you need to have all your necessities delivered and your great expectations met by God.

WHO ARE YOUR FRIENDS?

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 06:45:00 +0000

We come across different individuals on a daily basis, many with good and lovable characters while many with funny, despicable and questionable attitudes. Notwithstanding, friends are chosen based on the kind of people we are. As the saying goes, "show me your friends and I will show you who you are", "birds of a feather flock together".

We try to make friends with one another on many occasions but the truth is friends are not made, real friends are consciously chosen by us. Friends are not just an acquaintance nor a companion, hence, not all acquaintances nor companions are your friend. You chose those that you call your friends by yourself.

Due to certain interest, a lot of acquaintances comes your way just for what they can benefit from you. But, this does not warrant you choosing them as your friend even when they refer to you as their friend.

Proverbs 19:4, 6 "Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour" "Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts"

Please, understand that friends are not made, friends are chosen and this is a practice by every one of us whether consciously or not. As loving as God can be, the bible shows us He chose His friend.

Isaiah 41:8, "But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend"

Without any ambiguity, Jesus revealed to us who actually is a friend; according to John 15:15, "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you". From the scripture quoted, we can see friends as listed below;

A friend is not just a companion, a lover, a brother, a sister, a mother, or a father;
A friend is the one you share your secret with.
A friend may not always be perfect, but he is a chosen one. Jesus says in John 15:16, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you".
A friend is a person of like mind, a devoted acquaintance, not necessarily of the same class, status, and age.

Friends are people with a mandate to help you fulfil the purpose of God for your life. Jesus called the disciples His friend because they have been mandated to help Him fulfil the purpose of God for His life, including Judas Iscariot. If you understand what I meant.

Friends are an important factor in our life, the absence of which success may become unachievable. This may not be such a big issue but rather, how friendly are you to your friends. Proverbs 18:24 says, "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother".

The best friendship you can have today is a friendship with Jesus. This has been proven to be the best form of friendship that ever exist. Jesus has never failed and He will never fail. Have you imagined a friend laying down his life for his friend? That is exactly what Jesus has done for you even when you are yet to accept his hands of friendship. John 15:13 says "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends".

Give your life to Jesus today and begin a friendship that transcends the present realm. Friendship with Jesus is the only way to get the attention of God the Father. Your many problems would be solved when you are deeply in friendship with Jesus.

If you will like to make Jesus your friend right now, say the following words loud;

Lord Jesus, I come to you today
I have realized that I have stood as Your enemy for a long time
Your death on the cross of Calvary has never been appreciated by me
I confess my sins and repent of them all
Please, forgive all my sins
Today, I accept Your ever-waiting hand of friendship
Write my name in the book of life and let me reign with you in the eternal kingdom of God
Thank You Father for this wonderful opportunity
In Jesus name (Amen)

WHEN THE LORD REMEMBERS YOU

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 05:40:00 +0000

Remembrance is usually a product of history. It is noteworthy to know that without a past, there will be no memory. Your past actually dictates your memory. For anyone to recall anything at all, there has to be a record of past events. Therefore, if God is going to remember you, there must be an account of a relationship between you and God.

Leviticus 26:42-45, "Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land. 43, The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes. 44, And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God. 45, But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD."

May God remember His covenant concerning us in this difficult time in Jesus' name.

It is obvious from the scripture just read, that God has a very strong relationship with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, there is a covenant and unlike man, God is a covenant-keeping God.

It may amaze you to know that when a man remembers you, in most cases, it is to take revenge for an offence you had committed a very long time ago. Man is quick to remember when it is about revenge for an offence earlier committed but may find it difficult to do the same when it is a payback time in return for a good earlier rendered in favour of them.

For instance, in Genesis 40:1-23, Joseph found himself in prison as a result of what happened between him and his master's wife. Two of Pharaoh's servants, the king baker and the butler also found themselves in the same situation as Joseph. One day, the two of them had a dream each and they shared the dream with Joseph so that he could interpret the dreams for them. For the butler, Joseph told him he would be restored according to the interpretation of his dream but the baker was so unfortunate because the interpretation of his dream showed that he would be killed soon. The dream came to pass as the butler was restored and the baker was killed as interpreted. Not quite long, after the butler had been restored, Pharaoh had a dream and none of his magicians and wise men could interpret the dream. Now, it was time for the butler to remember Joseph but he could not until Pharaoh had tried out all the magicians and wise men in Egypt without success before he could remember Joseph.

Genesis 40:20-23, "And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. 21, And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand: 22, But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23, Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him."

It is so easy for men to keep a memory of an offence but very difficult to remember a good and kind gesture carried out towards them at one time or the other. However, when God remembers a man, a family or a nation, it is usually in their favour. Unlike man, every account of remembrance by God in the bible is usually to the favour of men.

Jeremiah 31:34, "And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

Every case of remembrance by God in the bible can be traced back to the covenant God had with His people. In Genesis 6, after the corruption that took place from the creation of the earth, God decided to wipe out all He created on earth but Noah found grace in His sight. God had a covenant with Noah and decided to preserve him and his household. He revealed His plan to destroy the earth with flood and Noah was given the responsibility of making an ark to preserve lives for the continuity of the earth after the flood and he agreed to carry out the assignment. As a result of this, God had a covenant with Noah.

Genesis 6:18, "But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee."

Genesis 9:11-16, "And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. 12, And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13, I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. 14, And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: 15, And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16, And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth."

However, God remembered His covenant with Noah.

Genesis 8:1, "And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged;"

Are you already in a covenant with God? If you have surrendered your life to Jesus, then you are already in a covenant with God.

The definition of a covenant according to Pastor E.A Adeboye is that covenant is an agreement signed with blood. Jesus laid His life on the cross and He paid for our sins with His blood. By the reason of the blood He shed on the cross of Calvary, He has signed the agreement on our behalf and we are already in a covenant with God.

Would you want God to remember you today? Surrender your life to Jesus today.

It is important to know that remembrance is possible only when you already had an agreement with God. As long as there is a covenant with God, remembrance is inevitable.

Isaiah 49:15, "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee."

Jeremiah 33:19-21, 25-26, "And the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, saying,
20, Thus saith the LORD; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season;
21, Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.
25, Thus saith the LORD; If my covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth;
26, Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David my servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them."

May the covenant of God's mercy speak for you today in Jesus' name.

HOWEVER, WHEN GOD REMEMBERS YOU;

1. Solution would be provided to whatever problem might be facing you.

A. He shall deliver you from every form of captivity. (Noah was delivered after the flood) Genesis 8:1, "And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged;"

Exodus 2:23-25, "And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
24, And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
25, And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them."

B. Your many years of servitude shall be duly rewarded.

(The Israelites in Egypt) Exodus 12:35-36, "And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:

36, And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians."

C. Your taskmaster has no other option but to let you go.

Exodus 12:30-32, "And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

31, And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said.

32, Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also."

D. You can be sure of divine provision even in the darkest hour of your life. (Manna was provided in the wilderness for the Israelites) Exodus 16:35, "And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan."

(Water was also provided) Exodus 17:1-6, "And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink.

2, Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD?

3, And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

4, And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.

5, And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.

6, Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

7, And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?"

E. He gives you divine wisdom to tackle critical challenges of life. Joshua at the wall of Jericho

Joshua 5:13-15, "And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?

14, And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

15, And the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so."

Read the whole of Joshua 6 for the rest of the story.

F. Barrenness becomes fruitfulness.

Genesis 30:22, "And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb".

G. He will take you to the promised land and give you rest roundabout.

Joshua 21:43-45, "And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.

44, And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand.

45, There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass".

BEWARE OF DESTINY DESTROYER

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 16:41:00 +0000

Destiny is God's purpose for a man's life. It is a divinely preplanned destination. It is the totality of God's decision concerning a person even before conception.

Jeremiah 1:5, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations".

Destroyer, on the other hand, makes sure that the plan of God does not come to pass in a man's life. Therefore, anything at all that can hinder the plan of God concerning your life is a destiny destroyer.

God has a prepared destination for all His creatures and to fulfil your destiny according to the plan of God, you must surrender totally to Him so as to avoid destiny destroyers that may want to scuttle God's plan for your lives. Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end".

There are many destiny destroyers, but few of them will be mentioned in this publication.

Firstly, Lack of knowledge is a powerful destiny destroyer because if we are aware of our destiny, then, we shall be free, focused and fulfilled. Failure to do so might lead to destruction.

Hosea 4:6, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children".

Proverbs 29:18, "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he".

John 8:32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free".

Hebrew 11:13, "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth".

The next on my list is Pursuant of vanity. Solomon as seen in 1 Kings 11:1-11, pursued so much vanity until he became a complete backslider. The privileges of wealth and lack of self-control ruined his destiny.

Ecclesiastes 2:10-11, "And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. 11. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun".

Another destiny destroyer is the Lack of faith which is capable of making all your effort as a Christian to be in vain.

Hebrew 4:2, "For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it".

1Timothy 1:19, "Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck".

Pride is another thing that contributes largely to destiny destruction. Pride is simply excessive self-esteem. It is when you are filled with an exciting sense of credit due to yourself. Pride is sin and it leads to loss and destruction. Beware of pride!

James 4:6, "But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble".

Daniel 4:28-32, "All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. 30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? 31 While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. 32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will".

Proverbs 29:23, "A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit".

Living a Sinful lifestyle in which pleasing God has become taboo is tantamount to destiny destruction. Sins not confessed and forsaken are dangerous because they provoke God to anger. A man living in sin can not fulfill his destiny or attain the destination God has promised him. Consider the sons of Eli in the book of 1 Samuel 2:22, "Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation". You would see that the sons of Eli could not fulfill their purpose on earth.

1John 3:4, "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law".

Man can lose out on fulfilling his destiny when he's given to Anger. The uncontrolled emotional outburst has led many people out of God's plan for their lives. Watch your attitude when interacting with men.

Ecclesiastes 7:9, "Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools".

Proverbs 29:22, "An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression".

The last to be mentioned today is Prayerlessness. This can cause the enemy to take advantage of your destiny. A prayerless Christian is simply a powerless Christian. You need to pray always without ceasing as prescribed by our Lord Jesus. The only way to sustain your spiritual strength is by prayer. Remember, when Jesus was going through the temptation of fulfilling His destiny, the remedy He finally adopted was prayer. Matthew 26:36-46. Jesus went to Gethsemane together with three of His disciples in order to pray and sustain Himself so as not to fall into the temptation of resisting death.

Matthew 13:25, "But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way".

Matthew 26:41, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak".

Luke 18:1, "And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint".

We have seen so many examples of people in the bible who for one reason or another could not fulfill their destiny;

Solomon got his destiny destroyed by pursuing vanity
Samson disobeyed the commandment of God by marrying a strange woman. Judges16:6-18.
Judas Iscariot could not fulfill his destiny for the love of money. Luke 22:3-5, Matthew 27:3-5
Demas got carried away by the love for worldliness. 2 Timothy 4:10.
Gehazi's destiny was destroyed because of greed and lasciviousness. 2 Kings 5:20-27
Reuben received a monumental curse because he slept with his father's wife. Genesis 49:3-4
Achan could not fulfill his destiny because he lacked self-control. Job 7:24-25

HOW TO RECOVER YOUR DESTINY

Repent and retrace your steps back to God in case you have drifted away from Him. Daniel 4:34-36, Act 9:1-6.

Defeat laziness. Rise up and do something meaningful with your life. Proverbs 22:29, "Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men". Ecclesiastes 9:10, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest".

Discover what is God's will for your life by diligently studying the scriptures.

Joshua 1:8, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success".

Psalm 1:1-3, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper".

Deal with any habit of worldliness and live a godly life.

1John 2:15, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him".

Hebrew 12:1, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God".

Watch and pray earnestly against the operations of your adversaries in order to remain on the path to destiny fulfillment.

Matthew 26:41, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak".

1Corinthians 16:9, "For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries".

It is the will of God for all His children to fulfill their destinies. Therefore, it is important you surrender your life to Jesus so that your life can be given a new direction.

The Sound of an Abundance of Rain

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 19:16:00 +0000

As long as the enemy is winning the battle, hearing the sound of an abundance of rain may be a difficult task. Elijah the Tishbite was able to hear this sound after the enemies of God, Baal and his prophets have been silenced in Israel. However, the reason the enemy continues to dominate is that there is no one to challenge him. 

1 Samuel 17:8 - 10, In the days of David, Goliath stood for forty days bragging about himself as the indomitable warrior on earth until David showed up and silenced him.

1 Kings 18:22 - 24, In the days of Elijah, Baal was given more respect and honour because there was no one that could challenge his authority until Elijah called for the contest and kept him where he belongs.

God is always looking for one man or woman, in a family, a society and a nation who will be bold enough to look at the enemy eye bore to eye bore, who will be able to stand upon his altar and say the Lord rebuke you Satan. Please understand, we have to do what we need to do for God to cause a change that we all expect.

The moment Elijah confronted the battle, the victory was sure because God has never lost a battle. The victory was given without any delay and Elijah knew it was time for the great move of God. He simply announced I can hear a sound of abundance of rain. May I announce to yo today, your rain of miracle has started already. Your heaven is opened, your rain of abundant blessing begins now. It shall fall to wet your ground and you will never experience dryness again in the name of Jesus.

What is rain?

1. Rain is the divine catalyst that aids unending fruitfulness on earth.

Leviticus 26:3-4, "If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit"

2. Rain is the direct and physical intervention of God from heaven to earth.

Jeremiah 14:22, "Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O LORD our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all the earth"

3. When there is no rain, it is a sign of God's anger towards man, and famine will be so evident.

2 Chronicles 6:26, "When the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; yet if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them"

Rain can be of different types;

1. Rain of water

Genesis 2:5, "And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.

2. Rain of fire and brimstone

Genesis 19:24, "Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;"

3. Rain of hail

Exodus 9:18, "Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now".

4. Rain of Bread

Exodus 16:4, "Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no".

5. Rain of Powder and Dust

Deuteronomy 28:24, "The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed".

Obviously, God sends rain for two purposes;

1. As a blessing to His people

2. As a curse to His enemies

The question is where do you stand today?

Are you standing as a friend of God or as one of His enemies?

If you are fighting the propagation of the gospel here on earth, you are one of His enemies.

If you maltreat your fellow human being unjustly, God is not pleased with you.

If your source of livelihood is questionable, you better make a change.And finally, if you have not surrendered your life to Jesus; the sacrifice He made for mankind by the death of His only begotten Son to save the world is in vain over your life. Hence, His anger towards you. You must make a decision to become His friend today by surrendering your life to Jesus.

There is a sound of abundance of rain, this might be the rain of blessing if you are a friend of God; but, the rain of destruction if you are His enemy.

What happens when an abundance of rain falls?

1. The enemy stronghold is destroyed and the people of God have victory over their enemies.

Genesis 19:24, "Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;"

2. There is a solution to every recurring challenge.

3. Little effort brings a bumper harvest.

4. There is hope of all-around rest.

Joshua 21:44, "And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand".

Conclusively, the abundance of rain may be that of blessing or destruction, it is to you according to your works.

WHO TOUCHED ME?

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Fri, 15 Jul 2022 09:16:00 +0000

It is believed that the power of God to perform miracles would always be available wherever the people of God are gathered be it in the church service or other Christian programs.

Rather than going for the power of God, unfortunately, there are so many other frivolous reasons people attend church services and Christian programs today. Some of those reasons could just be to identify with fellow Christian brethren and to be recognized as one of them. Another reason may just be to fulfil your obligations as a worker or a member of a particular group in the church. Some attend Christian services or programs just to have social or business contact with an influential member of the church. Many people attend Christian services or programs to showcase their high-class fashion sense and capability in such regard. It is so unfortunate, that the church has become a social gathering because the truth has been watered down the drain and the reasons to gather as Christians are no longer to have special and divine encounters with Jesus but as a form of social identification and recognition. May your eyes of understanding be opened today in the name of Jesus.

When problems arise, it is no longer strange to see Christians compromising and looking for solutions elsewhere, the church is now regarded as a secondary or a lesser option when it comes to finding solutions to human problems.

Colossians 3:8, "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever".

Please, understand that God has never changed, He has not changed and He will never change. He remains the same forever.

The mission of all that come to Jesus was supposed to be able to receive from God without any struggle. Unfortunately, the reverse is the case.

Thousands of people attend church services in different parts of the world every Sunday, but only a handful of these people get their miracles. But, what could be responsible for all this?

A miracle is proof that with God nothing shall be impossible. However, to receive a miracle, there is a need to establish contact with the Miracle Working God. You can establish contact with God both physically and spiritually. While Jesus was here on earth, on many occasions, He physically established contact to perform miracles in the life of people.

Matthew 8:1-3, "When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.
And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed".

Matthew 8:14-15, "And when Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever.
And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them".

For the above-stated scenarios, Jesus actually established physical touch in order to heal the victims. But, in the case of the woman with the issue of blood as read in Luke 8:43-48, this woman was so desperate and aggressively seeking a solution to her problem. She could not wait for Jesus to establish the contact, rather she purposed in her heart to establish the contact by herself, which she did with a strong faith.

She knew if she waited until Jesus could see her and ask her what He could do for her, the opportunity may never come, she decided to make the move by herself.

Matthew 9:20-21, "And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:
For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole".

Luke 8:43-45, "And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,
Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.
And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?"

What does it mean to touch as read in that scripture?

1. It means establishing a contact.

2. It means to call someone's attention

3. It is a show of desperate desire to get something done.

Does it amaze you, that out of the thousands of people described as the multitude in this scripture, only one person could touch Jesus?

Like 8:45, "And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?"

Was this woman the only person who really touched Jesus on this occasion?

Of course, yes. She was the only person that actually established a purposeful contact with Jesus.

But, what about the other multitude mentioned in this scripture?

Please, take note of Peter's response in Luke 8:45, "And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?". The multitude on this occasion was just there thronging and pressing on Jesus. But, she was the only one that deliberately established meaningful contact with the Master. She was not just there in the midst of the crowd, she was there for a purposeful mission.

Did she touch Him, actually?

No, She only touched the hem of Jesus' garment which ordinarily is not enough for Jesus to know that somebody touched His garment, especially in a situation as described in this passage where there was the presence of a multitude.

Luke 8:43-44, "And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,

Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched".

But, how come Jesus recognized and asked who touched me despite many people thronging and pressing Him at that particular point in time?

Jesus' attention was called to the woman's touch because the power to perform miracles was activated and went out of Him to heal the woman.

Luke 8:46, "And Jesus said Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me".

Why was she the only one that understood the question Jesus asked?

She was able to understand the question because she was the only one that came up with a decision to establish a contact that would bring an instant solution to her problem which she had already done and the healing has become evident. Nobody else came with such preparedness, but this woman.

Luke 8:47, "And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling and falling before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him and how she was healed immediately".

PLEASE UNDERSTAND THIS, THE WOMAN WITH THE ISSUE OF BLOOD HIJACKED HER MIRACLE FROM GOD WITHOUT ANY PRIOR INFORMATION, DISCUSSION, OR PERMISSION FROM GOD. SHE PLANNED WHAT TO DO, SHE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY, SHE CARRIED OUT HER PLAN AND VIRTUE LEFT JESUS WITHOUT ANY PRIOR PERMISSION BECAUSE GOD IS MOVED OR PROVOKED TO DO WONDERS WHEN A MAN DEMONSTRATES A GREAT LEVEL OF FAITH. HABAKUK 2:4B, "BUT THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY HIS FAITH".

Was Jesus angry about the desperate move made by this woman?

Jesus was never angry about the incident, instead, He was encouraging the act of faith demonstrated by the woman.

Luke 8:48, "And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace".

Is there any lesson to learn from this account?

There are so many lessons to learn as follows;

Every child of God needs to be sure of his connection with God through Jesus Christ our Lord. This enhances the establishment of contact that brings about solutions to your problem.
There is a need to be desperate, aggressive, and dogmatic about your pursuit when situations arise as you may not be able to establish a touch until this has been done.
You must stop to follow the crowd. Begin to have a personal relationship with God. This will enhance a deeper fellowship in which you begin to interact with God as an individual. The woman with the issue of blood did not follow the crowd, that was the reason she was the only one that did something different by touching and establishing a divine contact that sets her free from her issue of blood
Faith is required to establish a contact that generates instant attention to a desperate, aggressive, and dogmatic move. Please, understand that physical touch may not work except by faith. Even the woman with the issue of blood did not touch the body of Jesus Christ, she only touched the helm or the border of his cloth and she got her miracle. This can only be faith!
Virtue was released without any plan to do so when there is a desperate move of faith in place. Luke 8:46, "And Jesus said Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me". There was no prior request or plan to release power for healing but, suddenly, He realized that power has gone out to perform miracles. This shows that when a great move of faith is in place, the power to perform miracles is ever ready to be released in order to effect wonderful changes in the lives of men.
Notwithstanding the moves of faith applied to get it, It is the will of God that we get our miracles.

Conclusion

Divine touch powered by divine connection produces unhindered answers to prayers.

DIVINE INTERVENTION

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 06:55:00 +0000

The word intervention simply means an act of becoming intentionally involved, in a difficult situation to improve it or prevent it from getting worse.

When a man could not help himself resolve a problem, he will most likely require someone else's involvement to assist him. Such assistance is what is referred to as intervention.

However, when no man is fit to intervene and give the required assistance, what is required at this point is Divine Intervention.

In the book of Acts 3:1-8, the story of the lame man by the beautiful gate was narrated.

This man could not walk, and as a matter of fact, the Bible says he was lame from his mother's womb. Men have been carrying him to the beautiful gate daily to beg for alms. But, if this man will ever walk by himself without depending on the assistance of men, he needs the Divine Intervention and he got it the day he met with Peter.

In the book of John 5:1-9, the story of the impotent man by the pool of Bethesda was told.

This man suffers total paralysis and there is nothing he could do for himself. He needed the intervention of men to get things done especially to put him in the river when the angel came around, but men have always disappointed him. This man would have remained in this condition till death but for the Divine intervention of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I see God getting involved in your matters today in the name of Jesus.

What is divine intervention?

Divine intervention is God's involvement in the affairs of men to improve it or prevent it from getting worse.
Divine intervention is all you need when every effort of men have failed. Psalm 121:1-2, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
Divine intervention defiles protocol. John 5:1-9, at the pool of Bethesda, there was a grave protocol. Every protocol delaying your miracle is broken today in the name of Jesus.
Divine intervention is God doing His own thing as it pleases Him, at any time, anywhere, anyhow and as He wills.

As you are reading this message, I want you to understand that God is interested in your case, therefore, seek divine intervention with all your heart.

But, how do I qualify for divine intervention?

A story was told in the book of Luke 5:17-25 about a man that was sick of the palsy. He was brought to a place where Jesus was ministering to a great multitude. All effort to bring this sick of the palsy before Jesus proved abortive. However, the friends were so dogmatic and with violent faith decide to do the unthinkable. They climbed the roof of the building, opened it up and led their friend down before Jesus with chain. When Jesus saw what they did, their faith indeed provoked Him to minister to the sick man and he got his healing right away.

There are many lessons in this passage, the followings are some of the lessons;

Acknowledge that you are a sinner and ask for forgiveness.

It would amaze you to know that the first thing said by Jesus Christ after He had seen the faith of the men that brought the man that was sick of the palsy was "Man, thy sins are forgiven thee" Luke 5:28. This indicates that we must confess our sins, seek forgiveness, and repent of them all. And, if you are yet to accept the lordship of Jesus over your lives, it is high time you did.

Sin creates a barrier between you and God.

Sin places you in subjection to sickness.

The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).

Sin legally gives Satan, dominion and authority over you. Isaiah 59:1-2, "Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins hidden hid his face from you, that he will not hear".

Don't just seek to be in the presence of God, seek to have an encounter with Him.

Everyone present in the meeting actually sought to be in His presence, but the men that brought the sick man didn't just seek to be, they came to have an encounter.

As it is common to everybody; prayer, praise, worship, rendering quality service and using our substances for His glory surely get us tickets to appear in His presence. But, getting His attention amidst a large multitude many a time require us to go the extra mile and do the unusual.

Luke 5:19, "And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus".

Even when they came very late, they had to climb the housetop, open up the roof and create a means through which their friend was let down to appear before Jesus amidst the great multitude.

Climbing the housetop by the men with the sick of the palsy is doing the unusual and going the extra mile with a high level of persistence and determination to get the solution to the problem. When we seek to find God, we can equally climb the housetop by doing the unusual when we do not just pray, but, at least fast alongside the prayer.

Do all in faith.

Luke 5:20, And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee".

All their effort would have been in vain, but for the faith that Jesus saw in them.

Faith determines largely whether we will receive from God or not, please hold on to your faith.

Faith is total confidence and total trust in the ability of God to do whatever He has said, do not doubt His ability.

Faith is the response of the human spirit to the word of God. Let the word of God abide in your heart

1 John 5:4, "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith".

Hebrews 11:6, "But without, faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him".

Surround Yourself with good people

The man sick of the palsy could no longer help himself, obviously, he needed the intervention of God. But, men still played important roles that led to the divine attention he finally received from Jesus Christ. The lesson learnt here is that the man taken with the palsy had around him quality people that will not relent until they have found the solution to the problems of their friend. Luke 5:18, And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.

What type of people do you have around you today?

What type of person are you too, to the people that have you around them?

Dear brother and sister surround yourself with good people. But, not only that, always be a good person to the people that have you around them.

You need to have around you, people that are ready to take it upon themselves to stand in gap for you in prayer and fasting when the need arises.

In conclusion, only the children of God can get divine intervention. Therefore, if you have not surrendered your life to Jesus, you must do so now.

THE UNSPEKABLE AND INDESCRIBABLE GIFT OF GOD

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Thu, 30 Dec 2021 16:39:00 +0000

Bible Text: 2 Corinthians 9:15,

"Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift."

A gift can be unspeakable and indescribable when we do not have enough words or lack the capacity to express, communicate, articulate, define, or convey its true meaning or worth to a definite understanding. John 1:5, "And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not".

A gift, on the other hand, can be described as something inherited, won, or given without expectation of a return.

There is a limit to how much we can speak or describe the gift of God to mankind. The little we could see with our naked eyes, we couldn't comprehend it all. How much more are the ones we can not even see or comprehend physically, which exist in the spiritual realm? Ephesians 1:3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ".

Talking about the gift of God,

Everything we are enjoying today is a gift of God. Ecclesiastes 3:13, "And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God".

Ecclesiastes 5:19, "Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God".

If you have been endowed by some special gift, whether a physical or spiritual gift, it is the gift of God. James 1:17, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning".

Gifts have turned the lives of many people around today; many people have become celebrities because of their gifts. Gift has taken many people to places where ordinarily they wouldn't have reached.

David was a shepherd boy in the bush with his father's flock when King Saul sent for him to come to his palace. The king may not like his face, David may even be too young to sit with the king in the palace, but David had a gift that the king could not do without right now, and David became a regular visitor to the palace of King Saul. David got to the palace the first time, by the reason of a gift.

Joseph was a common prisoner, but a gift brought him out of prison until he became the prime minister in Egypt, even in a strange land. Everything that happened in the lives of the aforementioned individuals happened because of the gift of God upon their lives.

1 Corinthians 7:7, "For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that".

Let me ask you the following questions: Do you have any gifts? Have you discovered your gift? What are you doing with your gift? Of what benefit is your gift to mankind?

May your gift secure a position for you at the top in the name of Jesus.

The best your sins as a man could offer you is death. But to escape from death to eternal life is the gift of God. Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord".

Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God".

"The gift of righteousness is a mystery that mortal man can not unravel. How do you explain a fornicator, adulterer, thief, backbiter, and so on, suddenly transformed in a twinkling of an eye, becoming a righteous man having a right standing with God without their sin being imputed onto them all because they surrender under the righteousness of One, Jesus?" Luke 23:39-43 (Jesus on the cross with two malefactors)

May you inherit eternal life at the end of your race here on earth in the name of Jesus.

If you can speak in tongues today, it is the gift of God. If you can interpret tongues, it is the gift of God. If you can discern spirits, it is the gift of God. Prophecy, word of wisdom, word of knowledge, miracles, faith, and healing are all the gifts of God as seen in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11. The ability to function in these various spiritual gifts is given to you by God.

This gift can not be bought with money. Many people admire this gift so much, but neglect the Giver of the gift, thereby becoming slaves to the gift in so much that they can do anything in order to get the gift. An example was cited in Acts 8:20, "But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money".

Finally, while Jesus was having a conversation with the woman of Samaria in John 4:10, "Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water". Jesus revealed Himself in this scripture as the gift of God.

But, which type of gift is Jesus Christ?

1. Jesus is a special gift of God to mankind. Talking about His birth, the prophet of God prophesied in Isaiah 9:6, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace".

John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life".

2. Jesus is a special gift of God in which other good gifts are embedded. John 4:10, "Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water". Jesus was revealed in this scripture not just as the gift of God but as a gift in which other good gifts are embedded.

3. Jesus is a special gift of God in which all other gifts become meaningful and established. James 1:17, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning".

4. Jesus is a gift of God that comes with a lot of mysteries. 1Timothy 3:16, "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory".

It will be very hard for any mortal man to unravel all the mysteries about Jesus Christ because He can only be revealed to you according to your passion for Him.

In Mark 10:46-52, Jesus was revealed to Blind Bartimaeus as the One who can restore every blind eye. In Luke 8:43-48, Jesus was revealed to the woman with the issue of blood as the Great Physician.

In Luke 8:26-33, Jesus was revealed to the madman of Gadarenes as the Great Deliverer.

How has Jesus been revealed to you?

What is your passion for Jesus Christ?
Has He been revealed to you yet as your Lord and your Saviour?
To many of us who are born again, He has been revealed to us as our Lord and our Saviour, and today we can boldly say we are saved. As a Christian, can you boldly say that you are saved today?
Brethren, how much of Jesus do you know?
Even as much knowledge of Jesus Christ as possessed by Apostle Paul, look at what he said in Philippians 3:10, "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death". May you grow daily in the knowledge of God in the mighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

5. Jesus is an unspeakable or indescribable gift of God. 2 Corinthians 9:15, "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift". Why is Jesus an unspeakable or an indescribable gift of God? Jesus is so described as a gift of God because the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of man are not enough to explain, express, communicate, convey, and define the true worth and essence of His person to a definite understanding.

Jesus, as an unspeakable or an indescribable gift of God, was revealed to mankind as a hidden treasure that, until revealed to you, you can not find Him.

One thing I have come to understand about the mystery of God is that great gifts of God are usually wrapped in unattractive packages. David was a shepherd boy, very young and never attended any army training, but inside of him was a killer of Goliath, the giant. Joseph was a common prisoner who at any time could be taken to the slaughter slab, but inside of him was the wisdom to save the whole world from a period of famine that is capable of bringing an unexpected end to all living. In the like manner, at the birth of Jesus Christ, He was revealed as a treasure hidden in a manger. Except you are told, no mortal man is capable of decoding the mystery that was hidden in the manger on the day He was born. However, a group of individuals was chosen to decode this mystery and got the revelation through the angel of God, as seen in Luke 2:8-12, "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9, And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10, And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11, For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12, And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger".

I have good news for somebody here today. Are you currently living in oblivion (a state of being forgotten) or in obscurity (a state of being unknown)? Trust me, there is a treasure hiding inside of you, and at the appointed time of God, you shall be revealed in the name of Jesus.

There are lots of mysteries surrounding the person of Jesus Christ. If you want this to be revealed to you, or you want to know more about Jesus Christ, you must become a watchman, just like the men in the scripture above. They were shepherds. While others were sleeping, they were fully awake. They are always keeping watch on their flock. They are always on their duty post. Please, understand that this has never happened by chance; it was a deliberate move of God. And, all this to send a message and give us a revelation to know more about Jesus. You must be awoken both physically and spiritually. You must keep watch on the assignment that has been given to you as an individual. You must always be on your duty post. You must be eager to know more about Jesus Christ. He is not revealed to those who never seek Him.

I am pretty sure you don't expect me to tell you everything about this unspeakable gift of God. Remember, the topic says the Unspeakable and Indescribable Gift of God.

In conclusion, the birth of Jesus came as a special gift of God to humanity. The question is, what are you doing with that gift today?

The gift has been presented to you on many occasions. Have you accepted it? If you have not accepted this unspeakable gift of God, you have the opportunity to do that right now. Inside that package is salvation, eternal life, divine healing, prosperity, deliverance, and freedom from every form of captivity. Reciprocate the good gesture of God towards you today by giving your life in return to Him.

If you want to reciprocate the good gesture of God towards you by giving your life in return, say this prayer quietly;

Lord Jesus, I have lived in ignorance all my life, but today, my understanding is opened. I believe in my heart that you are the Son of God, and I confess with my mouth that you are my Lord and my Saviour. Please, forgive me all my sins, write my name in the book of life, and help me to serve you to the end. Thank you, Jesus!

GOD WITH US

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Thu, 23 Dec 2021 06:58:00 +0000

One important reason for the birth of Jesus Christ is that He might save His people from their sins. This truth is clearly stated in Matthew 1:21, " And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shall call his name Jesus: for He shall save His people fro their sins".

However, this might not have happened but for the fulfilment of the word of God through His prophet in the book of Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel". This was further emphasized and confirmed by the angel of God in Matthew 1:23, "Behold, a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son and they shall call his name Emmanuel which being interpreted God with us".

But, why would God need to be with us? Why do we need to have God with us? And, what does it entail to have God with us?

Jesus while talking to His disciples compared earthly fathers in their dealings with their children to God as our Father. The truth is God can not be compared to man in any way. Matthew 7:11, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"

Just as it is the joy of every father to see their children happy at all times. So, also God will always want His children to be happy. And, if there is anything that can make the children unhappy, it is unfulfilled promises. For instance, if you have been away from home for some time and you have promised your children that you are coming back on a particular day, I think as a good father, the least you can do is to fulfil your promise.

It is important therefore for God to be with us so as to fulfil His promise.

God made promises to His people in the following scriptures;

Genesis 28:15, "And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of".

Joshua 1:5, "There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee".

As a loving and caring Father, God proved His love towards us when this promise was fulfilled at the birth of Jesus Christ.

And, as soon as Jesus finished His ministry on earth, His last statement before His departure emphasized more on this promise of God to be with us. The promise remains valid till date.

Matthew 28:20, "and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen".

Believe it or not, the presence of a good father with his children always put situations under control. Difficult situations like hunger, lack, insecurity, attack, shame, fear and death are put under control when a good father is with his children.

The following reasons however justify why we need to have God with us;

Psalms 50:15, "And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me".

1. Therefore, for God to hear us when we call on Him in the day of trouble, we need to have Him with us. It is after this, that He can answer us, deliver us and then we can glorify Him in return.

The presence of God is so important that Moses in Exodus 33:13-15 told God that it is not necessary for them to continue in their journey except the Lord will go with them.

2. It does not matter how tactful and organised your enemies can be, when God is with you, your enemy is labouring in vain.

Isaiah 8:9-10, "Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces.

10, Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us".

Jeremiah 15:20, "And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD".

3. When God is with you, your enemies will have no option but to make peace with you. Your enemies will certainly make effort to bring you down but after several attempts without success, they will know of a truth that God is with you and this will make them arrange how to make peace with you.

Genesis 26:26-31, "Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.

27, And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?

28, And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;

29, That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the LORD.

30, And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink.

31, And they rose betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace".

4. When God is with you, you can be sure of divine help. Even when the world has condemned and rejected you, God said in Isaiah 41:10, "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

5. In our journey of life, it is certain we shall come across different challenges. Some of the roads will be very rough while some will be smooth. We will come across mountains and valleys. Likewise, we will meet rivers along our path and many times, we will come across the fire. But, when you have God with you, your safety is guaranteed.

Isaiah 43:2, "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee".

6. Finally, when God is with you, carrying out divine order will not be an issue. Sin will become irritating, living a life of holiness will become a habit and it will become a lifestyle that will deliver unto you the anointing of the Holy Ghost and power to do exploit.

Acts 10:38, "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him".

To have God with us, we must become members of His family.

Matthew 1:21 states that Jesus was born so that He can save His people from their sins.

He has come so as to save as many that identify with Him.

Therefore, to have God with you;

1. You must be born again.

John 1:11-13, "He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

12, But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

13, Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God".

John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me".

2. You must love the Lord your God by keeping His commandments.

John 14:23, "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him".

In conclusion, if you want God to fulfil His promise by always being with you, there is a need to make your ways right with Him. You have to confess, forsake your sins and surrender your life to Jesus. Make a decision to follow Him for the rest of your life and He will forever be with you as well.

GOD CAN REMEMBER YOU TOO

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Thu, 16 Dec 2021 14:25:00 +0000

If God had remembered people in the past as seen in the scriptures, He can equally remember you too. Genesis 8:1, "And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged" Noah was remembered by God having obeyed the divine order to build an ark.

Abraham was remembered by God when Lot, his nephew was found in the midst of destruction that was about to befall Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 19:29, "And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt".

God remembered Hannah, Rachel and the children of Israel when they found themselves in difficulties. Your case can not be an exception, if you belong to the family of God, He will definitely come for you at the due season.

I wouldn't have subscribed to the use of the word 'remember' if it was not the way the Bible expressed it. I think that expression does not fit the person of God for God does not forget neither would He need to remember anything He has promised whether in the past or in the now. The Bible says in Isaiah 49:15-16, "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. 16, Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me". It is human to forget, but to remember is divine. As much as a baby may require crucial attention, the Lord says women can forget their sucking child. But, God said He has graven us in the palms of His hands, therefore, He will not forget you and me.

But, would God remember everyone on earth?

God would not remember everyone, but, only those who are in covenant with Him. The children of Israel were remembered because God had a covenant with their forefathers.

Now, for God to remember you, this means you have met with God before, there has been an understanding, an agreement, a promise and a need for fulfilment.

Exodus 2:23-25, "And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God because of the bondage. 24, And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25, And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them".

The scripture above revealed what transpired between God and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that triggered the remembrance that led to the deliverance of Israelites from Pharaoh's slavery in Egypt.

In Genesis 8:1, the Bible says, "And God remembered Noah".

In Genesis 19:29, the Bible says "And it came to pass when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt".

In Genesis 30:22, the Bible says, "And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her and opened her womb".

All these people as our case studies were remembered and settled accordingly because God had a covenant with their forefathers; Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

This shows that God would have nothing to remember about you except you are in a covenant with God as a descendant of Abraham whether in the flesh or spiritually.

Please, don't see God as being partial, He is not a respecter of persons. At the same time, He is a sovereign God that does anything as He pleases. Moreover, He is unquestionable!

See the statement of commitment by God in Genesis 17:7, "And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee".

He has chosen Abraham and his seed as His people here on earth to represent Him and carry out His mandate forever. Therefore, when we talk about God remembering people, the foundation is built on the agreement or covenant between God and Abraham.

What would I do for God to remember me?

You have to surrender your life to Jesus.

Even when you are not the direct seed of Abraham, God is not partial in His plan to mankind. He already had a program in place through which we all may come into the covenant and get qualified for Him to remember us.

Galatians 3:16, "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ".

The only way to access this covenant between God and Abraham, therefore, is through our Lord Jesus Christ, the true seed of Abraham. Now, if you have surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, you are already a seed of Abraham and to you, it is established the covenant that God had with Abraham. How did I know this? The scripture above states Abraham and his seed and not seeds as of many i.e in plural form but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ. In other words, all that came in the name of Abraham seed before Jesus Christ were not the seed that God was talking about in Genesis 17 but, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Now, you can easily come into this covenant and be remembered for miracles by giving your life to Jesus Christ.

Our God is a covenant-keeping God. His Modus Operandi may not work for you without a covenant with Him. When He started with Abraham, He spelt out all His dos and don'ts before embarking on the partnership. Abraham kept to the terms and conditions of walking with God and he lived a successful life on earth.

Now, if you think you can get anything from God without being in covenant with Him through our Lord Jesus Christ, you are a joker.

To save you a lot of stress and unanswered prayers, I implore you to do it today. Please, don't go into the new year without settling this between you and God.

Now, if you want God to remember you and let His promises come alive in your life, say this simple prayer with me;

Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I have realised I was never in covenant with You and this has been the major reason for my waterloo. I surrender my life to You today, I believe in my heart that You died for my sins, rose up again to give me total victory and I confess with my mouth that You are the Lord over my life. Please, write my name in the book of remembrance and let me serve You for the rest of my days. Thank You for bringing me into the beloved. In Jesus name, I have prayed.

SEASON OF HARVEST

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 06:09:00 +0000

The year is gradually counting down. In no distant time, we shall come to the end of this year.

So far it has been awesome, wonderful, glorious, terrific, fabulous and it has been God all the way. God's faithfulness has been proven beyond doubt in our lives. Without much ado, we are in the season of harvest.

What is a season? A season can be described as a period characterized by a particular circumstance or feature.

It is a particular period known for certain events. For instance, in this part of West Africa, Nigeria to be precise, when it continues to rain from March to September, we say it is the rainy season. And, when it stops raining and we continue to experience a lot of sun and hot weather conditions from October to February, we say it is the dry season.

Moreso, the Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:1, "To everything, there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:" from this scripture, we can say the season is a period when you go through a certain thing. For instance, as a married man or woman, there was a period when you are not married, that was a season. After the marriage, there was a period when there was no child, that was another season. But, today, you are fully married, not only with your partner but with your children. You are currently in a different season of your life. And, as you can see, none of the seasons lasts forever.

However, this means, if you are going through some stuff right now, it will only last for a season because no season lasts forever. Perhaps, you are jobless right now, it can only last for a season. If you are married without children today, it is only a season of your life. Whatever the situation may be, no season lasts forever.

In the same vein, harvest is an expression, show or proof of result, outcome, yield and returns after a period of labour. The season of harvest, therefore, is a season of accountability.

Exodus 23:16, "And the feast of harvest, the first fruits of thy labours, which thou hast sowed in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field".

There are three important points about the harvest from the scripture just quoted above;

Firstly, harvest always comes with a feast or celebration. I prophesy therefore, it is your season of celebration in the name of Jesus.

I remember when we were growing up as little children, we are always excited to see the month of December. Did you have the same feelings while growing up? The reason why we felt like that, we could not explain. But, one thing we knew was that it is a period of celebration. A period when they buy us new clothes, we visit places and our relatives mostly out of town. It is a time we have different programs in the school, church and even in our communities. It was such an unforgettable season of our lives as children!

Secondly, there is a period of labour before the harvest. You have laboured in different areas of your endeavour from January to this moment, it is your time of accountability. May you never labour for others to eat, May you eat the fruit of your labour in Jesus name.

Thirdly, the season of harvest is usually at the end of the year. The term harvest is better understood by farmers. As a farmer, it is well known that most farm crops especially cash crops like cocoa, palm kernel, bitter cola, are usually harvested during this period of the year. It is a time of accountability for all that the farmer has done in a year.

I'm sure this principle applies to other areas of endeavour as well. Studies have shown that most mega supermarkets and shopping malls in the world make the highest percentage of their annual sales during Christmas and at the end of the year. Even if you work in an organisation, there is always a reward in terms of harvest at the end of the year (They call it an annual bonus in some organisations). As this year comes to an end, may you never lose your harvest, May you never lose your reward in the name of Jesus.

WHAT TYPE OF HARVEST ARE WE EXPECTING?

1. Harvest of answers to prayers: If you have been praying, there shall be evidence of answers to your prayers.

Matthew 6:5-6, "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6, But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly".

In Daniel 6, Daniel was a man that laboured so much in prayer. However, he received the harvest of his labour when he was thrown into the lion's den.

1 Samuel 1:13, "Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken".

Hanna was another example, she was so much lost in prayer that only her lips moved, her voice was not heard and she was mistaken for a drunkard. But, in a due season, her harvest came and she had evidence of answered prayer. If you have been praying, I came to announce to you, it is your season of answers to prayers in Jesus name.

2. Harvest of bountiful profits to labour:

If you have laboured from the beginning of this year to this very moment, there shall be a harvest of bountiful profit to your labour. In Luke 5, Peter had laboured all night without any results. However, having surrendered his boat to Jesus, his season of harvest came. Jesus simply told him to go one more time, he did argue with the Lord but he eventually yielded to the advice of the Master. The encounter turned around his life, the outcome was life-changing and a remarkable one at that.

Therefore, if you have been working from the beginning of this year, perhaps, you have not been able to get any results for all your labour, all you need to do is to surrender your boat to God and watch out in this last month of the year, it shall surely be your season of turn around in the name of Jesus.

3. Harvest of reward for every divine task that has been carried out:

If you have been faithful to every divine task that has been assigned to you, there shall be a harvest of rewards for your obedience and service to the kingdom.

In Matthew 25:14-30, The parable of the talents shows us that as many as put to work, every empowerment received regarding the divine tasks assigned to them made more profit according to the talent given and were all duly rewarded by the Master.

Therefore, if you have been faithful to every divine task assigned to you as a worker, evangelist, pastor, prophet and member of the body of Jesus Christ, there shall be a harvest of double portion for your obedience and faithfulness in the name of Jesus.

4. Harvest of promotion to every temptation that was overcome:

If you have overcome every temptation that came your way, there shall be a harvest of promotion for your victory over Satan and the flesh.

Genesis 39:1-23, Joseph was tempted by Potiphar's wife while serving his master in Egypt as a slave. However, Joseph was able to overcome the temptation because he fears the Lord. Although he was dearly punished for not yielding to the fleshly temptation of Satan, his harvest was never denied him. He became the prime minister in Egypt even as a stranger in a strange land.

Job 1:6-12, Job also faced a terrible temptation from Satan having had so much wealth and Satan told God that Job never loved Him for nothing, but because God has built a hedge round about him and have given him so much wealth. Satan was therefore permitted by God to tempt Job and confirm that it was not because of the aforementioned. Everything was taken away but Job remained faithful to God. Job 42:10-17, at the end of it all, Job receives the harvest of promotion and everything he lost was restored back to him in double folds.

Therefore if you have overcome every temptation that came your way, there shall be a harvest of promotion for your victory over Satan and the flesh in the name of Jesus.

WHAT ARE WE TO DO?

1. Believe that God still perform miracles

2. Pray your harvest to reality; 1 Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without ceasing"

3. Keep working, don't stop.

4. Continue to trust in God.

5. Do what Peter did in Luke 5, surrender your boat to God, obey divine instructions and receive your harvest by faith.

CONCLUSION

It is your season of harvest saith the Lord. Receive the word of God by faith, go and come back with testimonies in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

WHEN YOUR CONFIDENCE IS MISTAKEN FOR ARROGANCE

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 13:26:00 +0000

HUMILITY IS ENFORCED WHEN A MAN IS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF POVERTY.

NO MAN'S HUMILITY IS PROVEN UNTIL HE HAS BECOME RICH. MANY PEOPLE INVOLUNTARILY BECOME HUMBLE WHEN THEY ARE UNDER FINANCIAL PRESSURE. THEY LOOK UP TO ANY MAN ASSUMED TO BE OF HELP IN SUCH HIGH ESTEEM AND THEREBY GO TO ANY LENGTH PRETENDING TO BE HUMBLE SO THEY CAN GET THE NEEDED ASSISTANCE.

BUT, THIS MAY NOT BE NECESSARY IF YOU KNOW YOUR TRUE WORTH AS A CHILD OF GOD.

STOP GIVING MEN THE HONOUR THAT IS DUE TO GOD.

THE ONLY ONE TO SEEK WHEN IN TROUBLE IS GOD.

EVERY MAN NEEDS HELP, HOW THEN DO YOU THINK YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED WHEN YOU PUT YOUR CONFIDENCE IN MAN.

THE ONE YOU ARE LOOKING UP TO HAS ISSUES WHERE HE ALSO REQUIRES HELP.

HOW COME YOU THINK HE COULD BE OF HELP TO YOU?

Your confidence might be mistaken for arrogance if you refuse to see men the way they want you to see them. It is heartbreaking how some men are gradually turning themselves to God. At every point in time, they want you to see them as your ultimate helper. For instance, when you refuse to beg a man that could be of help but would not when you are in need except you beg for it, you may end up being tagged as arrogant.

Nebuchadnezzar was a king in Babylon, he made a golden image for himself and he asked everyone in the land to bow down to this image. He literally made himself god over his subjects. However, Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego would not bow to this command because it violated their belief in God Almighty. Ordinarily, defiling the order of a king is a pure display of arrogance and this attracts severe punishments. But, when the ruling is challenging the supremacy of God, the response of the three Hebrew boys is just a display of confidence culminating in a better knowledge and understanding of God.

The account is found in Daniel 3:14-18, "Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? 15, Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? 16, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 17, If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18, But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up".

Sadly, this is how some men would want others to see them today, simply because they are fortunate enough to occupy a position of advantage over others.

While confidence is a display of certainty or trust in relation to particular knowledge and understanding, arrogance is an unhealthy ego or exaggeration about oneself.

When you know your God so well, the Bible says in Daniel 11:32b, "but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits".

I understand a lot of Christians do not care whether they beg or not as long as they have their needs met, it does not matter how, and that is fine. But, as for me, I strongly detest the idea of begging when in need. I have come to understand that God is high in heaven, yet He will not come down physically but no man could help me except he is led by God. Now, if you must be led by God to help me, why then should I be wasting time begging you, when I can easily talk to God and He would lead you even against your will to help me.

Check out the account of Elijah receiving help from a woman who herself needs help together with her son in 1 Kings 17:9, "Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain thee". The help was commanded by God even when it was the last meal for both the mother and the son, she couldn't reject to offer the help because it was commanded by God.

Moreover, I am yet to see a scripture that encourages Christians to beg. The Bible says in Psalm 146:3, "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help". The bottom line according to this scripture is that there is no help in the hands of men.

Jeremiah 17:5, "Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD". It is even an abomination to trust in man or shift your gaze from God to man.

Isaiah 31:3, "Now the Egyptians are men and not God; and their horses, flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall and they all shall fail together". Stop giving men the honour that is due to God. The only one to seek when in trouble is God. Every man needs help, how then do you think you will not be disappointed when you put your confidence in man. The one you are looking up to has issues where he also requires help. How come you think he could be of help.

The Bible says in Psalms 121:1-2, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2, My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth". Where and who do you look up to when you are in distress? If you know your God so well as the one that can do all things, your confidence should exceed this earthly realm when you are in need.

There is a popular saying that you would never know a man's character as long as he remains poor. Poverty is such a big punishment to mankind, it is capable of reducing man to slave even in his father's house. The Bible spoke about poverty in the following scriptures;

Proverbs 19:4, "Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour". This is a pointer to the fact that poverty is as bad as a disease called leprosy. Lepers are usually separated from the people, and as a poor man, you are not any better according to this scripture.

Proverbs 19:7, "All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him". Irrespective of your good character, if you are poor, stop asking why people hate you. This scripture made it obvious that all your brethren (even your family members) will hate you for no reason. Instead of your friends visiting you, they will rather go far from you. You will even try to move closer to them, buy their love with your kind words, yet this would not be enough to appease them.

Proverbs 14:20, "The poor is hated even of his neighbour: but the rich hath many friends". Don't deceive yourself, if you are poor, you don't have any friends. It may even surprise you that the one closest to you as a neighbour equally hated you. But if you are rich, every man wants to be your friend, it is now left to you to choose as many friends as you want.

Judging from the above scriptures, humility is enforced when a man is under the influence of poverty. No man's humility is proven until he has become rich. Many people involuntarily become humble when they are under financial pressure. They look up to any man assumed to be of help in such high esteem and thereby go to any length pretending to be humble so they can get the needed assistance. But, this may not be necessary if you know your true worth as a child of God.

The mindset template of a believer when under such pressure is revealed by Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:11-13, "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12, I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things, I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me". The present life is not a bed of roses. Challenges abound and only the rugged Christians can overcome.

Jesus said in John 16:33, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world". It is so unfortunate when many Christians found themselves in financial crisis, they begin to fidget and forget their true nature as children of God.

The Bible says in Psalm 34:10, "The young lions do lack and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing".

This is the word of God that requires strong faith to activate when you are found wanton. Faith becomes inactive anytime you exercise fear. As a result, you would be left with no other choice but, to start looking up to men. But, God is our ultimate Helper. Regardless of whoever appeared when you are in need, he or she was just a vessel used by God to deliver the needed assistance.

Perhaps I should ask you these questions, have you ever been in need and somebody came to your rescue at one time or the other? But, when you need the same assistance at another time, this same person refuses to assist you even when the resources are there and you did not just ask but begged? What do you think could be the reasons for these diverse responses? Haven't you see yourself doing the same to somebody else before, please be honest? The truth is as stated earlier, no man can help you except he is led by God. When he came to your rescue at the first instance, understand he was assigned by God to meet that need and he had no options, he must meet it because the resources have been duly given to him concerning you at that time. However, the resources in his hand at the second instance may not be assigned to him concerning you at that moment. There is no need to tag any man evil because they could not help you. God is your ultimate Helper, therefore, the onus is on you to stop looking up to man for assistance, rather set your gaze only on God that never fails.

In conclusion, your confidence truly might be misunderstood for arrogance but your knowledge and understanding of your God is better proven.

CALL UPON ME

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 08:04:00 +0000

From the time immemorial, God has been known to be a faithful God, Number 23:19, "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" Therefore, when God says in Psalm 50:15, "Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee and thou shall glorify me", you can be rest assured He meant everything He said.

Now, if we just read through this scripture without a critical insight, we will be quick to conclude that God is saying we should call upon Him only in prayers. As simple as that may sound, I can assure you, there is more to it. Prayer is just one means of calling on God. There are many other ways by which we can get this done. What if God is simply telling us to do anything we can to get His attention especially in the day of trouble. Remember, God is a Spirit and it takes only the spiritual to call upon Him and get a response. The question, therefore, is how do we call upon Him to get His attention? Looking at some life practical examples, there are so many ways people call attention to themselves on different occasions. For instance, when you are in distress, the most commonsensical move you make is to call an emergency number or send an emergency signal. In this wise, God is simply saying dial my number. Another instance is a toddler that is feeding on breast milk, when he is hungry and he does not know how to express himself verbally, the best he does many a time is that he begins to cry, make a gesture, or goes close to his mother and starts uncovering the mother's breast to send an emergency signal. Another instance is a prostitute at night in search of customers, the best they do to get the attention of the passersby is to dress naked and position themselves strategically on the street to attract their victims. In the like manner, we can attract God attention to ourselves in different ways. Considering the examples given above, there is a need to dial God's emergency number, express ourselves in gestures like that of a toddler, and strategically position ourselves to attract God's attention, especially In times of trouble.

With these illustrations in mind, various ways to call upon God include prayers, fasting, singing, sacrificial giving, and faith.

God's attention can be called verbally and expressed in prayer. There are so many instances in the bible where prayer was used as a device to dial the emergency number of God. A typical example is found in the book of Acts 12:1-5, "Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. 2, And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. 3, And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) 4, And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. 5, Peter, therefore, was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him". Prayer is seen here as a means of getting God's intervention to deliver Peter from the hands of Herod. God was called and He answered accordingly. You must understand the efficacy of prayer in this present dispensation of trouble. Call on God in prayer, He will never disappoint you. Psalm 46:1, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble".

As mentioned above, singing as a way of expressing God's goodness, kindness, majesty, power, sovereignty and supremacy in a melodious tune voiced from the lips of men to God is another way of getting God's attention. This tool can be used to communicate our heart request to God even when we are in trouble. Like a toddler when hungry, could not express himself verbally but, make some gesture to send an emergency signal to the mother, so also when praises of God is sung from our hearts, it does send an emergency signal to God when we are in distress. After Paul and Silas were arrested, the Bible says in Acts 16:25-26, "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26, And suddenly there was a great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed". Paul and Silas were able to get God's attention by praying and singing to God from their hearts. How often do you sing praises to God from your heart? It is unfortunate many Christians only listen and dance to praise and worship songs in the church, or while playing on tape just for a fleshly satisfaction of self and not to the praises of God. Singing is a powerful tool to attract God's attention to ourselves in times of trouble when it is done from the heart and with understanding. Psalm 47:7, "For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding".

Faith as part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit is an important tool to call upon God in times of trouble. The instrument of faith is so effective that the Bible says in Galatians 3:11, "But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith". This has been proven on many occasions as seen in the Bible. For instance, the woman with the issue of blood never opened her mouth in prayer, neither did she sing any song of praise. All she did was to purpose in her heart an intention to make a gesture by touching the hem of Jesus garments like a hungry toddler sending an emergency signal to his mother for instant response and she was duly attended to. Matthew 9:20-21, "And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him and touched the hem of his garment: 21, For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole". Faith is incomplete without an accomplishing action. The woman in the scripture above spoke in her heart and accomplish the thought with a corresponding action that led to her deliverance. What are you doing about that trouble that is giving you sleepless nights? What are you saying or thinking in your heart could be done to receive victory over those challenges? Take a bold step of faith, move according to the leading of the Holy Spirit and gain your victory over tribulations besieging your life.

Another instance of faith is seen when a man sick of the palsy was brought to Jesus for healing. However, his handlers found it difficult to gain entrance into the building due to a large number of people present in the house. They, therefore, climb the house roof and let down the sick man with a rope in front of Jesus Christ. This person did not pray, neither did they fast nor sing. They only thought in their heart, agreed on what could be done and carried out the corresponding action based on their faith in the power of God. They were duly rewarded for their faith. Remember, the just shall live by his faith. Read the story in the book of Mark 2:1-5, "And again he entered into Capernaum, after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. 2, And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. 3, And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 4, And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. 5, When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee". Give faith a chance in your life. There is no mountain your faith can not surmount.

Fasting is another way by which we can call upon God. We have seen it used on several occasions in the Bible. For instance, when Haman was seeking to kill all the Jews in Shushan because of Mordecai disagreement with him. Esther the queen had to request a fast from all the Jews present in the land in order to appear before the king so as to plead their cause against Haman's evil projection without being harmed for flouting the normal procedures. She never asked them to pray but fast. They did and the testimony is still evident to date. Read Esther 4:15-17, "Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, 16, Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. 17, So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him". Fasting can be used as a device to send an emergency signal to God especially when you are in trouble. How often do you fast? There are issues in your life that will not go until you fast and pray. Jesus told the disciples after their unfruitful encounter with a demoniac in Matthew 17:21, "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting".

King Solomon showed us another instance of how God can be called in the day of trouble. He has been appointed as the king in Israel, he was young and lack the wisdom to carry out his duties as King. He called upon God not just by praying but by making sacrificial giving on many occasions that provoke instant responses from God.

1 Kings 3:3-5, "And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places. 4, And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar. 5, In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee".

2 Chronicles 7:5, 12, "And king Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty and two thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep: so the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.

12, And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for a house of sacrifice". Each time King Solomon did this, he got an instant response from God. This shows that sacrificial giving offered with a heart of worship to God will always trigger quick attention from God. Do you have any pressing issues in your life? Have you been led to give a sacrificial offering in order to get a response from Him? Then, what are you still waiting for? Release it to God and experience God in a new dimension.

All the above-mentioned strategies do not fail when they are practically carried out with understanding.

How do you call on God, brethren? Call upon Him today using the tool of prayer, singing, fast obedience to divine instruction, faith and sacrificial giveng.

PAY NOT EVIL FOR EVIL

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 21:53:00 +0000

Evil is displayed in any action that is targeted at causing harm, destruction and misfortune. Evil is conceived and executed when someone is hurt, sad, or dead. The mission statement of the evil genius (Satan) is captioned in John 10:10, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy": But, Jesus mission states, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly". Every evil that is carried out by men all have their purpose and fulfilment in the statement above. However, as a child of God, Romans 12:21 says, "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good". This actually points at our topic, "Pay Not Evil For Evil".

Please don't be surprised when you see men standing in your way to success because that will always be the case, but remember, pay not evil for evil. Don't even try to fight back because you can not win the battle all by yourself, you may even lose your life doing so. There is no man destined to be great in life without a taste of this evil experience but it will always works together for your good.

It may interest you to know that for every Jesus, there is a Judas (a close ally that is ready to sell you out for a few cash). For every Joseph, there are envious brothers ready to do everything possible to make sure your dream and God-given purpose is not fulfilled. For every Elijah, there is a Jezebel (a demon possessed individual ready to take advantage of your brief spiritual worn-out). For every Esau, there is a Jacob (a brother watching closely and strategizing to possess that which is rightly belonging to you). For every David, there is a King Saul (a jealous boss who is ready to kill you and your potentials). The list indeed is inexhaustible but they all come out victoriously when they allowed God to avenge their enemy and refuse to pay evil for evil as commanded by God.

Have you in any way had a taste of evil done by men? Well, I have. But, I've learnt to always leave everything for God to handle without paying evil for evil.

At creation, Adam was created originally in the nature of God which is void of evil. Genesis 1:31, "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good". But, the nature of Adam became perverted when he gave in to the deceptive advice of the devil. And, from that day onward, the nature of man became quick to do evil rather than good. Genesis 6:5, "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually".

Psalm 14:2-3, "The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. 3, They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one".

Apostle Paul further testified about this evil nature of man in Romans 7:21-25, "I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22, "For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23, But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24, O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25, I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin".

The true nature of every man is stated in the scripture above, every man is capable of doing both good and evil and that is why it is important for every man to acknowledge his incapability for self-sustenance and thereby surrender his life to Jesus Christ who is able to deliver all from this body of death.

Paying not evil for evil may not be an easy decision to take especially when you have the power to avenge yourself of evil men has done to you. However, when you obey the Lord's instructions, there are many benefits attached to it.

WHY I SHOULD NOT PAY EVIL FOR EVIL

1. When you repay evil for evil, it shows actually who is your father.

Matthew 5:44-45, "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45, That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust".

2. When you repay evil for evil, it shows who actually is your master.

John 10:27, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me":

3. Evil will only result in more evil.

Proverbs 15:1, "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger".

1Samuel 25:9-13, "And when David's young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased. 10, And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master. 11, Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be? 12, So David's young men turned their way, and went again, and came and told him all those sayings. 13, And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the stuff".

4. When you determine and make up your mind not to repay evil for evil, God will turn it to your good

Proverbs 25:21-22, "If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: 22, For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee".

5. Whenever you help God to do what only Him should do, you will fail.

Romans 12:19, "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord".

2Samuel 6:7, "And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God".

In conclusion, the perverted nature of man is subject to the devil. Therefore, accepting the nature of God helps to forsake the evil ways. Surrender your life to Jesus today and be free from the body of death.

Power of Persistence

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 21:35:00 +0000

Persistence is displayed when you refuse to take no for an answer.

Persistence is when you continue to keep on pressing on irrespective of obstacles along your way.

As painful as it may be, I have watched many Christians compromise their faith on several occasions and I can tell you it was never a good experience. At one point or the other in the journey of faith, a man may come to his elastic limit in terms of persistence. But, God does not tolerate compromise, He only rewards persistence.

Hebrew 10:38, "Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him".

Drawing back or compromising is a no-no as far as God is concerned and He is not pleased in such an individual who finds it difficult to persist in faith.

In Numbers 14:21-35, while in the wilderness, the children of Israel attempted to turn and go back to Egypt on several occasions. They compromised and started blaming Moses for the challenges they encountered in the wilderness. But, they could not go back because Pharaoh and his chariots were strongly pursuing them. However, as many whose hearts had already compromised could not get to the promised land, they ended their lives in the wilderness for God only rewards persistence, He does not tolerate compromise.

In our bid to possess our godly heritage, persistence is a virtue that can not be overemphasized.

Mark 10:46-49, Blind Bartimaeus was utterly discouraged on the day of his visitation, a lot of people around him have completely written him off and when he began to cry for help, they tried as much as possible to shut him down. But, the Bible says he cried the more a great deal. He persistently followed and cried out until Jesus gave him the needed attention. Yes, it is natural for people to write you off in their own imaginations. However, it is unforgiving to allow what people say or think about you to influence your self-esteem.

Are you currently at any point of contemplating your persistence in faith? Are you on the verge of bowing to people's ridiculous opinions about your religiosity? Perhaps the time you have spent praying about that predicament is yet to pay off. Notwithstanding, it is not enough to throw in the towel now, just push a little more. It does not matter how long it tarries, your expectations will soon become a testimony.

Gehazi compromised his calling when he decided to collect what was rejected by Elisha, and as mentioned earlier, God rejected him and he ended up a leper. However, what helped Elisha to be a successful prophet that succeeded Elijah even with a double portion of anointing is persistence. The whole excess of Elisha's discipleship with Elijah was to take over and continue from wherever Elijah stops. This was almost lost but for the persistence and commitment of Elisha to his calling.

In 2 Kings 2:1-18, Elijah on several occasions tried to leave Elisha behind without handing over the mantle, but Elisha was persistent enough to follow him everywhere he went till he was able to get what he wanted.

Things might not really happen according to your timing and plans, Ecclesiastes 3:11 says He has made all things beautiful in His time. Isaiah 5:8 says God's thoughts are not our thoughts, neither His ways our ways. All we need to do is to keep on persisting in our prayers, services and obedience to the word of God. Never give up, just keep on pushing, in no distant time, it shall be your time to testify.

The Beauty of Ambition

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 17:56:00 +0000

Inordinate ambition is easily defined by greed, fleshly lust, self-glorification, egoism and insatiable desire for wealth. This has been taken too far and has been misunderstood for passion, but it's not. However, no one becomes successful without ambition. Another name for ambition driven in a positive direction is vision. Vision enables you to see beyond your present reality, but into your beautiful invisible future, thereby energizing you to pursue and realize it.

Ambition as earlier discussed can be defined as the urge to climb the next step in the ladder of success. It is a cherished, conceived desire and a strong drive for success. It is the readiness to give all it takes to achieve a certain goal in life.

Moreover, ambition is generally borne out of the passion to become, to have, to possess and to dominate. Man was originally wired or designed by God with the ambition to become, to have, to possess, and to dominate. Genesis 1:27-28, "So God created man in his image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28, And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth". This simply means man is naturally an ambitious being.

Today, you must be ambitious even for the plan of God to be realistic in your life. 1Corinthins 14:1, "Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy". The word desire in the sentence above says it all about ambition. Gifts of the Spirit are available for all to profit withal, however, it is not forced on anybody, you must be ambitious to receive. 1 Corinthians 12:7, "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal".

Another instance is found in Mark 11:24, "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them". Many people could not get answers to their prayers today because there is no desire which is interpreted as ambition. But if it is desired and it's according to the will of God, Jesus said, believe that you have received them and you shall have them. May you receive answers to all your heart desires in Jesus name.

You may not be able to go higher in life except you are ambitious. To climb any ladder of success in life, ambition is required. No one became a doctor, engineer, teacher, politician, lawyer, president, governor and so on without ambition. Even when you are suddenly called into the ministry, you have to build a desire to work for God; otherwise, you will end up a failure in such ministry. May you never fail in your ministry in Jesus name.

"Ambition is what prepares you in the place of aspiration for a position you are yet to acquire".

Your next level in life is only determined by how ambitious you are.

Ambition works hand in hand with your dream, goal and purpose in life.

From our studies so far, it is crystal clear, ambition can be appropriate and as well can be inordinate. It depends on the motives behind it.

When it is handled with the required enthusiasm powered by the original plan and will of God without selfish or self-centred aggrandizement, it is an appropriate ambition.

Mark 10:35-43 revealed the ambition of two sons of Zebedee who happened to be among the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. James and John in their outright bid for greatness bluntly came to Jesus, and they asked Him to allow them to sit next to Him in the kingdom of God. In a carnal sense of reasoning, this was too straightforward a request, as well as an ambition to be greater than the rest of the group. While this would be hypocritically condemned by men, Jesus never condemned them. Rather, He showed them how this can be achieved. This is an example of an appropriate ambition because it is the will of God that man sits with Jesus in His kingdom. John 14:1, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2, In my Father's house, are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3, And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also". Brothers and sisters, how ambitious are you about heaven? Where do you want to sit in the kingdom of God? Whether you like it or not, you must desire it, pursue it because this is the only way you will end up achieving it.

May you end up in heaven with God in Jesus name.

WHAT APPROPRIATE AMBITION WILL DO FOR YOU

1. Ambition will give you a push to become inquisitive about your goal. Mark 10:35-37, "And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire. 36, And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? 37, They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory".

2. Ambition will give you a push to do whatever it takes to realize your dream. Proverbs 18:1 Through desire, a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.

· It was ambition that helped Zacchaeus to do what he did that qualified him for divine recognition that led to his spectacular salvation. Luke 19:2-5, "And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. 3, And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. 4, And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. 5, And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house".

· It was ambition that brought the thief by the right hand of Jesus to receive forgiveness even at the point of death and at the last minutes of his life. Luke 23:32-43

3. Ambition will avail you of the opportunity to know the right way of achieving your goal.

It was ambition that made Jesus tell John and James with the rest of the Apostles how to achieve their goal. Mark 10:42-45, "But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. 43, But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: 44, And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be a servant of all. 45, For even the Son of Man, came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many".

Being conscious of his little stature, it was ambition that made Zacchaeus prepared ahead of time before the arrival of Jesus Christ in Jericho by climbing the Sycamore tree to see Jesus which brought him spectacular salvation that we are talking about today. Luke 19:1-10

4. Ambition will make you become a successful man in life.

Proverbs 10:24, "The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted".

Matthew 5:6, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled".

Psalm 145:19, "He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them".

Psalm 37:4, "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart".

5. Ambition will hand over to you the secret to the realization of your dream. Mark 10:43, "But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: 44, "And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be a servant of all".

HOW TO REALIZE YOUR AMBITION

1. Let it be in line with God's purpose for this earth. Genesis 1:27-28, "So God created man in his image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28, And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth".

2. Never attach a selfish or self-centred glory to your goal. Do it all for God!

3. Do not try to achieve your goal alone, always go hand in hand with God, be prayerful! (Remember the tower of Babel)

4. Be a servant to your subjects. (Remember what Jesus told the disciples)

In conclusion, inordinate ambition is the starting point of menace that is ravaging our society today. Ambition in the right perspective will help us to savage the damage that has been done already. Nevertheless, Jesus has revealed the greatest secret to realizing our ambition, dream and purpose in life, all we have to do, is, to make sure our ambition is service-oriented and thereby serve.

Arise

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 20:22:00 +0000

Isaiah 60:1, "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee".

In the journey of life, there is a place for destiny and there is a place for responsibility.

Genesis 18:18, "Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?"

It was Abraham's destiny to be great. But, this wouldn't have been possible if Abraham refused to obey all the instructions given to him by God.

At the first instance, Abraham was asked to leave his father's house to a place where God would show him. Genesis 12:1, "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee".

There was also a time when God asked him to sacrifice his only son and which he was ready to do before God made another provision instead of Isaac. Genesis 22:2, "And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of".

Abraham was destined to be great and this actually came to pass because Abraham was responsible enough to obey the instructions of God.

However, when we look at the story of Eli, we will understand that God will always be faithful to His promises but man may fail in carrying out his own responsibility which may as well make the destiny to be changed. Eli generation was actually said to walk before God forever but due to the misbehaviour of Eli's children, God changes His plan concerning them.

1 Samuel 2:30, "Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed".

The truth is God has a great plan for all His children, but for you to realize your Godly destiny, you must be responsible enough to obey His instructions.
God's purpose for your life will always stand, only if you allow God to be the captain of your boat. (Genesis 37 - 41; Joseph, all through his journey from his father's house until he became the prime minister in Egypt, God was the captain of his boat) no wonder he was able to get to his destination in life.

However, there are things God will do for you on the way to your destination in life. Whereas, there are many things you will have to do for yourself. Hence, the command in Isaiah 60:1, "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee".

Please, understand that when God says "arise, shine" as read in our text, you can rest assured that God has already done His part before the statement was made.

What is God saying when He says "Arise"?

There are no finite definitions regarding this statement as revealed by the Holy Spirit.

For instance, when God says Arise;

1. To a sinner, He is saying, receive forgiveness for your sin. Embrace the gospel of salvation and forsake all your sinful ways.

Matthew 16:26, "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

2. To a fornicator, He is saying stop the fornication.

1 Corinthians 6:18, "Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body"

3. To a tithe evader, God is saying nonpayment of tithe presents you before me as a robber, you need to start paying your tithe for your heavens to be opened.

Malachi 3:8, "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

4. To a fearful heart and a man without faith, God is saying, fear not.

Hebrews 11:6, "But without faith, it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him".

5. To a sick fellow, God is saying you are healed.

1 Peter 2:24, "Who his own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed".

6. To a backslider, God is simply saying to you, like the prodigal son, repent and come back home.

It does not matter what the challenge may be when it seems as if nothing is working, brethren search very well within your spirit, there is something you still need to do.

Perhaps you have not prayed enough or you have not gotten the right portion of the bible that could address the issue, or you have not spent enough time fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit, or there is a direct and personal instruction from God which you are yet to carry out. Failure to observe all these and many more as mentioned could be the reason why you suffer what you are suffering today.

Therefore, God is saying to you today, Arise and do the needful.

May your spirit receive the unction to do the needful today in the name of Jesus.

Now, if only you can arise, your shinning is inevitable. All you are asked to do according to the scripture is to arise. Shinning is a spiritual response to your obedience.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SHINE?

This simply means getting outstanding solutions to your problem. When;

1. your sins are forgiven

2. Sickness receives healing

3. Your heavens are opened and the blessings of God locate you

4. You are fully restored back home.

In conclusion, you have a role to be responsible enough to carry out every direct instruction given to you by God. However, your shinning is fully dependent on God because He is the custodian of the light that will actually shine on you.

Isaiah 60:2b, "but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee".

I WILL HELP YOU

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 14:16:00 +0000

The subject for discussion today is a statement made by God. Of course, for help to be required, there is a lingering problem at hand. Help is usually required when all efforts have yielded no result, when all powers have failed and when every means of getting the solution to a problem have been exhausted.

2 Kings 6:26, "And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king. 27, And he said, If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress?"

There are many situations in our life today that have defiled every possible help from man, it is time to look up to God for an unfailing solution.

Every man born of a woman is limited in nature. Man is limited in time, resources, wisdom, knowledge, and power. But, God is not limited by any of these factors. This makes it crucial for a man to seek help only from God. It doesn't matter the help you could get from man, God remains our ultimate Helper. The day God stops helping you, is the day you begin to go down. May that never be your portion in Jesus name.

Naaman was an army general with records of victory in many wars, but he was a leper. The whole of Syria have required the help of Naaman in fighting their enemies, meanwhile, he himself needed a help for a problem that has defiled every possible help from man. 2 Kings 5:1, "Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper". May every clause derogating your godly personality be removed in the name of Jesus.

There are so many people with unique abilities and achievements that could be a great source of help to humanity but not without a limitation. This shows a tremendous need for help from a higher source far above principality and power. When a man understands the feebleness of his being and therefore acknowledges God as his only source of help, he can be sure of receiving timely help from God.

David understood this and he says in Psalm 121:1-2, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2, My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth".

Today, God is not even waiting for you to ask for help, rather He is voluntarily saying to you, don't worry, I understand all your predicaments, and, I will help you. Praise God!

Isaiah 41:13-14, "For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. 14, Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel".

WHY WOULD GOD VOLUNTEER TO HELP US?

For His name sake.

1 Samuel 12:22, "For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people".

He is a covenant-keeping God.

Genesis 17:7, "I’m establishing my covenant between me and you, and with your descendants who come after you, generation after generation, as an eternal covenant, to be your God and your descendants’ God after you".

He is not ignorant of our limitations as human beings.

Job 25:4, "How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?"

He is aware of the presence of evil forces here on earth

Isaiah 41:11-12, "Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing, and they that strive with thee shall perish.12, Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought".

WHAT ARE THE PROOF THAT GOD WILL FULFIL HIS PROMISES?

When promises are made, it is important to know the integrity of the one that is making the promises.

The track record of God shows His undeniable and high level of integrity.

Exodus 15:1-11, this is a song and testimony of Moses about the power of God having received a great deliverance from the hands of Pharaoh and his chariots.

Daniel 6:4-27, Daniel was delivered from the Lion's Den

Daniel 3:1-28, Shadrach Mesach and Abednigo were delivered from the fiery furnace.

Acts 16:16-26, Paul and Silas were miraculously delivered from prison

Acts 12:1-11, Peter was rescued from the prison by the divine intervention of God through an angel.

When God speaks, you can be rest assured He has done it.

Numbers 23:19, "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"

Malachi 3:6, "For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed".

Jeremiah 32:27, "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?"

Jesus put it this way, Luke 21:33, "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away".

TO WHOM ARE THESE PROMISES MADE?

Isaiah 41:8-9, "But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend. 9, Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away".

The Israelite of God
The chosen of God
The seed of Abraham

Galatians 3:16, "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ".
Galatians 3:29, "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise".

Those that have given their life to Jesus Christ.

WHAT SHOULD I DO TO RECEIVE THIS VOLUNTARY HELP FROM GOD?

If you are already a child of God, this help is certainly for you. All you need to do is simple, just accept the offer by faith and allow God to help you.

But, if you are yet to surrender your life to Jesus Christ, you have to do so now. That is the first step to take. Thereafter, be a good follower of Jesus Christ.

INORDINATE AMBITION

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 11:10:00 +0000

The longing to live a better life is inherent in all humans. Whether consciously or unconsciously, everyone dreams to become somebody in life. No matter how comfortable a man can be, he is still on the lookout for a greater tomorrow. Notwithstanding, whatever you aspire to be or achieve in life is subject to your ambition.

As seen in Isaiah 14:12-23, Lucifer could not think of becoming any other thing but to overthrow his Maker and take over the throne of God. What a ridiculous desire that culminated in an inordinate ambition!

In the same manner, many of us today have gradually lost value in living a life of virtue, but worldly pleasure and fleshly lust, have blinded our godly reasoning. Both old and young are no longer ashamed to do anything in disguise for success. The urge, pressure and clamour to make it by all means regardless of our societal values are becoming a norm. What a disaster!

Imagine young men and ladies, married and single, passionately and shamelessly trading off their morals and playing out a demonic script on live screens in the name of reality TV shows to garner fame and popularity in disguise for success. The truth is many people have been wrongly guided and misinformed, good motives of living a purposeful life have been deeply misinterpreted. It now seems as if there are no genuine ways of realizing your dream except you are involved in immorality. What a shame! This is highly demoralizing and should not be encouraged at all.

Perhaps you are reading this and your thought is already going south, the Lord is admonishing you because you are destined only for the top, withdraw from such an act. May you never be consumed by fleshly ambitions in Jesus name.

The subject for discussion is "Inordinate Ambition", and the word ambition can be defined as the urge to climb the next step in the ladder of success. A cherished, conceived desire and a strong drive for success. The readiness to give all it takes to achieve a certain goal in life.

Moreover, ambition is generally borne out of the passion to become, to have, to possess and to dominate. And, for your information, man was originally wired or designed by God with the ambition to become, to have, to possess, and to dominate. In actual fact, Genesis 1:28 says, "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth". May you become what God has called you to be in the name of Jesus.

Inordinate on the other hand stands for excessive, undue, unreasonable and beyond normal limits.

However, this ambition to become, to have, to possess and to dominate, which is the original call of man, can become inordinate.

This takes us to the next question, what exactly is meant by inordinate ambition?

Inordinate ambition comes to play when the urge to climb the next step in the ladder of success is going beyond a normal limit. When a conceived desire and a drive for success are becoming unreasonable and when undue attention is being given to a certain goal.

Judas Iscariot was ready to sell off the Master even as a disciple of Jesus Christ all for inordinate ambition to make money. This is quite unthinkable, but it happened.

In the same manner, there are so many cases of disloyalty around us today. This has led to an illogical search for power, politically and spiritually. Please understand me, the ambition to represent a people on a political platform is not bad, but it becomes one when the person in question has a selfish agenda contrary to serving the people he represented.

Furthermore, the ambition to start a church in furtherance to the work of God here on earth is not an ignoble or an ungodly endeavour, but it becomes one when the motive behind the establishment is biased and self-centred. Getting rich and wealthy is your call as a man, but it becomes inordinate, abnormally excessive, and unnecessary when you are ready to cheat, steal, kill, do all sorts of ungodly rituals and so on in disguise for success. Psalm 101:7, “He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight”.

Proverbs 20:17, “Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards, his mouth shall be filled with gravel”.

Inordinate ambition is displayed when you are ready to take that which does not belong to you. Lucifer was a very ambitious Cherub, he was desperate to become like God. He envied the position God occupies and was ready to achieve it but he fell from heaven.

Isaiah 14:12-15, "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13, For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15, Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit".

You are nothing different from the devil as long as you can not wait for your time of promotion to a certain position of authority until you have backstabbed your superior at work and manipulated everyone around you to support your evil agenda.

When your ambition is been fueled by the passion for self-glorification which is void of God, it is inordinate. Take a cue from the tower of Babel; Genesis 11:1-9, "1, And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2, And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3, And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. 4, And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. 5, And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6, And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7, Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. 8, So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9, Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth".

The major aim of building this edifice was mainly to make a name for themselves, Genesis 11:4. What a wrong reason for ambition!

That goal you are pursuing today, what is the motive behind it? That building you are working on presently, that car you are planning to buy, that money you want to donate, that dream you are nursing, that degree you want to acquire, that title you want to receive, to whose glory are you planning to get this? Is it for yourself glorification or to the glory of God?

When the ambition is against the will of God and it is generally designed to destroy the plan of God, it is inordinate.

Hamaan was an ambitious man during the time of King Ahasuerus. He was ready to destroy the plan of God by manipulating the king to kill all Jews in Sushan at that time just because of Mordecai who refused to honour him probably because of evil he had done in the past.

He was also ready to take the glory that does not belong to him. Esther 2,3,4,5,6,7&8.

Among many dangers attached to inordinate ambition are;

Unfulfilment and a waste of time, effort and energy. Genesis 11:9, "Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth". Isaiah 14:12, How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! May your dream never fail in Jesus name. May your dream and aspiration be fulfilled in Jesus name.
The enmity between man and God. James 4:4, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever, therefore, will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God". May every enmity between you and God be resolved today in Jesus name.
Generational curse. 2Kings 5:26, "And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants? 27, The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow". You are delivered today from every generational curse in the name of Jesus.
Inability to realize the plan of God for your life. Gehazi would have received the double portion of Elisha's anointing and become a great prophet in the same order with his master but for his inordinate ambition to take that which does not belong to him. May every plan of God for your life come to manifestation in the name of Jesus.

Ambition is necessary to move ahead in life, but when it is excessive, unreasonable and above normal limits, it is inordinate. This is highly detrimental to your true self as a child of God.

God Knows About Your Problems

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Fri, 25 Jun 2021 15:13:00 +0000

Problems exist in the world since the time of Adam and Eve, Genesis 3:9-24. The moment they ate the forbidden fruit, they suddenly realized they were naked. The land was cursed never to bring forth fruit until they have laboured, the woman would need to pass through a period of hardship in her effort to give birth. They were kicked out of their natural habitat into a place that was never designed for their living. And, for the very first time, shame, fear and death became a reality.

Therefore, if you are facing challenges in your life today, it is not a new thing and you are not alone. As long as man exists on earth, problems are inevitable. But, I see God resolving your problems today in Jesus name.

Problems can be described as difficult situations that have defiled the usually applicable remedies. It is an unpleasant issue that is giving you sleepless nights. It is an embarrassing condition that brings to you, shame and fear. It makes you hide when you are supposed to be bold and confident. It gives pain, sorrow and agony which may as well end in death. But, God will deliver you from all problems in Jesus name.

2 Kings 5:1, "Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper".

Naaman was a great man, an honourable man, a mighty man in valour, but, he was a leper. Irrespective of all his greatness, there is an incomplete joy, pain, shame, sorrow and agony in the life of Naaman, he was a leper. This was a problem in the life of Naaman in his days until he met with the power of God through Prophet Elisha and he was cleansed of his leprosy.

Luke 16:19-31 is the account of Lazarus and the Rich Man. Lazarus was a God-Fearing man, a righteous man and a good Christian, he even made it to heaven, but, he was a beggar. He lived all his life on earth as a wretched man in pain, penury, poverty, destitution, sorrow and agony. Even in death, while sitting at the bosom of Abraham, the rich man at the other end of hell still regarded him as a beggar and a kind of an errand boy. Unfortunately, Lazarus has been glorified and can no longer be a subject to the rich man. The problem was over!

Anything that brings the clause 'but' into your life is a predicament, a difficulty, an unpleasant situation and it always brings embarrassment, shame, pain, sorrow and agony. But, whatever the case may be, the Lord will shake the foundation of that problem today, and your days of sorrow shall be over in Jesus name.

YOUR PERSONALITY MATTERS

However, your personality determines your stand regarding the solution to your problem.

The good news is that if you are a child of God, I mean a transformed and converted sinner, now born again in Christ Jesus, I can boldly tell you, God knows about your problems. However, if you are not a child of God, I'm sorry, God may be ignorant of your problems.

Ephesians 2:11-12, "Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:"

The scripture above shows clearly the relationship status of an unbeliever with God; which states that every unbeliever is without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

Dear friend, for how long are you going to ignore the gospel of Jesus Christ that brings salvation into your life and giving you access to the covenants of the promise of eternal life?

For how long are you going to labour all by yourself for a problem you can not solve without a solution? Jesus says in Matthew 11:28,

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest".

Surrender your life to Jesus today and be sure of solutions to your many problems.

HOW DID I KNOW THAT GOD KNOWS ABOUT YOUR PROBLEMS?

Exodus 12:40-42, "Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.

41, And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

42, It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations".

The scripture above is the account of the children of Israel leaving Egypt after they have served Pharaoh as slaves for four hundred and thirty years.

Do you know that Israelites were children of God, the chosen of the Lord, the covenanted people of God, yet, they were slaves, in problems, difficulties, pains, sorrow and agony all through their stay in Egypt?

Did God know about their problems? Yes, and not only did He know about their problems, as a matter of fact, He preplanned it.

Didn't they pray about the problems? You may ask, but, they did.

Was God not hearing their prayer? But, He was.

Here is the truth about their predicaments;

Genesis 15:13, "And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;"

The truth is God earlier foretold their predicament to Abraham many years before it happened.

Even when they are the chosen of God, the covenanted children of God, the peculiar people of God, there is nothing they could do to reverse the word of God. Even when they prayed and do all sort of things to come out of their captivity, they were not delivered until the set time for their deliverance is complete.

Now, you can see that you are not the only one having problems as a child of God, it happened to our forefathers in faith, but like many that believe in the saving power of God, they all ended their journey in the promised land. You shall also end your journey in the promised land in the name of Jesus.

Please note, the Israelites were slaves in Egypt for more than 400 years not because they so loved the situation, not because they were sinners, not because they did not pray as they ought to, but because it was a divine program of God and there is an appointed time for their deliverance.

I am glad to tell you today, there is an expiry date to every trouble you are going through as a child of God. And, I want to let you know that the expiry date for that problem has come. It does not matter how many years you have been in that situation, child of God, the expiry date has come in Jesus name.

Conclusively, are you facing any Egyptian syndrome in your life today; long awaiting expectations, the similitude of unanswered prayers, oppression, depression, rejection and stagnation. Whatever the case may be, I want you to know that God knows about it and your tomorrow shall be alright.

WALKING IN PERFECTION

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Tue, 18 May 2021 10:55:00 +0000

The controversies about the subject of perfection among Christians has been on for ages.

Some school of thought believe Christians can be perfect, and the other believes it is not possible. But God demanded that Abram be perfect according to Genesis 17:1, "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect". The question therefore remains, is it possible for a man to be perfect as read in that text? Emphatically, yes. And, our aim today is to demystify every myth around this subject and know how we can become perfect.

Perfect can be defined as a flawless state of a man where there is no error or mistakes. It is the same as holy. It also means complete, whole, excellent, real, exact, precise and accurate. Therefore, when God says to Abraham, "and be thou perfect" God was saying, "and be thou holy, complete, whole, excellent, real, exact, precise and accurate image of God that you are".

You will agree with me that man was initially created in the perfect image of God. But, man became imperfect, corrupt, lost his identity, and no longer in God's true image and representative since he fell into the deception from Satan at creation.

However, God was ready to fix this by choosing a man through which this could be achieved, and God found Abraham. Hence, the dialogue between Abraham and God is seen in Genesis 17:1.

As Christians on earth today, I can boldly say perfection is not a dream unachievable because Jesus Christ was a perfect man when He walked the surface of the earth as reflected in His word according to John 14:30, "Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me". In the same vein, we will struggle so much yet, without any result by applying the tools of self-discipline, self-control and self-righteousness in order to become perfect as demanded by God. The book of Isaiah 64:6 talks more about this truth, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away". This is a straight objection to the idea of self-discipline, self-control and self-righteousness.

Then, How Can I Be Perfect?

The truth is you can not be perfect all by yourself, but you can be made perfect, walking before God.

Let us look at our opening scripture again and find out what was God saying exactly. Genesis 17:1, "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect".

If we follow the sequence of the statement made by God in that scripture, then we will understand better what God meant when He said, "and be thou perfect".

Now, the first thing God said to Abram was, "I am the Almighty God". This was the introduction of the One talking to Abraham, His person, authority, power and sovereignty.

The next thing God said to Abraham taking from the whole sentence was, "Walk before me". This shows exactly what God wants Abraham to do. It is the mission statement from God to Abraham. And, this was all He asked Abraham to do.

And, the last thing He said taking from the whole statement was, "and be thou perfect" I believe it becomes clearer now that this last statement is a consequence, resultant effect, compensation, or a reward of Abraham walking before the Lord.

BUT, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO WALK BEFORE THE LORD

God was simply saying to Abraham

1. I want you closer than ever before

2. I need you for a purpose and to carry out this purpose, you have to forsake your way.

3. From now on, you will need to walk before me because I need to see everything you are doing.

4. I need to do these so that I may be able to guide you, direct you, teach you, rebuke you when you want to go astray, and chastise you if you ever go astray.

5. And all this I will do so that I may be able to bring out in you a perfect image suitable, fit, worthy to carry out the purpose for which i have chosen you.

HOW DO I WALK BEFORE GOD?

1. Surrender your life to Jesus. Until you are born again, you can not come into the family of God. It takes you to become a member of His family for you to be able to walk before Him.

John 3:17-18, "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God".

2. Meditate day and night on the word of God. Joshua 1:8, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success". As a child of God already walking before Him, it takes obedience to the word of God to keep you on the path of righteousness without getting derailed.

3. Pray always. Luke 22:40, "And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation".

4. Get involved in the kingdom service.

Matthew 28:18-20, "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in the earth.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen".

Conclusion

Walking before the Lord is the same as walking in intimacy with God which eventually produces walking in perfection. Stop struggling in futility to be perfect, God demands only that you walk in intimacy with Him and you will fulfil your purpose as the original image of God that you are.

A NEW LIFE

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 15:15:00 +0000

Many people are disappointed today as members of different church denominations because their reasons for joining the church could not be realized. They have expected a rapid change in their situation but none of those things is forthcoming. They knew there is a supernatural power of God, but they only believe it becomes effective through the ministry of a few individuals. I mean, through certain men or women with special gifts from God. They have concluded in their heart, the miraculous experience of God would not be possible until they have gone through these so-called men or women of God who can see visions and assign them some rituals or spiritual assignments before anything can happen in their lives. These groups of people have ignorantly made themselves slaves to the so-called attention-seeking pastors. But, how wrong they are? The manifestation of the power of God is not just to few individuals as erroneously believed by this vast majority of people.

Please hear this! There is a manifestation of the power of God to profit with, in your life as a believer.

1 Corinthians 12:7-11, "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

8. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

9. To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

10. To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another, diverse kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

11. But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will".

Now listen! The time of ignorance is over. Today, the truth is revealed in the word of God. You can imagine how painful it is to have been coming to church for a very long time with an expectation to get solutions to your many problems, but only to have waited for so long without any result. An end has come to that longtime waiting in the name of Jesus.

Somebody may then ask, but, what could have been responsible for this unpalatable experience in the church today as earlier mentioned? Well, from experience, the individuals involved are just members of various church denominations, they are not members of the body of Jesus Christ.

Please note, you may be a member of a church denomination without being a member of the body of Christ. But, you can not be a member of the body of Christ without being a member of a church denomination.

There is an old life that is in bondage to some old covenant in sin and there is a new life that has been set free from every curse of the law; Hebrews 8:12-13, "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away". When a man has not had the new birth experience, he continues in the old way of life that is rooted in the Adamic nature of man. However, when he surrenders his life to Jesus, a new life of overcomer becomes active in him.

WHAT IS THE OLD LIFE?

The old life is a life that is characterized by sin because it is rooted in Adam. Psalm 51:5, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me".
It is a life that has never experienced a change of heart and it does not have what it takes to please God. Romans 8:8, "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God".
The old life has no regard for God, therefore, it has been condemned to eternal death, it is a life living under the curse of the law and a life that has been denied access to the original plan of God. Genesis 3:17-19, "And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt, thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return".
Every man on earth today inherited the old life from Adam by default. Genesis 5:3, "And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth":
However, Romans 6:1, 'What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?" The response was God forbid, and this pointed us to the fact that there is a need for a new life.

WHAT IS THE NEW LIFE

The new life is a life that is rooted in Jesus Christ, whose sins have been forgiven and have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus. Romans 6:3-4, "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, we also should walk in newness of life".

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO HAVE A NEW LIFE

Repent and forsake your sinful ways. Romans 6:1, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?"
Surrender or rededicate your life to Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new".
Accept that you are dead to sin and continue to live a life of victory over sin. Romans 6:11, "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord". Galatians 2:20, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me".
Determine never to obey the lust of sin in your mortal body. Romans 6:12-13a, "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin":
Be alive unto God always. Romans 6:13b, "but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God".
The new life is a product of the new man in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:4, "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life". The emphasis here is the fact that Jesus did not raise Himself from the dead, but was raised from the dead by the Father. Even so, we also would not have a new life by our power but would be empowered to walk in the newness of life by the same Father.
The new life has what it takes to please God and this launch man into a new level of grace, anointing, prosperity, success, and so on.

CONCLUSION

A new life in the new covenant of grace demands a new you, give Jesus a chance in your life today.

GOD IS NOT ALWAYS IN THE NOISE

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Sat, 27 Mar 2021 17:00:00 +0000

There are noises around us today in disguise for the presence of God, whereas He is not there. Structures in the name of "church" are built littering every nation around the world with the intent of God's manifestation, but the manifestation of men.
The fact that it is a big church with a large congregation, the General Overseer is very wealthy, there is a great number of daily miracles, the church has the best choir and whatsoever may have impressed or drawn your attention to the church is not enough evidence that God is there. Many a time, this is just an empty and glorified noise singing praises of men.

1 Kings 19:9-18 tells us about the story of Elijah after he had killed the prophet of Baal. Jezebel the priestess of Baal had issued out a threat to kill him too. Elijah has been in the wilderness running for his dear life when he had an encounter with God. Since there was no other prominent or well-known prophet like him at that time, Elijah thought there was no other prophet in the land and he alone remained. However, to prove his ignorance, God commanded him to go upon the mount before the Lord.
A demonstration of the Lord's presence was staged right before him. First, in the form of a great and strong wind that rents the mountain and breaks in pieces the rocks before the Lord but the Lord was not in the wind. Secondly, after the wind, the same was demonstrated with an earthquake, and third, with fire but the Lord was not in the earthquake neither was He in the fire. But, after all this, the same was demonstrated with a still small voice; and Elijah was able to hear the voice of God again.

Why would God take Elijah on this spiritual journey?

The first three scenes can be generally characterized as physical signs and demonstrations of power which is just an empty and a glorified noise void of God's presence.

The last scene, however, has no traces of physical sign nor any form of physical demonstration but a hearing that goes beyond the physical, a spiritual hearing even a still small voice.

God just wanted us to know that the fact you are not hearing, seeing or perceiving does not mean that God is not there, His manifestation is a personal experience that can not be judged by anybody.

When you are the only big church around, don't think that God could not be in the smaller churches around you. His presence can be much more manifested as a still small voice than what is obtained in the big churches in the form of the wind, earthquake, and fire symbolized by prohecy which is nothing but noise.

Please, note this is not written to wash down the activities of the big churches around us, the truth is that God can decide to reveal Himself in different forms. For example, He can decide to appear in the form of a pillar of cloud, as He did to the Israelite while in the wilderness during the day, a pillar of fire at night, water when they were thirsty, as an earthquake when they faced the wall of Jericho, even as manna when they were faced with hunger. He can appear in a different form but not always in a noisy disposition. He does appear also in a still small, silent and quiet voice.

That church beside your house indeed may not have a large congregation, it might even be an uncompleted building or a tent, they may not even have musical instruments, the pastor may not even be able to speak correct English, maybe nobody has a car in that church and you believe your class of people does not attend this kind of church.
Are you truly seeking the Almighty God? Then you need to understand that God also dwells in a still small quiet and silent voice too. He is not always in the noise.

Just like Elijah, how would you know your long-awaited miracle is not in the noise? Perhaps, God requires your total and full attention which can only be achieved in a still small quiet and silent environment where there is no noise for your blessing to be perfected.

When God decided to reveal Himself in a still small voice as He did to Elijah, this means He needs your total and complete attention because that is what is required for Him to be glorified in that situation.

What does the expression, a still small voice mean?

A non-dramatic and non-animated revelation of God.
A hard-to-believe presence of the Divinity.
A unique expression and manifestation of God’s power.
And finally, a revelation that God is not always in the noise.

Lessons from the text;

1. God cannot be held to ransom. He is unpredictable, and He is incomprehensible. He is not limited in power, resources, strength, and ability. Elijah in his word said only he remained as a prophet of the Lord. He repeated this three times in 1 Kings 18:22, 1 Kings 19:9-10 and 1 Kings 19:13-14 but God still has many prophets in reserve.

2. You are not better than the next fellow. The fact that you have known God for many years, does not guarantee that God prefers you to the other person.

3. Self-righteousness is a killer. Elijah was so righteous in his own eyes far above every other person in the land but he was wrong.

4. Noise does not always announce the presence of God. Noise in the form of popularity, fame, wealth, miracle, church growth, church population and so on is not equal to God's presence by default.

5. Stop condemning or looking down on anybody, an unbeliever today shall become God's minister tomorrow. Remember, you were once an unbeliever before you became a vessel in the hand of God. God told Elijah in 1 Kings 19:18, “Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him”

In conclusion, God can not be limited in any way, He could decide to manifest Himself in a noisy disposition, even as well in a quiet and still small voice. If you have found yourself vibrantly in His service today, see it as a privilege because God has substitutes readily available at all levels. He could equally choose to use the next fellow. Stop over-rating yourself, God can not be held ransom. Beware!

Your Offering Speaks Volume

noreply@blogger.com (Ojo Hezekiah Topelala) — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 05:33:00 +0000

An offering is usually a freewill donation out of one's possession to another. This can be to a fellow human being in need or to God in obedience to His commandment and appreciation for His goodness upon our lives. Now, people carry out this assignment in various ways and get a various response from God. However, if you will get a positive response from God after you have given your offering, it must be your best and sincerely given from your heart. Cain and Abel indeed offer to God out of the abundance of their harvests, but they got a different response from God. While God accepted Abel's offering, Cain's offering was rejected. Genesis 4:1-7.

So many people indeed gave much money in offering to God while Jesus sat and watched at the treasury in Mark 12:41-44. As He watched them dropping their offerings, a widow came dropping just two mites which happened to be the least amount offered and Jesus said, among all that came with their offerings, this woman has offered more than all others because that was all she possessed. Praise God!

Giving an offering is a regular practice in the church today, unfortunately, many Christians are making a caricature of it. Howbeit, their offerings never get the required response from God.

So many people see it as a tradition and a custom in the church, but God did command us to bring our offerings to Him. Malachi 3:8, "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings".

Stop seeing your offering as a gift to the pastor. Rather, give your offering to God in obedience to His commandment.

There are so many scriptural blessings when your offering is given to God with a pure heart of love and obedience.

As we can learn from the account of Cain and Abel, the following blessings are noticeable;

1. Your heartfelt and sincere offering can reopen the door of communication between you and God after you might have experienced closed heaven for wrongdoing. Cain offering was rejected but Abel offering was accepted. This however generated bitterness in the heart of Cain and he was enraged against his brother. Then, God began to speak again, having stopped communicating with the man after the fall of Adam. Genesis 4:6-7.

2. Any offering nonchalantly and lackadaisically given to God is regarded as a ground-picked offering and this is an insult to the personality of God. In Genesis 4:3, the Bible says Cain gave of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. You can imagine Cain picking fruit that fell on the ground which has been probably infected by insect and no longer appropriate for consumption as an offering to God. This is the kind of offering you give to God when you offer to God from the leftover or remnants of money in your pocket or when you offer something that is no longer useful to you. Please, be guided!

3. God responds only when you offer Him your best. Judging from the account of Abel in Genesis 4:4, Abel offered to God the firstlings (The first of its kind and the standouts of all) of his flock and the fattest among them. He gave the best of the best.

God deserves your best at all times because there is nothing we have that has not been given to us by God. Therefore, reserve the best of your resources always, first, for God.

4. Before God, you are ranked and categorised just the same way as your offering. When God accepts your offering, this means God accepts you as a person. When God rejects your offering, He equally rejects you as a person. Genesis 4:4, "And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:". Please, take note of the last sentence of the scripture just quoted, " And the Lord had respect first, unto Abel, and thereafter, to his offering". Abel was recognized by the reason for his offering.

In conclusion, the offering is an important aspect of your service to God, learn to honour God with the best of your substance.