THE GREAT ESCAPE

Matthew 2:13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up” he said “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him. (NIV)

The morning after Christmas… or just there about. The child Jesus had just been visited by the Magi from the East. Wise men that understand what God was saying to his people, Israel regarding the prophecy of old; Micah5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

For most of us, the build up to Christmas and all the funfare involved in its preparations is probably one of the most common touch topics you will hear just about everywhere you go in the month of December. What you will not hear after all the jingle bells have stopped ringing, all the presents are unwrapped, all the food has been consumed or left over and yes, when the Christmas lights start coming down is…. WHERE IS THE BABY NOW? Stop for a moment and think about that. When you hear someone had a baby, the next set of questions will be related to how the baby is doing…

The reality was, that an innocent baby laying on a manger just after his birth and following the great celebrations and a baby shower of gold, frankincense and myrrh was in grave danger. An evil plan had been thought through by one who felt threathen by a little BABE. Even though God could have well chosen for His son to be born within a secure four walls palaceand to high society or royalty parents, He didn’t. Instead, He chose the most insecure of places, for His Son to be born and there the wise men came to pay him homage.

Maybe that is you right now. God has chosen for you to be in a place where you feel threatened, be it at the loss of a job, or a relationship or something of great value to you. Maybe, you feel that after the Christmas celebrations, your reality remains the same. But just as 2000 years ago, God may be sending someone your way, He has a GREAT ESCAPE plan in place for you, just as He had for His son. After the lights go off, do not fret…

After all, Christmas, THE GREAT ESCAPE, Easter are part and puzzle of the whole story. Yours included. Be encouraged and wait patiently!

THE PROBLEM OF SELF

Do not quench the Holy Spirit. 1 Thesssalonians 5:19

For sometime now, I have been battling these heavy and conflicting thoughts and opinions towards a certain matter. And while from outside, what I feel might seem right, inside there is no comfort in my spirit. For me, there was no way forward. It wasn’t until a few days ago that I finally brought my burden to the Lord. But to my own shock and surprise, He wake me up last night with this words in my mind…. DO NOT QUENCH THE HOLY SPIRIT.

You see, the fact remains….the problem is still there. But the Lord made me understand this, that the problem was not the problem…the problem was ME. Yes… the PROBLEM OF SELF. At one point or another, there comes a time in life when we come at a crossroad…and our greatest obstacle is…. SELF. Self ego and all that comes with it seem to have the loudest opinion in the matter. The Bible clearly says this:  There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. Proverbs14:12

Maybe that you? Just like me….God is asking not to push away His Spirit which is deposited in you to safeguard you and watch over your welfare. Its good to be reminded of these words by Paul to the Corinthians;

For our weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

Choose well and LIVE!

 

 

 

 

A SAVOURY FRIENDSHIP

When the men got up to leave, they looked down towards Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Genesis 18:16-17

These words… “Shall I hide… seemed to have struck a deep cord when I read them once again this morning. I mean… this is God thinking and thinking aloud for that matter! What He was about to do to Sodom was already decided…but there was a moment of hesitation. God wasn’t about to surprise Abraham with the aftershocks of the destroyed Sodom. No…He hesitated. Why? Because what He had with Abraham was special. It was a SAVOURY FRIENDSHIP! A friendship which was pleasant and enjoyable. Yes…God enjoyed His friendship with Abraham more than Abraham could every know. His opinion on what God was about to do mattered. His suggestions or requests were not lightly taken into consideration.

Lets go down the ages…. its you and me. God is thinking…He is thinking aloud for that matter! But….have we heard what He is planning to do? Much of what I read in the Bible is God thinking aloud. He is still the same God who wants to enjoy A SAVOURY FRIENDSHIP with us His children. He is not will to do things before He passes the message to His children. He desires to hear our opinion in the matter. He is willing to stoop further than we can every imagine. What He was willing to do for Abraham inspite of Sodom’s great sin…He is willing to do for us…inspite of the fallen world we live in.

Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?” He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.” Genesis 18:32

God is willing. Are you?

THOSE ANXIOUS THOUGHTS

Psalms 139:23-24 Search me , O God and know my heart: test me and know MY ANXIOUS THOUGHTS. See if there is any offensive way in me; and lead me in the way everlasting.

We all experience ANXIOUS THOUGHTS from time to time…if not most of the time. In the world we live in, we have been so accustomed to hearing negative and most often the pessimistic point of view that we have come to accept this as the norm. It is normal to think about the future…and of course plan forward. But of late, the Lord has been reminding me of the simple principle…TODAY HAS ENOUGH TROUBLE OF ITS OWN. Yes…those ANXIOUS THOUGHTS, long hours of sleepless nights will not and cannot change a thing.

As a baby Christian, it was easier to let go of those anxious thought…and trust MY DADDY for today. But as time pass by, as a mature Christian… I take charge of many things and like the foolish Galatians…I start mixing my faith with works. I feel the need to help God with my tomorrow. And hence….THOSE ANXIOUS THOUGHTS. Maybe that’s you. Maybe….like me you need to have BABY THOUGHTS but A MATURE HEART.  God wants us to have peace. To rest assured that the sky will always be blue, the water will always be colourless and yes…GOD WILL ALWAYS BE FAITHFUL to meet us in our tomorrow.

Friend…let THOSE ANXIOUS THOUGHTS rest!

MEN & SUCCESS

Psalm 112:1 Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds GREAT DELIGHT in his commands.

Every man on the face of the earth wants or desires to be successful. And while..its right to desire to be successful, there are only two ways to get there. SUCCESS can either by FEAR-DRIVEN or FAITH-DRIVEN.

FEAR-DRIVEN SUCCESS says:

Blessed is the man who wakes up early and stays up late; the man who has a life insurance; the man who has savings for a rainy day; the man who exercises and eat health; the man who knows the rules of the game etc.

Psalm 127:2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat_ for he grants sleep to those he loves.

But…something goes missing for this man….HIS HEART! No matter how sure or secure he is at his present or perceived future….HIS HEART IS ALWAYS FEARFUL. Why? Because he has no fear of the Lord in his heart.

On the other hand…the man who has the fear of the Lord in his heart walks securely. His present or future is sure…as he walks by faith.

FAITH-DRIVEN SUCCESS says:

SIMPLY CHURCH!

Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but WE TRUST in the NAME OF THE LORD OUR GOD.

What does SIMPLY CHURCH got to do with anything? You see, church…for you and I may have a whole lot of different meanings. And so does…CHARIOTS AND HORSES. Ask the nobles in the days gone by and you might found out that…CHARIOTS AND HORSES represented in those days…POWER, PROSPERITY & PRESTIGE. In the middle ages, those who owned and rode in HORSE AND CHARIOTS…were usually the CREME of the society, to be regarded with high honour…not because of anything they had done on their part but simply because one was born into aristocracy.

But what does SIMPLY CHURCH got to do with you and me? EVERYTHING...and much more. Church…and I mean church in the only place where you require no qualifications whatsoever to be part of…other than…allowing Jesus to take your lowly place by forgiving your sins and admitting you into AN ETERNAL ARISTOCRACY…in this life and in eternity. Yes…CHARIOTS and HORSES can seem for some like a secure place…of power, prosperity and prestige…but SIMPLY CHURCH…is more secure than all the horses and chariots put together. Why? Because the bible says so:

YOUR STEPS ARE ORDERED!

Isaiah 52:11 Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the vessels of the Lord. But you will not LEAVE IN HASTE, or GO IN FLIGHT; for the GOD OF ISRAEL will be your read guard.

Today, I had planned not to post due to my busy schedule. But as I pressed on doing what I thought was important, the Lord impressed these words upon my heart. YOUR STEPS ARE ORDERED! In other words, I don’t need to be in a hurry to get there…because without Him in the picture, I can and will easily stumble. And of course, when you and I stumble, that means, some unnecessary delays.

NAKED TRUST

Genesis 22:5 He said to his servants, ‘Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then WE WILL COME BACK TO YOU.”

Of late, I have this strange yet not frightening feeling that someone is watching my every move. Its almost as if…my privacy is being violated at every step I make but at the same time…I don’t feel exposed to danger. This morning, the Lord finally put these words into my heart. NAKED TRUST!

Let’s begin by defining these two words separately;

NAKED means…having the body unclothed; undressed; having no covering; EXPOSED; unsupported by authority etc.

TRUST means…reliance on and confidence in the truth, worth, reliability, etc., of a person of thing; faith; custody, charge or care of; to allow someone to do something with the confidence in his/her good sense of honesty etc.

What is NAKED TRUST then? Naked trust can be defined therefore as a show of PUBLIC CONFIDENCE in a person or thing.

We all get excited when we read the story of Abraham as he waits for God to fulfill his promise to give him a son. It takes trust to believe God will do as He promised…in spite of the many obstacles along the way. Abraham believed God…and in time….Isaac, the son of promise was borne to him in his old age. After sometime, we see the very same God who gave Abraham his son come back with a strange request. A request which has no promise attached to it. I WANT YOUR SON! Take him to the altar…and I will meet you there.

DO YOU HAVE PEACE?

John 16:32-33 “But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. I have told you these things, SO THAT IN ME YOU MAY HAVE PEACE. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

Do you have peace? You may say that is a broad question…and I admit it is. What does peace have to do with you? Most definitions of the word peace…are derived from the state from the outside which defines what happens on the inside. For example, when someone is mean and unfriendly to you, you may feel uncomfortable or restless in their presence. Or when there are chaos around, you tend also to lose focus and a sense of harmony.

In the above scripture verses is hidden wisdom in the words of Jesus to his disciples. Yes…Jesus was about to go to the cross. It was going to be the climax of events that had unfolded 3 years earlier. But…it wasn’t going to be the climax the disciples were anticipating. It was about to be very ugly….in fact, very CHAOTIC and VIOLENT. Oh yes…their world was about to be turned upside down. And Jesus was preparing them for it. So…when He was talking to them about HAVING PEACE, they had no slighted clue what was ahead.

NOT YOUR CUP OF TEA?

Numbers 11:4:-6 The RABBLE with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, ‘IF ONLY WE HAD MEAT TO EAT! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost – also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; WE NEVER SEE ANYTHING BUT THIS MANNA!”

A strong but angry statement right there…WE NEVER SEE ANYTHING BUT THIS MANNA! In other words, manna was ‘not their cup of tea.’ These are the words the children of Israel chose to let us know what they thought about GOD’S KITCHEN. Every culture has its identity and FOOD is one of them. What may grow or breed in one country or continent may not necessarily grow or breed in another. Hence, we eat what our