The life of the believer is marked by a continual gazing upon Christ and the truth of his word. These things however are deducible not by vain imagination but by revelation through His word.
The Bible declares that we walk by faith and not by sight, which is emphatic on the fact that we must continually observe through the eyes of faith.
What however is faith?
Faith is deep rooted conviction in a substantial entity. Faith is the expression of belief upon God through his Word in spite of contradicting or favourable circumstances. Notice that in spite of circumstances, what our faith is meant to be hinged upon is the Word of God. Without an understanding of the Word there cannot be bible kind of faith. Remember, faith cometh by hearing and hearing the message of Christ.
Along these lines especially in view of the topics above let us X – ray the faith of some patriarchs of old
Bible declares that against all hope, Abraham believed God. He was not imagining things. The bible goes on to give us the basis of his faith in verse 21 of Romans 4….he was fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep HIS WORD and to do what HE HAD PROMISED. Consider verse 19 (according to that which had been spoken, “So shall your seed be”)
Do you now wonder when the scripture says He believed God?
Abraham again offered up his Son in verse 19 of the same chapter. Why? Because he reasoned that God was able to raise him up even from the dead. Let us not forget God had been clear enough to explain that Isaac was the one through whom he was to be father of many nations physically.
Abraham 4th person in the Hall of faith joins along with the other patriarchs who looked forward to the city whose foundations are built of God. Verse 10, 13, 14, and 26 of Hebrews 11.
Moses looked forward and away to the reward verse 26.
By this same conviction, Joseph ordered his bones to be taken knowing the promise of Godthat they would be delivered out of the land.
I consider lastly Stephen whose wisdom was so mighty; but how won’t it when all the while he was not seeing the people and their seething anger but beholding in faith to the point he saw the Glory of the lord.
How do you and I see these unseen realities and stop walking in the vanities of our mind or the things seen. This comes by trust in God and his Word.
He that would come to God must believe that he is and a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Heb 11:6
Don’t imagine or think up faith. Rather establish your heart by pondering diligently on his word for this is where faith is hinged on.
– Dr bolaji akanni
| II Samuel 3:39
At a troublous time in his sojourn on earth, David complained about the vengeful and murderous act of his nephews, Joab and Abishai. “…and these men the sons of Zeruiah be too hard for me.”
They were really hard for David’s soft heart to manage. When he preaches forgiveness, they practiced vengeance. When he prayed for peace, they declared war.
So, have I noticed with the trio: Self, World and Satan – the enemies of my soul. When I made up my mind to be spiritual, the world brings in worldliness. When I brace up for a marathon prayer, my body sags in weakness. In many of my desire to serve the Lord, Satan hindered me.
Yet, I have a word for each of you. To the devil, “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise.” Micah 7:8. To the world, “I am dead, and my life is hid with Christ in God.” Col 3:3. To my weak body, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” I Corinthians 16:13.
And to my Lord Jesus I plead “Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee.” Ruth 1:16.
– okenna igbokwe |
I will start from the questions we had to answer from the last post.
Do you know your calling?
If you do, what are you doing about it?
And if not, are you on your way to discovering purpose?
The Bible tells us that we have been called out of darkness to show forth the glory of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.
I will love for us to understand what this passage means. If God has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light then there must be a process. There is a process we must go through to be able to radiate that light!
After we have given our lives to Christ we must go through this process before we can ever attain any level of maturity.
The first priority of a young Christian should be building a relationship with God, learning to understand his leading, coveting the position of becoming God’s Sheep. Jesus said in John 10:27 (MSG) ‘My sheep recognize my voice. I know them, and they follow me’. This means a lot of things; first as God’s Sheep you should be able to recognize His voice, know when he is speaking to you and when your flesh is speaking to you. It will be easier for you to know God is okaying your choice of partner is if you are able to hear him speak to you and can adequately recognize his voice. Secondly God must acknowledge you as His own; we all know God knows those who are His. As much as we often say only God knows who is His, in order to avoid judging another person, we also are able by the Spirit of God within us to know who is of God. So before you decide to make a choice, you need to be able to first know that you are God’s, that is, your spirit bears witness that you belong to God and His Spirit is living with you. By so doing, you can know if the Spirit of God resides in another person.
And finally the third part of the scripture: God’s sheep follow Him; so if you and I are the Christian we claim to be we should do His will at all times. Behave like Jesus would in any situation. Go back to the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) and learn about the person of Christ.
In Christianity, no one may ever get to the height but the truth is that we know when we have stepped up, we know when we are no longer who we used to be. Something happens inside of us. The chances that you will be able to identify a real Christian when you meet one is completely based on your being a true one.
The first priority for any new Christian has to be perfecting this new found relationship with God Almighty.
A product of our growing relationship with God is our purpose. For many people who know their purpose and are pursuing it today, discovery of purpose did not come by sitting in a corner and expecting it. It usually comes by doing the things God says you should do per time. From there you discover it’s either your God given purpose to do the things He told you to do or that they are essential to what God has called you to actually do.
If you have been blessed with knowledge of what your purpose is, it means you know the master. He knows you and you are able to identify his voice. The next question is this, are you following the Shepherd? Are you constantly in touch with heaven for direction on what path to follow to destiny? Have you written down the vision, made it plain to see? A person armed with purpose is the most dangerous person for the pit of hell, hence a major target of the enemy. So you have to be aware of where you stand. Your active pursuit of purpose will distract people from or attract people to you. It will help a person considering you for a choice of life partner reconsider and ask questions like – can I cope with this lifestyle? It will also guide you in knowing who will fit into your future so that you can say like Adam, this is the bone of my bone…
By His grace next post we will be looking at pointers to readiness for relationship.
God Bless you.
omolola ezeifeoma
I once enrolled for an online leadership course organized by the Harvard Business School. The course was unlike the e-learning courses I was familiar with. With conventional online courses, the norm is to get some materials to read, listen to or watch before taking assessment tests or examinations. However, this course began with a program that asked me several questions about how I had led people and managed events in the past. The answers I supplied to this program were used to analyse my leadership and management style and conclude whether I am more of a leader than a manager or vice versa. With the results, it went ahead to instruct me on areas I needed to improve on in order to have the right mix of leadership and management.
I was very delighted with the results I had gotten from the analysis of my responses. I was fascinated about what “Harvard” was saying about me. I felt confident and reassured that I had what it takes to tackle the leadership challenges currently facing me in the ministry and workplace. But then I paused and thought: If I could believe in the Harvard report so much that I was motivated by it, how should I handle the prophecy of the scripture that is not of any private interpretation? If I could rejoice in what humans tell me based on extensive research, what manner of joy should flood my soul when the One who created me tells me who I am based on his deepest understanding of my real genetic constitution?
What do you see whenever you read your bible? Do you see angels, Israel, Mary, Moses, Paul … or do you see “you”? Do you accept the way God has programmed and rated you or are you befuddled by what is happening around you?
Are you suffering from a sickness? God said “that same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead lives in you, and it can give energy to your body”. Are you confused about your future partner? He said “I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. They are plans for peace and not disaster; plans to give you a future filled with hope”. Are you concerned that your major channel of finance appears to be getting closed? He said – I am the one who opens up a door that no man can shut. Are you still being hunted by your past sins? He said “your sins and wrongdoings will I remember no more”.
If we could just look in the Word again with an eagerness to see and accept what it says about us, then we would be better equipped to face all of life’s challenges.
tope aladenusi
| “If you know where you are heading in life, you will find a way in the world to get there. If you do not know where you are heading, the world will show you many ways to compound your confusion”.
A young man named Jack lives in Lagos and works in a world class company. Three weeks ago, he was with some friends and they talked about going to get MBAs from schools either in the UK or the US . Their rationale was simple – most of the Nigerian guys who are top shots in their companies today have a degree from a foreign university. This made sense to Jack and he immediately made up his mind that he was going to raise some bucks to go for his MBA program.
However, a week later he was in the midst of some entrepreneurs and big time company owners. They were of the opinion that the richest guys in the world are not those who had gotten the best of degrees. They cited Bill Gates as a key reference and this made a whole lot of sense to Jack. He then decided to use the money he had planned to save for his MBA degree to start his own IT Corporation.
And then a week after that, Jack went for a success seminar where the speaker said that the fulfilled men on earth are those who do what they have flair for. They enjoy doing things that are inclined to their natural ability. Things are not all rosy for them at the inception, but they get the ‘big bucks’ in future because they operate from their creative zone. This also made great sense to Jack and he said to himself – ‘since everyone says I am a good arguer I’ll just go back to the university and study Law; I do not think I am cut out for these IT or MBA stuff’.
This week my good friend Jack attended a ‘missions’ awareness program and he was enthralled by the massive number of people who are yet to hear the gospel for the first time. There was a call for people who would volunteer to be missionaries to the Arab worlds. Of course you can bet that this will also make great sense to Jack.
Beloved, that my good friend Jack may just be you.
Are you leaving the treasure within you to waste because of the pressures from without? Every road will make great sense to you if you do not have a sense of direction from above. Why do you want to achieve that goal? Does it really belong to you or you are just bowing to ‘peer pressure’?
Our God is not a duplicator, he is a creator. He doesn’t want you to become a better version of someone else but to be the best version of yourself. There is something unique that you were born to achieve in this world.
If you always take cues from the outside before you move, then the chances that you will birththat destiny is slim. Learn to stay with God. No one ever moved with God and missed his way. He is already working in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). Cultivate the habit of genuinely fellowshipping with him regularly. Your unique destination will then become clear to you so that your life will no longer be undulated and undermined by every thing that makes great sense in the world.
– tope aladenusi |
It is interesting today what the parameters of choosing a life partner is for a Christian. I believe we have gotten so much information and we are lost as to how to apply them to our lives. Recently, I was going through my life and how I chose to marry my husband, I learnt a few lessons and I want to share some of them you.
After God created man, He prepared the Garden of Eden and placed Adam there. He gave him the task of dressing and keeping the garden. He also gave him a commandment to keep. He then took a second look at the Adam and said it is not good for him to remain alone, so God went to work on finding a mate fit, while Adam was busy fulfilling God’s task for him. Then God put Adam to sleep and created from Adam, Eve. Adam woke up to find a mate carved every inch to his specs, and exclaimed ‘The Bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh’. Genesis 2:7-25
Before I go any further I want us to have this in mind, God is a God of order, He has standards, as much as the spirit can move us to do things, they must be in line with God’s order of doing things.
After God created Adam, He gave him accommodation; a source of food; He prepared an office for him to operate and placed him there. Adam had a clear knowledge of his calling, he understood what he was supposed to be doing and he was doing it. He was not complaining of being lonely or making excuses for why he could not do what God had called him to do.
How do we relate this to us as modern day Christians?
Bible says that every born again person is a new creature, like a baby, in its rawest form, that need to learn to eat, smile, hold up his neck, seat, talk, crawl, walk, run, jump, read, write, reason etc. This reminds me of when I had my son; he was so delicate and depended on me for everything, even his immunity. It took six months for his digestive tracts to be ready for what I call food. This really describes us when we newly give our lives to Christ.
When we give our lives to Christ we are like a new born babe, open to a new world, a new order of doing things and so we need to learn the principles of our new world and God’s standards of doing things by renewing our mind with the word of God (Rom12:1-2). Studying to show ourselves approved (2Tim 2:15). Associating with a set of people (born again children of God) in order to learn how to live the life. It’s unfortunate that today we have very few genuine Christians to associate with and that’s why we have a community like Christ Lifeline.
As we grow in faith, one of the things God does, is show us the purpose of our calling as we seek Him. Just like Adam, it is essential we know what our calling is before going into marriage.
Why? Knowledge of your calling is essential to discovering yourself, and ability to know who your mate should be. Adam did not have to ask God what Eve was meant for when she was presented to him. He knew. When we know God’s call upon our life we get direction.
A lot of Christian courtship is in trouble today because both parties have not identified what their calling is, hence don’t know why God brought them together and so the best they can do when their together is look into each other’s eyes, admire their bodies and fall into sin so easily. The attraction was just physical, no destiny in mind.
I have some questions that I want to leave with you (single or married) today –
Do you know your calling?
If you do, what are you doing about it?
And if not, are you on your way to discovering purpose?
There’s still so much to say but I will leave it here for now.
We will continue this discussion in the next post.
Love you,
omolola ezeifeoma
Believe me, life changing moments and encounters are moments of obedience; Moments when we act in obedience rather than trying to rationalise things. Every increase is seed based, but spontaneous increase has in addition to the seed instant obedience to a direct instruction from God. Most times when we ought to give, we wrestle with the spirit, we think of a million and one reasons why we ought not to sow now. Giving won’t be easy unless you have an understanding. I am inspired by Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac, but I am much more inspired by the reason he gave Isaac.
Heb 11:17-19 ‘by faith Abraham when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence he received him in a figure’.
- He had God’s word that in Isaac shall his seed be called and he knew he could stake his life on the immutability of God’s word.
- He understood he did not have Isaac until God gave him and from the deadness of their bodies.
- That same God was able to bring him back to life again from the dead from whence he was received in the first place.
Glory to God! It’s easy to give when you have Abraham’s kind of reasoning. Whenever you have difficulty giving, reason like father Abraham. Know that God for whom it is impossible to lie has given his assurance that it’s more blessed to give. We also have the assurance that our seeds will be multiplied back to us. Be quick to give because what ever you have was given by God in the first place, if he did not give it you won’t have it. If he gave you then you can give back at his word.
And finally there is plenty where what you are giving out came from. Giving only qualifies you for more of what you give out.
Stop the complicated reasoning, just give.
– emmanuel aladenusi
Why do you do the good things you do?
Whether we like it or not, this is a question we will all have to answer one day. It is an unpopular question that probes for the motives behind our actions. The reverse is the case these days. People talk only about the actions (what has been done) – “Oh! He gave a million bucks to charity”; “She has been moving across the Arab nations preaching the gospel for the past 7 years”; “That pastor is so nice, he visits all his members every month”; “that couple is so loving, they are always working together to bless lives”; etc. But God has made his position clear – “… I do not judge as people judge. They look at the outward appearance, but I look at the heart” I Samuel 16:7 (GNB).
Beloved, God will not reward us based on the size of the work we did for him; he will reward us based on the size of the heart with which we worked with him. 1Corinthians 3:13 (GNB) says “And the quality of each person’s work will be seen when the Day of Christ exposes it”. I think a good question to ask here is – how does God measure quality?
Every week I try to compose an exhortation and send to subscribers of Christ Lifeline weekly devotional messages. I remember there was a week I did not feel like writing at all and I didn’t want to send any message. But it occurred to me that I have a reputation of posting messages on a weekly basis. I immediately composed a message and sent it. Guess what? I received numerous testimonies from people who were blessed by that message, but I knew afterwards that I was ranking very low in terms of quality. Why? My motivation for writing that week was just to sustain my reputation. I began to see more clearly why some pastors have said that on the Day of Judgment, many will be shocked.
Why do you do the good things you do? Is it to sustain your reputation; retain people’s attention; obtain worldly satisfaction; or to maintain an impression? Men may give kudos to the outward form, but God will look at the motivation behind the outward form. One key yardstick God will use to judge our works is elucidated in 1 Corinthians 13:3 (BBE) “And if I give all my goods to the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it is of no profit to me”. Hmm! The most arresting outward appearance without a corresponding inward compliance to the rule of Christ’s love is utterly useless.
Apostle Paul understood this principle when he said – “we are ruled by the love of Christ …” 2 Corinthians 5:14 (GNB). Beloved, let’s start checking our motives before we face eternity. Before we commence or continue racing on any “good lane”, let’s ask ourselves – what is my motive? Let the love of Christ be our motivation so that when our work is made manifest in the day of Christ, we will receive a reward.
– tope aladenusi
Once upon a time in Christendom, believers always talked about eternity. They were so engrossed in the truth that they were pilgrims in this world and would one day go to be with the Lord in heaven. At that time, it was common to see messages titled “heaven or hell?” Songs with lyrics like “it’s not an easy road, we are travelling to heaven” were common in our assemblies. Believers looked tattered, battered, and shattered like people who had been bruised in the tussles and struggles of this life. We were always reminded that we lived in the “end times” and the rapture could take place at any moment. This wave got to a crescendo towards year 2000 when it had been predicted that the world would end. But lo and behold, year 2000 came and passed without witnessing the return of Jesus Christ, and events in Christendom took another turn.
With very little or no talk about heaven, many of those who were once labelled as “battered” became ever ready to “gather the riches of the gentiles”. Many of us are now enlightened. We have expounded the word to others and taught them that salvation is a total package – that it did not only secure heaven for us; but it also brought prosperity, health, fulfilment, peace and a lot more good things. I’m not left out in this trend. I remember giving an exhortation in the university and saying things like: “you are not born again to fail again”; “you are not born again to be poor again”. Beloved, it is obvious that things have really changed. That is why it is now rare to hear the idiom “as poor as a church rat”. It is becoming increasingly difficult to associate poverty with Christianity. However, in a bid to correct the short-sightedness of some early believers, we have probably become even more narrow-minded.
How? We do not like to talk about heaven and hell anymore. When we preach to unbelievers, the major distinction between Christianity and the world that we present to them is that Jesus will also give them plenty wealth, but with peace of mind. No emphasis is usually placed on life after death. Some even say that heaven is now on earth, and there is no need to prepare to go anywhere. Let’s face it – when was the last time you heard or preached a message relating to the rapture or the second coming of Jesus Christ? Are we not only concentrating on how to amass wealth in this life? The bible says “If our hope in Christ is good for this life only and no more, then we deserve more pity than anyone else in all the world (I Corinthians 15:19 GNB).
It is pleasant to know that redemption gave us freely everything we need to have a good life on earth; but it is pitiable if we do not understand that we are strangers in this world and a better life awaits us in heaven. The greater part of our new life will be spent in heaven and we should be wise enough to know not to major in the minors. “Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cosy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul” (I Peter 2:11 MSG). Learn to always keep your destination in mind as you pass through this world. Prepare for eternity!
– tope aladenusi
Years ago, making a journey was extremely stressful. If you went on foot, horse or train you were sure to spend hours, days, months or even years depending on the distance. However today, people travel in hours across continents by taking advantage of technology. People communicate and transact across continents from the confines of their homes by taking advantage of various communication options.
Now, God has given us grace to make things easier, to simplify cumbersome tasks and produce multiple and excellent results and we ought to take advantage of it. Every believer must do this. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh”. Though we are on earth and in contact with physical tools, we do not rely on their use, but we take advantage of Gods divine influence to achieve excellence. Grace!
It’s easier when you are GRACED.
Struggling and striving wont help outside of grace. Paul said “whereunto I labor, striving according to his working which worketh in me mightily” he worked according to grace. He worked in grace.
If you make a thousand bucks by your efforts, imagine what you will make if you take advantage of the grace that is given you in Christ Jesus. Allow yourself to be helped of God.
I refuse to struggle. Struggling is warring according to the flesh. “And Isaac sowed in gerar and received in that same year a hundred fold”. Grace. He was helped of God. To prosper according to scriptures you must take advantage of grace. Graced increase cannot be explained. When we plug into grace we can say like Paul “by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly then they all”. Take advantage of grace. Don’t wait for customers to come, call them forth from the four wings. Don’t wait till you are due for promotion; be promoted now because you are favored. Let angels influence events in your favor. Take advantage of grace in all its ramifications. Let none be in vain. Allow yourself to be helped of God in your finances. With grace a dollar accomplishes as much as a thousand. With grace little effort produces great results. Don’t keep winding that generating set, use the button.
Don’t be passive in grace. “How much more those that have received (lambano) abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life…” “Received” here means to grab, to make yours, to take advantage of. Don’t let things ride its natural course. Dictate the supernatural direction. Take advantage of Grace.
-emmanuel aladenusi