‘When a lazy man seeks blessing from God, He peeps and goes back because He sees nothing to bless. No matter the level of our faith, there are some things that can never happen except with the existence of a miracle. But a miracle happens when God wants to make use of it, not when you want to make use of it. ‘Our faith gets sick when we don’t prepare the necessary channel that will make our faith fruitful.’
Beloved,
-Your faith won’t give you a child if you don’t have a spouse. God needs you to create a channel by finding a spouse.
-Your faith won’t post you a huge amount of money if you don’t have a bank account. God needs a channel to post it.
-Your faith would experience staggering when you look forward to getting a job without application. God needs you to apply first.
-Your faith may not bring you a spouse if you stay indoors 24/7.
Don’t weaken your faith by your ignorance or by your laziness. Don’t be expectant of what is not coming. Create a channel for God to bless you. He needs it. God will always ask for what is in your hands. But when you have nothing in your hands, what do you want God to add to (bless)?
In a nutshell, God’s blessing is meant for those that have little but aspire for more. So go get a channel. He needs a channel.
Stay blessed!
– A.O.D. Oluwafemi
| Some years ago, we got an auditor to look into the books for our Ministry. Afterwards, while discussing his observations, he explained that he could not trace some of our assets to our cash and bank statements. For instance, he saw a PC added to the receptionist’s office during the year, but he couldn’t find documentation of approval for this “expense” by the Executives or how money was appropriated for it. Given my knowledge of accounting, I knew he was making sense but, with my knowledge of the spiritual operations in our Ministry and the lives of believers who walk with God; there was a greater sense that needed to be explained.
In John Chapter 6, we read that Jesus fed about 5000 men with 5 loaves and 2 fish. Imagine that this was recorded in the Board minutes of Jesus’ Ministry; then imagine his auditors later questioning him – “Sir, we read that your Ministry fed 5000 men at a crusade in the period under review, however, we could not trace this expense to your bank statements. Could you please explain this?” Or “Sir, you have a receipt for tax remitted by your Ministry to Caesar that cannot be traced to your cash/bank statements as well?” I pondered on this and many more ‘financial accounting’ issues the auditors would have needed to clear with Jesus’ Ministry.
I explained to the auditor that the PC was a donation from one of our Partners in addition to some other things we had obtained legitimately without cash. I believe that such “issues” should not be limited to ministries. In the same way the Holy Spirit transported Phillip from Jerusalem/Gaza road to Azotus as recorded in Acts 8, believers can get legitimate results that may not be traced to their bank/cash statements. The reason that many of us do not see such supply in our lives is because we have erroneously trained our minds not to expect things that our monies cannot afford. We have learnt to depend on our salaries/ income. Jesus deliberately confronted this mindset when he fed 5000 people. Let’s read John 6:5-7 in the Cotemporary English Version.
“When Jesus saw the large crowd coming toward him, he asked Philip, “Where will we get enough food to feed all these people?” He said this to test Philip, since he already knew what he was going to do. Philip answered, “Don’t you know that it would take almost a year’s wages just to buy only a little bread for each of these people?”
Philip behaved like many believers do today. He saw a need and the first thing he evaluated was money and salary. But if Jesus had reasoned like Philip, then that miracle would not have seen the light of day. God never promised to supply our needs according to our salaries and bank accounts. The formula remains – my God shall supply your needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). You need to build a house? It’s not compulsory that it take place 5 years from now, based on your projected income. You need to pay your children school fees and you just lost your job? There is great hope because your needs were not meant to be met according to your job supplies anyway.
Let’s adjust our mindsets. God is our source and we should worry less about the means He chooses to reach out to us. So long as you are on the same page with God regarding a need that must be met, supply is bound to follow. I believe there will always be a need in your life or a dream in your heart that will be bigger than your current cash/bank balance, so that you can experience this blessedness in Christianity. I’m not suggesting or implying that you resort to dishonest means or choose to remain idle. Like the example of our auditor, you may not be able to trace it to your cash and bank accounts, but I bet you would never have issues explaining the miracle.
– Tope S. Aladenusi |
| If there is a time to bring our problem-solving abilities to the table, it is now!
If there is a time Christians should demonstrate the power of God, it is now! If there is a time to walk according to the dictates of God’s Spirit in a way that will astound humanity, it is now! If there is a time we need to demonstrate the miraculous to the world, it is now!
The world is currently speaking one language. Global financial crisis; Stock market crash; Economic downturn; etc. They have gotten to a tipping point where their projections and calculations have failed. The companies with the best ratings are sinking. So what do we expect from the ones aspiring for those ratings? Companies are firing their staff every day. Investors are singing the “send down the rain” song. Men are beginning to come to an end in themselves. They can now appreciate the limitation of self. And this is a good time to dispense the ever present help in time of need.
Oh! I see this time as an opportunity to tell men that there is a God who ruleth in the affairs of men. The “you can do it” talk is ready to give way for the “I can do it according to God’s power at work in me” message. I see it as an opportunity to turn water to wine since the wine in many countries is going dry. I see it as an opportunity to get an idea from the Spirit that will make unbelievers come to us and say “no man can do these things except the Lord be with him”. And we will gladly reply – “except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”. I see it as an opportunity to walk in the Spirit and demonstrate the miraculous. Let’s face it. Natural ideas have failed. Supernatural insights can be best appreciated at this point. When a man who mistakenly slumps into a river starts struggling for survival, you may go under with him if you attempt to immediately rescue him. But when he has lost hope of survival, he becomes very light and can be easily pulled out of the river. The world has been struggling for long and rescue time is here.
It is also a time for Christians to get to the point where they cherish the word of God over the philosophies of men. In the past few years, there have been volumes of books on investment and becoming rich. Many believers esteemed these principles more than the ones in the bible. Some ministers even started preaching directly from such books. But if the guys who wrote the books are currently weeping, do we need an angel to tell us to repent and return to the bible. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 “ … learn from me, and you will find rest”. If you have deviated before, it is time you found rest for your soul.
Oh! I cherish Christianity so much. We’ve got the solution to any problem in the world. It’s just a pity many of us do not know this. We are supernatural beings. When natural laws fail, we show the world a new order. “You are chosen people … You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God” I Peter 2:9. The world needs us now!
tope aladenusi |
If there is anything I desire believers to ever ponder over, it is what comes to our minds next when all things seems alright. Most times, we kneel at the place of prayer especially after we’ve considered the greatness and urgency of our needs.
Right from when the thoughts of our hearts are set in motion at the blast of a new day whistle, to the night prayers on our beds, we mutter with our lips “hope deferred maketh the heart sick…, God let there be speedy response and solution to all these needs”.
However how late the prayer seems to be answered, or these needs seems to be met, people immediately forget the long duration of time the waiting process lasted. As a matter of fact, the heart rejoices just like a woman that has just been delivered of a baby, and straight away forgets the labouring period. Almost immediately, the time we spend kneeling to pray reduces, we immediately devote the ‘excess’ time to caring for the things just provided us. For example, if it is a car, we spend time admiring, cleaning, and maintaining it. Automatically, the hours spent in the prayer room becomes converted and transferred to the caring heart.
Pause a while and take a stock of your life; haven’t you stopped those serious prayers? Have the quality time usually spent in prayers reduced since those needs were met? This suggests to me that we most a times pray when we have needs and stop praying when they are met. By this, we walk contrary to Jesus and Paul’s admonitions in bible. “…men ought always to pray and not to faint” Luke18:1, “pray without ceasing” I Thessalonians 5:17.
– adeyiga awomuti