Er... Is this the shortcut to Glory?

Have you ever been tempted to take a shortcut? Have you ever had to tell a ‘small’ lie to glaze over the fact that you have been slack? It could be anything. What springs up in your mind?

Jesus has offered us the ultimate prize of glory. However, the road there is one of sacrifice and total dependence on the Holy Spirit. Jesus experienced it Himself when He was tempted by the devil in the wilderness after His 40 day fast. Three times, the devil tried to get him to compromise: “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. The father of lies tried to entice Jesus with a shortcut to bogus glory. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." Was Satan really able to give the Son of God all the kingdoms of the world? Of course not, it was all a huge ruse. Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' Jesus had the RIGHT answer for him. After all, He was the Son of God! Thankfully for all of us, the devil did not succeed in this mission!

But you see, Jesus had already been promised all the kingdoms of the earth by his Heavenly Father. However, itwas at a very high price; the price of his own blood, sweat and tears. The wonderful thing is that this was a price Jesus fully intended to pay! He shed his blood and died for the salvation of the whole world because we were helplessly lost and separated in our sin. You and I are where we are today because of the OBEDIENCE and precious sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. He chose glory, but He got it the hard way. 1 Pet 3:18 says For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, and so we can be saved! If you have not yet made use of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross by handing over control of your life to Him today, you are not yet on the road to glory. Jesus is coming soon! He will surely come and take all His loved ones to be with Him in Glory. Give your life to Jesus today!

THE SON OF GOD

The Easter season is just over, but I want you all to know how it was in the Jerusalem streets so long ago. Why did Jesus ride into Jerusalem on a donkey? To show humility? Maybe. To keep a low profile? Well... So he wouldn't be seen as a warrior? These are all true, but there was a reason every Israelite could identify with. In those days, the sons of the King rode on mules. Everyone knew that - 1 Sam 13:29 So Absalom's men did to Amnon what Absalom had ordered. Then all the king's sons got up, mounted their mules and fled. Jesus was telling the whole world that He was the Son of a King!

The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! The Son of God had His triumphant entry indeed!

INTERCESSOR OR GRUMBLER?

Did you know your prayers are incredibly important? When God is about to move, He always needs His people to pray. James 5:17

God told Abraham that his descendants would be strangers in a foreign land for 400 years. (Gen 15:13) At the end of four hundred years, God needed intercessors to cry to Him. The Israelites did groan in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God (Ex. 2:23). In the next chapter, God tells Moses, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people. I have heard them crying out...” (Ex. 3:7). The children of Israel finally made their Exodus into the desert after 430 years (Ex 12:40). God honours your intercession.

After the Exile, due to the disobedience of the children of Israel, it took a godly man called Daniel who remembered the prophecy of the prophet Jeremiah that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. He began to pray. Read his prayer in Daniel 9. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! God did hear and act. He raised up Ezra and Nehemiah to rebuild the city. The Israelite returned safely to their motherland after one man prayed! God honoured his intercession.

Today the Lord asks, “Who will stand in the gap on behalf of .........”. Fill in the blanks. In Ezekiel 22:30 he could not find anyone and so destroyed the land. In Numbers 11, however, God destroyed the people who grumbled against Him. Stand in the gap for that situation today! The Lord himself will honour your intercession.

LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

I thought I was going teach a bible lesson to the students of New Horizon School for children with intellectual difficulties, but they ended up giving me a good bible lesson!

Happiness, love and acceptance is the order of the day at New Horizon. There are many different forms of disability there. Some are confined to wheelchairs while others can only make muffled sounds in the form of speech. However, nobody is despised, nobody is looked down upon. Only last week, I was touched by how one little girl run to give each of her friends a hug as they came to school that morning. It didn’t matter what they looked like or how they acted, she loved them and wanted to show it! 1 Peter 4:8 came to mind: Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

How often do we who are ‘normal’ constantly notice the differences of others and use those differences to criticise and create division among ourselves? Even children will not play with those who are perceived to be of a different social class than they are. Jesus told his disciples, “A new command I give you. Love one another.” John 13:34 If these are the words of the Master Himself, what have we to do but to obey!

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. 1 Pet. 1:22

THE GOD WHO ANSWERS BY FIRE!

We’ve all heard the famous story of Elijah and his contest with the prophets of Baal, and how they agreed that the God who answers by fire is the Lord! Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire—he is God." Then all the people said, "What you say is good." 1 Kings 18:24

I have often wondered how come time and again God is referred to as the God who answers by fire, even though there was only one incident in the bible. I was excited to find two other instances I had never noticed before the other day. God answered King David by fire on the day he repented of his sin of counting the fighting men of Israel without inquiring of the Lord. A plague had killed seventy thousand people in Israel and a prophet had been sent to David with instructions on what to do – he was to build an altar. When he did, David built an altar to the LORD there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on the LORD, and the LORD answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering. 1Chron 21:26

The other incident was after King Solomon had finished building the temple of the Lord, and the Ark of the covenant was being brought in. When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. 2 Chron 7:1

These were three men who eagerly sought the Lord their God with all their hearts, and God answered them by fire! Indeed, he is a God who answers by fire. Why will He not answer you, a man or woman who is eagerly seeking the Lord by fire as well? He can and He will do it! What impossible answer by fire do you need from the Lord today? Trust in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.

GIVE TILL IT HURTS!

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus! Phil 4:19 Have you ever quoted this verse at a time when you were in need? It’s good to quote the bible at appropriate times, but actually, this verse was not meant for everyone. It is directed at givers; those with generous hearts! Paul was talking to the Philippians here, because they had supported him through the difficult times. You can add yourself if you are a giver.

Note the preceding verses in Phil 4:15-18: Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received ... the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.

Do you need money to fulfil a pressing need in your life? Where is the evidence of your giving? It doesn’t matter whether you have a lot of money or very little, no grouping is exempt. God loves a cheerful giver, and then He will surely meet ALL your needs according to His riches in glory.

Mighty Man of War!

Why did God choose the people He did to do the mighty works that He wanted to do? Moses, Gideon, David, Saul (just to name a few)? Why did Jesus choose the disciples He did? Take a close look at them: Moses was a stammerer. Gideon was a coward, David was a despised shepherd in his family. Saul was a Benjaminite (the smallest tribe of Israel), and from the clan that was the least of those.

Surely God should have chosen an orator with a strong voice to lead the people of Israel. But hear what he said to Moses: “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say" Ex. 4:11,12. God saw Gideon the coward as a ‘mighty warrior’. All the disciples the Master chose were ‘unschooled, ordinary men’, and yet they turned the world upside down! Over and over again, in my daily experiences as well as the Word of God, I see the truth of this scripture: But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 1 Cor. 1:27

What did you say is wrong with you again? Did I catch you saying that God cannot use someone like you? Never think that way again!! What was the difference in these men? “...they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”Acts 4:13

Jesus makes all the difference! Amen.

Testing, Testing, Anybody There?

Have you ever had the experience of tuning into your small transistor radio, when suddenly you hear an echo in the distance, meaning that someone nearby is listening to the same station as you are? I’ve had that experience quite a number of times. Whereas maybe you did hear the sound in the distance before you tuned in, it only became meaningful when you switched on your transistor radio.

Well, that’s a beautiful picture of how God speaks to his children. The radio in the distance is God’s voice, and the small transistor radio in your hand is the bible. Without tuning in (that is, reading your bible consistently) you cannot hear God’s voice. John 1:1 says that ... the Word was with God, and the Word was God. God’s word is a part of Himself, and you cannot separate the two from each other. So go on, snuggle down in the sofa with your God, and the next time you have a vital decision to take, hear Him speak clearly to you!

Do you trust God? No, I mean really...?

Do you trust God? The ready answer of most would be 'Yes'. But do you really trust God, especially when He is leading you down an unknown and windy path? Here is what God asked one of His prophets to do. "Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the house of Israel upon yourself. You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side. I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the house of Israel.!!! And he did it as well! Can you guess who it was? Read all about it in Ezekiel 4. Now this would have been a real challenge for me. I would have questioned and questioned, and finally come to the conclusion that it could not be God speaking to me.

How badly do you want to follow Him? Would you throw all caution to the winds if the going got too tough for you? If God told you to become a modern day John the Baptist, eating locusts and wild honey, and risking the condemnation of the whole world, would you do it? If He told you to give all your worldly wealth away, would you still follow, completely trusting Him to work things out for your good? If God told you to go and be best friends with the very one who stabbed you in the back, and you heard Him clearly, would you go ahead, trusting in the goodness of His name?

Sometimes God tells us to do very difficult things, and it takes real faith and trust to know that everything is going to be alright afterwards. This is what Ps 9:10 says: Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

DOES GOD ALLOW BAD THINGS TO HAPPEN?

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” This was what Joseph said to his brothers, who were reeling under the guilt of what they had done to him. Does God allow ‘bad’ things to happen in order to bring good out of them? Childless couples in our society these days are often pitied, but in 1 Samuel, it says that the Lord Himself had closed Hannah’s womb. Now the family was a God-fearing one, which went up to Shiloh every year to sacrifice. God’s closing of her womb could not have been out of punishment. It was only until the time was right for a prophet to be over Israel that she had a son.

In Chapter 16 of the same 1 Samuel, King Saul was being tormented by an evil spirit. This evil spirit did not come from hell, for in verse 14 we are told, an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him. An evil spirit from the Lord! What an oxymoron! Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and this evil spirit from God had taken its place. It had come upon him to torment him as he was no longer fit to be king.

Paul was given a messenger from Satan to torment him (2 Cor. 12:7). When he asked God to take it away, God said, “My Grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness!” Was God content for a messenger of Satan to torment His chosen vessel to the Gentiles? God has promised that in all things, He works for the good of those that love Him (Rom 8:28). Does this mean only good things will happen to us? Jesus’ response to suffering was, “Not my will, but Yours!” Whatever comes our way, once we seek His face concerning our situation, let us leave the results to Him, and see the GOOD things that result from it.

Amen.

DOING GOOD


Last Sunday was Children’s Day at our church, and the preschoolers, who did the opening act, had a very important message for us. To the tune of “Happy Birthday to you”, they sang, “Be no-t deceived, God i-s not mocked, whatsoever a man sow- eth, that sh-all he reap!” Truth from the mouth of babes! (This was two years ago actually). It was a very simple song yet one with such deep meaning, and a great reminder to the adults. Though we laughed and clapped, I think the truth sunk in.

Galatians 6:7 is a great reminder to us today as well. Do not be deceived! God is NOT mocked! A man reaps whatever he sows! In the light of this verse, what manner of people ought we to be? We should be people who plant seeds of goodwill all around us, is the obvious answer. People with a pleasant disposition all around. Before salvation, the bible tells us that our righteousness is like filthy rags (Is. 64:6). However, after we come to Christ, our acts of righteousness are a sweet smelling fragrance to Him (Rom 12:1) (Jas 2:22). Christians should be busy using their bodies for things that will be pleasing to the Master. We should all be setting out to deliberately do good each day; helping our fellow Christians and behaving just like Christ would.

What can you do to help others today?

ECLIPSE!

Do you remember how many years ago it was that we experienced the eclipse of the sun in Ghana? I remember that it was in March, four years ago, I think. It was a powerful picture of our God! Let’s imagine God was the sun, and the shadow of the moon was our circumstances. Did the fact that the shadow was covering the sun mean that the sun would never shine again? No, not at all. The shadow quickly passed.

Some of us do behave like the sun will never shine again, though. We need to press on in faith. Let me illustrate. Some time ago, I received a word from God, which I embraced wholeheartedly. Just a few weeks later, something happened which seemed completely opposite to the word I had received. It was a terrible time, with many tears and much confusion. However, after some time, the situation began to ease and God’s word in my life came true. Let God be true and every man a liar! When our circumstances tell a different story from God’s word, let us continue to hold on to Him in faith!

QUAKING IN YOUR BOOTS?

I have always known we Christians have been commanded not to be afraid; in fact, when I was growing up Joshua 1:9 was my favourite verse. It goes like this: Be strong and of a good courage; Be not afraid, nor dismayed, for I the Lord your God am with you wherever you go. There are actually 366 “fear not’s” in the Bible, one for every day of the year and even one for the extra day in a leap year!

But it wasn’t until recently that I discovered that feeding your fear disqualifies you from the battle completely! In Deuteronomy 20 when the Israelite troops were getting ready for war, this is what God commanded about those who were afraid. "Is any man afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his brothers will not become disheartened too." Wow!

All of us have been afraid at one time in our lives or the other, but once we allow that fear to paralyze us, we have been defeated already. Earlier in that chapter, God says, When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you.

What else can I say? It’s your choice today. Will you allow fear to immobilize you and make you turn back, or will you go on, in spite of any fear you may feel, knowing that the Lord your God has promised to be with you wherever you go?

ARE YOU A TAR BUCKET?

Last week I passed a construction company that was repairing a patch of road. The machines had done their levelling, and the final touch was a layer of tar on the affected spot. One man was pouring on the tar out of an old watering can. He was wearing gloves and the whole can was covered in tar. A vivid picture came to mind.

Is your life like a tar bucket? Do people need gloves to handle you because of all the filth they can see in your life? Are you known for your graciousness in Christ or for your acid tongue and wayward behaviour?

We were all tar buckets once, sinking hopelessly in the tar pit of sin. Oh, but thank God for Jesus! We saints have been rescued by His mighty hand and are now cleansed by His precious blood. I am no longer a tar bucket!

Once redeemed, however, it is possible to go back and get covered in tar once more so that no one can see the light of Christ shining in us (I'm talking about character here, this has nothing to do with getting to heaven). We can be so consumed by bitterness and unforgiveness – I could go on in an endless list of vices, that it consumes our whole life. One simple question to seriously ask yourself is, “Who am I when I’m alone?” Who are you when you are at home where there is no pastor or church member to see the way you behave? For me, I was the one who would scream people’s heads off at the slightest provocation. I have handed my temper to God now. (Of course, God still accepts us with all our vices, but shall we continue to sin that grace may abound?)So today, I ask you: do the members of your household know you as a tar bucket or as a beacon of Christ’s love? Over to you!

Praise Him!

Flipper is not a morning person, sorry, fish. At dawn when I go out on the balcony to check on him, he just lies motionless in one spot. At first I thought there was something wrong with him, but I’ve come to see that this is normal behaviour for him. One morning however, I noticed something that made me look again. Yes, my little fish has taught me a life lesson once more.
That particular morning, I stayed out on the porch a bit longer, singing a few Twi songs of praise. As I walked past the bowl again and again, I noticed that Flipper was very excited, swimming round and round, up and down. I wondered whether it was the passing plane that had unsettled him, but by the time I left, I realised that it was my songs of praise that had him all energised. I had walked past the bowl dozens of times, so it couldn’t be that. The verse that came to mind was Psalm 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! My fish was praising the Lord with me!
My fish’s circumstances hadn’t changed; he was still confined to a fishbowl. However, the praise made all the difference. Praise had lightened up the atmosphere. In the same way handling a difficult circumstance is always made easier to go through by praise. Praising through the storm helps you get through it. This week try it. No matter how difficult it sounds, praise the Lord through your trials, and experience His peace and joy! I have tried it, and I know its sooo true!

GREATNESS!

Would you like to be a powerful man/woman of God? Would you like to be known far and wide for the anointed words that come out of your mouth? Do you want to delve into the supernatural? Well then, hear how one man was elevated as the spiritual leader of a whole nation.

As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses. Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshipped, each at the entrance to his tent. The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent. Ex 33:9-11

Joshua sat in the presence of the Lord long before he knew any leadership role would be required of him. Later on he was chosen as the leader of the Israelites without any struggle (Deut. 3:28). The secret of greatness in Christ is to spend time in His presence. When Jesus was choosing His disciples, He chose people who would... “be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons” Mark 3:14. Note, the disciples needed first to be with Him, that is spend time sitting at His feet, before they would have power to preach and to have authority over demons.

Mary, sister of Lazarus knew this only too well when she chose to spend time sitting at His feet:

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:38-42

The secret of greatness is to spend time in His presence.

What about you? Do you choose to spend time sitting at Jesus’ feet? Or do you breeze through a quick verse and expedite a prayer to heaven at the beginning of the day? Your end could be great, but it’s up to you. The choice is yours. Which standing would you prefer?

ARE YOUR DRAINS BLOCKED?

The sink was blocked. I had been advised to use a plunger and pour hot water down the drain to ease the problem. As I reached for the kettle, I offered up a silent prayer asking God to make the work of my hands successful (as He had promised in His word). Just before I poured, I felt I should do something else before pouring the water. It was a good idea, but I didn’t want to get my hands mucky, so I ignored the thought and went ahead. Guess what? The added water only compounded the problem. Feelings of hurt that God had not answered my prayer began to surface, but God quickly reminded me that He had given me the solution but I had ignored him. Sheepishly I repented and did what God had told me to do. Afterwards I poured in a second kettle of hot water, and voila! the problem was solved!


What about you? Are the drains of your life blocked? Try obedience. Is there an area of your life that deep down in your heart you know you haven’t surrendered completely to God? This thing, whatever it may be, may most likely be blocking your blessings. Deuteronomy 28 lists many attractive blessings, but the only condition is full obedience. Surrender completely to God in utter obedience, then leave the rest to him.

I would like to add a little note of caution here though. Not every illness, pain or difficult situation in our lives can be traced to living in disobedience, as can be discovered from the story of Job and also from Joseph’s story in Genesis. We should be very careful about pointing fingers at ourselves and others who we think have been disobeying God. As far as it depends on you, with the help of the Holy Spirit, believe, hope and trust! Carry on with a life of obedience, a yielded life, and the blessings of God will be all yours!

A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid." Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading. John 6:18 – 21

The disciples were caught in the middle of a storm and were frantically trying to row back to shore. It was dark and they were frustrated and nearly at their wits end. As if that was not enough their tired eyes saw a ghostly apparition coming towards them, closer by the minute. I’m sure by now they were terrified and ready to start screaming uncontrollably. Then they heard it- a soft voice they knew only too well. “Be not afraid, it is I”. What peace and relief must have flooded their souls. Jesus got into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore.

What situation or storm is threatening to capsize your boat in this new year, 2010? It doesn’t matter how big it is or how long it’s been there; He comes through the storm. The next time there is a shaking, a turbulent situation, and all seems lost, could it just be Jesus coming to us through the storm and saying, “Be not afraid, it is I”?

DO YOU BELIEVE?

El Elyon is the Most High God. He is Jehovah Tsidkenu, our Righteousness, Jehovah Rohi, our Shepherd, Jehovah Shalom, our Peace, Jehovah Rapha, our Healer, Jehovah Nissi, our Victory and Banner, Jehovah Jireh, our Provider, Jehovah Azar, our Helper. Do you believe these attributes of God?

Well, I know from my own experience that when the going gets tough and there is no solution in sight, it is very hard to believe that Jehovah Nissi is going to come through by his mighty hand. God is all-powerful, and He is big enough to address all the impossibilities in our lives. All He asks is for us to believe that He will do it. Before He raised Lazarus from the dead, Jesus looked for belief in the sisters, and He found it in Mary. Something that had never been seen before happened on that day. Read the story in John 11. There are many other examples where Jesus asked people whether they believed.

Once we make the word of God our constant companion and align our lives with His word, there is no reason why we should not find good success, as Joshua 1:8 says. But how many times have we blocked God’s hand in our lives by our disbelief? Luke 18:8 asks, “When the Son of God returns, will He find faith on the earth? The kind of faith being talked about here is the faith of the widow in Luke 18. Is your faith alive? Remember that Jesus could not touch any lives in His hometown because the people did not believe (Matt. 13:58). The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because they did not believe God was going to give them victory in their final battle for the Promised Land (Num 14: 36-44). Without faith it is impossible to please God.

I believe. Do you believe? If you do, Is. 28:16 says you will never be disappointed. Though it tarry it will surely come.

Ps. 103:1-5

Bless the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits –
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you
with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Daniel 3:1 - 30

A long passage, but really worth the read. Our God will save us from the flames, but even if He doesn’t, we will NOT bow down to the idol. Dan 3:18. Many years ago those 5 words changed my life ... but even if He doesn’t. Serving God is not just some way to twist God’s arm into giving you all the good things in life. There are times that He chooses not to give us the things we think we so badly need. Those 3 young men were ready to die if need be, rather than bow to the threats of a king who wanted them to worship his god, a god they had neither seen nor heard of before. Amazingly, God rescued these boys from a horrible death in the fiery furnace.


Some time ago, I was faced with this question. Was I going to shrivel up and die if God did not do that thing which I really needed from Him, or was I going to brace myself and continue walking with Him, and wait for Him no matter what came my way? I made the agonizing decision to stick with God (this was after I had tried to run away from Him) and I have never regretted it to this day! When we decide to stick with God, He honours us in ways we could never have imagined.