Gems from the Book of Daniel (IV and last)

 

Chapters 5 and 6 also bring their lot of ‘surprises’. In chapter 5, the son of Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, asked for the vessels of gold and of silver that his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem and drank in with his lords, wives, and concubines and party. Immediately, the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote something mysterious on the wall. As he was scared, the king summoned the wise men, aka the enchanters, astrologers and soothsayers. They could not read the writing nor give its meaning. So, the queen (who had not been invited to the party for the king to indulge in his orgies) came and said (vs. 11-12): “There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father--your father the king--made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.” Now, let me ask you this: As the chief of all the ‘wise men’, how come all of Daniel’s subordinates were aware of the king’s summon and he wasn’t? How could such a man be ignored? You may have other explanations, but this is what I think.

A title doesn’t necessarily give you the authority which goes with it. Normally, the king’s envoy should have gone straight to Daniel who would have been the one to gather his troops. However, he was overlooked -especially as the king promised great honours to the solver of the riddle. A few weeks ago, I watched an English movie, Secret State. The title says it all. The British Prime Minister was only one by name. There was a real mafia below him and he was just a (relatively naive) pawn on the chessboard. At some point, he gave an injunction to someone and added: “I am the PM!” The other guy almost laughed at him and carried on doing just as he willed. He gave a public ultimatum to an oil mogul who simply ignored it and did not even lower himself to picking up his calls. The embarrassment was beyond description. Power is more than a title: it is also a series of influential networks. Nobody even bothered asking the astrologers where their chief was. Even the king could not remember him and yet, Daniel was supposed to be the wisest and the leader of his wise men (vs. 2.48). Everybody should have been talking of him...

This reminds me even more of the fact that talent alone is not enough. Everybody may know your talent, but if GOD, the Master of times and circumstances, does not create opportunities for your exposure, some ill-intentioned and jealous people may burry you with all your talents and gifts. This is the topic of the second part of my book, Catalysts of Favour.

It also reminds me of the fact that tenebrous people do not like light and holiness. Everybody knew that Daniel had the spirit of the holy gods and a divine light in him. I don’t know about you, but I would have never left such a person, personally. I would have never done a thing without first consulting with him or her. However, John said two things: The world hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil, and also, the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (Jn 7:7b & 1:5). Holiness disturbs. People deeply feel judged by your mere presence, by the fact that you do not lie, swear and get drunk with them. Even when you say nothing, their conscience accuses them and your steadfastness reminds them of their weakness and cowardice. Light can shine as much as it wants in darkness, darkness will not receive it. People do not want GOD to put His nose in their businesses. They want to call on Him on their terms and when it is convenient for them. In any case He is just the last resort when everything ELSE has failed. Indeed, despite the fact that Daniel outshone everyone once more, no magi, no enchanter and no astrologer asked him to teach them how to solve riddles and problems. Instead, they plotted against him. Listen to them: "O King Darius, live forever! All the presidents of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counsellors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked." Vs. 6.5, 6-8. You see how they are manipulating the king? He thinks he is signing something from his own accord while it is the people under him who are actually pulling the ropes.

This is how a royal edict which will affect a whole nation can be promulgated even though its real target is just one person? How many similar decrees are signed worldwide? Decrees affecting millions of people negatively just because someone or a little group of persons has decided to please or destroy an individual? Because some wanted to offer the Iraki oil to a small clique along with contract deals for the reconstruction of the country, look at the state of the Middle East today, all this in the name of getting rid of Saddam Hussein… Fortunately enough, when Daniel paid them a visit, the lions were fasting (and maybe praying for a fatter meat as well). However, when the plotters’ turn came, they had just ended their fast and gave thanks as they ate the succulent meal that God had just served to them.

The Church must go back to militancy. As we enter 2013, let’s pray for the spirit of Daniel to rest on us: we have/ need to counsel kings and authorities.

HAPPY NEW YEAR and GOD BLESS YOU!

Gems from the Book of Daniel (III)

 

I strongly encourage you to read the first two parts of this posting for a better understanding.

After hearing the dream and the explanation thereof, the king fell on his face, worshiped Daniel and commanded to offer an offering and incense to him. He said to him: “It is true that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets” and he made Daniel great, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over all the province of Babylon, and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon (vs. 46-48).

See the irony: he confesses that God is God, but worships Daniel. He acknowledges the excellence of the God of Daniel, but he doesn’t convert. He doesn’t send the other “wise” men away from the palace. He simply decides that Daniel is now the chief prefect over them. The proof that Nebuchadnezzar did not convert is given in Chapters 3 and 4. In chapter 3, he erects a massive statue of himself and asks everybody to worship it. When he learns that Daniel’s friends would not do it, he summons them and says (vs. 14 & 15): “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?... if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” Where has the one who had previously acknowledged the supremacy of the God of the Hebrews over every other god gone? Here is he now, boasting about “his gods”.

As threatened, he throws them in an overheated fire which refuses to roast them. Terrified, he proclaims (vs. 28-29): “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego… Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” Who will not want to serve this kind of God? Yet, Nebuchadnezzar simply forbids blasphemy against Him, but doesn’t invite the people to change their ways and does not convert himself, even though he knows that no other god can rescue like Him. Strange, isn’t it?

In chapter 4, he has another dream and once more, he first turns to his charlatans. In front of their (new) incapacity to interpret it (you don’t say!), Daniel intervenes again and explains that the king has become haughty and God is going to strike him if he doesn’t repent. Daniel pleads with him, saying (vs. 27): “O king, break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.” This is the proof that until now, Nebuchadnezzar is still not converted. Things occur as announced by Daniel and the king is struck by a mysterious illness which almost turns him into an animal. History is full of fables regarding the true nature of his affliction, but what is certain is that he was mad, to say the least. When he regains his sanity after some years, he says (vs. 37): “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.” He is converted, at last...

This teaches us that in many cases, it is only brokenness that can force people to convert. You can do a lot for someone through your prayers, they may even admit it to their friends, but this does not mean they will give their life to Christ. The children of Israel are a very good example of this. What miracle did they not see? Yet, they remained in their unbelief. Likewise, Jesus speaks to a crowd which had just been miraculously fed with only five loaves of bread and two fish and says: “You are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.” Then, He asked them to labour for imperishable food, meaning, doing the work of God which was: believing in Him. Listen to their answer: “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?” (Jn 6:26-30). These people had witnessed or heard of healings, deliverance, resurrections, cleansing of lepers and they had just witnessed a multiplication of five loaves of bread for 5000 men (i.e. more than 10,000 people including women and children). They had been so impressed that they said: "This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!" and were ready to crown Jesus (Jn 6:14-15) and yet, less than 24 hours later, they had the nerve to ask His business card for them to believe in Him! No wonder Jesus told them that they were only looking for Him because of their bellies and not because they had seen wonders which had convinced them that He is truly the Son of the Living God. Don’t wait for God to strike you down like he dealt with Nebuchadnezzar. Do not wait to see a miracle to believe: believe because God is real and is God. Do not say that you will know that God loves you if He gives you this or that or if you see Him powerfully at work: this is the attitude of an ungrateful heart. Just believe that He is God and He loves you. Daniel’s friends told the king (3:17-18): “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” In other words, whether He gives me or not, whether He does this for me or not, I will still serve Him. Do not run after God because of what His hand can give you: this is spiritual begging. Cling unto God like the branch clings unto the trunk of which it depends. God does not need you, you need Him. Without Him, you will soon become a dry and dead leaf or branch. May these thoughts guide you as we enter 2013.

To be continued…

Merry Christmas and God bless you.

Gems from the Book of Daniel (II)

 

When Daniel found out about the king’s threat, he went to see the king on his own and offered to solve the enigma -even though nobody had initially thought of him- and the secret was revealed to him during the night. Let me pause again to say this:

· God's people continue to be ignored, overlooked and despised. It's really weird that nobody thought of Daniel and his friends when chapter 1 tells us that in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters of his kingdom (vs. 20). So, what happened? The Church is still people’s last resort. God is the last to Whom we turn when we are in trouble. As Nathanael said to Philip, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Jn 1:46. The world does not mind us because for them, nothing good can come out of the Church.

· God truly reveals hidden things. Unfortunately, we Christians are the ones who do not believe that He can reveal them to us. God can speak to you about your country, city, area, workplace, family, children and about your future, so that you will not perish with the others – Daniel’s first concern was for God to speak so him and his friends would not share the disastrous fate of the other wise men. God says: “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and inscrutable things which you do not know… Nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known” (Jer 33.3, Mat 10.26). You can know these things, if you wish. I am obviously not talking of spiritual voyeurism. God is not going to reveal to you what your neighbours are eating or their undies, just for the pleasure of showing: this is witchcraft. God reveals things for salvation (ours or our loved ones) and for His glory. A few days ago, my daughter came to me with a situation which was troubling her. There was this classmate of hers who seemed to have a serious problem, but the girl would not speak about it. So, my daughter wanted to know what she could do to help. I told her to pray for GOD to reveal what was wrong to her. I told her to expect an answer via any of these means: a dream, a vision, a sudden intuitive knowledge of the situation, a circumstance (like her finding herself ‘by chance’ somewhere where she can see or hear about the problem) or GOD could also touch the girl’s heart so she would open up to her. She quickly mumbled a few words in her mind and moved onto something else. It was Friday. On Monday afternoon, after the lessons, the girl joined her as she was walking to the music room and spontaneously started pouring out to her, sharing overwhelming issues. My daughter offered to pray for her which the girl gladly accepted. She could not believe someone actually cared. GOD SPEAKS. He is still in the business of revealing hidden things when the motive for knowing them is pure.

Before revealing the king's dream and its interpretation, unlike Elijah who had 450 prophets of Baal put to death, Daniel requested not to destroy the Babylonian wise men (2:24). He could have jumped on the occasion to wipe all these hellhounds who were seducing the king and the people off, but he did not. We like asking God to kill our enemies way too much. We forget that we will always have physical and/or spiritual enemies as long as we live. Destroy two and here are three others: it is an endless fight. Let’s just remember that God’s will is not for the wicked to perish, but to turn back to Him (Ez 18:23, 1Tim 2:4) and let’s be merciful like our Heavenly Father is. By killing them, we deprive them of any possibility to repent.

To be continued…

Have a wonderful week and may God bless you with wisdom!

Gems from the Book of Daniel (I)

 

I am reading the book of Daniel again, and as always, even after reading it n^th times, I am still discovering things. I love the Scriptures!

Two things have fascinated me in the first chapter. The first is that the devil has good taste. Indeed, the king did not want to have just anybody by his side. He was looking for handsome, wise, intelligent, skilled young men without blemish and with a royal or noble background who would learn the literature and language of the Chaldeans (vs. 3-4). Such were the criteria to be at his service. I had already expanded on this in a previous post: In quest of esotericism. The more intelligent you are, the more the system of this world hunts for you. If you are beautiful and don’t have your head on strong shoulders, beauty contests are there to lure you. Lodges too, do not recruit idiots because what their teachings are often very complicated and far beyond the intellectual reach of the average citizen.

The second thing that catches my attention is the fact that their names were changed into names alluding to Babylonian gods and culture. We, Christians, also live in a world which regularly tries to change our names and force us to answer to names that are not ours, for the sake of social integration. Rihanna’s latest hairdo is hip? Young Christians copy it without any discernment. Lady Gaga’s latest fashion style is hop (just her name should tell you the girl is mad)? Christians just copy it. All my friends are getting a tattoo? I will have one as well, but instead of a snake or a mermaid, I’ll go for a cross or the name of Jesus. Cool! All rappers wander around with their pants on their thighs? Young (and even old) Christians do the same… Those who were still called “Christians” (little christs) not so long ago, are now called “Worldly”. What is your sign? And you say: Cancer or Scorpio... Have you changed your name? Are you now identified by the name of one of the gods of this world?

In chapter 2, king Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, but when he got up, he could not remember it. So, he summoned all the wise men of his kingdom –i.e. magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers- asking them to reveal the dream to him and the interpretation thereof. They said to him: “Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.” To which the king replied: “I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see that the thing is gone from me. » As the king insisted, threatening to tear them limb from limb, and lay their houses in ruins, they pleaded saying (vs. 10-11): "There is not a man on earth who can meet the king's demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh."

Let me stop here for now and highlight this:

· Notice who was supposed to be the wise men of the time: all manner of occultists. These are the kind of people world leaders turn to when they are troubled. Things have not changed. Mitterrand in France, Reagan in the US, most African presidents to name only a notorious few, were/are all surrounded by a bunch of marabouts and astrologers in charge of foretelling the future.

· These people knew nothing. They had no answer but they wanted the king to first tell them the dream. I have heard many stories of people who went to consult fortune-tellers, but instead of hearing something like: “You are X and you came for this or that and here is the answer to your problems,” They were tricked into divulging information about their family, health and job which were later used to invent a prediction for them. This is what the king’s mages wanted to do.

· No one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. By their own admission, they cannot be in touch with the gods. By their own admission, the entities they adore and cause people to worship, are unable to interfere in the lives of men. They are making people believe that they can consult the gods/spirits whereas they are mere wind-chasers. Indeed, the Bible tells us that idols, all idols, are vanity and pursuit of the wind (Is 41:29). This reminds the confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. Elijah had told them: “Call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” In spite of all their invocations, nothing happened and Elijah laughed at them saying: "Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened." 1Ki 18:24 and 27. Idols are nothing, vanity. Don’t waste your time reading horoscopes: astrologers cannot predict the future. And if you know people who consult diviners of any nature whatsoever, share this with them.

To be continued…

Have a blessed week in CHRIST JESUS, The LORD.

Finally….

The French version of Catalysts of Favour, “CATALYSEURS DE FAVEUR”, is also out!

God is gooooooooooooood!

Have a look at both versions on the editor's website:

http://www.xulonpress.com/bookstore/bookdetail.php?PB_ISBN=9781624198564&HC_ISBN=NONE

And if you happen to know somebody whose first language is French….

Must-pray prayers of the New T. (X)

 

Praying against temptation

Lk 22.31-32, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again (converted, come back to me), strengthen your brothers.”

1) This is firstly a reminder that the devil exists, roams around and that his intentions towards us have not changed since the Garden of Eden: he only seeks to steal, kill and destroy (Jn 10.10).

2) Satan demanded to have you… This is a reminder that even though he was cast out of heaven and thrown down to the earth with his demons (Rev 12.8-9), Satan still has access to God. It is to Him that he places his demands. Indeed,

Zec 3:1-5, “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, O Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?" Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, "Remove the filthy garments from him." And to him he said, "Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments." And I said, "Let them put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD was standing by.” This is why he is called the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10). He spends his time looking for faults on our part that he can use against us before God, the Just Judge, and force Him to leave us on our own. Psalm 109 rightly says: “They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love. Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is tried, let him come forth guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin!” (Vs 3-7) ? The KJV reads: let Satan stand at his right hand. And he does this day and night!

Job is another example of the devil’s presence before the LORD. Read this: “There was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, "From where have you come?" Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it." And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face." And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand." So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.” (Job 1:6-12)

So, the devil can do nothing without the LORD’s permission. In fact, speaking of His sheep, Jesus said that they will never perish, that no one could snatch them out of His hand, and that His Father who had given them to Him is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand (Jn 10:28-29). No wonder the devil himself had to acknowledge the fact that God had put a hedge on every side around him, his house and all his possessions. In other words, nobody can touch us except God first removes that protecting hedge around us. Indeed, the verse « stretch out your hand and touch all that he has » is not accurately translated because the Hebrew word shâlach, translated by stretch out, actually means send away, let go, let loose, put away, send off, cast away or push away.

3) I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail… And we know that God always hear the prayers of Jesus (Jn 11:42)… The first thing that this verse teaches us is that our faith is what matters the most to the LORD. This is what He is keen to preserve it above all. Then, this passage also teaches us that when the devil demands to sift us like wheat, God has two options. Either He destroys Satan’s plans by removing our iniquity/sin and changing our filthy garments by pure ones (the blood of Jesus), or He lets him do as he wishes, but only after our advocate with the Father, Jesus (1Jn 2.1), has prayed that those trials would not break us. This is why Paul says that no temptation has overtaken us that is not common to man and that, God who is faithful, will not let us be tempted beyond our ability, but will provide the way of escape with the temptation, that we may be able to endure it (1Cor 10:13). And we know that Job’s faith was not shaken. In spite of all his losses –his children, his wealth and his health- he refused to curse God and simply said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." (Job 1:21)

Our part is to avoid any presumption like Peter who thought he could face jail and death with the LORD (Lk 22:33), only to deny Him shortly after. We should be aware that all those who are standing are susceptible to fall (1Cor 10:12). This is why Jesus exhorts us to watch and pray not to enter into temptation (Mat 26:41). And the prayer we must pray is: Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (Mat 6:13).

Have a great week and God bless you!

The power of unity

 

Genesis 11 tells us the story of a people who rallied behind their king (Nimrod) to achieve a titanic task: building themselves a city and a tower which was destined to reach the heavens. This mission had a double-purpose: make themselves a name and avoiding dispersion over the face of the earth (vs. 4). The Bible tells us that God ‘came down’ to see what they were up to, and after seeing it, He acknowledged that: “they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them” (vs. 6). However, as the project was hubristic, God could not let them continue. In the meantime, NOTHING, not even Him, could stop them as long as they were united, ONE. So, He decided to confuse their language and scatter them over the face of the earth (precisely what they wanted to avoid at the beginning of their initiative). Unable to understand each other any longer and no longer together, they had no option but to stop building the city.

There is a formidable power behind unity. It is not for nothing that the motto of several countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Bolivia, Angola, Haiti, and Malaysia) is “Unity is strength” and that many other countries have the word Unity or Union in their respective mottos as well.

This is why God wanted the husband and the wife to be ONE, one flesh, when He instituted marriage. Paul goes even further and adds that it is a mystery: “…the two shall become one flesh." This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.” Eph 5:31-32

It is for this reason that Jesus, the Bridegroom of the Church, prayed: “Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one… I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” (Jn. 17:11, 20-23) Notice the number of times that He asks for the unity of the Church. He is about to depart and return to His Father and He knows that the only way that the work that He had started –the Gospel- will stand and spread is through the unity of the disciples. So, He asks them to love one another as He loved them for it was only love which was able to cement that unity. This is one of the most powerful prayers of the New Testament.

United couples form united families and kids who will try to reproduce the holy and healthy model that they have seen and known. United families —> united teams, churches and societies —> strong nations, which does not please the devil at all. When he wants to destroy an individual, a family, a team, a project or a nation, he brings in division. Jesus thus warned the disciples that a kingdom divided against itself was laid waste and a divided household would fall (Mat 12:25, Lk 11:17). Yet, all this starts at an individual level with doubt and indecision which are actually nothing else than a divided mind. This is why James warned us saying: “the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (Ja. 1.6-7) Those who doubt cut themselves off from the LORD’s favour and put themselves at the devil’s pleasure. So, Jesus said: “Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mk 11:23-24). In other words, “when you ask something in prayer, let your lips, mind and heart be ONE. They must all be on the same wave length and say the same thing.”

There is a power behind unity. Be ONE with yourself and be ONE with your spouse. May your family and church be ONE: this unity will be the strength of the projects that you will undertake together. Also remember that unity does not grow with wishful thinking; it is nurtured and consolidated in/by love.

God bless you as He helps you not to be double-minded and unstable in your ways. Have a great week!

Must-pray prayers of the New T. (IX)

 

Praying for healing

Ja 5:13a, 14-16, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray... 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

I am not aware of anyone who hasn’t been through pain or illness at any point of their lives. We must also all know of some people who are in the middle of such situations. Therefore, we all need to understand this prayer in order to be able to pray it effectively.

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. We pray so as to know what to do. It is written indeed: “In the day of adversity consider” and also, « No temptation/testing has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (Eccl. 7:14 & 1Co 10:13). It is in reflective prayer that we will find a way out and the strength to deal with and overcome whatever afflicts us. Therefore, we pray to seek God’s wisdom (see last week’s posting).

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church… Paradoxically, we are not asked to pray straight away. In fact, I would have even thought that we would be asked to call the elders when we suffer and pray when we are sick; but the opposite is recommended. On the other hand, this passage mentions several things that seem necessary for healing. It seems that prayer alone is not enough.

Let him call for the elders of the church: This implies that you are a member of an assembly and you recognise its leadership. Let them pray over him: By requiring you to go through them, God requires you to respect authority and submit to it. Otherwise, you will have a hard time enjoying biblical healing. Remember the Roman centurion whose faith Jesus praised. His servant was sick and he called the Elder of the time, Jesus. Yet, it is his understanding of authority and submission to it which triggered the healing miracle (Mat 8:5-13).

Confess your sins to one another: Here it is the obligation of dependence vis-à-vis other Christians, and the need to walk in light. In other words, this forces us to consider that we are not free electrons. We are part of a Body and what affects us (sin or sickness), also affects the rest of the Body (1Co 12:12-27). It also shows the direct relationship that some of our diseases may have with sin. That is why Paul said, speaking of Holy Communion, that those who take it unworthily (e.g. while living in sin) are at risk of infirmity, disease and even death.

Pray for one another. The dependence we are talking about goes in both directions. On the one hand, we submit to others by confessing our sins, but we are also sensitive to their problems on the other hand. Let’s not be selfish people who always ask people to pray for them but never really take time to intercede for others. We will be measured by what we use to measure others (Lk 6:38). Let us suffer with those who suffer and be compassionate.

Let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. This reminds us of the importance of faith and anointing oil in the prayer for healing. Moreover, it is not the elders who heal, but the name of Jesus. The elders are only the instruments of the LORD.

If he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Here is another aspect of authority. It is the prayer of the elders which causes sins to be forgiven. Jesus had said to Peter: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” He later repeated it to the other apostles: “whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Mat 16:19 & 18:18). Your pastors and elders have the keys for your welfare: they watch over your soul (Heb 13:17). When a Christian tries to hide and appear super-spiritual and refuses to open up to his/her leaders, he/she just returns a knife against themselves. Indeed, there is no power against the truth and, he who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy (2Co 13.8, Pr 28.13).

…. That you may be healed. One must do all this; one must meet all these steps to be healed. However, we know that in practice, this is not always possible nowadays. As all steps are mandatory and none can be short-circuited, what can we do then, in such cases?

Well, you can always pray yourself, providing you are righteous. Indeed, let me summarise. If I'm sick and want to be healed through prayer, I must:

• Belong to a church
• Acknowledge its leadership, accept it and submit to it.
• Confess my sins to my leaders and possibly to the brethren as well (my leaders will tell me if this is necessary)
• Carry the burdens of my brethren in prayer, have compassion.
• More than my own faith (which is indispensable still), it is the faith of the elders that matters the most here.

But, all these conditions -and even more- are easily met by the righteous. This is why James ends by saying that: The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. I do not have time to expand on the characteristics of the righteous, but carry out some research using a biblical concordance and you will be greatly enlighten.

 

Have a great week and God bless you.

Must-pray prayers of the New Testament (VIII)

 

Prayer for wisdom

Ja 1.5-6, « If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. »

Wisdom is a right natural or acquired knowledge of things. Indeed, the Bible tells us that it knows the interpretation of things (Eccl 8.1). Wisdom is soundness of mind. It is the ability or result of an ability to think and act utilising knowledge, experience. It is thus the ability to make intelligent decisions especially in everyday matters.

So, James encourages all those who feel they lack wisdom to pray to receive it. It can be obtained. The book of Proverbs tells us that the LORD gives wisdom (2:6) which will come into our heart if we call it (2:3, 10). Solomon exhorted his son saying: “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding” (Pr 4:7). Why? Why is it so important?

Her gain is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing one desires can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honour. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace (Pr 3.14-17). She makes us walk securely on our way without stumbling (3:23). That is: she helps us live an exemplary Christian life, worthy of the Lord. She gives more strength to the wise than ten rulers who are in a city (Eccl 7:19). She brings glory and elevation and places a beautiful crown or a graceful garland on our heads (Pr 4:8-9). Wisdom protects like money; but the advantage of knowledge is, that wisdom gives or preserves the life of those who have it (Eccl 7:12). There are still so many other examples we can mention, but we will not be exhaustive. The ones that we have listed are more than enough to understand the importance of wisdom and desire to possess it.

If we pray this prayer, since it is in line with the will of God, we can be certain we are heard and our request is granted (cf. 1Jn 5:15). However, we are not going to receive crowns, prosperity etc. in a matter of days. In other words, though we have received it and it is dormant in us, we will not necessarily display the signs of wisdom overnight. To pray this prayer is to open ourselves to wisdom.

After listening to Job and his friends argue for a while, Elihu, the youngest visitor, said: “If you have any words, answer me… If not, listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.” (Job 33:32, 33). Then he reminded Job that nobody gives orders to God (34:13), nobody disputes with Him (34:23-25), He does what He wants and is not accountable to anyone (34:29), He is not affected –changed in what He is– by our actions at all and our deeds only affect us or our fellow men, not Him (35:3-8). He finally gave him a glimpse of the greatness and omnipotence of the Creator (chap. 36 & 37). Following this, God also spoke to Job. He asked him a series of questions about the origins of the world, the domicile of the stars, the unusual strength of some animals, the reasons behind the choice of their habitats, the triggering of childbirth, the doors of the sea, the Sheol, the path of light, the laws of heaven etc. And of course, Job could give no answer to any of them.

“I will teach you wisdom” is followed by a very long hymn to the greatness of the Creator-Sovereign-Lord-God-Almighty. This deployment of divine majesty is such that Job suddenly feels stupid (not wise) and very small. Indeed, when you sit down to be taught wisdom, the first thing you understand is that wisdom begins with the fear of the LORD. To pray as James advocates is to sit at Jesus' feet, the Master’s feet, so that He Himself will teach us wisdom. That is why, if one does not have reverence for the Teacher, if one is not able to discern the preciousness of each and every one of His words and if one is not able to know their place (student, ignorant) then, there is no point undertaking this pilgrimage.

Sorry I did not post anything yesterday; I simply was not ready. I hope I have made up for it. Have a wonderful week, God bless and thanks for your understanding!

Must-pray prayers of the New T. (VII)

 

Praying for the authorities

1Tim 2.1-4, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

On the eve of the U.S. presidential election, one of the largest in the world by its international repercussions, it is good to remind ourselves of Paul’s recommendations to his spiritual son, the Bishop of Ephesus, Timothy, to pray for our authorities.

The principle of separation of Church and State is so deep that the majority of Christians thinks it means: “Christ and politics do not go together. Or, you cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit and do politics. It is impossible to do politics without dirtying your hands (hence, every politician Christian is automatically suspected of corruption).” To ensure we stay away from the 'affairs of the city' (politics), the devil has even greatly help us diabolised it. Yet, the Bible is full of people who have held high offices in the State without corrupting themselves: Joseph, David, Daniel and his friends, Esther, Deborah, many kings mentioned in the Books of Kings and Chronicles, and Erastus, the treasurer of the city of Corinth (Rom 16.23), to mention only a few. It is therefore possible for a Christian to be involved in politics and remain faithful to the LORD. Why should we pay more attention to politics?

1) It has an interest in us. It takes decisions that affect us directly. This is why Paul says: “that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” and Jeremiah asks to seek the welfare of the cities and countries of residence, and pray to the LORD on their behalf, for in their welfare is ours (Jer 29:7). The best way to seek the welfare of a city, a country or even an organization, is to procure them good leaders – ideally God-fearing ones, but if not, at least some who genuinely have the best interests of the people at heart. Leaders who do not covet the position because of their stomach or, in order to promote the agenda of small occult groups. Indeed, the Bible repeatedly shows us how the entire nation prospered each time it was run by a pious king. If we want to see the Crisis end, or crime rate fall, or jobs being created and if we want the notions of family, marriage and sanctity of life preserved, we need to kneel down before the LORD and present Him every election. Once a person is elected, it's too late: when you have signed to collect a delivery, you must accept all that the package contains. As soon as the child is conceived, its genetic code is in place: you cannot start praying for him not to have grandma’s nose afterwards. Yes, the king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD who turns it wherever He wills. So, He can still shake them from time to time and force them to implement or revoke some decisions, even after the election (Pr 21:1); but, prevention is better than cure. It is better not to have grandma’s nose than to have to remove it surgically. My pastor often says that since the Church has lost her power (in prayer), she now resorts to petitions to influence government decisions. We have become too retroactive instead of being proactive. If we do not define the rules of the political game, we will spend our time dealing with what the agents of darkness would have inspired the politicians to do.

2) There will be a judgment of the nations (Mat 25:32). For it to be as fair as possible, Jesus ordered us to make disciples of all nations and preach the gospel of the Kingdom everywhere, that it may serve as a testimony to all nations (Mat 28.19 et 24.14). To discipline a nation is to convert systems; to submit them to the authority of divine Commandments. It is to align what is done down here with what is being done up there. There are only two ways to achieve this: the fervent prayer of the righteous (cf. Elijah) or the appointment of worthy representatives of Christ who can make and undo laws in high places. We must therefore take an interest in politics and participate in public affairs. The Church must become militant again.

3) We must pray for the authorities because they are the stake of interests that we cannot even begin to fathom. Think of Daniel and his friends. They were attacked from all sides because two opposing camps sought to control them. They belonged to God’s camp when they arrived in Babylon. However, the devil quickly took an interest in them (read Dan 1). We cannot afford to abandon people as important and strategic as the authorities into the hands of the devil. This can only turn back against us.

4) Finally, we must pray for those who are in authority because God wants them to have an opportunity to be saved and it is pleasing unto Him as well. But Jesus said: He who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him (Jn 8.29). God shows no partility (Ac 10:35); if we do what pleases Him, He will also de with us, always.

Have a great week and God bless you!

Lot’s wife

 

Her story can be read in Genesis 19. We all know her sad end. The Bible tells us that Sodom and Gomorrah had become ​​so abominable in the sight of the LORD that He decided to destroy them. Habakkuk reminds us indeed that His eyes are too pure to see evil (1:13). In the case of Sodom, this evil was constantly displayed before His eyes: male homosexuality was rampant. The situation was so grave that the men of the city, young and old alike, were even about to sexually abuse the angels that God had sent to warn Lot of the danger which threatened the city (vs. 5)! Out of respect for hospitality which was still sacred at the time, Lot pleaded with them not to do it and even offered two of his daughters who were still virgins (vs. 8). According to the customs of biblical times, girls were married around 12-14 years of age. In other words, the situation was such that Lot was ready to deliver two young teenagers or pre-teens into the hands of evil men, thus condemning them to perpetual dishonour (or even death): they could have never married afterwards and would have had to wear a mark of their shame on them always.

The townspeople refused his proposal because they wanted “fresh meat”; then, furious that he had tried to stop them, they decided to rape him as well. The angels intervened and struck them all with blindness. They explained to Lot the purpose of their mission and advised him to take his family and all he could save from his precious belongings and leave the town. Lot spent the night vainly trying to convince his sons-in-law of the impending doom: the guys thought he was joking. So, the angels told him to leave with his wife and the two daughters who had just escaped a collective rape (vs. 14-15). They finally had to grab him by force to bring him out and set him outside of the city because he was lingering. He could not bear to leave without some members of his family. They told him: “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away” (vs. 17). As soon as Lot was safe in the city of Zoar, the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulphur and fire from heaven and totally destroyed them (vs. 24-25). This is when Lot’s wife unfortunately decided to turn and look back and was instantly changed into a pillar of salt (vs. 26). What are the lessons that we can draw from this story?

1) We really must be careful to be at the right place. Lot settled in Sodom because, at the time, the place looked like a garden of the LORD (Gen 13.10). He based his decision on the flesh. As a result of this bad choice, he lost his wife, some daughters, sons-in-law, and maybe some grandchildren. Because of this decision taken without the LORD, he will later find himself having an incestuous relation with his last two daughters and two incestuous sons/grandsons: Moab and Ben-ammi (vs. 30-38). These two children will be the fathers of two of Israel main enemies: the Moabites and Ammonites. All this happened because many years before the events, just like Adam and Eve in the Garden (Gen 3.6), a man who had neither the spiritual sight nor common sense, made a decision based on what had caught his eyes. We do not know how some of our present choices will affect our future and that of our children, but God knows; that’s why it is a lot wiser to seek Him/His advice. Are you at the right place? Are you about to partner with the right person (marriage, business, friendship etc.)?

2) When God has spoken, we must obey without looking back. Some people think that Lot’s wife turned back out of curiosity: “What is all this noise I hear in the distance about? What can possibly be going on there?” Or: “Did we really have to flee? Was the city actually destroyed?” It is indeed possible that like many women, the pangs of curiosity –ugly little sin- were stronger. However, I think that more than that, it is the maternal fibre which caused her to look back. Some of her daughters, fruits of her womb, had remained in Sodom. From afar, she may had heard all the terrifying noises and screams coming from there and wanted to look back and see if there was any hope that the whole city had not been destroyed and thence, her family had possibly been spared. If you know someone who lives in a place that has just been hit by a terrorist attack or a natural disaster, immediately you will want to hear from them to reassure yourself: it is only natural, and Mrs. Lot’s reaction was natural. But the situation here was not a natural one: God's judgment was falling down on people and to avoid being cursed with them, the order was clear: not to turn back. God wants to be obeyed and obeyed completely. He cannot care less that our excuse is that we wanted to behave as responsible and loving parents. When a child or a loved one refuses to obey God’s commandments in spite of everything we do or say and God is about to strike and punish them, we need to physically and emotionally step aside in spite of the love that we have for them, lest we perish together. We can continue to pray for them, but no other interference is acceptable. And sometimes, praying for them is even forbidden (Jer 7:16, 11:14 & 14:11). Lot had begged his sons-in-law (and thus his other daughters) all night. At dawn the angels literally had to force him out of the city for him not be destroyed along with her, because the physical separation was tough. His wife cut ties physically, but not emotionally: this killed her. Beware of soul ties; they can become powerful hinderers on the path of those who want to do God’s will. This is why Jesus said that we cannot come to Him and be His disciples, if we are not ready to hate our father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters, and even our own life (Lk 14:26). Follow the LORD, move on, do not go back and do not look back.

God bless you with a fruitful week.

Are you at the right place?

 

It is written that there is a time for everything under the sun (Eccl 3); and I recently realised that there is actually a time and a place for everything. The time can be right; but if the place is not also right, what should be birthed may never be.

As you now know, my first book, Catalysts of Favour, is finally out. I was led to write it at the end of 2005. It was supposed to be a ‘two-hands’ piece. I finished writing my part early 2006 and began to wait for the other part which was supposed to be written by someone else. After more than a year of waiting and postponing, I reckoned that if I didn’t do it myself, there would never be any book. So, in 2008, I finished the first draft of the French manuscript. In 2009, I revised it and changed a few things, and it was ready for publication; but everything came to a halt. Today, I can say that there was like an invisible barrier stopping me from going any further. In December 2010, we left the country and territory where we had been living for a little more than 10 years and in January, the LORD asked me to write the English version and publish the two simultaneously. In October 2010, He had already told me to start doing everything in both languages and that’s why I have two versions of my blog. But I had always thought that I would publish my books in French and then, they would subsequently be translated in other languages by one editor or publisher.

In any case, I completed the translation in April 2011 using a bad software – the easy way–, and asked someone to proofread it. I had not re-read it myself. Months went by without me seeing anything coming; so I saw two other persons who agreed to do the job for me. One of them tried at least to proofread some 20-30 pages, but the other one, like the first, never mentioned the book again… In July 2011, I understood that once more, I had to do everything myself and started proofreading the English version of my own book. I have to say that I was amazed by the very poor job that I had done. It was as if I was sleeping while translating it; there were so many errors; these may have tired my proofreaders... I took a break between August and November 2011, to help somebody else publish their book –one has to sow- and resumed my proofreading work in January 2012. I completed the task in June 2012. The time for a few people to read, proofread and preface it, then the publishing process, and here it is, out at last! As I was looking back at this long journey three weeks ago, the Lord made ​​me understand that there is a time indeed, but also a place for the manifestation of certain things, of certain gifts of God.

The Bible speaks of territorial spirits: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” Eph 6.12. Therefore, Daniel had to deal with the prince of Persia; except, it was not the king of Persia or any of his sons. It was the principality, the ruler of darkness, the demon that controlled Persia at the time. This spiritual entity did everything possible not to see the arrival of the blessing which God had sent to Daniel in response to his prayer. Fortunately, Daniel kept on praying and another spiritual entity, more powerful than the prince of Persia, the archangel Michael, intervened to help the blessing reach its destination. “Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me.” (Dan 10:12-13; read the whole chapter 10.)

In order for me to publish my book in that country, the prince of the country who was resisting my breakthrough had to be neutralised first. Unfortunately, I was never aware of the true spiritual dimension of my blockade and so, I never prayed/warfared as I should have, if I had known it. My ignorance cost me many years: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hos. 4:6)…

Jesus was the Son of God; the embodiment and fullness of the Divinity; yet, he could not be born in Nazareth: His parents had to move. Bethlehem was the place where the heavens were opened enough for the Son of God to come to life. Joseph, Esther and Ruth could only fulfil their destiny in exile, far away from their homeland. John the Baptist could only minister in the desert...

When we speak of open heavens, we speak of an opening in the spiritual; we speak of a territory where spiritual entities that oppose your breakthrough, success, blessing, health etc., have no rule. It is a piece of territory which escapes the authority of certain princes and chiefs of darkness. It can be a house, an office, a neighbourhood, a city, a region, a country, or even a continent. Jacob found himself in such a place. He had to leave his father’s house in a rush, running away from his brother’s wrath. On his way, he got to a place where God appeared to him and he exclaimed himself (Gen 28.17): “This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

When I finally arrived in the house of God, I also found the gate of heavens. The books that I long had inside of me can now ‘come to life’– Catalysts of Favour is the fifth that I have written; but the one that the LORD has asked me to publish first.

Are you at the right place - the right house, office, church, neighbourhood, town, area, country or continent? Some of the LORD’s promises will not be fulfilled; some of His blessings that you wait in prayers and fastings will not come as long as you stay in territories which are spiritually under the dominion of entities which are hostile to the manifestation of your gifts/what you have to offer.

It is by revelation that I received this message and it has not been easy to convey what I see and understand in my spirit. However, I do hope and pray that God will do the rest and that the Holy Spirit will help you grasp what I have tried to communicate.

Have a wonderblessed week under open heavens !

At loooonnng last....

My first book, Catalysts of Favour, is finally out!

If you have been blessed by this blog's postings, you will be even more blessed by the content of the book. I have been overwhelmed by the comments I have received so far from the proofreaders, foreworders and the few who have read it before publication (MS Word).

The paperback is available on Amazon and Barnes and Nobles. 

The eBook is available on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, Google eBooks and Sony.

Go to "MY BOOKS" and grab your copy. It is the new page under the header.

And, do not forget to share and spread the good news around.

God bless you!

Must-pray prayers of the New Testament VI

 

Paul's prayers for the Thessalonians

1Th 3.12-13, “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.”

This prayer is close to those that Paul addressed in favour of the Colossians, Ephesians and Philippians. There is always this concern about the need to growth in love, stability in Christ and holiness/consecration. Maybe, instead of us spending our time praying for material things, we should rather spend more time praying and watching that we grow in love –the only criterium for recognising a Christian according to the LORD-, stay rooted in Him and are totally consecrated unto Him – holy.

1Th 5.23, “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We know that Paul had a real burden for sanctification; and here, he seems to acknowledge that this will not be possible/easy unless God Himself comes to help them. He is the One who works both to will and to work in us (Phil 2:13). To think that we can do this by ourselves is sheer madness: the lonely one achieves nothing. In other words, we must pray God to grant us the grace to walk in holiness; without Him, we can do nothing (Jn. 15:5). Paul wants this transformation to affect their whole being: the spirit (the realm of thoughts), the soul (realm of will and feelings) and the body. His prayer is similar to that of John concerning Gaius: “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.” All sorts of interpretations have been given of this verse. Till now, I had always understood that it meant that our material, financial, social, professional, and spiritual or more prosperity is directly proportional to the prosperity of our soul. In short, if your soul prospers, the rest prospers automatically; hence the focus in prospering the soul. However, about two months ago, it appeared to me that it wasn’t exactly that. It rather seems that John had noticed that while Gaius’ soul was obviously prospering, the same was not to be said with other areas of his life. So, he prayed that Gaius’ prosperity be more harmonious and that every other domain of his life may prosper as his soul did. This makes me think of some Christians who are more than zealous in prayer and fasting, in reciting verses and in church activities; but who strive to make ends meet, sweat to find a job, toil to get married and struggle to see their businesses prosper etc.: prosper in the soul, but dry and ‘sterile’ elsewhere.

2Th 1:11-12, 3:5 and 16, “…Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ... 3.5 May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ… 16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.”

If Paul prays that God may count the Thessalonians ‘worthy of their vocation’, it means there is a risk not to be found worthy of the Lord’s calling: I pray that this never happens to us. Then, he sort of implores God’s grace so that this can be done and comes back on the recurrent theme of God’s love.

Paul also prays for peace: May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. Nobody can receive or give even one thing unless it is given him from heaven: the Lord and Prince of Peace is the only One who can give peace (Jn 3:27). It is absolutely pointless looking for peace in the things of this world: riches, marriage, kids, work, leisure, yoga, Buddhism, alcohol, food, drugs and so on. Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the source of peace: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (Jn. 14:27) His peace surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7) and keeps your heart untroubled, un-palpitating and unshakable, even under the most alarming situations. That’s why the lack of peace also causes many stress-related diseases. You can possess all the riches of the world; but if you do not have peace - because of a health issue, a bad marriage, a wayward child; the collapsing economy, the fear that your investments and savings will vanish- your life will be hell. Peace proceeds from the ability to rest on the fact that God is in control, knows what is going on, and is taking care of it. Peace proceeds from the ability to believe that in spite of what we may see, hear or feel; in spite of what is befalling us, God is good and is working towards our welfare and well-being. It is the quiet assurance that the best is yet to come. In the Old Testament, peace, shalom, is a condition of freedom from disturbance, whether outwardly or inwardly. It primarily meant soundness or health, but also came to signify prosperity and well-being in general. Therefore, peace is a priceless treasure; and knowingly, Paul did not want the Thessalonians to experiment a temporary peace: he wanted them to abide in it. So, he prayed and asked God to use any and every resources to ensure/guarantee them peace during good or ‘bad’ days.

Have a ‘wonderblessed’ week,

Shalom!

Prosperity is firstly and foremost a state of mind

 

I have just read the story of Victoria Hunt on the mobile website of the Huffington Post which has simply blown me away! She is a 51 years old self-made millionaire with several houses, stocks and other investments in Columbus, Ohio. She is so cheap that she pees in a bottle and then, empties it in her garden, so as to shave a couple dollars off her monthly water bill! She has her freezer on a timer so it only runs 12 hours a day and takes showers at her gym to save electricity and water. She also dumpster dives and forages for food, sometimes even in her front yard. She eats some of the weeds in her garden and now picks her own dandelion roots for herbal tea, instead of paying $8 per box. Her main hobby is to gather, both in dumpsters and in the forest, things like coins or boxes of fresh pastries and cakes! All in all, bills, groceries and even health insurance included, she lives on just $12,000 per year.

But it was not always like that. 25 years ago, she was a single mother living in a trailer park and receiving government assistance. So, to be sure she will never be poor again, she enjoys being frugal and saving money. She stopped working 3 years ago; but before that, she was driving a 16-year-old Corolla with broken windows, and admits that a lot of people made fun of her.

There is no argument that she is one of the worst cheapskates ever. However, she also reminds me of the brother of the prodigal son who lived like a slave in the middle of abundance. You can read what I wrote about this here. True greatness begins in the mind. You are truly great when there is no longer any smallness in you and you do nothing at a mini or micro scale. How can you have millions in the bank and you gather in dumpsters or eat your landscape weeds? She could be eating in restaurants and giving generous tips; or she could be providing a job to someone by hiring a chef who will cook for her; but she is not doing that. She finds a sense of security and peace in saving money, forgetting that in today’s USA, banks are no longer safe: we saw it in 2008.

Likewise, at some point in the desert, the children of Israel were frustrated and started crying and craving for meat saying: “We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.” (Num 11:5) Cucumbers? Melons? Leeks? Garlic? Come on! These are people who left Egypt rich (Ex 12:35-36); and not only that, they were en route to abundance. Later on, in spite of the fact that they had God Almighty, the God of Hosts with them, they chickened out in front of a couple of giants. Just like Miss Hunt, they suffered from a fear of lack syndrome: fear that money may lack; fear that power to back them up would lack…

We may stumble unto prosperity; but we will never really enjoy it if our mindset is not free and ‘prosperous’. It is an anointing in which one flows. You see it in the spirit, you become one with it in the spirit, it comes, and then, you naturally enjoy it and flow in it.

May God bless you as you conduct yourself with greatness.

Selected pieces

 

The head and not the tail?

Deut 28:13, And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them…

This passage is frequently quoted: Christians like the idea that they will always be the head. Yet, this promise or blessing is conditional: God will do… IF you do... The truth is; since Christ Jesus is preeminent in everything, the HEAD (Col 1.15-18), we, that is: the body/ envelope that carries Him, will inevitably be the head if we allow Him to manifest Himself in us and through us freely and fully. This implies that we submit to the will of God as much as He submitted to it whilst He lived on Earth. We have to obey God’s commandments and carefully do them. This is the only way that the dimension, measure, expression and stature of CHRIST can grow in us and that we can move from the tail to the head; and move upward from the bottom to the top.

Having said this, we also need to understand that what the LORD means by head, tail, up or down is not necessarily what we think. For instance, when He made this promise to the children of Israel through Moses, it was obvious that even if they had all obeyed His commandments in the same manner, they could not have all become Moses or Joshua etc. So, there was ‘a head and a up’ that the rest of the people could not attain, notwithstanding a perfect observation of God’s Word. Therefore, being the head; always being up; what exactly can it mean?

 

Forgetting Jesus

Luk 2:42-46, And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions..

I saw this portion of the Scripture in a new light on Tuesday. Jesus’ parents were a day's journey before realising that their eldest son was not with them: a 12 year old child! Likewise, some people set off thinking that Jesus is coming along with them, whereas they have left Him, forgotten Him somewhere. They get married, have children, start a business, embark on projects, take on jobs and refuse others, without ensuring that the LORD is indeed with them in that adventure. Fortunately, the parents of the young teen ‘quickly’ noticed that the boy was not with them and turned back to look for him. However, many people, Christians, continue their route nonetheless. Joseph and Mary’s U-turn is an image of repentance. We need to know how to return to God and Christ when we realise that we are alone on the way that we are treading on. The Bible states that unless the LORD builds the house/watches over the city, those who build or watch labor in vain (Ps 127:1). In other words, if God is not with you, if Jesus does not go with you, you are walking in vain; but, more importantly, you are heading (rushing) towards your destruction. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. (Jn 12.26).

Have a ‘wonderblessed’ week with and in CHRIST JESUS.

Divine order (II)

 

For better clarity and understanding, I would advise you to read last week’s posting (again) before proceeding with this week’s.

The local church

I deliberately differentiated between God’s commandments and those of the local church because many people get the two mixed up. Your church’ specific programs are not the absolute or universal will of God; if not, all churches would have exactly the same programs and charts and there would be one or several chapters on this subject in the Bible. Therefore, it is not the end of the world if a non-Christian husband does not want his wife to spend all her time in church. She can be at peace that she is not committing a crime by staying at home. However, she will be sinning if she rebels, refuses to submit and goes to church; or if she wastes her time grumbling at home instead of using that opportunity to pray, read her Bible or watch a Christian show on TV if her church’s meetings are not broadcasted live. God should remain the Master and number 1, and her husband the number 2. By the way, let me say –so as not to frustrate anyone and reveal the whole counsel of God- that if a husband is a believer and his wife who is not one is not comfortable with him spending too much time in church, even though he is the head, he must also listen to her; because, the Bible exhorts us to leave peaceably with all –and even more our spouse- as far as it depends on us (Rom 12:18). Indeed, before telling the wives to submit to their husbands (Eph 5:22, 24), Paul starts by asking that we should ALL submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (vs. 21). Let us also remember how God told Abraham to do what Sarah was demanding from him; which was to send Hagar and Ishmael away…

Society

The society has its own codes, values, requirements, in short, its own religion with its own god(s), teachers and prophets. Divine order requires that no leisure, no job, no fashion, no activity, in short nothing, should ever become more important than family and God. It also demands that we respect the authorities, as God’s representatives (Rom 13:1), as long as they are not asking us to trespass God’s commands (Ac 4:19-20; Daniel and his friends). By rebelling against them, we are resisting God Himself. Romans 13:1 helps us understand that no authority is established by Satan, but by God. Even when the elections were rigged and the cheater is declared the winner, we must accept that ultimately, God has decided. This is why we pray before for God to guide the process, and once the dice is cast, we also need to accept God’s decision and live with it for the best. If we do not like the one who is elected, we still have a few years ahead of us to pray for God to give us someone else. Let us render unto Caesar what belongs to him.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. (Gen 1.1-3). In this month where God is giving us the grace to (re) discover divine order and its benefits, let us pray that the Holy Spirit may breathe afresh on our lives, families, relationships, studies, jobs, businesses etc. to give them the shape that God wants and to fill them with the presence and the power of the LORD.

I will conclude with this: what we see was not made ​​out of things visible, but invisible (Heb 11:3). Therefore, when we pray, we receive what we ask because we first got hold of it in the spirit realm. However, after we have prayed, if we truly believed that we already possess what we’ve asked like Jesus says in Mark 11, then, our attitude should reflect that belief. This is why, before they even conceive, after praying for a child, some women start behaving as if pregnant or like mothers. Likewise, while we pray for the God of order to manifest Himself, let us also start by physically putting things in order around us. Let us tidy and de-clutter our rooms, houses, offices etc., throwing away everything which is not necessary, so as to offer the LORD a beautiful landing ground.

May God bless and assist you as you put your life back in order.

COMING SOON…

 

My first book!

 

 

It is only a matter of days now.

God bless you.

Divine Order

 

In my church, September 2012 is prophetically our month of divine order. I wrote in my posting last week that a woman who attends every church meeting against her husband’s will loves without intelligence because she is not mindful of divine order. God is not a God of confusion (of disorder in French translations) but of peace; He wants everything to be done peacefully and in order (1Cor 14.33). In other words, God does not act where there is disorder. It is pointless praying and hoping that the Lord would act, visit or deliver us, while we live in disorder. If we want to taste and enjoy all that God has planned for us in 2012, it is important that we bring order into our lives or that we put our lives in order. And divine order is simply God, then family, then the local church and then society.

God

He must be the First in everything. His name must be hallowed and His will sought and done in all things. Immediately after their creation, both Adam and Eve were respectively alone with God for some time. Therefore, before they could interact with whoever/whatever else in the Creation, their first relation was with God. That is why the return to divine order demands the restoration of the Lord’s primacy. Let us avoid as much as possible to talk to men before talking to God: i.e. before praying. Let us fear God, flee from sin and obey His commandments, even at cost to us.

Family

Here, the order goes as: first the couple, and then, the children and the parents (of the couple). The couple because marriage is the very first institution created by God. Before church and society even exist, marriage and the couple (a man and a woman) were. No other institution -human or divine- should therefore take precedence over marriage. It is not for nothing that the Bible says that marriage is honourable in all (Heb 13.4, KJV). Our job, business, hobbies, relationships (friends, etc.) and even our children should never become more important than our spouse. Some people (especially women, but many men are also guilty of this) tend to consider their children before their spouse: it is disorder. Children are merely the fruit of a couple; they cannot become its reason of existence. Moreover, the divine order is very clear in the couple: the husband is the head of the wife. Those who are not happy with this can always tear their Bible: I am just a messenger (1Cor 11:3). There is only one captain in a ship, one MD or CEO in a company, one president in a country etc. After deliberations, once the boss has decided, you execute; unless you are rebellious. Sara called Abraham her lord; why? Because the duty of a married woman is to please her husband (1Pe 3.6, 1Cor 7.34). A wife will be pleasing unto the LORD by pleasing her lord of a husband. This is why the Bible asks that she submits to her husband in all things (Eph 5.24). If she does not agree with a certain way of doing things, the solution is not in stubbornness; but she should rather complain to the BOSS of her boss – Christ is the Head of every man (1Cor 11:3) - and submit. It is God’s duty to take care of her own boss. The only case where she must say no is if her husband asks her to violate God’s commandments. And I say God, and not the local church... Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, thou shalt have no other gods before me etc. Sapphira died like her husband because she agreed to lie and fool the church and thus, favoured her husband’s word over God’s command (Ac 5). Man is indeed the woman’s head; but he should never become her LORD: this would be idolatry.

After the couple, we have the immediate family in which parents must be respected, honoured and obeyed in all things (Ex 20:12, Eph 6:2, Col 3:20). Children must obey their parents in all things in the same way, conditions and spirit that a wife also submit to her husband in all things. Family comes before the church; i.e., when our attitude towards our local church threatens or may compromise our family’s interests, there is disorder. Using your children’s school fees or the money needed to pay for your parent’s hospital bill or prescription in order to ‘support’ God’s work, just to end up with your kids not going to school or your parent dying, would tantamount to madness. This is why Jesus Himself said: “Moses said, 'Honour your father and your mother'… But you say, 'If a man tells his father or his mother, "Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban"' (that is, given to God)-- then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do."” (Mk 7:10-13) And Paul added that if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (1Tim 5.8).’ Not to mention the fact that God does not need any help to do His work. Uzzah tried and was struck dead on the spot (2Sam 6:6-7). Let us be very clear here; I do not mean to say that we can misuse tithes -if we are in a tithing church- to support our family or that we should not walk by faith: God can also request such sacrifices from us. Just grasp the spirit behind my words and let us give honour to whom honour is due (Rom 13:7). Strong families make strong children, strong people, strong communities and nations.

May God bless you as you put your life in order and see you next week for the continuation and the end of this posting .

Must-pray prayers of the New Testatment (V)

 

Paul’s prayer for the Philippians

Phil 1:3-5a, 9-11, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel... And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

Once again, Paul writes whilst in jail. He is an unusual prisoner who forgets his chains and suffering to strengthen the churches through letters, instruct them, exhort them and intercede for his spiritual children and the Body of Christ. He was a prisoner, but the Gospel and his ministry were not. His greatest desire was for the Philippians to be pure, blameless and filled with the fruit of justice for the day of Christ; but for this to happen, they needed to grow in love. They were not cold though; their love for the Lord and the brethren was well known; but apparently, it had some flaws and was also their main weakness. So, Paul prays for their love to grow in knowledge and all discernment (all intelligence, Darby). He prays for their love not to be merely a blind affection, but intelligent and discriminative; based on an enlarged view of divine things and in proportion to the proper value of things. He prays that they should not disperse themselves, but focus on the good and right thing. Paul said that the Romans were zealous for God, but without intelligence (Rom 10.2); one can also say that the Philippians loved without intelligence.

A married woman who spends her days in church, cleaning, praying for the brethren, exhorting the sisters and evangelising the neighbourhood; but who left home without minding what her family will eat or her husband who will love to see her when he comes back from work, loves without intelligence. A wife who takes the money needed to run the house for a week or a month and gives it to the church for whichever project without her husband consent, loves without intelligence. A woman, who attends every meeting in her church while her husband is against, loves without intelligence: there is a divine order. When a child who still lives with his/her parents spends their days in the church instead of doing their chores, or attends an all-night vigil before going for their final exam in the morning, loves without intelligence.

Paul also realised that for his greatest desire for the Philippians to be accomplished, they needed to be filled with the fruit of justice; i.e., everything that testifies that they are truly righteous before God. It is the mark of favour in the life of a believer; these are the works of faith. Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. God swore by Himself, and promised to multiply and bless his seed and bless all the nations of the earth because of him (Gen 22:16-18).

Drawing from this prayer of Paul, let us also pray for ourselves and for our Beloved in Christ that our love will grow in knowledge, that we will always discern the best things, and that we may be filled with the fruit of justice.

Phil 4:19, “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

It is a wish, a prophecy, a promise, but for me it is like a prayer; it is the response of Paul’s heart to the generosity of the Philippians. They had fully met his needs and he was in abundance. In return, he also wants his God to supply all their needs, not parsimoniously, but according to His riches. Can you imagine that? However, this prayer does not concern everybody. It is pointless praying it if you know you do not actively support the Gospel. It is pointless praying it if you give parsimoniously in church. It is pointless praying it if your hand does not open to meet the needs of brethren. It has to do with the law of sowing and reaping: it is a just return of things. You can only ask God to supply ALL your needs if you supply the needs of those that He puts in front of you and if you contribute financially to advance the cause of the Gospel. He gives the seed to THE SOWER and not to the storer or the spender. Let us note that the promise concerns our NEEDS and not our WANTS. Indeed, we often desire things that we do not actually need. A second or a third car, a tenth pair of shoes, a fourth or fifth meal… God will not help us to become more materialistic than we are already: He takes care of our NEEDS.

Have a wonderblessed week in CHRIST JESUS.

Must-pray prayers of the New Testament(IV)

 

Paul’s second prayer for the Ephesians

Eph 3:14-21, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory...”

Beyond the power of this intercession, I am particularly fascinated by Paul’s careful choice of words. He truly believed that it was possible for a human being other than Christ, to be filled with all the fullness of God. It was not an announcement effect; he really believed and prayed every word he wrote. We should therefore set for ourselves a goal and pray for such an in-filling…

His prayer also reminds us of the origin of each family. We generally have no problem understanding and accepting that we come from God individually; but it is not always easy to realise or accept that every family also comes from Him. Indeed, some families are so dysfunctional; and some parents can be so cruel that we can have a hard time believing and understanding how God's love could have given us birth in such environments. I recently watched a movie on television, Precious, from the name of a black American teenager sexually abused by her father with the complicity of her mother before she was even 7. The man even impregnated her twice! Her mother, madly in love with him, let him do it because she feared he would leave her otherwise and she hoped to win his heart back by 'pleasing' him in such a manner. Eventually, she developed a deep aversion and a fierce jealousy for her once precious 'husband snatcher' of a daughter. She even almost killed her grandson by throwing him unto the ground a few days after his birth, because he was the spitting image of her husband, the father and grandfather of the child! How can we believe that such a family can have its origin in God? Yet, it is the case...

Paul’s second prayer to the Ephesians finds its meaning in such situations or when the grip of events begins to tighten too much on us or our loved ones –He feared that the Ephesians would eventually lose heart because of all tribulations he was enduring for them (see vs. 13). His prayer teaches us that what we need most in times like these is:

· That the Holy Spirit will powerfully strengthen our inner being. Paul asks that this be done liberally according to the riches of His glory. It is not in vain that he could say: ‘When I am weak, then I am strong.’ Depending on what test we go through, people may think that we are at our lowest; at the bottom of the pit; whilst we are actually stronger than ever after the Lord has comforted and strengthened us. It is in this way that Paul used to endure beatings, torture and imprisonment.

• That Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith. Jesus insists on the need to abide in Him, because it is possible not to do so. It is possible that He may only be a casual visitor who quickly goes when the fire of testing breaks out.

· That we may be rooted and grounded in love. We start and stand with/in love. Like Paul, let us pray that God helps us understand and be filled with the vastness of the love of Christ. Our foundation, the basis of our every action and thought must be this love and our roots –which should be as strong and deep as possible- should also be the love of God. This is what will enable us not only to remain confident in the goodness of God despite all the hardships, but also to obey the Lord by loving our enemies. God knows what He is doing and there is a reason for everything. He is always ready to turn any calamitous situation to our advantage, if only we give Him the chance. And coming back to Precious, a vile father is a father in need of the love of Christ. If we do not perceive it like that, it will be difficult to bring the Gospel to people like him.

Finally, Paul ends knowing that God will do infinitely beyond what he has asked for and which was not small! Is not that wonderful? Let us imitate his faith.

God bless you.