GOD is on the throne: ALL IS WELL!

I’d like to encourage someone with a thought that has been recurring in my mind over the last three or four weeks: “God is still on the throne!”

Irrespective of what you may be going through, know that the heavenly throne is not empty. GOD is sitting on it and He reigns. He reigns on your issues—in other words, He has the last say. 

He reigns on your circumstances—the Bible says that He is the Master of times and circumstances. If you have given your life to Him, nobody can take it away from His hands (Jn. 10:28-29).

Satan does not command to the circumstances of your life: GOD does. You may not understand jack to what is happening to you; things might be extremely difficult for you right now; but GOD is with you in the waters and in the fire. He is still on the throne of your life and the throne of the whole universe; He is good and He loves you and therefore, ALL will be well!

GOD is on the throne, and so are you… in a way. Indeed, the Bible tells us that we are seated in Christ in heavenly places, in order to show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in the coming ages. But GOD deployed the immeasurable greatness of His power to seat Christ Jesus at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come (Eph. 2:6-7 & 1:19-21). Therefore, we throne in Christ, at the right hand of GOD in heavenly places and we also throne above everything that can be named as power or authority. Alleluia! That’s why I am telling you to fear NOTHING. Do not despair; let your soul not be sad and troubled: GOD reigns and so do you…in Christ. Your present challenge shall also pass as all the others, because no night is eternal.

Paul adds that GOD has put all things under Jesus’ feet (Eph. 1:23). But if we are in Christ and our life is hidden in Him (Col 3:3), then it means that GOD, in His infinite mercy, has also put ALL things under our feet. Alleluia! This is why Jesus says in Luke 10:19 that He has given us authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt us. He adds in vs. 20, Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven”, which implies that there is no dispute about the fact that the spirits are subject to us. It’s a fact. They know it; Jesus knows it; the only one who doesn’t seem to realise it is you.

Take courage, my brother and my sister. If your life is truly hidden in Christ; if you have not left that cocoon through disobedience or sin; then understand that GOD reigns; that you also reign in Christ alongside Him; and rule over adversity. If you have exposed yourself and your life is no longer hidden in Christ, repent; go back to your hiding place in HIM far above everything and rule!

Have a great faith-filled week in Him.

To your victory!

Lessons from the multiplication of the bread

I hope that you know the story of the multiplication of the five loaves of bread and two fishes well, because, in order not to be too long, I will not paste the passages of Matthew 14:13b-21 and John 6:5-11 here. It is full of lessons.

1. There is a time to laugh and a time to mourn indeed, but there is no time to stop ministering to people. The Bible tells us to preach the word and be ready in season and out of season (2Tim 4:2). My pain and personal circumstances are not a good enough reason, before GOD, to close myself to the suffering of those around me. Jesus had just heard the news that His cousin, a great man of GOD (Mat 11:11), Prophet John the Baptist, had been beheaded. This death probably reminded Him of the way that He was going to leave this world Himself. He was sad and wanted to be alone. He withdrew to a desolate place, but a crowd of 5000 men, without counting the women and the children—i.e. probably 12 to 15 thousands people in total—followed Him there. When He saw them coming, He understood that GOD was saying to Him: “Son, life goes on. I need you and these people need you now. Go back to work!” 

2. If GOD puts me in front of a situation, which is humanly impossible, then the le miracle is near. “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little” (Jn 6:7). Considering the late hour, even if they had bought all the bread available in all the bakeries around, it wouldn’t have been enough, still, to feed such a crowd. It was a dead-end situation. But when Jesus asked: “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” (Jn 6:5), Philippe should have answered like Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones. When GOD asked him whether those bones could live again, Ezekiel didn’t start a geopolitical and socio-economical analysis of the situation. He simply answered: O Lord GOD, you know (Ez 37:3). Here as well Jesus already knew what He was going to do (Jn 6:6).

3. If I am facing an impossible situation, then I’m probably the solution and instrument of the miracle. It is Ezekiel who prophesied to bring the dry bones back to life and GOD did not create food out of nothing to feed the crowd; He used resources, which were already available. “You give them something to eat” (Mat 14:16). We always have ALL we need and we always have it in full (Col 2:10). It’s just a question of mindset, heart and perspective. 

A set of mind: “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” We tend to run away from difficulties way too much. This is why the disciples wanted to send the crowd away. It’s a looser mentality.

A disposition of heart: Those who are moved with compassion; who genuinely want to help and solve problems around them will often experiment this kind of miracles. When He saw the crowd, Jesus did not think: “I hope they’ve brought a packed lunch!” And, as it was getting late, He didn’t think: “I still have 500 people to heal. I won’t finish today. I’ve done my share for the day. They should leave and come back tomorrow. Besides, we don’t have food for them!” No. He didn’t concern Himself with the time or the resources; He only devoted Himself to alleviating their misery and doing them good. 

A question of perspective: We tend to belittle what GOD gives us – it’s ingratitude. “We have only five loaves here and two fish… but what are they for so many” (Mat 14:17, Jn 6:9). The disciples believed that five loaves and two fishes were insignificant in front of the magnitude of the needs. But Jesus saw differently. “My Father is the One who has sent these people to me, knowingly. Right now, if these loaves and fish are all I have at my disposal to take care of them, then it means that they are more than enough for everyone. I don’t need to complain or ask questions. I don’t even need to wait until I see the multiplication to act. I will just thank Him and start distributing it right away as if the supply is unlimited.” We have EVERYTHING in Him in full. This ‘everything’ may sometime seem insignificant, but it is EVERYTHING all the same. Elisha asked the poor widow, who was drowning in debt, what she had at home and she said: “nothing except a jar of oil” (2Ki 4:2). In front of her mountain of debts, her small jar of oil seemed as insignificant as the five loaves and two fishes in front of a crowd of more than ten thousands people. That’s why she answered “Nothing.” But when Elisha saw the very same jar, he did not see “Nothing”; he saw an oil business. He saw a financial breakthrough and financial freedom. 

Let me ask you this: What do you have in your hand? What do you have at home? What do you see in your resources? If you spend your time waiting for GOD to give you more before you can start something; if you believe that you don’t have enough for yourself to begin to share; and if you don't learn to appreciate what you have, give thanks, praise GOD and trust that, the good Father that He is has already given you EVERYTHING you need at this time, you will never see this kind of multiplication in your life. If what you want to do is from GOD, then you already have ALL you need. When GOD calls or sends, He equips and supply every emotional, spiritual and material need. 

Have a joy-filled week in Christ Jesus!

The eyes and ears of faith

[…] Faith has eyes and ears. Faith hears and sees beyond what others perceive. Faith knows how to look beyond the visible and the obvious (i.e. the trials), to see the invisible and unapparent (i.e. the hand, the presence or the help of GOD). This is the reason why the Scriptures exhort us to have ears to hear and eyes to see; meaning, ears that can hear the Voice beyond the voice and eyes that can see the Supreme Being beyond appearances. 

Joshua and Caleb had that look. They saw the sons of Anak in the Promise Land; but contrary to the ten other spies, they also saw Someone, who was greater than those ‘giants.’ They saw the One who had brought them out of Egypt; helped them cross the Red Sea; given them manna and quails and quenched their thirst with water from the rock. They chose to trust and bet on this Faithful and Mighty GOD who knew in advance about the Anakites when He promised them Canaan. This GOD could definitely not and would surely not abandon them now!

Prophet Elisha also had that look. One morning, his servant got up and realised that a great armada, sent by the king of Syria to seize his master, surrounded the city. He began to panic, but Elisha told him not to be afraid, because there were more people with them than against them. Then, Elisha prayed, asking GOD to open his servant’s eyes that he may see. The LORD granted his request and Guehazi saw horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (2Ki. 6:12-17). Was Guehazi physically blind? No. Therefore, GOD did not open his physical eyes, but his eyes of faith.

Joseph equally had eyes to see. When Mrs Potiphar came to seduce him, he saw past all the fringe benefits, which could be his as the lover of the lady of the house. He saw something else. He saw the destiny, which was going to be his once the LORD had fulfilled what He had promised to him in his dreams. If he had yielded to her,

• At worst, Potiphar would have discovered what was going on with consequences that are easy to imagine.
• And at best, Potiphar would have never found out and Joseph would have remained the overseer of his house. A cherished steward, undoubtedly, but a slave nonetheless.  

Beyond the test, represented by Mrs Potiphar, was glory or disgrace; the condition of a slave or the position of Prime Minister of the then mightiest kingdom. It is because of the eyes of faith that Joseph was able to trust GOD and pass the temptation test with flying colours.

On the other hand, Esau is the example of those who have eyes and see not. Faced with the pangs of hunger (the test), he only saw his brother’s soup, but Jacob saw the birthright. And he was ready to trade what he had for that pearl of great price and endure hunger a little longer… 

Brother, sister, reader, what did you see yesterday? What do you see today? What can't you see anymore? I pray that your eyes and ears will not be mere decoration, but that you will have eyes to see and ears to hear. Have a wonderblessed© week!

Excerpt from my book, Catalysts of Favour, Becoming a Man or a Woman after GOD’s Heart – Chapter I, Faith. Available on Amazon in print and eBook. 

In need of fathers…

Yesterday was Fathers’ Day and, unfortunately, my schedule did not allow me to post what I wanted. So, a day after, I’d like to wish a happy belated Fathers’ Day to every biological, adoptive and spiritual father and father to be out there. As a gift to you, and to all, here is a summary of the great message, which we heard in church.

The world is upside down because of fathers are missing – they may be physically present, but absent in practice. There are many men, but few fathers, because being a father is more than putting food on the table and paying bills and school fees. The pastor used an acronym to tell us what a FATHER is:

• F for Faith. A father must have a saving and a living faith. His children must see the evidence of salvation at work in his life on a daily basis.
• A for Adversity. A father must demonstrate how to handle crisis and he must do so according to the Scriptures, because children are always looking up to see what the father is going to do.
• T for Teacher. The fact that you have a PhD doesn’t mean that you’ve been taught. How many instructions do you receive a week and from whom? It is through teaching that impartation comes.
• H for Helper. Many men do not know how to help because they have never seen or were never taught to help.
• E for Encouragement. You cannot encourage if you’ve never been encouraged.
• R for Reputation. A father must modelled integrity and good character. If he tells his child to say that he is not around when he is, he is imparting lies and deception in the life of that child.

We also took example from the lives of four fantastic fathers.

1. Noah walked with GOD and showed his children how to be righteous and blameless in the midst of a wicked and corrupt generation (Gen 6:9).
2. Joshua is more known for his famous stance, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!” (Jos. 24:15) than his many accomplishments. What about children who have never seen their father choose for the LORD?
3. Job prayed for his children and made arrangements for them (consecrated them) regularly (Job 1.5). Who makes arrangements for you and who are you purifying?
4. Lastly, Abraham instructed his children and household to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that GOD would fulfil His promises to him (Gen 18:19). In other words, there are certain prophecies, which will never come to pass and certain blessings, which will never reach our children if the father does not play his part. Besides, if you don’t keep the way of the LORD yourself, how can you teach your children to keep it?

There are certain things that money cannot buy or fix: misalignment, an absent father. But GOD has made provision for those at the Cross and in His House. We need fathers; fathers in the likeness of those fantastic four; fathers who exemplify the acronym above. In spite of her good will, a woman cannot really fill the gap of a missing father; she is not designed for that. This is why you need to find a spiritual father if your natural father is absent. And this is my pastor’s advice for the ladies who are not yet married. For the sake of your future children, make sure that your fiancé is a Christian and has a mentor or spiritual father whom he is accountable and submitted to. Check his background. What kind of natural/spiritual father does he have (or has he had)? This is very important. GOD bless you and have a wonderful week.

Peace!

Son or daughter of…: A wise advice…

I don’t know how I didn’t see this earlier. I’ve just realised that it’s not by chance that Solomon asked for wisdom. Indeed, in 1Chr. 22:11-12, David speaks to his son, Solomon, the future king, and says to him: “Now, my son, the Lord be with you, and may you have success and build the house of the Lord your God, as he said you would. May the Lord give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God.” Other versions have: “Only, may the Lord give you wisdom (or insight) and understanding... » Wow!

In this exchange, Solomon understood what the most important thing in the success of a monarch was. He knew that his father was a man after God’s heart and he understood that if such a man could be concerned about God granting his son insight, wisdom and understanding, then those were more valuable than anything else.

This shows the impact that a spiritual father or mother, after God’s heart, can have in someone’s life. With the exception of Melchizedek, there is no other person without genealogy in the Bible. We all come from somewhere and should all come from somewhere. Who can speak into your life like David spoke to Solomon? Does that person truly fear God? Solomon was a docile, willing and obedient son. When God appeared to him, he simply asked what his father had suggested, nothing else. Can you do the same?

For the record, Solomon did not build the temple just anywhere. He did not try to re-invent the wheel. He built it on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father (2Chr. 3:1). The same Mount Moriah where God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son. Also remember that when Isaac settled in Gerar, he dug his wells of water where his father, Abraham, had previously dug and gave them the same names that Abraham had given them (Gen 26:15-18). These things represent the basis for generational covenants and blessings. Let’s not be Melchizedeks. Let us be sons and daughters of somebody. It can be a biological father or mother, a pastor, an elder (minister) in the church, but it has to be someone who is after God’s heart.

The end of the first half of the year is almost there. It’s time to evaluate where you are in terms of your goals and resolutions for this year. Have a great week and a great month of June.

GOD bless!

PS: “Are you ready for this embarrassment? The path to greatness…” is now available on Amazon UK, both in print and eBook. Get your copy here. It is also available in other Amazon stores (US, France etc.).

Knowing what to ask: the true secret of prosperity (II and final)

Last week, we said that GOD was so impressed by Solomon’s request that He granted it and blessed him without measure saying: “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honour, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honour, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.”  2Chr 1:11-12

We also said that anyone wanting to experience such mind-blowing prosperity would have to follow Solomon’s example and:

          1. Honour the LORD

          2. Mind, love and take care of GOD’s people.

You can read that here. Now, this is the third and last thing that you would also need to do:

3. Do not be selfish or self-centred in your prayers

James said: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God”(4:3-4)

If you pay attention to GOD’s answer to Solomon, you’ll note that, in a not-so-positive tone, He alluded to the Top 5 of what Christians like to pray for:

• Riches – In Solomon’s shoes, many Christians would have asked for money. “Give me ten millions dollars!” Thinking that such amount would solve their problems forever. And yet, there are billionaires who die of cancer; commit suicide; divorce more than once; go bankrupt; or have irresponsible children etc. In short, money is not necessarily synonymous with happiness…

• Possessions – Some other Christians would have asked for mansions, cars, a Ferrari (regardless of the state of the roads and speed limits), a private jet, designers clothes and accessories, all manner of electronic gadgets etc. the love and lust for the things of the world (1Jn 2:16-17)…

• Honour (glory in some versions) – Some Christians would have asked for anything that would make them shine before men. They want to be celebrities – political stars, stars in the Show Business and even Evangelical stars! “Lord, I want to preach before thousands.” However, deep down, they are not driven by the desire to win souls, which is only secondary; but by the desire to parade before crowds mainly. And if the video of the event can go viral and create a buzz on social media, it’s even better. The pride of life (1Jn 2:16)…

• The death of enemies – This is another Christian specialty: imprecatory prayers. Killing real and imaginary enemies by the power of prayers and ‘barbecuing’ them with Holy Ghost fire! What has ever happened to: “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who insult you and persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven… If you love those who love you, what reward do you have? …And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” (Mat 5.44-47) On the Cross, Jesus could have said one word and all his enemies would have died on the spot. But when GOD asked Him (in his heart) to place a request, He said instead: “Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Think about that.

• A long life – In spite of everything that the Bible says concerning heaven, many Christians are still afraid to die. They want to stay here and enjoy life as long as possible. They may sing of the wonders of the presence of GOD, but if the LORD were to take them at their word and say: “OK, since you so long after heaven and my presence, come here!” There would be panic, wailings and supplications. GOD wants us to worship Him in spirit and in truth.

Analyse your prayers over the last couple of months. Which category do they fall in? Have you been praying for the salvation of souls? Spiritual growth? Wisdom and discernment to do your job or raise your children well? Wisdom to be a good and godly spouse? Wisdom to lead GOD’s people? Do your prayers seek after GOD’s interests or yours? If you want GOD to mind and take care of your needs and desires, delight in Him (Ps 37:4); take care of what matters to Him first and the rest will follow. “Seek first the kingdom of GOD and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Mat 6:33).

THAT is the secret of prosperity and there is no other – except you choose to bow to the devil (Mat 4:8-9). To paraphrase my pastor, don’t ask GOD to bless what you are doing and don’t ask Him what YOU want; but instead, find what GOD is blessing and do it, find what He wants and ask for it; because if you ask anything according to His will He’ll hear you and grant you whatever it is that you’ve asked (1Jn 5:14-15).

To your prosperity!

Knowing what to ask: The true secret of prosperity

“God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honour, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honour, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.” 2Chronicles 1:11-12

Solomon had just offered a thousand burnt offerings to the LORD. GOD was ‘impressed’ and asked him to demand whatever he wanted. Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge in order to be a good leader to God’s people. Again, GOD was ‘amazed’ and pledged to grant his request and give him even more.  Why? If you want to be rich and prosperous, follow Solomon’s example.

1. Honour the LORD

Solomon had just lost his father. He was grieving. But instead of shutting himself in his palace, crying, refusing food and being angry with GOD, he summoned the people and offered one thousand sacrifices to GOD. Wow! Beloved, even amidst pain and suffering GOD remains GOD and must be honoured and exalted above anything else. He wants us to give thanks in EVERY circumstance (1Thess 5:18). This is a way of showing that we trust Him. How do you react when you lose someone or something dear to your heart?

2. Mind, love and take care of GOD’s people

GOD paid with the blood of His Son to acquire them; in other words, they are priceless. Mind the way you treat them. “Let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal 6:10). The Bible exhorts us to love our neighbours as ourselves, but over and over again, Jesus said: “Love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” He meant that we are to love GOD’s people, our brethren in the Christian faith, even more than we love ourselves. That’s the hallmark of a true disciple: loving GOD’s people with the love of Christ – i.e. being ready to die for them… And let me say that if this was not humanly possible, GOD would not require it from us. He is not sadistic and knows what we are made of.

“Die” for GOD’s people – Kill your ego, your inner ‘Self’.

• Sacrifice your time – Don’t skip church meetings. Visit the brethren.
• Sacrifice your stomach – Fast for the brethren.
• Sacrifice your resources – Use the money that you had put aside for the latest hairdo, or that particular shoe, or for a trip, in order to help a brother or a sister in need.
• Put the interests of GOD’s people before yours. Yes, some people might tend to take advantage of such disposition, even in Jesus’ flock; and that’s why Solomon prayed for wisdom and knowledge (some versions have discernment). What I mean is that when GOD sees your heart, He should always see someone who is ready and willing to go that extra mile and sacrifice something for the sake of His people.

Solomon truly desired the good of the people. He did not become king for personal gain or to oppress them. He loved, respected GOD’s people and wanted to bless them wholeheartedly.

I will stop here for now. The third and last point, the one that inspired this posting, is a bit long and I don’t want to drag this piece. There’s already enough food for thought here. We’ll conclude next week.

To your prosperity!