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.).