THE UNCHANGING GOD

Text: Heb. 13:8, 6: 9-20

Many times believers start out on a particular endeavour or action based on the instruction received or conviction from God. But along the line when challenges come up, we tend to forget where we are coming from and continue to lead our lives based on circumstances around us just like unbelievers would do. Irrespective of how things turn out in the course of our lives, we must bring to mind where we started from and realise that God is still with us. Even if you think the initial choice was a wrong one, we must know that God is with us in any circumstances that we face (Isa. 49:14-16). A good example to illustrate this is the marriage institution. Many believers go into a marriage relationship based on a conviction from the Word of God. But when faced with challenges in the course of the marriage, they tend to look outside the Word of God for solutions. We must learn to look unto God for comfort during our crisis moments. This is because when God gives us a Word concerning a situation, He does not change His mind along the line and we can always go back to His word whenever there are challenges.

In Heb. 6:9-13, we see a character of God which is His consistency in keeping His word. Whether it concerns general promises of God in scripture or specific word that are spoken by God to us, God is faithful to keeping them. For instance, when scripture says we have been forgiven, or that we have been healed or that we have been blessed; we must believe that is exactly what God has done, because He is not a man that He should tell a lie nor repent from His word (2Cor. 1:20, Num 23:19). Human beings can make promises and later back down on the promises just because the circumstances have changed or when they do not have the resources to fulfil them. But in the case of God, it is not so because whenever God makes a promise, He already made provisions to bring it to pass. He is always faithful and true to His word. The promises of God as we see in scriptures are not ordinary pronouncements, but rather,

they are God-breathed and we can stake our lives on them (2 Tim.3:16). Irrespective of the peculiar situation we believers may go through, we must bear in mind that God’s word concerning us does not change. The right question to ask is: has God said anything about this situation or what is God saying about this situation? Then stay focused on what God has said because therein lies the solution to that problem. God’s word is ever-dependable.

 We can see from the passage above how God related with Abraham concerning His promises to him. The word spoken by God to Abraham could have been enough for him, but God had to swear by Himself to Abraham since there was no one greater that he could swear by, in other to show the extent of His commitment to keeping His promise. It is not because if He did not swear He would not do it, but to convince Abraham. He made a promise to Abraham and it came to pass, even though it took a long while as man could not fathom why it was so, but it came to pass as God had promised at the right and appropriate time. God is ever faithful and does not waver (2 Tim.2:13). He is ever the same and true (Heb13:8). Man could be subject to change due to situation and circumstances or environment, making him go back on his words but nothing can change God’s mind as touching His words. Faith is not seeing God as means to get things done but rather it is the absolute trust/believe in the Person of God, His sovereignty, His might and loving nature, knowing that He is eternally committed to us as our Father.

In Heb11 there is an account of some people that walked with God in faith. These are people who took actions based solely on the instructions given to them by God. Despite the fact that majority of them never had any precedence to guide them in the actions that they took, yet they held on to God’s word and accomplished tasks set before them. For instance, by faith Abel was able to offer a more acceptable sacrifice to God (vs.4), Enoch pleased God and was translated into Heaven without seeing death (vs.5-6), Noah received instructions to build an ark even though it had never rained before (vs.7) and Abraham was instructed by God to leave where he was, to go to the place He would show him and Abraham went not knowing where he was

going, but he trusted the person of God, His words and instructions. In Heb11:17-19 God instructed Abraham to go and offer up Isaac, the only son on whom God’s promise was hinged, but Abraham concluded in his heart that God is able to raise him up.

This kind of implicit trust in God as demonstrated by these heroes of faith is what is expected of us believers. Even though in our daily experiences, we go through things that question the presence and the ability of God in our lives, we must realise that God’s mind about us does change. Believers do not experience the power of God in our daily experience simply because we do not trust God for His word. For instance, many people find it difficult to believe in eternal salvation because they do not believe that the death of Jesus Christ is enough sacrifice to pay for their past, present and future sins, as we see from scriptures (Heb.7:25-27, 9:12). We must learn to believe that whatever God’s word says about us is true and not subject to change based on our performance. We start experiencing the victory and blessings we long for when we begin to appreciate those things that are true about us (Phlm1:6, Rom.6:14). When we place our troubles and fears side by side with God’s word, our problems become insignificant in the sight of God’s word (2 Tim.1:7). It is not our responsibility to rationalise how God intends to accomplish what He has promised. He is ever faithful and ever true.

Conclusion

Irrespective of what we go through we must not lose focus on God’s word and promises. God is unchanging; He does not repent on His words. If He says He has done it, then that is how it is. Faith is the only thing that pleases God. Nothing is impossible to a man full of faith in God. We must cultivate a lifestyle of trusting God daily, even in mundane things. We should remind ourselves daily of God’s unchanging love, His unchanging presence in our lives and His unchanging Grace.

CHOSEN IN CHRIST

Recap

The Book of Ephesian is full of revelation of who we believers are in Christ Jesus. In Eph.1:1-3 we see that we have been separated and blessed in Christ Jesus. The story of a woman called Hetty Green can be used to illustrate the attitude of believers to the riches that we believers have in Christ Jesus. She was a very rich American woman who lived in the 20^th century (1834-1916). At the time of her death she was worth more than $100 million. However, she lived her life like a pauper, she was a typical miser. History has it that her son had his leg amputated due to gangrene, because Hetty refused to pay for his treatment. She wore just one black dress and underwear, which she only replaced when the dress and underwear are totally worn-out. She ordered her laundress to only wash the dirtiest parts of a dress in order to conserve soap. History also has it that she spent a night searching her carriage for a lost stamp worth 2cents. Despite the riches that she possessed, she lived a live of a pauper.

It is rather unfortunate that most believers too struggle through life simply because we are ignorant of the abundant riches and privileges that we have in Christ Jesus. Even those who are quite aware of how blessed believers are in Christ do not care to explore it. A good understanding of who believers are, what we have and the riches and privileges that have been given to us in Christ Jesus will make us walk tall and live above any limitation. A good view of this our immeasurable riches in Christ Jesus really humbles us, when we realise that all these things are freely given to us by Grace.

Ephesian 1:4 

The teaching that believers are chosen or elected in Christ is not common. However, we find it very prominent in scripture the idea of God choosing believers unto Himself. In the history of the Church many people do not agree that God chose believers individually. They believe that God chose the church collectively as a whole, but not individual believers. However, the reference in Eph.1:4 is to individual Christians chosen in Christ Jesus, and Paul includes himself. When we look closely in scripture we find out that it is a pattern by which God related with people.

Scriptural pattern of God choosing people

In the Old Testament, God chose specific people and called them out (Hagg 2:23). In Neh. 9:7, the Israelites recounted how God chose Abram. God’s choice of Abram was not because he was better than his contemporaries. In fact, Abram was also an idol worshipper just like the people of his time, yet God chose him. In Gen 21:12, God communicated with Abraham about His choice of Isaac to be the heir in preference to Ishmael. Moreover, in Rom.9:11-13, we find an account of God choosing Jacob over Esau, even though Jacob was a supplanter.

Likewise in the New Testament, we see the idea of God choosing us (Act 13:46-48, Eph.1:4, 1Pet.1; 2-3). Most of the

time we try to analyse and rationalise the Sovereignty of God, in relation to human responsibility, with our limited human minds. The fact that God is sovereign and chooses according to His will does not remove human responsibility. God has created us with an ability to exercise our choice, such that we have to believe in other to bring about the purpose of God in our lives.

Scriptural evidence of God choosing believers

In Gal.1:15 Paul described himself as being chosen by God to do something in particular, and that is to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. One would have thought that Paul should be an apostle to the Jews because he was raisedin Judaism, he understood the law, he understood their thought pattern, and their customs and all that had to do with Jews. One would have thought Peter was good enough to be an apostle to the Gentiles because he wasnot as versed as Paul in Judaism, but God chose otherwise. Again we see in 2 Thess. 2:13Paul wrote in His letter to the Thessalonian church, stating that God had chosen them and called them to salvation before the foundation of the world.Another term that is used to describe the concept that we are chosen in Christ is the word “Elect” (1Pet1:1-2). Some people have used the foregoing scripture to explain that God looked through the corridor of time and knew that we would believe, and that was why He chose us. However, the Greek word translated as “foreknowledge” does not simply mean God looking into the future. The same word is used in 1Pet.1:20 and it means that God from time immemorial predetermining and planning a relationship with us. Even the death of Jesus Christ did not just happen, it was pre-planned by God that Jesus would die to redeem man (Rev.13:8). So more than God simply knowing,He predetermined and ordained some things to happen.

The practicability of God choosing believers

On the issue of God’s choice, one may wonder that since we are already chosen, why do we still need to believe, or what is the essence of preaching the Gospel since there are the elects that have been pre-ordained for salvation? There may not be an analytical answer to these kinds of reasoning; but what we see in scripture is that God chooses but we still need to believe. In fact, it is when we believe that we get to realise that we had been chosen. Preachers have to preach because that is the only way those that are chosen get to believe. Many times we feel that our being saved was because we were smart enough to have accepted the Gospel. But fromJhn6:60-65,we see that there is a divine act of God where He personally draws the believer. Even though it is a man that makes the choice to accept the Gospel, yet there is an inner working of God that lifts the veil for the man to see the need to believe the Gospel and be saved (Jn.15:16, Act 9:1-8). In 1Thess.1:2-5, scripture shows clearly that God has chosen individual believers but we only realise this choice when we believe and come into the faith. This implies that we cannot predetermine who is elected for salvation and who is not. Scripture does not give us that kind of leeway. We just have to preach the Gospel and hope that the listener would believe and be saved. In Act 13: 46-48 Paul and Barnabas just preached and those who have been appointed for eternal life received the Gospel.

This tells us that the choice of God and human responsibility always go side by side. And we can to understand that in the finalanalysis, it is not so much about our desires or how good or wise we are, but the fact that we were chosen by God. So rather thanpride, the knowledge that we have been chosen in Christ fillsus with awe and humility.Rather than fear, it fills us with a lot of joy. We are filled with joy because one of the purpose for which we were chosen is so that we will be saved forever. When we realise that God has chosen us and He has effected a plan that keeps us saved, then we are no longer scared but filled with joy. God chose us and decided to work things out that way for His praise and glory (Eph.1:11-12,1Pet.2:9) so that nobody will boast before Him. Without the mercy of God, without the choice of God, without the Grace of God we would still be as sinful and wretched as the worst of men (Ps115:1. Ps65:1-4). More than the praise the psalmist could ever give, so should the praise of a believer be because God has brought us near to a Temple not made with hands.

Conclusion

It is such a wonderful thing to realise that God had us in mind before the foundation of the world. God chose us and predestined us to be blessed in Christ. Meditating on these truth should gladden our heart and encourage us to live for Him alone.

UNFAILING FAITH

The foundation of our Christianity as believers is our faith in God. Last year may have gone differently for all of us but what matters is our faith in God. For some, they may not have gotten the things they desired, for others it might have been a good year. Whether or not we achieved what we planned from the beginning of the year, the important thing is to ensure that that our faith in God does not fail.  The events of the past year might cause us to anticipate something new or a change in our circumstances as we enter into a new year, especially when find ourselves in a failed system as is operated in our country. Even though it is a new year and so people are expecting new things or changes in what previously obtained, we must realise that the most important factor in our seeing these changes is ourselves. It is not so much about what we want God to do in the New Year but about what we need to do. Truth is that personal or societal problems do not respond to a new year. The first of any year is just a continuity of time. Many times, we try to squeeze God into a mould to do things because it is a new year but God is not bound by that. We are the ones who need to take advantage of time. A new year is a reminder that a period of time has passed and another is beginning. The issue should be how we are responding to passing time. That is why the Psalmist says “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom”.

Is your Faith Strengthened or weakened?

In measuring our progress this year, our yardstick should not be the material things God has provided; rather it should be measured by how our faith in God has become stronger. This is not to say that we should not look up to God to supply our needs (Phlp.4:19), but at the end of the year, we should be able to ask ourselves if we are better Christians for things we have passed through. We will pass through things that tend to weaken our faith in God. The Devil’s sole responsibility is to weaken our faith in God, such that we begin to doubt if God truly loves us. Everything we go through can serve to either weaken or strengthen our faith in God. What determines the outcome is our response to those things. An example of a man whose faith was edging out gradually was Peter (Luk.22:31-32). On the surface he appeared to be strong, but Jesus could see that his faith is being weakened by the things he was passing through. Satan had asked of him to sift him like wheat. However, Jesus prayed for him so that his faith will not fail. The question we believers should ask ourselves is: has my zeal for the things of God waned because of the diverse circumstances and experiences I am passing through? The bible does not deny that believers go through challenging times, but each time we go through such trials, scripture admonishes that we should ensure that our faith is not weakened by such trials.

1Pet 1:6-7 talks about the numerous temptations believers go through and how that they bring out the genuineness of our faith. The bible obviously acknowledges that we go through some tough times. Just as gold passed through fire gets refined, the believer's faith ought to be refined as it passes through trials. But if we are not careful, those same trials may destroy our faith. When trials are prolonged, there is every tendency that our faith, the foundation of our Christianity, becomes shaken up. That is why scripture warns that those passing through persecution and have started doubting God, should ‘Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God’ (Heb.3:12). We are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul (Heb 10:39). Our faith is strengthened or weakened by the way we handle the things that we pass through. We must not toy with our faith (Heb.11:6). Constant pressures tend to weaken our faith and if we do not respond appropriately, we find ourselves doubting the workings of God in our live. Unbelief is very dangerous because that is what takes people to hell. The sin that ‘so easily beset’ referred to in Heb.12:1 is the sin of unbelief.

The Example of John the Baptist (Lk.7:17-23)

John the Baptist was described as the greatest of all the prophets. In fact, he was the only one filled with the Hoy Ghost from his mother's womb. He was the fore-runner of our Lord Jesus, a fiery preacher. At some point, this great man began having doubts. Hope deferred makes the heart sick (Prov 13:12). John had spoken against Herod with regards to Herod taking his brother's wife and was thrown into prison. After a period of time, he began to doubt, and needed some form of reassurance, so he sent message to Jesus to ask if he was the Messiah or if they should look for another. What is important is the response of Jesus and this is always God's response to every doubt of man. When John's disciples got to Jesus, He performed many miracles before them (Lk. 7:17-23). What Jesus did was not to convince John by miracles but to refer John back to scripture. Isa 35:5-6 is a Messianic scripture and this was what Jesus pointed John the Baptist to, knowing John knew the scripture. Christ fulfilled the things mentioned in that portion of scripture right in front of John's disciples and he told them to go tell him what they have seen. John's disciples had reported the miracles to him in Lk 7:17-18 but John still sent them to Jesus to confirm if He was

the Messiah. This implies that faith does not come by miracles. Getting answers to your prayers or the cravings of your heart does not bring faith. What brings faith is casting our mind back to all those benefits of Salvation as revealed in scriptures, because faith comes by the word of God (Rom.10:17, Phlm.6). Faith comes when we reassure ourselves again that the scriptures are true. We must reassure our heart that the word of God cannot fail. We must recon that the sufferings of the present time cannot be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us (Rom.8:18)

It is our choice to allow even our bad experiences to strengthen our faith in God. We can make a choice to say all things work together for our good because we have been called by God (Rom 8:28). When we are offended in
God, we begin to doubt his goodness and his love for us. At such times, we tread on dangerous grounds and our faith in God begins to ebb away. We should not mess with our faith but rather let it be refined. Abraham did not stagger at God's promises through unbelief (Rom 4:20) and we too can choose to do that.
Faith does not always mean the best possible outcomes in this world. Even though Daniel was able to stop the mouth of lions; some Christians have also been devoured by lions in the course of standing for their faith (Heb 11:30-38). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down for the king's golden image regardless of if God delivered them or not, even though they know He was able to deliver them (Dan 3:16-18). Once our faith fails, then our Christianity will no longer be effective.

Forgetting the past, pressing forward by faith.

We are to press forward, leaving the things that are behind. Christianity is a race and we have to keep moving. The world does not end because we are jobless or going through any other challenge. Paul, while in prison made progress. All the things drawing us back have been orchestrated by the devil to draw us back and when we do so we are only fulfilling his plans. We are to forget everything behind- our past glory, our past failures- and press forward. We must be self-driven because that is the attitude of victory. Paul admonished that “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philp.3:12-14)”
Paul could later on say in II Tim 4:7-8 that he had fought a good fight, he had finished his course and had kept the faith. Christianity is all about your faith in Christ. We should run the race looking unto Jesus. At the end of our life, after we have achieved all those legitimate things we long for, we should be able to say like Paul that we have kept the faith.

Exhortation

It is important amidst the contrary situations that we face in life to always remind ourselves of who we are in Christ Jesus. Amongst unbelievers, they are aware of the fact that no condition is permanent, a common saying which finds a parallel in 2 Cor 4:17, which describe our light afflictions as temporal. Whatever we indeed go through will ultimately come to an end.  Many times we approach our living, God and our Christianity from the standpoint of our problems and we are always encouraged not to focus on them because they are temporal. However, do we really need someone ALL THE TIME to always remind us that problems should not be the reason why we should not praise God? If this is the case, then there is something we are still not seeing – the things that are eternal and permanent (2 Cor 4:18). We spend the majority of our lives trying to look away from our temporal manifold problems. We should realize that as long as we are in this world, we will always have challenges (John 16:33). Rather than spending our time, effort and strength on looking away and dwelling on our temporal troubles, our emphasis and efforts should be on looking unto things eternal (Heb 12:1, 2 Cor 4:18, Col 3:1-2).

The word “looking” as used in Heb 12:2 conveys the idea of looking away from something to focus on another thing. If we are not focused on Jesus, we will keep looking away and carrying our weights. The secret of focusing on Jesus is to realize that what He has done is what is permanent. This should be our source of strength. We should not wake up looking for someone to encourage us, or worrying about our manifold problems. If we do that we will pass our time managing crisis, rather than making progress in God and focusing on what He has done for us and on who He has made us. We should realize that because we are born of Him we are overcomers ALREADY (1 Jn 5:4-5). Victory is not something we are fighting for, we are already in a position of victory. When you have this kind of perspective you can actually look at contrary situations in the face and laugh, without being cajoled, coerced or psyched. This is how true Christianity should be. You can only do this when you realize that He has given you the victory (1 Cor 15:57, Rom 8:38-39) because we have his seed within us (1 Pet 1:23). 

If we are are born again, there is an incorruptible seed in us that cannot be destroyed which gives us victory in life. It is the reason why we can face tomorrow.  Because of the seed of God within, we should be so confident in God that we are not moved by circumstances of life (Acts 20:24). This is the way to approach Christianity, not the wrong approach of viewing it from the perspective of our problems. We should understand that we are God’s investment and that He has a stake in us.  We are His workmanship (Eph 2:10). Many times we do not have this kind of Christ esteem such that when things go wrong we wonder where we missed it and find it hard to praise God. When things go wrong we should retain our confidence in God and praise Him. Our confidence in God should be so strong no matter the circumstances (Acts 20:24).  

We should put our confidence in the fact that we are new creatures. We should not wait until we are pysched and cajoled out of her depressed attitude every Sunday because we live our lives outside of church meetings majority of the time. Rather we should live vibrantly and rejoicing always because of who He has made us. We need to understand that we are sons (1 John 3:1-3) and esteem who we are in Christ. Rather than spend our time wondering and worrying, we should remember His seed within us and plan towards how we will do exploits for God. Our orientation should be on how we can leverage on what God has given us to further His word and shine His light.

Analysis of 1 Pet 2:22-25

1 Pet 1:22- We have purified our souls. When this is read along with Acts 2:40, one may get the impression that Peter implied that salvation comes by human effort. However, that will be inconsistent with a plethora of scriptures which affirm salvation by grace (Eph 2:8, Titus 3:5-6, Rom, 4:1-5, 9:16, 11:6, James 1:17). By having purified their souls, Paul implied that they had OBEYED the truth. To obey the truth in this context means to BELIEVE the truth. Salvation does not come by obeying or keep some rules, or even the Ten Commandments. Rather it comes by believing on Christ through the gospel (John 6:28-29).

1 Pet 1:23 – The word ‘seed’ as used here is equivalent to the English word for sperm. Therefore, it is not agricultural seed, but that of a person. This seed by which we have been begotten is that of God and it is the only thing that is incorruptible under the Sun. Since Adam fell, the whole of the universe, including man and nature, by virtue of the entry of sin into the world became subject to corruption (Rom 8:18-22, Rom 5:12-14,1 Cor 15:42,50, 53,54). It was so bad (Gen 6:11,12) that God had to wipe out the entire human race with a flood sparing only Noah and his a family (Gen 6:-8). But even Noah because he was himself subject to corruption after a bout of drunkenness inadvertently committed incest with His daughters. The new race of men that sprang from Noah (Genesis 9:19) were equally subject to corruption. This was why the Saviour never came by copulation between a man and a woman, otherwise He would have been corrupt. At the right time, Jesus was made of a woman and conceived of the Holy Ghost (Gal 4:4-5, Luke 1:34-35). He did not come of corruptible seed. Likewise, believers have not come of incorruptible seed. Because of God’s investment in mankind, Jesus,  like a grain of wheat died and brought forth believers who are like Him and share His nature (Jn 12:24) – an incorruptible seed. This new identity we have in Him should give us a sense of worth and esteem to make us hold our heads high amidst the circumstances of life.

1 Pet 1:24 – When we look around the universe, we see things and the works of the hands of man that can be termed the glories of this world. We see architectural masterpieces, technology-enabled devices, exotic cars, well-planned cities, beautiful women, power, fame, immense wealth and huge human accomplishments. We can call this the glory of man. However, Peter likens the whole of unredeemed humanity and its glories to the flower of a grass which ceases to be when the grass withers. 

He was stressing their transient, corruptible or temporary nature. We should realize that all we see in this world is temporal and not worth focusing on, so if they disappear we do not inadequate

1 Pet 1:25 – Peter contrasted the transience of humanity and its glories, to the eternal nature of God’s word – the word of the gospel by which were begotten. The seed of God that saved us and reproduced in us abides forever. This implies that God’s interest in us is forever. We must be confident of the fact that He has an investment in us, and that in this life and beyond, we have a hope and a future. In this life we are designed for exploits. Sadly what most of us do because we fashion our own plans exclusive of God, is struggle to go from level to level, gearing all our efforts and endeavours towards our pre-planned end. We forget that God has plan for us, much grander and fulfilling than our own puny thoughts (Is 55:8, Eph 3:20). It is because we are oblivious of this that we get grounded when we have a small problem. Some even question, challenge and fight God, not learning from Job’s example who eventually learnt the wisdom of committing the keeping of His soul to a faithful, all-wise, sovereign God.

We need to stay grounded and rather than questioning, trust that God has a plan for our lives, which our circumstances cannot thwart of frustrate. We see the reality of the foregoing in the life of Joseph Joseph was hated by his brothers; sold into slavery; got into trouble and was cast into prison for not sleeping with Potiphar’s wife; became head of the prisoners; forgotten by Pharaoh’s butler for years; before eventually becoming the second most powerful man in Egypt after about 13 years. Joseph could have been bitter against God after waiting for several years, for showing him things which seemed was never going to come to pass. He could have been forgiven if he concluded that God’s plan for Him was to remain in Potiphar’s house or remain in prison and be a good influence there. However Joseph trusted God as He worked out His plan in His life. God’s plan was grander than Joseph’s understanding of it. Joseph thought it was merely to preserve Israel during famine (Gen 50:20). However, God’s ultimate objective was to preserve the nation from whom Jesus the Saviour was to come (Rom 9:5).

Many times we feel we have served God enough and do not deserve our unsavoury circumstances. We wonder where God is taking us to and at times jump to the wrong conclusion. We wonder why God allows circumstances He could have prevented from happening to us. But we must realize that God has a plan and end in view concerning our situation. He is working out things  for His glory. There is a seed and Spirit within us which God uses to lead, guide and to direct our paths. His eyes are fixed on us. Rather than focus on problems, let us focus on the real thing. Let us have the attitude of rejoicing (Rom 12:12, Php 4:4), not merely because we know that our circumstances are temporal, but because we know He has a plan for our lives, because of what He has done for us, and because of His investment in us. We should change our thinking about God. He loves us so much and He is committed to us. Our circumstances are part of what God is using to get us to where He wants to take us.

Comfort In The Place Of Prayer

It is not unusual to find people praying and spending long hours in meetings doing so. Sadly if most people examined what they call prayer in the light of scriptures, they will probably use their time in a better way. Listening to the content of most people’s prayers will make one wonder how far they can go in life with it. Unfortunately, that is the bondage that most people find themselves in, simply because they never found out the truth, or because they refused to study the bible, or because they were never taught the right things by their instructors. Irrespective of how such a sorry state arose, it is clear that God cannot go outside the bounds of His word. He would not say because someone has spent several hours in prayers, praying amiss outside His will, that He should countenance such prayers. That is why it is very good for us to keep in mind why we do things.

Prayer is not a tool that we use to get God to do what He does not want to do, or to do what we want Him to do. The fact that God tells us to ask and receive will expose us to disappointment if we take it to mean asking for anything outside His will. We see scriptures instructing us to pray without ceasing and at all times. James 5:13-17 speaks of different situations that confront men, and commends prayers in certain instances. However, before we open our mouths to pray, we should ask ourselves certain questions to be sure that we are doing the right thing. Many times we find ourselves in circumstances that are unpalatable and we seek a way out.  Most of the time people are quick to turn to prayers, but before going ahead, it is important for us to be in the right frame of mind. We should realize that prayer, rather than a tool for getting things from God is a medium of relating with God, finding out His will and aligning ourselves with that will.  Before we open our mouths to pray, we should have settled at the back of our minds what is propelling us. James 5:11-17 and Philippians 4:6 gives certain insights in this regard.

Php 4:6 commends us to eschew anxiety, but rather commit our burdens to God in prayers. Anxiety basically means fretting and worrying over situations. Essentially we learn from here that before we get ourselves into prayer we should get ourselves into a state where we are not worried such that our prayers are not motivated by anxiety, but by faith in God. Sadly a lot of us take decisions that are not motivated by God’s word, but by our present circumstances, forgetting that we are dealing with a great and wonderful God – the One who is in charge of our lives. As a consequence, we are downed by circumstances. The Bible says we should not be anxious about anything. It is only when our trust is in the living God, that we can do this. Rather than worry about our circumstances, we should see that God is in there with us. He has not left us alone in our trials. If a person born again realizes this truth, it will fill him/her with confidence.

Before we open our mouths to pray, we should ask ourselves if we trust in the Person of God with whom nothing is impossible. Granted we may be going through difficult, situations that should cause us to worry, nevertheless we are instructed not to entertain anxiety. There is someone in charge of our situation who has not lost control and who will always be in charge. Our problems stems primarily from the fact that we cannot see God in our situation. We think He is not acting on or behalf or is oblivious of our situation.  However, that is not true, for his commitment to us goes beyond what we can see or do not see. His posture towards us does not change (James 1:17). We should never allow circumstances rob us off confidence in God. Irrespective of our situations we should not be anxious, knowing that He is in control. God never stops working on our behalf. Things may be rough and unpalatable, but it does not change the fact that He is committed to us and that He is working things out. 

A lot of us have faced situations where we have wasted our time worrying, and did all sorts of things all to help ourselves all to no avail, only to wonder why we wasted our time worrying when things were resolved so simply when God “showed up”. We chastise ourselves for not having waited patiently, without anxiety, trusting God to act – which is the state that God wants us to be in no matter how bad circumstances may be. This attitude will keep us unmoved and confident, much like someone who had been guaranteed a job by the CEO, who only knows that turning up for an interview is a mere formality. That is how we ought to conduct ourselves as believers. Because God is in charge and always at work, we can have our hearts assured rather than worrying. If we do not have the perspective that God is bigger than our situations, it will be extremely difficult for us not to worry. We should never repose our confidence in man, for vain is the help of man. There are several circumstances in life such as terminal diseases which show the helplessness of man. Consequently, our confidence should always be in the living God. The fact that things are not working our way does not mean we should be fretting. It is only a matter of time; God will come in His own time. Our challenges are not unique to us; several others have experienced same or similar challenges. We should keep trusting in God.

Furthermore, we should always have at the back of our minds before praying that God has a purpose for everything. There is a reason why He allows trials to come our way, though we may not immediately comprehend it. Mindful of that reality, rather than questioning Him we ought to trust in Him. We may not know how things will be in the future, yet we should trust in the living God who is in charge of our lives, circumstances, and the future. When we adopt these attitudes our outlook will be positive and we shall experience peace even amidst turmoil (Php 4:7) -  a peace which defies earthly logic which only God can give. This can only happen when our trust is in God and not in Man. God has a plan and purpose for us and it will be good – ultimately. God works through us and He will bring forth His counsel and reveal His glory in our lives, even amidst our circumstances. He does not work arbitrarily and everything in the world – our circumstances, us and the universe, works together to fulfill the good pleasure of His will. We ought to see things this way so that we can make progress believing that He can do absolutely anything.

This is the right frame of mind which will enable us derive comfort in the place of prayer. Before we pray, we should ask ourselves if we really believe in our God, the God of all possibilities (Heb 11:6). Is our trust in Him alone? We live in an age where there is a tendency to trust in many things – our intelligence, our grade, our plans, our visions, our connections, our certificates, men, etc. It is no wonder that our plains fail to work out according to plan. We must always remember that God is the One in charge of our lives. We need to pause and return to dependence on God, and ascertaining what He will have us do in every situation. If truly we believe in the Person of God and believe that with Him nothing is impossible, then we should allow Him have His way in our lives. We need to always subject ourselves to seeing His will realized in our lives, irrespective of our well-laid plans, rather than suffering the repercussions of living outside His will.

Conclusion

As believers we need to come to terms with the sovereignty of God and His all-sufficiency. It is only when we do this that we can live our lives without being anxious when faced with contrary situations. Rather than being anxious, we should talk to God and let Him have our burdens in prayer. Is it a job we are looking for, we should trust in God. Is it a child, we should never let our trust in God wane.  We saw God fulfil His promise of a child to Abraham, despite his faith wavering, and despite his attempt at self help by sleeping with Hagar. God came through at His own time. That is the kind of God that we serve. He is ever faithful to His word. He might not do it the way we expect it, but He will fulfill His promise because faithfulness is His very nature - He cannot deny Himself. He does things according to His own plan and His own season. There is a time and season for Him to do what He wants to do in our lives, which we can be rest assured will not pass us by. However, we need to keep our trust in God. He is the only One that will never fail us.  

A Call To Discernment (1 Thess 5:21-22)

Highlights

God expects everybody to be discerning. Many believers exercise discernment in other areas of their lives e.g. job, marriage etc; we however take with levity the things of God especially the truth of the word of God. It is important for every believer to be able to distinguish between error and truth, Just like every skill, in order to exercise discernment to the finest details, we need to embrace and put it into practice.

Ways in which we can develop discernment

·     By having complete dependence on the revelation of the word of God - 2Pet 1:12-21. There’s an inspiration from God that gives us wisdom that’s not based on age or some traditions Isaiah 8:19-22. Many of us tend to rationalize things based on our opinions, forgetting we do not have an opinion when it comes to the word of God. Hence, do not depend on your own rationalization because it is not about what you think or how you feel.

Also, do not depend on strange experiences because they may not be interpreted in the light of God’s word.

Job 32: 1- 22

·       Diligence -  2 Tim 2: 14-15

Diligence in the word of God is key! Diligence takes hard work and perseverance. Make a determination on what to study, keep at it and devout yourself wholly to it. You need to make an effort to develop discernment so you don’t end up just believing what the pastors preach

·       Constant Use - Heb 5:14 

It becomes easy to discern when you expose yourself consistently to the word of God.

In attending to the truth, it becomes easier to distinguish between good and evil!

Important Notes on reading the scriptures

·      Read the scripture as a book

·      Follow the trend and understand the message therein

·      It’s important for the believer to know there are 2 different covenants found in the book and that what is contained in the Old testament is different from the New testament

·      In this age, we have a different covenant!

·      You need to develop an attitude of critically analyzing everything you hear and holding on to the truth!
  ·     It is time for us to persist and continue in the truth!!! 

Love (1 Cor 13:1-3,1 John 4:7-10)

PREAMBLE

First, we should bear in mind that every believer is important to the Body and we are all needed for the work. Every believer should discover His role in the Body and run with it. Having seen many that have borne witness to the life of faith, we should run our race. If God has put something in our hearts with respect to what He will have us do, then it is just right that we keep focused on doing it.  We should lay aside every weight and sin, anything that may distract us from this. Anything could be a weight, and they could be legitimate or illegitimate. It could be a sleeping or eating habit, a friend, a problem or even a relationship. Let us align our minds and hearts to the race before us. The woman who recently won the 100 metres race at the 2012 London Olympics did not even know she won until she saw the replay, because she was fully focused on her race and never allowed any distraction to hinder her from reaching her goal. Had she been distracted she would probably have lost the race because she won by the narrowest of margins. We should emulate this attitude in running the race set before us, keeping her eyes on the focus  without allowing anything to distract us (Heb 12:1-2).

Second, James stressed the importance of being slow to speak, swift to hear and slow to wrath (James 1:19). We should cultivate an attitude of swiftness in hearing and receiving the word of God. We should not be quick to commend or comment. We should have a readiness to be receptive at all times.

MAIN SERMON

Love is a concept that is usually talked about, and celebrated, but in the actual sense greatly misunderstood by so many people in our world today. There is a need for us to understand what love is from a divine/biblical perspective. 1 Cor 13 gives us tremendous insight into what love is from God’s perspective; while simultaneously using the exercise of spiritual gifts as examples to underscore how vital love is to our Christian faith.  Love is very important to our Christian faith. Love is so fundamental that if we manifest spiritual gifts of prophecy, faith, giving, word knowledge, to an extreme or prodigious measure,  without love as the underlying attitude or motivation; then it would profit us nothing (1 Cor 13:1-3).

WHAT IS LOVE?

In the present age and time, a lot of people talk about love and we see very little of it being shown. Also, one of the misconceptions people have is that love equates to sex.  So what is love? Have we been walking in love? Have we been showing love to one another as God commands us? If we check through the scripture we will see a lot of commandments instructing us on love, how we should love 

God with the entirety of our being, and also on how we should walk in love one with another (John 13:34-35,15:12-13,17,19, Rom 12:9-10,13:8-10, Gal 5:6,13-14,22,Eph 4:32, Eph 5:2, Php 1:9,2:2, Col 2:2, 1 Thes 3:12,4:9, 5:8, 1 Tim 6:11, Heb 6:10,10:24, 13:1, 1 Pet 2:17, 3:8, 1 John 2:7-11, 1 John 3:1,11,14,16-18,23, 1 John 4:7-8,11-12,16,20-21,I John 5:2-3, 2 John 1:5-6.  1 Pet 1:22 is a good example where Peter instructed believers to love one another with a pure heart FERVENTLY.  The emphasis of the foregoing is FERVENTLY, showing the depth of love we should display towards one another. Do we really understand what biblical love is? But the question still remains – what is love?

In Matt 22:35-38 Jesus described the concept of love as the greatest of the commandments that was given to the Israelites. In this portion of scriptures, Jesus, by calling it the greatest commandment underscored its supreme importance. As Christians we need to have a good grasp and understanding of love, we need to walk and act in it, we need to live our lives by this very important principle and concept. Without love we amount to nothing. 1 John 4:7 reiterates what has been said above and commands us to love one another as practical proof that we are saved/born of God/believers. Apostle John followed this up in 1 John 4:8 to categorically state that our failure to practice love may well prove that we are not saved since God is love. Lest we should not lose sight of what love is, we see that Apostle John gave us an insight – GOD IS LOVE.  If we have God then we have love. All that God expressed towards humanity is love. 1 John 4:9 reveals that God’s love was manifested towards us by giving Jesus who died and rose again, that we might live through Him.

Furthermore, there is a need to dispel a commonly held notion that we must love as a form of reciprocation, or that we need to love someone because the person loved us first. This idea essentially is the attitude of the natural man who loves conditionally, and because he is loved. However, the foregoing notion is foreign to New Testament scriptures with respect to biblical love, the love God displayed towards us, and the love He expects us to display towards others. We see clearly from scriptures that we did not take the initiative by loving God first before He had to respond; neither did He love us because He had to reciprocate, rather He loved us first and that is the reason why we love Him (1 John 4:10, 19). Biblical love as demonstrated by God through the gift of His Son demands that we love without expecting love back, or because someone loved us first. God lavished His love on us through the death and the resurrection of Christ and without any selfish motive because that is His nature. He did not love us because he knew we were going to be fantastic ministers, philanthropists or missionaries in the future; or because He knew we were going to live up to our calling  and exalted position; rather He did it because love is His nature. God is love. Out of that loving nature He offered Jesus as the solution to the 

deepest need of Man. All that God has done for us through Christ has been to benefit us, to elevate us and make us better persons that can function victoriously on earth.

God loved us and gave the greatest demonstration of that love when Christ died for us on the Cross. It stands sure and steadfast and remains for eternity. He did not love us because we loved Him first. We could never have loved God first because we did not have the nature or capacity to have done so since all men were dead in sins and alienated from God. The average man expects something back in return when he loves, even if it is for that love to be reciprocated.  The things we do which we call acts of love, are they really acts of love, or were they done with the expectation of reciprocation? We should do them because God commanded us to do so. God loved us without expecting back and He expects us to walk in love towards one another. Jesus said we should love God with the entirety of our being – with all our hearts, souls, and minds. This is the starting point (Mt 22:37). When we do this, it becomes easier to do the other aspect which Jesus talked about – loving others (Mt 22:39). God loves us whether we respond or not; whether we appreciate it or not; and whether we yield to it or not.

God loved us and demonstrated that love through the sacrifice of Jesus (John 3:16). We see here that God’s love involves sacrifice. Love requires sacrifice – a lot of sacrifice at times; but not because we expect something in return. He freely gave up Christ for our sakes because He loved us (Rom 8:32). We see from scriptures all that His love brought us. It brought us deliverance from the kingdom of darkness and translated us into God’s kingdom (Col 1:13). Because of His love something happened to us in the realm of the spirit that changed us radically that we had no contribution to. Because He loved us He made us better, gave us the Holy Spirit, therefore empowering us so we can live a triumphant life. What can we give in return to show appreciation for what He has done for us? God expects us to love others in appreciation of the love He demonstrated towards us.

God has given us the capacity to love as He loved us (Rom 5:5) because we have His nature within us (2 Pet 13). In John 15:13 Christ described how that the ultimate demonstration of love was for a man to lay down His for His friends. He did just that for us. He has impacted us eternally.

CONCLUSION

God is love and we have been loved by Him. We do not need to place ourselves in a position of pity or despair, because we are the recipients of His love. He has loved us with a love that cannot be compared to any other. Our response to His love should be to love Him with the entirety of our beings and to love one another fervently.