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Tag: Femi Aribisala

  • God does not desire sacrifices – By Femi Aribisala

    God does not desire sacrifices – By Femi Aribisala

    “God is not a blood-guzzling vampire”.

    A man sinned against his wife even as men sin against God. His wife caught him in the act of adultery with his mistress. So, the husband went home to his wife with sacrifices. He brought her a brand-new Mercedes Benz car. He also included a bouquet of flowers for good measure.

    But does his wife require these sacrifices? The answer is “No!.” Gifts of cars and flowers are not part of the marriage covenant. What she desires is a repentant and faithful husband. Cars and flowers are no substitute for these. They cannot atone for his sin of adultery.

    The same principle applies to sacrifices for sins. God has no use for them because they cannot atone for sin. It is repentance that atones for sin. It is a broken spirit that atones for sin. If we repent, we do not need to bring any sacrifices at all.

    David committed adultery with another man’s wife, killed the husband, and then married his wife. Nevertheless, God required no sacrifices for his sin.

    David confirms this in his psalms. He says to God: “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.” (Psalm 51:16).  He repeats this in his messianic psalm: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have opened; burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.” (Psalm 40:6). 

    But the problem here is that, unlike David, the ears of so many pastors and Christians have yet to be opened. Their deafness would appear to be a chronic spiritual disorder.

    Pagan sacrifices

    Sacrifices are ritualistic. When a man sins, he gives a sacrifice and assumes this takes care of his sin problem.  In effect, sacrifices are “bribes” given every so often to placate a demanding deity; without the burden of repentance for sins. Therefore, God declares to Israel: “Bring no more futile sacrifices.” (Isaiah 1:13). 

    Sacrifices come from the perversion of those who claim the gods need to be appeased with violent and bloody death.  It is the way of the idol-worshipper; therefore, according to kingdom dynamics, it cannot be of God.   

    What does the one true God require instead?  David provides the answer: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart- these, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17).  Solomon concurs: “To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.” (Proverbs 21:3).

    God does not change. If He desired sacrifices, He will still desire them. If sacrifices are no longer necessary today, then it means God never desired them. Christians need to listen to the truth. It is written in the prophets:

    “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat meat.  For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices.’” (Jeremiah 7:21-22).

    Jesus did not destroy the law: He fulfilled it. If you commit adultery today, you are still a sinner, even though Jesus fulfilled the law.  Christians continue to fulfil the law against adultery. But no Christian sacrifices animals today. That shows God never desired sacrifices.

    God says in Hosea: “I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6). Jesus reiterates this. He says: “Go and learn what this means:: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’” (Matthew 9:13).

    Christians have obstinately refused to learn what this means. Some now insist Jesus Himself was a sacrifice for sins. But why would Jesus give to God what God does not desire? And since Jesus Himself is the God who created the heavens and the earth, is it not foolish to presume that God would sacrifice Himself to Himself?

    Human sacrifices

    Of all Israel’s sins, none was more abominable than the sacrifice of the firstborn.  God says in admonishment: “You took your sons and daughters whom you bore to Me and sacrificed them as food to the idols. Was your prostitution not enough?” (Ezekiel 16:20). 

    This heinous ritual is lambasted by Micah. He observes that it is ridiculous for a man to think he can give sacrifices to God.  He wonders sardonically what we could possibly give that would satisfy Him:

    “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the High God?  Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?  Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, ten thousand rivers of oil?  Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” (Micah 6:6-7).

    The abomination of human sacrifice was one of the reasons why God sent the Israelites into Babylonian captivity: “They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from His presence.” (2 Kings 17:17/18). 

    Why then would God himself turn around only to offer His Son Jesus as a human sacrifice to Himself?

    Sacrifice of fools

    God Himself pours scorn on the entire sacrificial system, He says: “I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.” (Psalm 50:9-10).

    God is not a blood-guzzling vampire.  He asks: “Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?” (Psalm 50:13).  Sacrifices mean nothing to God.  He says this unequivocally: “Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please me” (Jeremiah 6:20). 

    God again speaks through Isaiah and asks the children of Israel to bring no more sacrifices to Him:

    “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” says the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats.  When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts?  Bring no more futile sacrifices.” (Isaiah 1:11-13).

    God even uses very strong language to reject sacrifices. He says: “He who kills a bull is as if he slays a man; he who sacrifices a lamb, as if he breaks a dog’s neck; he who offers a grain offering, as if he offers swine’s blood; he who burns incense, as if he blesses an idol.” (Isaiah 66:3).  This shows the sacrificial system is totally objectionable to God.

    Testimony of Jesus

    Jesus demonstrated His disdain for sacrifices by smashing the sacrificial implements in the temple.  He maintains the kingdom imperative is to love God and our neighbour instead of giving burnt offerings and sacrifices. (Mark 12:28-34).

    Jesus teaches that all God requires as atonement for sin is repentance. He warns: “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3-4).

    This is Mark’s report of the objective of the ministry of Jesus and His disciples: “They went out and preached that people should repent.” (Mark 6:12).  They did not go out and preach about the need to make sacrifices to God.

  • Praying without ceasing – By Femi Aribisala

    Praying without ceasing – By Femi Aribisala

    “Right in the middle of his prayer, the Lord called him home”.

    All men pray. Even atheists do. Put us in a particular space where we are confronted with our humanity, and we will cry out for help in prayer. We might not know who we are praying to, but we will ask for a deliverer.

    However, there is only one deliverer: God.

    The shipmaster woke Jonah up. He said to him: “How can you be sleeping at a time like this? Call upon your God.” 

    He did not know who Jonah’s God was. It made no difference to him if Jonah was an idol-worshipper. Just call upon your God. Maybe your God will be the Lord.

    James says: “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16).

    Emergency God

    Find an atheist who has just been diagnosed with a terminal disease and ask if you can pray for him. He is now more than likely to answer “yes.” When adversity comes, when we are at the end of our endurance, we seek a higher power. When we are at a dead end, we are forced to acknowledge there is someone greater than we are.

    The psalmist says: “From the ends of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” (Psalm 61:2).

    Man, at his most fundamental, is a worshipper. There is a longing of the heart, and it is for God. There is a yearning at the depth of the soul for God. Whether we recognise it or not, this cry of the psalmist for God is the cry of all men: “My soul thirsts for You. My flesh longs for You, in a dry and weary land, where there is no water.” (Psalm 63:1).

    It does not matter if we are kings or presidents or heavyweight boxing champions; in certain situations, we are confronted with the reality of our mortality. In certain difficulties, we are forced to recognise our inadequacy and helplessness. Man is so vulnerable; he can be killed by a mere mosquito. We all know this.

    As a result, there is in us a silent cry for God. Nahum says: “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble.” (Nahum 1:7). We know we cannot handle things by ourselves. We know we cannot defend ourselves. We know there are so many things beyond our ability and science. We know we need God.

    Even if God did not exist, we would still need Him. That is the reason why some create their god. When we do not know Him, we fabricate god and say He is an idol. We say He is the sun or the moon or the stars. We even say He is a piece of wood:

    “(Man) makes into a god, his carved image. He falls down before it and worships it, prays to it and says, ‘Deliver me, for you are my god!’” (Isaiah 44:17).

    I have been in a plane that was in distress, and everyone was calling upon the name of the Lord. I heard people shout “Jesus” again and again. I did not hear them shout any other name: “For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).

    When there is danger, we need a Saviour. When there is a problem, we are desperate for a helper. We seek refuge from the storms of life; shelter from the rain; shade from the sun. When there is an accident, we need a doctor. When there is famine, we need food. When we are cold, we need a blanket.

    God is all these and more. He is our shelter; He is our doctor; His word is our food and our drink; He is our refuge and strength. The canopy over our head.

    He is: “A strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; for the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.” (Isaiah 25:4).

    Rattlesnakes

    A man wanted nothing to do with God. He disliked Christians and churches. He made sure his sons, Tom, Dick, and Harry, would have nothing to do with believers.

    But one day, surprisingly; a local minister was called to his house. A rattlesnake had bitten Tom. The doctor had done all he could but to no avail. So, the man; the atheist, called the minister as a last resort.

    So, the minister prayed: “Father, I thank you for sending a rattlesnake to bite Tom; for this is the first time his father has ever acknowledged that he needs You. I pray for two more rattlesnakes to bite Dick and Harry as well, so they too may receive this blessing. And Lord, I pray for a very big rattlesnake to bite the old man himself, so that he too will know what it means to have You.”

    For this cause, “Man, who is born of a woman, is of few days, and full of trouble.” (Job 14:1). God says: “Pray to me in time of trouble. I will rescue you, and you will honour me.” (Psalm 50:15).

    Hunger for God

    Prayer is a hunger for God. It is a yearning for fulfilment. It is the soul reaching for solace. It is a cry for safety; a desire for an embrace; a yearning for rest. Prayer is the Prodigal Son hankering to return home. It is drowning Peter crying out for help. It is man at the end of his rope, longing for the peace of death.

    Prayer is natural to limited man. When a man ceases to breathe, he dies physically. When he stops praying, he dies spiritually. In this world, there are many dead men walking.

    One thing is certain: there is strength in prayer because it provokes the intervention of the Almighty into our situations and circumstances. It is so powerful; it divided the seas (Exodus 14:21); moved mountains (Psalm 114:4); stilled raging storms (Mark 4:39); shut up the mouths of lions (Daniel 6:21); raised the dead back to life (Acts 9:40).

    Prayer is one of the greatest privileges God has given to man. John says: “We are certain that God will hear our prayers when we ask for what pleases him. And if we know that God listens when we pray, we are sure that our prayers have already been answered.” (1 John 5:15).

    It is time to pray; it always is. It is time to lay hold on God. It is time to prevail with the Almighty. Jesus says we must always pray and not give up. (Luke 18:1). We need to pray so we do not fall into temptation. We need to pray to stand in the gap for others. We need to pray to enter into God’s rest.

    Emmanuel Igein’s old man knelt down to pray for his family, as he did dutifully every morning. In the middle of the prayer, he suddenly stopped. It took a while for his loved ones to realise what happened. Right in the middle of the prayer, the Lord called him home. He had gone to be with the Lord. 

  • Prayer for Nigeria at 62 – By Femi Aribisala

    Prayer for Nigeria at 62 – By Femi Aribisala

    Arugbo ojo. (Ancient of Days). Alewilese (He who speaks and acts). Alese lewi (He who acts and speaks). Awimayehun (He who cannot be contradicted). Adanimagbagbe (The Creator who never forgets His creation). Oyigiyigi (Great and Mighty God). Alagbada Ina (The God covered with fire).

    Afunni ma s’iregun (The God who blesses without asking for a reward). Alagbawi eda (defender of mankind). Olowogbogboro (The one whose hand can reach everywhere). Ajasegun (The Conqueror). Oba t’ao ri, sugbon t’a ri ise owo re (The God who is unseen, but whose works are evident).

    Atererekariaye (The God who covers the whole earth). Onise iyanu (Miracle worker). Atofarati (Our defense). Atorise (The God who can do it). Awamaridi (Unsearchable God). Ologojulo (The most glorious). Emi ni t’inje Emi ni (The I AM THAT I AM).

    We confess Lord, that our sins are deeper than scarlet, but You can make them white as snow. Even though they are red like crimson, we plead that You make them as wool.

    Our words and our deeds are against the Lord, defying His glorious presence. The look on our faces testifies against us. We parade our sins like Sodom; we do not even hide them.

    We are in trouble and distress. We have brought disaster upon ourselves. Our leaders and governors lead us astray; they turn us from the path of life. We have ruined the vineyard of the Lord. The plunder from the poor is in our houses.

    O Lord, our God, wash away the filth of our people. Cleanse the bloodstains.

    We have raped innocent women. We have bombed the blameless. We have kidnaped the defenseless. We have oppressed the poor. We have ignored the fatherless. We have not fed the hungry.

    We have not cared for the Lazarus at our gate. We have robbed the traveler. We have looted our treasuries. We have despised our birthright.

    We have only yielded bad grapes in the Lord’s vineyard. We have drawn sin along with cords of deceit. We pulled wickedness as with cart ropes.

    We call evil good and good evil. We put darkness for light and light for darkness. We put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. We have been wise in our own eyes and clever in our own sight.

    Our judges have acquitted the guilty for a bribe. They have denied justice to the innocent. We have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty. We have spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel.

    Our pastors and prophets teach lies. Our politicians have led us astray. Our leaders make unjust laws and issue oppressive decrees. They deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed. They make widows their prey and rob the fatherless.

    You, O God, asked for justice but saw bloodshed. You called for righteousness but heard cries of distress.

    We are like an oak with fading leaves, we are like a garden without water. The mountains are shaking all around us, and the dead bodies are becoming like refuse in the streets. Therefore, the grave has enlarged its appetite. It has opened its mouth without limit.

    Our cities lie in ruins and without inhabitants. Our houses are left deserted. Our fields are ruined and ravaged. The Lord has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken.

    Distressed and hungry, people all over Nigeria are roaming through the land; some are famished and are becoming enraged and, looking upward, they curse their leaders and their God. They look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they are thrust into utter darkness.

    As in the day of Midian’s defeat, so it has been in these days of our distress. You will shatter the yoke that burdens us, the bar across our shoulders, the rod of our oppressor.

    The Light of Israel has become a fire, our Holy One a flame; and in a single day it has burnt and consumed his thorns and his briers.

    The lofty trees have been felled, and the tall ones have been brought low. Our God has cut down the forest thickets with an ax.

    Nevertheless, we are looking for that day when the wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.

    We know the Lord will bring it about when the cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

    The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child will put his hand into the viper’s nest.

    We know that they will neither harm nor destroy on all God’s holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

    Sokoto trembles; Zamfara flees. Cry out, O Daughter of Nigeria!

    Listen, Lagos! Poor Owerri! Maiduguri is in flight; the people of Iwo take cover.

    Help us, Lord, to beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks. Restore us, O Lord.  Renew us, O Lord. Give us fresh hope and new beginnings, O Lord. Restore our judges, our politicians, our governors, our councilors, and our leaders. Make us the city of righteousness, the faithful city, according to your promise O Lord.

    Redeem us with justice. Redeem our penitent ones with righteousness. Let nation not take up sword against nation anymore. Let us stop building up our armories and stop training for war.

    O Lord, cause us to walk in the light of the Lord.  Let the eyes of the arrogant man be humbled. Let the pride of men be brought low. Let the Lord alone be exalted.

    For the day of the Lord of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up and it shall be brought low. Upon all the irokos of Nigeria that are high and lifted up. Upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, Upon every high tower, and upon every fortified wall.

    The Lord says to us with His strong hand upon us, warning us not to follow the way of these people. He says: “Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy. Do not fear what they fear, and do not dread what they dread.”

    The Lord Almighty is the one we are to regard as holy. He is the one we are to fear: He is the one we are to dread.

    We will wait. We will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. We will put our trust in him.

    Here we are, and the children the Lord has given us. We are signs and symbols in Nigeria, in West Africa, in Africa from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.

    For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government is on His shoulders. And He is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

    Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness for forever.

    The zeal of the Lord Almighty has accomplished this.

  • From Jabez to Joshua – By Femi Aribisala

    From Jabez to Joshua – By Femi Aribisala

    “The God who made the heavens and the earth is our real Father”.

    The rich man died, leaving all He had to his son Jabez. He willed him His houses, lands, cars, money; everything. Except that nobody told Jabez. He never even knew who his real father was. So, he lived the life of a criminal.

    The gatemen moved into his houses by default. The drivers kept his cars. The banks continued to trade with his money. Jabez remained penniless; ignorant of the will of his father.

    Entrance of the Word

    Until one day, Jesus told him. He told him his father owns the gold and the silver; to him belongs the cattle on a thousand hills. (Psalm 50:10). “Your name is not Jabez,” said the Good Shepherd. “Your name is Joshua. Go to Kingdom Bank and write a cheque in that name, and you will possess your possessions.”

    The gatemen were distraught. The drivers became hyper-tensile. They promptly sent their pastors to warn Jabez not to be deceived. Should he dare go to Kingdom Bank, he would be arrested for false impersonation. Any idiot knows a Jabez is not a Joshua.

    Jabez was confused. He was intimidated by the threats of his usurpers and afraid to stake a claim. Until one day, weather-beaten, he decided to risk it. He had nothing to lose but his miserable life.

    He walked into the bank and sheepishly approached a cashier. “Please can I have five hundred dollars in Joshua’s name?” he said. The cashier did not even bother to look at him. He counted out the money in fresh clean notes and handed them to him. “Have a nice day,” he said.

    Jabez took the money and ran. He ran out of the bank. He ran down the street. He kept on running until he was as far away from the bank as possible. He kept on running until he was sure nobody was following him. Then he looked down at the money in his hands. Five hundred dollars: all in Joshua’s name.

    Doublemindedness

    But it seemed everyone knew he had been to the bank. “Well-wishers” informed him he was wanted by the police for withdrawing money from Kingdom Bank under false pretenses. Jabez became a man on the run. But he kept thinking about that incredible episode when he collected five hundred dollars from his inheritance.

    Soon, he was broke again. Five hundred dollars could only go so far. Until one day, he summoned up the courage once again and went back to the bank. Again, he asked for five hundred dollars in the name of Joshua.

    No sirens rang out. Nobody shouted “thief; thief!”  Instead, he got the same response: quick and courteous service and five-hundred dollars to the bargain.

    The thieves and robbers did not let up. They sent people to tell him there was a computer malfunction in the bank. As long as he requested only five hundred dollars, the error would be undetected. But he had better not ask for anything more.

    Let there be light

    Joshua no longer believed them. The next time he went to the bank, he asked for five-thousand dollars in Joshua’s name. This time the cashier looked up and asked him a question: “In what denominations would you like the money?” 

    That day, Joshua finally woke up from his slumber. He prayed: “Father, thy will be done.”  He took out an advert in the newspapers. “I, formerly known as Jabez, now declare that I am Joshua.” 

    The usurpers tried one last gambit. They sent word that he could get even more money in other names. He could get a million in the name of Sango. Joshua was not fooled. He filed a case against them in the High Court to recover his properties.

    Riches in Glory

    Make no mistake about it; the riches we have in Christ are not denominated in dollars and cents. Nevertheless, they are the true riches. (Luke 16:11). They are the riches that are laid up for us in heaven. Riches that do not sprout wings and fly away like an eagle into the sky. (Proverbs 23:5).

    My life changed the day I finally realised that my real Father is the God who made the heavens and the earth. T.S.B. Aribisala, who I had always assumed is my father was only my guardian. This realisation came from Jesus who says: “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.” (Matthew 23:9).

    With God as my real Father, I transitioned from being a son of man to a son of God. I became an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ. (Romans 8:17). I became a citizen of God’s heavenly kingdom.

    The Almighty God Himself became my possession. It no longer makes any difference if I am poor or rich on earth. I am now blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly place in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3). And all things are mine. (1 Corinthians 3:21).

    When I realised this, I became so angry that I had been deceived for so long. I had been fooled into believing I came from an impoverished and disease-stricken earthly lineage. From that day, my identity was transformed. I now know the truth that sets us free from sinful passions, earthly lusts, and carnal thoughts. (John 8:32). I am now able to contend with the help of the Holy Spirit for the faith that makes us partakers of God’s divine nature.

    God’s perspective

    In the Old Testament, God looked at the heart. Samuel assumed God had chosen Eliab, the son of Jesse, as the new king of Israel. “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’” (1 Samuel 16:7).

    However, in the New Testament, God looks only at Christ. The question is this: “Is the person in Christ? Is he a new creation in Christ Jesus?” The answer might surprise you.  Christ is in everybody. From God’s point of view, every man is now Jesus Christ. Only two people exist in the entire universe: God the Father and Jesus Christ. 

    Every man, woman, and child is now part of the body of Christ. “There is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.” (Colossians 3:11).

    So, God sees everybody the same way. When He looks at you and me, He only sees Jesus. Today, God sees everybody in the future and not in the present or the past, after all, “the end of a thing is better than its beginning.” (Ecclesiastes 7:8). 

    God sees what we will become rather than what we have been or what we are. He sees that all of us will be like His son Jesus because Jesus died for everybody. Therefore, Paul counsels: “From now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.” (2 Corinthians 5:16).

    What this means is that you and I are no longer ourselves but Christ.

  • The contradictions of faith – By Femi Aribisala

    The contradictions of faith – By Femi Aribisala

    “The hostility of the wicked is sure evidence that we are friends of God”.

    When Jesus was born, an angel brought good tidings of great joy to all men. But soon after, something contradictory happened: “A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted because they are no more.” (Matthew 2:18).

    Similarly, when Jesus was going to the cross on the way back home to the Father, instead of rejoicing with Him, some people were crying: “A great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him.” (Luke 23:27).

    There always seems to be dissonance between the perspectives of heaven and that of the earth. A voice in heaven highlights this. It says: “Rejoice O heavens and you who dwell in them:  Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea.” (Revelation 12:12).

    Thesis and antithesis

    Kingdom dynamics requires that we navigate within this parallelogram of discrepancies. The believer lives in two worlds simultaneously. We live physically in the world but spiritually in the kingdom of God. This paradox is evident in Jesus, the author, and finisher of our faith. He says: “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.” (John 3:13).

    In effect, Jesus is in heaven and on earth at the same time. The Bible tells us: “As He is, so are we in this world.” (1 John 4:17). Without, we are in the world: but within, we are in the kingdom of God, “seated together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:6).

    Therefore, it should come as no surprise to us if our situations and circumstances sometimes seem contradictory. Jesus alerts us about the new life that we are to live in contradictions. He says: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).

    This life of contradictions was first revealed in Abraham. In order for him to become a father of many nations, he had first to be childless for many years. During this period, God changed his name from Abram to Abraham, which means the father of many nations.

    Just imagine the irony here. Abram changes his name, saying: “I, previously known as Abram, now wish to be known as the Father of Many Nations.” Can you imagine how much of a laughingstock he must have been? He does not even have a single child, and he claims to be fathering many nations.

    When God promised him and his descendants the land of Canaan, Abraham asked God: “How shall I know that I will inherit this land?” God offered him a strange insurance policy: “You will know because I will make your descendants to be without land.” (Genesis 15:13-15).

    In which case, the guarantee of the promises of God is the lack of evidence or, often, the contrary evidence.

    Favour through persecution

    Clearly, God was on the side of the children of Israel when they were in Egypt. Nevertheless, they were in bondage while the Egyptians were in prosperity. If secular wealth is regarded as a sign of divine approval, then the Egyptians would be mistaken as God’s favourites.

    When God decided to deliver the Israelites from Egypt, He sent Moses to Pharaoh to tell him to let them go. But instead of doing so, Pharaoh increased their burdens. In effect, God’s attempt at deliverance created more problems for the Israelites.

    This initially confused Moses a great deal, leading him to complain: “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people?  Why is it You have sent me?  Since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.” (Exodus 5:22-23).

    Thereby, God’s good is often regarded as evil.

    When God intervened on behalf of the Israelites, Pharaoh increased the burdens, making things worse for them. Later, in taking them to a land flowing with milk and honey, God first suffered them to hunger. (Deuteronomy 8;3). But all these were sure signs of their deliverance because everything about the kingdom of God is worked out in contradictions by faith.

    Hall of Faith

    “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1). Once it is seen, it moves outside of the realms of faith. Therefore, it is paradoxically in the interest of the believer that there should be no evidence for his faith so that it might continue to be faith indeed. 

    Faith is only necessary and valuable when there is no evidence. God gives us faith precisely as a substitute for evidence. The evidence is counterproductive. It negates faith; it does not confirm it.

    You say you are healed. Yes, indeed! But there is no sign that you are healed. You may even feel worse. Voila! That is the evidence, the lack of signs. 

    The Bible notes that the men and women in the Hebrews “Hall of Faith” believed without receiving:

    “They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented- of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise.” (Hebrews 11:37-39).

    As far as they were concerned, the promises were fulfilled by faith and not by sight. What sight does is negate faith or render it ineffectual. But these men lived in faith and died in faith without receiving the promises. And yet they did not call God a liar.  They did not accuse God of unfaithfulness. Therefore, the bible says, God is not ashamed to be called their God. (Hebrews 11:16).

    For worse; for better

    The hostility of the wicked is sure evidence that believers are friends of God. That is why Jesus says we are blessed when we are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. The very fact that the righteous suffer in this world, while the wicked triumph; is one of the greatest assurances that there will be a future reversal of fortunes.

    Sometimes God allows us to undergo the extreme nature of our affliction, the better to appreciate the greatness of His salvation. The Lord can allow a besetting sin to become even worse even on the very eve of the deliverance. Or the sickness can become even more severe after we have just prayed for healing. This is what happened to Jairus whose daughter died after he prayed to Jesus for healing.

    What does this mean?  It means nothing at all. Do not fail at the edge of a breakthrough. Do not give up at the very last minute.

    “The vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end, it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:3-4).

  • The God who wounds us [2] – By Femi Aribisala

    The God who wounds us [2] – By Femi Aribisala

    “The God who wounds us was wounded for us”.

    One of the most dramatic things that ever happened to me is that I was attacked by armed robbers. In the middle of the attack, my ears were opened, and I heard God for the very first time. He promised me that the attack would amount to nothing.

    However, immediately after He made me this promise, one of the robbers shot me in the leg. I then had the privilege of not only witnessing how God saved me from the robbers but also how He turned the bullet wound in my leg into nothing by dramatically healing me.

    Thereby, I obtained a first-hand experience of the power of God. Like Job, I said to God after my ordeal: “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You.” (Job 42:5).

    Indeed, the Lord made sure I knew He is my Salvation by speaking to me with a scripture: “Blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear.” (Matthew 13:16).   

    Paradoxically, this blessing came from being shot by armed robbers. This shows God created sickness, so we can know that He is our healer. (John 9:3).

    But there was more.

    While thanking God for delivering me from the robbers, He suddenly said to me out of the blue: “Femi, I allowed you to be shot because I wanted you to see yourself using crutches. You have been using crutches all your life. I decided to show it to you physically otherwise you would never know.” 

    This opened another chapter in my spiritual education that I later found is contextualised in scripture: “Who gave Jacob for plunder, and Israel to the robbers? Was it not the Lord, He against whom we have sinned?” (Isaiah 42:24).

    God says: “I wound, and I heal.” (Deuteronomy 32:39).

    Blessing of suffering

    There is good in suffering because there is God in suffering. We do not suffer alone. In all our affliction, God is afflicted. (Isaiah 63:9). God wounds us that we may experience the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings. (Philippians 3:10).

    When we sin, God wounds us so that we may return to him in repentance and contrition. The psalmist says to God: “You turn man to destruction, and say, ‘Return, O children of men.’” (Psalm 90:1).

    The angst of God here is fulsomely expressed in Amos:

    “‘I sent among you a plague after the manner of Egypt; your young men I killed with a sword, along with your captive horses; I made the stench of your camps come up into your nostrils; yet you have not returned to Me,’ says the Lord. ‘I overthrew some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning; yet you have not returned to Me,’ says the Lord. ‘Therefore, thus will I do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel’” (Amos 4:10-12).

    God will do anything to make us return to Him. He will even kill and destroy us if that is what it takes. Then, He will redeem our lives from destruction. (Psalm 103:4).

    In 2020, God brought the Covid 19 pandemic. Millions of people we killed. Millions were healed, physically and spiritually. In 27 years of ministry before Covid, we never organised midnight prayers in my ministry. Since Covid, we have prayed every midnight without ceasing for over 2 years.

    Hosea brings the lesson here to the fore:  

    “Come, and let us return to the Lord; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight.” (Hosea 6:1-2).

    Jesus’ example

    Hosea is obviously alluding here prophetically to Jesus, who God raised from the dead on the third day. The question then is this: “Did God hate Jesus?” Certainly not! Jesus, Himself, acknowledges that God loved Him before the foundation of the world. (John 17:24).

    Nevertheless, “It pleased the Lord to bruise (Jesus); He has put Him to grief.” (Isaiah 53:10).

    Therefore, if God did not hate Jesus by wounding Him, He does not hate us by wounding us:

    “Though He causes grief, yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies. For He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.” (Lamentation 3:32-33).

    Indeed, the God who wounds us was Himself wounded for us. The judge of all passed the sentence meant for us on Himself: “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His wounds, we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5).

    In Christ, God wounded Himself so that we would not have to suffer the pain we deserve. The pain we now suffer is just a fraction of the pain we deserve. The real pain is the travail of the soul and not the flesh. In the travail of the flesh, there is a comforter. In the travail of the soul, the comforter is absent.

    That is what happened to Jesus on the cross when He cried out: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me.” (Matthew 27:46). It had never happened in eternity that the only begotten Son of God is separated from His Father, the Source of all life and well-being.

    Therefore, we must bear our sufferings, saying like Jeremiah: “Woe is me for my hurt! My wound is severe. But I say, ‘Truly this is an infirmity, and I must bear it.’” (Jeremiah 10:19).

    At the same time, we must continue to appeal to God for the healing of every pain, confident that once the purpose that is purpose is fulfilled, the good God will oblige. (Jeremiah 15:18-19).

    This is the promise of God:

    “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

    Healing wings

    The president imposed a draconian decree. Anyone who breaks the law will be sentenced to death. The people thought He was too harsh. How can He pronounce a death sentence as the penalty for every legal infraction?

    So, they decided to teach Him a lesson. The president had only one child; a son. They falsely accused Him of breaking the law and brought false witnesses who testified to His guilt. He was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death.

    Everyone knew the president would not allow His son to be killed. The decree would have to be repealed and annulled.

    But on a set date, the president’s son was brought before a firing squad and shot to death. Thereafter, the president made a national broadcast on television saying: “Anybody who breaks the law will be killed.”

    Everyone now became convinced He was serious. And then He said:

    “But to you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings.” (Malachi 4:2).

  • The God who wounds us [1] – By Femi Aribisala

    The God who wounds us [1] – By Femi Aribisala

    “You know Me as a doctor, but I also want you to know Me as a nurse.”

    “You are the Lord that health me” is a popular Christian song. However, in singing this song we omit the vital beginning of God’s healing process.

    Before the Lord heals us, He wounds us. It is the same God who heals us that wounds us. Therefore, perhaps we need to write another song that says: “You are the Lord that wounds me.”

    God takes full responsibility for our wounds. He says: “Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; nor is there any who can deliver from My hand. (Deuteronomy 32:39).

    If God is not responsible for the sufferings in our lives, then He is not in total control and cannot really be God. But He is God, and there is no other God besides Him.

    The challenge then is how can we come to terms with a good God who inflicts pain on people?

    Good God

    The first question we need to ask is “What is good?” What is good is whatever glorifies God. What is good is whatever brings us into a greater knowledge of the love of God and makes us trust God all the more. Whatever brings us down on our knees to call upon the name of the Lord is good.

    Adversity does this very well. Therefore, God created sickness so that we may know that He is our healer. (John 9:3).

    So, we must not only thank God when things are going well. We must equally thank Him when things are going badly. Good things are good for us, and bad things are good for us. Heads we win, tails we win. All things work together for our good. (Romans 8:28).

    Edifying wounds

    Have you ever intentionally wounded a friend or beloved? You told him something hurtful out of love because you wanted him to deal with it. I had to tell a precious lady that her favourite son who came from London to see her in Lagos had died from an okada accident.

    Think about it. You might have to tell your best friend that her boyfriend is a womanizer. Or you stop giving your friend money because you want him to learn to live within his means.

    Solomon says: “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” (Proverbs 27:6). Kisses can be deceptive. Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. (Luke 22:48).

    Since God is good and always good, then our God-given sufferings must be good for us. For it is not so much that we suffer as that our good God suffers us. Moses testified to Israel:

    (God) humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 8:3-4).

    Blessing of suffering

    Jacob was so scared of meeting his brother, Esau, whose birthright he stole, that he had an all-night vigil with God. When he asked God for a blessing, God blessed him by wounding him. God dislocated his hip.

    The blessing lies in the fact that his limp will always remind him of God. That will ensure that his mind stays on God.

    “So, rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm. Who knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him.” (Joel 2:13-14).

    There is a bullet in my leg, and it forever reminds me of the salvation of God from murderous armed robbers. There is a hole in Jesus’ hands, which testifies to the love He fulsomely expressed by dying for our sins and taking upon Himself the punishment due to us.

    Accordingly, “(Jesus) said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.’ And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (John 20:27-28).

    Wounds of correction

    God wounds us lovingly to correct us:

    “Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; therefore, do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole. He shall deliver you in six troubles, yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.” (Job 5:17-19).

    If God wounds us and the wound yields no correction in us, He will stop wounding us. He says in Isaiah: Why should you be stricken and punished anymore (since it brings no correction)?” (Isaiah 1:5).

    God sent the Israelites into captivity to teach them a lesson because He loves them. As He was sending them to serve in a foreign land, He was also making redemptive promises to them:

    “Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth. And I will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return, and will rebuild those places as at the first.” (Jeremiah 33:6-7).

    Healing wounds

    When God wounds, there is healing in the wound. He says of Egypt: “The Lord will strike Egypt, He will strike and heal it; they will return to the Lord, and He will be entreated by them and heal them.” (Isaiah 19:22).

    When we are wounded, we realise it does not matter that much because we have a God who heals us. This is the God who promises: “I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds.” (Jeremiah 30:17).

    Wounds are good for us because when we are wounded, we get attention. When we are wounded, God attends to us. I would rather be wounded and attended to than not wounded and not attended to. It is great to see what God does to us in our adversity.

    As children, we sometimes pretended to be sick to get our mothers’ attention. That is what happens with God. When we are wounded, He gives us a lot more of Himself. When we are wounded, it is God who nurses us back to health.

    Redemptive wounds

    When I noticed a swelling in my groin, God told me it was a hernia and said I should go and see a doctor. But I resisted and insisted that He should heal me. But He refused.

    It took me nearly 2 years to obey God’s instruction. When I finally obeyed, the doctor rubbed salt into my wound by saying I have to have the hernia surgically corrected. But I thought it was anomalous to be called into a healing ministry and still have to undergo surgery.

    When I was discharged from the hospital, God told me to read psalm 41:1-3, which says: “The Lord will strengthen (you) on (your) bed of illness; (He) will sustain (you) on (your) sickbed.”

    Then He said:

    “Femi, you know Me as a doctor, but I also want you to know Me as a nurse.”

    CONTINUED

  • House on the sand – By Femi Aribisala

    House on the sand – By Femi Aribisala

    “My house cost a fortune, 10 billion naira to be precise”.

    I had always wanted to build my own house. I would buy “House and Garden” magazines and look at so many different house designs.

    As a child, I wanted to be an architect. As an adult, it was clear the nearest I would get to fulfilling that dream would be by designing and building my own house. I disliked even the best houses I saw. There was always something missing; always something out of place. But I knew that one day; I would build a house that would put all other houses to shame.

     Mission unaccomplished

    Finally, one day, my dream came true. I built the house of my dreams. It was by far the greatest day of my life. My house was an architectural masterpiece. It was fabulous. It was glorious. It had everything I wanted exactly where I wanted it. Of course, it cost a fortune to build: 10 billion naira to be precise.

    People came from near and far to admire my house. The verdict was unanimous; there was none like it. Everybody who was anybody adored my house. A whole edition of “Ovation” was devoted to celebrating it.

    Tourists came just to take photographs of my house. Nollywood film directors begged me to feature it in their movies. Everybody, from presidents to senators to business tycoons, readily came for my seasonal parties. My house was without a doubt the talk of the town.

    But one day, I noticed something odd. The roof in the den upstairs started leaking when it rained. Worse still, mysterious cracks started appearing in the walls. I tried everything but just did not seem to be able to identify the cause.

    Finally, in desperation, I went to see my Father in Ibadan and told Him about my predicament. His reaction irritated me a great deal. First; He laughed at me. Then He rubbed salt into the wound by saying: “Femi, what do you really know about building a house?  You have little or no experience in these matters.” 

    “How can you say that?” I retorted, “I have built a house that is by all accounts the best there is in Lagos.”

    “So how come the roof is leaking and the walls are cracking?” He asked mischievously.

    Papa had a simple solution. “I will send you My Structural Engineer. He will stay with you for a couple of weeks. He will identify the faults in the building and suggest ways to rectify them.”

    Disagreeable redeemer

    A few days later, a mild-mannered man knocked on my door. He introduced himself as the Structural Engineer my Father had spoken about. He moved into one of the many bedrooms and set out to inspect the entire building.

    I showed Him the problems I was having in the den. He smiled knowingly and immediately identified where the leak was coming from. I was very impressed and could not help but seek the approval of such a connoisseur about my mansion.

    “Apart from these minor details,” I said dismissively, “I am sure you will admit that this is such a magnificent house?  It cost no less than 10 billion naira to build it.” 

     The Engineer seemed a little amused by my statement. “I take it,” He replied, “that you haven’t yet noticed the faults in the kitchen?”

    The kitchen?  What kitchen?  What fault could there be in the kitchen?  The kitchen was nothing short of extraordinary. Everything there was well appointed and custom-made. I do not mind saying so myself. The kitchen was quite simply a work of art.

    Not one to argue, the Engineer took me to the kitchen. One-by-one, He showed me all kinds of structural defects I had not even noticed before. I was crestfallen but decided to put a bold face on it.

    “Thank God You are here,” I said. We can fix it, right?”  I was looking for some kind of reassurance, some words of comfort from this gentleman. But I was more than taken aback by His response. “And then what do you propose to do about the study?” He asked.

    Killing me slowly

    “The study,” I shouted, livid. “What study?” 

    Suddenly, I took another look at this mild-mannered man. He did not seem so mild-mannered anymore. It was becoming clear to me that this man was up to no good. Why did I ever allow this so-called Structural Engineer to come into my house?  It was time to show Him the door.

    Yes, I knew there were some things wrong with the den. I noticed them myself and had brought them to his attention. I am even prepared to admit there were some things wrong with the kitchen. I never argued with Him when He showed them to me.

    But there was no way He, or anyone else for that matter, was going to convince me that anything was wrong with the study. I spent more time designing that room than I did with any other room. I supervised its construction to the very last detail when it was being built. It was the room in the house where I spent most of my time. If anything were to be wrong with the study, I would have been the first to know.

    But in His characteristically no-nonsense manner, the Engineer walked me into the study. Again, He systematically showed me all the things wrong with the room. I could not believe it. There were more things wrong in my favourite study than there had been in both the den and the kitchen combined.

    I was crestfallen. It seemed like my whole world suddenly came crashing down. In desperation, I turned to this mild-mannered Engineer. “What can we do?” I pleaded. “We can fix it, can’t we?  Please tell me the truth.” 

    The denouement

    The Engineer looked at me with great intensity.

    “Do you really want to know?” He asked.

    “Yes,” I said, resigned to my fate but now afraid to look Him in the eye.

    “What we need to do,” said the Engineer, “is knock the entire house down and start all over again with a completely new building.” 

    I could not believe my ears. “Knock the house down?” I protested. “This house cost 10 billion naira to build.” 

    My nemesis was completely unimpressed. He smiled at me in that enigmatic manner of His that drives me up the wall. “Do you not see all these things?” He asked. Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” (Matthew 24:2).

    This is how I embarked on my tumultuous relationship with that wonderful Structural Engineer whose surname is the Holy Spirit. I thought He came by agreement with my Father to stay with me for just a few weeks, make some vital repairs, and then leave. But since He arrived, He has never left and obviously has no plans of leaving.

    I have watched in consternation as He has set about demolishing every single stone of my once magnificent house. The agony of it all has been excruciating. Every protest from me hit against the same brick wall:

    “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain who build it.” (Psalm 127:1).

  • Living in the consciousness of God – By Femi Aribisala

    Living in the consciousness of God – By Femi Aribisala

    “We must put God in remembrance”.

    “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.” (Genesis 17:1).

    Which is more challenging, to follow Jesus or to walk before Him? We are required to do both simultaneously. But there is no question that it is more difficult to walk before God than to follow Him.

    When we follow Jesus, we can still be up to no good, in the mistaken belief that He would not know exactly what we are doing unless He looks back. Thus, Judas followed Jesus while, at the same time, stealing money from the common purse.

    But if we walk before God, we must walk in the consciousness of Him. We will always be aware that He is right there behind us, watching our every move, scrutinizing our every action, and recording our every word.

    Many a child would be better behaved if their father went to school with them, or if he came to the playground with them. Children do not use bad language in front of their fathers. They do not fight, curse, or steal in their father’s presence. 

    Accordingly, Joseph rejected the advances of Mrs. Potiphar, saying: “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9).

    David impregnated another man’s wife and had Him killed. When he discovered that God saw everything, he pleaded in contrition: “I did this evil in Your sight.” (Psalm 51:4). Had he known beforehand that the eyes of the Lord are everywhere; it would have made his transgression even more objectionable.

    Therefore, a repentant David lived thereafter in the consciousness of God. He prayed: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14).

    One foolish answer to God’s omnipresence was to try and run away from Him. The Prodigal Son collected his inheritance prematurely, and he decided to move away to a far country where he would not have his Father breathing down his neck. Jonah decided to take a boat headed for Tarshish: “from the presence of the Lord.” (Jonah 1:3).

    These people did not seem to know what we know now as believers. They did not know that God is our life. They did not know it is in God we live and move and have our being. And so, when the Prodigal Son moved away from his Father, he died. He only came back alive when he returned back home.

    We must learn from this. We must remain in the consciousness of God. To lose consciousness of God is to die a living death. If this happens, we become dead men walking.

    God says to Ezekiel: “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the room of his idols? For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.’” (Ezekiel 8:12).

    The psalmist asks: “Who is the man that fears the Lord?” (Psalm 25:12). The answer is that man who is haunted by God. That man who fears God. Job said: “When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me, my couch will ease my complaint, then You scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions.” (Job 7:13-14).

    The truth is that the abiding consciousness of our life must be God. We must look at everything in relation to God. If we are haunted by God then nothing else matters. We are anxious for nothing. We are barricaded from all other fears if God is our fear.

    David says: “I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” (Psalm 16:8). God has promised to keep in perfect peace the one whose mind is stayed on Him.

    One of the security men in my school stole the cell phone of one of our teachers during the children’s circle time. What he did not know is that his theft was captured on CCTV. God has a worldwide CCTV camera. He is the watcher of men. He puts all humanity under divine surveillance.

    Thus, Job complained to God: “What is man, that You should exalt him, that You should set Your heart on him, that You should visit him every morning, and test him every moment? How long? Will You not look away from me, and let me alone till I swallow my saliva?” (Job 7:17-19).

    Adam was such a fool, hiding from God behind a fig leaf of all places. How can we hide from God? God, Himself, is our hiding place, therefore, we cannot hide from Him. We cannot even hide our thoughts from God. He says: “I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.” *Ezekiel 11:5).

    David says: “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘surely the darkness shall fall on me,’ even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.” (Psalm 139:7-10).

    A lot of the time, we talk about God as if He is not there. Jacob says: “God is in this place, and I did not know it.” Therefore, we must never forget about God. God says: “Put Me in remembrance.” (Isaiah 43:26)

    Malachi says: “Those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name. ‘They shall be Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘on the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.’” (Malachi 3:16-17).

    However, most of the time we forget God. We forget Him when we fight. We forget Him when we are angry. We forget Him when we sin.

    The psalmist says: “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” (Psalm 9:17). God Himself complains: “Can a virgin forget her ornaments, Or a bride her attire? Yet My people have forgotten Me days without number.” (Jeremiah 2:32).

    But when do we remember God? When we have a need. When we are in trouble. When we are afraid. When we are sick. When we are at death’s door. When we enter a plane. When we come to church.

    We must put God in remembrance. We must keep talking to Him in our minds. We must keep making melodies to Him. The psalmist has a unique definition of a wicked man. He says:

    “God is not in all his thoughts.” (Psalm 10:4).

  • The goodness of God – By Femi Aribisala

    The goodness of God – By Femi Aribisala

    “There is nothing we need that God has not buried in the earth”.

    When we are socialized on the wrath of God and on the doctrines of the eternal damnation of sinners in hellfire, it becomes difficult to appreciate the goodness of God. We end up being afraid of God. We see Him as someone with a frown who is out to get us.

    It took the revelation of Jesus to reveal conclusively that God is love. Moreover, “there is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear.” (1 John 4:18).

    Since God is love, then God is good. God is a good God. Indeed, Jesus says: “No one is good but One, that is, God. (Matthew 19:17). But God’s goodness is often anathema to man’s sense of goodness.

    Quite simply, we do not know what goodness is. We call evil good and good evil. We put darkness for light and light for darkness. We put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. (Isaiah 5:20). As a result, many of us are dissatisfied with the goodness of God. (Ecclesiastes 6:3).

    We call the proud blessed because evildoers seem to get away with evil. (Malachi 3:15). We foolishly think it is good not to have problems. But Jesus says some evil is necessary for the soul. (Matthew 6:34).

    God would not be good if He does not punish evil. He would not be good if He were not a God of justice and judgment. David says to God: “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.” (Psalm 119:71).

    God’s commandments are not grievous. (1 John 5:3). On the contrary, they are: “holy, and just, and good.” (Romans 7:12).

    “The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them (God’s) servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.” (Psalm 19:9-11).

    “For when (God’s) judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” (Isaiah 26:9).

    God’s goodness is not like the so-called goodness of men. It is not incidental. It is not occasional. And it is not unidimensional.

    When I sat down to make an appraisal of my life, I discovered that everything that has ever happened to me testifies to the same thing. God has been good to me. His goodness is the story of my life.

    “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.” (Psalm 34:8-10).

    Just think about it and you will discover that God has been good, He is good, and He will be good. Because God is good, He would never allow anything bad to happen to us. When we get to heaven, we will not complain about anything but will thank God for everything.

    God is not only good to us, He invests us with His goodness. The gift of the Holy Spirit is one of God’s blessings of goodness. (Psalm 21:3). He lives in us and causes us to be good and to do good, for goodness is one of His fruits. (Galatians 5:22).

    In effect, when we are born of God, goodness becomes our nature. We can now be good to everybody because: “The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.” (Psalm 145:9). “He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:45-46).

    God is God because He is good. He is good because He is God. Only a good God can create the world and all that is in it. The goodness of God is self-evident everywhere. “The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.” (Psalm 33:5).

    Just think, for example, of the different types of food and fruits in the world, all created by the same good God: “who gives us richly all things to enjoy.” (1 Timothy 6:17). God is so good, He satisfies the desire of every living thing. (Psalm 145:16).

    Think of the water we drink and the air we breathe, God created them. He created herbs for medicine, trees for wood and paper, chemicals, plants, and animals. There is nothing we need that God has not buried in the earth.

    God is always good. But we cannot fully appreciate how good He is until we first conclude that He is not good all the time. This is because God is especially good at those times we think He is not. He is particularly good at those times we think things are bad.

    Otherwise, He would not tell us to give thanks in everything. (1 Thessalonians 5:18). But because God is in control of everything, we come to realize that all things, even the bad and the ugly, work together for our good.

    If the moon never changes its shape, nevertheless, we sometimes see it as a half-moon, so it is with the goodness of God. The less we see, the more there is.

    God cannot help but be God. Because He is God, He cannot but be good. Goodness is His nature. He cannot be bad. Jesus says we should deny ourselves to be His disciples. (Matthew 16:24). But God cannot deny Himself.

    God cannot be anything but good. He cannot even decide to be bad. Paul says: “If we are faithless, (God) remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13).

    God can do no evil. He cannot have evil thoughts. (Jeremiah 32:35). He is: “of purer eyes than to behold evil and cannot look on wickedness.” (Habakkuk 1:13).

    The goodness of God gives us hope for the future. Indeed, it secures our future. David says: “I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” (Psalm 27:13).

    Our hope in a good God is the anchor of the soul. (Hebrews 6:19). Even when He was sending the Israelites into captivity, God assured them of His unfailing goodness: “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11).

    But nowhere is the goodness of God more pronounced than in God’s plan of salvation: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).

    We must not take God’s goodness for granted. We must respond with thanksgiving and “thanks living” to God’s goodness. We must not despise the riches of God’s goodness for they are designed to lead us to repentance. (Romans 2:4).

    Those who love the Lord and appreciate His goodness must hate evil. (Psalm 97:10). For surely, God’s goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives; and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:6).