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Tag: God

  • Can your faith overcome the fear of Coronavirus? Femi Aribisala

    Femi Aribisala

    We are living in unusual times. But not to worry, we are born again precisely for a time such as these. We are created to show forth the glory of God. At no time is the glory of God more magnified than in times of adversity. God says in his eternal word: “Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them.” (Isaiah 43:7).

    Since that is the case, I have a question for you. Why are you afraid? Why are you afraid of Coronavirus? Why are you afraid when you know he created you and formed you for his glory? Why are you afraid when it was Jesus who raised you from the dead?

    You were dead in trespasses and sins, you were locked up and imprisoned in the grave, but the Lord Jesus called your name. You came out wearing graveclothes and then he issued a decree. He said concerning you, even as he said about Lazarus: “Loose him, and let him go.” (John 11:44).

    Then suddenly; instantaneously, you came back alive. You were quickened by the Holy Spirit, and you received newness of life.

    Should you then fear sickness after such experience? Should a Lazarus fear death? Should the man endowed with a resurrected life be afraid of Coronavirus? Certainly not!

    Fear not!

    Therefore, fear not! Jesus says: “Do not be afraid; only believe.” (Mark 5:36).

    It does not matter if you already have some nagging symptoms. It does not matter if you are already a bit feverish. It does not matter if you are already coughing. It does not matter if you already feel heavy in the chest. Jesus is the Lord that heals you.

    There is only one purpose that is purposed in all this nonsense: that the Lord may be glorified by healing you. That you may know that the Lord is God. That you may know Jesus, the king of glory.

    And so, by the power that raised Jesus himself from the dead, I speak this into your life right now as you are reading this:

    “Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.” (Psalm 24:9-10).

    Faith or fear?

    The disciples of Jesus asked him why a man was born blind. What is responsible for his blindness? Was it as a result of his sins? He could not have sinned before he was born. Was it then as a result of the sins of his parents?

    Jesus provided them and us with a fundamental understanding of why sickness is in the world. He gave us an existential reason why diseases and epidemics are in the world. He says: “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins. This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.” (John 9:3).

    He said the same thing when he was told Lazarus was sick: “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4).

    Beloved, you never have to be afraid of sickness again. Don’t be afraid of Coronavirus. Don’t be afraid. Fear Not! Remember this: “God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7).

    How much of your faith is motivated by fear? Many people pursue powerful faith out of fear. They are afraid to be poor, afraid to be sick, afraid of old age and afraid of the future. Fear can be a powerful motivator. But fear, in the form of worry and anxiety, is not of God. A Christian must master his fears, he must never allow his fears to master him.

    “The Lord spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said: ‘Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, and he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken, they will be snared and captured.” (Isaiah 8:11-15).

    Don’t believe a lie

    The fearful believe a lie. The word of God says: “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:2). That name is Jesus. It is a wonderful name. It is a powerful name.

    God has highly exalted Jesus and given him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11).

    Coronavirus is a name. COVID-19 is a name. So, I speak this word into your life. At the name of Jesus, every coronavirus in your life, in the life of your children, in the life of your siblings, in your home, in your neighbourhood, in your office, I command it to bow now. Bow, in the name of Jesus.

    Sickness is no longer your portion. “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27). You have already died and Jesus raised you from the dead. You cannot die a second time. You have already come into judgment. You were sentenced under the law of liberty. You were sentenced according to the grace of God to eternal life.

    So, don’t believe the lie. Coronavirus cannot kill. Sickness does not kill. The only thing that kills is sin. But you are redeemed of sin.

    God says: I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins. Return to me, for I have redeemed you. Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.” (Isaiah 44:21-23).

    If you are reading this and you don’t yet know the Lord, go down on your knees and invite him into your life. Ask him to forgive you your sins. Tell him you believe the report that God raised Jesus from the dead for your justification. Ask Jesus to become the Lord of your life. It is as simple as that.

    This is what happens immediately: “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus will make you free from the law of sin and death that is in coronavirus. (Romans 8:2), Amen and Amen!

  • God makes believers a reproach of men – Femi Aribisala

    Femi Aribisala

    One day, at three o’clock in the morning, the Lord woke me up to spend some time with him. In the middle of the fellowship, he gave me a strange instruction. He asked me to move the settees from my den upstairs into the main living-room downstairs, and to move the ones downstairs upstairs.

    What was odd about this instruction was that the settees in question were ragged and literally in tatters. Surely, it was not appropriate to put them in the main living-room where we entertain guests.

    Veiled promise

    Nevertheless, I was very excited by the instruction. I felt it could only mean one thing: the Lord was planning to replace the old furniture with new ones. The settees in question were twenty-three years old. We could have replaced them long before then, except that the Lord had taken over our finances and buying new settees did not seem to be one of his priorities.

    But now, it seemed, the time had finally come. We were in for a treat. Since we had waited patiently for so long to replace them, I wondered what kind of replacement the Lord would come up with. One thing was certain; they would be fabulous.

    I quickly obeyed the instruction. I did not wait until there was someone else awake to help me. All night long, I carried the settees downstairs and arranged them in the living-room. I then put the relatively new ones that had been in the living-room upstairs in the den. It was not easy, but I managed to do it all by myself.

    Later on, that morning, I explained the situation to my wife. “The Lord has decided to get us new furniture,” I declared with excitement. “In readiness, he has asked that we move the old ones downstairs.”

    I expected all this to be accomplished in a matter of days. But days rolled into weeks; and weeks rolled into months, and nothing happened. The Lord seemed to have completely forgotten about the question of our furniture. I became thoroughly confused. Did I get it wrong? Was it not the Lord who told me to move the old furniture downstairs? What exactly is the meaning of this? What is the Lord trying to bring out in all this?

    Abrahamic delay

    God promised Abram a son. On that basis, he changed his name. “Your name will no longer be Abram,” he said. “From now on, your name shall be called Abraham.” Significantly, Abraham means “father of many nations.” So, let us imagine that Abraham takes out an ad in a newspaper saying: “I, previously known as Abram, now wish to be called Abraham.” This would be all well and good except that everyone knows Abraham does not have even one single child.

    Worse still, after God made the promise, he seemed to forget about it; for twenty-five years! What is the point of this? What is supposed to happen to Abraham in the meantime? In the meantime, God has turned him into a laughing stock. Abraham has become a childless “father of many nations.”

    Reproach of men

    Why does God behave like this? Why is God seemingly determined to make us a reproach of men? Take a look at the complaint of the Psalmist: “I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All those who see me ridicule me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, ‘He trusted in the LORD, let him rescue him; let him deliver him, since he delights in him!” (Psalm 22:6-8).

    This has been my experience with the Lord. He deliberately puts me in embarrassing situations. How was I to explain the transition in my life from a highfalutin intellectual to a bible-carrying believer to my old bookworm friends? How could I go from grace to grass in the name of the gospel? How could I end up preaching the gospel with an Oxford university doctorate?

    Therefore, for over ten years, I cut off all contacts with my friends. I just could not face them. I was convinced that they would not understand. I was not even the pastor of a big or famous church. All I did was conduct a fellowship with a handful of people in a little corner of Lagos. Moreover, God forbid that I should preach with the enticing words of man’s wisdom in order to attract a big congregation.

    Object lesson

    The Lord’s injunction concerning my old settees turned out to be an object lesson on my spiritual conversion. The settees became a major eyesore in our living-room. I started dreading people coming to visit us. What would they think? The settees were torn in different places. In some, the underlying foam was clearly visible. Therefore, I stopped inviting people home.

    If they came to visit me uninvited, I would go into some elaborate explanation about the furniture, laying the blame squarely at the doorstep of the Holy Spirit. “I’m sorry about the condition of this place, but the Holy Spirit told me to put this twenty-three-year-old furniture bang in the living-room.”

    Some looked at me pitifully, convinced that I was the victim of some bizarre deception. But the Lord did not make things any easier. He forbade me from explaining to anyone that he was the one who told me to put the torn furniture in the living-room. Neither could I pray that people would not come to visit me. The same God to whom the prayer would be addressed was the very person clearly determined to embarrass me.

    Humiliating love

    Now here is the rub: why was the Lord doing this to me? I thought I should have been commended for using a settee for over twenty-three years. Instead, the Lord turned this into a reproach for me.

    After a few months, it became clear to me that the Lord had no intention of getting us new settees. I reminded him that I actually had not asked him for new ones. He was the one who brought the matter up. Since he was no longer interested, could I please put the old settees back in their original hiding place upstairs? The answer was an emphatic “No.”

    The bible says God is love. But I ask you, what kind of love is God? Let me tell you. God’s love is hard and humiliating. He secures our welfare through schemes that are often unpalatable to us. He seems to take delight in disappointing our hopes and in foiling our expectations of grandeur. He is determined to thwart our purposes in life and to make us the reproach of men.

    Twenty-five years after he made the promise, God finally gave Abraham a son. The Lord never did forget the promise he made to Abraham. He was simply determined to test his faith.

    Twenty-three years of living with the same furniture, and seven months of having torn furniture displayed for all to see in our living-room, the Lord finally instructed me to go to a precise shop where he showed me a new set of settees that were simply beautiful. Moreover, he miraculously provided me with the money to purchase it.

  • I cried, questioned God- Dianne Russet

    I cried, questioned God- Dianne Russet

    Reality TV star, Diane Yashim aka Diane Russet is no doubt one of the most talked about BBNaija 2019 housemates.

    Russet who recently turned 24 has been making daring fashion statements at events with her unusual outfits.

    On how she felt when her father passed on, Diane said: “My mother’s prayers have been working for me. I didn’t know that the love I’m getting was going to be so overwhelming and I’m surprised about everything.

    “I remember crying more than I prayed. I remember questioning God and for a couple of years, I hated God if that makes any sense. It was difficult for me to get back to where I was with God because I struggled to pray. You know, I lost my dad. School wasn’t going fine and I had a lot of setbacks. But looking at things now, I feel that I had to have gone through that phase to be where I am today. That’s why I appreciate things now and I won’t trade my journey so far for anything now.

    “My mum has been really supportive because she believes in me. She understands why I’m passionate about my career and has never complained that I’m overdoing things. It’s been all positive vibes from her and even people in the northern part of the country (where I come from) have been very supportive, to my surprise”, she told Punch.

     

  • Our inheritance in Christ – Femi Aribisala

    Femi Aribisala

    I know your ambition is to be a rich businessman or woman, or a famous musician, or a renowned writer. But is it possible for me to change your ambition in just one article? Can I possibly alter fundamentally the desires of your heart?

    Let’s give it a try.

    Jesus does not say: “Blessed are not those who hunger and thirst to be doctors, lawyers and wealthy.” He says instead: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.” (Matthew 5:6).

    Do you want to be righteous? If so, how determined are you? What are you prepared to do to secure the righteousness of God?

    Do you know what Tiger Woods did in order to become Tiger Woods? Do you know what Aliko Dangote did in order to become Aliko Dangote? What are you prepared to do in order to become exactly like Jesus Christ?

    Pride of Life

    A friend of mine overheard me ordering recharge cards for my cellphone. “How much are you ordering?” he wanted to know. “Why are you asking?” I wondered. Then he showed me his phone. He had recharged it to the tune of one million naira. Just imagine that! That was his pride of life.

    “Have you seen my new car, the 2021 model? It moves at the speed of light.” “I just bought a new cell-phone. This one recognizes my voice and can have a conversation with me.” “You won’t believe my new Rolex wristwatch. If I call any major city in the world, it will immediately tell me what time it is there.”

    Our ambitions are often defined by the pride of life. “What do you want to have achieved by 5 years’ time?” “By 5 years, I hope to have a yacht.” “By 5 years’ time, I hope to have my very own private plane.”

    But do you ever say: “By 5 years’ time, I hope to have stopped telling lies entirely.” “By 5 years’ time, I hope to have stopped lusting in my heart.” “By 5 years’ time, I hope to have stopped quarreling.” Jesus says only those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be fulfilled. Buying a yacht will not satisfy you. Neither will you be satisfied by becoming the owner of a jet-plane.

    Glory of God

    Is God proud? As far as I am concerned, God is the only person in the universe that can be proud. Man has absolutely nothing to be proud of. But then, what can God possibly be most proud about? One thing is for sure. God is very jealous of his glory. He says: “I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.” (Isaiah 42:8).

    What precisely is the glory of God? What is God most proud of? The glory of God is God’s character. The glory of God is the righteousness of God.

    When Moses asked to see the glory of God, what did he see? “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth.’” (Exodus 34:6).

    God is extremely proud of his righteousness. His divine nature sets him apart from everybody else. It makes him unique and it is the best thing he can give to anybody. That was his plan for us from the beginning of creation when he said: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” (Genesis 1:26).

    If we are to be in the image and likeness of God, we must be: “partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2 Peter 1:4).

    Righteousness of men

    This creates a fundamental dilemma because man cannot be righteous like God. Says Eliphaz the Temanite: “What is man, that he could be pure? And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous? If God puts no trust in his saints, and the heavens are not pure in his sight, how much less man, who is abominable and filthy, who drinks iniquity like water!” (Job 15:14-16).

    Bildad the Shuhite concurs: “If even the moon does not shine, and the stars are not pure in his sight, how much less man, who is a maggot, and a son of man, who is a worm?” (Job 25:5-6).

    So then, with man, righteousness is impossible. But let us not forget: “With God, nothing will be impossible.” (Luke 1:37).

    Hoping against hope

    God promised Abraham a son when he was past child-bearing age. As a matter of fact, the scriptures say Abraham’s body was already dead. In order to have a child in his old age, Abraham had to believe in God. God had to become the hope of Abraham.

    If our hope is in God, we can never lose hope. If our hope is in God, it is never too late. If our hope is in God, the situation is never hopeless.

    Against hope, Abraham believed in hope. He knew it was impossible, yet he believed that God would make him the father of many nations. God then accounted Abraham’s faith for righteousness.

    What would God have us hope against hope for today? He would have us believe he will make us righteous. He wants us to believe that the day will come when we will not be able to sin anymore. No unrighteous thought would come into our mind ever again. We would hate nothing and no one but only love. We would love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as Christ loves us.

    This is our hope in God, and it is hope that does not disappoint. It is this hope in God that is the anchor of the soul.

    Rain of righteousness

    At some juncture in the ages to come, God will issue a decree: “Rain down, you heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness; let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together. I, the Lord, have created it.” (Isaiah 45:8).

    Yes: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23). Nevertheless, God wants us to share in his glory by making us righteous. To assure us that he will fulfill this solemn promise, he gives us the Holy Spirit, who is our hope of glory.

    “God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.” (Colossians 1:27)

    Christ in you, the hope of glory. The righteousness of God is our hope of glory. We are heirs of God. We are not heirs of what God has. We are heirs of who God is: “(Therefore) we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.” (Galatians 5:5).

    “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when he is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.” (1 John 3:2-3).

  • The righteousness of God – Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    Jesus was born: “born under the law.” (Galatians 4:4). Therefore, he was subject to the Law of Moses. He reassured his Jewish audience: “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17).

    Accordingly, he obeyed the law to the letter. As he said to John the Baptist: “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” (Matthew 3:15).

    However, although he was faithful to Moses and the dictates of the Old Testament, his calling was to mediate the coming of the New Testament: “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17).

    Old Testament

    It is often not recognized that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are actually books of the Old Testament, even though they are found under the New Testament in the Christian bible. The New Testament did not begin until after the death and resurrection of Jesus:

    “For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives.” (Hebrews 9:15).

    Thus, while Jesus acknowledged the righteousness of the Old Testament, he was more interested in calling people to the righteousness of the New Testament. The righteousness of the Law of Moses requires a blood sacrifice as atonement of sins. But the righteousness of Christ requires repentance as atonement from sins. Therefore, Jesus told the self-righteous Pharisees: “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Luke 5:32).

    Magnification of the law

    Isaiah had foretold this new departure of the Messiah: “The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness’ sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable.” (Isaiah 42:21). That is precisely what Jesus did. He magnified the law and perfected it.

    Jesus calls us to the perfection of God. He says: “Be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48). But rather than seek the perfection of men, the law of Moses accepts and accommodates the imperfection of men.

    For this reason, the writer of Hebrews says: “The former regulation (the Law of Moses) is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.” (Hebrews 7:18-19).

    Thus, while Moses’ law proscribed adultery, Jesus went further to maintain that: “whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28). While Moses prescribed “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” Jesus says: “I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” (Matthew 5:38),

    Jesus even magnified the second commandment which says: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 19:19). He changed this, saying: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you.” (John 13:34).

    Hard-heartedness

    Jesus points out that the strictures of the law of Moses were introduced simply because of the hardness of the heart of the Israelites. Therefore, Moses’ law permitted divorce because he knew that the Israelites did not have the heart to obey God’s injunction that no man should divorce his wife:

    Jesus told the Israelites: “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.’” (Matthew 19:8-9).

    Jesus noted, furthermore, that the very hard-heartedness of the Jews ensured that they could not even obey Moses. So, instead of obeying him, they created their own laws, designed to circumvent the Law of Moses in the name of obeying it.

    Therefore, Jesus berated them: “You have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. And in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” (Matthew 15:6-9).

    The Law of Moses was given to the Israelites who were natural men. “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

    In order to obey God, the natural man has to become spiritual for: “the law is spiritual.” (Romans 7:14). In order to obey God, the natural man must be born of God because: “those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:8).

    New Testament

    In effect, as opposed to the Law of Moses, the Law of Christ requires a fundamental change in the heart of men. In order to worship God in spirit and in truth, we have first to undergo heart surgery conducted by God himself according to his promise; only then can we obey God’s commandments.

    That is the promise of the New Testament in Christ Jesus. God says: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will keep my judgments and do them.” (Ezekiel 36:26-28).

    “This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jeremiah 31:33-34).

    Righteousness of faith

    Those who are born again have not yet attained the righteousness of God. However, because of the work of the in-dwelling Holy Spirit, they are on the way to the righteousness of God. They are like little children learning to walk. Meanwhile, their righteousness inheres in their faith in God to make them righteous: “For he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

    Thus, Paul ascribed righteousness to himself saying: “concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” (Philippians 3:6). However, after he met Jesus, he had a change of heart, now insisting: “There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10).

    He then longed to be found in Christ: “Not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.” (Philippians 3:7-9).

  • The righteousness of God (1) – Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    This immediately raises some obvious questions. How did the Pharisees know that the people with Jesus were sinners? How did the Pharisees themselves come to be classified as the righteous?

    These questions are all the more pertinent because it was these so-called righteous Pharisees who conspired to have Jesus killed.

    The sinners and the righteous

    The sinners then were the Gentiles. They were sinners because they were not Jews and did not participate in the Temple sacrificial system. Therefore, their sins were not washed procedurally by the blood of bulls and goats. Thus, Paul said to Peter: “You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles.” (Galatians 2:15).

    Jesus was from Nazareth. Nazareth is in Galilee, referred to as “Galilee of the Gentiles.” (Isaiah 9:1).

    The righteous, on the other hand, are the Israelites: “To whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises.” (Romans 9:4). They practiced Judaism, believed in one God, worshipped in one Temple in Jerusalem, circumcised their male children, observed the Sabbath, sacrificed to cleanse their sins, and did not eat anything deemed ritually unclean but only ate “kosher” meals.

    So, when Jesus talks of the righteous, he is often referring to those who are righteous according to the Law of Moses. Thus, he spoke of “prophets and righteous men.” (Matthew 13:17).

    He also spoke of those who were righteous under the law of Noah: “That on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.” (Matthew 23:35).

    Law of Moses

    In the Old Testament, God gave a set of laws; the Ten Commandments and Moses gave another set of laws; the Law of Moses. The one should be differentiated from the other,

    Moses says God gave him the latitude to establish laws for Israel: “The LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might observe them in the land which you cross over to possess.” (Deuteronomy 4:13-14). These statutes and judgments are known as the Law of Moses. However, they are different and distinct from the law of God.

    God himself highlights the distinction. He admonished the Israelites: “To do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them.” (2 Kings 21:8).

    Thus, the sacrificial laws belong to the Law of Moses and not to the law of God. Accordingly, God says in Jeremiah: “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. But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 7:22-23).

    Samuel also made this point to Saul: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22).

    According to Moses, God himself wrote the law of God on “two stone tablets” (Deuteronomy 4:13). But Moses, and not God, wrote the Law of Moses, and he wrote it in a book. (Exodus 31:8).

    Under the Law of Moses, you don’t have to be perfect or sinless to be righteous. All that is required is that you atone for your sins by sacrifice. But under God’s law, the righteous must be perfectly sinless.

    Law of Christ

    Since Jesus was a prophet under the Old Testament, he operated under the Law of Moses. Therefore, he acknowledged those who were righteous according to the law. Nevertheless, he was at pains to point out that the sacrifices of bulls and goats are not “the sacrifices of righteousness.” (Psalm 51:19). In order to attain the righteousness of God, we have to obey God from the heart and repent of sin.

    This was also the message of his forerunner, John the Baptist: “When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father. For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.’” (Matthew 3:7-9).

    Therefore, when some people asked Jesus why God did not protect some Galileans who were offering sacrifices from being massacred by Pilate, Jesus said to them: “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:2-3).

    According to the Law of Christ: “if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” (Galatians 6:2). Therefore, “to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others. Jesus spoke a parable of the self-righteous Pharisee and the repentant tax collector: (Luke 18:9-14).

    He tells us that keeping the Law of Moses does not make a man righteous in the eyes of God. In order to be righteous, we must keep God’s laws.

    “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Therefore, when he came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you had no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come- in the volume of the book it is written of me- to do your will, O God.’” He takes away the first that he may establish the second.” Hebrew 10:4-9).

    So, in response to those who queried him for eating with Gentile sinners, Jesus says: “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Matthew 9:13).

    The Law of Moses accommodates the hardness in the hearts of men. It does not make any attempt to contradict it. It merely provides an external code of conduct for men. Therefore, it could not make men truly righteous.

    But the Law of Christ deals with the hearts of men. It requires heartfelt obedience to God and not just outward obedience. Therefore, Jesus berated the Pharisees, who claimed to be righteous under the law:

    “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. (Matthew 23:27-28).

    He then warns us: “Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20).

    CONTINUED

  • Paying less than your tithe is deception to God – Adeboye

    General Overseer, Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye has said any Christian paying less than what he or she is supposed to pay as tithe is deception to God.

    He said God could not be deceived.

    “Paying less than your tithe is deception to God; it would have been better if you didn’t pay it at all,” he said.

    The man of God added that telling “a lie to the marriage counsellor in your Church that you and your fiancee/fiance have not had any sexual relations before marriage is trying to deceive God. As an usher, changing the remittance figures is trying to deceive God.

    “It is dangerous and thus, has grave consequences. Don’t do it. Is there any area where you have been trying to deceive God? Repent now.”

    Adeboye, on his Instagram page said “It is impossible to deceive God because He knows all things, including the thoughts of your heart and the motives behind your actions. In Samuel 15:13-15 for example, King Saul told Samuel that he had already obeyed God’s commandments as regards the Amalekites.

    “However, the latter heard the noise of animals. The King then lied that they were for sacrifice to God.
    Why would anyone try to deceive God? In the first place, he should have asked himself if oxen sound differently for the Prophet to know which is from Amalek and which is not. He should have known that Samuel was acting based on divine knowledge. You can’t hide anything from God!

    “Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit and never got a chance to repent (Acts 5:1-11). They would not have died if they had simply been honest about how much they sold the land for and how much they kept back. They were not forced to sell; they just wanted to deceive the Holy Spirit and they paid dearly for it. Do not attempt to deceive God.”

    According to him, “Many years ago, when the Redeemed Christian Church of God was small, one man joined us and became very active almost immediately. In fact, we thought he was a blessing until God revealed his true identity. I was on a lengthy fast when he came to see me. There and then, God told me he was a spy, operating from the church so he would not be easily found.

    “I confronted him and he tried to cover up. I told him he wouldn’t last beyond the next seven days. Within the week, God exposed him and he was picked by the then military government of Nigeria.”

  • Do you want the present or future? – Femi Aribisa

    The Lord asked me a loaded question. All the Lord’s questions are loaded. When the Creator asks the created a question, he should not be in a hurry to answer. He knows my answer before I answer. So why is he asking?

    God asked Ezekiel: “Can these bones live?” Ezekiel answers with wisdom: “The bones can live if you want them to live. It all depends on you.”

    A motivational preacher would have come up with five strategies or seven keys for getting the bones to live: “The bones will live if you preach the gospel to them. They will live if you read the bible to them. They will live if you make sure they go to church on Sundays.”

    But Ezekiel said: “Lord, only you know if they would live or not.” Therefore, if God asks you a question, do not be in a hurry to answer. Better still; consult the Holy Spirit for the answer.

    So, the Lord asked me a question. He said: “Femi, what would you prefer: a gift or a promise?”

    The Lord used this question to teach me a vital kingdom dynamic. For those who have received Jesus, the heavenly promise of God is far more valuable than any earthly gift. He who has Jesus has received the fulsome gift of God. (John 4:10).

    Isaac or Ishmael

    Abraham, what would you prefer; to have a son or to have God? Christian, what would you prefer; to have riches or to have Christ? Esau is down to earth. “What is the value of my birthright? Can I spend it when I go to the supermarket? I would rather have something I can use now.”

    Therefore, Esau addressed the more pressing needs of his life. He was hungry, so he sold his intangible birthright for a tangible mess of pottage. We are horny, so we despise our salvation to satisfy our lust. We are angry, so we satisfy our flesh and ignore the Holy Spirit.

    Abraham, who do you prefer: Ishmael or Isaac? Ishmael is a gift in the here and now: Isaac is a future promise. Can’t I have both? Not on your life. If you want Isaac, then you have to send Ishmael away.

    Make a choice. Do you want to gain the world or to gain Christ? Can’t I have both? Not on your life. Remember Lot’s wife. She wanted salvation but also wanted Sodom and Gomorrah. She ended up as a pillar of salt. Remember the children of Israel. They wanted the Promised Land but also longed after Egypt. Therefore, all but two of them died in the wilderness. Jesus warns: “Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:25).

    Example of Moses

    Once Moses received the promise, he left the palace and Egypt. What kind of idiocy was that? Why could he not remain in the palace until the time came for the fulfillment of the promise?

    “Moses, when he grew up, refused to be treated as the grandson of the king, but chose to share ill-treatment with God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought that it was better to suffer for the promised Christ than to own all the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking forward to the great reward that God would give him.” (Hebrews 11:24-26).

    God himself was the desire of Moses. He would not even leave for the Promised Land without God. He said to the Lord: “If you aren’t going with us, don’t let us move a step from this place.” (Exodus 33:15). Heaven is only of interest because God is there.

    The great desire of David is simply to dwell in God’s presence: “The one thing I want from God, the thing I seek most of all, is the privilege of meditating in his Temple, living in his presence every day of my life, delighting in his incomparable perfections and glory.” (Psalm 27:4).

    Peter’s dilemma

    Initially, Peter followed Jesus for what he could get immediately. Therefore, when Jesus said a rich man could not enter the kingdom of God, Peter had a crisis of faith. He decided to review his contract with Jesus: “Then Peter said to him, ‘We left everything to follow you. What will we get out of it?’” (Matthew 19:27).

    Peter had his eye on some lands and houses and Jesus had seemed a sure bet for that. Therefore, he could not understand the relevance of the cross in that equation. But when he rejected the cross, he must have been surprised by the gravity of the rebuke he got: “(Jesus) turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an offense to me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matthew 16:23).

    When Jesus rose from the dead, he made a point of telling Peter he would also have to die for the gospel. Peter did not appreciate such an unenviable distinction. He turned to John and asked Jesus: “What kind of death would he die?” He might have preferred it if he was told a lion would eat John. But Jesus simply told him to mind his business. (John 21:18-23).

    Peter’s dilemma is our dilemma. Can we forgo the present for the sake of the future? Can we endure the hardships of the present in light of the certainty of the glories of the future?

    Lottery winner

    Let me present it as a parable. The Christian has just won the pools. How much did he win? He won one hundred million dollars. Now he has certain options. God says: “You can take all the money now, or I can give it to you in the future.” The Christian says: “Give it all to me now.” God says: “I can give you a down-payment now, and give you the rest in the future.” The Christian says: “Give it all to me now.” God says: “I can give it all to you now, or I can give it to you little by little in the future.” The Christian says: “Give it all to me now.”

    Observe this disposition in the Prodigal Son. He told his father: “I want my share of your estate now, instead of waiting until you die.” (Luke 15:12). Once he received his share, he had no more need of his father. He went as far away from him as possible. Clearly, the inheritance was his objective and not the father. But if he had not received his inheritance but only had hope of receiving it, he would certainly have remained with the father.

    As believers, we are heirs of God. But we cannot come into the inheritance without Christ? The promises of God are not without Christ but in him. And so God makes us promises, and then waits to see if we shall remain in him:

    “Therefore the LORD will wait, that he may be gracious to you; and therefore he will be exalted, that he may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. (Isaiah 30:18).

  • God’s words of silence – Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    Pull Quote: The silence of God speaks of a maturing relationship with him

    When I was a Research Fellow at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos, I had a Director who was boastful. He liked to drop names. He would tell you he spent the weekend playing golf with this General, or that he had just finished talking on the phone to that Managing Director.

    One day, the Holy Spirit gave me a parable. A rich master was boasting as usual to his poor servant about the high circles he moved in. The servant listened dutifully as he dropped the names of important dignitaries who were allegedly his buddies.

    Suddenly, the servant interjected with a cheeky question. “Sir,” he said, “do you know who I was talking to this morning?” The master was irritated. “Who could you possibly have been talking to?” he mocked. “I was talking to the Lord God Almighty,” replied the servant.

    The master was stumped. None of his highfalutin friends could be compared to God; the bosom friend of his lowly servant.

    Repetitions

    God is the friend that sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24). Therefore, we should be ever on the lookout for him. One of the ways God speaks to us is through the use of repetitions. This happens when we confront the same or similar thing again and again until it dawns on us that God is telling us something thereby.

    Please don’t call them coincidences. There are no coincidences in the life of a child of God. Instead, God writes messages on the practical details of our lives. The psalmist says: “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD.” (Psalm 37:23).

    Sometimes you open your bible and may be drawn to a particular scripture. Then you turn on the radio only to discover the topic of that scripture is the subject of discussion. Then you have a chat with a friend and again he speaks to you about the same thing. You then begin to wonder if God is trying to tell you something.

    In all probability, he is. God loves to use repetition to attract our attention. Remember this: the gospel is repeated no less than four times in the bible.

    For example, Jesus used five loaves and four fishes to feed 5000 men. Then he repeated this by using seven loaves to feed 4000 men. Jesus repeated the miracle because he knew the significance of the first was lost on his disciples.

    After the second time, he set his disciples an exam, which they still failed. They continued to worry about bread. However, the very point of the repetition was to impress on them that he who has Jesus, “the bread of life,” need not ever worry again about provision.

    Conviction of the Holy Spirit

    This happens when we do something that displeases the Lord. We suddenly develop an acute sense of guilt over having said or done the wrong thing.

    I had a fight with my wife. I was very angry and said some nasty things. However, she did not fight back. Instead, she reported me in private to God. As a result, I got into deep trouble. The conviction of the Holy Spirit was so intense, it brought me to tears.

    I not only apologised profusely to my wife, I pleaded with her not to report me to God ever again. These matters can be handled just between us, I cajoled her. But I doubt she will heed my plea.

    On the other hand, we may disobey something God told us to do and, suddenly, we are overcome with guilt and remorse. Maybe you rudely brushed off a beggar who asked you for money. Then the Holy Spirit brought to your remembrance the scripture where Jesus says, “Give to those who ask you.”

    At which point you felt really terrible for falling short of God’s standard yet again. Such conviction is designed to help us get right with God; it is not just intended to make us feel bad.

    Word of Knowledge

    This happens when God shows those he has endowed with the gifts of healings something wrong about the condition of someone. However, this knowledge also comes to those without the gifts, although on a more incidental basis. When it happens, it means God wants us to pray for the healing of that person. At the very least, he wants us to minister to him.

    As you are speaking to the person, God might whisper into your ear the words “stomach ache” or “digestive problems.” You might even briefly feel the pain yourself. Or he might flash an image of the person holding his tummy in agony. Alternatively, he might write the ailment in bold letters on the person’s forehead.

    I was praying about a lunch-hour fellowship holding the next day when I developed a chronic stomach ulcer while still on my knees. I started rolling on the ground. I just knew supernaturally that the Lord planned to heal someone with that affliction at the fellowship. Don’t forget: God speaks as we enter into the pain of others.

    Words of silence

    God also speaks through silence. Even when we are in a longstanding relationship with him, God suddenly gives us the silent treatment. He likes to do this in crisis situations; the very times we are particularly determined to hear from him.

    Don’t let this bother you. He did the same even to Jesus. Jesus validated the despair we feel when this happens by crying out like David on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).

    Make no mistake about this; God would never forsake his children. He is right there with us in the fire of affliction; silently saying: “trust me.” Isaiah reassures us that in our affliction, God is afflicted. (Isaiah 63:9).

    The silence of God speaks of a maturing relationship with him. When you are unfamiliar with someone, you feel the need to talk. Silence becomes embarrassing. But when it is someone you know very well; the silence is comfortable and pregnant with meaning. You don’t have to talk. Nevertheless, you are still communicating as deep calls unto deep. (Psalm 42:7).

    Friendship with God

    Teresa Seputis bought a new suit which she decided to wear to work. It was very cloudy, so she knew it would soon begin to rain. Careful not to damage her new clothes, she decided to take her umbrella. But then the Lord told her not to, assuring her it would not rain. Teresa found this hard to believe. Could she take her umbrella just in case? The answer was “No!” The Lord insisted it would not rain. Therefore, she was constrained to obey.

    It did not rain as she went all the way to work by train. But immediately she got to her office, drops of water started falling on her window-pane. “But you said it would not rain!” she queried the Lord. Suddenly, two feet appeared outside her window as a man clambered down from a crane. It was then she realised he was only washing her window. “I got you there!” the Lord said to Teresa.

    The Lord wants to be your friend. Enter into an intimate relationship with him today.

  • Conversations with God – Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    Roberts Liardon was a guest-minister at a church. Suddenly during the service, the Holy Spirit drew his attention to a woman. Then he told him something unusual. He told him to go and slap her. Liardon obeyed. He went to the woman and slapped her. There was a loud gasp in the church as she burst into tears.

    Surely, it could not have been God who told Liardon to slap this woman. There is certainly no biblical precedence for it. However, in the same bible, God says: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.” (Isaiah 55:8). So, yes indeed, God can give any directive he wants to his sons.

    How could Liardon tell it was God who spoke to him? He must have had a relationship with God. He knew God’s voice. If a longstanding friend phones you from abroad, once you hear his voice you can tell it is him.

    Some months later, Liardon was ministering in another church, and he recalled the strange incident of God telling him to slap someone during a service. Out of the blue, a woman came forward and said she was the one. Then she gave her testimony.

    God had called her husband to ministry and she did not like the idea. She resisted and resisted until that fateful morning, she surrendered and told God on her knees: “Slap it out of me!” When she got to church, the visiting minister, Roberts Liardon, came forward and slapped her.

    The voice of God

    How can we identify the voice of God? God is a God of peace. His signature tune is peace. Therefore, the voice of the Lord is not the voice of anxiety, but of peace. The psalmist says: “I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints.” (Psalm 85:8). It is the devil that speaks of fears and worries.

    God says: “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10). When we are worried or anxious, it is more difficult to hear God clearly. Since Jesus is our Prince of Peace, expect him to speak his peace into your heart at all times. Jesus says: “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27).

    What does the voice of the Lord sound like? It is not insistent; it is a still small voice:

    “Behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.” (1 Kings 19:11-12).

    The inner witness

    God often speaks to us through other people. This makes it important to listen to others. James counsels: “Be quick to listen, slow to speak.” (James 1:19). As God’s prophet, Jeremiah pleaded with Israel: “Please, obey the voice of the LORD which I speak to you.” (Jeremiah 38:20). But most times the speaker does not even know he is being used to deliver God’s message. But you, the hearer, should know.

    As the person is speaking, something inside you sparks, and you just know that what he is saying is what you need to know from the Lord. This is called an inner witness and it comes from the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. The Holy Spirit uses his inner witness to confirm or underscore something that is being communicated to us.

    You may need godly counsel about a situation you are facing. You have talked to different people and obtained different views but remain unsure as to precisely what to do. Then as one particular person is talking to you, you simply know it is God using him to talk because there is an inner confirmation. What he says hits the nail on the head and speaks directly to your heart. That is the power of God. That is God talking to you.

    Internal promptings

    Internal promptings are strong urges to do or not do something. You cannot explain why you feel that way, but you do. Sometimes the intensity builds up inside you until you obey the prompting. At other times, you just happen to do something, which turns out to be precisely the right thing to do. Such promptings come from the Lord.

    I had a nasty quarrel with my older brother and decided to stay away from him. But one day, I developed the urge to go and see him. I resisted it, not wanting to revisit the quarrel; but after a while, I relented and went to his house. When my sister-in-law saw me, she shouted: “Praise the Lord!” “What is that all about?” I enquired. Then she said: “I fasted and prayed today and asked the Lord to bring you here. This quarrel must end today.”

    Be open to internal promptings. They are invariably calls to the righteousness of God. Indeed, that is the means of their identification. Never resist internal promptings to pray about something or about someone, even if you don’t know why. Jesus says if we do, we will know. (John 7:17).

    God is often in search of prayer-warriors. He says: “I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land.” (Ezekiel 22:30). Let him find you.

    Checks in the spirit

    A check in the spirit is an internal alarm that goes off, making us feel leery or cautious about something or someone. It slows us down, making us look into something more carefully and urging us to pray more for God’s direction. Sometimes it is designed to keep us from being misled or being taken advantage of. Other times, it protects us from physical danger.

    Kenneth Hagin received an offer to move to another church. He was excited because they were offering him a lot more money than he was then earning. But every time he sat down to write an acceptance letter, he was dissatisfied with the draft and would tear the paper.

    Then miraculously, the Lord appeared to him. He said to him: “When I told you not to take the job…” Kenneth Hagin interrupted him to find out when exactly he told him not to take the job. The Lord replied: “Every time you tried to draft the acceptance letter, I checked you.”

    Don’t ignore the check-in the spirit: it is the Lord. And don’t ignore it when God uses others to provide the check. Women are particularly sensitive spiritually. Therefore, don’t ignore the checks of your wife. She might say: “I just don’t feel good about you doing business with that man.”

    Don’t insist she must give you chapter-and-verse reasons. A man and his wife are one; so God can speak to the husband through the wife. He warned Pilate through his wife not to have anything to do with the persecution of Jesus, but Pilate did not listen. Don’t be like Pilate.