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Tag: 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. 

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Can God count on you?

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Can God count on you?

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: DANIEL 3:8-30

    Meditation verse:

    “But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor  will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” (Daniel 3:18). 

    Three young men stood in the moment of truth; bow down to the king’s golden  image or be thrown into a fiery furnace. It would have been so easy to bow, after  all it was just a small compromise to make life easier for them in the foreign  land. It did not necessarily mean they were no longer faithful to God. However,  they were wise enough to understand that compromising would poison their  allegiance to Jehovah. So, against all odds, they chose to defy the king’s  command. And God honored their commitment.  

    You may find yourself in a moment of truth sooner or later faced with a  temptation to compromise just to make life a little easier. It may be to alter the  figure, jump the queue, tell a little lie to look good, engage in an adulterous  relationship, give that bribe to obtain a favor, or what have you. Can God count  on you at such moments to say: ‘let it be known that I will not bow?’. Refusing  to bow can be a very lonely road to travel. Picture Shedrach, Meshach, and  Abednego standing before the crowd, whilst the officials prepared the fiery  furnace. It is much easier to follow the crowd. But if you want to excel in life and  fulfill purpose, you must learn to stand alone sometimes. The journey to Calvary  was a very lonely and painful one for Jesus Christ.  

    However, the three young men were not alone, the bible says there was a fourth  man was in the fire with them. Similarly, in your own moments, you are never  alone. God promises to be with you always. “When you pass through the waters,  I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you  walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you” (Isaiah 43:2). Remembering that God is always with you, will help you make the  right choice in your moment of truth.

     

    IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Pst (Mrs) Oke Chinye, Founder of The Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM).

    For Prayers and Counseling email rockteachingministry@gmail.com

    or call +2348155525555

    For more enquiries, visit: www.rockteachingministry.org.

  • 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.

  • Is Life Really Unfair? – By Fr. Valentine Anaweokhai

    Is Life Really Unfair? – By Fr. Valentine Anaweokhai

    Fr. Valentine Anaweokhai

    anavalobee@gmail.com

    In the face of crisis, misfortune, and calamity, people sometimes quip, ‘life is not fair’. The implication is that ‘life’ is to blame for whatever may have happened or befallen a person in life. ‘Life’ in this sense, is personified. However, to conclude that life is unfair, has both philosophical and theological connotations. Life, no doubt, is a teacher, and humans have a lot to learn from life itself.

    For a man who has struggled hard in life and is not able to make ends meet, he blames life for his setbacks. A couple who has not been able to bear a child after some number of years, blames life for the delayed childlessness. A young lady who is yet to marry despite all efforts, including prayer and fasting, blames life for her setbacks. The list is endless, and the blame game goes on ad infinitum. My concern here really, is how people arrive at the conclusion that life is to blame or that life is not fair to some but fair to others.

    How did we arrive at the conclusion that life discriminates and perhaps has favourites? There is, I suppose, a kind of fatalism behind such assumptions. That whatever struggles and efforts people make in life, what will be, will be. It implies that even when some people do not even make any frantic efforts in achieving set goals in life, debarring any circumstances, they must surely get there, while others, despite their labours and struggles, hardly make it in life. This kind of situation has often prompted the agelong question; ‘why do good people suffer?’ Or better still, ‘why do bad things happen to good people?’

    This whole idea is captured in the 1981 book written by Harold Kushner, a Conservative rabbi, titled ‘When Bad Things Happen to Good People.’ Kushner dedicated his book to the memory of his son, Aaron, who died at the age of 14 in 1977 of progeria, an incurable genetic disease. Obviously bewildered by the trauma of his loss and grief, he queried why there is so much pain and suffering in a world created by a God who is Good and loves tenderly. Although, in his attempt to answer the philosophical problem of evil and seek to offer comfort to grieving people, he concluded that ‘God does his best and is with people in their suffering but is not fully able to prevent it.’ God is benevolent but not all-powerful to prevent evil.

    As much as Kushner tried to unravel the problem of evil, based on his own personal experience, he however gives room for a more fundamental question that unsettles any curious mind; is God truly helpless and powerless in preventing evil? No one can deny the fact that before the very face of God, he watches and observes the afflictions, sufferings, injustices, and mindless killings His beloved, loyal and faithful children are daily subjected to, and yet he allows and permits them. As a merciful and forgiving father, he even waits patiently for those who perpetrate various abominable acts, injustices and evils against their fellow brothers and sisters, to come back to their senses, repent and ask for forgiveness like the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), Saul who later became Paul (Acts 9:1-9), and the thief by the side of his cross at calvary (Luke 23:42-43).

    However, it is pertinent to note here that the merciful, compassionate, forgiving, and if you like, permissive nature of God does not reduce from His All Powerfulness and All Mightiness. Anything that God does and or permits, is borne out of love and goodness. Even the ‘bad things’ that God refuses to prevent from happening to good people does not still rob Him of his Goodness, tenderness and love. It also applies to the ‘good things’ that He allows to happen to the so called ‘bad people’. Even the sacred scriptures affirms that we are all God’s children, “for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous” (Matt. 5:45). And in another text, it says; “for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves and chastises every child whom he accepts” (Heb. 12:6).

    On the flipside of the matter, another very intriguing question is, why do good things happen to bad people? To explore this question, in 2009, Martin Levinson authored a book titled ‘When Good Things Happen to Bad People.’ In the book, he offers what has been described as an ‘irreverent, fast-paced, fact-filled compendium of fifty case studies of notorious villains from Attila the Hun to Dick Cheney who triumphed in life despite, or because of, their dastardly deeds’. His query raises several concerns. For instance, could it be that some bad persons are simply going to get their share of good luck. Could it be that “the devil” is running the universe and he or she likes pleasing his or her favourites. Is God playing a joke on bad people by rewarding them on earth and then punishing them in an afterlife? Many questions, but unfortunately, few answers.

    The question whether life is unfair will always arise whenever people feel hurt by life, whenever they feel unjustly and unfairly treated in life, whenever they begin to question their belief in the goodness, fairness, and tender-loving nature of God because of what they perceive to be the evil that has either befallen them or their loved ones, and when they feel that the wicked prosper and the good suffer. In such moments, it takes a person with a religious orientation and worldview to relate such experiences with the theological virtues of faith in God, hope in God and love of God. As St. Paul teaches; “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23).

    Life has always and will always be fair. There is adequately enough for everyone in life to be comfortable and satisfied. There is enough to go round everyone in life. Even the story of the feeding of the five thousand by Jesus teaches us that simple fact of life (Matt. 14:13-21; Mk. 8:1-10). The heart of the problem lies mainly in the viciousness, callousness and villainy of human beings. While there are enough natural resources to provide decent housing, health care, quality education, adequate infrastructures, food, electricity, and other basic amenities of life for the benefit of everyone, only a few persons, due to greed and avarice, and for some political, religious, cultural, and economic reasons, (capitalism, communism, feudalism, and welfarism) allocate and grab everything for their selfish and personal ends. This always puts the life of many at risk and robs them of their innate dignity and inalienable right to quality, prosperous and healthy life.

    For instance, how can one explain the unprecedented brain drain happening in Nigeria today? How come that our able-bodied workforce and teeming youths are fleeing the country to seek a more promising, fulfilling, homely and accommodating life overseas? How come that innocent university students have been at home for several months doing nothing and unable to study, while their mates, whose parents can afford it, are either attending expensive private universities, or even studying abroad? How else can one explain the many ills the average Nigerian is faced with today that leaves him/her helpless, forlorn, and hopeless? Who is to blame? Life or the people who created the systems that breed the kind of corruption, poverty, injustice, unfairness, and socio-cultural disparity that cause perennial and perpetual sufferings and under-development?

    This applies to virtually every aspect of life. When what is meant to cater for all is hijacked and cornered by some, for whatever reasons, it leaves people dejected, deprived, and denied. When some people intentionally create and sustain structures, laws, policies, and systems that perpetuate them in power, and maintain imbalance in life, it throws many into confusion and disarray. It keeps many at the fringes of society. It creates a system of the oppressed versus the oppressors, the rich versus the poor, the celebrities versus the nobodies, and the slaves versus the Freeborns.

    I dare to repeat it for the umpteenth time and without any fear of equivocation that Life is fair enough. But we do know that sometimes, the evil that people do, stays and lives with them. And when the consequences of their actions catch up with them, they end up blaming life for being unfair to them. As the saying goes, ‘God always forgives. Humans sometimes forgive. But nature never forgives. No wonder it is often said, nature abhors vacuum. Indeed, nature will always seek a legitimate way to collect its own pan of flesh back. Truly, no one can cheat nature. So, even when nature decides to restore what initially was damaged and distorted by some so-called intelligent and smart human elements, life could as well be accused of being unfair.

    The far-reaching consequence of evil necessitated the redemption. The mission of redemption brought about atonement. And for atonement to be made, a sacrifice became unavoidable. Even the idea of a sacrificial lamb being led to the slaughter and laying on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6-7), may appear unfair, but it was necessary for the singular purpose of atonement, reconciliation, healing and salvation of humanity. If God was fair enough to send his only begotten and innocent Son to die for all, then God is also fair enough to us when he allows both the bad and the good to happen to us.

    Any blame aimed at life for being unfair, is invariably directed at God. Is God unfair in his dealings with humans? When certain things happen to us, good or bad, does it mean that God is partial, unfair, helpless and no longer Almighty? Is God not unfair if we say life is unfair? I argue here that in as much as God is fair; life is fair to everyone. The story of the conversion of Cornelius attests to the fact that God deals fairly with everyone and ‘shows no partiality’ (Acts 10:34). Even the story of the labourers in the vineyard also confirms the fairness and impartiality of God who chooses to do whatever He likes with what belongs to Him (Matt. 20:15). And whatever God chooses to do with us is always ultimately for our good and salvation. Life is really fair enough as much as God is fair to us.

  • 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).

  • God’s signature tune – By Femi Aribisala

    God’s signature tune – By Femi Aribisala

    “I have planted this garden in your mind”.

    God is the God of peace. (Romans 15:33). When He speaks, even to the storm, peace is established. (Mark 4:39).

    The psalmist says: “I will hear what God the LORD will speak, for He will speak peace to His people and to His saints.” (Psalm 85:8). Joseph told the pharaoh who wanted the interpretation of his dream: “God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.” (Genesis 41:16).

    Rest of God

    One of the names of God is Jehovah-Shalom. Shalom is the Hebrew word for peace. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the gospel of peace. (Romans 10:15). The sons of God are sons of peace. (Luke 10:6). When Gideon built an altar to the Lord, he called it “The-Lord-Is-Peace.” (Judges 6:24).

    The peace God gives is very precious. It is completely different from the peace of men. Men often conceptualise peace as the absence of war. This is then negotiated through diplomacy and international peacekeeping. But God’s peace cannot be obtained at the United Nations. It is not the transient peace of the world.

    God’s peace is the peace of the heart and mind. It is an internal, as opposed to external, peace. It is the peace that comes from confidence in God and faith in Him. Isaiah says to God: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” (Isaiah 26:3).

    People often say in frustration: “I just want some peace and quiet!”  When you hear this, you know the complainant is seeking elusive peace of the world. For there to be peace in the world, there must be calm and quiet. Not so with the peace of God.

    The peace of God remains even in turmoil. It persists even in the middle of storms. It resides in the confident assurance that the word of God can never fail. Jesus says: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).

    River of peace

    The peace of God is constant and unrelenting. It is immune to situations and circumstances. It is likened to a river. God says: “‘Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river.” (Isaiah 66:12).

    Rivers flow in one direction without stopping. So it is with the peace of God.

    The peace of God is inscrutable. It does not make sense. But it is amenable to prayer. To have it, you must be: “Anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7).

    God’s peace stands protective at the door of our hearts and does not allow worries to enter.

    Heritage of peace

    Jesus is our peace. He mediated peace between God and man. He mediated peace between the Jew and the Gentile. He gives us peace of mind.

    We are often particular about what God has not given while overlooking what He gives. The main thing God gives and withholds is peace. He says to Jeremiah: “I have taken away My peace from this people.” (Jeremiah 16:5).

    When Jesus was going back to heaven, He willed peace to believers. He said: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27).

    This means the person that has received peace from God must guard it jealously. “A man of understanding holds his peace.”(Proverbs 11:12). He does not relinquish it.

    We are inclined to guard our material possessions. We burglar-proof our houses. We put our treasures in safes. We put our money in the bank. We put our gold in Fort Knox. But our hearts are wide open. This is foolish.

    There is no greater instrument of peace than the word of God. Therefore, God counsels: “My son, give attention to My words; incline your ear to My sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:20-23).

    Worry worshippers

    Worriers worship problems. They run from pillar to post, increasing their blood pressure. God worshippers are different. Like Jonah, we sleep through storms because God “gives His beloved sleep.” (Psalm 127:2). When we invite God into our situation, the very first thing He does is flood our hearts with His peace.

    This peace is the signature of Jehovah Shalom. It tells us the ever-present God is manifestly there. That is why Moses, in his wisdom, was not in a hurry to take the children of Israel out of Egypt to the Promised land.

    He said to God: “If You don’t go with us, we are not going.”  He knew without God’s presence they would know no peace on the way. Therefore, God reassured him: “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14).

    However, the Israelites did not have faith in God. They could not trust Him to protect them against their enemies. Therefore, they could not enter God’s rest.

    Blessing of peace

    Jesus renews the invitation to God’s peace to all humanity. He says: “Come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29).

    We may be labouring for money. We may be burdened because we do not have a child. We may be depressed because we do not have any pride of life like a job, a car, or a home. But the Lord does not promise any of these.

    He is not a God of money. Neither is he a God of children. He does not say: “Come to Me all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you a job, car or property. He says: “I will give you rest.”

    Contrary to what we may have been told, God does not bless people with houses, cars, lands, or jobs. He blesses people with peace. The psalmist says: “The LORD will give strength to his people; the LORD will bless His people with peace.” (Psalm 29:11).

    Revelation

    The Lord visited me and led me through the early chapters of Genesis. He told me He planted a garden, east of Eden. In it was every kind of precious and luscious fruit. The garden was planted by the rivers of water, and the trees brought forth their fruits seasonally.

    Then the Lord suddenly turned the entire episode on me. He said to me: “Femi, I have planted this garden in your mind. I want you to tend the garden, to keep it and dress it. Every plant that I have not planted must be uprooted.”

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: The God of processes and order

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: The God of processes and order

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: Genesis 2: 1-25

    Meditation verse:

    “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend  and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). 

    God had not yet formed man to till the ground, so He did not cause rain to fall  on the earth. As a result, no plant or herb had grown on the field. After He  caused a mist to water the whole face of the ground, He knew that plants would  begin to grow on the earth, so He created man from the dust. Then He planted  a garden eastward of Eden and put the man He had formed in charge of the  garden to till it. “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of  Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of  every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of  good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely  die” (Genesis 2:15-17). He then realized that the man would be too lonely in the  garden; he would need someone to keep him company and help him look after  the garden, so He created the woman as a help mate for the man.

    The Almighty is a God of processes and order. He may withhold some blessings  from you, until certain things are in place in your life. For instance, He may delay  your promotion to that exalted position until your leadership skills are in place  or certain habits that will derail you are eliminated. He may also delay the  blessing of a life partner if you are still a boy at heart. God will always show up  at the appropriate time. If you sense a delay of His promise in any area of your  life, why not ask Him today what He wants you to put in order? It may be an  offensive habit or trait that needs to be gotten rid of, or a skill that needs to be  developed, or a lesson that needs to be learnt. God’s blessings make rich and  add no sorrow to your life.

     

    IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Pst (Mrs) Oke Chinye, Founder of The Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM).

    For Prayers and Counseling email rockteachingministry@gmail.com

    or call +2348155525555

    For more enquiries, visit: www.rockteachingministry.org.

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: What has God said to you?

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: What has God said to you?

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: PSALM 119:89-106 

    Meditation verse: 

    “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).

    When God gives you a word of promise, He expects you to do something with it. He gave it to you as a guide so that you do not grope or stumble in darkness. The bible states that God’s  word is a lamp to our feet. Your feet are for going forth. When you take hold of a lamp in a  dark room, you do not juststand still. You put the light in front of you and move forward. That  way, you do not grope in the dark, stumble, fall or end up in a wrong place. Similarly, with  God’s word, you will not stumble through life or miss your way entirely. But you must run  with the word, for it to light up your path.  

    It took several years before I understood this principle. Towards the end of each year, I would  take out time to wait on God in fasting and prayers. I would ask Him for a theme based on a  scripture to guide me in the coming year and He was always faithful. One evening, I sat at my  desk looking at all the themes that God had given me in the past years and wondering why  they had not yielded the resultsI expected. It suddenly dawned on me that God had expected  me to order my plans and activities for each year based on the word He had given me. I had  however sat still, expecting a magic wand to make things happen.  

    For instance, the year He gave me “purposeful advancement towards a life of significance”,  did I in the cause of the year, come up with a plan on how I would advance into significance  in key areas of my life? Did Iseek out enough opportunitiesto show case my gifts and talents?  Purposeful means intentional, planned or thought off and to be significant, you must show  up. When He said, “grow unto perfection”, did I increase the time I spent studying His word?  Did I ponder on what childish things I needed to do away with to become mature?  

    When God gives you a specific word, it is because He wants to accomplish something specific  in that area of your life, but unless you act based on the word, nothing happens. What has  God said to you? What have you done or what are you doing with what He has said to you? If His mouth has spoken, then His zeal has already perfected. This month, run with the word  that He has given to you.

     

    IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Pst (Mrs) Oke Chinye, Founder of The Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM).

    For Prayers and Counseling email rockteachingministry@gmail.com

    or call +2348155525555

    For more enquiries, visit: www.rockteachingministry.org.

  • [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Increase comes from God

    [Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Increase comes from God

    By Oke Chinye

    Read: 1 Corinthians 3:1-15 

    Meditation verse:

    “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6).

    We were created to work and not to be idle. Ephesians 2:10 says, “we are His  workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared  beforehand that we should walk in them”. As soon as God created the first man,  he gave him an assignment; to till the garden, be fruitful and dominate the earth.  You were put on this earth to fulfil your own assignment and take dominion over  the earth. There will always be work for you to do. Ecclesiastes 9:10 says that  whatever your hand finds to do, do it well. The size of a task is immaterial, your  responsibility is to always give it your best. The outcomes and results you get  whilst accomplishing a task are up to God.  

    The Apostle Paul said he planted, and Apollos watered but God was the one who  gave the increase. In order words, the results of their efforts were in God’s  hands. This is an important insight for anyone feeling discouraged by the  outcomes of their efforts in whatever task they are doing. If you have toiled in a  particular endeavour but have seen minimal results, keep toiling. Proverbs 16:33  (NLT) says “we may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall”  Ecclesiastes 11:5 says as we do understand the path of the wind or how the  bones grow in a woman with a child, so we do not understand the working of  God. Psalm 75:6 says that promotion does not come from the East, West, or  South. Romans 9:16 says that it does not therefore depend on man’s efforts. 

    Increase comes from God. Keep working at the tasks you have been given.  Commit to whatever your hand finds to do. Stay faithful and do not relent. “Now  the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in  him” (Hebrews 10:38). Do not cast away your confidence, for in due season, you  will reap if you do not lose heart (Galatians 6:9). Be rest assured that whatever  God is involved in must grow. So, commit your work to Him and you will succeed.

     

    IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Pst (Mrs) Oke Chinye, Founder of The Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM).

    For Prayers and Counseling email rockteachingministry@gmail.com

    or call +2348155525555

    For more enquiries, visit: www.rockteachingministry.org.

  • 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).