OUT AND OUT

God brings US OUT in order to bring OUT OF US. What does this mean?

As we grow in Christ and develop a close relationship with Him, He brings us out of situations, conditions, mindsets, attitudes and behaviors in order to bring out the best in us.

    He brought David out of the bush tending his father’s sheep to be made king.

    He brought Esther out of the comfort of her uncle’s house to be made queen.

    He brought Joseph out of his father’s house to be made prime minister.

    He brought Daniel out of the safety of his country to be governor in another.

    He brought Moses out of Egypt to be made prophet and leader of the nation Israel.

    He brought Mary Magdalene out of prostitution to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

    He brought Abigail out of a relationship with the wrong man to be married to the king.

    He brought the Israelite out of Egypt in order to bring the Messiah out of them.

            But most Christians rebel against this plan of God bringing us out, because we are stuck in the “Used to”. We are used to the problems we face, used to the challenges we encounter, used to the little victories we attain, used to the people around us, those who hurt and discourage us and those who build us up, used to the failures, used to the systems and structures around us, used to our routine lifestyles. This has created a false sense of security and comfort, but we are used to it all. Not only do we rebel because of our “used to” but we rebel because of unwillingness to step into new dimensions and levels of life because of uncertainty. For when God brings us out of our “used to” he first brings us into an uncertain terrain, a new place, different structures, different systems, attitudes and challenges. A place filled with so much uncertainty, where we find nothing from our past to hold on to and no one in our present to turn to, to give us that sense of security and comfort we yearn. In this world of uncertainty, we are exposed to contentions and we are forced to confront our hidden fears, and our doubts are stirred up to the surface and laid bare.

In this place we will have to cross a red sea, battle a Goliath, be thrown into a fiery furnace, be locked up in a lion’s den, humbly submit to a multitude of ignorant people, we will be betrayed, lose all we have, be falsely accused by friends, stigmatized and isolated, be thrown into jail, miss certain opportunities, be heartbroken, face assassination plots and we may even have to face crucifixion. But we need to remember that in all things we are more than conquerors according to Romans 8:37, understanding that the demonstration of faith is not an absence of doubt, but the conscious decision to confidently hold on to the word of truth in the midst of doubt. It is not by our strength that we face and overcome but by the spirit and grace of God. We need absolute trust in God to see us through. The bible says “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and he will direct your path”.

It is not our understanding of the situation that will sustain us but our ability to remain confident in Christ that will preserve us as we learn to let go of our doubts and trust in Him more.

            And when God has seen us through it all and He will see us through it all, refined us and brought us out, he will bring the best out of us and set us up in our high places.

OUT AND OUT

God brings us out in order to bring out of us. What does this mean?

As we grow in Christ and develop a close relationship with Him, He brings us out of situations, conditions, mindsets, attitudes and behaviors in order to bring out the best in us.

    He brought David out of the bush tending his father’s sheep to be made king.

    He brought Esther out of the comfort of her uncle’s house to be made queen.

    He brought Joseph out of his father’s house to be made prime minister.

    He brought Daniel out of the safety of his country to be governor in another.

    He brought Moses out of Egypt to be made prophet and leader of the nation Israel.

    He brought Mary Magdalene out of adultery to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

    He brought Abigail out of a relationship with the wrong man to be married to the king.

    He brought the Israelite s out of Egypt in order to bring the Messiah out of them.

            But most Christians rebel against this plan of God bringing us out, because we are stuck in the “Used to”. We are used to the problems we face, used to the challenges we encounter, used to the victories we attain, used to the people around us, those who hurt and discourage us and those who build us up, used to the failures, used to the systems and structures around us, used to our routine lifestyles. This has created a false sense of security and comfort, but we are used to it all. Not only do we rebel because of our “used to” but also because of our unwillingness to step into new dimensions and levels of life because of uncertainty. 

            When God brings us out of our “used to” he first brings us into an uncertain terrain, a new place, different structures, different systems, attitudes and challenges. A place filled with so much uncertainty, where we find nothing from our past to hold on to and no one in our present to turn to, to give us that sense of security and comfort we yearn. In this world of uncertainty, we are exposed to contentions and we are forced to confront our hidden fears, and our doubts are stirred up to the surface and laid bare.

In this place we may have to cross a red sea, battle a Goliath, be thrown into a fiery furnace, be locked up in a lion’s den, humbly submit to a multitude of ignorant people, we will be betrayed, lose all we have, be falsely accused by friends, stigmatized and isolated, be thrown into jail, miss certain opportunities, be heartbroken, face assassination plots and we may even have to face crucifixion. But we need to remember that in all things we are more than conquerors according to Romans 8:37, understanding that the demonstration of faith is not an absence of doubt, but the conscious decision to confidently hold on to the word of truth in the midst of doubt. It is not by our strength that we face and overcome but by the spirit and grace of God. We need absolute trust in God to see us through. The bible says “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and he will direct your path” proverbs 3:5-6.

It is not our understanding of the situation that will sustain us but our ability to remain confident in Christ that will preserve us as we learn to let go of our doubts and trust in Him more.

            And when God has seen us through it all and He will see us through it all, refined us and brought us out, he will bring the best out of us and set us up in our high places.

WOMAN, GOD'S AFTERTHOUGHT IN THE CREATION PROCESS?

Not women Empowerment but Rediscovery. 
Today's woman needs to rediscover her identity, mission and purpose here in the earth realm. In this day and age, many women have come to believe that they are in some sort of competition with their male counterpart and therefore need to out perform them in various aspects of society and life. Be it academically, in business, sport, politics even in ministry. But the bible does not teach that. That is a very secular ideology no matter how beautiful it sounds. God said in Genesis 2:18 "... I will make help meet for him..." in other words i will make a partner to help him. 

Most people say this is a man's world and therefore women need to do what they can to change that because of the abuse they may have suffered at the hands of certain men who themselves do not understand their mandate, position and authority as men within the structures of society. But the failure of a partner to carry out his duties and responsibilities is no excuse to try and permanently alter the role of the woman to suit and accommodate the failures of the man. 
In the temporal sense to an extent yes, however, something needs to be done during this temporal phase. 
What does this mean?

According to the bible, men are responsible for birthing nations and women are responsible for birthing families. That is why when God decided to establish the nation of Israel, He called Abraham and promised him a child, that his descendants would be innumerable Genesis 17:5 . Out of Abraham was birthed the nation Israel, God's people. 

On countless occassions they turned their back on God and grieved Him through their many sins and transgressions. This happened so many times that at a point, God threatened to wipe them out as Moses lead them out of Egypt to the promise land. God had a plan. He had promised mankind a savior. God decided to start from the beginning. 

You see, a nation is a group of communities under a single government or leadership and a community is made up of different families or households living within the same geographical location. 
This time when God decided to send the Savior, he decided to begin from the family unit in order to birth a new nation and kingdom out of this family. That is why the bible says in Ephesians 2:19 that " Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God ". When you come into Christ, you become a part of this new family, the household of God with Jesus being the first born. 

In the beginning when God created Adam, He gave him a five fold mandate. He said to Adam
i. Be fruitful
ii. Multiply
iii. Replenish the earth
iv. Subdue it
v. Have dominion over all creatures of the earth. Genesis 1:28.
When God decided to bring in the woman, Eve, He said she was to help him. The question is help him to do what? and how?
Remember, after six days of creation, God looked at all things and said it was good and perfect. He was pleased with what He had done. 
So was the creation of woman an afterthought? NO!.
The woman was created to help man fulfill the five fold mandate given him by God. The purpose which God put him here in the earth realm.But man could not begin to fulfill that purpose until the arrival of the woman. Why? 

The bible says in Genesis 2:22. that the woman was made from the rib of the man. Again in Genesis 1:27  "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; MALE and FEMALE created He them".She dwelt within him but in a different essence. 

Fulfillment of God's purpose for our lives is what gives us true happiness and joy and brings us prosperity. So when God looked at man and realized that this wasn't happening, He said " it is not good for man to be alone, he needs a partner", Genesis 2:18 to fulfill this agenda. So God made Eve, the first of women. Before He did, He put Adam into deep sleep, he was not allowed a view of the processes that went into the creation of woman. Adam was the head of all creation and therefore this suggests that if he was put to sleep then all other living creation was also put to sleep. The whole process was shrouded in divine mystery. Now woman is it any surprise why men sometimes can't understand you? And men, is it any surprise that sometimes no matter how hard you try you just don't seem to understand women?
When God woke Adam up from his coma, he immediately recognized her as his equal, intellectually, physically, emotionally and spiritually. For his first words were "this is the flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." Genesis  2:23 . 

The problem is that, after the fall of man the devil has been successful in deceiving  almost all into believing that the woman is inferior to the man. the devil is a liar and everything he says is ultimately a lie. Some Christians, even men of God are quick to back this lie up with scripture. One of them being that, the bible says women are weaker vessels and therefore inferior. Yes the bible did say the woman is the weaker vessel, 1st Peter 3:7. But weaker not in the sense of capability or capacity, but realize the bible uses the word "WEAKER" implying that a comparison is being made with the man and that man is also weak without the grace of God on his life. The woman is weaker because although endowed with all the necessities physically,emotionally, spiritually, intellectually and psychologically to help man fulfill God's original mandate to him, she hasn't been totally empowered to carry out full functions and duties which God gave to man in the beginning unless God grants her the grace to do so.

This is why the bible is clear in God's command to man that he should take care of his home and in the same verse asks him to acknowledge the efforts of his wife and honor her. After the fall of man in the garden of Eden, he lost a clear understanding of the 5 fold mandate and with that a lack of understanding of the role of woman in his life hence the abuse most women have and still suffer at the hands of many men. 

Adam blamed Eve for his disobedience and till this day some men view women as the antagonist to their well thought out plans to success. God decided to give Eve to Adam, but now God says to the man to find his own " Proverbs  18:22 "Whosoever finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtain favor of the LORD ". It is up to the man to search and find the woman so that he may learn to take full responsibility for whatever happens afterwards and not blame God for bringing her into his life as he did earlier. This time when God decided to create this new family, he established his covenant with the woman, Mary. Man played no role in executing this covenant except to ensure her care, safety and protection. But the covenant was between Himself and the woman out of which the first of men of this new family would be born, Jesus. As I mentioned earlier, a woman is responsible for birthing a family, and out of this man Jesus, the new nation, the kingdom of God Is established. 

However you choose to look at it, women have and will always play an extremely important role in God's plan for mankind and it's time women stood up to the challenge of discovering what it is to be a Woman from and of God.

Walk till you soar

 The bible teaches us that as Christians we will have difficult times and there will be evil days.

Psalm 49:5-6 NIV

 Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me.

As king David experienced at the time he wrote in
Psalm 23 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadows of death, I will fear no evil”.. At this point in lives in our valley of the shadows, we experience hardship, confusion and frustration with almost everything we do even in our walk with God, where it seems as if we lack the things that make our hearts glad and content, we have to keep walking. We need to walk till we climb out of the valley.

To walk means to be still, to stay calm, to persevere and to wait on God. You wait for Him to move and then you follow as He demonstrated with the people of Israel as they journeyed from Egypt to the Promised Land in Exodus 13:21-22.

Christians who have been at this stage before will recount how difficult this stage may have been. The countless number of times they failed trying to climb out of their valley. They remember the difficulties, hardships and times they were buried in so much guilt because they felt inadequate.

We remember all our past defeats and tend to magnify ours above every other person’s as if Christ didn’t go through the worst form of persecution and shame. Not that it’s wrong to talk about our failures or mistakes as sometimes this reminds us of how far God has brought us and to encourage others  to hold on. The problem is that, focusing on your past failures robs you of the joy of your present victories. It takes your mind of the fact that Christ walked with you through it all and you were given enough grace to go through.

Because of this, when we have climbed out of our valley of shadows to the mountain top, we feel like we have seen and been through it all. But our journey doesn’t end there. We forget that we are likened to eagles. For the bible says in

Isaiah 40:31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles… 

  A few facts about eagles:

With its powerful and graceful wings this large bird is a powerful bird of prey and a symbol of courage, might and transcendence. 

To conserve energy they flap their wings as little as possible. They rather glide on thermal currents lifting them up high into the skies above most birds.

Eagles have excellent vision.

 

Eagles spend most of their lifetime on the highest mountain and tree tops and seldom descend unto the ground except to hunt.

So like the eagle, after you have climbed out of your valley of the shadow of pain, rejection, struggles, confusion, uncertainties, hardship, depression, failure, low self esteem, sickness, hopelessness, poverty and death, now you have to spread your wings, hop off the ground and soar. But most of us don’t. After going through all the former challenges, we feel exhausted and drained and don’t think we have the energy for lift off. forgetting that the bible says in

Nehemiah 8:10 “… do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength”.

  It is not our strength but the strength of Jesus that would carry us through. Most Christians get stuck at this stage. You have gained your salvation, walked through the valley of the shadows of trials and affliction. You have tasted victory, but now you fail to march on, to climb up and flap those wings tirelessly? NO, stretch those broad powerful wings, align your strong talons with feet that have walked through fire, journeyed on thorny paths, feet that show scars of bruises suffered and now healed, with eyes opened to a new vision, gaze into the skies, the heavens where you’ve always belonged, take a leap and soar.

Instead with time, we allow the pleasures of life and the pressure of self and society to dominate us. Even though we have been translated from darkness into light, we are transformed into something maybe great, but truly less than what we ought to be. We become low flying birds. Yes beautiful but still low flying; some robins, kingfishers, doves, pigeon’s etc. birds that expend all their energy in flapping their wings during flight just to move from one level to another. No matter the amount of effort you invest in yourself, you are unable to reach your destined height because it’s all SELF. You might fulfill everyone’s expectation of you, even your own self expectations but deep down in you there is a feeling of discontent and inadequacy robbing you of the peace attached to your life’s purpose. And from this low height, you are unable to see the beauty of all things around you even the tests you go through. Unlike the eagle which whiles riding effortlessly on high altitude winds with its excellent vision is able to see clearly and appreciate the beauty of the land below. And when you are up there where you belong, it doesn’t matter what circumstances you find yourself in, you’ll always see something to be grateful to God for.

God bless.

Get your empty jars and Shut the door

In the book of 2 Kings chapter 4:1-7, the bible tells us the story of a widow whose husband was a prophet but died in debt and she had to pay the debt he left behind but she couldn't because she was broke. This was a prophet even recognized and acknowledged by Prophet Elisha yet died in debt. The fact that you are a child of God does not mean you are automatically immune to poverty, sickness and other evils. If you don’t study God’s word to know and enforce your authority in Christ over the works of Satan, he will take advantage of you.
The widow was broke so she told Prophet Elisha and he asked what she had left. She said nothing but a little oil. So he asked her to go out and borrow empty jars as many as she can get. Afterwards she should bring them in,shut the door and start pouring out her oil into all the empty jars and the oil won’t cease until every jar was filled.
First, the solution to the woman’s problem had been granted but nothing miraculous was going to happen until she fulfilled three conditions
i. Go out and borrow empty jars
ii. Bring them in and shut the door
iii. Pour out the oil into the empty jars.
By obeying the prophet’s word and going out to borrow the jars, it was left up to her to determine how much oil she wanted. The jars here represent the areas of our lives. How much of her life she was willing to make available to God for his oil or anointing was entirely up to her.

Why did she have to shut the door? Why was it so important?
Until she shut the door, the oil wasn't going to flow. The only limit of God’s resources and anointing in our lives is the limit of our faith and availability. The bible teaches us that the ways of God are shrouded in mystery. He is the only one that can tell the end of a thing from its beginning, "Isaiah 46:10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please" but the process between the beginning and the end is what we struggle to understand. His ways are not our ways. Remember, before he made Eve, he put Adam to sleep; He shut the door on Adam as He poured His oil into Eve.

Before God asked Prophet Samuel to go and anoint David as king, God had shut David’s door and shut him in. The bible says, David was a shepherd’s boy spending most of his time with sheep in the bush. At least that’s what everyone thought. But because God had shut his door and shut him in and was pouring His oil into Him, whiles in the bush, David was slaying lions and bears with his bare hands. 
What does it mean to shut the door?
It means to starve the flesh of all fleshly desires and with your soul and spirit, enter into fellowship with the Holy spirit. It is to do what the bible says in Romans 12 that we present our lives as living sacrifice.
The one thing shutting the door does not mean is to become passive. The truth is there are so many people who have become busy for God yet are still very passive. It is a dangerous thing to measure your spiritual maturity by what you do for God or the growth of your ministry rather than by what God is doing in you and through you. To be active means to be in partnership with the Holy spirit. The widow did not have to bother herself with how the oil was going to flow, all she had to do was pour the oil. What most Christians do instead, is to give up and say well God should do whatever he wants to do, whatever pleases Him with their troubles their burdens, their situations, their confusions their lives without bothering to find out what is His will, what he really expects from us. God speaks to us through many ways, through incidents, actions and words but because we lack the wisdom and aren't spiritually sensitive enough to identify, we miss out in partnering with Him. We function more as slaves than as sons and daughters. David after being anointed by Samuel was never asked to kill Goliath. God created the opportunity and David by the spirit in him identified it.
To shut your door means to take everything about you, good bad and ugly, each aspect of your life representing an empty jar because that’s what we are without God, and wait on Him as he works in us, through us and with us to pour His oil into our empty jars. What are your empty jars? your relationship, family, friendship, education, career, finances, marriage, ministry, attitudes, habits, character, heart emotions and mind, future present and past? Don’t give up on them because you are struggling, give them over. Place them at the master’s feet. Shut your door and let His oil flow.

Does God Really Forget Our Sins?

When we sin, it is recorded in heaven and the devil also keeps a copy of the record. This is because the bible says that the enemy is the accuser of the brethren. He comes to court with a list of the wrongs we have done to accuse us and to gain permission from God to access our lives in order to steal kill and destroy all that God has for us.  

When you ask for God’s forgiveness and confess your sins according to his word he forgives us 1 JOHN 1:9 if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness. He is faithful and just because he is our eternal judge.   
Acts 10:42 and He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. He judges all things brought before him and the bible says he declares us holy and blameless before God. The bible teaches us in John 8:36 that whom the Son sets free is free indeed. Our righteousness is of God according to the book of Isaiah in Isaiah 54:17 no weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, AND THEIR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS OF ME, SAITH THE LORD. We are completely cleansed of all unrighteousness and heaven has no record of our past sins.

When we confess our sins, not only does he show us mercy but he grants us grace. Mercy says: you are guilty but I forgive you, but grace says: you are not responsible for all the wrongs you did. It’s not your fault but sin that was in you. You are not guilty and therefore would not bear the consequences of your sins because Christ already did so when he was nailed to the cross.

But some Christians ask, if that’s the case then why am I constantly reminded of my past and why does it sometimes haunt me so much that I become frustrated and wonder if God has really forgiven me. When I open my mouth to pray, all I do is ask God to forgive me for all those sins over and over again.

You have to believe it; God does forgive and forget your sins. The bible says in PSALM 103:12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Heaven bears no record of it. But the devil doesn’t get this. He doesn’t understand so he goes up before God to present his case before Christ our Judge. He seeks permission to destroy, to kill and to steal from you. Remember the bible says you are now God’s child so nothing can happen to you without God’s permission. But when the enemy presents his case he is denied access and told that you are not guilty. The blood of Jesus has paid the price for your sins.  EPHESIANS 1:7 

This doesn’t deter him, he is furious and seeks to destroy you at all cost, the bible says that the devil roams about like a lion seeking to devour 1 PETER 5:8. So armed with his copy of your past sins, he comes to you and reminds you of all the sins you have committed in the past. Line by line he bombards your mind with sins from your past and taunts you continually. He tells you how God hasn’t forgiven you that is why all these sins keep coming back to you. He tells you that if you haven’t forgotten them how much more God who is greater than you.  His sole purpose is to frustrate you and make you feel inadequate and worthless. He knows that if he can get you to focus on your past failures, you will miss out on your present victories and all what God is doing for you. He tells you no matter how much you try you won’t attain the level of righteousness God’s want you to. If you don’t stand strong in the lord and rebuke his words, trusting completely in the lord Jesus that whom the Son sets free is free indeed, with time you will succumb to his evil whisperings forgetting that you don’t have to do anything to be righteous before God and that he has already made you righteous.

Next time the devil tries to remind you of your past, thank Jesus for how far he has brought you and then remind the devil of his future, the eternal lake of fire.

God bless you.