Author: joeachi

Acts.20.24 “But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus–the work of telling others the Good News about God’s wonderful kindness and love”. (NLT)

The dictionary definition of the word commitment means “dedication to a cause, activity”, etc. It also means “a promise”, or “an obligation” to do (or not to do)a thing.

The Christian’s life, from the new birth experience all through to the time of their admittance into heaven (whether by the rapture or at death) must be one of dedication to God’s Kingdom, of promise to faithfully defend the truth of His holy Word, and of obligation to share this truth with as many people as they can.
We shall consider each of those italicized words separately and see how we can use them as an encouragement to build a life of true commitment to God.

1. Dedication To Jesus Christ: Rom.12.1 – “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice–the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?
   Rom.12.2 – Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is”. (NLT)

Upon the Christian’s new birth experience, God expects them to demonstrate a strong sense of dedication, for their whole life, to the services of His Kingdom. Failing here may adversely affect their relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ because He does not expect anything less, and will not have what we did not give with the whole of our heart. But how can we achieve this? Well, God Himself makes it possible by filling us with a burst of spiritual energy, by the Holy Spirit, the moment we accept His Son Jesus Christ, and He comes into our heart. With this experience comes the silent, solemn realization that we have a duty towards our new relationship with the Lord.
Mark.5.19 – “But Jesus said, “No, go home to your friends, and tell them what wonderful things the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.”
Mark.5.20 – So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to tell everyone about the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.” — NLT

There’s no soul whom Jesus Christ sets free from sin and bondage to Satan who does not feel a debt of gratitude to share their experience with others, and their dedication to continue doing this is what gives them more grace for spiritual strength to keep walking with Jesus Christ.

We can see another example of this, below, in the life of Saul (who was later called Paul) when he was newly converted.

Acts.9.17 – “So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you may get your sight back and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Acts.9.18 – Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.
Acts.9.19 – Afterward he ate some food and was strengthened. Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days .
Acts.9.20 – And immediately he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is indeed the Son of God!” — (NLT)

When God fills you with the Holy Spirit, you will find it hard containing yourself from speaking to others about your new birth experience. I’m tempted to say that you simply cannot resist sharing the gospel when the Holy Spirit of God comes upon you, but the sad truth is that some people resist Him! If you’re that kind of a person, you will never grow spiritually; you might even backslide when the Holy Spirit becomes grieved with your uncooperative attitude and leave you.
Eph.4.30 – “And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he is the one who has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.” NLT
God has given us His Holy Spirit to work with us but, until you dedicate your life to knowing and obeying Him, you cannot achieve much in your relationship with God. A conscious, positive and deliberate approach towards God’s command to spread the good news of His saving grace to others is what fuels our dedication to serve Him.

I remember, as a young Christian, how restless I always was unless I witnessed Christ to someone. On one of such occasions, while I was working late into the evening with the Boss overseeing the branch office of the government Department I worked with at the time, the Holy Spirit suddenly urged me to go into his office and share the gospel with him. I was hesitant for two reasons: first, he was a muslim, and here in my country they don’t take it kindly when you do that. Secondly, he was just newly posted to head the branch office, so he was not well known to me. There seemed to be nothing to connect with and use as an excuse to enter into his office and begin a conversation about Jesus Christ. But the Lord had said to go in and preach to him! I became restless, but then I found the courage to do it anyway. So I entered his office and asked to have a talk with him. To say the least, he was very receptive of my sermon as though he had been needing someone to talk to him about Jesus Christ. He listened to me with rapt attention and engaged me on some issues whenever he needed to, which further emboldened me to speak more. In the end, my mission of sharing the gospel with him was successful, and I went on to have a cordial relationship with him thereafter. Praise God!
If you must be a dedicated follower and servant of Jesus Christ, you must first of all put all your fears away, and understand that He owns you; whatever you lose or gain for His sake should be considered a worthy sacrifice.

1Cor.6.19 – “Or don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,
1Cor.6.20 – for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body”. — NLT

If things had gone differently, and my boss had querried me or recommended to our head office that I should be sanctioned for preaching the gospel to him, I’d have been okay with that because I considered my dedication to God’s work to be of utmost priority to me than my job. The words of Apostle Paul below captures the essence of true dedication to Jesus Christ, which we should also do well to emulate.

Phil.3.7 – “I once thought all these things were so very important, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.
Phil.3.8 – Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ. “

2. Promise To Remain Faithful. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ..for I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities , nor powers, nor things present, nor
   things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Romans 8;35,38,39 . KJV

When we make a promise to anyone, we do it with the hope that God will help us to remember our duties or obligations to them, and to be able to fulfill it. The Christian’s commitment to Jesus Christ must also be sustained by a personal promise that they would not withdraw their loyalty to Him come rain, come sunshine; come sword, come peace; come whatever may!
Consider apostle Paul’s experience below, and see how he resolved to continue in his duties to the churches of Christ even when it was evident that trouble awaited him in the way.

Acts.21.10 – “During our stay of several days, a man named Agabus, who also had the gift of prophecy, arrived from Judea.
Acts.21.11 – When he visited us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands with it. Then he said, “The Holy Spirit declares, ‘So shall the owner of this belt be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and turned over to the Romans.'”
Acts.21.12 – When we heard this, we who were traveling with him, as well as the local believers, begged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem .
Acts.21.13 – But he said, “Why all this weeping? You are breaking my heart! For I am ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but also to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus.”
Acts.21.14 – When it was clear that we couldn’t persuade him, we gave up and said, “The will of the Lord be done.” NLT

Apostle Paul knew what God had commissioned him to accomplish for His Kingdom, and he was committed to that call. His promise to continue his journey to Jerusalem, notwithstanding Prophet Agabus’ prophecy, was a proof of his commitment to God’s work.
We may have had our own fears to deal with in the course of our duties to God, and sometimes what pulls us through is our resolve; the promise to not give up on our commitment to Him.
Many years ago my Christian friend was exiled from his village for his faith in Jesus Christ. His father disowned him. The villagers escorted him away to the border of the village. He could return if he was willing to deny Christ, but he resolved not to. It was already evening, and the next village he wanted to travel to was too far to arrive in before night. In West Africa travelling in the bush paths at night is extremely dangerous due to malevolent spirits.
As the journey wore into the night, he could clearly see the white flames of spirit beings igniting at different places in the surrounding bushes, and then going off as suddenly as they came. At a point in his journey, a grotesque, dark image emerged from the bush into his path, and stood some distance ahead. At first he was alarmed, but he resolved to not turn back towards his village. He moved on towards that beast with courage and faith, and declared: “…it is written that at the mention of the name of Jesus Christ every knee must bow; I command you to bow in the name of Jesus!”
He said that immediately he made that declaration, that grotesque image stopped and bowed what appeared to be its head, and he just passed by its side and went on his way. Halleluyah!
More than a century ago, John Ernest Bode (1839-1925) wrote the great hymn below, which many Christian faithfuls have sang over the years as a pledge of loyalty to God and His Kingdom:
” O Jesus, I have promised
To serve Thee to the end;
Be Thou forever near me,
My Master and my Friend;
I shall not fear the battle
If Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from Thy pathway
If Thou wilt be my Guide.”

Our promise to remain faithful to Jesus Christ and our heavenly Father, let come what may, is a sign of the unshakeable commitment we bear to Him, bound within our heart.

3. Obligation To Others

Our relationship with the Lord cannot be complete if we do not bring others into it. Jesus Christ
brought us to His Father; that is how we got accepted as His sons and daughters. He wants us to bring some other persons to Him, too, so He can also present them to His Father.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father, but by me”.
John 14:6. KJV

While we await our departure to heaven, we must keep ourselves occupied in soul winning through evangelism. See Acts 20:17-21; John 1:35-45; Proverbs 11:30; Daniel 12:3.
We must understand that we are obligated to God to preach the gospel to others for whom Jesus Christ also died a sacrificial death in order to save them. You must remember that evangelism is not a choice, but a duty, and a solemn one for that matter! We have to constantly remind ourselves of the need to create an opportunity to share the gospel with others.
Personally, I think that with the advent of the cell phone and social media, preaching the gospel has never been easier. In the years before we have them here in Africa, I did street evangelism, painstakingly trying to reach one person at a time. I still do street evangelism occassionally, though, but not as quite often as before, because with my smart phone, I can reach a few thousands of people with the gospel, through various social media platforms. If this does not give encouragement for the body of Christ to evangelize the world more earnestly, then, I wonder what else would.
2Tim.4.1 – “And so I solemnly urge you before God and before Christ Jesus–who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom:
2Tim.4.2 – Preach the word of God. Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching”. NLT

Have you been reaching out to the unsaved world with the gospel of Jesus Christ?
Some people are so fearful and mindful of what their family and/or friends would think of them if they try to preach the gospel to them. Well, I wonder why people’s opinion would mean anything to a Christian who wants to please God! He is not asking you to preach; He commands you to do it! It is an obligation. It is a duty. You may choose to dispense with your conscience, and look the other way while souls die every day without knowing of the salvation that has already been made available for them in Christ, but that will in no way relieve you of your obligation to them; it is a debt that you owe to the lost!
Prov.24.11 “Rescue the perishing; don’t hesitate to step in and help .
Prov.24.12 If you say, “Hey, that’s none of my business,” will that get you off the hook? Someone is watching you closely, you know–Someone not impressed with weak excuses”. (MSB)

Building a life of commitment to God can be very challenging, but it can also be much more interesting if you really love Him more than yourself.
Faith in God is a love thing, but I have seen people treat their relationship with God as though it were a contractual thing: they serve Him and expect that He pays the bills. And if it doesn’t get paid fast, they quit! There’s some fundamental flaw with that kind of Christianity because no one is doing God a favour by serving Him; the favour is to us and other lost souls who must perish forever unless we’re saved from our sins through Jesus Christ. So must we seek for a blessing or a reward in order to help rescue the lost from a bleak eternity in hell fire? Only the unwise will think so!

Dan.12.3 “Men and women who have lived wisely and well will shine brilliantly, like the cloudless, star-strewn night skies. And those who put others on the right path to life will glow like stars forever. “ (MSB)

Heb.11.13 – “All these faithful ones died without receiving what God had promised them, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed the promises of God. They agreed that they were no more than foreigners and nomads here on earth.
Heb.11.14 – And obviously people who talk like that are looking forward to a country they can call their own.
Heb.11.15 – If they had meant the country they came from, they would have found a way to go back.
Heb.11.16 – But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a heavenly city for them” . (NLT)

Heaven is real. To doubt the existence of it is akin to doubting the existence of Almighty God because that is His dwelling place. See 2 Chronicles 6:29-30; Ecclesiastes 5:2; Isaiah 66:1-2; 63:15.
The Holy Bible teaches that God made all things, and this means all living and none living things in their original forms, in all spheres of existence. This includes the human race, so anyone who doubts God’s existence is also doubting our very existence.But, since no one in their right minds would doubt their own existence or the existence of the natural world in which we live, we
must, therefore, accept the existence of God and of heaven His dwelling place, not only on the basis of faith, but also as a matter of fact that cannot be denied.To be otherwise persuaded would be unwise.
Ps.14.1 – “Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; no one does good! “ ( NLT).

This message is not a treatise intended to convince unbelievers of the existence of God; rather it is a literature written to encourage and help believers to live each day for God and to serve Him with heaven in mind, and I have formulated three points to help the Christian achieve this.

1. Why Seek Heaven?
   Genesis 3:14-19;6:1-6; Ecclesiastes 7:10; Matthew 6:33; 2 Peter 3:7-18; 1John 2:15-17.

Why seek heaven at all? The answer is as simple as it is compelling: God
commands us to.
Matt.6.31 – “So don’t worry about having enough food or drink or clothing.
Matt.6.32 – Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs,
Matt.6.33 – and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern” . ( NLT)

This present world is a failed state awaiting the set day for its ultimate destruction in order to pave the way for another new world, which is free of all the present societal ills.
The result of the fall of man in Genesis 3:1-24 has given rise, not only to the observable evils in our world today, but also to the unseen spiritual wickedness in realms behind the reach of the human eyes. The whole world, both physical and spiritual, is corrupt such that there’s nothing worth redeeming from it other than the soul of mankind because it was made in the image
and likeness of God.
Gen.6.5 – “Now the LORD observed the extent of the people’s wickedness, and he saw that all their thoughts were consistently and totally evil.
Gen.6.6 – So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them. It broke his heart.
Gen.6.7 – And the LORD said, “I will completely wipe out this human race that I have created. Yes, and I will destroy all the animals and birds, too. I am sorry I ever made them.”

This earth has already been cursed by God, and it must soon be
destroyed (Genesis 3:14-19).
As a result of this curse, there has been a progressive decline and/or deterioration of the earth, and this is observable not only in the natural habitat, but also in the religious, social and economic order of the lives of its inhabitants.
Knowledge has increased tremendously since creation, and we have seen some extraordinary achievements, by man, in the fields of arts, science and technology, yet that has not reversed the curse of God. The earth is dying! Even with the astounding architectural master pieces gracing its landscape, it is still obvious to those who have eyes to see that its original and natural beauty is fast eroding. The morals of its inhabitants, once godly and full of love, have become corrupt and devoid of both sympathy and empathy. Ecclesiastes 7:10 captures this essence when it says:
” Do not say, ‘Why were the old days better than these?’ For it is not wise to ask such questions’ “. (NIV)

The consummation of this downward spiral would be as 2Peter 3:10 puts it:
“But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgment”. (NLT)

With such a disaster looming in the horizon of time, it makes sense why God commands us to seek repose in heavenly Kingdom.

2Pet.3.13: “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness”. (NIV)

All of the above reasons give a compelling evidence why we
must seek heaven now because to be otherwise minded would be tying our fate to this cursed
world which must pass away soon!

1John.2.15: “Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. (AMP)
1John.2.16: For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one ‘s own resources or in the stability of earthly things] – these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself]. (AMP)
1John.2.17: And the world passes away and disappears, and with it the forbidden cravings (the passionate desires, the lust) of it; but he who does the will of God and carries out His purposes in his life abides (remains) forever.” (AMP)

2. Who Does God Admit Into Heaven?
   JOHN 3:1-3; HEBREWS 12:14-15; 1PETER 1:13-17; PHILIPPIANS 3:7-14: 2TIMOTHY 2:3-4; 4:1-2; ACTS 6:4.
   The first step in preparing for heaven is to be enlisted as a disciple of Jesus because those are the people whom He personally asked God to allow to live with Him in heaven.
   John.17.24: “Father, I want those you gave me To be with me, right where I am, So they can see my glory, the splendor you gave me, Having loved me Long before there ever was a world”. (MSB)

The process of enlisting into God’s heavenly Kingdom is as real, as engaging and as deliberate as the normal process of enlisting or gaining admission into an institution of learning. The only difference in this case is that the enlistment is done in heaven by God Himself for those who, by faith, approach Him through Jesus Christ His Son to qualify them for the exercise.

Heb.12.22: “But rather, you have come to Mount Zion, even to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless multitudes of angels in festal gathering, (AMP)
Heb.12.23: And to the church (assembly) of the Firstborn who are registered [as citizens] in heaven, and to the God Who is Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous (the redeemed in heaven) who have been made perfect, (AMP)
Heb.12.24: And to Jesus, the Mediator (Go-between, Agent) of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks [of mercy], a better and nobler and more gracious message than the blood of Abel [which cried out for vengeance] “. (AMP)

The process must involve the rebirth of the beneficiary’s sin-marred soul, which has to be restored to its original purity, image and likeness of
God. But since this is beyond the ability of anyone to achieve, they must have to expressly ask God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to do this for them.They must have to believe and acknowledge that Jesus Christ died a sacrificial death on their behalf for this process to be made possible in their life, and they must also accept this sacrifice as the basis for the forgiveness of all their sins.

1Cor.15.1 – “Now let me remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is built on this wonderful message.
1Cor.15.2 – And it is this Good News that saves you if you firmly believe it–unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.
1Cor.15.3 – I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me–that Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said.
1Cor.15.4 – He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures said”. ( NLT)

For those who believe this proclamation of the gospel, accept it unconditionally and confess their sins to God, it is at this point that their journey to heaven actually begin in eamest. See John 3:3; 2Corinthians 5:17.
After haven been forgiven and freed from their sins, it becomes the Christian’s responsibility to desire to live a holy and righteous life; to be transformed into God’s image and likeness, and to strive to maintain this new life with all the zeal and earnestness that God’s grace can affords. See Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 12:4-15; Peter 1:13-17.
Success here would not only be as a result of God’s grace alone, but
also by our readiness to resist the devil and anyone who tries to corrupt our new life in Christ. See James 4:4,7; Philippians 3:7-14; 2Timothy 2:3-4.
Our calling in Christ Jesus does not end with this experience of new life, but we are also commanded by Him to share this experience with others and to give them God’s message of love and forgiveness. We are to warn them of the consequences of living in sin, of unbelief and of rejecting the love of God revealed to mankind through His Son Jesus Christ.
We are to teach those who accept this message the basic principles of the Christian life and ministry. See 2Timothy 4:1-2; Acts 6:4; 2Corinthians 5:11; 6:1-2; Matthew
28:18-20 .
Doing this daily not only helps us make people to choose to become the disciples of Jesus Christ, just like us, but it actually prepares us for heaven, God’s beautiful city.

John.14.2: – “There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly.
John.14.3: – “When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am”. (NLT)

3. Who Will God Deny Entrance Into The City Of Heaven?
   EZEKIEL 33:9; PROVERBS 1;24-32; REVELATION 21:8.

To reject God’s love and redemption from the slavery of sin and Satan would be to reject the chance of living with Him in heaven for ever because only the redeemed have access to His heavenly Kingdom.

Rev.22.14 – “Blessed are those who wash their robes so they can enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life .
Rev.22.15 – Outside the city are the dogs–the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.” (NLT)

Why would anyone reject this offer of eternal life in God’s heavenly city? It’s hard, if not impossible, to find anyone who would not want to go to heaven when they die, unless they do not really understand what’s at stake for those who miss heaven. However, for those who do, we must understand that our desire alone for heaven is not just enough to get us there unless we translate that desire into a consistent walk with God. We must put Him first above all others in our life and be willing elevate His will above ours. Anyone who chooses to be otherwise minded would have willingly chosen to lose heaven, their desire and passion for it notwithstanding.
Matt.7.21: “Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as ‘Lord,’ but they still won’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven .
Matt.7.22 – On judgment day many will tell me, ‘Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’
Matt.7.23 – But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Go away; the things you did were unauthorized. ‘ (NLT)
No one has to be shut out of heaven; there’s room enough for everyone! But, and that sadly, some unfortunate folk would still lose out in their bid to enter heaven, not necessarily because that’s what they have always wanted, but because they were not careful to continue in their walk with God, through His Son Jesus Christ. His who foresaw this have the warning through His Son Jesus Christ in the following scriptures, which we will do well to commit to memory, and to earnestly watch and pray that this scriptures do not get fulfilled in us.

Luke.13.23 “Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”
Luke.13.24 He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.” (NLT)

Matt.7.13 – “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way.
Matt.7.14 – But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it . — ( NLT)

1Tim.5.15 – “For I am afraid that some of them have already gone astray and now follow Satan.” (NLT)

The choice between Jesus Christ and satan, heaven and hell is a personal one. We can either love God, serve Him faithfully and be destined for a glorious future in heaven or, on the other hand, follow after Satan and easy life of this present world and be lost in hell fire forever; the choice still remains our own to make. But God will rather have us all in heaven because He has made ready for us all a place to live with Him for ever.
Choose heaven!

Rev.21.3 – “I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, the home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.
Rev.21.4 – He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever.” (NLT)

2Pet.3.10 – “But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgment.
2Pet.3.11 – Since everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives you should be living! “
(NLT)

There is a general indiscretion and an apparent lack of wisdom currently sweeping across the entire world, holding most of its inhabitants captive. Prophet Isaiah prophesied a long time ago what the majority of people alive today are unconsciously fulfilling, by having eyes that do not really see, ears that are dull of hearing and hearts that have become spiritually lazy, and indulgent with Wordly pleasures. They have become so bereft of heavenly Wisdom that they view with shame the very means by which they could enjoy God’s gift of eternal life.
What was Prophet Isaiah’s message to his people at that particular time? It was not a message of hope but of doom! The people had forsaken the right way against all good judgment, so God had to let them have their way, but He sent them a strong delusion that will keep them perpetually in their error!
Isaiah 6:9-10 : “And He said, ‘Go, and tell this people: Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive. Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed’.” (NKJV).

Today’s world seems to be courting the same disaster that befell the nation of Israel in the days of Prophet Isaiah: we invest so much of our time, money, energy, and intellect in a dying world, which is rapidly heading towards its inevitable end, but would hardly lift a finger in support of God’s Kingdom work on the earth; at least not in the way that is acceptable to Him!
Isa.24.1 – “Look! The LORD is about to destroy the earth and make it a vast wasteland. See how he is scattering the people over the face of the earth.
Isa.24.5 – The earth suffers for the sins of its people, for they have twisted the instructions of God, violated his laws, and broken his everlasting covenant.
Isa.24.6 – Therefore, a curse consumes the earth and its people. They are left desolate, destroyed by fire. Few will be left alive.” (NLT)

The rich and the poor; the wise and the foolish; the educated and the illiterate; the strong and the
weak: as many people as have treated God as unworthy of their time and attention, just for the sake of the fleeting benefits of this world – they are all confederate in one colossal act of foolishness by investing their lives in a dying world!
In Hosea 8:7, God’s word paints a picture which depicts the bleak life that anyone is doomed to have, who works hard at winning the laurels of this world, but without God’s blessings: “They have planted the wind and will harvest the whirlwind. The stalks of wheat wither, producing no grain. And if there is any grain, foreigners will eat it.”

The riches and fame of this world, with their attendant glitz and glamour, do not guarantee a happy and secure life after death, so seeking them as though they do, while at the same time ignoring the true means to achieving them, is not only a grave mistake, but also a foolish one. Luke.12.21 says: “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

The important question to ask ourselves is: how can we balance the scale between the legitimate pursuit of success in the world and achieving spiritual harmony with God, without tipping it?
Below are two scripture based answers that work.

1. Learn From The Wisdom Of The Early Church.
   Rom.12.11: “Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord. “ (AMP)

The founding fathers of the Christian faith, and pillars of the early Church, followed the teachings of Jesus Christ and the principles enunciated in them word by word, and did not wrest the Holy Scriptures ( as some people do today) to support or debunk an opinion to suit their own desire. They had no other interests in their ministry to the lost other than that they should be accounted as faithful servants by both the church and the world at large. See 1Corinthians 4:1-2; 2Timothy 4:1-8; Philippians 3:1-3, 7-11.
Their challenge to the laity was, “Be followers of me, even as I also am of Christ”. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

The secret of the early church’s victory over the world was that they looked at it through heaven’s eyes; what God’s word allowed, that they allowed, and what He did not, that they would not either.They lived for God and served His kingdom as those who would be required to give an account of their stewardship at any moment. They were loyal to God and His Kingdom, and for His sake were willing to give up any ambition or desire which contradicted the truth of His Word. See 1Corinthians 9:13-27; Acts14:21-22; Acts 4:32-37; Acts 20:17-27.
They preached with one purpose, which was to make Christ known to the whole world. They lived with
one hope, which was to be found worthy of God’s kingdom, whether in life or in death.

Gal.6.14 “As for me, God forbid that I should boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world died long ago, and the world’s interest in me is also long dead. (NLT)

Their services to God was with up-rightness of character. They, like any other ordinary person, went through the rigours of each day to carter for their daily needs, without any sinful compromises.
In the labour field their principle was straightforward, as seen in 2Thess.3.10 , which says – “Even while we were with you, we gave you this rule: “Whoever does not work should not eat.”
2Thess.3.12 – In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we appeal to such people — no, we command them: Settle down and get to work. Earn your own living. “

Also, in the matter of integrity their principle was deeply entrenched in the words of Titus.2.7 – “And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good deeds of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. “

With such dispositions to work and ministry, their lives were constantly focused on what’s acceptable to God and the secular authorities, leaving no chances for sinful meddling or compromises with the world.
Today, as Christians with hearts set on heaven, this is the model to follow. This is what worked for our predecessors. We must uphold it for the future generation of Christians, too.

2.Avoid The Folly OF Today’s Errant Church
James 4:4; 2 Peter 3:10-14

The church today is too indulgent with the world, much unlike its early counterpart which was focused on the mission of redemption. It suffers from a misplaced priority primarily because it does not seem to look at this world through heaven’s eyes: instead it tends to look at heaven through the eyes of the world. It cherishes what it can gain from the world more than what it can give to it. Just like the proverbial two daughters of the horseleech, ( see Proverbs 30:15) who are never tired of asking for more, we have a new generation of preachers who like to talk more and more on prosperity than on the much needed redemption of the soul, which we can not dispense with if we must go to heaven at the end of our earthly tenure.
They have lost their focus on what’s of utmost importance to God’s heavenly Kingdom! For, whereas God sees the world as a defiled and corrupt entity, waiting to be judged at the appointed time, unless they turn to Him in genuine repentance, the proponents of the prosperity gospel make it seem as if God is mistaken in His views, or that His word, the Holy Bible, is a lie.
There is no way that these two divergent views can ever be reconciled; and there can never be
because, for the true Christian, our anthem is found in Philippians.3.20, which says: “.. we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.”(NLT)

But on the other hand, the constant prevalent mood among those who have found comfort and solace in this present world is aptly captured in Isaiah 22:13: ” But what do you do? You throw a party! Eating and drinking and dancing in the streets! You barbecue bulls and sheep, and throw a huge feast–slabs of meat, kegs of beer. “Seize the day! Eat and drink! Tomorrow we die!” (MSB)
Moreover, their shepherds are those, according to 2Pet.2.1819 , “who brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With lustful desire as their bait, they lure back into sin those who have just escaped from such wicked living.
They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves to sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you.”

We must disabuse our minds and free ourselves from the wrong orientation of today’s modern-day preachers so that we can go back to the ancient path of the early Church.
There’s no denying the fact that we are on the precipice of eternity: one turn of event in heaven can signal the coming of the day of the Lord, and only those who are truly seeing this present world through heaven’s eyes would have been made ready for what’s coming on everyone!
Will that include you?
I pray that it would.

Hebrews 12:1-2.

As the clock ticks away the hours, and the days of our lives fly past by, timeless eternity draws near and with it comes the burden of where we shall spend eternity.
Many have trod this path of life in which we now walk and many more will walk it after us for as long as this world continues. How they ended their life’s journey and how we would also end ours on the other side of life should be the most important personal issue that rests in the consciousness of every Christian who’s serious about the afterlife.
The Holy Bible teaches that there are two ways in life’s journey which lead to two different destinies in the afterlife. Jesus Christ spoke about this in Matthew 25:34,41,46 where He said: “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…”
“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels…”
” And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (NKJV)

The dead who have gone before us to eternity have had their chances, and those who will follow after us will also have their own, too. But for now we the living are having our own chances to make the journey to heaven, each person in the best way they believe would grant them a place in God’s heavenly Kingdom.
But as far as God’s heavenly Kingdom is concerned, though, there’s only one way by which all who follow faithfully are bound to end up in heaven’s delightful city. This Way is Jesus Christ.

John.14.6 : ” Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. “ (NKJV)

This is not a new revelation, anyway, as Jesus Christ has been widely preached and declared to the world, by His faithful witnesses, since more than two millenias ago, as Lord and Saviour of the repentant sinner. But what’s disturbing is how reluctant the world is to follow this Way to a happy ending in heaven, even when they know that they need Jesus Christ to save them from their sin and misery. If this has struck a chord in your heart, then, this message is meant to help you identify and deal with the common hindrances to a faithful and fruitful walk with Jesus Christ.
The common mistake some people often make is to assume that as soon as they have acknowledged and repented of their sins, and have accepted and confessed Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, then their salvation is secured. While this may sound good and assuring to the penitent sinner it, nevertheless, is not what most of them experience long after they have said the sinner’s prayer; most of them soon realise that life still feels the same and their struggle to be right with God is still much intact, thus diminishing their hopes of getting to heaven at the end of their life’s journey. The preacher may blame this on a lack of faith, but there’s more to it than that as the following practical steps, meant to provide guidance, will prove. So, if you want to have and sustain the hope of going to heaven, the scriptural guide below will go a long way in helping you to achieve that.

1. Show Sufficient Interest In Knowing And Walking With Jesus Christ.
   John 1:35-39; 11:7-16; Luke 9:57-62; 22:31-33.
   In most cases where Christians have lost their relationship with God, or have failed to establish a successful one, the cause is not that they have not genuinely repented of their sins or that they lacked faith in Jesus Christ’s finished work of redemption for the lost; the pertinent question to ask is whether over time they have shown sufficient interest in knowing, pursuing and actively practicing the principles of God’s Word.
   The same level of interest, time and perseverance that a person is willing to invest in making a true love relationship work is not different from the one required to start off a good relationship with Jesus Christ either. If you let some other interests to get in the way, then it’s obvious you’re not yet in love with Jesus Christ. Love is what works in this case, and the gospel of Jesus Christ is a love letter, the constant reading and practicing of which endear the heart to Him. Any excuses for not having the time to walk with Jesus Christ through the Word is actually a sign of a dwindling interest in Him, and it should be quickly dealt with.
   Consider the scriptural example below: Luke.9.59 – He said to another person, “Come, be my disciple.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”
   Luke.9.61 – Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” (NLT).

The two persons in the account above each had an excuse which they might have considered tenable for not immediately following along with Jesus Christ. But let’s see one of Jesus’ response to it in Luke.9.62: “But Jesus told him, ‘Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God’ “. (NLT)
The point here is that God demands prompt obedience, irrespective of what lies ahead of anyone, once He has called them to follow Him.
It would be rational to say that, as possessing God’s attribute of omniscience, Jesus Christ knew beforehand what lay ahead of those two persons before He extended the call to discipleship to them; perhaps it was a test to prove their worthiness. And they failed. People still fail in much the same way today when Jesus calls.
By contrast, however, let us see how some other people responded to the same invitation from Jesus Christ and, thus, established a lasting relationship with Him their whole lives, as the Holy Scriptures do also prove:
Matt.4.18 – “One day as Jesus was walking along the shore beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers–Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew–fishing with a net, for they were commercial fishermen .
Matt.4.19 – “Jesus called out to them, ‘Come, be my disciples, and I will show you how to fish for people!’ .
Matt.4.20 – And they left their nets at once and went with him.
Matt.4.21 – A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, mending their nets. And he called them to come, too.
Matt.4.22 – They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.” (NLT).

The prompt responses of those busy fishermen must be commended! I can only imagine what responses Jesus Christ would have gotten if he had done that in our time with some busy sales clerk or an ambitious chief executive officer: they’d have told him that they were busy at work. Some may have even walk Him out of their office.
In case you are thinking that Peter and the two sons of Zebedee were some simple folks who could simply dispense with their jobs and follow a man that they had hardly known, I want to invite you to consider the next account also.
Matt.9.9 – “As Jesus was going down the road, he saw Matthew sitting at his tax-collection booth. “Come, be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him. “
We see the same response above with Matthew who’s obviously an educated busy civil servant. So, what’s the catch here? What made the difference between those who responded favourably and those who did not? Priority!
What worked for Peter, James and John is what still works today for anyone who puts God’s interest above their own, and what didn’t work for those other two persons is still what doesnt work today for anyone with excuses.
There’s hardly any acceptable excuses for refusing God’s invitation to walk with Him, no matter how well thought out they may seem. Matthew 22:1-5; 19:16-22; Proverbs 1:20-33.
If our interest in ensuring that we daily walk with Jesus Christ matches our desire to make it to heaven at last, we would definitely experience a meaningful progress in our relationship with Him.I

2. Be Consistent Even When Others Are Not.
   John 6:66-69; 2 Timothy 4:1-5; Matthew 24:10-13; 2 Peter 2:1-2; Romans 8:35-39.
   ” John.12.26 – “All those who want to be my disciples must come and follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And if they follow me, the Father will honor them. “ (NLT)
   Some people get discouraged in their walk with Jesus Christ somewhere along the line because of the attitude of someone else. However, the real test of our love for God and commitment to continue walking with Him lies in not quitting at all, no matter whoever else does, and for whatever reason! The race to heaven is a personal one, and it must be treated as such by all true Christians. To quit serving God because some prominent Christian figure had back-slided and brought shame to the body of Christ is simply a convenient excuse which some uninterested people usually give for relapsing back into the world of sin. Interestingly, though, we do not see this same scenario playing out in the secular society! Where have we seen anyone quitting a lucrative job because of the inefficiency of a colleague? Where have we seen corporate organizations folding up because of the incompetence of their competitors? Of course they do not, for the simple reason that they have their own interests to protect, just as any Christian should not quit walking with Jesus Christ because they have their soul’s interest to protect.
   If we can’t sacrifice a temporal vocation over the misdeeds of another person, shouldn’t we hold tight to the gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus, even when others around us have betrayed the Christian faith, thus proving themselves unworthy of eternal life? Yes, we should!
   If the fall of any corporate entity becomes a rallying call for other competing entities to safeguard against the same fate, why shouldn’t we translate this common sense into a spiritual reality? By default this should be the saved soul’s trajectory, unless they have lost interest in continuing their daily walk with Jesus Christ. John.6.66 – “At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him.
   John.6.67 – Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you going to leave, too?”
   John.6.68 – Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You alone have the words that give eternal life.” (NLT) As faith is validated by the works it produces, so does consistency in our walk with Jesus Christ validates our love for Him. The true test of our relationship with God lies in our consistent walk with Him, come what may. This is the point of separation between the Christian who knows what they want, who know whom to believe in and who know where they’re headed for, as against the one who’s just observing a religious obligation because they want to belong with the crowd. John.8.31 – “Jesus said to the people who believed in him, ‘You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings’ “. (NLT)

Consistency is the watch word for the victorious Christian.

3. Let God’s Love Be Your Motivation For Walking With Jesus Christ .
   John 21:15-17; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 . Rom.8.35 – “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death?” It is amazing to know the extent to which humans ( even animals, too!) could go in proving that they are in love. Actually, in the romantic love vocabulary, there is hardly any thing like convenience or discouragement unless where the embers of true love were never kindled. Song.8.7 – “Many waters cannot quench love; neither can rivers drown it. If a man tried to buy love with everything he owned, his offer would be utterly despised.” (NLT)

It is no secret that God loves us so much, therefore His love for us should make us love Him, too.
If we could dare to fall in love with Jesus Christ just as we are naturally prone to fall in love with those with whom our hearts have bonded, we should no doubt arrive at heavens blissful city in holiness, when our time is ripe, without any worry of being rejected, because true love for God is the panacea for backsliding . Although it is clear from our human experiences that God created us with the capacity to love one another, the scriptures below prove that we could even love God more than anything or anyone else.
Matthew 10:37; 19:27-29.

Matt.19.29 – “And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will have eternal life.” (NLT)

Jesus Christ’s first disciples gave up so much for the sake of His call because their love for Him increased as they constantly walked with Him . Nothing fosters a closer relationship and an enduring love as a constant communication and fellowship. This is true in human relationship as it is in our spiritual ties with the Godhead.
We are each responsible for how our love for Jesus Christ fares because, after having loved us so much that He died for our redemption from sin and all it’s consequences, the burden of proof now lies in us to show that we can also love Him that much, too. The health of our love for God is vividly captured in the depth or shallowness of our fellowship with Him.
People in love do not often realise how much time they’d spent being in each other’s company, but, and that sadly, it is not always true of their fellowship with God. Love drives fellowship, and the quality of love is seen in the depth of fellowship. Anyone who truly loves God gives much attention and time to Him.
If Jesus Christ is not getting all the time and attention He needs with us, then something else ( or someone) must be getting it: a lover, a gadget or device, movies, job, friends, pleasure and all those stuff! We can hardly love the Lord and the world equally. One must be cherished above the other; who is it in your heart? Your priorities will prove who it is because characters don’t lie, and daily habits speak with astounding clarity!

Matt.6.24 – “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

If, however, you’re concerned about truly making Jesus Christ your companion in life’s journey each day, without any rival, then the following activities outlined below would be of much help in building that much needed trust, love and commitment to God that can make it possible.

1. A Dedicated Daily Prayer Life.
   Luke 18:1-7; 6:12; Colossians 4:2 . 1Thess.5.17 – “Keep on praying.
   1Thess.5.18 – No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
   A constant prayer life is necessary for the purpose of developing intimacy with God. Make it a habit to talk to God about everything going on in your life. Even when it is certain that He already knows about them, yet He’d prefer that you talk to Him about it so that His response will not seem to you to be a random occurrence. This will in turn help build your trust in Him.
   Ps.50.15 : “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” (NKJV)
2. A Disciplined Fast Schedule.
   Joel 1:14; 2:15-18; Jonah 3:5,10; Zachariah 8:18,19; Acts 13:1,12.
   When we talk about fasting some people can not help wondering if God wants us to go hungry before granting us audience. That’s by No means the case here! Fasting is not for His sake, but for ours. As humans who survive primarily on food and water, abstaining from them for some hours in order to honour God is considered a great sacrifice, and it lets us realise how important God is for whom we are making the sacrifice. On the other hand God sees our sacrifice and it pleases Him enough to want to bless us even more for giving up our life’s sustenance for His sake.
   The lengthier the fast, the greater the sacrifice, and so also the more solemn the cause seems to be for which we fast. And the more xconstant we fast, the more we get in tune with the Spiritual atmosphere of God’s presence.The combined effect of all this is a quiet, focused and reverent atmosphere which disconnects us from any thing sensual and, thus, allows for a deeper harmony with God in the Spirit, where we can see, hear and freely interact with Him.
3. A Continuous Study Of The Holy Bible.
   Joshua 1:8; Psalms 1:1-3; Deuteronomy 17:18,19; Psalms 119: 9-11; Acts 17:10, 11; John 5:39; 2 Timothy 2:15 .
   God places a high premium on obedience to His Word. It is necessary then that if we want to live in obedience to Him, we must know what His Word commands us to do.
   Josh.1.8: ” And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed . (MSB)

Knowing God’s will and doing it whole heartedly guarantees our continued relationship with Him.

4. A Sustained Practice Of Evangelism And Visitation.
   2 Timothy 4:1,2; Acts 8:4-8; 15:36; 2:44-47; 4:33; 20:17-24. 2Tim.4.1 – “And so I solemnly urge you before God and before Christ Jesus–who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom :
   2Tim.4.2 – Preach the word of God. Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. “

Sharing the good news of God’s Kingdom with others and inviting them to partake in God’s Grace and mercy, through Jesus Christ, for the salvation of their soul, is a great experience no true child of God should hesitate to embark on at any given opportunity.
The gospel is to be preached everywhere souls can be reached. Planned visits to hospitals, prisons and public parks, where we can share God’s word with those interested in knowing Jesus Christ, is a great opportunity to explore.
But the best place to begin our evangelism may be our home, among our family members.

In conclusion, I want to draw our attention to the one factor which can make all the four activities above possible to be carried out: it is love for God. Without the compelling love for God, we would see no reason to do any of them.

John.14.23 – “Jesus replied, “All those who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and live with them.
John.14.24 – Anyone who doesn’t love me will not do what I say. And remember, my words are not my own. This message is from the Father who sent me.”

God is love and His love for us is made manifest through His patience with our failings and the offer of full and free forgiveness for the sinner who returns to Him in repentance.
There are more than enough reasons for the coldest heart to love God unless they have made up their mind to not love Him. But , what about you? Do you love Him? If you do, then walk with Him wherever He leads you.

Like 13:22-30.

As the world rushes towards its inevitable end, people are still struggling to achieve their set goals and objectives while they can, with very few of them realising the gravity of what lies ahead at the end of their lives.
As humans we are guilty of this negligence: most of our time is invested in the struggle towards a physical and temporal survival even when we are aware that whatever we achieve in this life will eventually perish with use, age and other inevitable factors of earthly life. Consider the scripture passage below from the New Living Translation:

Luke.13.22 – Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he went, always pressing on toward Jerusalem.
Luke.13.23 – Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” He replied,
Luke.13.24 – ” The door to heaven is narrow. Work hard to get in, because many will try to enter,
Luke.13.25 – but when the head of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. Then you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Lord, open the door for us!’ But he will reply, ‘I do not know you .’
Luke.13.26 – You will say, ‘But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets .’
Luke.13.27 – And he will reply, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you. Go away, all you who do evil.’
Luke.13.28 – “And there will be great weeping and gnashing of teeth, for you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets within the Kingdom of God, but you will be thrown out.
Luke.13.29 – Then people will come from all over the world to take their places in the Kingdom of God. –
Luke.13.30 – And note this: Some who are despised now will be greatly honored then; and some who are greatly honored now will be despised then. “

Do we, like the man who asked Jesus Christ that question, ever take time off the mad rush to consider, even for a moment, the most important aspect of our lives, which is our relationship with God? It may not seem to matter now to someone that they need to have a relationship with God but, nevertheless, this fact will be questioned on the day God judges everyone who ever lived.
God’s word says in 2Cor.5.10 NLT “For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies. “

On that day of judgment every thing without eternal value, which we have laboured to achieved all our life time, will pale into insignificance. The only thing that will matter then will be our relationship with Jesus Christ, and how we have treated that relationship while we had time on our side.

Isa.55.6 NLT – “Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.
Isa.55.7 NLT – Let the people turn from their wicked deeds. Let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

At that time of judgment lost opportunities will be forever lost, and lost souls will have been irredeemably lost for eternity.
On that day the voice of the Saviour, Jesus Christ, that once tenderly called for repentance will sternly condemn the unrepentant sinner to eternal shame and damnation.

Luke.13.27 NLT – “And he will reply, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you. Go away, all you who do evil.’ “

From the text above, we can outline some salient points to ponder, namely:

1. Even in our daily struggles for survival, we can still make out time to talk to God in prayer, asking Him to help with the welfare and destiny of our soul. The irony, though, is that very few people care to do this while the majority carry on with their lives as if there is no day of reckoning with God; yet God’s word says in Eccl.11.9 -1 0 NLT:” Young man, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. So banish grief and pain, but remember that youth, with a whole life before it, still faces the threat of meaninglessness.”
2. Heaven is worth struggling for over and above any other temporal ambition we might have in this transient life. Wisdom, therefore, demands that we place more emphasis on, and dedicate more time to the things which have eternal value while we still can. Luke.13.24 says: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. (NKJV). How sad it is to know that many people today are needlessly suffering due to a misplaced priority! On the one hand there is Jesus Christ offering all the love, mercy and forgiveness mankind has ever wanted, while on the other there are people seeking it where it can never be found. The pursuit of worldly, Christ-less pleasure will lead many souls to hell fire. In the end of their temporal life on earth, many people will fall short of gaining admission into the Kingdom of heaven because of the combined effects of covetousness and greed for worldly things. Jesus Christ gives us the remedy for a balanced life when He says: Matt.6.31 – “So don’t worry about having enough food or drink or clothing.
   Matt. 6 .32- Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs,
   Matt.6.33 – and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.”

Anything else, which we expressly or inferentially consider to be of greater value to us than heaven, will ultimately lead the soul to eternal damnation because, as Jesus Christ says, “.. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.” Luke 16:15(NIV).

Unless our priorities are set right; unless we seek God above the world, we will keep diminishing our chances of ever going to heaven to be with Him forever. See also the following scriptures: 1Timothy 6:11-12; 2Chronicles 15:1-2; 2Timothy 2:11-12; Jeremiah 29:13 .

3. Our striving for the Kingdom of heaven must be sustained daily because God recognizes and rewards consistency. Those who are interested in just having a casual relationship with Him, only when the need for Him arises, will eventually fall out of favour with Him. Heb.10.38 NLT says : ” And a righteous person will live by faith. But I will have no pleasure in anyone who turns away.“

We must beware! Heaven loses those who lost their vision of heaven. Being a one-time friend of Jesus Christ is not the real deal – heaven recognizes and accepts only all-time friends! Jesus Christ warns us of this when He says:
Luke.13.26 – You will say, ‘But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets .’
Luke.13.27 – And he will reply, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you. Go away, all you who do evil.’
Read also the following references: Hebrews 3:14; Philippians 3:12-14; Revelation 2:1-5, 25-26.

In conclusion, let me once again stress the following:
Heaven is worth striving for; our vision for the Kingdom of God is worth maintaining, and our friendship with Jesus Christ is worth protecting at any cost to our lives because that is the guarantee that He will recognize us at that moment when His recognition will be most crucial to our final redemption, joy and eternal life in His heavenly Kingdom.

Have you ever wondered where today’s flurry of prophecies is coming from?
Do you know which ones are authentic and which ones are not?
I believe in prophecy, but only if it is a genuine, Bible-supported one; not the kind we hear of everywhere today, whose source is in serious doubt because it neither bears the signature of God’s Word nor a semblance of His Divine attributes.
By that statement I mean to say that when a prophecy crosses the boundary of what is acceptable to God and plunges into the filth and mire of carnal, worldly pursuits and unmoderated reasoning, then anyone who is acquainted with God’s word must question if God has given that prophecy at all. It is the same thing as rightly questioning the qualification of a doctor who fills the ears of a terminally ill patient with tales of the good life they can have if only they can walk off the hospital bed and groove in any of the many recreational parks and clubs in town, albeit that doctor has not done anything to help them get better: this is the same as what so many preachers/prophets are doing to their congregations today.
The book of Lamentations 2:14 beautifully captured this essence as follows:
“Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment. “

God’s word teaches that He does not esteem the pursuit of temporal worldly pleasure, in those who serve Him, above the soul’s eternal spiritual well-being, so any prophecy that seems to suggest that He does is, most likely, a false prophecy given by a false prophet.
Who, though, is a false Prophet and what’s a false prophecy? Again, a scriptural view will be more satisfying than a personal view: see Jeremiah 23:21 :

” I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. “
A prophet who runs an errand that is not of God and delivers a message that He has not given to them is a false Prophet with a false prophecy. We have a lot of them today and we know them by the kind of prophecies they give to the people who throng their programs.
This is what God’s word says about them in Jeremiah 23:32 :
” Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this person at all, saith the LORD. “

At a time when God is seriously concerned about the spiritual welfare of His people, we should be wary of any person whose so-called prophetic ministry is dedicated to declaring any other thing else: God is patient enough to have you in heaven first before He could lavish the riches, splendor and wealth of His kingdom on you without sparing any expense because it has been fully paid for when Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose again to prepare a place for you in heaven.

See John 14:1-3:
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. “

A false prophet would want you to believe that God is more interested in giving you the world than He is in giving you the kingdom of heaven: of course, they never say that word for word but, nevertheless, their actions and the fruit of their prophecies screams it to the highest heaven.
When a Prophet is always praying for you to get a visa to travel abroad to seek greener pastures or to win that lucrative contract, but would hardly engage you about your spiritual welfare and the progress of your walk with God, then you should naturally doubt his mandate as a true servant of God.
The mandate of Jesus Christ to His followers is simple:
” Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Matthew 28:19-20.

Of the many things which He commanded His disciples to teach the nations of the world to observe are these golden verses of the Holy Bible:
” Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? Or, What shall we drink? Or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. “
Matthew 6:31-33 .

Any prophet whose prophecy subverts this rule is evidently a false prophet who does not speak by the Spirit of God but by a deceiving spirit pretending to be from God.

1 Timothy 4:1-2 exposes them for whoever cares to take note of them and escape for their lives. It says:
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;”
Now you could never know the spirit behind any prophecy unless you use the Holy Bible as the yardstick for measuring their authenticity. In 1 John 4:1, God’s Word admonishes us to “”…believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”

The fact that any person seems to be giving accurate predictions or story-telling future events with precision doesn’t make them prophets of God because Satan and his kingdom have such skills too: they have data about most humans dating back to millennia of years, and they can also organize events ahead of time to make it seem as if their own anointed prophets have seen both into people’s past, present and future life.
Let me give a personal testimony which speaks to this truth:
As a young, innocent boy of around ten years old, at Enugu in eastern Nigeria, a Yoruba fetish priest, who was my neighbour at that time, had asked me to help interpret the proceedings of his oracle to a Hausa-speaking woman who didn’t understand English. From what I gathered during the interactions that ensued, she had asked for help for her toddler, who was of age but could not walk. He gave her some substances to rub on his knees and assured her he’d walk in no time at all. Then, before leaving, the woman asked him to tell her what would happen to her in the near future, to which the fetish priest plainly told her that she’d have a visitor in the days ahead and would be worried about how to entertain them, but suddenly help would come her way and she’d have what to entertain her visitor with.
Some days later the woman returned and he called me, once again, to help with the interpretation: sure enough, her boy had started walking, and that august visitor had also come, but she “miraculously” got what she needed to entertain them.
Was I surprised then? Yes of course!
Am I now anymore? Of course not!!
What makes the difference between then and now? The knowledge of God’s Word of course!!!
In those days the witch doctors were proud of their profession and clearly marked their shrines as a place for people to consult spirits for solutions to their problems. However, today, they are not so proud to be called those names any more because the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ has made that tradition and practice unpopular, so they, too, have learned to flow along with the popular Christian practises by transforming themselves, as God word puts it, “into angels of light.”
Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour had plainly told His followers in Matthew 7:15-17 to “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves .
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles, ?
Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.”

Any person who is possessed with demons, or anyone who works with familiar spirits, may stop you in the way or mark you out in a multitude and begin to tell you of things that only you are privy to: but do not begin to jubilate and begin to say, ” man of God it is true! it is true!! “, because accurate predictions do not make anyone a prophet: only God can ordain anyone to be His prophet through the operation of the Holy Spirit. See Jeremiah 1:4-5:
” Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”

God’s ordained prophets speak by His Holy Spirit and their works do not run contrary to the Word of God in the Holy Bible.
On the other hand false prophets show by their own works that they are not ordained by God because their prophecies do not reflect the mind of God, just as Micah 2:11 captures this essence when it says, “If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.”

Simply put, the scripture above is saying that a false Prophet will most likely prophecy to a person what they are actually willing or yearning to hear: he doesn’t really care if what he’s preaching is scripturally correct as long as the people under his influence like it.

The urgent call today is for extreme caution among God’s people: we must treat prophecy with the same delicate attention we employ when eating a bony fish so we do not get a bone stuck in our throat.

MAY WE NOT FALL PREY TO DEMONIC PROPHETS AND THEIR PROPHECIES IN JESUS’ NAME!!!

.

Friend, your temporal earthly life will come to an end one day and your eternal spiritual life will begin either with “a song in Heaven or a wail in hell”.
Mark those words carefully because they must come true, the one or the other!
Every soul has an inevitable appointment with God at a time of His own choice, and He’ll not be obliged to give anyone a notice to this effect. This message May be the only notice you get before your inevitable journey to eternity, so beware!!

In Ecclesiastes 8:11-13 we are reminded of how vain the unsaved human’s heart thinks and acts with reckless abandon to the realities of inevitable death and what must follow soon after:
” Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil .
Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:
But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God. “
The mind has a way of lying to itself and accepting it as truth, even when it knows it’s a lie! And, by this self inflicted tragedy, it becomes the architect of it’s own doom!

How can you say it shall be well with your soul when you know that your present life style contradicts the holiness which the Holy Bible preaches?
How can you claim that you are a child of God when nothing in your character can testify to it?
Where is the fear of God in your life when you habitually fall into sin and only feel a sense of remorse after the so called pleasure of that sin has long been consummated?
What will your honest answer be if someone were to ask if your present life style supports your ambition to be admitted to heaven at the end of your days? Will God joyfully accept you with a ” welcome thou faithful servant” embrace as you step into the threshold of eternity?

As the scriptures rightly say thousands of years ago in Proverbs 20:6 , so is it still true today that “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?”
We have learned to assure ourselves that God’s Grace will pull us through to heaven even when it is obvious to us that we still like the sins we occasionally or habitually commit: no, what we truly need is a genuine repentance! Grace does not wrestle a sinner to the ground, arm-twist them and forcibly take away from them the sin that they love to put up with, much against all good conscience!!
God clearly told Noah, MY SPIRIT SHALL NOT STRIVE WITH MAN .
Anyone who truly wants a new life will forsake their sins. It may be a hard fight but if they’re determined to win, God will give them the victory! However, that’s not the case within Christendom today; people want to overcome sin without any commitment on their part. They seem to hope that somehow God will take pity on them and give them victory: that’s the kind of grace we see people hoping God throws their way today. But if any grace works for you that way, then it’s not God’s own Grace but a denominational-manufactured grace that comes with a license to brazenly sin and still lay claim to salvation in Christ.

2 Corinthians 6:1: “We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.”

When a believer, after confession and repentance, does not take a proactive measure to forsake the sin that so easily entangles them, then they are subjecting God’s Grace to vanity!
The best way to overcome adultery and fornication is to run away from that sin partner whom you call your lover. The best way to avoid sin is to keep away from the things which promote its committal: bad movies and wild music, unholy entertainment and sexually provocative appearances must be avoided, otherwise Grace will not pull you out of that habitual sin: it simply does not work that way! You the sinner have a part to play!!
It is not for fancy that God’s Word prescribed the followings as the antidote to a life of rising from and falling into sin, namely:

🙏 Proverbs 28:13:
“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and FORSAKETH them shall have mercy. “

🙏 Hebrews 12:1:
“… let us LAY ASIDE every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us…”

🙏 Mark 9:43:
“And if thy hand offend thee, CUT IT OFF: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:”

For God’s Grace to work effectively for a repentant sinner, they have to FORSAKE sin, LAY ASIDE the sin partner, and CUT OFF all allegiance with them that could lead to sin again. Until this is prayerfully and sincerely done with all diligence, your journey to heaven will certainly be like a wild goose chase!
Friend, where are you headed for right now? Where is your present life destined to end? Is it heaven or hell?
Jesus Christ can help make the difference for you if you’re truly ready to forsake your sins and begin a new life with Him as your own Lord and personal Saviour.
God’s Word assures us of His love and saving grace for the repentant sinner in John 3:16-17 where it says:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. “
Will you not run to Him now in true repentance and be saved?
Do not hide under any excuses in order to continue in sin anymore! It will only confirm your desire for sin. A truly repentant sinner does not have any need to sin any more!

“He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8.

May you have the victory you deserve in Christ!
May Jesus Christ spoil every work of the devil in your life and set you free indeed!!

” And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24.

An Expose’ On John 14: 16-17.

Jesus Christ promised His disciples that He’d send them the Holy Spirit after His ascension to heaven to be with His Father, God Almighty. However, while the average Christian faithful generally thinks that the Holy Spirit, on His arrival, will automatically dwell in the Believer’s heart, a careful consideration of the Lord’s words show that the Holy Spirit will come to the Believer in two stages, depending on their response to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Let’s reproduce Jesus Christ’s words in John 14: 16-17 below and carefully dissect it and bring out the truth enshrined therein, which has eluded so many of God’s children and may also put to jeopardy their hope of going to heaven to be with Jesus Christ and His Father forever.

John 14:16-17:
” And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth WITH you, and shall be IN you. “

The two words, which are at the heart of this expose’, are WITH and IN. They are both prepositions.
Our Lord and Messiah, Jesus Christ, could have simply said that the Holy Spirit would be WITH the disciples or IN the disciples when He comes down to the earth from the Father, but He didn’t: rather He demonstrated clearly by those two words that the Holy Spirit would connect with them in both ways.
To better understand the context of that scripture, it will be necessary to explain those two prepositions, namely:

• With: indicates association, accompaniment, or instrumentality (e.g., “I’m going with him”)
• In: indicates location, direction, or involvement (e.g., “the book is in the bag”)

If you incorporate the dictionary meaning of those prepositions above into the words which Jesus Christ spoke in John 14:17, you will begin to understand how God actually meant the Holy Spirit to connect with His children. For instance, when Jesus Christ said that the Holy Spirit would be WITH His disciples, He simply meant that He would accompany or associate with them in their walk and work for God, with no regards to their personal virtues and/or level of commitment to God . This is more like a collaborative effort by two different persons on the same work. This preposition does not denote intimacy in the Believer’s association with the Holy Spirit; rather, it simply connotes a sense of duty. By this divine arrangement every born-again child of God is entitled to have the Holy Spirit with them in order to guide them in their walk and work with God, whether that walk or work is pleasing to God or not is immaterial to His presence with them as long as they have not renounced their allegiance to God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Another better way to explain this relationship is by using the last sentence Jesus Christ spoke in verse 17 of the scripture under review, which is as follows:
” … but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. “
Very clearly, Jesus Christ was telling them on the first half of the sentence that they had already experienced the Holy Spirit, and that in fact He was WITH them at that material time of His conversation with them: FOR HE DWELLETH WITH YOU meant that the Holy Spirit was already accompanying and/or associating with them like in the works they had earlier performed for God in the following instances below:
1.Luke 9:1-2:
“Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.
And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.”

2.Luke 10:1, 17 :
” After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.
And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.”

Let us, however, consider the second half of that sentence and see what it reveals.
The phrase AND SHALL BE IN YOU describes a future and more intimate and personal experience which none of Jesus Christ’s disciples had experienced at that material time that He was having the discussion with them.
Whereas their first experience of the Holy Spirit was as a result of their association with Jesus Christ, the second experience, which is deeper, was to be as a result of each person’s personal commitment to Him and the work which He had entrusted to them. In this second experience there was to be nothing like a blanket or corporate anointing of the Holy Spirit, as it was the case with their first experience: here each man was to experience Him on a personal basis because the Holy Spirit, when the time comes, was supposed to be IN them. This was the reason why in Luke 24:49 Jesus Christ strictly charged them as follows:
” And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. “

Are you wondering why I’m taking the pains to break down this scripture? I promise you that very soon you will see reason with me! As I’m writing under the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God I can tell you that much of what we have heard being taught to people in the local churches of Christendom is nothing but an adumbration of the real message of the Holy Bible on the person of the Holy Spirit and His connection with God’s children: whether this is due to careless ignorance or wickedness compromise, we must agree that the teaching on the person and ministry of the Holy Ghost in the church has not been properly handled by God’s ministers for a long time now, and the resultant effect is there for any concerned child of God to see! Some of them are as follows:

1. These days we often witness some noisy and rowdy sessions of praying in tongues with no accompanying power of the Holy Spirit. See 2 Timothy 3:5: “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

As a matter of fact, speaking in tongues nowadays has become a symbol of spiritual status, to some Christians, instead of the evidence of the Holy Ghost’s fullness and power. They flaunt it during prayer sessions as evidence of their spirituality, even when they are deeply aware that their lives are bereft of the Holy Spirit’s presence and power! They cannot boldly declare with Prophet Micah and say:
“But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin. “ Micah 3:8.
No, they cannot bring sinners to conviction by virtue of their own personal lives because they’re not faithful in their walk with God; however, they would gladly put up an outward show of spirituality to make people think that they’re all aflame with the Holy Ghost fire and power. God is calling all such persons to repentance today!

2. Another disturbing observation are the powerless and unconvincing messages from the pulpits which leaves the congregation wondering why they came to church at all! A Holy Ghost-filled preacher’s message is bound to produce the opposite result! John 16:8 : “And when he (the Holy Spirit) is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ” 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 : “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
   That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”

Having said all that, I must also be quick to point out that a spiritually vibrant church is not always as a result of a spiritually disciplined and gifted Pastor, even though that is the basic requirement of God for all Ministers of the Gospel. Of course the, pulpit should exude the raw power of God at anytime and at any day, not necessarily because of the personal Spirit-filled life of the local preacher alone, but because of the truth which the whole church stands for and upholds consistently. If for any reason the preacher is not there to deliver, God, whose Word and truth the church consistently honours, should be there to show Himself strong and mighty on their behalf, irrespective of who takes the place of the preacher. This is so because the church’s spiritual success is not solely tied to her local Pastor’s life but to the presence of Jesus Christ our Lord who walks in the midst of His churches as Lord, head and defender, as we see vividly portrayed in Revelation 2:1.
The truth just revealed above, while heart-warming and relieving to the children of God who are genuinely concerned for the progress of the church in her battle against the gates of hell has, nevertheless, been misunderstood and relied upon by some compromised preachers as proof that God is still with them even when their errant lifestyle and character screams the very opposite!
When Jesus Christ said His Spirit would be WITH and IN His disciples ( the church), it was to ensure the continuity of His presence with His church in the following way:
The Holy Spirit, through God’s supreme command, is given to the church to be WITH her, while through His Grace and mercy He is gifted to live IN anyone who separates themselves from sin and all unrighteousness to serve God in true holiness.
So, if the Holy Spirit cannot live in anyone because they’re not holy, yet He must remain with them on the outside because He has a duty to guide and direct them as long as they have not renounced their faith and allegiance to God and His Son Jesus Christ. I will, sadly, explain to us how Satan has deceived some Christians to use this Grace as a license for continuing in their sins; however, when God visits their sins upon them, He will swiftly do so without any consultations with them, unless they repent at once!
No doubt, we must have seen God’s evident power manifesting in ministries where , by our own spiritual judgments, we think that it ought not to be seen. Let me share a personal experience to help explain this.
Some years ago, during a revival and deliverance church service, I was confronted with a situation where I needed the manifestation of God’s power to urgently handle the issue at hand, but I knew deep within me that I was not in tune with the Holy Spirit at that material time as I was ordinarily supposed to be. Actually I had carelessly sinned against God earlier on, and although I had asked Him for mercy, I was having a hard time regaining my spiritual composure again because the Holy Spirit was seriously grieved and that left me with an empty feeling in my heart.
This was what actually happened during that revival and deliverance service: while I was ministering, the devil suddenly attacked a child with a violent convulsion. His eye balls rolled and the pupils disappeared into the sockets and the child went limp and looked as though he was dead. The mother was hysterical and there was pandemonium around the section of the pew where this was happening.
As I have already said, I wasn’t feeling that much Spirit-filled since when the program began. As a result of this I simply lacked the spiritual boldness required to confront such a situation, so I began to pray silently for God’s help and then asked everyone to calm down as God was in control of the situation. Then they rushed with the child to the alter to meet me as I was already praying, trying to draw back the Spiritual strength I felt had left me. But as they approached the altar something remarkable happened: the power of God hit the mother of the child, as she approached me, and spun her around before she was quickly caught by others members. Luckily, a spirit -filled sister was the one holding the child otherwise she would have flung him into the air and , thus, worsen an already delicate situation. The power of God touched that limp child and he revived instantly. All of this didn’t last more than five minutes. Halleluyah!
Thereafter the revival and deliverance service went on joyfully with the assurance of God’s presence and power. But in the midst of all this I was greatly humbled. Some people may have thought that they saw a “powerful man of God” taking charge of the situation that day, but I know for sure that I saw a merciful God standing strong for His church at a time when His servant was vulnerable. And because I know the truth, I did not justify the sin I had earlier committed before that program by citing that spectacular display of power as an evidence of immunity for my carelessness. I knew that God was WITH me right there on that podium, though not necessarily IN me, and that He fought that battle to glorify His name and save that child.

Such things still happen with the ministers of God, but how many of them have rightly distinguished truth from error at the time of such happenings? I have heard some people say, in the defence of some manifestly compromised ministers of the gospel, that if God was not with them how could they do the mighty works and miracles that manifest in their programs!
Well, God knows better; but I also know God’s Word, that He could intervene in the church for His name’s sake alone!

“Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel. “
Ezekiel 36:32.

How often have God’s servants ridden loftily in the chariots of His own glory over a miracle that had nothing to do with their spirituality; either because they had fallen into sin or were lacking faith in God when it happened, and yet they didn’t humbly admit it but rather usurped that power and glory for their own gratification!
How often has arrogance and pride blinded some sinning Pastors or ordinary believers into thinking that because they still see the signs and wonders around them, then it must be that their sins are tolerable!

” And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Matthew 7:23.

Dear friend be warned that God’s Spirit can work WITH you and yet not necessarily be IN you.
Do I hear you question whether it makes any difference? But yes, of course, it does! God’s Kingdom is greater than any one person and His mission to get every willing sinner into it is so important that He will not abandon it because one man has sinned! God will move anything and anyone to glorify His name and His Kingdom even if it is just so that one soul could be saved. Yes, He would go to that length even if it means manifesting His power WITH some unlikely vessel with whom His Holy Spirit has no portion or dwelling place. The point is simple: God can use anyone to achieve His purpose, and that not because they’re necessarily worthy! God’s ministers must be careful with this attribute of God so that they do not ascribe God’s manifestation in their ministry to their holiness or worthiness!

“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell IN you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” Romans 8:9.

” Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
2 Timothy 2:19 .

God’s enduring love, patience and presence WITH the unworthy Christian is not intended to give them comfort in their unrighteousness, but to give them a beacon of hope that He is still within reach of true communion with them if only they can amend their ways and return whole heartedly to Him.
Take, for instance, the case of the lukewarm and backslidden Laodicean church in the book of Revelation 3:14-22 ; although Jesus Christ the head of that church could no longer be IN the midst of them because of their terrible spiritual state, yet He was still WITH them from without, asking to be let in once again provided they were willing to repent.

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come IN to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20.

In conclusion, let me do a recap of the main issues of this expose’, which are:

1. God’s Holy Spirit is sent to be WITH anyone who accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and personal Saviour.
2. If they live a consistent life worthy of God’s own standard of truth, righteousness and holiness then His Holy Spirit will live IN them.
3. Having the Holy Spirit of God living IN His children is the ultimate purpose of God for sending Him to them as He is the seal of their final redemption.
   Ephesians 4:30: “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
4. That the proof that anyone belongs to God is seen in the evident manifestation of the character ( fruit) of the Holy Spirit IN their life. Galatians 5:22-24:
   “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
   Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
   And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”
5. That the absence of these fruit/character of the Holy Spirit in the life of anyone is sufficient to conclude that they do not belong to God Almighty, the fact notwithstanding that they could perform some signs and miracles because of the presence of the Holy Spirit WITH them.
   Matthew 7:22-23:
   ” Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works?
   And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Romans 8:9:
   “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell IN you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
6. The ultimate goal of every child of God should be to have the Holy Spirit live IN them by completely surrendering their lives to God in truthful, righteous and holy living. MAY ALMIGHTY GOD GRANT THE READER THE GRACE TO THIRST AND HUNGER FOR A GENUINE EXPERIENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, IN JESUS CHRIST’S MIGHTY NAME

2 Corinthians 5:17:
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

What does it mean to be in Christ?
What does it feel like to be in Christ?
What are the identifying marks of the life that’s immersed in Christ?

Marilyn Baker sang:

Jesus, you’re changing me
By your Spirit you’re making me like you
Jesus, you’re transforming me
That your loveliness may be seen in all I do

You’re the Potter and I am the clay
Help me to be willing to let you have your way

Jesus, you’re transforming me
As I let you reign supreme within my heart

I think the ageless lyrics above capture the very essence of being in Christ; it is to have Him living in us and reconstructing our broken lives back to what it was meant to be from the beginning before it was marred by unbelief and sin.
So many people have trusted in religious piety and/or rigorous spiritual discipline to help them experience harmony with God, but to no avail because spiritual redemption is far beyond the ability of a mortal being. The only One who can restore the lost soul of man to its original glory and, thus, reconcile man to Himself again, must be the only One who has the blue print of the soul’s original design. GOD IS THAT ONLY ONE!
He is willing to restore the lost soul back to harmonious fellowship with Him again as it was from the beginning before the fall of man.
However, the last stanza of the lyric holds a very important truth that is fundamental to this transforming work of grace in the heart of anyone who believes in and submits to Jesus Christ. It says:

Jesus, you’re transforming me
As I let you reign supreme within my heart

What a great revelation!
God can do nothing to help the unyielded heart to achieve the newness of life He wished for them because they’ve not granted access to Him to work on them. God is a gentle Man who never barges into the heart that’s unwelcoming to Him; this is where the seeker must take charge for themselves and decide whether they want Him to come in or not. In Revelation 3:20 Jesus Christ says: ” Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears me and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with me. “

This is a great opportunity for anyone who’s interested in beginning a new relationship, or reviving a dying one, with Jesus Christ.

So many people have expressed their frustration at not being able to live the Christian life. Some have almost accused God for giving up on them because they are still unsaved after so many unfruitful efforts at getting reconciled with GOD.
To all such person’s, the last stanza of the song admonishes them to surrender their lives to Jesus Christ completely!
TO LET HIM REIGN SUPREME WITHIN THEIR HEARTS.
They must be willing to trust Him completely with their lives, without holding back on anything.
This is where sincerity and trust is advised because with God you’re not dealing with someone from whom you could hide anything; in fact Hebrews 4:13 say this of Him:
“Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. “

Your sincerity is under test ! Whenever anyone approaches God for forgiveness, and reconciliation with Him, He is able to know if they’re truly sorry for, and are done, with their sinful living. He can see right through into their hearts so that if they’re truly ready, then He can begin His transformation work in their life at once!
However, some unfortunate folks who do not understand this would attempt to take Him on a hide and seek frolic, trying to keep one sin or the other unforsaken, though confessed, (and that to their own disadvantage!) until the grace extended to them is exhausted in vain and they fly away at death to face the horror of a Christ-less eternity.

Jonah 2:8: “They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.”

There’s hardly anyone willing to surrender and forsake all their allegiances to sin, and ungodly practices, who will not at once experience God’s forgiveness and a life changing transformation. However, the onus has always been on the sinner to prove that they are ready for God’s salvation, by genuinely repenting of and forsaking their sins; but as for God He is already ready!

2 Corinthians 6:2 : (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation .)

Will you dare to submit your heart wholy to Jesus Christ and be saved?
I can assure you that He’s already waiting; He’s just a prayer away!

Broadly speaking, current statistics show that between 80% – 85% of the world’s Population ( 6.56 – 6.97 billion people) identified with a religion, while between 15% – 20% (1.23 – 1.64 billion people) do not.

While it is difficult to give an accurate statistics of those who are sincere with their religious beliefs, it is nevertheless safe to opine that, given the zeal and fervor with which most people pursue their religious duties, the majority of them are. But whether it is the majority who are or not, sincerity itself is not the actual thing to hold on to when we want a strong assurance of God’s acceptance of our devotions to Him. This is true because sincerity of purpose is not the sole litmus test for ascertaining the rightness of any purpose. To put this in perspective: a person can pursue a wrong cause with all sincerity without realising their error until they’re proven wrong by some cogent and verifiable means.
When you look at the religious landscape of the world, you see so much in the activities of most people that show how sincere they are with their beliefs. In fact, most people believe in their religion more than in any other thing they know or do: just consider some of the things that people do or abstain from doing because of their religious beliefs and you’ll understand how deeply and sincerely convinced they are about the rightness of their beliefs.

I remember an incident very many years ago when I was just about ten or eleven years of age: it was on a Good Friday, prior to Easter Sunday, and a much older family friend had taken me to their home. He was a Muslim, so he didn’t understand the significance of that day to me, and I on my part had momentarily forgotten that as a catholic ( at that time), I was not supposed to eat meat on that day. So I was entertained lavishly with some Hausa traditional cuisine garnished with ram meat, which was rare to come by in the eastern part of Nigeria where we both lived at that time.
Honestly, I enjoyed myself and thought it was a good meal until the thought suddenly struck me that I wasn’t supposed to eat meat that day.
My parents had brought me up as a devout Catholic, so it was to be understood why the realization of what I had just done eating that food brought so much fear and sorrow to me.
I thought I had failed God. Even worse, I thought I had actually eaten the flesh of Jesus Christ because that was the tactic used to keep children away from meat in those days: they said that anyone who ate meat on a Good Friday had actually eaten the body of Jesus Christ whose crucifixion and death is commemorated on such days.
Well, I caused a scene in that house when I came out of the room and forced my index finger down my throat in order to induce me to vomit the sumptuous meal I had just eaten.
My host and his mother came to my aid thinking I was in some kind of trouble, but after I had explained that I was fine but for the fact that I had eaten meat, which my religion forbade to be eaten on that day, they let me be.
I’m sure it was an embarrassment to them that I behaved that way after they had taken the pains to entertain me, but I equally felt embarrassed at myself because I thought that I had recklessly desecrated a religious ritual that was held in high esteem among Catholics at that time ( I do not know if they still observe it because I have ceased to be a Catholic for almost four decades now ).
The Muslims, the Hindus, the Judaists, and the faithful of some other religions equally have taboos peculiar to their ways of worshiping the deities in whom they believe, and the sincerity of purpose with which they carry out their piety leaves no one in doubt of their conviction that they are in the right way.
But is sincerity of purpose actually enough proof that God accepts us?
I do not think so.
Unless what we are sincere about is entrenched deeply in the truth of God’s Word in the Holy Bible, we might be sincerely mistaken about our beliefs.

The Gospel of John 8:32 says: “And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”

Taboos, dogmas, harams,, or whatever kind of restrictions which religion or tradition places on their adherents hold no value before God unless they reflect the truth of His Holy Word, and the only way to know that they do is by subjecting them to the highest and strictest rigours of Biblical verification devoid of bias and guided by honesty to God alone before Whom we either stand or fall, and to Whom we shall render an account of our attitude towards His commandments.

“I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;
That thou keep this commandment without spot, unreputable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:”
1 Timothy 6:13-14 .

We may have spiritual leaders whose duty is to guide us in the right way to worship and serve God, but we must always verify that their religious duties over us are strictly carried out in compliance with the Word of God because they are also imperfect humans just like us, and failure to hold them accountable for leading and teaching us strictly according to God’s Holy Word, the Holy Bible, will certainly be detrimental to our hope of living with God and Jesus Christ in heaven forever. To this end we must imbibe the wisdom of King David who wrote in Psalms 16:8 the following words which give us a great insight into the kind of relationship between him and God Almighty. He said:
” I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.”

In much the same way, we must set our focus on God through His Son Jesus Christ, and not on any man or woman, no matter their religious influence or charisma, as that is the only way we can be sure to remain unshaken in our faith.

The sincerity of our faith must be based on the truth of God’s Word which we know and practice; it should not be based on the lifestyle or personal conviction of a clergy who is a mere mortal person. No man is good enough to be the role model for God’s people unless they are strictly following in the footstep of Jesus Christ our Lord and personal Saviour, who we must all aspire to be like.

” Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. “
Hebrews 12:2.