Are you a crybaby?

Friends,

The world tells us that crying is a sign of weakness. We are told to "keep a stiff upper lip." We are told to "be brave." We are told, "There's no crying in baseball!" And even though that last one comes from a classically funny scene in an enduringly enjoyable film (A League of Their Own), it is a lie.

Psalm 12:5 [NKJV]
"For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy,
Now I will arise," says the LORD;
"I will set him in the safety for which he yearns."

In this verse, "sighing" is translated from the Hebrew word ànaqah which also means "crying" or "groaning." And in understanding this word, we find the key to this verse. What action does the LORD take when He hears the cries of those who need Him? The latter portion of verse 5 tells us that our God will rise up and move them into a place of safety and protection.

Brothers and sisters, it is time that we finally realize that we truly need God in every situation. We must ignore the training we received that pushes us to be tough and self-reliant. We must stop trying to stand on our own two feet. We must fall to our two knees instead. We must cry out to the LORD. It means having the courage to appear vulnerable. It is the path that leads to strength... His strength. He will arise and bring us to Himself, where no one and no thing can touch us.

Be encouraged,
Jose

Arresting the arrester

So it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, who cried out against the altar in Bethel, that he stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Arrest him!” Then his hand, which he stretched out toward him, withered, so that he could not pull it back to himself.
1 Kings 13:4 (NKJV)

The man of God had cried fervently unto the Lord against the altar in Bethel. He spoke with power and authority because he was in the will of Him that sent Him. When in His will, we are bold, fearless and carry His presence and power. The King in his power attempted the familiar, but got a more than he expected. In His will, you are Powerful to the point that....

No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the LORD.
Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV)

For as long as we stay and not deviate, compromise or default from His will, then we are more than conquerors as no weapon, device, scheme nor plan of the adversary will be of any effect on us. Instead the arrester will always be arrested on our behalf. This is part of our heritage as God's children.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

He Is Risen, Indeed

He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. Matthew 28:6 [KJV]

As we have celebrated the resurrection of Christ, we know that He is risen. He became the sacrifice for us. He showed Himself to the women that came to the tomb, the disciples that He left behind, and the two men walking along the road. After their encounter with the risen saviour, they each could say the title without doubt. How about each of us, can we look back on our encounter with the risen Christ and say with confidence that He has risen indeed, or are we still relying on another person's account. Christ is indeed alive and waiting to have an encounter with you if you have not had one yet. He truly has risen and is alive today. He was not found in the tomb and no matter how much the guards were paid to start a rumor about Christ being stolen, the fact is that God raised Him from the dead so that we may have life and have it more abundantly.

He is risen indeed,


Martin

Not a Fairy Tale

Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.
Luke 24:9-11 (NKJV)

In the lead up to the crucifixion of our Lord, the pain and agony of rejection had set in, the faithfuls had to hide themselves from the scorn, ridicule and anger of the people. Things even got bad to the point of being a life threatening situation. After the crucifixion, morale was at its lowest, hopelessness was written over the faithfuls until the women came back from the tomb with a vibrant spirit. Peter and the disciples not believing sought to clarify things his own way, his return was with a vibrant and quickened spirit too. At His ascension (Luke 14:52), the disciples returned to Jerusalem with great joy with worship of the Lord.

Whatever your anguish, pain, challenges and difficulties that bring you close to depression, discouragement, despondency and hopelessness, the good news of His resurrection will quicken every feeble aspect of our lives for the good news isn't a fairy tale or an idle tale, it is 'real and life changing'. May the power and spirit of Christ's resurrection continue to be at work in our lives.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

No tolerance for sin

Friends,

Many countries have taken remarkable and regrettable steps in the name of "tolerance." Unfortunately, many Christians have followed right along. The body has become tolerant of all manner of sin, excusing it, condoning it, and sometimes even encouraging it. We tread on dangerous ground, though:

And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD , according to all that his father Amaziah had done, except that the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. Then the LORD struck the king, so that he was a leper until the day of his death; so he dwelt in an isolated house. And Jotham the king’s son was over the royal house, judging the people of the land.
2 Kings 15:3-5 (NKJV)

Here is a leader who -- as an individual -- obeyed the LORD with gladness and enthusiasm. But because he lacked the courage to confront sin in his country, he personally paid a steep price. A price that included disease, isolation and the loss of his rightful place as ruler.

Sisters and brothers, what sin are you tolerating in your household?
Pastors, what sins are being committed before your very eyes, with your tacit -- or even explicit -- approval?

The Father is longsuffing, but He will make His displeasure known. Do we really want to flirt with God's anger? Instead, let us throw off the chains of tolerance. Let us have the courage needed to boldly and wisely shine the light of God's word on sin. And we will enjoy the blessing of the Father.

Be brave and encouraged,
Jose

Still speaking today

Friends,

There will be many services today that seek to draw attention to the so-called final sayings of Christ Jesus. And while they will certainly point to verses like Matthew 27:45 and Luke 23:45 as the final utterances of Jesus' earthly ministry, they are not His last words. Indeed, what about when He spoke to two disciples on the Emmaeus Road, or to Saul on the road to Damascus? The Bible tells us that it was Jesus Himself doing the talking... all the way through the Revelation.

What are we to make of this, brothers and sisters? We are to conclude that Christ speaks today, and that He will speak tomorrow, as well. Therefore we must not close our ears to His voice. We must actively and diligently study His word so that we know what He says. And so that we can recognize Him when He calls us to obey.

Be encouraged,
Jose

Christ's example

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:1-2 (NKJV)

The world was overtaken by trespass and condemned to judgment, but our Lord through His infinite grace and mercies bore our burdens and paid the penalty on our behalf at great price. He personally displayed the law of love, giving Himself as a ransom that we may get another chance at eternal life. As we remember and celebrate Easter, let us remember the importance and the fulfillment of the law of Christ in our daily lives. Bearing one another's burdens, being our brother and sister's keeper and loving our neighbors as ourselves. It is the Christ's example. He died for this for our sake. To do otherwise will be cheer hypocrisy.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus
Philippians 2:5 (NKJV)

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

The Public is Wrong

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isaiah 53:3-5 [KJV]

Christ was to suffer for us. At the time, the public opinion was wrong. But because of the crowd mentality, the mode was set for someone to die. Christ was willing to step into history and take the punishment for our sins. We missed the mark and have acted wrongly, performed terribly and treated other badly. But for all the wrong that we have done, He stood in the GAP to take our rightful punishment. Christ did this out of love. Not to be successful in man's eye, but to complete God's mission for Him on earth. God gives us all a mission and we are responsible for getting the job done. As we tell our children, God has something for each of us to do and we need to get to the business of completing our work down here. So, let's get to work and ignore the public opinion, because often, the public is wrong.

Be Encouraged,

Martin

Hakuna Matata mindset

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 14:27 (NKJV)

The legitimate cares and concerns of the world will take its toll. Our five senses will be inundated with sounds and images that capture and control them with the goal of manipulating us for pre-defined worldly goals... capable of detaching us away from our Creator. While the events of life will be real, our relationship with our faithful God must never sag. We must not succumb to fright or fear, rather we must perfect the laying on green pastures and calmness like in still waters in the midst of lives hustle and bustle. The Lord said this with clarity, so when it gets hot, rough and tumbling, our inner peace must be firm and stable.

Like our Swahili brothers and sisters will say Hakuna Matata!!! This 'no worries' mindset is a must for every believer. Our God is faithful.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

The Lord's testimony

Friends,

On Friday, we considered the unfortunate habit that men have of putting God on trial. We do it without thinking... and it puts us in alignment with an enemy that has been accusing God since the beginning of history. And as horrendous an act as that is, God is long-suffering. Here is His response to the Israelites' accusations that God had freed them from slavery only to let them die in the desert:

And the LORD said to Moses, "Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." Exodus 17:5-6 (NKJV)

The LORD had every right to impose severe chastisement upon the people for their insolence and unfaithfulness. But our Father is patient beyond imagination. And He gently demonstrates... yet again... that He is as faithful as they are unfaithful.

Brothers and sisters, how many times have we come before the LORD with a clenched fist and an angry demand for explanation?
How often do we question His wisdom?
How frequently have we forgotten all that He has done for us?

And through all of that, He responds with loving, gentle teaching and admonition. That is the God that we serve. He chooses to love us and to call us His own. We are wholly undeserving of such a privilege, and we prove it every day. Nevertheless, His love endures. His patience endures.

And His mercy is forever.

Be encouraged,
Jose

Putting God on trial

Friends,

How often have we enthusiastically followed God away from a hardship, rejoicing in the good times, only to turn on Him as soon things got difficult? This is a common theme in the history of God's people. The Israelites had witnessed the defeat of Pharaoh's army. Their bellies were full of manna and quail. And when water was running short, they cast angry eyes upward and said...

"Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?" Exodus 17:3b [NKJV]

They had forgotten the great mercy and deliverance that God had given them. They came to expect miracles as though they were something that God owed them. They chose to think only about what they lacked, and not about what they possessed.

Sound familiar?

If you find that you recognize yourself in these words, then there is only thing to do: Repent.

A truly repentant heart will find favor with the Lord. He is faithful to forgive. And that feeling of lack will be replaced with the true peace of contentment.

Be encouraged,
Jose

State of the inner man

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:14-19 (NKJV)

Apostle Paul in the above scripture emphasized the importance of having strength in the inner man and the need for us to have the dwelling of the Lord Jesus Christ in our hearts through faith. In the preceding verses of these text, Paul talked of the challenges, tribulations that a believer will no doubt have to contend with. Our Lord Jesus Christ also set realistic expectations to everyone that will follow Him - "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world". John 16:33. How do we overcome the world in a sea of challenges and hostile influences? The inner man must be strengthened, bold and unfazed and able to navigate through life's hurdles. This will only be possible with the inner man strengthened by the Holy Spirit.

What is the state of your inner man? How you respond to the world around you gives you its true state. In all things, it must be guarded, protected and strengthened through the Holy Spirit in us.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Changing Tides

And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way. And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. Mark 11:8-10 [KJV]

When Christ came into town being celebrated as the conquering hero, there was a high time for the people. Not long after, they were in the streets chanting "crucify Him!, crucify Him!". So much for public opinion, huh. As we have all lived, we have seen people rise and fall and rise in popularity. The public memory is fleeting. We need to trust the principles behind the person and not just the show.

We have learned that we will all be known by the fruit we bear and we will be called out if we are just a show like the fig tree later in this passage. Christ did not let this celebration be the defining moment, because He knew that the cross was still before Him. Don't let the quick celebration of now get in the way of the ultimate goal. Remember that the tides of change come quickly and our goal is to be always ready like the 5 wise virgins waiting on the bridgegroom.

Be Encouraged,


Martin

The Real Owner

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV)

It is not impossible or rather, one can safely say that most always forget who the owner of our physical vessel is. While the fight for freedom is okay, and acceptable in a free world. Freedom and its wise use and application to daily living is the real deal here. In the beginning, there was freedom of choice. The dumb or wrong choice brought the entire human race eternal calamity and condemnation, until we were re-possessed and purchased again at a 'price'. Having been repurchased by our original Creator, we must operate in the consciousness that we belong to our Maker and cannot operate life's business and walk as usual.

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
1 Corinthians 6:12 (NKJV)

Our freedom must be channeled to glorifying our Maker in our body and spirit. This must be visible in our walk, actions, deeds, and talk because the life we live is not just about us, but about Him who graciously and mercifully bought us with His love for Himself. Today and as always, we must remember who the owner is, use freedom wisely and continue to give Him all glory always.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Cut fear down to size

Friends,

Recently, a preacher described fear as a distortion of faith in that fear stems from the belief that something can hurt you. For example, the fear of a cobra is based on the belief that the cobra can cause an injury. Men who handle such animals have replaced that belief with the confidence that they can control the snake. It is an interesting notion, and if one logically extends it, one can readily understand the unsaved man's fear of death, for death means facing the final judgment before a perfect and holy God.

God's chosen people, on the other hand, have no reason to fear death, for Christ has defeated it. Just as the snake-handler is confident in his ability to have command over the cobra, the believer has confidence in Christ's dominion over death. In his letter to the church at Corinth, Paul confirms this foundational truth:

So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."
1 Corinthians 15:54 [NKJV]

Sisters and brothers, the enemy has all sorts of ways to instill and encourage fear and anxiety. At seemingly every turn, he threatens us with death at the hands of criminals, terrorists, disease and even toys. But we have the ultimate defense against such tactics. We are clothed in Christ, fully wrapped up in Him. And as He has defeated death, we join in that victory. While our bodies will surely die, our spirit cannot be injured! And because death has no power to injure us, we have nothing to fear.

Be encouraged,
Jose

Resist sin

Friends,

No man is immune from the temptation of sin. And perhaps no type of sin causes as much inner confusion as those that presume upon God's mercy, grace and forgiveness. Responding to the Lord as One who is mean, vindictive and resentful is a horrendous act of ignorance. It demonstrates a complete lack of knowledge of who God really is, and of His true character. At the same time, acting as though the Lord is a pushover also reveals that the man does not know the One True God. This is not a new issue, as David - the one after God's own heart - wrote about it thousands of years ago:

Psalm 19:13 [NKJV]
Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;
Let them not have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
And I shall be innocent of great transgression.

The key is repentance. Christ's act on Calvary is completely sufficient to pay the fair price for every one of our sins. Yet it does not give us liberty to sin without regard for what our disobedience means. We cannot ignore the price that Jesus paid on our behalf. To do so would be presumptuous.

And at the same time, we must know - down in the depths of our soul - that we who are believers are forgiven. That our faith has made us fit to be in God's presence forever.

Be encouraged,
Jose

Liberty to make a difference

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!
Galatians 5:13-15 (NKJV)

Through grace and the mercies of a Loving God, we have been given another chance, snatched from the jaws of perdition, condemnation and of death to a place of renewal. Renewal for what? you would ask... Yes a place to make a difference, a place to press towards all righteousness, a place to reveal the same grace and love He bestowed on us, a place to be the light and the salt of the world, a place to seize every opportunity to shape and influence for the Kingdom. To use this freely given but most costly liberty to glorify our carnal or selfish desires is to diminish and make little of the supreme price paid on our behalf.

After the Son have set us free, let us press on even in our imperfect nature and be guided by the 'love thy neighbor as thy self' principle. Love unfeigned, protecting and guarding the interest of our folks will bury the instruments of division that we or the adversary always use to weaken the strength in our sense of community. Our liberty obtained must translate into good works for the Kingdom.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Are you listening?

But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.
Proverbs 1:33 (NKJV)

The book of Proverbs gives us a clear and simple path to success and firm security. The wisdom is simply to listen to the Lord our God. He relates to us in different ways. Some see His messages, some hear it, to some, He inscribes divine direction and instructions in our hearts. But the world knows this and are constantly surrounding and inundating us with the trivial and unimportant many with sole aim of distracting us from the quite and steady whispers of the Holy Spirit.

Even in the midst of the chaos, confusion and noise, the one way to be secure and be without fear of evil is to listen to the Almighty God. We we do, then will we be able to lie down in green pastures, make it through the still waters, enjoy continuous and constant soul refreshment and nourishment and above all live fear-free lives even when the world shifts to panic and frightful mode. The key is - we must listen to Him no matter what. Are your listening?

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

The Replacements

Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
John 4:16-18 [KJV]

I heard a preacher recently refer to this part of the story of the Samaritan woman at the well as finding out what our replacements are in life. I thought that was interesting and would share that with you. This sermon coincided with a show that my children like to watch called "The Replacements". The premise is that if you have someone in your life that does not act the way you want, you can call to get a replacement for them. Do we do that with God today?

I came to realize later, how true that is for all of us. We have something that we may use in place of God so that we end up missing the mission. Let us name the things that we use to replace God, career, alcohol, family, spouse, children, .....

As we look at where those things rank in our life, we know that Christ will eventually call our allegiance into question. He will not stand by and let other created things replace Him as the Creator. He wants us to recognize our replacements and move them to the proper position in life so that we have Christ first. His position in our life is what gives us direction. Let's not replace the true GPS system with one that does not point in the right direction.

Be Encouraged,

Martin A. Rayner

The forgetten regular people

Friends,

For a long time, I have been very concerned about preaching that focuses exclusively on those with the most dire circumstances. They talk of the miracles of deliverance from drug addiction, prostitution, and all number of horrendous conditions. The Gospel, for these, is a message of hope in a hopeless situation. They can see the ugliness all around them, and following Christ means replacing despair with expectation and confidence.

But there is a larger problem, sisters and brothers. There are millions of men and women who don't see ugliness all around. Instead, they see a long and stable marriage; good kids growing into respected adults; earning a fair wage through hard but honest work. In short, while the drug addict realizes that he needs help, the regular Joe has no clue. And absent this recognition, he never turns to Jesus.

Mark 2:17 [NKJV]
When Jesus heard it, He said to them, Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.

No man will be convinced by rational argument that he has fallen short of the true standard of holiness. Only a miracle can cause him to be receptive. Only a miracle will soften the heart that hears and believes. For those that are God's chosen, this is the most amazing and wonderful gift: a heart that realizes that it needs a savior.

Be encouraged,
Jose