Eternal Light

Friends,

Even in the darkest of times, we can remain confident and expectant. We do so because we do not have to depend on created things for light.

The sun shall no longer be your light by day,
Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you;
But the LORD will be to you an everlasting light,
And your God your glory.
-- Isaiah 60:19

A seemingly endless string of commentators and prognosticators try to convince us that the world is in trouble. A careful student of scripture would not be surprised. But a believer has more than just the intellectual agreement with God's word. The believer knows that -- no matter what happens -- God is omnipotent and everlasting. The believer does not depend on the world for light and life. The believer depends on Christ Jesus... and His presence does not wax and wane with economic forecasts, election cycles, or the circumstances of war or peace.

Remember that God's promises are secure and dependable. He is faithful.

Be encouraged, Jose

Be Productive

Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.
Mark 11:12-14 (NKJV)

The Lord had been about the work of His kingdom and got to this place as they departed Bethany. He was attracted to the appearance of this Fig tree full of leaves and He approached it for fruit as he was hungry. Disappointingly, He found no fruit on it but leaves. Proverbially, the tree had the appearance of a productive creation but lacked the productive power and fruits thereof. A mandate that every child of God has. Nothing invokes the wrath of a merciful Lord than a fake, phony, dishonest, hypocrite.

If we are truly of the Kingdom, then we must be about our Father's business and have the fruits to show for it. Any branch that will not bear fruit and be productive will be pruned off so productive ones can thrive and flourish and be a blessing to our world. This will be done to cut short the deceit and lies of dishonest and phony unproductive branches. In the work of the Kingdom, everything works and is productive. Be productive in whatever you do and

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Double for your trouble

He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.”
Psalm 91:15-16 (NKJV)

The world will never be issue-free - scarcity, abundance, births, deaths, celebration, anguish, pain and pleasures and the like will continue to envelope the earth realm, but yet in all these things, The Lord assured us in John 16:33 "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". So to wish this 'mix of life' away is to live in denial of His word. However the main issue here is where we are and who we are aligned with when the going gets smooth and rough in life. When the boats of our life gets rocked vigorously, we can experience peace in a realistic and visibly disturbed world.

Rather than worry and panic and fret, in a storm, we praise and thank Him through it. Then we become a beacon and an instrument through which He shines to the world. Even in our trouble, He gives us double.... not only will He deliver us, He will also honor us. But wait there's more.... With Long life will He satisfy us and show us His salvation. This is our portion in Him.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

This has happened before

Friends,

In the US, we are starting to experience, in a very mild form, the persecution that our sisters and brothers live with around the world. This is exactly what Jesus told us would happen.

John 15:18-19
If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Hundreds of years before that, a psalm was written that tells us that this was happening even then.

Psalm 123:3-4
Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us!
For we are exceedingly filled with contempt.
Our soul is exceedingly filled
With the scorn of those who are at ease,
With the contempt of the proud.

The proud have looked upon believers with scorn for thousands of years... and they still do today. And we can be confident that it will continue, and likely get even worse. When it does, we can rejoice.

Rejoice?
For an increase in persecution?

It certainly isn't easy. Yet, we know that in experiencing that affliction, we are being molded into Christ's image... for we are sharing in what He experienced. And as the affliction increases, we know that the day of His returns grows closer.

Be encouraged, Jose

A dark day approaches

Friends,

I depart from the normal daily pattern to express a deep concern. Although not all Christians share this concern, I did not want another year to pass before calling out to my brothers and sisters.

The Friday upcoming is celebrated across the US and the globe in a multitude of ways. Many believers see the event as harmless fun. I disagree. Recognizing the potential danger, some have attempted to modify the practice by encouraging kids to dress up as apostles or other historical figures of Christianity. Some assemblies have decided to emphasize the most early attempts at modification such as "All Saints' Day."

The holiday, however, is deeply rooted in pagan beliefs and practices. None of the attempts by Christendom, no matter how noble they appear, to whitewash these roots will ever change that fact. As citizens of God's kingdom, we do not have to -- indeed we must not -- conform to the inadequacies of the earthly kingdom.

I urge you to join me and my family in simply ignoring the day. Treat it as though it were any other. Don't force the children to wait for a piece of candy -- give them some tonight. At first, I admit it was an uncomfortable position for my wife and I to take. But our children survived and so did we. We found that others respected our view and never pressured us to change. It is a bold step to take. But not so bold as the step Christ took to free us from the bondage to sin and sinful traditions.

Be encouraged,
Jose

Affliction Defense

Friends,

In this lifetime, we will find ourselves pushing up against the limits of lawful behavior. For some, this might mean reducing to mere nanoseconds the amount of time we are actually stopped at a stop sign before hitting the accelerator. For others, it could take the form of seeing how far we can push tax avoidance before it becomes tax evasion. In both cases, man's law keeps us from doing what we want, whether it is to get to our destination faster or to keep more of the money we have earned.

The other perspective on law is that it exists to protect the lawful. We are generally confident that we will not be gunned down at our desks because the law prohibits the boss from doing so. We expect the other driver will grant us the right-of-way because they have a stop sign -- and they had better stop, right?

The most mature view of the law is that enables us to fulfill our dreams and destiny. It not only protects us from the outlaws, but it even protects us from our own foolish tendencies. For example, in the US, the law requires that an employer withhold an appropriate amount from the employee's gross wages in order to pre-pay income taxes and other payroll taxes. This protects the worker from spending tax money that she is obligated to pay. She understands her true income and can behave accordingly.

This is the proper perspective for understanding God's law. He has written His law on our hearts in order that we would be free to obey Him.

Unless Your law had been my delight,
I would then have perished in my affliction.
-- Psalm 119:92 [NKJV]

Here the psalmist, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, understands and fully acknowledges that he depends on the law to protect him from affliction. But notice that he is not referring to affliction that comes from without... from his neighbors, the government, the boss or even the mother-in-law. Rather, he points to his own affliction. In other words, when he delights in God's law, he is protected from being distressed by his own sinful acts.

Here is the lesson for you and me, brothers and sisters.

Delight in the law of the Most High and Holy God
Your troubles will weaken

Be encouraged, Jose

Don't be Afraid

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9 (NKJV)

When the issues of life come to us in various ways and do seem to outnumber us, our heart and soul may wander here and there, throwing up ideas that do not even fit who we are in the Lord. The external picture, results and circumstances may give an image that’s cross opposite to our heart desires. His word for us today says – Stop entertaining doubt and fear.

For we walk by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV)

Remember who you are in the Lord. You must walk by faith and not by sight. So be not afraid when the images and results don’t line up with your vision. Because the Lord’s plan of good success, healing, recovery, restoration, peace and joy in the Holy ghost for you has not changed, you only need to remain still. Again, be not afraid, but….

Be Encouraged,

Afolabi

We Can Do It

And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved. And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. Mark 10:26-27 [KJV]

In the times that we are in, we look around at all the projections and wonder can we make it. I am here to tell you today that we can make it. We have one on our side that will not let us slide or miss. He can make the camel go through the eye of a needle. He can heal the sick and lame. He can stop hordes of menacing people from attacking. He can do it all.

That He is Christ, our saviour. We can make it through the tough economic times. We can make it through wars and rumors of wars. We can make it with prices soaring and incomes declining. We can make it when no one else is making it. Christ is our way out of impossible situations. He is able to carry us through.

As the apostles were with the comments about a rich man, we will have others astonished at how we are able to press on and give praise. We celebrate because we know that our main ally is the holder of the future and if we trust Him, we can make it through ANY SITUATION.

Be Encouraged,

Martin

Stay in His Presence

Do not cast me away from Your presence,And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Psalm 51:11 (NKJV)

The implications of a free and unrestrained lifestyle is nothing but destruction. Destruction that isn't sudden, but gradual and ultimately total. Safe but the special grace of God, none is qualified to be in His presence, but the Lord's mercy is from everlasting to everlasting upon the generation that fear Him and long to do His will. King David knew off hand the implications of operating out of the Lord's presence, the destructive consequences of a reprobate mind, so even after he had fallen short due to his own sin, he earnestly sought the Lord's mercies and cringed with great dread and fear of straying out of His presence completely and the thought of the Holy Spirit being absent from him was unbearable.

Like a man and woman after God's heart, we must never depart from His presence, His Holy Spirit must never take the back seat in our daily walk. To do otherwise is to tread on the path to nowhere and ultimate destruction. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, as many as are able to read your word today and call on your name, keep them in your presence and continually guide us in your power and love, Amen.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Making a choice

Friends,

Jesus told His closest friends...

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
-- John 15:16 [NKJV]

Jesus chose us for His reasons. He did so before time began. It wasn't because He thought we would be good followers. That would imply that we would have been good followers without Him.

Now that the Lord has chosen us, our part is to "go and bear fruit." In order to do so, we must search the scriptures, meditate on His law and obey it. We are not able to obey it perfectly, but His grace is sufficient to bring us to repentance and forgiveness. When we do this, we prove our love for Christ.

Be encouraged, Jose

Even in heat and drought... God is faithful

Friends,

The world is coming into a time where many may face hardship. None of us really knows how difficult it will be, or how long it will last. We know that tough times are nothing new. And as God's people, we may very well bear the brunt of persecution and affliction in the coming days.

So here is a word to contemplate, to hold fast to, to stand upon:

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
And whose hope is the LORD.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit."
-- Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NKJV)

The Bible describes droughts that devastated the land, lasting many years. Yet, no matter what, we can trust in the LORD to be faithful and to sustain us.

Be encouraged, Jose

Delight your Maker

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
Psalm 19:14 (NIV)

As we live the day out, we must operate in the consciousness of the knowledge of our main audience. We must never lose sight of the one we are performing for. Our thoughts (out of which comes the cares of life), our actions, our ways and indeed all we do must be seasoned, appealing and acceptable to our main audience - Our Lord our Maker. If any act or speech in our daily life will not please Him or bring glory to Him, then we should not be on that path. When we hide His word like this in our heart and this serves as our guide in our daily walk, it will be inevitable for such a person's steps not to be ordered by the Lord. When our steps are in sync with Him, He delights in our way and then can the words of our mouth and meditation of our heart be pleasing and acceptable in His sight.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way.
Psalm 37:23 (NKJV)

Let your heart make this the main pursuit in your life. You will never go wrong doing this.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Good Neighbors Can Be Great

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. Luke 10:33-34 [KJV]

How are you as a neighbor? Are you a good neighbor, a great neighbor, just a person who lives on the street or someone that can't wait to move? What would your reaction be to one of your neighbors struggling with some project outside? Think about what you would do and think about how you would feel if you were struggling and they were watching.

Good neighbors say "Hi" and wave when they are going past and they participate in the conversations that occur on the street, but great neighbors know that someone struggling with a project, problem, issue, etc. need some additional help, more than the way as we continue on our ways. The Samaritan was a great neighbor. He took compassion on the person with the problem and decided to step in and help out. He moved from just being a good neighbor that prayed for the victim to a great neighbor that prayed with him while he helped him through the troubled time.

Let's commit to being better neighbors than we are today, without being a busybody. If we see someone in need, let's commit to being a helper instead of a watcher.

Be Encouraged,

Martin

Let your light Shine

For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
Isaiah 60:2-3 (NKJV)

The word here speaks of darkness covering the earth and the 'deep darkness' the people. The present picture of our times and the continuous slide and decadence lends and gives more clarity to this living word. This is God's word spoken of things to come, but in this darkness is a unique role and opportunity cut out for us. In the coming and prevailing darkness, and reprobate regime, our light shall come forth and like the City set on a hill that cannot be hidden but for all to see and behold. As salt of the world, we must by the power of the Holy Spirit in us remain relevant both in and out of season.

Those that know Him not must see His nature, love and essence in us, for we carry His glory and presence with us. Our light must shine, His glory must manifest in us. We can't afford to miss our moment to showcase Him to the deep darkness of the people. Let your light shine for His glory.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Sanctification's source

Friends,

Sanctification is a process that takes us from the moment we acknowledge our salvation to the moment we breathe our final breath. How does it happen?

At the root of all sanctification is God's word. We must know His voice in order to mortify the flesh, in order to be different from the rest of the world, and in order to walk after the Spirit.

Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
John 17:17 - NKJV

By searching and studying the word of God, we grow to be conformed into the image of Christ. Be purposed to seek after His revelation, given through His everlasting Word.

Be encouraged, Jose

The measure of our words

Friends,

The next time you are about to let loose a subtle dig at your neighbor, stop.
If you are about to gain a laugh for yourself at the expense of the next to you, stop.
When you have the urge to react to the one who has insulted you with biting sarcasm, stop.

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
Ephesians 4:29 (NKJV)

Brothers and sisters, there is no room - none whatsoever - for destructive words in the Kingdom of God... and His kingdom is indeed at hand. There will be a silence that results from each one of us taking a moment to resist using words that tear down. And into that silence we can pour words that edify, that encourage, that strengthen, that comfort, that forgive, and that bless.

Be encouraged, Jose

All Things Working Together

Yesterday, I read about the comely parts of the body being necessary. That really struck a major cord with me. I am currently suffering through a physical issue where all my comely parts are not working properly. At the end of the day, I have a massive headache and am very tired. I realize that my body has to work much harder to care for the parts that are not functioning properly. We have all had some condition in our life where we have had to carry the weight of someone else not doing their job. It can be tiring and frustrating while we hope that everyone will eventually pull their weight.

And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked. That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. I Corinthians 12:23-25 [KJV]

When the body of Christ, which we are all a part, has non-working members, we all who are working have to work harder to compensate. We may have to work out of our zone in order to get the goals that Christ has accomplished. We need to remember that "many hands make light work". While that is not biblical, it does mean that if we all do the jobs (walking worthy in our vocation) that we are assigned, the Kingdom of God has a much larger reach than if we rely on someone else to do our part. So all people working together accomplishes the goal of spreading the Gospel further and more efficiently than just the one with everyone else watching.

Be Encouraged,


Martin

Get Busy with Purpose

He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. 5 As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes everything.
Ecclesiastes 11:4-5 (NKJV)

In the Kingdom of God, order is paramount. Everything works and produces for the higher purpose. There is no idle time to flaunt and waste. Situations, circumstances, conditions must never take away our focus on Him who is forever faithful. We must remain focus, unrelenting and committed to Kingdom causes, we must empty ourselves to furthering Kingdom causes as our strength and abilities permit for a time will come when these will be impossible. Unforeseen situations and conditions emerge that the God in some may manifest. Even the Lord stressed the need to get busy, purposeful and about Kingdom business.

I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.
John 9:4 (NKJV)

Inertia and inaction must never be an option, neither should we give in to stagnancy. Symbols of power, prominence as per the world's standard must not be our standard, but we must be driven by the word and focus on the One we work for. The Master was busy, active and purposeful, our own case can't be different.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Misplaced worship

Friends,

Dynamic speakers and charismatic leaders have a way of capturing our attention. The Lord raises someone up to be the focal point of an exciting event, and the people respond by placing great importance on their words and deeds. Rarely is this attention truly warranted, for what has happened is that the people have forgotten the first half of the previous sentence: "The Lord raises someone up..."

The ancient Israelites had this same habit, proving that mankind really hasn't changed much over the course of history. After 400 years of slavery, the Lord raised up an old sheep-herder to lead His people to freedom. After witnessing one supernatural wonder after another, the people came to reverence and respect Moses instead of the One who truly accomplished those feats.

Acts 7:39b-40
And in their hearts they turned back to Egypt, saying to Aaron, 'Make us gods to go before us; as for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' (NKJV)

The people made a conscience decision to believe that Moses was the one with miraculous power. As a consequence, they could not accept that the LORD had not left them, nor could they accept that it was the LORD who had brought about their victory over Egypt.

We know the rest of the story... that the Israelites fashioned a golden calf, started a "worship service" - complete with drinking and lasciviousness - and subsequently experienced a little taste of Almighty God's righteous wrath.

For our part, we're quite confident that such a thing could never happen in our Christian walk. But should we be? How often do we make a special effort to please or impress the pastor? How many of us take great pride in being friends or family with the preacher? Why do we get such satisfaction and gratification over our association with one who simply more well-known than a brother or sister that is sitting right beside us?

Remember, dear friends, that Christ did not tell us that whatsoever you do the greatest of these... He told us to focus our attention on the least of our brethren. To focus on a man's greatness or position is to worship the man. Instead, we must worship the One who created the man and who lifted that man to his current place... the One who saved that sinner.

Be encouraged, Jose

Squeaking wheels

Friends,

It is often said that the squeaky wheel gets the oil. And truly, when we here a strange noise in our automobile, we focus our maintenance efforts on that part. This kind of thing is really obvious in our governing style. The brash, noisy problems get the attention, while the fundamental problems of our culture expand unabated.

In his timeless address on the worthlessness of a life lived without Christ, King Solomon gives us wise counsel on this very habit.

Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard
Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools.
Ecclesiastes 9:17 (NKJV)

How many times will we, as a people, ignore these words?
How many times does their truthfulness need to be proven until they are heeded?

Our Lord does not often blast His voice. Rather, He speaks in the quiet of our conscience and in the everlasting words of Scripture. Knowing this gives us an advantage, because it prompts us to ignore the tumult and chaos around us. Instead, let us focus on Christ, our Lord and Savior. We will then hear the words of the wise, leading us to peace in His presence.

Be encouraged, Jose

Look up

I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2 (NKJV)

When you hit crossroads, or are at dire situations, never forget to look up. When you run out of ideas and can't seem to comprehend the grasp of things in your life, ministry, business, family, studies, etc. look to a source that gives eternal peace and comfort through all lives situations. King David, a man who ruled over a nation, had abundant resources at his disposal, an army of battalion and battle ready troops, etc but yet had needs that required fulfilling. He simply looked up to heaven for 'real and lasting' help for that is where that comes from.

What is the situation you are going through? Never lose sight of where real help comes from. Look up to Him who made heaven and earth. For that's the sure help you can count on.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Happy Today

Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. Proverbs 3:13 [KJV]

Have you ever heard the relief in a voice that has just said, "Now I know what is going on!!". When we understand what is happening, we are excited to move to the next topic. We feel that we know why things happened the way that they did. Many of us feel that the old song of "You will understand it better by and by" is so true that we cannot wait. We want to know, be in the know and have complete knowledge of what Christ has planned for our lives. That is not always the case.

Part of our lives, we will get understanding. Wisdom comes when we ask God for it. However, there are mysterious ways that God moves and we will not understand now. We will understand in the future and we will be ecstatic about what God did and how that led us to where we are now. He has all the influence that we need to be Happy Today because we know that He who holds the future will be He that directs our lives. Let's be happy today, knowing that we will all understand it better by and by.

Be Encouraged

Martin