Enough is enough

Friends,

For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles - when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.
1 Peter 4:3 [NKJV]

These words hold true now just as they two thousand years ago. All of us has spent plenty of time acting as non-believers. To spend another minute practicing those habits is 60 seconds too many.

When we stop, though, we can expect them to speak ill of us. They will not understand our change in behavior. They will call us names, ostracize us, and seek ways -- overt and covert -- to persecute and afflict us.

Hold on tight, brothers and sisters. It promises to be a bumpy ride. But in these latter days, we can be confident that Christ's return is closer than ever. And our troubles will be forgotten as we revel in the presence of our conquering King.

Be encouraged, Jose

Triumph of Praise

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. And say, “Save us, O God of our salvation; Gather us together, and deliver us from the Gentiles, to give thanks to Your holy name, to triumph in Your praise.” Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting!And all the people said, “Amen!” and praised the LORD.
1 Chronicles 16:34-36 (NKJV)

When David succeeded in placing the Ark in the tabernacle, he gave thanks to God, acknowledging Him in all deeds and celebrating his triumph in praise. Every passing day gives us numerous praise opportunities. Today offers us yet another opportunity to roll out praise and thanks to the Lord our Maker. As we celebrate thanksgiving in this part of the world, let us remember the feeble, the weak, and the hopeless by doing everything we can too to bring them into the triumph of praise and thanksgiving.

It is in the triumph of our praise that the Holy Spirit inhabits. Bring the praise, bring thanksgiving, that His Holy Spirit may flourish in the midst of His people.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Why Are We Afraid?

The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:5b-7 [KJV]

We are afraid when things change or are changing, when we see things that we don't understand, when we encounter something new, or any number of situations that come to mind or memory in our life.  However, we can be assured that the Lord is always with us and we don't have to live in fear.  We can turn everything over to Him.  How does this work?  Well, let's take the prescription in the verses above.

First, - remember that the Lord is with us always, even until the end of time, the age or the earth.  - Now we don't have to be concerned about facing anything alone.

Second - Don't worry about anything but with prayer and thanksgiving, tell God all about it - Don't keep your worries or concerns or hopes or fears to ourselves, but tell God like He was not there, but remember that He remembers all the details and He knows the solution.

Third -  God's peace will reach us - Once we tell God and believe that He will handle the things appropriately, not just follow our plan, He will comfort us with a peace that we can't explain to others when they look at our situation.

Fourth - He will keep our hearts strong. - We know that once the peace comes, other will tell us that we should not be so calm and peaceful because they can't see the outcome.  But we know that Christ is on the tasks and will handle everything appropriately.  

These four steps were not easy to write or will be as easy to follow, because they are asking us to give up on forcing our plan onto God and letting Him do what is truly best.  Not what is just best for us as we see it, but what will work out best for all involved.  God can do it if we let Him.  Why are we afraid?  Because we think that God's plan is different than ours.  Truth is, His Plan is different and better than ours and we need to trust and believe that He really has EVERYTHING under control.

Be Encouraged,

Martin

Peace in His Reverence

The fear of the LORD leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; He will not be visited with evil.
Proverbs 19:23 (NKJV)

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. To fear the Almighty God is to acknowledge Him in all our ways. When we operate in fear and reverence of the Most High God, our ways and thoughts are guarded from destruction, our choices are divinely informed and directed and we are enveloped in a divine assurance which gives us peace that’s beyond the reasoning of man.

Who is the man that fears the LORD? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.
Psalm 25:12 (NKJV)

His fear inspires and emboldens us to detest sin in our lives and we are motivated to shun all acts of self-righteousness, pride and unrighteousness. Today, let us operate in the fear of the Lord that we may know true peace during rough and good times.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Being afraid

Friends,

The world has some very weird perspectives on God. One popular misconception regards Him as disconnected and passive. On the other end of the spectrum is the belief that He is out to get us... ready to crush us at the first wrong move. Neither are new and both create significant problems for anyone who subscribes to them.

At one point in his life, King David held to the second point of view, as described here...

David was afraid of the LORD that day; and he said, "How can the ark of the LORD come to me?" So David would not move the ark of the LORD with him into the City of David; but David took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. And the LORD blessed Obed-Edom and all his household.
1 Samuel 6:9-11 [NKJV]

King David had just seen a member of his staff struck down by the LORD for impudently touching the ark of the LORD. Naturally, all who witnessed this event were shaken and stunned. But rather than seek out God's counsel and thereby understanding why God did what He did, the king was paralyzed by fear. He was unable to do anything, even the right thing.

Obed-Edom, however, did do the right thing. The scripture is silent on how this man knew what to do, and I won't speculate here. But the result is plain... Obed-Edom was blessed.

For you and me the lesson is equally clear. The fear of the LORD is not the same as being afraid. And when we take action out of that holy and righteous fear, we will be blessed.

Be encouraged, Jose

A truly merry heart

Friends,

When a friend is down in the dumps, our natural instinct is find something that might cheer them up. That something might be reminding them of an encouraging memory. Or maybe it's a nice meal and quiet conversation. Maybe you tell them a joke, or you remind them that they are in your prayers.

Or sometimes, unfortunately, we sugarcoat the truth, water it down, or encourage them to ignore the reality of their situation altogether. These are dangerous options, for they undoubted leave the friend worse off than before.

Like one who takes away a garment in cold weather,
And like vinegar on soda,
Is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.
Provers 25:20 [NKJV]

A heavy heart does not need lies or entertainment or distractions. No matter the current emotional state, every heart needs ... and deserves ... to hear the truth. A wounded heart needs the truth, spoken in love, more desperately than we can imagine. Sometimes that truth is difficult to hear... and to say. Yet it is a healing balm. Yes, it may sting at first. But it provides a hope and an encouragement supported by a solid foundation.

Each of us, brothers and sisters, needs to understand the truth of our situation. We are all undeserving of a place in Christ's Kingdom. And yet He has nonetheless graced with adoption into His very family. And because that transformation is permanent and unchangeable, it is surest, fastest way out of the blues that inevitably creep into every man's life.

And when you get that truth into your spirit, the song you sing will echo throughout the heavens!

Be encouraged, Jose

Never waver

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23 (NKJV)

Many wait on someone or just anyone to move concerning what God has spoken over their life. While it is a blessing to have a man or woman of God speak over us, we must never lose sight and focus of Him who has the finally spoken word over everyone - the Lord Almighty. Access to this final and eternal authority is made available to every child of God.

Our hope in Him must remain unshaken and the swift and gentle turns in life must not alter our connection with Him in any way. Has He spoken over you? receive it, get to work, be about your and His business. Keep the walk and work alive, never faint or tire, but receive strength, favor and grace from Him, for He who promised is forever faithful.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Do The Little Things

And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. II Kings 5:10 [KJV]

I was reading this story today and was reminded of how we miss our blessings by not doing the little things that matter.  We focus on the big stuff and hope that the little things will take care of themselves or we think that the little things are too little to be concerned about or too little for us to do. All of these views are wrong and we need to take ownership of the little things just like the big things.  

Naaman was a important man to Syria, but was sick with leprosy.  The only thing that stood between him and healing was to dip in the Jordan River.  Would he do it?  How about us today?  What are we sick with and how can we get better?  Has God sent the cure message to us and it was too simple to do?  Are we like Naaman and want God to have some great event and pronounce from Heaven that we are cured, freed, or delivered?  What does that say about us?  Are we more important than what we are being delivered from? 

We may think so and that is where the "Pride goeth before a fall" comes in.  If we are too proud to do the little things, then we will continue to have trouble with our deliverance.  Let's do the little things that God has asked us to do.  When the deliverance comes, we will be able to celebrate that God knows all about us and how to keep us moving in the right direction.

Be Encouraged,

Martin

God's intent for unbelievers

We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.” For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:1-6 (NKJV)

As the devotional rightly pointed out yesterday, the gospel is a mystery to man and unless God reveals it to man, it is nothing but senseless, foolish and ridiculous. Many that are yet to come to this knowledge of the truth and embrace it (Unbelievers, Gays, Lesbians, Atheists, etc) only need an Holy Spirit encounter and/or 'our attitude/role' to them. The world may ridicule the gospel today, but as Christ taught the believing world on the Cross (in pain and agony) we ought to exercise patience and work with the Holy Spirit to break hitherto hard and rocky hearts into fallow grounds for the ignition of the gospel in men for a huge harvest.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV)

The fact that many blaspheme anything with God in it does not take them out of the realm of grace and mercy of the Almighty God. Let our hearts and souls form true partnerships with the Holy Spirit to reach, gain and win those that are yet to embrace this mystery of the gospel for God's Kingdom. That is the goal of our Creator - to prevent all if possible from perishing but come to repentance. This intent must be ours too.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Embrace the mystery

Friends,

Almighty God desires to reveal Himself to us. He does so through prayer, through His people and through His word. It is amazing that He chooses to do so. And although some things will not be revealed until we see Him face to face in glory, He has given us a knowledge that is unavailable to any non-believer:

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory.
-- 1 Timothy 3:16 [NKJV]

Unless God reveal this mystery to a man, the man cannot see it, understand it or believe it. Before the Lord gives us eyes to see and ears to hear, we are completely unable to grasp the truth of Christ. Of course this leads to persecution, because the person who does not believe will ridicule and belittle the one who can... it is just human nature.

Nevertheless, we know these things to be true... that Christ is God in the flesh; that He lived a perfect life and yet paid the full penalty for our great imperfection; that in doing so He can grant to us His righteousness; and that with His righteousness we can enter into the favor and presence of Almighty God.

Be encouraged, Jose

The flavor of our words

Friends,

How often do we transform our words for the moment? How many times do we bring forth words of praise and thanksgiving at Bible study, only to rip into our brother, sister, or neighbor on the drive home?

Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing.
My brethren, these things ought not to be so.
Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?
James 3:10-11 [NKJV]

The verses that proceed the above passage describe the enormity of the challenge that is represented by the taming of our tongue. Yet it is a challenge worth pursuing. For in doing so, we elevate our current circumstances... we bring forth the Kingdom of God.

Sisters and brothers, let our words be encouraging and edifying. Let them be spoken in love, rather than hate or vengeance. Let them be words of wisdom and of reverence.

Be encouraged, Jose

Avoid them

Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.
Romans 16:17-18 (NKJV)

The strategies of the adversary are of multifarious dimensions and the need to be discerning is even more critical and important at this time. Many as described in the gospels will as ravenous wolves come in Sheep's clothing to cause nothing but divisions, dissensions and controversies with a goal of never serving the cause of the gospel and Kingdom but themselves, their belly and attracting attention. From such folks, we must avoid lest they complicate and confuse the simple souls that are dear to the Kingdom.

As many as we are able to reach for the Kingdom's harvest, we must be wise in dealing with our common and determined adversary. Silence and avoidance 'sometimes' are potent tools to deal with them. In all things we must never take away our focus from Kingdom goals and mission.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Wisdom in Obedience

So Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.
1 Samuel 15:22 (NKJV)

The Lord has the bigger picture; He is All-knowing and already has perfected every plan, step and event of our lives to the letter. Sometimes we receive flashes of ingenuity and ideas concerning the issues in our lives. The details may line up with reality and make sense to us, but sometimes may be out of sync with God’s divine plan for us. Abraham, Joseph and the three Hebrew boys stood the course of obedience and reaped the benefits in full.

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.
Exodus 19:5 (NKJV)

Obedience isn’t always convenient and comfortable, but it has great gains and benefits. To get the best of your life and be fulfilled with the manifestation of God’s eternal glory, we must remain obedient to Him at all times. At the end, your obedience to the Lord Almighty will meet with the grace of His son and our Lord Jesus Christ. It will speak clearly and loudly and it will not fail.

Be Encouraged,

Afolabi

The mercy of God

Friends,

So then it is not of him who wills,
nor of him who runs,
but of God who shows mercy.
Romans 9:16 [NKJV]

The context of this verse reminds us that there is no unrighteousness or unfairness with God. It is a direct rebuke of those who would believe that our Lord is, in some way, behaving unjustly when he delivers all unbelievers to eternal death. Those who would subscribe to such a notion have their perspective completely backwards.

But we who follow Christ understand that we do not compete with others for a place in glory. We do not have eternal life because any of us are "good" people. And no man who legitimately earns eternal life -- by living a perfectly righteous and holy life -- will be denied it.

And that, brothers and sisters, is the critical point. None have lived perfectly, and therefore none have earned eternal life. Rather, Christ has granted each of His chosen people .... imperfect, sinful and unholy .... His righteousness and holiness. It is the Lord who shows mercy upon ones who deserve eternal punishment. He has bestowed His favor upon us, that we might live abundantly, now and forever.

Be encouraged, Jose

Intercede

Friends,

During this week, we have witnessed historic events. As with all such happenings, we can expect good things to result as well as things we'd rather not experience. Some look at the ascendancy of Sen. Obama as the start of great things for this world. Others view it as a sign that the affliction and persecution of Christians is about to get underway, followed by the return of the Messiah.

I don't know. What I do know is that my Lord and God commands me to pray for our leaders, for they are handpicked by a Sovereign, Almighty King of kings.

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
1 Timothy 2: 1-2 [NKJV] (emphasis added)

Lord, grant wisdom and humility to our leaders.
Keep your hand of grace and protection upon your children.
And cause your people look to You for comfort and courage.
Come, Lord Jesus. Come!

Be encouraged, Jose

Daily wisdom

The fear of the LORD leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; He will not be visited with evil.
Proverbs 19:23 (NKJV)

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. To fear the Almighty God is to acknowledge Him in all our ways. When we operate in fear and reverence of the Most High God, our ways and thoughts are guarded from destruction, our choices are divinely informed and directed and we are enveloped in a divine assurance which gives us peace that’s beyond the reasoning of man.

Who is the man that fears the LORD? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.
Psalm 25:12 (NKJV)

His fear inspires and emboldens us to detest sin in our lives and we are motivated to shun all acts of self-righteousness, pride and unrighteousness. Today, let us operate in the fear of the Lord that we may know true peace during rough and good times.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

God is the Ultimate Ruler

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. Romans 13:1-2 [KJV]

Yesterday, the United States elected a new president. The election was historic since we had minorities on both sides of the major parties and on most of the smaller party tickets as well. When the election was over, the loser was grateful and followed the verses above. He did not put up a fight or fuss over the selection, he pledged to provide help where he was needed and when he was needed. He truly recognized that God is the ultimate ruler and he wanted to be on the right side.

Can we be as gracious in our defeats and our victories as he was? Can we understand that God has this work out this way for a particular reason? There are no accidents or happenstances, just God working out His Plan. The only time His Plan goes awry is when we try to help God because we think that He is not seeing what we see or knowing what we know. How silly is that and how many times do we ascribe to that notion? More than we care to admit.

If we just remember that God is the ultimate ruler and He allows us to help, we would be able to really make progress in the spiritual kingdom because we would treat the true King as such and not try to move His Plan or timeline along to fit our viewpoint or sense of urgency. Let's all remember that God IS


Be Encouraged,

Martin

Gain them, not lose them

We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.
Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:1-2,5-6 (NKJV)

The inequalities of the world are by divine design, that the glory of God may be made manifest through the revelation of Him in the sons of men. There will be the weak, feeble, the helpless, hopeless and the vulnerable. Some will lack the knowledge of the truth, faithless and stray completely like almost everyone. For those that have tasted of divine grace, our role is well spelt out in the above scripture. We have been set aside by grace not to be a special elite, but to be used as conduits and channels for reaching the lost, faithless and hopeless back to the kingdom.

Many will be slow to coming to the knowledge of truth, the route to salvation for all will not be the same. Some are led gently to the knowledge of Him, some violently, some under unusual circumstances. Our path and current state in the faith doesn't make us or others any special than those yet to receive this revelation, but we must consciously and diligently commit to allowing the Holy Spirit work through us for this divine purpose of not only reaching the lost but winning and bringing them to the Kingdom for God's ultimate glory.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Equality before the Judge

Friends,

There will be days when it is easy to think of ourselves in an wonderful light. We look in the mirror and see a person who has it all together: We've dealt with the obvious areas of sin, established good habits of prayer, Bible study and fellowship, and we usually remember to be grateful for what the Lord has done for us. These are the times when humility might be hard to muster, and when humility is most important.

All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
-- Isaiah 53:6 [NKJV]

None of us is better than another. In God's eyes, our offenses against pure righteousness and holiness are equal. Each transgression fully disqualifies us from eternal life.

And Christ's blood pays the full price for every sin. In Christ, we again are equal. But now our equality is in grace.

Be encouraged, Jose

New!! Thots 4 Today Podcasts

Friends,

Thots 4 Today has added a new wrinkle to our devotionals. Audio messages are now available as free podcasts through iTunes.com. To subscribe to our podcast, CLICK HERE. Or search the iTunes Store for Thots 4 Today Podcasts.

The first message is entitled Godly Rememberance, and it calls us to be purposeful and vigilant against the enemy of forgetfulness. New podcasts will be added as guided by the Holy Spirit. It is our fervent prayer that you will be edified and blessed by these messages. We welcome your comments and request your prayers.

Be encouraged, Jose

If the above link does not work, copy the URL below and paste it into your web browser's address bar.
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=294761269