Its Time

And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

John 9:2-4 (KJV)

With the revelation of the son of man comes the manifestation. The seed is sown in corruption and it goes through transformation with the vine coming forth as the source and the branches taking shape in the space of time. Out of the branches comes the manifestation and appearance of the fruits. Many good to the eyes and for edification of the body.

Once we have been revealed by the Lord our Maker, it is time for manifestation, the display of good works and administration of His Kingdom here on earth. In your walk and ways, in your vocation, in your plans, in your home, in all ways, you must manifest to the glory of God.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Put them away

Friends,

When the LORD returns in glory, all of the unbelievers will work diligently to correct their mistakes. They will scramble for cover. It is the same impulse that drives a teenage boy to hide his computer screen when his mother walks into the room. It is the same impulse that causes a wayward spouse to plead for forgiveness ... after they've been caught in the act.

Isaiah 2:20-21 [NKJV]
In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver
And his idols of gold,
Which they made, each for himself to worship,
To the moles and bats,
To go into the clefts of the rocks,
And into the crags of the rugged rocks,
From the terror of the Lord
And the glory of His majesty,
When He arises to shake the earth mightily.

In the day of Christ's return, every man will see that he is a sinner - unworthy of being in the presence of pure holiness. But those that have truly recognized this fact will have already repented of this idolatry. They will not have waited until their faith has become sight. For that day will be too late for faith.

Brothers and sisters, if you are still harboring idols in your heart - the idols of work, accomplishment, political success, the perfect family - then put them away today. Do not wait. Do not delay. We are in the last days. The day of repentance is at hand!

Be encouraged, Jose

The Bible Study Podcast - new episode

Friends,

Please be sure to check out the new Bible Study Audio podcast. Click on this link to subscribe to the Podcast in iTunes. Or you can search for "Bible study audio Proverbs" at the iTunes store. You'll notice that there are now three full episodes ready to download and enjoy.

Be encouraged, Jose

The mission of Christ

Friends,

We rejoice in the new day that the LORD has made. We do so because He commands it, and because it is an opportunity for us to glorify our God in so many ways. Yet, there are disappointments, hurts and slip-ups. Our Father knows this, understands this, and is there to respond ... perfectly.

Isaiah 61:1 [NKJV]
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

This is the mission of Christ. He quotes this very prophecy when declaring His presence to the Israelites. And daily He reminds you and me that we are no longer in bondage to bitterness, unforgiveness, deception, and sadness. We have been set free.

Be encouraged, Jose

Strength flows from Belief

Friends,

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus reminds us that our love for Him will result in hatred towards us. The world hates Jesus ... watch the ridicule, the charges of intolerance, and the persecution ... and therefore hates the Lord's followers. And it will inevitably strike close to home.

John 7:5
For even His brothers did not believe in Him. [NKJV]

We can find strength and comfort in the knowledge that Jesus experienced this Himself. He was tested and tempted in every manner, and the enemy seeks to hurt the Lord at every opportunity, and in every era.

Be strengthened in this. Be confident that Christ never forsakes His people, and that we will be victorious over all.

Be encouraged, Jose

Settled

27 For the LORD of hosts has purposed, And who will annul it?
His hand is stretched out, And who will turn it back?”
Isaiah 14:27 (NKJV)

As we make the relentless pursuit of righteousness our goal and agenda for 2012, we must walk and operate in the assurance of God's word. His will in our life shall be done for when Heaven invades our space, no power comes between. It will be more of Him and less of others.

God has spoken once, Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God.
Psalm 62:11 (NKJV)

In an era of multiple and numerous streams of report, whose report will we believe? God has spoken. It is settled.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Be united in Christ

Friends,

One of the most common tactics of warfare is to to "divide and conquer". Christ Jesus warned against allowing this tactic to gain traction in the body of believers, and we see its devastating effect on families everyday.

We enable our enemy when we look at each other and see the differences, rather than seeking out what unifies us.

Proverbs 22:2 [NKJV]
The rich and the poor have this in common,
The LORD is the maker of them all.

Brothers and sisters, do not allow the culture, the politicians, or the preachers to sow strife and divisiveness among us. Seek out the evidence that we share a Father in Heaven who has adopted us, brought us into His Kingdom, and paid the ultimate price for our redemption. Treasure that unity in Jesus.

Be encouraged, Jose

The New Bible Study Podcast

Friends,

For several years, we have been recording and releasing Bible studies. We have studied the prophesies of Isaiah, Hosea, and Malachi; the Gospel of Mark; the books of Ruth, Numbers and Jonah; and so much more. If you visit Bible Study Audio, you'll find this treasure of uncompromising teaching from the one source of truth ... The Word of God.

Now we are delighted to (in addition to our traditional means) offer our current study of the book of Proverbs as an iTunes podcast for the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. This will make it even easier for you to enjoy these amazing insights while on the go. You can click on this link to subscribe to the Podcast in iTunes. Or you can search for "Bible study audio Proverbs" at the iTunes store.

As always, it is our fervent prayer that you are blessed by these teachings from God's word.

Be encouraged, Jose

Hearing the secrets of Heaven

Friends,

Over and over, we see people celebrated and honored, only to learn that they are weak, perverted and immoral. Celebrities are credited with the most noble of motives, even though their actions betray their intentions as self-serving and selfish.

It's easy to get caught up in their celebrity and covet it. It's tempting to compromise our beliefs in order to curry favor with the popular way of thinking.

Do not envy the oppressor,
And choose none of his ways;
For the perverse person is an abomination to the LORD,
But His secret counsel is with the upright.
Proverbs 3:31-32 [NKJV]

Throughout scripture, our Heavenly Father describes His hatred of those who oppress the poor, the widow and the orphan. In short, He reserves great anger for those who use their strength to abuse those who are weaker. Brothers and sisters, do not envy the man who does this, for you are envying an enemy of God.

Instead, stay focused on righteousness. Seek it with all your heart. In doing so, you will unlock the great and deep mysteries of holiness, justice, peace, faith and love.

Be encouraged, Jose

Seek His Hand, not hand-outs

18 Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you;
And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.
For the LORD is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him.
19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem;You shall weep no more.
He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry;
When He hears it, He will answer you.
Isaiah 30:18-19 (NKJV)


The Lord covets and desires our relationship. When we come to Him, we must not come just because of the hands-outs, but we must seek His hand in fellowship. Nothing angers the Lord more than when we cast Him aside to seek help from other gods.

1 “Woe to the rebellious children,” says the LORD,
“Who take counsel, but not of Me,
And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit,
That they may add sin to sin;
2 Who walk to go down to Egypt, And have not asked My advice,
To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh,
And to trust in the shadow of Egypt!
3 Therefore the strength of Pharaoh
Shall be your shame, And trust in the shadow of Egypt
Shall be your humiliation.
Isaiah 30:1-3 (NKJV)

Our hope and trust must be on Him, who never shame, humiliate nor confuse those that trust and believe in Him. We ought to wait on the Lord for blessed are all those who wait for Him.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Rational hope

Friends,

We can begin the day with hope and expectation because of only one truth. It is not that the government will come to our aid, or that the job will provide for us. It is not that our intellectual capabilities will prevail, or that we are physically prepared for what lies ahead.

Our hope, expectation and confidence stem from a belief in the power and consistency of the LORD.

Psalm 9:9-10 [NKJV]
The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
A refuge in times of trouble.
And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.

Remember that we who have put our faith in Almighty God trust the only One who will keep all His promises, fulfill every expectation, and who will be victorious over every enemy.

Be encouraged, Jose

I AM... His Grace is available

13 Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”

14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.
Exodus 3:13-15 (NKJV)

Moses after his conversation with God was given what seem like an herculean task.... Emancipate the nation of Israel from the hand of the Egyptians. Moses was quick to identify his deficiencies, weaknesses, shortcomings, limitations, and inabilities. But Jehovah God assured him that I AM was available to him, His grace was available to him, and that he needed not fear or shrink back for the tasks ahead.

Apostle Paul was also assured of the God's grace sufficiency in his weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). The grace is available to every child of God who will simply trust Him in this year. Therefore take pleasure in your weakness, for in it I AM is available to strengthen you, His grace is available and ever sufficient.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Informed Resistance

Friends,

We are entering a year of great change. In that kind of setting, there will be plenty of opportunities to make an informed, moral choice. We will be presented with options each and every day. Thousands of decisions will be required of us.

Proverbs 1:10
My son, if sinners entice you,
Do not consent. [NKJV]

Sinners will entice us, brothers and sisters. We are commanded to resist. Do not consent to the easy path of destruction.

Be encouraged, Jose