Christ works, We Benefit

Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Romans 8:34 [KJV]

As we read Romans 8, we realize that Christ did a lot of work for us. We are the beneficiaries of His Love and Mercy. We have to just believe. Seems like such a simple task. But we contend that when plans don't go our way or how we like them, we have to work out our own solutions. We quickly forget that God is working on our behalf for His Benefit and ours.

He plans our moves when we submit to His Will and protects us from the enemy. The planning and the protection are both big benefits since Christ can see the ramifications of our decisions and the forks in the road that we must decide on while traveling. His Work for our benefit is something that we must not take for granted. Things don't just work our by coincidence, but by the following:
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 [KJV]

Be Encouraged,

Martin

The End Point

Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way"? Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me".
John 14:5-6 (NKJV)

The disciples were puzzled and sometimes confused like most believers and non-believers alike today. Even though they were with the Lord physically, shadowed and followed Him through all His ministry years, some things still didn't connect together for them. Thomas asked Him as shown above, how can we know the way when we don't know where you who we are following is heading to. Good question, right? Yes, sometimes we can take a pause and ask or be asked the question, what is this faith thing all about and what is the destination and end point of this?

One of the secrets to success in any human endeavor is the having a firm idea of the end result or outcome of a pursuit. So Thomas' question wasn't out of order (and every Child of God must ask this question internally on any task we plan to or are already pursuing). Will the end result bring Him glory or to just self? The Lord in His usual characteristic and humble self made it clear that He isn't the destination or outcome but the 'way', the 'truth' and the life' to getting to the Father. He continuously takes the focus off of Himelf and directs the attention to Jehovah God. The answer to getting to the Father (Ultimate destination) is through the knowledge of the way and truth (means) which is Jesus Christ.

This is simple wisdom for use in a daily faith walk in life.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Not always quiet

Friends,

As followers of Christ, it is important that we refrain from seeking attention for ourselves. Too many men have used the pulpit to make a name for themselves, and to accumulate power and wealth. But their sin should not cause us to be silent when it comes to praising Jesus.

Psalm 35:18 [NKJV]
I will give You thanks in the great assembly;
I will praise You among many people.

The customs and rules of the world should never dictate to us whether we can lift up the Name of Christ. It is all too common that we shy away from proclaim His Name for fear of offending or excluding someone. And when we do that, we reveal that we are ashamed of it.

But when we summon the courage to speak of Jesus boldly and without fear of man's reaction, we unleash the holy power of His Word. There is nothing that can stop it. And we see -- if only for a moment -- the glory of God!

Be encouraged,
Jose

Do not forget

Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 102:1-5 (NKJV)

When we consider these innumerable benefits that the Lord has endowed us with, many of which we consciously or unconsciously take for granted, our soul is reminded to never forget these benefits. The debt of sin and curse of the law He freely forgave and gave us a chance and a renewed hope.

The steadfast love of the Lord are ceaseless. They are new every morning and great is His faithfulness. These my soul, you must never forget or take for granted. Bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me bless His Holy name.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Faith in Action

Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. Luke 7:6-7 [KJV]

Do you believe like the centurion? Can you have Christ speak to your situation and you know that everything will work out? In our lives, Christ shows up and we want a full production with fanfare and press conferences about what Christ is going to do. Meanwhile we are so caught up in the show, that we forget there is work to be done.

How about if we just did the opposite? We forget about the outside show and really believe that Christ will do a great work. He can do great things and Paul reminds us that He can do exceeding abundantly more than we can ask or think. If we put our faith into action by believing that Christ can do more, how will our lives change? Our thought for today.

Be Encouraged,

Martin

Divine Showcase

Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
John 9:3-5 (NKJV)

The disciples out of their curiosity on some perplexing issues of their time asked the Lord some pertinent questions that didn't seem to line up with some situations they were confronted with. The Lord emphasized the importance to forge ahead with the work of the Kingdom in every spheres of our life irrespective of the condition, situation or circumstance.

Our lives are sample pieces for the showcasing of God's glory in the world. With this mindset, we will do nothing but worship, give thanks, and praise Him always for the next showcase of His glory in our lives. Whatever the situation, it should never be seen as a problem but as an opportunity because you are His divine showcase.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

The place of praise

Friends,

A sister in the Lord was talking to the Father about the her particular life situation. In that prayer-time, He revealed to her that praise is a place:

Psalm 22:3 [NKJV]
But You are holy,
Enthroned in the praises of Israel.

When we praise Almighty God, we are visiting His throne. No wonder we are instructed to go boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16)! The King of all kings wants us -- His sons and daughters -- to visit Him.

Isn't it time you accepted the invitation?

Be encouraged,
Jose

Can you let go

Friends,

There will come a time in every Christian's walk when our Lord will demand that we relinquish something that we hold dear. We see Jesus do this when approached by a wealthy young man.

Mark 10:17, 21-22 [NKJV]
Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" ...
Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me. But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

The obvious lesson applies to material things. But what about the intangibles? The dreams? The ambitions?
What about even the gifts from God? Perhaps it's a vocation to which God called you, but now it's time to let it go. Or maybe it's a gift from the LORD that has completely fulfilled its purpose. Would you be willing to if it is His will?

Obedience in these areas may be the most difficult for our worldly sensibilities to accept. They may cause our pride great pain. They may force us into positions of tremendous humility. As we go through, and grow through, these things, we will see the image of our Father coming forth.

Be encouraged,
Jose

Bread in the wilderness

In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.” Then His disciples answered Him, “How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?” He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.”
Mark 8:1-5 (NKJV)

You have followed at least in your humanly possible and best way to walk the walk of faith. You are sometimes confronted with confusion as to the state of things as reality don't always line up with your faith goals. The disciples were in such dire situations when the diligent pursuit of thousands met the compassion of a kind and gracious God. The Lord will always use what you have for your breakthrough. He asked the disciples what they had in the face of thousands that were challenged with their appetite for survival. What the disciples had was brought forth in the wilderness and the Lord blessed and there was abundance even to having left overs.

What do you have in your wilderness? Bring it to the Lord and have Him bless it. He will always use what we have in the wilderness to bless our world not just us alone.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Who Are You With? (Reminder)

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Galatians 5:16-18 [KJV]

A while ago, I wrote about who we were with and now I am writing about this again. So we have seen over the past two days writing about the pursuit and that Satan is a coward. If we are with Satan, who is no match for God, what happens when we get into a situation that requires bravery and faith. Remember that Satan is all about the pleasure of this world. He is not concerned with the future, but the right now. He is hoping that we will forget that we have the Jehovah-Jireh on our side. He wants us to lean on our own understanding and only what we can see from our view. We get on this train when we believe that we have problems that we cannot fix and God would think that they are too small to worry about.

Remember that we were given the out for this and it is that we should trust God with all our hearts and lean not unto our own understanding, but in all our ways acknowledge Him and He will direct our path. God is there for us all the time. He wants us to come to Him with the big stuff and the small stuff. He does not believe that anything is too small when the request expresses our degree of faith in Him. If we think that we are traveling in the wrong party, let's move to where God is and be with Him and His Son, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. That will make us ready to face the challenge of the flesh and the lust associated with our carnal side. God is waiting to walk with us. Let's check our travel party to make sure that God is leading the way.

Be Encouraged,

Martin

The good pursuit

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Mathew 5:6 (NKJV)

The King and Savior taught the multitudes on an often ignored and misplaced wisdom in the present times. The drive, hunger, and thirst for righteousness leads to fulfillment, it leads to living life to the fullest. Our life is meaningful, purposeful and fulfilling because in the pursuit of righteousness we receive divine revelation and don't chase vapors or bubbles which initially may be appealing among men but dissipates and disappears with time. We are spared of the frustration, pain, anxiety, anger, etc that follows. Two things the King commands us to do....

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)

When our pursuits and goals in life line up with this mission statement, fulfillment is guaranteed.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

The enemy is a coward

Friends,

We all know that life can be hard... very, very hard. There is crime, sickness, bills, injustice, and the list goes on and on. It can be overwhelming. We must remember that the strategy of the devil is one of weakness and fear.

Deuteronomy 27:17-18 [NKJV]
Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God.

The enemy's plan is go after those who cannot or will not fight back. He knows that the believer has the ultimate strength in Christ. Therefore, he knows that any attack will go down in defeat.

Sometimes, however, he attacks anyway. And that is the time that we have to know that his belligerence is empty and short-lived. We must know that we are victors and more than conquerors. We must be firm and sure in the knowledge that Jesus Christ is the captain of an army that has already won the war.

Be encouraged,
Jose

Would you leave?

Friends,

Each one of us has been called to be a believer. Some have been elected to hear that call and respond. Others will not. Some will respond for a short time, a kind of emotional, short-lived response. They hang around as long as the walk is pleasant. But when Christ demands a break from what the world agrees with, they bolt like a bat out of ..... well you know how it ends.

Exodus 18:27 [NKJV]
Then Moses let his father-in-law (Jethro) depart, and he went his way to his own land.

Jethro has been credited with being a "godly man" with "good advice" for Moses. But God never told Moses to follow his father-in-law's advice. And Jethro proved that he did not belong to the Lord. If you study that section of scripture (Exodus 18), you'll see that Jethro was duly impressed with what God had done for Israel. He even acknowledged the LORD as a god - greater than all the others and worthy of reverence, sacrifice and respect. But Jethro fails to repent of his worship of those other gods. And in the end, after seeing all that the Father has done for His people, decides that... "Well, this was nice. But I'll be going now. Gotta get back to my own life, you know."

And that, dear brothers and sisters, is the sad truth of many men and women who are "sold" on Christianity. The church seduces them with a message of happy living and prosperity. And they are persuaded... for a time. But they never truly repent. And when the world ups the ante with a better offer, they go their own way, back to their old life.

Today is a day to re-examine and re-assess:
Have we raised our hand in some church, only to go back to life as though nothing has changed?
Does our faith and belief rise and fall with our emotional state?
Do we look to God for comfortable living, and blow Him off when He doesn't deliver?

These are hard questions. And they demand answers. The answers can be a furnace that makes us sweat. And the answers can be a furnace that burns off impurity. What is left is a deeper understanding of who we really are before a Holy and Righteous God.

Be encouraged,
Jose

Serious Engagement

You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.
2 Timothy 3:4 (NKJV)

The Apostle set the appropriate expectations for every believer and child of God. This is contrary to the picture often painted by many ministers of the gospel today. Like our Savior forewarned and told us that in the world we will see many tribulations but should be of good cheer for victory is ours. The Apostle affirmed and amplified this same message with the intent that we may not lose focus and sight of Him who has paid the ultimate price for us. The storms and noisome pestilence may overwhelm us but we must not take our eyes away from the ball, neither must we allow ourselves to be distracted by the temporary and passing episodes of the present.

Seeking and pleasing the one who paid the price on our behalf must be our number one priority. It is serious business and the wise thing to do.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Can I Make the Journey?

Sometimes, we wonder about how to make it through life on this journey? We look at the long road ahead and what lies in store and we are not sure that we are able to continue. We see the folks on either side of us get their advancement and rewards and we say, when will it be our turn? When will we get that reward or recognition? Because of our society, we are taught that we should be an expectant generation, but Jesus was not an expectant person and He was the Son of the Most High God.

And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. Luke 9:57-58 [KJV]

He did not look at this life as the final reward, but a place to prepare for the reward to come. He was looking for devotion to the Father despite circumstances here. We must change our focus so that we can make it here. If not, then we will all be like Peter looking at the water instead of Christ and forgetting that we are already doing the impossible. And the only way to do the impossible is with Christ, who makes all things possible.

Be Encouraged,


Martin

Vigilance and Alertness

Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.
Luke 4:13 (NKJV)

The Lord our Savior after 40 days and 40 nights of fasting and consecration was tempted of the devil three times and as an example for us to learn the lessons of life and be conscious of the tactics of a relentless adversary, the scripture tells that he - the devil departed from our Lord until an opportune time.

Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Mark 14:38 (NKJV)

The adversary left lost at his initial trial of temptation but withdrew with the goal of seeking for another opportunity and moment of vulnerability. The need for alertness on the part of every child of God was also highlighted by the Lord to the disciples above. We must remain vigilant at all times in a world steadily hostile to Kingdom principles.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

The kindest slavemaster

Friends,

Everyday, we live in bondage. This is true even when we have been saved. The only difference is in the master. But oh what a difference!

Romans 6:18 [NKJV]
And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

Because we have been ripped from the grasp of death and evil, we are now free to live a life that pleases a truly kind and generous Master. And that is a sweet bondage. It is why the relationship to Christ is compared so often to the marriage covenant. As a husband, I am bound to my wife and she to me. It is a bond of love and respect. Christ's love for us, His bride, binds us to Him in love and obedience. And He proved His love to us on the cross. And it is love that is deep beyond measure.

Be encouraged,
Jose

The Stone

As it is written: Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.
Romans 9:33 (NKJV)

The path of everyone will be filled with this Stone. To many it will be a rock of offense, a place of refuge and strength and to others it will be a stumbling block, a shattering place of vulnerability and weakness. The choice of what the Stone will be is up to us.

Make it your rock of offense and

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Answers First, Questions Second

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. Matthew 6:30-31 [KJV]

As we live, we travel through many of life's circumstances where there is a decision to be made. When we reach those forks in our roads, we realize that we have to trust God to guide us. What we sometimes forget is that God has already guided us past the fork in the road. He has provided the answers to our questions before we ask them. His roadside signs are all there pointing us in the right direction. We must make sure that we are observant enough to read the signs and follow His Direction.

Just as Our Saviour knows our final destination, He has posted the signs on the road that points us toward Heaven. We should always remember that with God, the answers come first from Him before we ask the question. As we arrive at the crossroads, let us look back to see what answers for direction did God already provide so we know which way He would want us to go.

Be Encouraged,

Martin

What matters

Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.
John 6:27 (NKJV)

The Savior had throngs of people coming after Him after they'd witnessed, heard and shared of the Lord's deeds in those days. Signs and wonders become the attracting factor that people lose sight of what really matter - Salvation of the soul and a conscious and steady relationship with the Savior Himself. It is out of this that we can draw living waters needed by us and necessary to navigate everyday aspect of daily living. The Savior was thus quick to address this dangerous and misplaced priorities. We must be driven to the Savior for the right reasons and seek Him diligently.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)

Pursuit of the side attractions of life will only lead to frustration and anguish when the attractions don't come according to our own timing. Hence we must focus on that which matter. It is to our benefit and advantage to do that.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi