The root of peace

Friends,

The sons of God have been given a unique gift. We have a blessed assurance that ...

• Our God is sovereign over all things
• Our God is truly good
• Therefore, what is happening around is ultimately and truly good.

This can be hard to see when circumstances are hard, when body and soul is suffering. But is an amazing state of grace ...

Mark 4:37-38a [NKJV]
And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow.

Christ Jesus lived the life of complete submission to the Father's will. He had no doubts ... none whatsoever ... that LORD God Almighty is in complete control and is perfectly good. Therefore, even though His physical life seemed in jeopardy, Jesus was at peace, knowing that what was happening would be good.

For you and I to live this way is a tremendous challenge. It cannot be done outside of the grace and power of Christ. Seek that power, friends, and live a life of perfect peace.

Be encouraged, Jose

Search for wisdom, find wisdom, and don't ignore it

Friends,

The Lord seeks to reveal Himself to us everyday. This is one of the amazing gifts of salvation, for the Almighty God of all creation has no obligation to teach a mere mortal about Himself. But it is His desire that we know Him. Of course, there are those for whom this gift is meaningless. There are those who mock the very Word of God. We see them, and some even celebrate them. It is remarkable is that those who mock God's word claim to be the most sophisticated of men, for they have sought education and rationality...

Proverbs 14:6 [NKJV]
A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it,
But knowledge is easy to him who understands.

Christ promised us His spirit of wisdom and discernment. And that is why faith and belief come easily. That is why when life's circumstances challenge our faith and belief, we cry out and He answers. We do not mock the wisdom that the LORD has revealed to us, for we know that it is the truth. We accept it and the joy that it brings.

Be encouraged, Jose

Gaining Wisdom

Friends,

There is a source of wisdom that drives away confusion and timidity. But are you too proud to go on record as seeking that source?

James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. [NKJV]

God is offering all wisdom ... without reservation or shame. He knows that we our wisdom is flawed and finite. He does not answer such a request begrudgingly or with impatience. He answers it joyfully! He so wants to share Himself with His children.

We need only to ask.

Be encouraged, Jose

Fervently seeking Jesus

Friends,

There is much in this world that seeks to distract us from following Christ. The busy-ness of life. Idle time in front of the TV. THe dirty house. Soccer practice.

The list is endless, and the temptations they bring are powerful. The Lord's people have always had to fight this temptation. Even the most devoted of believers must be watchful. Consider how the writer of Psalm 119 cried out to God for help in staying focused and obedient ...

With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
Psalm 119:10, NKJV

The psalmist declares that he desires to seek the LORD. And yet, he knows that our enemy is always trying to entice him away from that beautiful pursuit.

And you and I are no different. If we seek to follow Christ fervently, the enemy will fervently seek to draw our attention away from Christ. We cannot succeed in our quest in our strength and willpower. We must rely on Jesus.

He will not fail us.
He will answer this prayer.

Be encouraged, Jose

Be Magnified

Friends,

What is the proper response to the Lord's actions?

In everything He does, His will and His glory is evident. His will is perfect and good. The outcome will bring Him glory. And nothing is better or more important than that!

So again, I ask you ... how should the men and women of God respond to what the Lord does?

Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
And let those who love Your salvation say continually,
“Let God be magnified!”
-- Psalm 70:4 [NKJV]

We who seek the LORD are a unique people. We recognize that the sovereignty of God is absolute and complete. His hand touches and directs all things. So we see the events of history unfold and proclaim that the LORD is good and worthy to be praised! Let us magnify His Name!

Be encouraged, Jose

A simple directive

Friends,

Have you ever been so overwhelmed with life's circumstances that you just can't figure out what to do?
Have you so desired to serve God, but you have no idea where to start?
Have you ever been paralyzed with the fear of disobeying the Lord because obedience seems so complicated?

Isaiah 1:17
Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor;
Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow. [NKJV]

Simple.

Impossible to do without the grace of God.

Simple.

Be encouraged, Jose

Results from Truth

Friends,

It seems as though no one can be believed. News stories, expert opinions, even scientific research. All of it is tinged with an agenda. All of it clouded by the ambition for money and power. No institution is safe from this influence; it has certainly infiltrated the pulpit.

2 Timothy 3:13-14
But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them ... [NKJV, emphasis added]

We must persevere in the sound doctrines of scripture. Not because we have judged and found them to be acceptable. Our judgment is pathetically limited and our acceptance is irrelevant. After all, we are the ones deceived by the politicians, the preachers, and the pundits.

No. We persist in these beliefs because their source is infallible. Christ Jesus defined them. It is He who has imparted them to us. Our interpretations will not be perfect, of course. But as we continue to seek the One who is the Truth, the One will transform us.

When that transformation is completed, we will no longer be deceived. We will know and see the truth.

Be encouraged, Jose

Listen to wisdom

Friends,

These days, it seems as though the only people who have any chance of being heard are the most obnoxious, sarcastic and insulting of the lot. One need to simply observe the politics of the last 5 years to see the damage this kind of living can do. Good and honorable people have had their names horribly tarnished by outlandish accusations. Entertainers and athletes seem to have more credibility than our leaders.

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

Truly, this is nothing new. Perhaps it seems more prevalent with the plethora of communication channels we now have. And of course, information - truthful and otherwise - now travels at incomprehensible speeds.

Even so, do we not have a responsibility to truly and patiently listen to what is being said? Shouldn't we at least attempt to understand the full consequences of our words, our decisions and our actions? Do we not owe it to ourselves and our children to consider whether we are actually fulfilling God's commands?

The LORD does not shout. He does not hit His people over the head with blunt objects. Yet He speaks. He is speaking to you and to me.

Stop.

Listen.

Be encouraged, Jose

Looking for ...

Friends,

Have you ever been walking down a street when the aroma of busy kitchen came across you? It smells so good! You look in every direction, excitedly searching for the source of that appetizing scent. You may have just eaten, but you suddenly seem hungry. And even the most stoic of men cannot hide that look of longing and anticipation in their eyes.

Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters,
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
So our eyes look to the LORD our God,
Until He has mercy on us.
Psalm 123:2 [NKJV]

Now we can look and look and look, but normally the chef will not feed us just because we are looking and looking and looking!

But the LORD is different. Indeed, He is unique among all things! When we look for Him, He gives us everything. He gives us all of Himself. He holds nothing back.

Seek the LORD today. You will find His mercy. You will find His love. You will find His patience. You fill find ... Him!

Be encouraged, Jose

From affliction into seeking

Friends,

I will return again to My place
Till they acknowledge their offense.
Then they will seek My face;
In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.
Hosea 5:15 [NKJV]

Are you afflicted today?
Will you then seek the LORD?

Perhaps you have been fervently following a seemingly holy doctrine, but it is not of God.
Perhaps you have been cultivating a secret, comforting sin that remains yet unconfessed.

The LORD will use any and every means to bring His children back to Himself. Remain stubborn no longer and, instead, listen and obey the voice of the Great Shepherd. In that obedience, you shall find deliverance.

Be encouraged, Jose

Chasing God

Friends,

During one of the many eras that God's people had gone astray, the prophet Hosea brought forth the word of the LORD. God describes how His people will look for the what their false gods had offered them, and what the result of their search will be ...

Hosea 2:7
She will chase her lovers,
But not overtake them;
Yes, she will seek them, but not find them.
Then she will say,

'I will go and return to my first husband,
For then it was better for me than now.' -- [NKJV]

The people of God had mistakenly attributed their abundance to the idols of their own making. In our day, we do the same thing. We believe that our provision is the result of our own hard work, our own ingenuity, and our own diligence. Because we believe that our efforts are the source of our abundance, we work harder and harder and harder to attain and maintain what we have. We chase after worldly success, but we will not find it. So we chase harder. And and we have to show for it is exhaustion.

Sisters and brothers, it is the LORD, and Him alone, that is the source and reason for every blessing we have. It is not enough to simply give Him credit ... though surely He deserve every ounce and breath of praise and gratitude. He calls us to pursue Him, to chase after Him. He calls us to desire Him.

By seeking the LORD and His Kingdom and His righteousness, we will gain the most wondrous and everlasting blessings.

Be encouraged, Jose

He moves with purpose

Friends,

The Lord does nothing by accident. Every step He takes. Every word He speaks. Every action is done with a purpose. Jesus, being God, conducted His earthly ministry in exactly the same way. The well-known event in Jesus' ministry wherein He commanded demons to leave a man and enter into a herd of swine demonstrates this fact ...

Mark 4:35 - On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, Let us cross over to the other side.
Mark 9:2 - And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit
Mark 9:17-18 - Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region. And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.
NKJV

In this event, Christ got into a boat and crossed a storm-swept sea for one purpose... to free a man possessed by demons. He did not cross on a whim. It was not coincidental that a demon-possessed man was there to meet him when He arrived. Christ knew the man was there. He knew that it was His Father's will that the man be freed from those demons. And He knew that He had arrived at the precise moment in history when this release was to be fulfilled.

There are so many lessons to be drawn from this fact, brothers and sisters. But let us begin with a simple one:

You and I are here by divine appointment.
Our Father does nothing by accident.
He has a perfect plan for this time and this people.
Seek Him and His will for your life today.

Be encouraged, Jose

The place of obedience

[Blessings on Obedience ] “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.
Deuteronomy 28:1 (NKJV)

The cares and issues of life often puts us on the spot. The adversary comes subtly to us with this known vulnerability of ours - 'the fear factor'. Our response to stimuli and situations are informed by self. Yet the Lord continually whispers and converse with us at all times with "Do not fear". Do not fear to take action by finding the place of obedience. Fear attacks our obedience, it decimates our ability to trust and ultimately derails us from the place of obedience. But the place of obedience we must all find. We must diligently seek it out and get to this place where things connect and happen to the glory of God.

At the place of obedience....
Miracles happen, Deliverance and victory collides.
Faith grows from the place of obedience.
Favor flows effortlessly from the place of obedience,

The nation of Israel and Moses obtained deliverance at the place of obedience (Red Sea)
The widow of Zarephath gained at the place of obedience (1 Kings 17)
The Master Fisherman's productivity exploded at the place of obedience after days of toil and frustration with human know-how (Peter at the letting down of the nets)
Daniel overcame his travails at the place of obedience.
Joshua and Israel recovered at the place of obedience after the humiliation of Ai.

Are you at the place of obedience? Seek it out, find it and remain there for the next move of your life and destiny. Get to the place of obedience and the One with the best direction will mount the wheels of your life and direct from there.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi