Obedience is the only response

Friends,

The commandments of God are clear and unambiguous. Man is forever seeking a way to negotiate them, interpret them, and weaken them. But they are the word of God, and they shall stand forever. When faced with this unrelenting fact, the only logical response to obey:

Exodus 19:7-8
So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the LORD commanded him. Then all the people answered together and said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do.” So Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD. [NKJV]

The Israelite people were no different than you and I. They were rebellious, argumentative and inconsistent. And yet, when confronted with the obvious truth of God's power and authority, they humbled themselves and declared their intent to obey.

Everyday, brothers and sisters, we are faced with the truth of Almighty God's power and just authority. Rebellion does not change that. Arguments, negotiations and interpretations do not change that. There is but one response.

Let us humble ourselves and obey the LORD.

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

Return now

Friends,

For too long, God's people have wandered about listlessly. We have ignored the clear and consistent voice of our God and King.

Come, and let us return to the LORD;
For He has torn, but He will heal us;
He has stricken, but He will bind us up.
Hosea 6:1 [NKJV]

Are His chastisements in vain?
Must His rebukes continue to fall on deaf ears?

Sisters and brothers, the Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy. He is also holy and completely righteous. If we are who we claim to be, then we must obey His call that we repent from worldliness.

Let today be the day that we walk according to the Spirit of God.

Be encouraged, Jose

Responding to Repentance

Friends,

Every act of true and genuine repentance is a great victory. It means that the Spirit has overcome the flesh, that Kingdom of God is advancing against the forces of Hell. No wonder Christ describes the scene in Heaven as a great celebration ...

Luke 15:10
Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. [NKJV]

As we discussed earlier, Jesus is both describing Heaven's response and commanding it. And this command applies to you and me in the here and now.

When we are saved, we are given a specific place in the heavenlies. We are seated there, wrapped in Christ. We are no longer citizens of the kingdom of darkness. We are now made citizens of the Kingdom of God.

So, when Christ says, "There is joy in the presence of angesls", He is commanding you and me to rejoice in the repentance of those around us. This may be difficult, since our flesh will remind us of that person's imperfections and mistakes. But we know that the enemy is a liar. And we know that the old things have passed away; and that the Lord has created a new heart in that person ... just as He has in you and me.

Let us rejoice on this day. Someone has come to repentance. And even more, let us seek true repentance on this day for our own sins and stumbles. And then let us rejoice again.

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