Why are You where you Are?

Why Are You Where You Are? What are you supposed to achieve in your present location? God places us in a place for a reason. I Revelation 1 vs.9-12, John described his experience at being at the Island of Patmos. Three things are evident in these verses: • Right Location • Right plan/strategy • Focus and attention John was in the Island of Patmos “because of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (v.9). Why are you where you are? Having understood the reason he was where he was, John focused on accomplishing the purpose. He could have been carried away by the lush beauty of the Island, the scenery and cool breeze or wallow in the barrenness of it but we hear John say “I was in the Spirit”. To be in the Spirit requires denials, deliberate actions and steps. To fulfill the purpose of being at Patmos, John deliberately took his attention away from distractions. Thirdly John focused. Interestingly John heard the voice from behind. That should have been easy to miss but he was focused. If his thoughts were wondering, John would have missed the voice. If he allowed himself to be distracted, John would have missed the direction of the voice certainly,. He turned and until he turned from the direction he was facing, he did not see. Are you in the right place? Why are you where you are? What direction are you facing even if your are in the right place? What steps are you taking to activate the purpose for which you have been placed where you are? Often we get discouraged and agitated. We do not know how long John had been at Patmos. We do not know the difficulties he encountered even on his way tot his Island and while at the island of Patmos. From John himself, we know that until he got himself ready by being in the Spirit nothing happened. Again, ask yourself, why am I where I am?

We Shall Fall.. Oh yes!

He that the Lord upholds can fall. Even to me, this statement sounds absurd because the bible in several places speaks of the Hand of God being mighty to save.

Psalm 37 vs. 23 – 24 says “The steps of a good man is directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way and He busies Himself with his every step. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord grasps his hands in support and upholds him”.

The above verses make me think of a mother trying to support her child as he tries to take his or her first steps; first the child tries to stand and falls. Mothers watch so intensely, provide support, and put their hands behind the child who is totally not aware of the dangers. Sometimes, mothers just let the child fall after they have removed all the dangerous and unsafe things around the child. If the child does not fall and get up, he or she will never walk or walk when due, so mothers just let them stumble and fall.

In our journey of life and our walk with God, falling is a given but the fall will not be the end of us. He will support us to stand and because even while we are falling, he has us in His grips so he allows a fall that will not kill us just like the mother knows that the child falling down as he or she is taking his steady steps will not kill the child. Sometimes pillows and cushions are provided so that the child is not hurt. God provides us that kind of support but allows us to fall. Just like the child cries when he or she falls… not from being hurt although sometimes they are hurt but from the sheer fear of falling down, so do we panic and cry that we have fallen.

God has not promised us a non-falling life… a life always on cloud nine, on the high with no lows, no pains and no sorrows. No! But he has promised to pick us up when we fall, pick up our pieces when we are broken, oil of gladness for our sorrows and balm for our pain.

No matter where we are on our journey, falling is not far but when we fall someone lifts us up and helps us stand on our feet again. The winds of life are strong and fierce. The turbulence sweeps ferociously and gives us no time to find an anchor so we are knocked off our feet but always remember that an invisible hand is supporting you … yes and always.

God owes you and I nothing

Today I came to a very sobering realization that God owes me nothing and that God owes you nothing.
When this thought came to me, I thought no way! This must be unscriptural. It is almost unchristian to think this way not to mention even utter it.
I responded to the voice within me that, if He is my father, does he not have some responsibilities over me? Yes, He has responsibility which He has in His sovereignty assigned to Himself. He is all knowing and knows the end from the beginning. So he knows His thoughts towards you and the bible says to bring us to our expected end, the question was then, what is your expected end? For which my answer was truly I do not know. If He knows, then He knows all that is required to get there.
I had earlier today, been talking with my resident pastor’s wife and I was telling her of my journey in the wilderness of barrenness for 8 years and how it had a brief stop in the 7th year with a miscarriage and how I was really devasted. I told her that I did not question my faith and my belief in God Almighty but that I was shaken and I struggled because I did “all the right things”.
Sometimes we think our acts are enough to warrant God to do things for us. No way! Even if we do not do whatever we do, God will still be God and will find other unquestioning vessels to use. Those willing to move and act without ulterior motive. Same goes with giving. Not that I doubt the word of God that says he will multiply our seeds or to cast our bread upon the waters but I am saying that the motive behind the action is probably what God looks at. And again, he is not ‘obliged’ to do anything.
God gave us promises and those are what they are promises. Those are not debts that He owes us. No. He will show mercy and He loves us unconditionally and will give us what we need but sometimes when he says No, or wait, we panic and we get ‘disappointed’ because by our own interpretation, He has neither answered or He is not quick enough.
God owes you and I nothing but all we have received and continue to receive are just because of His grace to us ward. That is why one of my favorite verses in the bible even when I had not learnt this lesson remains John 1 vs. 16 “From the fullness of his grace we have received one blessing after another”.

Walking in the Path: When God Relocates You

Jesus had the inner 12 friends whom we call his disciples and for some reason he paid closer attention to Peter and prepared him to lead the others when he leaves. Talk about succession planning!

When Jesus died, the bible records that on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and discovered that the stone had been rolled away, she naturally ran to the leader that Jesus had appointed and reported what she saw. Is it not amazing that Peter was not the one who is checking up on Jesus, having been with him and witnessed all sorts of events, the voice from heaven, the transfiguration and the prayer sessions that Jesus made sure he saw? Yet, not only did he deny Jesus when push came to shove, he moved on with his old life right away. Not believing one word that Jesus told him.

Mary’s report must have surprised and shocked him so he left to confirm for himself. What happened when he saw that Jesus’ body was no longer in the tomb was the most shocking for me. John 20 vs. 10, “Then the disciples went away again to their own homes”. Jesus tried to get them off their homes while He was with them. He told them that if they want to follow Him, they must deny those family ties and focus on the mission with Him. How quickly that fell by the way side!

The bible records that Mary stayed back there. NO matter what critics say about this woman, she was one person who understood the mission of Jesus and one person who believed what Jesus said. She was not about to give up on her Lord yet.

What does Peter make of all these? He said to the group that Jesus had given him charge over “I am going fishing”… meaning “I am returning to my old ways, my old profession. “I am not sure I understand this Jesus anymore. It must be over now. The guy is dead and even His body has disappeared. Let me return to the life I know”.

The bible records that the others followed him immediately without any persuasion and that they went fishing and caught nothing. What a waste of time!!! They caught nothing. How many man hours that was… fully wasted. Peter is no different from me and all of us. We hear God speak to us and give us charge and instructions and somehow, along the way we take one or two steps and some challenges show up and we quickly retrace our steps backwards. Once God has asked you to move on to something else, do yourself a favour…do not return to the old job, old profession, old way of life… God has closed that chapter of your life. He has relocated you. If you do, you will be like Peter and the rest of the disciples that went fishing when Jesus had said… you shall no longer do this but will be “fishers of men”. They did not say No and that was an agreement.

With God an agreement stands except He changes it.
Can you imagine if Abraham went back to Ur in Chaldeans after God had said “Move”? He could have gone back when he was faced with Egypt and the loss of his beautiful wife and so many other challenges… he understood that God had relocated him and there was no going back.

“It is well” – 2 King 4 vs. 23

“It is well” the woman told her husband. My first thought upon reading this verse is does the man not know that his son is dead. Chances are he does not know. He knew one thing though; the child was sick and should be taken to the mother. The mother must know what to do and truly she knew what to do. Only the child dies instead. She should have screamed out and started wailing after all, her son and her only child just died in her arms. But NO it was not time for crying, wailing or seeking for sympathy. She was not going to accept what God has not given – a dead son. God gave her son when she did not even ask and the gift of God cannot suddenly be with repentance. How can God just change His mind when the bible says that His gifts are without repentance and that He does not change His mind??

She decided to seek God and she took off to see the man of God. It was not the right time to go and see the man God as it was not the new moon or the Sabbath. It is not Sunday morning neither is it the time for prayer meeting. But her son is dead. She just knows that God needs to be “confronted” concerning her situation and nothing is going to stop her from trying to reach God. And “it does not matter” she told her husband…”God will still hear me even though it is neither the season of the new moon nor Sabbath”. What a faith!!!

She could have said to the husband “do you not understand? Our son is dead and you are concerned about new moon and Sabbath” It was not the time for a fight and it was not the time for vain argument to try and convince people on why you have to take certain steps. It was simply the time to act… to see your God and to ‘confront’ Him.

Several times in our lives, we know what God has said concerning us. We know the gift He has given us and yet the enemy comes to play with our minds to tell us that the healing is not real and how the sickness is back or will be back and we even start looking for the symptoms that are not there.

Like the Shunamite woman, we need to stop the enemy in his tracks by going back to God and saying, No way!!! The gift of God is without repentance.

It is very interesting what happened between this woman and the man of God. Elisha sent his servant with his authority and gave him instructions but the woman would not accept that. She told Elisha plainly, you really must come… this calls for your attention personally. She will not give up. She knows first hand what is needed to bring her son back to life and she will stop at nothing until God answers her.

I do not know what situation you have in your life but one thing is sure. God’s word concerning you is without repentance. I tell myself the same thing… God is not going to change His mind concerning me. Hold unto Him with in faith and obedience and see the dead things in your life come back to life and the seemingly hopeless situations turned around. We can move the hand of God… Elisha got up and went with the Shunamite woman and restored her son to life.

Where are your hands?

Exodus 17 vs. 15 – 16: Moses built an altar and named it” The Lord is my banner”. Moses said “I lifted my hands towards the Lord’s throne. The Lord will fight against the Amelekites forever”

To fight a battle we use our hands to hold the weapon: To shoot a gun, throw a spear or arrow even a catapult, no matter what weapon we need to use our hands.

Psalm 18 vs. 34: “He trains my hands for battle; he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow

Moses is faced with a battle and what does he do? He raises his hands heavenwards… The Lord will fight the Amelekites forever. The Lord indeed fought for him… for as long as his hands were heavenwards, there was victory until God finally defeated the enemies.

Sometimes we want to help God fight and we forget what role we should play. .. Turn it over to him…don’t worry about drawing your sword. You will not need it. Just lift your voice and your hands heavenwards.

No matter what problems and which Amelekites you are facing today, if you can raise your hands and your face towards heaven, God will fight for you. After all, the battle is the Lords.

The Price of Moab

Whether it is global recession or national recession, these are desperate times. Without much warning events began to unfold, businesses were folding, big institutions were laying off thousands of employees and we all know one or two people who are affected if we are not ourselves.
Everywhere you turn there is helplessness, poverty, need and hopelessness. The current situation reminds me of the picture Genesis 1 vs. 1 creates in my mind: darkness was upon the earth… a state of stagnancy… nothing moving… nothing growing, millions of people out of work creating desperation all over.
The Israelites faced desperate times as recorded in Ruth chapter 1 vs. 1: “ In the days when the judges ruled in Israel, a severe famine came upon the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah left his home and went to live in the country of Moab taking his wife and two sons with him”
Desperation can drive us to do many things, unethical, unacceptable and to take extreme measures. Ever seen a desperate man or woman? They can do anything to survive. It is almost as if they are driven by some form of insanity as they lose all forms of moral consciousness. Elimelech moved to Moab – that was the peak of desperation. From the time the Israelites were leaving Egypt, God was clear on the Moabites. He told Israel to avoid them on their way. Moab was a no go area for them. Moab has that ‘that effect’ and God knew his people, He knew that Moab will lead them to death.
As we experience our own period of famine and desperation, we are faced with the same choice. Are we going to trust God who has promised that He will satisfy our souls in famine or are we going to look for succor somewhere else? Is Moab an option for the children of God? Famine is not strange to God, why would He make a promise of provision in famine? It is simply because it is a period or periods that we will go through.
Moab can be quite tempting and for someone looking for even food for her children, we may deceive ourselves that God surely will understand. But the truth remains that Moab will give us temporary succor but the price will be too dear. Elimelech died in Moab, his sons died in Moab even without having children. Was marrying Moabites a condition for Elimelech? It was bad enough that he moved to Moab but marrying them? You do not know what conditions the land of Moab will present no matter the carrot they wave in front of you. Moab is costly. Moab will take you and I away from God. God is clear on that one.