Say not four months…for the harvest is indeed ripe….not again!!!! But I’ll say it again; say not four months….for the harvest is indeed ripe. Say not it is fruitless, or it is impossible, or it is the economy, or it’s just the way things are, or it’s the fuel subsidy removal, or it’s too late, or it can never happen. If God gave you a word, He expects that word to bear fruit. And for the word to bear fruit, you must see through the eyes of faith. You must nurture that word in prayer, worship, the Word and in fellowship that there might be a manifestation. When Jesus approached the fig tree in Mark 11, in the natural nothing added up because it wasn’t the season for figs yet Jesus expected fruit and just like it is today it looks like nothing’s adding up, things seem really slow, terrorism seems to be on the increase, too many are in distress and others are afraid and the natural thing to do is to say- four months, may be when the economy gets better I would try, there’s no hope, I can’t. When these words become your confession, you unknowingly attract a curse to yourself….ooops! Think about the fig tree again, when Jesus demanded figs from the tree and there was none, he cursed the tree and moments later the tree dried up. So if God has said it, it is not dependent on the seasons in the natural. Is His arm too short that He cannot do? Is He a man that He should lie? Is anything too difficult for Him? Let the Lord find you strong, standing in faith, yes aware but unmoved by the circumstances that surround us because your gaze is upon Him. “Do not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

It is your finest hour… only believe!

There is war

Lately there’s been a lot of news about violence and war. Terrible things are happening all around us. We hear of religious wars and bomb blasts. We hear of drug abuse and homosexuality is on the rise. People are fearful. Many are in emotional, physical and deep financial distress. Crime in a lot of areas is on the increase and it appears that all of sudden the earth is belching out smoke which has the ability to hurt.

“Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.
The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. They had hair like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.” Revelation 9: 1-11.

My purpose is not to bring fear into your hearts but to awaken you to the times that we are in. There are seasons in our lifetime when there is so much darkness. In the Scriptures above the Bible says the locusts were permitted to cause harm for 5 months. This says to me that the darkness that we witness today is for a season and will pass. The thing for us to do as children of God is  be sensitive and be like the sons of Isaccar who knew the seasons and knew what they ought to do. This is a season to get into your prayer closet and pray. It’s a time to shut the doors and enter into your private chambers and pray. Pray for God’s protection over your life and over the lives of your loved ones. Pray that the Lord’s seal would remain upon you.  

May 2004

My Jesus

First they accused Him. Then they insulted Him. I saw self-control and restraint at a level unimaginable. I cannot begin to imagine what it was like not to react but to respond in the way and manner that He did.
Then they began to whip Him and they really did. First with whips and then with whips that had iron hooks attached to it. There was blood and human flesh splattered everywhere and it was a terrible sight to behold. As if that wasn’t enough, they made Him carry a heavy cross to which He was going to be nailed. When He was too tired to move, they whipped Him some more. Friends it was gruesome. And all the while some laughed at Him and others mocked. Some spat in His face and yet He did not save Himself.
Then they put on His head a crown of thorns. The thorns pierced through His head. Then with very thick nails they nailed Him to a wooden cross. Then they turned the cross over and then up. Uuuuph the pain, the agony, the suffering of my Jesus.

Last week a new theatre opened in Lagos and the one of the premier movies that was showing on big screen at the new Silverbird Cinema was Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. Folks I have read accounts in the Bible about Jesus’ last days but what my Jesus did for me on the cross of Calvary has never come so alive to me as it did last Sunday.

That same Jesus shed His blood for you. That same Jesus bore your guilt and shame. If you ever have the opportunity, please watch the movie.

Next time I feel pain in my body, my faith will arise for my healing when I remember the stripes He bore for me. When I go through difficulties or I face challenges, I know without a doubt that it shall pass because Jesus said, "it is finished" As you face the challenges of life, take your eyes off the problem and fix your eyes on Jesus. When you remember what He did for you, you would truly believe that their ain’t no mountain high enough.

God bless you.
May 2004

Stay

listened with keen interest as the young gentleman told my prayer group that he was seriously considering relocation. He was tired of the heavy burdens. He was tired of all the pressure. He'd had enough of things not just working out and a friend's invitation to escape from it all and move to London sounded like a great idea.

If only he knew that there were thousands under stress and in depression living in London. If only he knew that there were thousands of homeless in London. If only he realized that there was unemployment in London too. If only he could see that London was not the answer. There are many going through a rough patch. Businesses are not working, money is tight, relationships are falling apart and if you come from my part of the world, the price of fuel has increased again and that has very serious implications.

I hear people say, "but this was supposed to be a great year, this was supposed to be a year of many, many miracles. Where are the miracles? Where are the unusual blessings? Where are the uncommon favors?"  And to them I say that the time for the Lord to bless you has come. If only you would hold on. If only you would persevere.

In Genesis 26 we were told that there was famine in the land. There was hardship and things were just not working out and Isaac's inclination was to give up or as they say in Nigeria check out. But notice that the Lord forbade him to leave and instead he sowed in the land in which there was famine and that same year, he reaped a hundred fold.

Dear one, what is that area of your life that you're having difficulty with? I believe God is asking someone to sow even more love and attention into that very difficult relationship. He's saying to that business person, give it more time and energy. He's saying to some you've come too far to give up now. You see God can only bless you only if you are in the place He has purposed for you to be blessed. Sometimes that place may be uncomfortable but remember that the God that we serve is not a man that He should lie neither is He the son of man that He should repent. If God has spoken concerning you, IT SHALL COME TO PASS! This is the time to sow. Increase your giving, increase your diligence, step up on your prayer life. Increase the time that you spend in the Word. Do not leave the land. Sow my friend sow. "For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry." Habakkuk 2:3

May 2004.

Prayer Points

This week get on your knees and pray. Pray for your nation. God's word says, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2Chronicles 7:14. There's too much unrest. There's chaos, there's fear and there's uncertainty and the only thing you can do about it is pray.

Pray for the leaders in the Church, in government, in business, in homes and on your jobs. The word again says, "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." 1Timothy 2:1-4

When was the last time you made intercession, supplication and thanksgiving for your bosses?

Pray for yourselves. Thank God for the covenant of protection over your life. Pray that He would continue to set His angels charge about you to keep you in all your ways.  Make Job 1: 10 a prayer point. "Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land."   

June 2004

Just thank Him

I couldn't believe my eyes. Here was a friend I had recorded some good times with. I remembered times we shared, times we had some good clean fun, times we moaned and complained, times we dreamed, times we were there for each other and times we hung out. And there she was helpless and stricken by a debilitating disease rheumatoid arthritis which had distorted her face and crippled some of her body. It was a difficult visit for me because I hadn't imagined that she was in such a bad state but the good thing about it all was that she was in such high spirits.

Friends, I am once again reminded that there is so much to thank God for. Many times we moan and complain about things that do not matter and things that do not have an eternal value. As I flew back home the next day, my thoughts were not far from my friend as I began to think of ways in which I and some other friends could be a blessing to our very ill friend. God I thought, how we forget to thank you for the little things, the things we so easily take for granted. My friend could no longer use her hands or walk by herself and yet we complain about not being the right weight or height. We complain about about our hair, our looks, we complain about this and that.

From deep within I just began to thank God for life, the gift of salvation and for His goodness and faithfulness toward me. Friends it mustn't take a trip to the hospital, or having to come in contact with those who are going through very distressing and I mean very distressing situations for us to thank God. You see God never gives or  allows us to go through trials that we cannot bear. This week lay your burdens and your cares at the feet of Jesus and just come before Him with thanksgiving and praise. As you do please bring before God my friend Eka. Please pray for her healing. Pray for a strengthening of her mind and her  spirit. Pray that Lord God Almighty would indeed make her life beautiful.

God bless you.

 June 2004.

P.S  My girlfriend did go on to be with the Lord months after and I’m sure life must be beautiful for her in the presence of the Father.

Get some rest

In the last two weeks I’ve been physically tired. I mean really, really tired. And I find that when we get physically tired, we also get spiritually and emotionally tired. Lately I haven’t felt like extending or exerting any kind of pressure on myself. As a matter of fact I came to a point where there was no strength to fellowship with others or to even pray.
But friends, this has been a dangerous place to be. It’s a place of vulnerability and I’m thankful to God that no serious temptation has come my way. Imagine a woman half way into labor who suddenly loses the strength to push. How distressful the end would be. No wonder Jesus always took the time to rest. "For the Lord God says, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength" Is 30:15. Life in itself is a struggle. Taking the time out to rest sometimes requires strong determination and it is necessary. No wonder Apostle Paul said in Phil 3:14, "I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." These scriptures say to me that it takes effort to live and sometimes that effort may mean taking a break to refresh so that you can keep on keeping on.
In 2Kings 4, the Bible gives an account of the Shunammite widow. This woman had been going on until she could go no further. Then God visited her when the man God instructed her to fetch all the jars or vessels she could lay her hands on. The verse that struck me the most was verse 7. You see the woman could have had a lot more jars of oil but she said to the man of God Elisha, "there is not another vessel" and the Bible says the oil ceased. She was not prepared for more blessings and so the blessings stopped. She could have had a lot more. Dear Ones, God is looking for vessels to pour into but those vessels must be ready. Refresh, shake of the lethargy and get back to God so that He could fill you.
You see it finally dawned on me that money gives you choices and so I had gone on an investment binge and was quite determined that there was going to be no vacations for me this year. But you know something…a refreshing holiday is an investment too. Some of those planned investments can wait. Right now I can’t decide whether it’s going to be Ghana or Nairobi or Venice or Portugal but one thing’s for sure, I’m going to get some rest…What about you?
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak,
and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Is 40: 28-31.

July 2004.