Yearly Archives: 2013
More Like God
‘…Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!’ 1Chr.29:14.
A man took his son to an eatery and bought him the best-made potato chips ever. Sitting across the table from his son, he watched as the boy pleasurably consumed each chip. And instinctively, the father reached out to share in the experience but the boy slapped his father’s wrist and said ‘no dad, this is mine!’. Immediately, three thoughts ran through the father’s mind. Firstly, does this boy not know I got him the potato chips? I am the source of these potato chips. Secondly, as the source of the potato chips, I control its availability. I Read the rest of this entry
Values
‘Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving’ 2 Cor.8:7
The four values mentioned most in the Bible are hope, faith, love, and give. According to research, hope is mentioned in the Bible 185 times. Faith is mentioned 246 times. Someone describes hope as ‘hearing music that other people cannot hear and faith is dancing to that music that you have heard’. So if you’ve heard the music [meaning you have hope] and yet you do not dance to it then you do not have faith. Believing and not doing anything about it is not having faith. When you begin to dance to the music [hope] that only you can hear Read the rest of this entry
Faith Is… VI
‘Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen’ Heb.11:1.
Finally, faith is thanking God even before I receive it. Benjamin Franklin said, “The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason”. If you chronicle the life of Jesus you will notice that thanking God before receiving the miracle was a pattern. ‘So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me’ John 11:41. Lazarus was still dead yet Jesus was thanking God in advance. That is faith. Even Jesus thought it was important to thank God in advance. Thanking God in advance is faith Read the rest of this entry
Faith Is… V
‘It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith’ Heb.11:4
Faith is giving when I don’t have it. Read 2 Cor.8:2-3. God prompting me to sow that car is a clear example of giving more than you can afford, giving what you don’t have. God won’t be God if we can reason Him out all the time. God is God because you still cannot fully comprehend His ways. You could give by reason or you could give by revelation. You could give by logic or you could give by faith. Giving by faith is following the direction of the Lord. Believe me God will always stretch you to the point that you are ready for what He is about Read the rest of this entry
Faith Is… IV
‘It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac’ Heb.11:17
Looking at my life, there are many things that God had told me to do that just didn’t make sense at the time. My wife and I had two cars, one of the cars was like half a car and the other was the pride and joy of the family. One day I went to see one of my pastors who is a missionary and my eyes fell on his shoe, well lets just say it had seen better days. So I made up my mind that I was going to get him two pairs of very good shoes. After all how can a man of God be wearing such shoes. So as we were walking out of his hotel room, I heard Read the rest of this entry
Faith Is… III
‘It was by faith that Noah build a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before’ Heb.11:7a
Abraham was about to retire and God said to him ‘pack your bags I am leading you to a land’. ‘Which land?’ He asked. God says ‘don’t worry’, I will show you when we get there’. So Abraham began to pack his bags and his family members ask, ‘AB where are you going?’ And Abraham says ‘I am going to a place, God is going to give me an inheritance, a land’. ‘Really, AB which land is that?’ they ask and he says ‘I don’t know yet but I am going’. They probably said amongst themselves ‘it is confirmed, AB has lost it. We knew there was Read the rest of this entry
Faith Is… II
‘For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.’ Heb.4:2.
Faith is plugging into the move of God regardless of how I feel. Plug into God’s Word by faith. The children of Israel had a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day to lead them. The Bible says where ever the pillar stops they stop regardless of the time of the day and whenever the cloud moves they move. That is faith. It is possible that they did not feel like moving on that day or things were not just right but regardless they plugged into the move of God. ‘The cloud of glory is moving let us move with the cloud –move with the cloud’. Read the rest of this entry
Faith Is… I
‘Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see’ Heb.11:1.
Faith is being confident even when I am yet to possess the promise. ‘Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see’ Heb.11:1 [NIV]. If God’s promise to you is of a future partner for instance, faith is being confident that you are going to be married. So it is going to affect how you carry yourself. Carrying yourself with the air of self-pity is definitely not faith. Faith is carrying yourself with confidence knowing that God will bless the man that eventually marries you [who receives this package]. That is Read the rest of this entry
By Faith!
‘By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight’ Heb.11:33-34
Everything we do as believers is by faith. Laying on of hands, giving, even fellowship with God are all by faith [Heb.11:5]. Take water baptism for example. It is by faith we obey Jesus and get baptized by immersion. Baptism cannot make logical sense. Yet everyone that has been baptized by faith has a testimony of life change. The life change you experience does not happen as a result of the baptismal classes rather it occurs as a result of your faith in Jesus expressed through the act of baptism. During one of my visits to my sister, I Read the rest of this entry
The Pleasing Factor
‘Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him’ Heb.10:38
God is a rewarder. God said to Israel ‘I have not told you to seek Me in vain’. There are certain things you should expect in seasons of great sacrifice and as you step out in faith. You should expect a miracle because God is a rewarder. So everyone that comes to God must first and foremost believe that He is – that God exists. As you approach God when He beckons on you to step out into the water, you must believe that God is. As God challenges you to sow a seed, you must believe that God is. Not just that He is but that He is a rewarder Read the rest of this entry
