Slipping but not Slipped

As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord . And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple.
Jonah 2:7 NLT

Some of us truly feel that our life as we know it is slipping away. We feel the emptiness now that virtually everything that we lived for has "moonwalked" right away from us. Maybe your life was being the life of every party, or you were the most beautiful girl in school.

But some way some how everything that made you you is no more and you feel empty more than ever. Maybe your life was your boyfriend or your girlfriend that has left you. Maybe it was your fiancee or maybe a parent that has departed. Like Jonah you feel that life is slipping away. You feel all hope is lost. You feel like this it for you.

Some people have heard negative reports about their health and thought this is it. It might be a cancer or maybe a terminal illness that looks bleak. So are you gonna give up? Are you going to commit suicide? I heard Robbin Williams committed suicide because he got a negative report about his health. He felt his life was slipping away.

Your life may slipping away but it is not the end, it hasn't fully slipped yet, It can be stopped. Jonah said "and I remembered the Lord and made earnest prayers to His holy temple." My brother my sister, it's time to remember God. Giving up is not an option. He will deliver you!! He will put a halt to that slippery situation. But it all depends on your readiness to let Him fully into your life.

Jesus died for you not to worry about situations in life. In fact He told us in John that "I have overcome the world" Give him a chance to come into your situation. Pray this simple prayer

"Lord forgive me for keeping you put. But today I remember you and I know you are the one that holds my life together. Lord help in this slipping area (mention what ever you feel is slipping) of my life.
In Jesus name. Amen

What Anxiety Is......

Becoming Aware Of Who You Truly Are As A Child Of God

I watched a movie yesterday titled "Jupiter Ascending", the very impressive effects aside, the movie preached a very serious message that is really relevant to Christians and can relate to. Permit me to give you a brief synopsis of the movie. The movie was about a girl by name Jupiter who lost her father at a very young age after he was shot by armed robbers. She grew up cleaning toilets with her mum. Little did she know that she was entitled to a destiny changing life in some other planet million of light years away. In that galaxy she was royalty. Infact she was the owner of the planet earth where she was working as a help. (To own the earth and the people in it and be cleaning the toilets of the same people you own). Unknowing to her she had enemies she had no clue of. Enemies that wanted her dead. They wanted to kill her before she became aware of who she really was. She becoming aware meant she taking control of earth which they were using for thing selfish gains. Long story short the enemy was defeated in the end and she as they say lived happily ever after. Forgive me if I couldn't if I didn't "gbaa" the story well.
This morning I learnt something very important during my quiet time and inspired to write this post after a very long time of being absent. Truth was my life was sort of life Jupiter, I was been reduced to cleaning toilets because I wasn't aware of who I truly was. Romans 6:10 -11 says "for the death He died He died once to sin once and for all, but the life He lives now He live unto God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin but alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord." You see I never knew that being born again meant I had died to since once and for all. I had become more sin conscious than ever. I didn't know I had power to rule over it. I was being a servant to the thing I had dominion over. I know most Christians can relate to what I am saying. Today I want to tell you, you have died to your sins. That masturbation you've died to it, that pornography you've died to it, sexual addiction you've died to it, that depression you've died to it. Whatever sin is holding you captive, I writing the post with only one agenda, to make you aware that according to Romans 6:10-11 you are dead to it once and for all. You own it, you have dominion over it.
Arise!, live in this new self-awareness, be fully aware of what you own, don't let the enemy take it from you. Return back to the and be fully aware of what God has made you, don't let the enemy take your divine inheritance from you.

Bless

CLUES ( The Crossword Puzzle analogy)

Imagine playing a crossword puzzle game without clues. Well that's how anyone who goes about life with the knowledge of God through Jesus Christ does. There is no way in a crossword puzzle game, one will be able to guess a correct word without first referring to the clues provide. In-fact to every line of squares, be it horizontal or vertical there is a specific clue to help the player find the exact word the creator of the game was looking for.  The fact that it has 4squares, doesn't mean it spells either food or hate, it could be beef or spit. But with the right clue one can actually guess the right word.

The Bible puts it this way in 2Peter 1:3 "According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue."
Just like a game of crossword puzzle, God has given us a book clues to fill the empty boxes in this crossword game of  life He has created , it's called the Bible.Yes you might have a word that might be the same length as number boxes provided but the question, is that the same word the Creator of the game had in mind. No matter how right you think the word you have is or fits, if it isn't what the Creator of the game had in mind then you are lost.

Imagine if everyone was to play the game according to the clues given, I personally believe a lot of disappointments, pain,heartbreaks,hurts will be and could be avoided. Some have taken jobs, gone on journeys, started business, relationships just because they felt it was right, but wasn't what God had planned. Let's begin to see life the way the Creator wants us to. Let's stop trying to find our own solutions to things by depending own feeble instinct. Allow God to open your eyes to the clues of life, Stick to His Book of Clues.

A Call To Action
You might have been for a long time, filling the crossword puzzle called Life with your own words that seem to fit but always seems to end up in mistakes or pain. You might want to start reading and understanding His book of clues (BIBLE). It's time to surrender it all to the Creator of the game of life by accepting His only son Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal saviour. Only then will the eyes of your understanding be enlightened and opened to the clues around you.

See how considerably easy life will get. Lets Remember we didn't create the game of life. We are just mere players!!

When Your Brakes Fail (Call For Help)

I remember a few years ago, I was watching this show about a woman who was driving, and her brakes suddenly failed. She was going about 90kmph on the freeway and when she was approaching her exit, she decided to slow down by applying her brakes, but to her dismay, the car wouldn't stop. When she realized she was in trouble, she panicked began trying to turn off her engine while the car was in motion, but still to no avail. The car just kept moving.

In her desperation she finally picked her phone to call the police to report her predicament. She dialed 911 and she was asked of her exact location, which she gave, and within a few minutes a squad car pulled up close to her (thank God she was in America and not Ghana) lol. So to cut the story short, the driver squad car drove up ahead of her, entered her lane and skillfully helped her stop by allowing her car bump into his, whiles he applied his brakes after a while both cars came to stop.

This story is all too familiar in my life and the life of other believers. You might be enjoying the freeway of grace and get to the point where you begin to somehow take it for granted. You realize that you need to pump your brakes and take your exit but like this woman you brakes fail and now you are in a free fall to a destination you don't want to be. Like this woman most of us go about life believing in our 'cars' and 'brakes' ( ourselves and self-control).

We have confidence when it gets to the critical stage the 'brakes' of self-control will help us. But just like this woman's brakes our self-control fails us so many times ( i know mine has), next thing we know we missed our exit and to top it off, we realize we are in trouble and we can't stop. In our desperation we try to help ourselves but still nothing works, like the woman we try to switch off our engines but that too doesn't work and we keep going down.

When we find our brakes failing all we need to do is call for help, dial that help line. Luckily for us we have a saviour who is literally micro-seconds away and skillful in rescuing. In-fact His specialty is rescuing.
  Psalm 91:15 say " When you call to me, I will answer you. I will be with you when you are in trouble. I will save you and honor you."

When your brake (self-control) fails and you realize you are heading for trouble, don't panic and try to help yourself. Call For Help!!!

MAN AND SIN – Who is meant to be master

                  

We live in a world of utter chaos, though we have the sun for illumination, there is total darkness on the face of this earth, and just like the stars in sky at night, there are just a few people shining through this dark world. We live in a world where insanity is the order of the day, a world where people’s only desire is to please their selfish needs, totally oblivious to the harmful effect it has on the next person. We live in the world where children are sold as sex slaves just to enrich a person’s pocket, a world where the don’ts are the dos and the dos are the don’ts. In short we live in a world ruled by SIN.

There is one simple question I ask myself - is that how our Father intended it to be? The book of truth, the Holy Bible declares the intention of God for man on this earth in the book of Genesis as being the King of this world. God wanted man to have dominion of everything on this earth. Simply God wanted us to be royalty and one distinct feature of a royal is the access to slaves and servants. God wanted us to control all things and let everything be subjected to us including Sin. We were supposed to have control over sin, sin was supposed to be slave to us. In Gen. 4:7 the Bible says “…………… then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” This was a warning God gave to one the earliest men Cain. It is quite amazing to see the words of Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes 7:10 be very true in these days. It reads “I have even seen servants riding horseback like princes – and princes walking like servants.” I don’t think a day will come when the Queen of England will allow a servant power to rule over her, never!! That will be total insanity. So the why are we allowing our slave to rule us then. Our kingship is not of this earth, if earthly kings and queens know the power they hold, why then have we so easily relinquished ours to sin. We are living in the day and age where the slave has become master to the King. You see the moment Adam sinned he gave his authority to sin.

We live in a day where people created in the image of God defile the name of their creator. A world, where a man who was created in the image of God, chooses to bow down to things created from the imagination of God. The books of Romans chapter 1 verse 23 describe this authority given to slave called sin this way “and instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.” (NLT)

God’s plan is for us to rule over sin. Let’s be more aware of out power and strength we have in He who has created us and stop the cliché of saying we are weak and so it is okay that we sin. Let me conclude with words of Paul in Romans 6 vs 6 – 7, telling us how have overcome sin “We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.” (NLT)

The only way for each of us to win back our authority as the maters over sin and declare permanent slavery to sin is to accept Jesus as our Lord and personal saviour. Only then can we also become the maters we are meant to be.

Bless!

The Master Chef

There were two chefs who decided to cook a bowl of shrimps
Chef 1 said to the shrimps in the bowl "I am going to take my time, remove the spikes on you, remove your hard coating, cook you on very low heat, though it might take long, you will come out a better meal" The shrimps in the bowl said to him "can't you just cook us the way we are. I am sure peoole won't mind eating us that way." But the chef replied "Yes people might not mind eating you the way you r but I must remove the spikes and hard coating to make u better. I am gaining for perfection"
Just then chef 2 came and said to the shrimps " I will cook you the way you are, there is no need for pruning and removing of spikes. You can be you and still make it to the dinner table. Infact I won't cook you on low heat, I cook you on high heat, that way u don't spend too much time on fire, u get cooked early and then u can be served to the guest."
So all of the shrimps opted for chef 2 with the exception of one shrimp who stayed with chef 1.
Now long story short, both chefs did their thing and now food was ready. The shrimps were served. The shrimps that chose the fast and easy way came out either not well cooked, filled with impurities or burnt. Now the one shrimp that stuck with the first chef was also served and it came out perfect, soft, well cooked and everybody wanted a taste. So the host of the party asked the first chef if he could salvage the remaining shrimps and he replied " that is my speciality, I would love to."

Most of us have had very bad experiences but it doesn't matter whether u got burnt, it doesn't matter whether you still have your impurities. It doesn't matter who cooked you first. I came to tell you there is a chef called Jesus, He specialises in making all things good. He will make you whole again!! Don't give up!! Give him the chance!!

Bless!!

Do We Need God as much as He needs us.

God needs us but the question is do we need Him? I have come to realise that, it is only the things I need in my life that I fight to keep against all odds. If I had just "wanted" those things I wouldn't really care if I had got them or lost them. You see, God needs us, and that is why He defies all odds to keep us.

John 3:16 is the best example to demosnstrate this need. He needed us so bad, He had to send His only son to come die for you and I, in order not lose us. His need for us is defined in His COMPASSIONATE LOVE for us! I know most of us have needed something so bad that, we went to great lengths, defying all odds to get it and keep it.

Now I ask this; How many of us have gone to great lenghts to get something only to realise what we needed from the thing wasn't what we were getting?. A few days ago a friend came to me and said "chale i want to find God oo". The reply I gave was; "Do you "need" to find Him or "want" to find Him". You see when we are only looking to "want" something its just for a short while. Once we get what we we re looking for we discard it. That is why most people respond to altar calls and then within a short period of time they go back to thier old lives.

Because all they wanted was for a problem to be solved by God, once it is solved they went back to square one. We need to NEED God!! For example I have come to resolve that I need God in everything I do. He is the glue holding my life together and if I lose Him I lose my entire existence.  That is my need and I will go to the greatest lenghts to make sure I don't lose Him, even if it means forsaking a friend or a girlfriend, father or mother and just living for Him. He gave His son for me, so why can't I also do same by making Him primary in life and all other things secondary.

Matthew 13:44 KJV[44] Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
May our eyes forever be opened to this incomparable LOVE, LIVE & TREASURE we have in GOD! 

Before you ask God to come into your life be sure you need HIM. Dont waste His and your time by just "wanting" Him.

Matthew 3:2 NKJV “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
GOD NEEDS YOU!! BUT DO YOU ALSO NEED HIM!!

BLESS!!!!

By. S.S.K & B.A.B.KAYJR

Make Use Of The Rain (M.U.O.T.R)

Make use of the Rain!!!

Hebrews 6:7-8 NKJV
For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briers, it  is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.

Imagine you are a farmer who has acquired an expensive piece of land and decided to grow pepper. Now everytime you water and water, but the land instead of making use of the water to grow pepper it is rather growing thorns! Obviously you will give up on that land. You will call it barren,  worthless, etc and turn your back on it, because it is no longer worth your effort

In the same light God is the farmer and we are the land. As born again Christians He has acquired us as His land( very expensive acquisition, He bought us with the blood of His son) and has planted the seed of salvation, righteousness, love, etc in us. Now He waters us daily with His word so these seeds will grow and become useful to Him. But some of us "earth" have refused to use the wtaer for the desired purpose of the farmer and decided to make it grow thorns!! We go to church, hear the word, read our bibles, infact we are always being watered but we refuse to allow the seeds to grow we rather allow thorns(wickedness,sexual immorality,  greed, etc) to grow in us. Let us make use of this water by our farmer to grow fruits that He needs so we may not be rejected and cursed.

James 1:22-25. "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in  it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does."

BLESS!!!

FASHION CHRISTIANS

Who are fashion Christians. They are christians who choose to don the full regalia of the Word of God only when it suits them.One way or the other we find ourselves in this category. Let's look at a short scenario.     
A fashion designer creates a line and decides to show them off on the runway for people to see and possibly attract them to buy. Now to achieve this he gets two models who have willingly agreed to wear them on the runway. One model chooses not to walk the runway with some of the designs from the Line, because the other designs on the line does not suit her style at that particular point . On the hand the second model is willing to walk the runway with all the designer's clothes because she believes in the work of the designer and his vision.   

Now lets link this whole fashion show scenario to our christian life. Now lets replace the fashion designer with God. He has designed a whole fashion line (i.e a way of life on His laws and commands) and in this line He has various clothing designs made from different fabrics. Some fabrics softer and easier to wear than others. Now  we as christians have willing agreed to model these clothes on the runway at a show (Life) for the Master Designer (God) because we have chosen to accept His son as our personal saviour.       
        
In Galatians 3:27 (KJV) the bible says "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ."

Unfortunately we sometimes refuse to put on Christ( the full fashion line of God).We behave like the first model. We decide to walk the runway with designs that suit us at a particular situation we find ourselves in and neglecting the others which don't suit, when we should be like the second model who is prepared to our on the full fashion line of God ( like Paul said in Galations "CHRIST")

We confess to believe in the vision of the Master Designer(when we are baptized in Christ). But when He calls on us as models to show case His full clothing line some of us become like the first model; because the fabrics used to sew some of the clothes are not as comfortable as the others. 
In Colossians 3:10 (KJV) the bible say "And have put on the new man , which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him: "

Now back to our scenario; the fashion is on-going and the two models walk into the dressing to change clothes and they see their designer and because show the fashion show(LIFE) is going on well and people are liking the designs, both models start praising the designer giving him all the praise he deserves. But you will agree with me the designer will be more pleased with the second model because his praises are based on all his line rather than the model whose praise is not full because he didn't believe into his entire vision.

This principle also applies in our worshiping  of God. We don't expect God to be happy with our praises, tithes and offerings when we don't believe in His vision as a Designer, when we don't believe in His whole collection with all our hearts. God doesn't need our praise, tithes, praises. NO! He doesn't need them!! He has more than enough money, He gets more than enough praises.

Don't misunderstand me, praising God is good but it should be done with a pure heart. It should be done because we believe in His vision as a Fashion Designer. God wants our heart. Going to church and giving the best offering or singing the best praises  or even rolling on the floor is worthless and useless if your heart is not pure and don't obey the commands of the Lord.

The Bible makes known God's position on fashion christians in Isaiah 1:11-13 (CEB) "What should I think about all your sacrifices? says the Lord . I’m fed up with entirely burned offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts. I don’t want the blood of bulls, lambs, and goats. When you come to appear before me, who asked this from you, this trampling of my temple’s courts? Stop bringing worthless offerings. Your incense repulses me. New moon, sabbath, and the calling of an assembly— I can’t stand wickedness with celebration!" God was talking to His people who had become "fashion Christians" were still offering sacrifices and offering to Him.

Now lets see why God was not accepting their offering and nor was He listening to their prayers. He says in Isaiah 1:15-17 CEB) "When you extend your hands, I’ll hide my eyes from you. Even when you pray for a long time, I won’t listen. Your hands are stained with blood. Wash! Be clean! Remove your ugly deeds from my sight. Put an end to such evil;...."  So as I said earlier God doesn't need our monies or offerings when we give it to Him with an impure heart. He will reject all that we do, no matter how much or how well we do it.

God is a merciful Father, He always finds a way to fix problems we create ourselves because He loves us so much. In verse18 of Isaiah 1(CEB) God said "Come now, and let’s settle this, says the Lord . Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white as snow. If they are red as crimson, they will become like wool."

Wow!! God is all loving. I know in some aspect of our lives we have being fashion Christians. We have compromised our Christianity for one reason or the other, But there is hope. God in His own wisdom created a solution for us. It doesn't matter how deep you've compromised, God is ever ready to forgive you. Let's not make our praises be worthless or your seeds and tithes just be mere money before the altar of the Lord. Come!; ask Him to restore you among His favoured people, so your sacrifices and offerings may not repulse Him.

One way or the other we have all been like the first model, we have been "fashion Christians" but its not too late to make a quick U-turn and take the stance of the second model!! 

Ephesians 4:24 (KJV) "And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."

GOD THE MASTER DESIGNER'S COLLECTION NEVER GOES OUT OF STYLE!!  

BLESS!!!!!

Acknowledgement: A big thank you to Bro Kakra Antwi-Boasiako. Sis. Miriam  Acquaye and Bro. Eric Adeyinka for their immense contribution!! God Richly Bless You.