For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

We’ve all said ‘I love you’ to someone at one point or the other. Personally, I started signing off most of my messages, excluding official ones with ‘Love Always ‘ many years ago….and I love it. But is writing ‘I love you’ or saying it endlessly to someone what love is all about?

Love is not this….

I believe that in many circumstances it takes boldness to say to another ‘I love you’ (not referring to men who use the phrase flippantly to woo women). And that bold step often sets us on a love path, many times, against our natural inclinations. Meaning that saying ‘I love you’ is not such a bad thing.

Another way people try to show love is through gifts. And truly when we love, we give. Giving is an expression of love. But giving in itself is not love anymore than mouthing ‘I love you’ is.

Love is not that….

Preaching, prophesying, walking in faith, praising in angelic tongues, dancing round the auditorium with clanging cymbals is Not love! ?.

Oh! I didn’t say it, 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 did…

“And I will show you a more excellent way. If I speak in human or angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am NOTHING. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship, that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”

…………………………….

Wow!Really wow for me because; Faith is big and it’s spiritual, Prophecy is big and it’s spiritual, Giving (to God and others) is if you ask me, ‘overpreached’ in today’s Christianity, but it is big and spiritual.

The scripture we just read says if we did all this and that, and love not, we are wasting our time.

So what is love?

What is love?

That’s the exact same question I’d have thrown at Apostle Paul if he didn’t provide 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8.

According to Paul, love is reflected in how we RELATE with others, not just what we say to them, not how we do our faith walk or manifest gifts of the Spirit.

Love is choosing to be patient when dealing with people, love is being kind to someone whether they deserve it or not, love is rejoicing with a brother (your peer) who recently graced his garage with the same brand new car you’ve been admiring to have yourself instead of envying him.

Love is deciding to withhold details of a recent feat from someone who is incapable of handling the truth that things are actually going on well for you than it is for them.

Love is dealing with everyone with respect and honor irrespective of your position or status. Love is looking out for the good of all at all times. Love is giving people a benefit of the doubt.

Love is smelling evil from far and turning the opposite direction. Love is being protective of others. Love is enduring some level of discomfort to make another comfortable.

Love is hoping that indeed things will turn around for good for others, not wishing them bad.

Love is forgiving and keeping no record of it instead of setting a trap to catch someone who offended you (knowingly or unknowingly) several months ago and only burying the hatchet when you see them miserable (you satisfy self but then you may lose them).

You know the thing about love?, … people recognize it and respond to it, they do not need to be always told about it?

My first 2 kids are in their teen/preteen age and I can tell you I’ve had to come down really harder on them in recent times, but they’re never in doubt of my love.As at today, I am confident that my husband loves me, it will be nice to hear him say it more often (yeah) but even if he doesn’t, I know it.

Love is the force that pulls people, crowd, multitudes to us, not only because of spoken love but also in the sweet incense of love that permeates well beyond our spheres, in what people hear and know about us. Because love done right, NEVER fails.

Prophecy fades, tongues don’t go on endlessly, knowledge is not the exclusive preserve of a few anymore and in fact it can seize, …….because 1 Corinthians 13:8 says so:

“….but whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.” NKJV.

The greatest Gift of the Spirit is Love.

Love never fails.

What’s the lesson for me?

You know God just has a way of sending us the right word in every circumstance. Really, this word hit me hard this morning because yesterday I held a ‘truth be told’ meeting with a colleague and I thought to declutter my heart. Only to pick up my Bible this morning and hear The Lord say to me, ‘Look Grace, that was not exactly bad, but you need to grow up’. Keeping a record of wrongs is not love, it is behaving like a child.

“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.” (Verse 11).

Oh yes! blogging has shown me that I am introspective; I look inwards too ? and so I can share my inadequacies even as I draw strength from them by continually renewing my mind with the Word.

I love how Apostle Paul puts it;

“….Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
II Corinthians 12:9 NKJV.

So what is your definition of LOVE?

My prayer:

May I become All of Christ and nothing about me.

Earlier today, I had a very strong impression in my heart to prophesy over my family. The contents of the prophecy were very clear to me, I could clearly see everything I needed to prophesy about, the words to say were running through my mind, I felt a strong sense of confidence in every word.  Arnold my husband was right beside me trying to get some sleep, the urge to start speaking was getting stronger, but then something was missing….and I will tell you what that is in a bit.

Thirty minutes earlier, Arnold and I had agreed we needed to nap….Sunday siesta! 🙂 The sermon today was good; Arnold loves governance and politics so the preacher got his full attention, well almost fully. One time, the preacher gave a rhetoric command; ‘rise up and be the voice of reason’, Arnold jerked up from his head bent position, almost standing to his feet. Only wisdom stopped him from jumping up and screaming ‘yes preacher‘. His slowness in awakening from his short nap gave him sufficient time to look around and find that everyone else was seated.

We both needed to sleep, last night was a business night, we had some sleep deficit to catch up on. Additionally, we’d booked an appointment to listen to a younger chap share his passion about a business idea…this was due in an hour…

But I wasn’t sleeping, the words of the prophecy kept running through my mind as I partly thought, ‘well I can do it during our prayer time’, besides Arnold seemed asleep now. But then I heard in my spirit; ‘the word is nigh thee even in thy mouth, …the word of faith‘

Oh! I thought, ‘word, ….faith….prophecy…….

I quickly grabbed my Bible and located Romans 10:8.

“But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Romans 10:8‭-‬9 NKJV.

The first time I heard the concept of faith in Christianity explained was almost 2 decades ago, that would be from Hebrews 11. As you can imagine, there has been countless other times. Today, as I read Romans 10:8-9, my understanding of faith improved.

What do we have in Romans 10:8-9?

This scripture describes the steps for becoming a born-again Christian. But that’s not all. It provides the layout for a victorious Christian living founded on the kingdom principle of faith.

“But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Romans 10:8‭-‬9 NKJV

Becoming born again is simple; you listen to the good news and allow it create a picture in your mind, believe what you heard and believe the picture created in your heart, then confess (with your mouth) that what you have come to believe is so, and hey, you have it! You are born again, Praise God!!! 

Hearing the good news alone is not faith {It’s part of the process}

Conceiving the good news alone is not faith {It’s part of the process}

Speaking about the good news alone without fully believing it, is not faith {It’s just part of the process}.

Faith=Conceive it+ Believe it + Speak it + Receive it. 

This principle of faith is succinctly described in Romans 10: 15

“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? NKJV

Let’s flip Romans 10:15 from bottom up;

Send a preacher out to preach so that people can hear the good news, believe it and then call on (confess) Him. 🙂

To say to a mountain ‘move‘ is not enough to make it move. There is a ……..’does not doubt in his heart‘,  a …..’believes what he says will happen‘,  before a ……’he will have what he says‘ (Mark 11: 23).

Faith=Conceive it+ Believe it + Speak it + Receive it. 

“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
James 2:26 NKJV

Hebrews 11:1-3 says;

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God; so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”
Hebrews 11:1‭-‬3 NKJV

A substance is tangible, an evidence is evident, so why does the Bible describe them in Hebrews 11 in future and passive terms? hoped for’….’not seen’….

Because the picture is fully created in a person’s mind, the person already believes it, the person has already confessed it and though not yet visible, the person already has it.

Look at Hebrews 11:1-3 again and this time, let’s see something different and interesting…

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God; so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”
Hebrews 11:1‭-‬3 NKJV

‘.…for by it the elders obtained a good testimony‘ in the above scripture can mean: 1. The elders are remembered because of their faith or 2. The elders created a testimony for themselves by operating in faith or 3. Both.

I will choose both.

You can become a faith champion by consistently creating your own testimonies obtained and secured through conceiving a thing, believing it, speaking it {plus acting on it} and having it.

I hear people say ‘faith is the Christian currency‘….is that absolutely correct? …….

Right now, if you are thinking like me, the immediate question to be answered is” what can I buy right now with my faith? I mean now! If faith is really this simple, why waste anymore time?

Can we create anything by faith? I mean anything at all…… 

How did the elders do it?

Three scriptures;

“…but without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11: 6

“…By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” Hebrews 11:2

“….”How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? NKJV

The base, setting under, or substrate of faith is The Word of God.

Hearing the word, believing in the existence of God, knowing and believing the word of God are prerequisites to obtaining a good testimony through faith.

So any believing, conceiving, speaking, acting that is not founded on the Word of God is merely a wishful thinking or a positive thinking. It is not faith.

Faith is based on the Word of God.

Oh! but what happens when the object of your faith does not manifest instantly, what do you do?

That’s where the twin brother of faith comes in; HOPE

Faith says ‘it’s done and I receive it, Hope patiently awaits the physical manifestation of the faith object.

Hope, doesn’t let your faith focus slip. Even though it tarries, it shall surely show forth.

Halleluyah!!!

Now back to my story about that prophecy 

I can have those thoughts and words running through my mind all day (and even into another night), and with all the confidence i feel about them bustling in my heart, but until I open my mouth and actually begin to say them out, and say them based on the word of God, nothing is gonna happen. So the moment Arnold turned a bit in his sleep and I established that he was no longer asleep, he got a full release of the words for the season. 

I leave you with an interesting dialogue between Ezekiel and Jehovah…..

“The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then he caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley, and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, Son of man, can these bones live? So I answered , ‘O Lord God, You know.” Again He said to me, “prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live……..So I prophesied as I was commanded and as I prophesied there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them and the skin covered them over over; but there was no breath in them. Also He said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds , O breath and breathe on these slain that they may live. So I prophesies as He commanded me and breath came into them, and they lived and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.” Ezekiel 37: 1-10. NKJV.

The Word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth.

What are you waiting for? 🙂 ……..Start putting flesh on those bones…….

…………………..

If you’ve been blessed by this or any other publication on this site, your freewill gift can help with running and maintenance charges for this site. Give here.

To continue to be inspired by similar articles as this one from our blog, subscribe here.

You can order the kindle and paperback copies of Grace’s book on healing ‘When the Doctor Says No’ from your local Amazon stores, and a subsidized pdf copy here.

Blessings & Love Always.

Grace Obomanu

The title of this blogpost would seem like an oxymoron, consisting of a phrase with conflicting or opposing ideas. It seems to be saying ‘don’t think‘ and yet ‘think‘ 🙂 It is impossible to continue to live and not think 🙂 so what is this blog about?

To guard something means to watch over it in order to protect and control it, to protect something against damage or harm.

The heart (mind) plays a key role in human existence. It is the seat of emotions, locus of thoughts and the centre of intellect.

Science describes the heart as a hollow muscular organ which pumps blood round the circulatory system and around the body. Thus far in human existence, no one has actually seen the heart (mind) as used in the Bible. However, we find from studying the scripture that a person’s personality, character and behavior reveal their heart.

“for as he thinks in his heart, so is he (in behavior -one who manipulates}. He says to you, “Eat and drink, yet his heart is not with you….” {Proverbs 23:7}.

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” NKJV

Looking at the 2 scriptures above, we immediately see a link between the heart, behaviour (actions) and spoken words.

I was browsing through my last birthday messages from friends and family and I observed something that kept recurring through the messages from different people; “beautiful in and out” that stood out to me (*wink, wink). It’s a good report and I celebrate God’s Word in my heart 🙂

God wants us to guard our heart and by so doing control our actions, reactions and words.

“Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it spring the issues of life”
Proverbs 4:23 NKJV

To keep means to continue or cause to continue in a specified condition, state or course.

This is so important because all issues of life spring from our heart. Emotions of fear, hurt, love, anger, worry all stream from the heart. Our intellect is built and influenced hugely by the things we expose our heart to, thoughts emanate from our heart.

Clearly then we must control what goes into our heart and by so doing automatically control what comes out of it- as thoughts, words or actions.

Truth is, our emotions, thoughts (and actions) can either cripple or energize us.

God wants us to be selective about what we permit or allow access into our heart and we have a reference;

Philippians 4:8

“Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy– meditate on these things. NKJV.

So we should consciously put every thought (from within or without) against true/noble/just/lovely/of virtue/of good report. Any thought/word/action found wanting on this weighing scale must be discarded and ignored. A thought flashes through your mind that does not pass the litmus test? Discard. Somebody says something to you that displaces the balance of the weighing scale? Discard and ignore.

Reminds me of an incidence that took place in my office some years ago; someone became very upset and restless because another colleague referred to him as ‘a rat’ 🙂 The matter escalated to the point that the overall boss had to intervene, he called a meeting. After listening to the two people involved, one of his admonitions to the offended colleague was a question ‘Are you a rat?’ If someone refers to you as a rat, and you are not a rat, you haven’t behaved like a rat, then why are you so upset. 🙂

I believe that the easiest way to align our thoughts according to Philippians 4:8, is to always operate in Godly wisdom. And Godly wisdom flows freely from the Word of God.

In recent times, my most treasured status is that of being at peace. So I purposefully ‘guard my heart to think’ by protecting it from harm and exposing it to the truth sourced directly from the word of God. I consciously resist any attempt by life issues to destabilise this state 🙂 I keep my peace. Sometimes I miss it, but then I chase after it until it returns.

You can do same 🙂

The peace of God is available to us always but we must choose to walk in it.

To have a well-kept heart, a well-guarded heart, there are places we cannot go, there are movies/shows we cannot watch, there are books we cannot afford to read, there are associations and gatherings we must avoid, there are discussions we cannot be part of, there are pleasures we cannot indulge in.

I leave you with the complete words of wisdom from Proverbs 4:23;

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.”
Proverbs 4:23‭-‬27 KJV

Shalom.

The fiery flamed throne in Heaven is exclusively reserved for the ONE whose appearance is like jasper and a sardius stone, whose garment is as white as snow and hair like pure wool. He is the Ancient of Days.

Surrounding His fire-wheeled throne is rainbow, glowing as emerald, the fully-eyed restless 4 living creatures having eyes of a lion/eagle/calf/man, and a sea like crystal at the porch. {Revelations 4; Daniel 7}.

Another group of thrones, 24 in number, are occupied by the 24 Elders graced in white robes and golden crowns, they bow repeatedly to the ONE on the throne at the sound of ‘Holy’ chants by the 4 living creatures and countless number of angels {Revelations 4; Daniel 7}.

The Lion and the Lamb is in the midst of them all, once He looked slain, slain for mankind, He became the Redeemer from sin and the curse, an everlasting redemption He purchased with His own blood, paving the way for mankind to become kings and priests to the ONE seated on the throne. Now He sits fulfilled, satisfied and rested, at the right hand of the Ancient of days, as High Priest and Advocate, patiently awaiting the coming of His Everlasting Kingdom where He will reign as King with His Own; those He bought with His precious blood {Revelations 5; Daniel 7}

Heaven is compartmentalized, there is a hierarchical structure in Heaven, there is orderliness and excellence in Heaven, but Heaven is not divided.

Heaven is not divided in its mission and vision to unite man to God, to restore fellowship between God and man, to give man uninterrupted access to His God and Maker.

Heaven is not divided in bringing the fallen man to repentance, in making disciples of all men, in equipping and gifting the saints for the maturity of the Body of Christ.

Heaven is not divided in soul-winning, Heaven is not divided in water-baptism, Heaven is not divided in pouring out the Holy Ghost to as many as receive Christ is Lord.

Heaven is not divided in converting Saul into Paul to achieve purpose. Heaven is resolute about its vision- Fellowship between God and Man.

Little wonder then that when the disciples of John the Baptist; his stooges and underlings, lacking knowledge of the overall goal and focus of Heaven appeared divisive, ignorantly attempting to disrupt the established pattern for achieving the purpose of Heaven, Jesus looked the other way.

“The Pharisees heard that Jesus was winning and baptizing more disciples than John. (Actually, Jesus himself did not baptize anyone; only his disciples did.) So when Jesus heard what was being said, he left Judea and went back to Galilee”
John 4:1‭-‬3 GNB

John the Baptist knew his mission, handed to him from Heaven. He knew Jesus and His mission to redeem man from sin and the curse.

Jesus also knew John the Baptist and what role he was sent to earth to fulfill, there was a level of understanding between the two, but not among the disciples.

The disciples were earthly beings, earthly-minded, insisting on maintaining earthly hierarchical structures, patterns, traditions and doctrines.

“And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!”
John 3:25‭-‬26 NKJV

What were the possible concerns of John’s disciples?…….

John the Baptist gave them a response;

“John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.” You yourself bear me witness that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before Him. He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. John 3: 27-29. NKJV.

John was clear about one thing; roles were assigned from Heaven for the overall good of mankind. Jesus’ appearance and work were John’s testimony that his mission has been accomplished, his work was done, he has delivered on his given mandate. John was joyful with Jesus appearing on the scene, not intimidated and afraid.

According to John, what his disciples should be looking out for is an assurance that truly Jesus was the expected Messiah, not that ‘people went from him to Jesus‘;

“For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.” *Summary: the words of God keeps pouring out of whom he sends. 🙂
John 3:34 NKJV.

As seen in John 3: 27-29, John the Baptist was completely subservient to the Christ, no rivalry, no competition.

However, he knew the mandate he received, he knew his role and position, he knew that ‘he was sent‘ for a specific purpose….not exactly to serve under Jesus, a different purpose for the overall good of mankind.

“John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.” You yourself bear me witness that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before Him. He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatlybecause of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. John 3: 27-29. NKJV.

John was not arrogant, Jesus didn’t think he was. Jesus’ rebuke of John was towards his display of unbelief and uncertainty about Him being the Christ.

According to Jesus, John should have known better by the outcome of His ministry; there was no division, the mission was the same- redemption of man and restoration of fellowship between God and Man {Matthew 11:2-10}.

John should have been guided by God’s spirit as seen in Luke 11:17;

“But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.”

But Alas, John the Baptist was of the Old Testament, needing both salvation, water baptism and the baptism of the Holy Ghost himself. 🙂

If you are reading this and you have been born into the Kingdom of God by your acceptance and proclamation of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, whatever your gifting is, whatever your calling is, keep it lined up with the vision of Heaven – to bring every man to repentance and to make disciples of all men {Matthew 28:19; 2 Peter 3:9}.

Avoid meaningless segregation, the types that brew division and disharmony. Just like Jesus, walk away from divisions commonly brought about by traditions and doctrines of men, being reminded always of Mark 9:40; “For he who is not against us is on our side“. NKJV.

Serve with your graces and gifting in the local assembly where The Lord plants you, stay committed to your calling.

If you are still unsure about your gifting, ask The Lord to show you, to lead you.

It’s all about the Father’s Business. There is so much work to be done. The time is now. Every one has a role to play and no role is too small.

A Business Owner had worked all year round to keep his business afloat amidst regular dips in profits. His hard-work paid off, business still made sense; his profit margin wasn’t bad at all. Only thing was, he has become really exasperated, irritated by trivial issues, excitable by mundane ones. He needed a break!

He called for a management meeting with all departmental heads and informed them of his plan to proceed on an extended leave. Business must remain profitable in his absence. He assigned tasks and targets to each managerial portfolio with accompanying resources to aid achievement of expected outcomes.

Few days before proceeding on his vacation, he assembled his managers again and distributed seed stocks. To the Sales Manager he handed $5,000 and a list of tasks. He must at least double the money before the business owner returns. Standing next to the Sales Manager was the Finance Manager, who thought to himself, ‘Oh! the company’s net worth is better this year than it was last year, that attests to my hardwork. I’ll surely get more than $5,000. He got $2,000! The other person in the room was the Operations Manager who, just like the Finance Manager was full of great expectations. ‘He has kept everything together this past year, he thought’. If not for his dedication and commitment, their experience could have been worse considering global economic recessions. His Master would certainly give him more than $5,000 to trade with. He got $1,000!

Spread across the faces of the Sales Manager and the Finance Manager was a mix of chagrin and delight, they are certainly unhappy with Mr. Business Owner but then their fate seemed better than that of Mr.Operations. ‘At least the Master considered them more productive and superior to Mr. Operations. They busted into laughter. Mr. Operations went all red.

The Business Owner watched them in utter bewilderment. ‘These people don’t get this, he thought’. He quickly called them to order, explaining the criteria for distributing the resources. Every man has received according to his strength, ability and role in the organisation. This was not a reward system. His hopes are that each manager would employ given resources, maximize profits, without neglecting his primary responsibility. He wished them well and embarked on his journey.

Despite the explanations given by the Business Owner, the Operations Manager went away disgruntled, depressed and disillusioned. ‘The Master surely hates me, he thought‘ He is not only ungrateful and selfish, he is a wicked man and cares about nothing more than his profits.’ Mr. Owner has treated him badly despite all his years of hard-work and commitment. Instead of rewarding him for ensuring the smooth running of daily operations in the organization, he humiliated him in the presence of his colleagues by giving him the least money to trade with. He was going to do absolutely nothing with the $1000 given to him. If the Master didn’t trust his ability to trade, then he shouldn’t expect any further gains from him.

We find the response of the Business Owner to Mr. Operations on his return in Mathew 25:

“…. ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.”

Mr. Operations was right; his Master didn’t trust him to deliver. His initial explanation on the criteria for distributing the resources was only a cover up. Mr. Business Owner obviously see him as wicked {selfish} and lazy. He was of little or no benefit to him personally or to organizational growth. The only reason operations were still great was because he weighed in most times. Giving him one talent was simply an act of generosity, he would have gotten nothing.

Interestingly, they had made clever judgment about each other .. well, to a great extent 🙂 Business Owner was profit-oriented and result-driven, Mr. Operations was seen as selfish but didn’t know it}.

Jesus gave the Parable of the Talents to teach on faithfulness to the things of God. Profitability of the Kingdom of God is about making disciples of all men (Matthew 28:19). If the One-Talent Servant knew the overall organization goal and focused on it, he would (1) Continue to work towards achievement of the overall organizational goal irrespective of his perception about his Master’s feelings towards him. (2) He would have become more self-aware of how his Master saw him and seize the little opportunity given to improve himself or set things right.

He missed both.

Jesus never gave a condemning parable without admonition on the way to repentance 🙂

Let’s stay faithful and committed to the things of God. We will reap where we sow if we do not faint. And let us stay relevant in the vineyard in which we’re planted, always being reminded of 1 Corinthians 12: 20

“But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.” NKJV.

I love the title of this blog post. And just in case you are trying to make sense of it, it should actually read; ‘What has He Said to You?’ 🙂

Today, I share a very interesting and familiar story in John chapter 2. This is a story that some Christians {I choose to believe it’s not a critical mass} who indulge carelessly in alcoholism often present as excuse for getting drunk {and losing their Christian cool}. They would often say ‘Jesus’ first miracle was at a wedding where He turned water into wine {so please allow us drink ourselves to stupor} 🙂

It is also the story commonly used by preachers and promoters of luxurious Christian living to support their position. They tell us ‘Jesus’ first miracle was a miracle of luxury; so Jesus didn’t have an issue with luxury’ –I agree completely {only just attain your luxurious living in a godly way} 🙂

Well, in this blogpost, I will not be sharing on alcoholism or living in luxury as a Christian, I present to you; Jesus’ first disciple, the one who believed in Him before He was conceived – Mary, wife of Joseph the Carpenter and biological mother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

“And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with with Me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” John 2: 3-5.

In all recounts of the life and times of our Lord Jesus Christ on earth according to the 4 Gospels, we find Mary, His mother, initiating the first miracle. Someone asks; ‘Grace, why is this important?’

There is a trend we see in Christianity; people naturally migrate towards (and chase after) signs and wonders! While some follow names of a ‘big’ Pastor or name of a ‘big’ Church, others follow ‘prosperous men of God’. Another group follow a cause, a spiritual gifting or calling. I believe I am in this last group, and closely guided by Apostle Paul’s admonition in 1 Corinthians 11:1 (“be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” KJV).

You see, the pattern of follower-ship observed today in Christianity didn’t just start, Jesus’ followers didn’t follow blindly. They either believed and followed what they judged as fulfillment of prophecy, or they followed attesting miracles performed by Jesus Christ. In John 2:24, Jesus showed He understood why men followed Him; He understood the superficiality and fickleness of the human nature;

“…many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man” NKJV

So if man’s loyalty, commitment and ‘follower-ship are informed by a personal gain’, did Mary’s believe and follower-ship represent an outlier? What did Mary see to even entertain the thought and harbor the imagination that Jesus could turn water into wine? If she hadn’t seen Jesus perform a miracle before then, what was her conviction founded on? 🙂

These are my thoughts;

Mary had seen and experienced the spoken word transform into a whatsoever!

Patiently read with me the long (and extended) narrative of Mary’s conception day;

“The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Listen carefully: you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and eminent and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin and have no intimacy with any man? Then the angel replied to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you {like a cloud}; for that reason the holy (pure, sinless) Child shall be called the Son of God. And listen, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For with God nothing {is or ever} shall be impossible. Then Mary said, “Behold I am the servant of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word“. And the angel left her. Luke 1: 30-38.

Halleluyah!

There are too many exciting (and distracting) insights from this scripture, but I will not be distracted 🙂

How on earth does a spoken word become a Child?

How on earth does water become wine?

Answer: Not an earthly act!, it’s supernatural 🙂

Mary had experienced the spoken word transform into a Child in her womb. A Child she gave birth to and watched grow. The same Child now sitting at a wedding where guests would probably soon become disgruntled and lose their ceremonial feel. Mbanu! {dialect exclamation for ‘Naaa’} The same Word that became a Child can become wine 🙂 Nay, not just a child, not just wine, it can become anything (good) we conceive it to be!!!!

Halleluyah!

So my question to you today, whether, you are barren, feeling confused or hopeless; …….. What-so-ever has He said to you to do?

From this post, we see 3 things to do towards getting a ‘whatsoever’

1. Conceive the word (just like Mary).

2. Assent to the word (say ‘be it unto me according to Your word)

3. Act on the word (whatsoever He asks to do, do it).

It doesn’t matter how long it takes to manifest, the word shall become ‘it’.

Welcome back!

This is the 4th part of this blog post series.

So far we’ve said that God is interested in having His children stay physically healed and He made adequate provision for this. Secondly, healing is first spiritual but should manifest physically. Thirdly, Jesus’ pain, agony and death wasn’t just a spiritual experience, he took it all in His body.

In the last part, we considered 5 reasons Christians experience symptoms of sickness.

In this part, as promised, I answer the question; ‘Grace, where is my healing? I am a Christian, filled with the Holy Ghost but I have symptoms in my body, where is my healing?

As already discussed, we were/are healed. Our default state is that of being healed. The fact that sickness and disease pop up in our bodies does not change our healed status any more than an accidental sin changes our salvation status. Our salvation is eternal (Hebrews 9:12), so is our healing. The fact that we experience physical symptoms of sickness in our mortal bodies, does not negate the truth of our healing.

If we ever wake up to a strange symptom in our body, we must remember that our healing is in His Word and By His Stripes.

In His Word;

The Word is life to all our flesh. To experience healing through His Word, we read, study and meditate on it day and night (Joshua 1:8). We speak and confess the Word (to ourselves and others), we lay hands (on ourselves and others) as we proclaim the Word, we command sickness and disease to leave in the name of Jesus.

By His Stripes;

We established earlier that Jesus received the stripes, bruises and wounds on His physical body. If we are healed by His Stripes, then our healing is also in His Stripes.

“and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “take, eat; this is My Body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of me” 1 Corinthians 11: 24 NKJV.

Every time we partake of the Lord’s Table, we symbolically take in healing from His Broken Body (His Stripes). Little wonder Jesus recommended we partake as often as possible.

The price Jesus Christ paid for sin and sickness is irrevocable. It was also the ultimate price; total and complete. He paid it once!! The power of God is within us. Healing is within us. We are healed.

So if you are born again, but you are experiencing any symptoms in your body, there are 2 things you have to be consistent with as you walk in your healing.

1. The Word

2. The Communion.

Thank You Lord for Your Word.

Thank You for Your Body.

I declare that by Your Stripes I am healed.

Amen!

Get My Book On Healing; “When The Doctor Says No”

To learn more about our healing benefits in Christ Jesus, follow this link to my book, “When The Doctor Says No” available online at https://www.amazon.com/When-Doctor-Says-No-Word/dp/1704859166/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=7

The Book is available in two formats; kindle and paperback. It is also available for order online from all amazon market places, meaning that the Amazon shop in your neighborhood should be able to supply you.

Why Christians Sometimes Feel Sick.

So far we’ve said that God is interested in having His children stay physically healed and He made adequate provision for this.

Secondly, healing is first spiritual but should manifest physically.

Thirdly, Jesus’ pain, agony and death wasn’t just a spiritual experience, he took it all in His body.

We ended the last part with a promise to search the scriptures for answers to this question: ‘Grace, I am a Child of God, but I still have symptoms of sickness and disease in my body, where is my healing?

The answer to this question is actually the thrust of this series. I am as interested in it as you are.

But before we get into that, I believe it is pertinent to first answer the question of; ‘Why do Christians experience sickness at all? We are Children of God, saved, righteous, filled with the Holy Ghost, healed by His Stripes, why do we still fall sick?’

Well, I searched the scriptures, and found 5 possible reasons why a Christian may fall ill.

1. We live in a physical body which becomes worn and torn from use:

We are spirit beings but communicate with the world around us through our body. Our hands, feet, brain, eyes, ears, etc are various parts of our body which help us function on earth. God told Adam, ‘I give you the earth and all that is in it, use it for your good and remember to ‘tend and keep it’. We must make efforts to tend and keep our physical bodies. We should give more attention to ensuring it stays protected and preserved. We should eat right; God recommends more of plant-based food (Genesis 1:29 & 2:16), get some exercise, take advantage of the ‘little’ profit exercise gives the body (1 Timothy 4:8), manage your emotions (longstanding anger and bitterness can be detrimental to health) and get good rest.

Talking about Rest, I believe Christians need to give more time to rest. God Almighty rested on the 7th day, the whole day. He created the world in six days and rested on the 7th. Simple arithmetic just tells you that for the 144 hours God worked, He got 24 hours rest. And I mean rest from all work (whether secular or kingdom work). God is wise, spirituality is His domain. So do not confuse the need for rest with not being spiritual or not maximizing grace. I have come to see that sometimes, the remedy for some illnesses is sleep….Long deep sleep! It gives your body time to recover from tear and wear then you can work again. Get your 7th day rest 🙂

2. Sin brought sickness:

Deuteronomy 28 lists sickness as one of the curses of the law, a penalty for not keeping The Lord’s commands. There is a link between sin and sickness.

In John 9:3-4 Jesus told His disciples this;

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him…….” NKJV.

And if we remember well, almost every time Jesus healed someone he leaves them with an admonishment ‘go and sin no more‘. The good news for us as Christians is that we are carriers of the righteousness of God {through Christ} and we have the Whole Armor of God to keep well kitted at all times.

3. The devil is on a mission to keep Christians oppressed and depressed;

John 10:10a tells us this much

“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy..” NKJV

Thank God Jesus stripped him of all powers and gave all power to us. Our victory is in the name of Jesus Christ through faith in God’s Word.

4. Set up for God’s glory:

Going by Jesus’ response in John 9:3-4 above, some challenges can come to us (from the enemy) but end up as a set up for God’s glory; revealing the power of God to heal, save and deliver to, the us and other brethren.

5. Misuse of the Lord’s Supper;

“For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.” I Corinthians 11:29‭-‬30 NKJV.

I never understand how Christians comfortably harbor unforgiveness for so long. Truth is; feelings of anger, hurts and even envy come to everyone irrespective of level of spirituality, question is; ‘how do you handle them? That’s one way to measure the depth of your spirituality. Do you push them aside quickly or do they continue to define your relationships?

Jesus discourages service in His name while there is unsettled dispute between brethren. He says keep your service and sacrifice; I don’t need it. It is more important to Me that you’re living at peace with all men:

“leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”
Matthew 5:24 NKJV

Clearly, Jesus gives higher priority to mercy, forgiveness and love than giving, service and sacrifice (Luke 11:42).

Remember the 2 greatest commandments?

“Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Matthew 22:37‭-‬39 NKJV

And 1 Corinthians 13 says all spiritual giftings and manifestations amount to nothing without love.

Love is the greatest of all!

Loving God is actually much easier than loving man. God is love Himself. He gave His Son to die for sin even before we knew we were sinners. He supplies all our needs. He protects us, etc etc. So we shouldn’t only be boasting about our love and reverence for God, we should boast more our love walk.

But man? he is inherently and desperately wicked ?. Having a preference to retaliate, cause harm, etc. (Jeremiah 17:9). That’s the natural man!

The rebirthed man is different because He has God alive in him. He reflects the life and Love of God.

He can love the unlovable man just the way God loves. That is agape.

I love how Galatians sums up the entire commandment of God;

“For the whole Law [concerning human relationships] is fulfilled in one precept, “You shall love your neighbor’ as yourself [that is, you shall have an unselfish concern for others and do things for their benefit].” But if you bite and devour one another [in bickering and strife], watch out that you [along with your entire fellowship] are not consumed by one another.”
GALATIANS 5:14‭-15.

If it still takes you a long time to push hurts and bitterness aside, work on it. But while you sort these out, steer clear of The Lord’s Table. Why eat yourself to weakness, sickness or death? 🙂

So, these are some of the reasons Christians become sick.

The good news is; you may become sick but you don’t have any reason to stay or remain sick because Jesus Christ paid the eternal price for sickness and disease. We are/were healed by His Stripes. That healing is available and accessible always

We should constantly work at taking care of our physical bodies, stay clothed in the whole armor of God, remain conscious of our righteousness in Christ and steer clear of The Lord’s Table if we have to.

In the next part, we’ll answer the question of ‘where is my healing?’ 🙂

Get My Book On Healing; “When The Doctor Says No”

To learn more about our healing benefits in Christ Jesus, follow this link to my book, “When The Doctor Says No” available online at

https://www.amazon.com/When-Doctor-Says-No-Word/dp/1704859166/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=7

The Book is available in two formats; kindle and paperback. It is also available for order online from all amazon market places, meaning that the Amazon shop in your neighborhood should be able to supply you.

Stay Blessed & My love always.

Hi there,

We conducted a mini survey to assess performance of our articles and you obliged us your time and responses. Thank you.

Essentially, the survey sought to know how readers perceived our write-ups and we provided the following options;

1. Good storytelling
2. Anointed/Edifying
3. Intellectually engaging
4. Emotionally appealing
5. Others (pls specify).

Results were as follows;

• 100% of respondents chose option 2
• 16% chose 1,2,3 &4
• 50% opted for ‘Others’ and thought our articles were Simple and Didactic.
• Another 16% volunteered that graceobomanu’s blog was ‘Impactful’.

We thank you for your feedback. We’ve noted areas for ‘possible’ improvement as led by God. We promise to get better and better.

Stay blessed & My love always

Grace Obomanu.