Welcome back, again 🙂

This is the 4th part of this blog-post series. We have been having so much fun discovering (and for some people), reminding ourselves of the Armour of God. Personally, I am already excited thinking about the Weapons of our warfare. But  that will come up in a few more parts to come (of this series).

If you are just joining us, you don’t really have to miss anything if you can spare about 30 minutes and be up to speed with us. Simply search for the previous parts (1-3) on this site.

In the last 2 parts, we’ve looked at 2 components of the Armour of God -the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation. The next component on our list, from our reference scripture (Ephesians 6:11, 13-19) is  –shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. 

“Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil…Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”  NKJV.

Shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. 

People give different interpretations for this component of the armour and that is understandable especially if it’s read from the NKJV or KJV.

While some are of the opinion that this verse of scripture refers to preparing and preaching the good news of the kingdom, others believe it means Soldiers of Christ should study the word, so as to be battle-ready at all times.

To help bring more illumination to this verse of scripture, let’s consider it from a few other translations;

“and as your shoes, the readiness to announce the Good News of peace”  Good News Translation.

“on your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong”  ERV.

” and having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation {to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news}. AMP.

Question: Why does a soldier wear shoes at war?

1. To protect his feet from harmful elements in the ground of the battle-field
2. To help him traverse easily through difficult terrains
3. To support his feet and ankle (stability)
4. To protect from injury

Now, this is my understanding of what Paul meant;

1. Study and be well equipped with the gospel of Christ at all times. Have a word for every season. Expose yourself continuously to the word such that you become firmly rooted in it, stable and well prepared to make it through challenging times.
2. Seize every opportunity to announce to others the good news of Christ. Assure them that The Lord delivers, that The Lord reigns and that all is well.

Isaiah 52:7 helps explain this part for me;

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ” Your God reigns!”   NKJV.

A picture that quickly comes to mind here is that of a woman who is waiting anxiously for her husband to return from war. She seats day after day at her doorsteps, looking out, waiting expectantly for some news to soothe her anxiety and bring some relief/peace.  A one-line note from her husband that reads; ‘honey, it’s been tough here, but am fine’ is the good news she’s been waiting for to keep at bay all her worries and fears. 

But you see, you can’t give good news in trying and challenging times to others, except you already know it for yourself!  …..hence the need to be PREPARED.

3.  Have a peaceful disposition (even in battle). And this is not to say, don’t confront circumstances especially those that contradict your faith or belief, but be ‘peaceably- and Godly-stubborn’

Many years ago, when my fiance (now husband) came to meet my dad (to declare his intentions to marry me), my father tried to prepare him ahead by informing him that I am a very stubborn girl (yup, he did!)  🙂  So months later, during our premarital counselling, when asked by my Pastor what my weaknesses were, my fiance volunteered this information of ‘Grace is stubborn’. Oh Lord!           But good thing was, The Lord and my Pastor were on my side 🙂 because Pastor quickly told my guy that ‘stubbornness is not always a weakness’.

I love the kind of stubbornness that refuses to live a ‘ce sera sera’ life; whatever will be be will be. Naaa. I’d rather be peaceably immovable, unshaken but fully persuaded that ‘the blessings of Abraham‘ are all mine (there’s nothing ‘ce sera sera’ about that)     🙂

Having a peaceful disposition in battle, can only happen when you know, from studying and soaking up God’s word, that you can have a different (positive) experience.

Oh! Oh!! Oh!!! I love the whole armour of God.

Oh! that we may wear it, always. That we may be fully prepared, ready, stable, unshaken, immovable, peaceably stubborn and persuaded in the battles of our lives. Knowing that it doesn’t matter which way the torrents come, victory is assured because Christ already conquered all.

Thank You Faithful Father. I LOVE YOU.

Welcome back!

This is the 3rd part of this blog series. In part 1, we introduced the concept of the Armour of God and in part 2, we started looking at the components of this armour, the first being; The Breastplate of Righteousness.  If you are just joining us on this series, I urge you to read the first 2 parts to catch up. I’ve been getting great feedback from this series. So stay with us… 🙂

Today, we continue with another component of the armour of God….. the helmet of salvation.

The Helmet of Salvation

We have been reading at Ephesians 6: 11, 13-19;

“Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil…Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”  NKJV.

What is a helmet?: A protective gear worn to protect the head from injuries. A helmet usually covers the whole head. From a medical perspective, a helmet is worn to ultimately protect the brain from injury or damage by protecting the skull.

Simple dictionary definition for ‘salvation‘ is deliverance from harm, ruin or loss.

A very quick review of how salvation became a human need will take us back to the Garden of Eden, when Adam introduced sin into an otherwise sinless world through sheer disobedience. From that time, the whole human race became infected with sin, leading to spiritual death (1 Corinthians 15:21-22, Romans 5:21).

From a biblical perspective then,  salvation means deliverance from sin and its consequences (death) by faith in Christ Jesus. Sin and death (spiritual death), necessitated salvation.

When Jesus, in His discourse with Nicodemus (John 3), sadly informed the Pharisee;  ‘you must be born again’,  born of the spirit and the water, that became necessary because God kept His word {sadly, ..rolling my eyes} to Adam of ‘you shall surely die‘ as given in Genesis 2:17.  So as we see in John 3:5 &7 below, man needed a rebirth;

“Jesus answered, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot {ever} enter the kingdom of God……do not be surprised that I have told you, ‘you must be born again {reborn from above-spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified}”  AMP. 

I love the way the Amplified Bible version captures the above scripture… it’s thorough and explicit. And for me, it is this ‘reborn from above’ that is most exciting  when I think about ‘Salvation/Redemption’.

Why so?

Because becoming born-again (saved) changes everything! It changes my root, my citizenship, my identity and my experience (I’ve been thinking on this for weeks now and the more I think about it, the more excited I become).

John 1:13 very aptly captures this for me;

“who were born, not of blood {natural conception}, nor of the will of flesh {physical impulse}, nor of the will of man {that of a natural father}, but of God {that is; a divine and supernatural birth-they are born of God-spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified}.      AMP.

Romans 8: 17 reads;

“And if {we are His} children, {then are we His} heirs also; heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ (sharing His spiritual blessing and inheritance), if indeed we share in His suffering so that we may also share in His glory“.

Halleluyah! Halleluyah!! Halleluyah!!!

Imagine if you were the son/daughter of the President of a country, any country at all, you’ll have very high regard and reverence from other citizens (whether you earn it or not). Your family background gives you some privileges and rights.

So here’s my right and privilege, my salvation is cover over my head, it gives me a different identity.

Why head?

Because the ‘head’ connotes authority, rights and privileges.

Praise God for ever!  I am born of God. I am an heir of God. I am a supernatural being, born through a divine birth! I have the God-kind of gene-SINLESS! I am a member of God’s family because my citizenship is of Heaven. Satan cannot hold me down with sin or death. Halleluyah!

I can hear someone saying; ‘well Grace, you may be a citizen of Heaven but you’re not there (in Heaven) yet,  you may not be experiencing Heaven while on earth’.

Well John 10:10b tells me differently;

“…I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance {to the full, till it overflows}“.   AMP.

As we see, John 10:10 is not referring to a Heavenly experience. The life, enjoyment and life-more-abundantly Jesus came to give me is for here and now (while I live on earth).

A few years back when I experienced a most crippling illness, I put together a faith confession that I repeated regularly. A part of it read; ‘I am a citizen of Heaven. There is no sickness in Heaven and none can stay in my body’

I tell you, that is a revelation that has changed my entire life and attitude. It is a constant reminder that I can have a different experience irrespective of what is going on down here on earth. Halleluyah!

Brethren, every day and every time, let us be reminded of our identity, because it changes everything for us. As we confess that we put on the helmet of salvation, let’s say it in all understanding that we are BORN of God, we have His sinless-gene, we are God’s children and heirs ….and we have authority, we have rights and privileges …… that changes everything.

And if anyone is reading this post and is hungry like Pharisee Nicodemus, if you’d like to become born-again, the good news is – it is not difficult.  Romans 10:9 shows us how;

“because if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord {recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God}, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”.    AMP. 

That is how to become saved-believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, that He died and God raised Him from the dead, then confess with your mouth that He is your Lord. THAT’s It! 🙂  Additionally, you must become water baptized by immersion and be baptized by the Holy Spirit.

Today is a good day to come under the cover of God’s fatherhood.  🙂

Welcome back!

This is the second part of this series. If you are just joining us, I encourage you to do a quick catch up by reading the first part.

We ended the first part  with the very long but powerful, Ephesians 6: 11, 13-19;

“Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil…Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, above all, taking the shield of faithwith which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”  NKJV.

Question: How do you ‘put on’ salvation, righteousness, truth, faith, and the word of God?

When I tell my teenage boy on a hot sunny day, ‘go put on some clothes‘, chances are that, by my reckoning, the young man may be overdoing the thing of trying to stay ahead of the weather through baring. So apart from an initial juvenile whining, if at all, I expect that he’d move towards his closet, grab a tee-shirt and cover-up.

Now, wouldn’t you love if the whole armour of God were just a tee-shirt that can just be pulled on? 🙂  You only have to wear it once and stay eternally covered?  🙂  ……. I would personally love that!  Unfortunately, this armour is designed to be worn regularly,…. and for a good reason too. Because every time this armour is pulled on, a strong sense of one’s identity in Christ is reinforced.  Halleluyah!

The ‘Armour of God’ enumerated in Ephesians 6, is not a man-made armour.   You can’t make it, you can’t manufacture it, you can’t produce it.

It is ‘God’s Armour’. 

This is quite instructive , and for me, very fundamental to understanding how this armour works.

The Armour of God is God’s Armour! All I need to do is wear it every time to stay totally clothed with the whole of God.  Because if it is the armour of God, then God wears it too (halleluyah!).  Ain’t no wile from hell touching me when I am fully suited with God (ho-ho-ho).

Therefore, when properly worn, the ‘Armour of God’ should boost one’s confidence and make you walk with shoulders squared (this is absolutely exciting and mind-blowing for me!).

Now, there are different components (parts) of the Armour of God. Interestingly (and like man-made armours), each component strategically covers a given part of the body.

The Breastplate of Righteousness

A breastplate is the front portion of a plate armour covering the torso (chest). A breastplate, when used on horses, helps keep the saddle from sliding back.

What is righteousness? -This is the quality of being morally right or justifiable. It also means worthiness, nobility, honest, blameless, guiltless.

You know, another meaning of righteousness is uprightness. And an upright person is one who’s never lied or committed sin.

There is no such person!

I recently heard about a ‘christian sect’ where ‘righteousness and sainthood’ are attained or conferred. Please watch out for my upcoming blogpost; ‘The journey to Sainthood in Christ Jesus‘ as I debunk such myth by the Spirit of God.

When Paul says; ‘put on the breastplate of righteousness‘, he’s not saying to a select group of ‘qualified’ persons to do so {selah} because as we see in Romans 3:10 (Amplified), there are no righteous persons;

“As it is written and forever remains written, THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS {none that meets God’s standard}, NOT EVEN ONE. 

Before God therefore,  it is impossible for anyone to be morally right, justifiable, honest, blameless, or guiltless through self effort.

The only holy and righteous being is God.

But thank God for Jesus Christ! He made a way…

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) tells of an exchange that took place following the great selfless sacrifice of Jesus Christ;

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him“.

Halleluyah! Halleluyah!! Halleluyah!!!

I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. I have right standing with God. I am blameless and guiltless, …all because of Jesus Christ.

So when I put on the Breastplate of righteousness (by continuously professing it), my heart is not troubled or perturbed, that peradventure, sin or any sort of guilt could separate me from the love of God, thereby exposing me to Satan.

It’s a done deal.

I couldn’t gain my own righteousness (worthiness, honesty, etc) no matter how good my works were. Jesus Christ offered Himself as an eternal sacrifice to purchase me Righteousness from the only Righteous One- Jehovah. And now, I have the Righteousness of God. Halleluyah!

Brethren that is how you put on the Breastplate of Righteousness; by confessing and proclaiming that you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Sin, therefore has no hold on you, neither does Satan.

I love the Righteousness of God! …..Thank You Faithful Father.

Somebody asks; ‘well, Grace, why is this a good news? 

You know how many times Jesus said to a sick person after healing; ‘go and sin no more‘?

True that not all sicknesses result from sinful acts, but there’s a relationship between sin and disease. There is a relationship between an unrighteous living and being exposed to the one whose mission is to ‘steal, kill and destroy‘- Satan.

And that is why the location of RIGHTEOUSNESS as the Breastplate is crucial as the HEART Is located over your Chest area. The feeling of guilt, defilement or unworthiness all stream from the heart. The lure and desire to sin, stream from the heart. So with the Breastplate of Righteousness you are protected from being pulled back into sin and from feeling depressed with guilt if you accidentally sin. Halleluyah!

I am so thankful that Jesus Christ ensured that I stay well protected from Satan when He made His righteousness available to me.

I know who I am.  I AM THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS. I overcome this world (and sin) because I am born of God. In this state and with a consciousness of my identity, Satan cannot successfully hurt me.

Halleluyah.

As always,..

I love you.

Remember you can indicate to have each New Blogpost delivered directly to you by simply clicking the box that says ‘notify me of new posts’ by email’.   You may also wish to reach me privately by email via; talkwithgraceobomanu@gmail.com. 

Friends/Sisters/Brothers,

Greetings!

I feel a deep need to apologize for delaying this blogpost, a topic The Lord dropped on my mind many weeks ago. As always happens every time there’s this kind of delay in developing and publishing a God-given topic, multiple events relating to the said topic begin to occur all around me.  This usually makes me sad, and I’d usually start apologizing to The Lord in my heart for not responding promptly to His prompting  🙂     He always forgives me (and I am hoping you would too). I am encouraged always because he has never told me the topic has expired and irrelevant. I believe strongly therefore that every ugly, unpleasant situation that this post was meant to fix many weeks ago, can still be fixed today. Jesus Christ is the SAME yesterday, today and forever! Halleluyah

I tinkered with the topic for this post, maybe, for way too long….and as it seems, I landed 3 mega topics in one!! To praise The Lord or to be sorry for myself?  🙂  ………  Well, I love long blogpost series  sometimes because every time a sub-section gets published, my spiritual antennae are set way up (on the particular topic), to catch as many revelations as The Lord would give me.

This is a very long, wide and extended topic. It is expansive and I am really excited to be doing it at this time.

There are 3 subsets to this topic:

1. His armour
2. Our weapons
3. The warfare

In my very short time of knowing and serving the Lord (over 2 decades now), and particularly in the past few years of serving The Lord through graceobomanu’s blog and Talk with Grace Obomanu (running into 4 years now), I have learnt that Satan takes added interest in anyone who loves and faithfully serves The Lord Jesus Christ. It’s a battle of kingdoms and happens ALL the time. Only this time, a WINNER was declared thousands of years ago. And this WINNER transferred all His winning rights and privileges to His followers. And I am one of them {say same for yourself}

Everyone who is in Christ Jesus, WINS! And everyone who is in Christ Jesus should be battle-ready at all times.

Did I hear you ask; ‘how possible is it to be battle-ready at all times’? And ‘why be battle-ready if we are already Winners’?

Stay with me on this blogpost series as we embark on an interesting, revealing and exciting journey into winning every spiritual warfare by being fully suited with the whole armour of God using our spiritual weapons.

His ARMOUR

An armour is a covering, usually made of metal, soldiers wear to cover and protect their bodies in battle. A well-trained knight would wear armour for protection before a fight. Some vehicles have hard metallic coverings -armour, to protect them against attacks.

As a verb, the word ‘armour’ would mean to provide someone with emotional, social and other defenses.

No other Bible verse best describes ‘the armour of God’ to suit the context of this article like Ephesians 6:10-18,  but first,  take a look at 1 Samuel 17:4-7, a vivid description of how a well-armoured soldier looks   🙂

 “The Philistines had a champion fighter named Goliath, who was from Gath. He was over 9 feet tall. Goliath came out of the Philistines camp. He had a bronze helmet on his head. He wore a coat of armour that was made like the scales on a fish. This armour was made of bronze and weighed about 125 pounds. Goliath wore bronze protectors on his legs. He had a bronze javelin tied on his back. The wooden part of his spear was as big as a weavers’s rod. The spear blade weighed 15 pounds. Goliath’s walked in front of him, carrying his shield.”   ERV. 

Let me thank my Pastor (Pastor Mrs Nkechi Ene, Presiding Pastor, The Carpenter’s Church, Port Harcourt, Nigeria, for drawing my attention to the Easy-to-Read Bible Version, which is very explicit with descriptions -excellent for visuals).

I am convinced that there is no need to bore you with the tiny details of Goliath’s armour (which by the way, David thought was ridiculous), well, at least not for this article, but notice that the Bible carefully listed the particular parts of body that Soldier Goliath covered. His head, chest, loins, legs/feet, and with readily accessible weapons -the javelin and the spear (in his hand).

A part of  Apostle Paul’s closing lines in his letter to the Church at Ephesus (Ephesians 6) was for the church to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might by putting on the whole armour of God. Oh! how often we, as Christians, so carelessly walk around unarmoured!  Brother Paul admonishes us to be ready always to withstand the wiles of the devil.

The Wiles of the devil don’t come at us shouting; ‘I am a WILE of the devil, I am a WILE of the devil’. That’s why Paul coined them ‘WILES‘.

Wiles are devious, cunning, manipulative, persuading tricks, schemes and strategies. Wiles are intended to deceive, seduce and manipulate.  Guess who has totally mastered the art of using wiles…. Satan!!.  He throws wiles as darts all the time. Then he awaits your response/reactions. The moment you say ‘yes’ to any of these darts, he aims at you fully.

But thank God Jesus saw through him, big brother Paul saw through him and I am hoping every Christian would see him just as he is- cunning, manipulative and seductive, constantly creating mirages to spread fear, hopelessness and despair.

The devil’s wiles are subtle, often clad as harmless baits which can easily ease into our lives and circumstances. Therefore to be sensitive, discerning and alert at all times, every follower of Jesus Christ must be  fully armoured at all times.

What is the ARMOUR of God?

In spite of the minute details provided of Goliath’s armour, I cannot categorically say it was a complete armour (forgive me). Did Goliath feel some part of his body was still at risk of being hurt despite his regalia? Possibly  🙂

Thankfully we have no such fear with our spiritual armour, ……we find the FULL (whole) armour of God in Ephesians 6: 11, 13-19;

“Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil…Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”  NKJV.

Question: How do you ‘put on’ salvation, righteousness, truth, faith, and the word of God?   🙂

The answer to this question (and more) will be coming to you in the second part of this blogpost series.

Stay with me.

My love always……

It’s always refreshing each time I watch the Drama Group of The Carpenter’s Church, Port Harcourt Nigeria act out Biblical stories in play-lets. They don’t just entertain the congregation, they minister. In fact, if you have a highly imaginative mind like I do, you may be tempted to close church and go home after watching them because they bring each Bible character alive in real terms, often recreating the original setting.

A few Sundays ago, the group dramatized Jesus’ ordeal with the Scribes, Pharisees and the woman caught in adultery. Many times, when we read the early verses of John 8, our attention is often drawn to the adulterous woman or the rather exaggerated reaction from the ‘righteous’ Scribes and Pharisees. I also remember a few sermons on ‘forgiveness’ emanating from John 8. We often forget these early verses of John 8, reflect an overall plan and a set-up to arm-twist Jesus into making the ‘wrong’ judgment.  It wasn’t so much the woman’s adulterous act that interested the Scribes and Pharisees, not when they were all probably more guilty than she is, just as Jesus eventually pointed out to them. And so as I watched this play, my attention focused on Jesus.

A senior colleague at work made a statement that surprised me a bit some years ago. She said, regarding an unpleasant experience I had; ‘Ha! Dr. O, I am surprised how you handled that matter, it’s quite unlike you. You usually know how to defend yourself, what happened this time?”   Now, you can look at this feedback as positive or negative. Personally, the negativity in it hit me harder than whatever positive could be made out of it, and I didn’t like that….. I don’t want to ‘always know how to defend myself’!    Yes, I try to teach my children how to be confrontational without being rude or making enemies, ….in an amicable way, you know……but that is because they have a natural tendency to let too many things slide 🙂

I find in recent times, and happily so, that I am more willing to quietly accept blame or completely appear stupid in circumstances that my quick evaluation indicates nothing to lose and lots of personal peace to gain. Especially if I reason that the future would likely present me ample opportunities to set the records straight with minimal or no conflict. While this is an area I am still working on,  I’ve come to realize a lot of energy  can be conserved this way.

In John 8, Jesus appeared to completely ignore all the hullabaloo around one adulterous woman by a crop of adulterous men (who may have actually had their turns with the accused), and instead,  write on the ground. What do you think Jesus wrote on the ground? No idea! But His seeming disinterest, disconnected Him from the uproar around and instead directed His effort into producing the best response in the circumstance, laden with heavenly wisdom.

One of the early things I heard God say to me in my Christian walk was; ‘in calmness is your strength’. I’ve come to understand that better as I grow older (age-wise and spiritually). When I am quiet, I draw insight, wisdom from Him and I can give a more appropriate response to every stimulus. Yes I miss it sometimes, but I am glad that this consciousness is in me.

Contrary to Newton’s 3rd Law, especially as relates to the context of this article, every action does not have to generate a reaction (not equal, ……..maybe opposite).  🙂

Write in the sand.

Ever felt like people just don’t like you and you don’t know why?

A few years ago, one of the Directors I worked with, called me to advice that I needed to spend a lot of time praying for myself as he perceived that so many people didn’t like me so much.

That is a prayer that never happened.

If somebody that is supposed to report to you, asks you to help him write and submit his team report (to yourself) simply because you both once worked together on the same level, hatred won’t be far when you say no.

If you get into a new position/role and decide to do things the right way, not the usual way, it is futile trying to pray to be loved, prepare to be hated (at least initially, until they can feel and see the love of Christ in you).

John 15: 18-19 isn’t a new scripture to me but as I read it again this time,  I was shocked at how much hatred Jesus experienced while on earth.

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”                            John 15:18‭-‬19 NKJV

And I ask why?

Why hate a man who came to die for your sins?

Because when you stand out from the crowd, you unknowingly arrogate to yourself some level of superiority.

People hate that!

And as we see in John 7:7, you cannot expect to be loved by a group you’ve clearly dissociated yourself from. So if you choose integrity over mediocrity, it’s likely that a lot of hatred might be waiting for you. The only reason the world hated Jesus according to John 7:7 is because Jesus testified of its evil works.

“The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.“                         John 7:7 NKJV.

I know there are a lot of ‘Pharisees and Sadducees‘ in Christianity today, people who preach and teach about a lifestyle that is alien to them, living different from what they admonish others to do, but Jesus was nothing like that.  If Jesus saw evil in the world’s way of doing things, then He must have adjudged Himself holy (not a part of this evil).

People don’t want a lot of ‘holier than thou‘ attitude around them. Not even when you’re a Jesus! (Shepherd, Saviour, God-Man).  Naaa

I had a colleague once, we shared office room, who i’d summarize as ‘being unsteady’. Everything anybody did was fine, as long as it bore no personal negative implication. Now, that may not be a bad thing if you want to avoid trouble sometimes, but ‘hello!’ not as a lifestyle. There are times to just rock the boat.  Personally, I am uncomfortable seeking counsel or advice from someone who’s ‘unsteady in his ways’ and that is because, I won’t be sure when you’re saying the truth. I’d rather learn to correct ‘in love’ than not correct at all for fear of losing friendship.

One of the things I’ve learnt walking with God, is that you don’t have to do anything bad or terrible to be hated, sometimes, people are fighting their own demons. Jealousy, strife and envy always usher in hatred and most times (not all the time), you have little or no control over how people feel.

So I don’t pray to be loved by anyone (except by my husband, and that He’d love God too), but in wisdom I’ve learnt to show God’s love to all (haters and lovers), even more towards haters, so that maybe the love of God exuding from me may cancel out their hatred and draw them towards God. 🙂    I constantly pray, that my words and actions would always convey the love of Christ in me.

Giving back hatred is never an option. Jesus still loved and died for  a world that hated him deeply without a cause.

John 7:1-9 provides an intriguing and exciting expository on Jesus’ family life and how much this affected His ministry-if at all. So if you have ever wondered what kind of family relationship Jesus had, look no further, John 7:1-9 got it.

A strong family support system is invaluable in the successful execution of a big project.  When Jesus left Heaven to come save humanity on earth, He embarked on a major project.

As someone who blogs on the Bible, I get all sorts of feedback. Most are positive and encouraging, a few critic my write-ups and it’s always nice to receive these, but there are a few that I prefer to categorize as distracting.  Like the feedback Jesus got from His siblings….

John 7:1-9 reads;

“After this, Jesus traveled around the country of Galilee. He did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jewish leaders there wanted to kill him. It was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters. So his brothers said to him, “You should leave here and go to the festival in Judea. Then your followers there can see the miracles you do. If you want to be well known, you must not hide what you do. So, if you can do such amazing things, let the whole world see you do them.” Jesus’ brothers said this because even they did not believe in him. Jesus said to them, “The right time for me has not yet come, but any time is right for you to go. The world cannot hate you. But the world hates me, because I tell the people in the world that they do evil things. So you go to the festival. I will not go now, because the right time for me has not yet come.” John 7:1‭-‬9 ERV

Some Jewish leaders often frowned at Christ’s confidence and skill (expertise) with teaching the Word of God, which many times was at variance with regular Jewish teachings and interpretations. Some other person’s however, did more than frown.  For instance, Herod wouldn’t stop looking out for ‘The King of the Jews’ (an obvious threat to his throne), to quietly eliminate him.

If you ask me, it’s probably ‘okay’ to think about hatred towards Jesus coming from Herod and some selfish Jewish hypocrites, but not from Jesus’ own brothers!

According to John 7:1, Jesus had decided it was best to keep away from Judea. He knew he’d be killed there and it just wasn’t the right time.  Needless testing God’s ability to protect Him by walking into an obvious trap, which was what attending the  upcoming Feast of Tabernacles (FoTs) would mean. But His brothers wouldn’t let Him be….

“So his brothers said to him, “You should leave here and go to the festival in Judea. Then your followers there can see the miracles you do. If you want to be well known, you must not hide what you do. So, if you can do such amazing things, let the whole world see you do them.” John 7:2-4 ERV 

As harmless as Jesus’ brothers’ proposition may seem, they meant nothing of the words they spewed. If anything, they were being sarcastic, clearly ridiculing Jesus’ ministry.  In fact, they didn’t want Jesus anywhere around them, His presence seemed a threat.

They were taunting Jesus; mockingly informing him that ‘his miracles’ were at best, only seen in Galilee. They were saying Jesus is not widely known and he’s not making impact (verses 2-4). He is not popular. The world isn’t feeling what he’s feeling. He’s in his own cocoon!

Yes the Feast of Tabernacles was at hand, but was it their place to impress it on Jesus to attend? Did they understand that Judea could mean death for Jesus? Were they intentionally pushing him into danger? Or was this Satan at work again?

We are told, explicitly, in John 7: 5 that Jesus’ brothers didn’t believe in His ministry……

“Jesus’ brothers said this because even they did not believe in him” 

Why is this so? Could they not see His miracles?

My thoughts….

They may have been struggling with some inferiority complex.

It would be much safer if Jesus would simply remain their big brother and nothing special or supernaturally gifted. Being supernaturally gifted would mean Jesus was different and maybe superior.  Isn’t this the same Jesus they grew up with, ate with, played with, bathed with, etc?  Familiarity!

Reminds me of Jacob’s 12 sons and how they sold off Joseph out of hatred.

As a Christian, sometimes, people abhor your presence. They make it very clear that they don’t like you. And if you care to check, you wouldn’t find explanations for their stance. In this kind of scenario, it may be safe to keep your distance, but should you give back hate?

Last night, an older friend of mine called, sounding really sad. Some young folks have spread negative tales about her and as a Christian, these were troubling. This is my response; ‘This may be an opportunity to re-evaluate oneself or somehow, Satan is uncomfortable‘.

Earlier today, another older woman forwarded a post to me on social media which read: “Life is short to wake up with regrets. Love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don’t“.  I immediately forwarded Matthew 5:44 to her and I knew I needed to tidy this blog-post and share (been on it for weeks!).

Jesus tells us as Christians, to expect to be hated by the world and that is not difficult to understand. Do not expect to be accepted by the world if you are a constant reminder of its evil works.

But hey! that’s the WORLD.  What happens when you feel hatred from within the family? I mean God’s family….from Believers. How should you react?

Jesus’ brothers were not Believers right, but they were family. So how did Jesus handle them? How did He handle treacherous Judas?

Jesus died for one and all. He loved everyone the same. It is unlikely that Jesus would let His brothers in on all His thoughts and plans (except they were His disciples), but He didn’t hate them, neither did He write them off completely.

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate  you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven, for He makes His sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”  Matthew 5:44 NKJV

So when you feel hated,  Love.  When you feel used unfairly, Love. When you feel persecuted, Love.  When the world mocks you, Love. When brethren ‘laugh’ at your calling, Love.

Be like Jehovah your Father, who does not discriminate between evil and good people.

Be wise, realize that it is important to understand people’s mindset before you can successfully help them.  LOVE.

Be humble, remember that he that must win a soul must be wise.

My love ALWAYs

Remember you can leave your comment in the comment box, and if you’d like to continue receiving every new publication from this box, simply Check the box that says ‘notify me of new posts’ by email’. You may also wish to reach me privately by email via; talkwithgraceobomanu@gmail.com. 

The first 2 parts of this blogpost series were published on the site in February, 2017.

Follow this link to the Part 1 ;http://www.graceobomanu.com/blogsite/revealing-revelations-12-to-20-blog-post-1/.

If you just read through Part 1, we described key characters in the Book of Revelations, like, Beast, Woman, Horn, Diadem, etc.

Specifically, we said that ‘BEAST’ most likely referred to an alliance or coalition (of countries).  Three Beasts are mentioned in the Book of Revelations; First Beast, Second Beast and Scarlet Beast. We discussed to some extent, the First Beast, in Part 2 with a promise to do the Second Beast in Part 3. But please permit me to discuss THE SCARLET BEAST today, thanks.

Revelations 17 dwells on The Scarlet Woman and The Scarlet Beast.

The Scarlet Woman here refers to great nation with ruler-ship powers over other nations. This Woman is dressed in purple and scarlet denoting royalty mixed with immorality, particularly sexual immorality (adultery and fornication) and idolatry. This great nation is mother to other relatively smaller nations under it’s ruler-ship.

The Scarlet Woman sits on a Scarlet Beast. Meaning that this great nation is supported on an alliance.
So the Scarlet Woman is not a definite country but an alliance of nations. The Scarlet Woman is supported by this alliance and without this alliance the Scarlet Woman ceases to exist.

Now, this coalition (Scarlet Beast) has some characteristics;
It’s a very wealthy alliance having gold, precious stones and pearls. It upholds sexual sin (adultery and fornication) as a lifestyle. It has a blasphemous identity. It is formed from 7 kingdoms (mountains) having 7 Kings (heads). There’s an 8th King which would emerge from the 7th. This 8th King existed before but will not have a Kingdom at some point. However, it will return later and rule for a short time.

Then the Scarlet Beast has 10 horns; representing 10 kings. But these only hold a statutory position as kings, they have no kingdoms. These 10 kingdom-less kings are powerful, they are totally committed to the alliance of 7 nations which is the Scarlet Beast. Their power and authority is important to the Beast because he needs it to make war against Christ. But Jesus Christ overcame him for He is the Lord of Lords and the King of kings.

At some point however, the 10 horns (10 kingdom-less kings) will be used by God to fight the great harlot, referring that religion that has deceived many people from many nations.

The Tithe is a Holy Thing and should not be defiled.

The people are watching
They’re looking, anxious, expecting a miracle
Your power and glory are in full display throughout the universe.  But they’re expecting a miracle

They cannot see the drug addict who was heading for destruction Who found Christ and his life story changed.

The young boy that was once a heartache to his parents but who gained direction, discovered purpose because of Your power and love. 

The young girl that was becoming wayward and increasing her mother’s pains but whose life You turned around for good by Your power. 

The woman who was bound by the devil but whom You liberated totally by Your power. 

The young man who got his head completely twisted by pornography but who You reached down to the pit and pulled out by Your power. 

The 50 year old spinster who got married to her dream man and is enjoying One Flesh as You ordained it. 

The young lady whose marriage became a troubling challenge, whose hopes of finding love and peace were dashed, who didn’t know which way to turn but who You visited and changed her life experience. 

The young man who needed to make a decision for marriage and couldn’t make up his mind which of his lady friends to tie the notch with, but who You visited, gave direction, wisdom and purpose.
The woman who through faith in You, picked up her sickness mat and walked, and is still walking in victory. 

The young lady with low self-esteem because she didn’t know true parental love but who You became a Father to and gave hope and peace. 

The young woman whose husband suddenly died leaving her with 3 children and no job but who You picked up, loved, sustained and have remained faithful to. Her children are graduates from the best schools in the world.