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.

Those words hurt
They were not nice at all.
If only they didn’t come from this person. Probably the hurt and pain I feel would be less. With this person I’ve tried; given it a shot, maybe not my best shot. But I did try.

The same Spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is capable of activating every dormancy, strengthening every weakness and rousing every deadness. That same Spirit is capable of being a continuous supply of life.
Praise God!

One of the days I look forward to with excitement is my birthday. And guess what I do every year on my birthday? … nothing! ?

My expectations and the greatest source of my excitement for every 18th February is that friends and family would send goodwill messages and I truly love reading them.

Two years ago, I had an overwhelming experience of people sending beautiful birthday messages. Naive me, I thought it was because I’d just started ‘Talk with Grace Obomanu’ and my influence had grown, nope, I was wrong. Facebook like other social media platforms, creates an avenue for everyone to feel special on their birthday. Good job!

The next year, 2017, wasn’t any different. The calls and messages start trickling in from midnight like people are on some night watch. Amazing!
Thought you heard me say I looked forward to this day? Yep! but not in the dimension the social media platforms bring it.

So for 2018, I was proactive. As friends started at least a month before February 18 reminding me of my upcoming birthday, I seized same opportunity to beg them that I wanted it quiet. No long loving note from my author husband, no pictures on my wall thanking God for adding another year to my age. Just wanted calmness all around and it came that way….mostly.

What changed, you ask? deep concerns…
1. The thought of sending out personalized responses to every message like I’d love to was scary.
2. Spending the entire day on my phone answering calls or typing responses to lovely messages from friends and family……..absolutely distressing love! ?.

Will you send me a birthday message next year? ☺. I hope so. Looking forward to reading and responding to all of them.

In spite of all my worries and concerns, there were a few special messages I looked forward to and prayed they’d come. So it was not an entirely boring day as you may be thinking,  nope I had expectations. Just not the usual thing.

I’d prayed for a specific number of persons to call, text or message (without being reminded or coerced) stating tangible ways I’d impacted their lives ?.

It was a very quiet day for me, …this could go any way, I thought. Would be shocked, disappointed and sad at the end of the day or would I be overjoyed? Should I have set any targets at all? What if the feedback I expected didn’t come? Have I set myself up for a big surprise?

As the hours passed, I had my phone in one hand and a jotter and pen in the other. One, two, three, ..seven….ten…., the numbers kept going up and didn’t stop until my target was reached. Wow!
Praise God.

I was thankful. This was a most fulfilling birthday experience. And you know the most exciting part? These messages that added up to my target actually came from people who I’d gone out of my way to show love at one point or the other through an act or gesture.

You know what I am going to do next year? Set a higher target. And that means I must increase my investment into others in the next 10 months.

I sign off most of my articles and sometimes text messages, with ‘love always’ and I really mean that. It’s ‘love always’ because you do not need a reason to love, otherwise it won’t be agape anymore.

“But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you”.
Luke 6:27 NKJV.

“My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth”.
I John 3:18 NKJV.

Love is not just words.
Love is not hidden.
Love is not just thoughts
Love is what you do.

Welcome back to the concluding part of this blog post. I apologize for the delay in delivering this last part-my PC has been acting up!

In parts 1-4, we learnt that God sends us opportunities to increase us;

1. When we serve selflessly

2. When we receive and act on an unusual instruction.

3. When we give to the poor.

4. When we give an unusual freewill offering.

5. Divine connections and relationships can also be God’s way of increasing us.

We’d also said that usually, success is defined by wealth, power or prestige gotten through hardwork and dedication.

So with ‘divine opportunities’ we are saying God is the one sending these opportunities to us. Does that mean that we have no role to play? Does God send divine opportunities to everyone? Yes, He sends to everyone that serves Him in truth and in Spirit. And that has nothing to do with just building a tent in a church and living there. Has nothing to do with just going to church every day of the week.

The Bible tells us that God knows those that are truly His, does whose hearts are upright towards Him, because He searches not just the actions of men, but their intent.

1 John 2:5 reads;

‘But whoever habitually keeps His word and obeys His precepts [and treasures His message in its entirety], in him the love of God has truly been perfected [it is completed and has reached maturity]. By this we know [for certain] that we are in Him’. Amplified.

There are traits and virtues that people who truly reverence God exhibit. These are the virtues that attracts divine opportunities for increase. All the characters (people) we have mentioned as examples in the course of this blog post series exhibited most of these virtues and if we must receive divine opportunities for increase from God, we too must imbibe and exhibit these attributes.

The virtues for Divine Increase include;

1. Fear of the Lord

2. Excellence

3. Integrity

4. Fairness and Justice

5. Love

6. Dedication and commitment to a divine cause.

7. Hardwork.

8. Humility

At any point in time, mediocrity, greed, pride, gluttony, strife, laziness, insincerity, are killers of growth.

Sometimes colleagues, friends or relations want to discourage us from working in integrity as double standards is fast becoming the norm fearfully even among Christians.

Proverbs 6:16 says;

‘These six things the Lord hates; Indeed, seven are repulsive to Him: A proud look [the attitude that makes one overestimate oneself and discount others], a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that creates wicked plans, Feet that run swiftly to evil, A false witness who breathes out lies [even half-truths], And one who spreads discord (rumors) among brothers.”
AMPLIFIED.

So whose words are we going to obey? The world’s or God’s?

Of all the virtues we’ve listed above, probably the most critical and central is the fear of The Lord. Because when we have deep reverence for God, we’ll work in integrity, love, fairness, humility, with excellence and selflessly.

These traits will always attract divine opportunities to us .

Help us dear Lord.

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.

We are confident that God hears us when we pray. However, God can say ‘no’ to requests that are outside of His will and purpose for our lives. Every time God gives a ‘no’ answer, its for our good. God ensured that we have all grace for all that pertains to life and godliness.