40 to 50 years back, the word ‘divorce’ was probably unheard of among Africans,  it was probably considered a taboo in Nigeria. But it appears the sanctity of the sacred and respected institution of marriage is getting corrupted. The phrase ‘for better, for worse…till death do us part’ is seldom recited as part of marital vows. Some omit this in their vows for religious reasons; refusing to sign up for death in their union, while others leave some room for unbearable ugly eventualities of marriage.

The setbacks experienced in the institution of marriage and the increasing tendency of young couples to seek divorce have been connected to common trivial experiences that hitherto occur in our everyday interactions with people. Commonly, people cite too much arguments, lack of equality in the marriage relationship, marrying for the wrong reasons, losing individual identity, overwhelming parental duties, not sharing same success vision, nonexistent sex life, differences in handling finances, lack of display of physical affection, divided interests, fights etc  as factors leading to divorce and separation. Interestingly, a poll of 100 young Tango experts did not identify sexual infidelity as the leading cause of divorce.

If all or most of these factors show up in our everyday relationships and we find a way to cope with them, accommodating those involved, why is it much more difficult to do same in a marriage relationship? The following are my thoughts;

1. Lack of clarity on individual roles and responsibility in a marriage union
2. Unmet/unrealistic expectations
3. Intolerance
4. Lack of ‘the fear of the Lord’
5. Poor communication

Christian based marriages are structured such that the man has the role to provide for his home and love his wife and children while the woman is expected to submit to the man as the head of the home. Unfortunately, a lot of people either don’t have clarity on what their roles in marriage should be, or they are struggling with accepting them for one reason or the other. I doubt that your peculiar circumstances ever change this rule. If this rule is nonexistent in your marriage, am afraid it would hit the rocks in no time.

And based on these roles, people develop expectations. Every difficult marriage is suffering from people’s misconception about what marriage should be. Assumptions are made about marriage based on many variables, and problems erupt when these assumptions are not met. But isn’t it unfair to expect to be treated right when you don’t act right?  Don’t get me wrong now; I recognize that 2 wrongs don’t make a right and that people grow at different rates, but if everyone is focused on doing what is right, divorces would reduce. And that’s where the fear of the Lord comes in to take our focus off the inadequacies of our spouse. A deep reverence for God helps us choose to do what is right, just and fair no matter how we are being treated. Notice that this is a decision we make. To think that divorce results from one person’s weakness, shortcomings or wrong doing is a bit exaggerating! It always takes 2 to fight (selah).

I believe that the marriage union builds us up as individuals. We learn to be more tolerant, patient, loving, forgiving, etc. The truth is that most people are not ready for the demands of marriage and divorce offers a door of escape. Divorce therefore, sort of robs us of our individual growth.

Did I hear you say, Grace, you don’t know what you are talking about? Yeah right, Jesus got a similar reaction some years ago. Hear him……

“Not everyone is mature enough to live a married life. It requires a certain aptitude and grace. Marriage isn’t for everyone. Some from birth seemingly, never give marriage a thought. Others never get asked-or accepted. And some decide not to get married for kingdom reasons. But if you’re capable of growing into the largeness of marriage, do it” Matthew 19: 11-12.

“I hate divorce”, says the God of Israel. God-of-the Angel-Armies says “I hate the violent dismembering of the ‘one flesh’ of marriage”. So watch yourselves. Don’t let your guard down. Don’t cheat.    Malachi 2:16

Jesus recognizes that the marriage union can be demanding; on your faith, your patience……your entire being. He is not expecting everyone to be married! (selah), but if you marry, he is not expecting you to get out of it…except in cases of sexual infidelity. But even that can be forgiven!

Jesus said “Moses provided for divorce as a concession to your hard heartedness, but it is not part of God’s original plan. I’m holding you to the original plan, and holding you liable for adultery if you divorce your faithful wife and then marry someone else. I make an exception in cases where the spouse has committed adultery”. Matthew 19: 8-9.

“…..And if you are married, stay married. This is the Master’s command, not mine…….”

1 Corinthians 7:10-11

As we read through 1 Corinthians 7, we find that Jesus is not pleased at all with divorce, no matter how legal it seems. According to Jesus, Christians are covering their selfishness, whims and pretenses under the legality of divorce. He is saying; go work on yourself! Learn to be more accommodating. Improve yourself.

Now, some people already made wrong choices based on misplaced priorities; by marrying people they shouldn’t be married to in the first place.  If your life is threatened presently in your marriage, walking away may be wisdom (selah). But first seek counsel.

Healthy marriages are good for mental and physical well-being, and children who grow up in happy homes are less exposed to mental, physical, educational and social problems.

Marriage is a lot of work. The belief in a happily-ever-after marriage is a destructive marriage myth.

I passed this article to my team of editors, and one of them said, ‘Grace, this thing does not apply in turbulent marriages’. And I said to her; ‘every marriage can be as turbulent as you allow it’.

The earlier we nip trivial issues in the bud, the sooner we carry on enjoying our relationship. When we allow them to linger, they can get so complicated in no time that we even forget how it all started!

Let’s start by making a decision to stay cleaved then you’ll find faith and strength to never leave.

We see that with God, actually, divorce is not an option to staying married. God would want us to remain married except in very extreme circumstances (and I add this bit 🙂  ).

 

Except otherwise stated, Bible quotations are from ‘The Message’ Translation.

Almost every time an appliance or machine stops functioning optimally in my home, my husband reaches for the manual first, does some troubleshooting himself before calling in the experts.

A manufacturer’s handbook (manual), helps us set up our appliances, identify and handle simple malfunctions of our machines and ensures optimum output and efficiency, giving us good value for our money.

I have had the privilege of welcoming newly born again Christians into God’s family and I do not fail to introduce them to the Christian Manual for a successful and victorious christian living-The Bible.

You may want to consider the Bible as The Manufacturer’s Manual/Handbook for man’s living assuming that you believe in the existence of a Man-Creator or Manufacturer. If you are more inclined towards evolution or some other theory about man’s creation, then am sure you’ve found a different handbook and the discourse here may not apply to you.

So, why did God give us the Bible (His commandments/words)?

The 10 commandments came into existence to guide and direct Israel’s actions which were becoming intolerable for Jehovah at the time.

In his second letter to Timothy, apostle Paul explains the purpose of every word of God;

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness“.  2 Timothy 3:16. NKJV.

If it is not already obvious, this write-up is borne out of my curiosity on why people are often reluctant to study their Bibles.

I asked a few persons about their opinion on this and got the following responses;

i. ‘there is no time’. too many things to do with so little available time’

ii. ‘probably, people are not clear or do not completely agree with what the Bible says in some cases’

iii. ‘the bible does not give a unified straightforward stand on some issues, and people whip up different dimensions of the bible to support their own perspective on issues.

Hmmm….

Interestingly, nobody really considered or conceded to a likelihood of people thinking the standards in the Bible are too high!

I recently learnt that people generally don’t want to be told what to do. So if the Bible is for reproof, correction, instruction etc, my guess is; people love the freedom of living their lives freestyle!

But are God’s words punitive, prohibitive or protective?  I think it’s all 3,  with an ultimate aim to protect. I believe that God considered every possible action of man in its entirety (positive and negative outcomes), before giving out His words to guide and direct man aright.

For example, when God says ‘Do not commit adultery’, I believe this instruction goes well beyond the physical attraction and sexual satisfaction one derives through his indulgence in adultery. The end result of a singular adulterous act can mean an end to a longstanding marriage relationship, disruption in the equilibrium existing in a home, or exposure to life threatening sexually transmitted diseases (condoms tear!), and so many other unsavory results.

But you know, God does not force man to do anything. He always leaves the final decision with man but admonishes him to choose life and live.  I can tell my young preteen not to spend all his time on games and TVs, because as a parent, I have the foresight of the crucial role hard work can play in determining life’s experiences. And I want the best for my child! I believe God deals with man in a similar way. But then, there is a limit to how much or how long I can control my preteen’s choices. His future experiences rests greatly on his present day choices.

Let us not be like the middle-aged highly educated diabetic man who refused to go to the hospital for professional medical care for fear of what results of hospital investigations on him would reveal. He’d rather die in his ignorance. He immediately reminds me of why the fool has deceived himself into thinking there is no God…because he is corrupt and have done abominable things! (Psalm 53:1). He is threatened by the Bible.

When an appliance or machine malfunctions, it is very unlikely that the problem is with the manual (selah).

“He is in the way of life that heedeth correction, but he that forsaketh reproof erreth” Proverbs 10:17. ASV

Have a lovely day!

 

 

 

 

 

It always amazes me how kids come out fully formed in their character and traits. Each of my 3 kids have something unique about them.

I have the ‘information minister/lawyer’; that wastes no time in relaying all activities that go on in the home in my absence. She is logical and detailed. She hardly misses a thing!  I am hopeful that she’ll in no time translate this her logical thinking into organizing her toys at the end of play each day (Amen!).              The bad news for her siblings though;….. she can’t keep a secret!   She helps me discover (effortlessly) attempts at lying by her sibs!         God bless my little one 🙂

And I have the highly calculative big sis that scarcely misses a 7/8pm bedtime; likely a result of her overworking her brain, if you ask me  🙂  Meeting her for the first time, you may be lured into thinking that she cannot/doesn’t talk!          Naaaaa…..!!!          This one does all the talking in her brain!!! She analyzes everything and is always ready to ask for explanation for every new word or concept. Her depth of thinking is obvious in the manner she breaks every snack or meal to its tiniest bit before eating!!!  She is highly organized in her school work and chores. Her teacher gives me the feedback, that my ‘Ada’ practically runs her class….. I pray she continues bringing the ‘A’ grade home.

Then there’s the master of the house, my big boy, who would not want to hurt an ant, but is slowly and sadly discovering that; it is almost inevitable to hurt people no matter how much you believe you love them!! At his age, his desires (to watch TV, skip his exercises, etc) seem to be his greatest challenge at making sure he doesn’t hurt Mum or Dad. Thanks to the rod which helps us align him properly….. He has maintained the class lead position in almost all his classes and I believe its connected to his endearing nature. You can’t meet him and not like him….

To each of the servants in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), Jesus tells us that the master gave talent (s) depending on their capacity or ability. This tells me that even though the master knew beforehand that the servant who received the least talent (one talent) may likely not put it to a good or profitable use, the master still gave him a talent!  So EVERYONE got a talent (s)…..

But more interestingly, we find, as we read that Bible verse over and over again, that each talent was pregnant with several other talents that were only birthed or discovered as the single obvious one was put to use!!! (Selah).

Is it possible that the guy who received only one talent may actually have received a tsunami of hidden talents and not know it? It seemed his master loved him the least by publicly giving him only one talent…… Could he have been wrong? I really want to think so considering how upset his master was at his return.

So, the question I want to ask you today is; what is your given talent? (obvious or hidden). Have you buried it because it seemed useless and insignificant?

The Master (Jesus Christ) knows us just as we are. He knows our ability and capacity.

He and The Father, gave EVERYONE talent (s).

Have you found yours?  If not,

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you discover your talent.

And please put them (it) to use as soon as possible.

You will realize in no time that each talent is pregnant with so many more talents, and every unused talent is a waste of so many others.

Praise God!!

 

 

Parents have a responsibility to groom their sons into men, and their young girls into women who are adequately equipped to take on the unceasing challenges life throws at everybody. The story of Eleanor and Ernest as narrated below are pointers to the kind of gaps that are becoming quite rampant in young homes where men still behave like boys, expecting to be nursed and provided for….

Eleanor was barely 26 years old when she met Ernest at a friend’s birthday party 6 years ago. They hit it off immediately. Ernest was handsome, charming and trendy. He was nothing like the hungry looking ‘church brothers’ that often hung around her emitting nearly choking smells from their buccal cavity or underarms. Thinking back, Eleanor wondered again what gave them the impetus to approach her in the first place. Had she looked desperate for a life partner back then? Right now, she wasn’t sure if any of those ‘unpleasant brothers’ wouldn’t have made a better husband than Ernest.

Ernest was born into a Nigerian middle class home. His parents were both medical doctors who excelled in their different specialties through dedicated studying and hard-work over the years. Due to his parents’ very busy schedule and absence from home most days, Ernest and his siblings were practically raised by maids who were frequently absent themselves…..avoiding the huge responsibility of running the home and raising 3 highly energetic boys. The children lacked proper discipline as the maids were quite young, needing care and attention themselves and lacking the authority to enforce good conduct in the home!

Ernest parents provided everything he and his 2 younger brothers wanted and ensured they attended the best schools in town. Their schools never ranked lower than 5^th among the best paying schools.  But as it turned out none of them made it past a 2-2 upon graduation from college.

As things are now, all attempts by Ernest to secure another job has proved abortive. Although his previous employer related his being laid off to the slump in global economy, rumor has it that his replacement was hired almost immediately.  Ernest had started his own real estate business with its very seasonal income but things aren’t moving as smoothly as he expects. His frustration has become so much that he spends a lot of time hanging out with friends at the club, or taking complete possession of the TV and video remotes, allowing little or no time for his kids to see their favorite cartoons.

The last time Eleanor received housekeeping money from Ernest was 4 years ago, exactly a year after their marriage. She has had to pay all their bills from her menial job, with some support from her own family to sort out tuition fees for their 3 kids. Ernest has basically exhibited no sense of responsibility to his duty as a husband or father.

Many times, Eleanor has come very close to quitting her marriage and moving out with her kids. Not only is Ernest not concerned with providing for the home, but he comes home drunk and drenched in sweats most nights, without proper explanation of his activities. Her friends have more than once insinuated that he may be having extra-marital affairs…..

 

 

Ernest’s lack of sense of responsibility to his family can be easily traced to failure on the part of his parents to cultivate in him core home making skills. Eleanor can claim that Ernest is being mean and heartless, but the truth is Ernest does not know how to act differently.

Proverbs 22:6 says;

“train up a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it”. NKJV

Parents must realize that the little boys they have today are future husbands (and fathers) and commit resources to equipping them for those roles. If all your son does all day is play games and watch TVs, you are only creating an outlook to life that will be followed through.

I have often been saddened seeing fathers shout, scream and even get physical with their sons for acts they themselves are guilty of, forgetting that children are highly observant and learn a lot by example.

Training a child demands a parent’s time, attention and energy. A parent needs to be physically available to train a child. If you leave your children solely in the care of maids, I am afraid they may grow up with a servant mentality, constantly delivering below your expectations and depending on you for their livelihood.

Boys should be brought up with a consciousness that they have a duty to provide for their families. They must understand that being a man means responsibility more than respect, and a responsible husband/father would seldom demand respect! It flows naturally.

And if you are reading this and you are a man struggling with challenges similar to Ernest’s, you can start over again. It is never too late to learn.

Shalom!

 

 

 

We often hear about humans rescued alive after being trapped for many days underneath split rocks from volcanic eruptions or collapsed buildings. Details of these kind of occurrences are often on display on TV or social media platforms.

I have also heard of great prophets who perform great feats of raising dead people to life!

So as I read the Bible’s account of Peter’s reaction to the testimony of the resurrection of a man he watched killed and buried as narrated by Joanna, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and the ‘other women’ in Luke 24: 1-12, I can identify with Peter’s confusion. (I am careful not to call it Peter’s unbelief!).

The other disciples didn’t exercise as much control as Peter, …no, they didn’t. And I have to agree with their judgment of the women’s display of excitement or ‘madness’

Let’s paint a rather practical picture here… Imagine that you witnessed the gruesome murder of your spiritual leader. And while you and other of his followers were still making efforts to come to terms with his death, someone storms into your mourning room and announces that your leader is alive and has been seen!

I bet you, 3 kinds of feelings will rush through your entire frame at once; fear (that a ghost may be lurking around), some uncertain and cautious excitement (while you ascertain the mental state of the news bearer), and confusion (if you ever had the slightest inclination he may not have actually died). The disciples of Jesus displayed all 3 reactions. Those that felt the women had lost it, were right. It all seemed like an idle tale and only a self-righteous being would fault their unbelief.

Jesus died, was buried and they saw it! Period!

But I cannot stop wondering why the 2 Marys and Joanna were easily convinced of a resurrection. Did they remember Lazarus’s resurrection or did the sight of the angels help their acceptance of a resurrected Christ?….

In his confusion, Peter made his way to the tomb. Was he hoping to see the angels too? Likely! But he got to the tomb too late; the angels were gone! The only link he could make to Jesus’ body and the empty tomb he stared at was a familiar linen. He’d seen his master wrapped and buried in it, yet, Peter still walked away marveling and wondering at the same time.

Something that stood out for me as I read the Bible’s account of this event…

The tomb was empty when the women got there, and remained empty till Peter got his peep of it. So all the display of bewilderment, confusion, unbelief or excitement by the apostles did NOT change the reality that the tomb was empty!

“Our belief or unbelief does not change the reality of God, but determines our experience of Him“-Grace Obomanu

And just like the 2 Marys, Joanna and the ‘other women’, I bring you glad tidings…..

He is Risen! The Tomb is Still empty….

Do you believe or does it still seem like an idle tale?

Held a one-agenda brief meeting with one of my staff. All I wanted was a feedback on his perception about me.

Needless to say that this was a very exciting meeting….

I chose this particular staff for this task because he is eloquent, focused (most times) and fearless (almost to a fault!).  He wasted no time in reeling out the areas of my life he considered inconsistent with his preconceived notions about how a boss should behave.

I was all ears….

He said ‘people’ think I am snobbish, controlling and arrogant! He quickly added that he does not necessarily share their perception of me because he thinks I am nice! Hmmm….  Amazing! Smart guy.I looked at him in awe. I thanked him profusely for the feedback.

Of the three issues he mentioned, only one was coming to me new; being arrogant! Throughout my university days and years beyond, my ears ‘leaked’ with talks of me presenting a snobbish appearance. The interesting part though is that I always received this feedback after sharing pleasant moments with the complainants, who always quickly added that I am a lot nicer close up than from afar. I’d usually just smile.  Then I’ll most times share with them how I spent months before my wedding practicing how to keep a smiling face. All my wedding photos came out with most of all of my 32 showing!

The issue of being controlling, I explained to my staff is a common and recurring decimal with people of excellence (*wink). Perfectionists tend to be controlling and most times end up micro managing people. I was not oblivious of my weakness in this area and I trust that the Holy Spirit is working on me. Amen.  One way he can help me become less controlling would be to always give every task the importance and urgency it demands/deserves, trying as much as possible to put distractions at bay  🙂

As I got home later that day, I narrated this meeting to my husband and asked if he’d describe me as arrogant? He responded with another question; ‘what is the difference between being snobbish and arrogant?’….

I spent the days that followed meditating on the outcome of my meeting with this young lad and on my husband’s response.The more I thought about their feedback, the more I wanted to burst out in laughter. Yes laughter, because these people don’t really know me. Looks can be deceptive… A few things I know about myself include that I am God fearing, sincere, and have integrity (being fair and just in all situations by God’s grace). I am true to myself.

But is life all about our perceptions about ourselves? Is there no room for what other people think about us?

I find that not many people are bold enough to tell others exactly what they think about them. I am learning to become one of such people! But I cannot promise to spare you if you share a very close relationship with me. My friends will always say; ‘when you want the truth, call Grace’. That’s something I am not very convinced I should let go of just like that… 🙂

Through my thinking sessions on these 3 issues recounted to me by my staff, the Holy Spirit reminded of Jesus’ question to his disciples at some point in His ministry;

“Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?”  (Matthew 16:13) KJV.

We may not go about asking everyone we meet what they think about us. But a good, sincere and genuine feedback can be a pointer to areas of weaknesses that we can partner with the Holy Spirit for improvement.

Hope you find that one person you can confidently listen to. But more importantly, hope you find your ‘Simon’ as Jesus did, that can say among other things, that you are truly God’s child.

But no matter what people say about you, the mirror of God’s word remains the truest reflection of who you truly are.

You only have to be constantly looking into that mirror….. and your transformation into a Christ-like nature is guaranteed!

Love Always

Grace Obomanu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The description of Jehovah, given by John in Revelations 4:3, paints a picture of His magnificence, splendor and greatness.

“And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald”.

Honestly,…. I don’t even get a full grasp of John’s description of God and his choice of qualifying adjectives….

So I decided to consult my dictionary 🙂  …

This is all so awesome, fascinating and precious…awww

It leaves me with a picture of a God that is beautiful and who lives in the midst of beauty!!!

Little wonder then, all His creation speaks beauty…

 

In Psalm 139:14 David describes himself as marvelous; having being made fearfully and wonderfully.

And I say same of myself; that I am beautiful, having being carefully and beautifully crafted and knit together by the hands of a beautiful God who dwells and reigns in beauty!

And where the light of His beauty shines, only beauty shows forth as a reflection His splendor, His magnificence and His grandeur.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines light as;

“the form of energy that makes it possible to see things…”

The Lord Himself is Light (John 1), that cannot be comprehended by darkness. Simply meaning that; when God shines as the Light that He is, darkness becomes confused, consumed and dissipates swiftly…….giving way for God’s beauty and glory to be seen by all. Halleluyah!

The light of His beauty shines through me, my home,  my children and through everything that concerns me. All around me is a reflection of His beauty!

I am Beautiful without apology!

 

 

 

Knelt down by my bedside and prayed;

‘Father, I have been working very hard for you; sharing your word,  bringing counsel and hope to so many. And now,  faithful father, bless me in return. You said in your word that a laborer is worthy of his wages, You said it Father, so fulfill your word. Pay me for my labors of love. I pray in Jesus name, Amen.’

 

That’s it! I thought to myself as I got up from praying and dressed up for work. Great expectations filled my heart most of that day….

But as days passed and nothing happened,…. no alert on my phone neither did I receive a confirmation email from my bank of a credit transaction on my account, my countenance began to change…

So I decided that one kneeling at the bedside was just enough, ……I will  not go down on my knees to say that prayer a second time!! naaaa.

So instead of kneeling down, I chose to mutter my prayers under my breath. I reminded Him of my request o’er the past few days for which He’s yet to give a response…But still no response.

As my expectations almost turned into desperation, I could hear Him laughing……I wondered why He’d be laughing at such a serious issue (I was getting somewhat annoyed at this point).

I listened day after day for a response.

Then one day, I heard Him ask; ‘do you get paid for working in your father’s house? Are you not an heir to your father’s inheritance?

I was completely disarmed!!

‘No please father, pay me, please don’t talk about working in my Father’s house or inheritance’, I cried……. Just pay me Father.

But instead of responding, He brought to my remembrance Jesus’ answer to His parents in Luke 2:49

“Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s Business? ”

It dawned on me in that moment; ……….Its my Father’s Business!

And like Jesus said in Luke 4:18;

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captive and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed”

This is Kingdom Business. And all that my father has is mine. I am an heir of the kingdom.

C’mon brethren, get busy with the Kingdom Business, and do that with an ownership mindset and attitude!….

 

Except otherwise stated, all Bible quotations are from the New King James Version ( NKJV).

The Pentecostal cliché’ ‘God is in control’, no doubt provides some sort of comfort and succor for its users.

But is God really in Control? Does God even want to be in control? 🙂

We’ll try to give a balanced view to this…..

We learn in the early chapters of Genesis that after God spent some days creating the Heaven and the Earth and everything in it, He created Man.

Why did God create Man?

For 3 main reasons in my opinion;

1. To take charge of everything He’d created
2. To populate the earth, and
3. To fellowship with God

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in our image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over everything that creeps on the earth”  Genesis 1:26

This was a kind of discussion between the Godhead {‘Us’} in the above text. God the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost agreed to create man to have dominion.

And because this was, ..call it; ‘a private family discussion’, God handed man his job description post creation;

“Be fruitful and multiply,

Fill the earth and subdue it,

“Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over everything that moves on the earth”.   Genesis 1:28.

So far, I don’t see a picture of a God that wants to be in control of everything! Do you?

I think that if God desperately wanted to be in control, He would not create man in the first place. I mean why create someone to contend powers with?

You know, it is true that the Bible tells us, that Satan practically asked God’s permission to tempt Job’s faith for a while (please note that the whole drama between Satan and Job was targeted at getting Job to curse God, to forsake God, to say; ‘Oh, this thing is not working’, or ‘why have I wasted my time serving an unseen God who cannot even save’ etc).

But I see a picture of a Job who was in total control of his faith. His faith was well guarded and he was in control of his speech, his actions and his reactions!  And the Bible records in Job 2:22;

“In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong”

Job’s faith in God did not fail.

A few days ago while studying my Bible, I came across this scripture;
“Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan asked to for you, that he may sift you as wheat” Luke 22:31

Again, we see Satan asking for permission to deal with Peter!

And as Jesus continued, once again, Satan’s target is made clear;

“But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren”. Luke 22:32.

My heart sank as I read that scripture and the reason is pretty obvious….

I expected Jesus to say, ‘Peter, look I have told Satan to steer clear of you, that you are my disciple,…the rock!, etc. But the Lord said nothing of sort…. Did you see Jesus plan for Peter’s temptation by Satan? Please did you see it with me?

Jesus is just gonna pray for Peter that his faith fail not!!!!

This was really saddening…..

But from that scripture alone, we can learn the following

1. Satan targets a Christian’s faith (doesn’t matter the depth, or type of temptation or trouble)
2. Jesus advocates and prays for us constantly
3. Jesus would not fight the fight of faith on our behalf (He already conquered Satan and gave us all authority).
4. Jesus expects us to win the fight of our faith.
5. When we win our fight of faith and come back to Jesus (when we don’t forsake Him, or curse Him, or leave Him), our faith becomes strengthened, and we are expected to strengthen our brethren.

God does not abandon us when tempted or troubled by Satan, no He doesn’t. He is with us and in us, and He constantly prays that our faith fail not.

“…I will not leave nor forsake you”    Joshua 1:5

He is with us always, through the waters and through the fire. Halleluyah!

So I ask again, friends; Is God really in control of everything? Is there no role for man to play?
Come to think of it; would any parent really want to have a son that they fully control? Wouldn’t that mean building up disaster for a future daughter in-law and the world? I think I want to raise children with some level of independence, but again, with some ‘check’ system in place.

Consider again; when God said in Deuteronomy 30:19;

“…that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live”

Again, God allows man to make his choices, but quickly advises him to choose Life. That’s what we call crunje’ in Nigeria….

It seems to me that this ‘God is in control’ disposition of most Christians is borne out of ignorance and sheer laziness. The undertone or bad side to this is that Christians are not exercising their faith, are not growing and cannot strengthen any other brethren.

Imagine if at the time David faced the Bear, that he folded His hands and just responded with a ‘God is in control’ thing, he’d not have been alive to kill the lion, and then to deliver the Israelite from Goliath the terror! David’s confidence, grew through his experience, but he had to make the decision to put his faith to work. He took control of the situation through faith in God.

We certainly cannot control the many challenges life throws at us daily, but we can choose and control our reactions (actions and speech).

 

Thank You Father,

Because You have made us ‘more than conquerors’ through Christ. We can do all things through Christ. We walk in victory through Christ, we overcome sickness and disease through Christ. Our faith is secured, unshaken in your ability to deliver, provide and protect. We take control as you’ve commanded us by faith in Christ Jesus.

Amen.

 

This article was originally published on my Facebook Page “Talk with Grace Obomanu” on 19/01/2016.

Except otherwise stated, all Bible quotations are from the New King James Version (NKJV).

 

 

 

 

 

Because the quotation; “be anxious for nothing…” emanates from the Bible, I can categorically assert that anxiety is not from God.

God is not schizophrenic to command us not to be anxious, and then turn around and bathe us with fear and trembling at life’s issues.

This then begs the question; what’s the source of anxiety?

If I could be honored with a one-on-one discussion with you, you’d most likely identify the sources of your worries as; ‘what to eat, what to wear, school fees, children, etc…

So is God unaware of these sources of worry and anxiety?

No He’s not, and we see in Luke 12:29, that God has us fully covered!

“And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind”.

So why doesn’t God give us everything we need all at once?

The Bible records that the Israelites failed to learn the simple lesson of trusting God for each day’s need. God supplied their daily meals (meat at twilight and bread for the morning). And God specifically commanded them not to take more than was necessary for each day (Exodus 16:19).

No left overs!  Those that refused to listen to the word of the Lord were greeted by worms by the next morning.

I believe that God is committed to providing all our daily needs.

Jesus directs us to pray thus; “give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11) or “give us day by day our daily bread” (Luke 11:3).

To successfully live as God desires of us, Psalm 3:5 is highly recommended 🙂 ;

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding”.

Little wonder then that in Philippians 4:6, apostle Paul provides the antidote to anxiety and worry;

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God”.

And in Psalm 112:7, we see the man who will not be afraid or anxious of evil tidings coming to him;

“he will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord”.

Let me just note at this point, that God is not against savings or planning, neither is He against against us having more than enough.

Proverbs 13:22 tells us that;

“A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children…”

And also, Paul tells Timothy (and us) in 1 Timothy 5:8 that;

“…if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever“.

So God expects us to save, and to have more than enough to give to others. Therefore, the principle we should walk away with, reading this article is that;  we need to learn to trust God and not be anxious. When we trust Him to provide every day’s need, we display our assurance in His sufficiency for all times.

But you know, honestly, it can be pretty difficult  to live a ‘worry-less’ life as Christians. It’s almost as if we’re lazy and irresponsible, so we try to figure out everything, and this gets us really worked up!

Living a worry-free life is learnt

Sometime, not too long ago, the Lord started teaching me how not to be anxious. Having stayed out of work for almost a month because of ill-health, I decided to just ask for my annual leave since I still required more time to fully recuperate. But my boss wouldn’t hear of it. A few days after putting in my annual leave request for approval, a memo appeared from somewhere stating that leave requests must be turned in at least a month before the due date.  I was more upset than disappointed for more than one reason…..

As you can imagine, I thought my boss incited that memo, so I spent hours wondering and worrying over why he’d do such. But God didn’t want me losing sleep over that.

At some point, I heard clearly in my spirit; ‘Grace, what exactly do you want?  I realized then, that I hadn’t even said any word of prayer about the issue…..

Immediately I responded that I just needed approval for my leave. Then I heard again; ‘you’ll get your letter’.

I stopped myself from wondering how that would work out.

The next morning, I managed to get to the office, and headed for the head of administration’s office to ask about my letter. The officer in charge confirmed my fears; my boss refused to approve my leave request.

My file was called for just to confirm to me that my boss hadn’t appended his signature. And truly, he didn’t.

The interesting part though, is that somehow, to everyone’s surprise, my leave letter had been typed, signed and kept safely in my file!!! It fell out as we searched for the page my boss was supposed to have signed. The head of administration simply handed it to me, saying she’ll pretend she didn’t see it.

I got my letter without sweat as the spirit of God had spoken to me. Praise God.

I refused to respond to flesh and didn’t go flash the letter at my boss! I didn’t even discuss it. He was served a copy by the administration department.

 

We ask today, that you teach us Lord to trust you fully each day. Anxiety and worry will have no place in our lives. Amen.

 

Except otherwise stated, all Bible quotations are from the New King James Version (NKJV).