A few days ago, a senior colleague engaged me in an interesting discussion. He thinks I am a ‘really nice person‘ but he’s concerned that I might struggle in big leadership positions in the future if I continue being so nice.    Hmmm.

My response didn’t help him at all. I tried to remind him of times (in the recent past) when I have been described as high-handed by people in our organization. I have tried being autocratic, being democratic, and I think am finding a balance. He didn’t think I’ve found any balance. In his opinion, I am tilted too much towards democratic leadership.

Reminds me of something someone said to me in my university days; ‘don’t be too sweet or you’ll be leaked out of existence’. Another person made me pull out my dictionary when she said; Grace you’re unassuming/ you have no airs’.

Not too long ago, it was my birthday, and of all the many calls and goodwill messages I received, a particular phone call did touch me deeply. A colleague called and said to me; ‘wow! you’re being celebrated everywhere.I just had to call you today. You are such a nice person and all these celebration of your birthday is simply a response to all the love and care you give out’.

I have to say that apart from my husband’s birthday message to me this year, and yes, my little 5+year old spent the night making different birthday cards for me, 🙂 , this lady’s message was God’s special gift to me. Why so?

There was a time in my life, not too long ago, when I would recite Galatians 5:22, that; “The fruit of the spirit is fully evident in my life; I have love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, gentleness and self-control”.    I so much wanted to communicate God’s love to others through my decisions, actions and interactions.

My husband tells me I have grown/matured   🙂

Yeah, I can see areas where more changes must happen in my life, but I am so glad that God’s spirit is at work in me and the fruit of the spirit is becoming evident for others to see and testify.

So I have chosen to see the positives in what my senior colleague said. I’ll continue to love and show kindness. I’ll be firm when I need to be but still do it in love. I’ll make greater progress (by the Spirit of God) in exercising self-control, patience and gentleness. But I do not want to be anything else than what God wants me to be.

I believe the word of God in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8, which says; that love conquers all things and love never fails (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8).

I can never be too nice for the Spirit.

I will be considerate, sensitive, show empathy and still be courageous, brave and confident. #Nice/Tough.

 

 

King Solomon’s golden request for wisdom from God, instead of worldly gifts and blessings, often made rounds of sermons in the small local church of my childhood years. And even though the church changed clergymen frequently, sermons based on Second Chronicles Chapter one, remained a regular feature.

Reading through this scripture now, one cannot help but appreciate the depth of Solomon’s gratitude to God and why this passage of scripture was considered suitable for sermons on selfless giving. Solomon was grateful for God’s kindness and goodness to his father David. He was grateful for the kingdom God gave him to be king over;  ‘a nation as full of people as the earth is full of dust‘ (Verse 9). This was Solomon’s greatest desire.

A grateful Solomon wanted so desperately to boast of The Lord’s goodness and display His magnanimous doings towards him and his household. Therefore he assembled all the army officers and judges of Gibeon and all political/religious leaders of Israel at the Old Tabernacle for a showdown!

Did Solomon already plan how many sacrifices would sufficiently convey his gratitude? Probably….      One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, …..100,  …200, ….300, ……500, and  1,000 burnt offerings sacrificed!  Boom, boom, boom.

The bronze altar, Bezaleel built may not have been of the best quality, but on this particular day, it was good enough to hold 1,000 sacrifices. One thousand burnt offerings at once!

This outpouring of gratitude and appreciation was too good for God to keep calm. There was no point waiting for Solomon to present his request (if he had any), and even if Solomon simply wanted to love on God (without any additional motive), God decided Solomon’s 1000 sacrifices earned him more than a gift.  So,that same night, whether Solomon expected a response from God or not, God gave one!  One thousand burnt offerings from a deeply grateful heart attracted a blank cheque. Oh ho!!!

Solomon could ask for ‘anything’ and receive it instantly. Again, Solomon exhibited an unusual request behavior that flawed God’s usual experience with requests from man.  ‘Wisdom!! ???   What happened to the usual request for personal wealth and riches, personal honor, request for an extended/long life and a prayer to curse one’s enemies (2 Chronicles 1:11) …??

Solomon’s desire for wisdom and knowledge to rule God’s  people was an expression of his ultimate ambition as evident in his response in verse 9; “this is all I want!”. No king wants to waste a blank cheque on some flimsy, tactless request. There are wars to fight and win, there are empires to dominate and lands to cease.  So an opportunity to ask for anything called for the most strategic response. ‘Anything‘ for Solomon meant a continuation of God’s faithfulness to him and to his father David (verse 9-10). 

Let’s pause here for a bit ……..

Pretend for a second, that God stretched out His hands and offered you a blank cheque…..ahaaaa……

First question….; What  would your ‘anything‘ be?  Would it conveniently fit into man’s regular request pattern which is often selfish and personal, or would it demonstrate a yearning to help others?

Second question…..;  How many burnt offerings do you think would buy your request?’   1, 2,  ….1,000, …..2,000 or much more?

Third question……; Would you be willing to give 1000 burnt offerings just like Solomon?

And fourth question….; Do you really need 1,000 burnt offerings to receive a blank cheque from God today?

Hebrews 9:13a gives some credence to the value of the blood of animals as used in the old testament for thanksgiving, purification and cleansing of the flesh….

“…..the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh….”

But was that really enough? Did animal sacrifices successfully atone for man’s sins and shortcomings?

Hebrews 10: 4 tells us it didn’t;

“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins“.

And in Isaiah 1:11, God says He’s had enough of burnt offerings of rams, fat cattle, bulls, lambs, goats, fowl, etc. So, people,  stop wasting animals in ‘sacrifices’! SELAH.

A much more potent, powerful and effective sacrifice is described in Hebrews 9:13;

“….how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

A sacrifice so powerful to buy us eternal (everlasting) redemption (Hebrews 9: 12) and give us life and life more abundantly (John 10:10b). Just in case you didn’t know, ‘life more abundantly’ speaks of immeasurable wealth and affluence that overflows to others. YES! YES!! YES!!!

We can ask the Father for ‘anything‘ in the name of Jesus Christ (John 14:14, John 16:23) and receive our request (in line with His will) because  God the Father gave JESUS a name above every other name (Philippians 2: 5-10) and a name that guarantees ‘anything’. Halleluyah

1,000 burnt sacrifices from a deeply grateful heart was great and awesome enough for God to stretch out a blank cheque. But as we find, we don’t need 1,000 burnt sacrifices to access a blank cheque from The Father anymore. One (1) precious, costly sacrifice sufficed.

He bore our sorrows, pains and griefs. He was smitten, humiliated  and wounded for our transgressions. Bruised and crushed for our iniquities and wickedness. He was punished and chastised so we can have peace. And He hung on the cross to take away every curse (Isaiah 53:4-5, Galatians 3:13).

One precious sacrifice did it all. One sacrifice more than 1,000 burnt offerings was all we needed to earn a blank cheque from God the Father. Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary so you and I can have ‘anything’ through Him.

Take it!

Happy Easter!

Thank You Lord Jesus Christ for your sacrifice.

 

 

 

 

 

Many of us can identify with the statement ‘Christ is Risen!, He is Risen Indeed’. If you were like me, who grew up in an orthodox christian setting, Easter was (and remains) a very exciting season in the Christian faith. We would sing hymns of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection as early as the ‘Good Friday‘.  If I remember clearly, we often held carol nights on Good Fridays; singing around the town with candle lights. And although the songs weren’t particularly joyful, the whole exercise was exciting.  🙂

I also remember the ‘Palm Sunday‘ march around the town; symbolizing Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  Question: Why was the triumphant entry important to Jesus Christ? Why did He do it?  We’ll consider that in another blog-post…soon.

Today, I bring you the Good News of the Kingdom of Jehovah and of His dear son, Jesus Christ; ‘Christ is Risen!’ ….He is risen indeed. 

Big brother Apostle Paul narrates the significance of Christ’s resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15.

“But now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” 1 Corinthians 15:20

Paul tells us why Easter should be celebrated always;

1. Christ is Not dead, He is alive. God, Jehovah, raised Christ from the dead.
2. We believe that our sins are forgiven, and we testify that we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus only because Christ is risen. If Christ were still dead, then we would be sinners. But our spirit bears witness with God’s spirit that we are FREE from sin. Halleluyah!
3. So our faith and believe is not futile, for we are living testimonies of God’s great and mighty works which we experience in our daily living.
4. Because Christ is risen, the dead in Christ will resurrect also. For if we only have Hope in this life and in the things which we see and feel, then we are of all men most pitiable and miserable.

I am excited that Christ is Risen! Halleluyah!

This blog post could have been titled; ‘The Second Resurrection’.  We find the First Resurrection in Ephesians 2:5, Colossians 2:12 and other New Testament Bible portions;

“even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).”  Ephesians 2:5

“buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”

We were made alive and raised together with Christ when God raised Him. We were in Him at death, but we didn’t remain dead, no, we were raised together with Christ Jesus.

I recommend one of my favorite and earlier blog posts; “Dead Man Walking” for more clarity on how we were saved.

This is the Good News; that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, He was buried and on the third day, God Almighty raised Him (together with Every Born Again Christian).  After resurrection, Jesus Christ was SEEN by Cephas, by the 12 disciples, by more than 500 hundred brethren at once, by James, by the apostles and then by Paul. (1 Corinthians 15; 3-8).

Paul carefully documented these events for us and for any doubter.

We are not a people without hope. No, our Hope is anchored firmly on the resurrected Christ, the mighty miracles He works daily in our lives and in the conviction within our spirit that we are Christ’s and He is ours.  Halleluyah.

And even if we die physically before the second coming of Christ, our physical bodies will be transformed and we SHALL be Resurrected.

“For The Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.”                               1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.

Praise God forever.

Jesus said to Martha (Lazarus’ sister);

“I am The Resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 

In case you are still taking your time in surrendering your life to Jesus Christ, Easter is a good season to do it. Make it an Easter to always remember. Give your life to Jesus Christ today and become Born Again (John 3:3).

Simply say this prayer;

Dear God,

I ask in the Name of Jesus Christ that you forgive my sins. I believe in my heart that Christ died for my sins and you raised Him up from the dead just to save me. Lord Jesus Christ, I receive you as my Lord and Saviour today.  I declare today that I belong to Christ and none other. Thank you for hearing  and answering me, in Jesus name. Amen. 

Congratulations if you just said that prayer. And welcome to the family of Jehovah.

You must be baptized by water by immersion and you must be filled with the Holy Ghost.  You can be told how to experience these when you attend a bible-believing church. You may contact me also.

 

My love always…

 

 

 

 

The sin of one man (Adam) brought sin and death to all mankind (1 Corinthians 15:22), but through Christ’s death resurrection and life were made available to all mankind (1 Corinthians 15: 21).

The cross ensured  forgiveness of sins,  reconciliation of man to God and restoration of  the relationship between man and God. A relationship that cannot be severed by sin, however, an intimacy that cannot be experienced where sin exists. That’s what Isaiah talked about in Isaiah 59: 1-2;

“Surely the arm of The Lord is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.”

Cry out to The Lord while you can. For the great day of The Lord comes, when it will be too late to fully enjoy Christ’s offering; the offering of Himself as an atonement for sin.

Zephaniah 1, just like Isaiah 59 tells us about the great day of The Lord;

“The great day of The Lord is near- near and coming quickly. The cry on the day of The Lord is bitter; the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry. That day will be a day of wrath-a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers.” Zephaniah 1: 14-16.

Don’t become proficient at blowing off your sins, giving excuses that will not excuse you from God’s wrath. Do not let your conscience become seared and unresponsive to God’s prodding by His Spirit.

Give Your Life to Jesus Christ Today.

You do not have to spend eternity in Hell. Jesus’ death ensured Hell didn’t become your abode in eternity. God provided full, complete, eternal pardon for sin because of Christ’s death. You are only assured of a shelter in Heaven in eternity if you receive God’s free gift to you- Jesus Christ!

Accept Jesus Christ today into your life as your Lord and Saviour.

You just say this short and simple prayer;

Dear God,

I ask in the Name of Jesus Christ that you forgive my sins. I believe in my heart that Christ died for my sins and you raised Him up from the dead just to save me. Lord Jesus Christ, I receive you as my Lord and Saviour today.  I declare today that I belong to Christ and none other. Thank you for hearing  and answering me, in Jesus name. Amen. 

Congratulations if you just said that prayer. And welcome to the family of Jehovah.

You must be baptized by water by immersion and you must be filled with the Holy Ghost.  You can be told how to experience these when you attend a bible-believing church. You may contact me also.

Happy Resurrection Week!  🙂

My love always

 

 

 

In ‘Revealing ‘Revelations 12 to 20′: Blog Post 1’, we basically gave descriptions of the key subjects in these verses of scripture. And I did promise, that in the second part, we’ll begin to follow the narrations in the book of Revelations and come up with meaningful explanations.

This blog post we’ll begin to study Revelation’s 3 Beasts (Chapter 13 Vs 1-8); the First Beast, the Second Beast and the Scarlet Beast.

We described a ‘Beast’ as used in Revelations as most likely referring to an Alliance or a Coalition. An Alliance being a group of countries, political parties or people who come together for specific purposes, interests of mutual benefit.  And a Coalition refers to an alliance of people, factions, parties or nations; a combination into one body; a union.

The First Beast (Chapter 13)

This Beast came out of the sea, had 10 horns, 7 heads with 10 crowns on its horns; each having a blasphemous name.  It resembled a leopard, with feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the First Beast its power, throne and authority. One of the heads of the Beast was fatally wounded but got healed and the whole world marveled, followed the Beast, worshiped it and worshiped the dragon.

My thoughts

This is an alliance between 7 countries/kingdoms with a common interest and purpose. These 7 countries/kingdoms are located on an island( came out of the sea). The 7 Countries/kingdoms altogether have 10 cities (10 horns) and each city is an authority in itself (10 horns).  The symbol for this alliance has a black and white background,  and the logo on its flag looks like the feet of a bear (like curled worm) while what it speaks, professes or believes in (its mouth) has a hexagonal shaped symbol; like a small black house with 5 sides  over a white background (that’s the shape of a lion’s mouth).  All 7 Kingdoms share the same faith/belief.

One of the 7 countries/kingdoms was almost extinct, but surprisingly recovered and became admired and adored by people from many nations, who visit it often and marvel at its beauty.

In ‘Revealing ‘Revelations 12 to 20′: Blog Post 3’, we’ll consider the Second Beast.

Hope you make sense of these descriptions, they are actually very easy to decipher. You need to pray and you need to think.   🙂

 

I spend at least an hour on week days to get from office to home. Take away the occasional break down of heavy-duty vehicles that may disrupt free flow of traffic, the ride home has become woven into my daily routine that it fleets swiftly away almost without notice.

A few days ago as I rode home my thoughts wandered to how incredibly I’d risen from a very lowly and pitiable childhood to an unfolding enviable future. I seldom talk about my childhood, not that I am ashamed of it, no, but it’s usually too much hassle trying to convince people of my before and now. They constantly struggle to make sense of it. I remember narrating some aspects of my growing up to a senior citizen bosom friend of mine, bewilderment spread all over her. She couldn’t help but ask: “Grace, how did you turn out so right?” My response to her will probably shock you too; “I turned my life over to Jesus Christ at a pretty young age“.  Yeah, a few mistakes here and there just like anybody else (as I think about them now though, all have been certainly part of the building up process), but choosing Christ changed my story and my life   -and He isn’t done with me yet!

Esther was an anonymous Jewish girl, never heard of, never known. She ‘happened’ to have been raised by Mordecai. She ‘happened’ to be among other girls cleansed, pampered, beautified and brought into the King’s harem following Queen Vashti’s ‘dishonor’ of the King’s call (Esther Chapters 1-3). Esther also ‘happened’ to have met the King’s specifications and preferences for a queen. Yes, Esther was chosen and became Queen.

Was Esther’s whole life really a chain of coincidences?

Mordecai vested time and energy getting Esther grounded in the faith. And when the Jews were faced with a life-threatening situation, Mordecai immediately recognized that Esther’s whole life hasn’t been a coincidence but a play out of a master plan.

Esther has been raised for ‘a Time and a People as this’.

So back to this day that I rode home and reminisced on how favored and blessed I am. I also remembered siblings, relations, acquaintances that have been on this life’s journey with me. Of course I have been weighing in on their needs every now and then to help and bring some relief and meaning, but the reality hit me so deeply that I must do more, as led by God’s Spirit.

It is not a coincidence that you’re seated next to a rude, disrespectful, self-centred and highly competitive colleague at work, or that you are living next door to a difficult busy-body individual as a neighbour.

Is it possible that you have an impact to make in that life?

Like Mordecai said to Esther;

“For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise fro the Jews from another place but you and your father’s house will perish.”  Esther 4: 14.

Give it your best shot. Don’t be replaced.

 

 

 

“Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come….” Matthew 6:9-10.

Growing up was adventurous for me in more than one way. A 1000-page book would not successfully capture my experiences and escapades. Specifically today, I remember how it became a family tradition to take a 5-10minutes walk to the evening prayers following the ringing of the 6:00pm church bell. On very few occasions, we would recite ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ at home if my Big Auntie was too tired to make the walk to the Church. And almost every time, I would wonder what ‘thy kingdom come‘ actually meant? What kingdom is this? Where is it? And where on earth would it be located?…..

A few weeks ago, my curiosity about ‘the kingdom of God’ was aroused once again as I read through Mark 4:26;

“And He said, The Kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how for the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come”

As I began studying about ‘the kingdom of God‘, I was convinced that my childhood desire to understand what this really means wasn’t misplaced. Curiosity can indeed make you smarter! 🙂

So what is a Kingdom?

A kingdom describes a realm, country or government whose ruler is a king or a queen. Kingdoms are defined by territories and physical boundaries and every kingdom has its people, values and culture. Citizenship into any kingdom is determined by birth, naturalization, marriage, etc depending on a country’s policies and regulations.

‘The Kingdom of God’ refers to a specific government established by God (Jehovah), having as its king Jesus Christ who is King of many other kings (Matthew 28:18). The Kingdom of God is not of this world (John 18:36) and is not delineated by physical boundaries and landmarks. Citizenship into The Kingdom is by a spiritual rebirth.

I enumerate below 2 fundamental attributes of anyone that may become a citizen of God’s Kingdom;

1. The kingdom of God is for the ‘poor in spirit’ (Matthew 5:1-7). This refers to people who can make just a little space for vulnerability and brokenness. Vulnerable enough to believe the Bible, to pray and believe that God answers prayers. Vulnerable enough to believe in the existence of a Superior Being that made the world and everything in it. And vulnerable enough to confess Jesus Christ with their mouth, believe in their heart that He (Jesus Christ) came down to Earth from Heaven to save man from sin and was killed, buried but raised back to life by Almighty God.

2. The kingdom of God is for persons who can be child-like (Matthew 18:1-5). Those that can HUMBLE themselves. Humble themselves to Trust, Obey and Follow. Humble themselves enough to learn new things and have rich imaginations/creativity. People who forgive easily and keep no record of wrongs (definitely not describing ‘Christians’ who want to ‘honor’ their late mother and so would not welcome a relationship with her living ‘enemies’).

Romans 14:17-18 tells us the prevailing culture in God’s Kingdom. A culture of Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost (Romans 14: 17-18). Where Righteousness refers to virtue, integrity, uprightness, being justifiable and right. Peace means tranquility, quietness, stillness, calmness or freedom from disturbance or war. And Joy portrays a state or feeling of delight, pleasure, happiness, rejoicing, triumph, radiance or ecstasy.

Jesus Christ is our Peace (Ephesians 2:14, Isaiah 53:5). Jesus Christ became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). And Jesus Christ prayed The Father to send us The Holy Ghost to keep our lives ever flowing with Joy (1 Thessalonians 1:6, John 14:26, Galatians 5:22).

We therefore are Righteous through Christ, have Peace through Christ and overflow with Joy in The Holy Ghost through Christ. Halleluyah!

So we possess all that the Kingdom of God is about;

“for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 14:17

In Mark 4: 26-32, Jesus Christ paints a picture of the Kingdom of God and I love it!

“Then He said, ‘To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth, but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.” Mark 4: 30-32.

To put seed in the ground and believe that it will grow requires some level of faith, albeit, latent. To put seed in the ground and go to sleep suggests an absence of fear/anxiety and existence of Peace/Rest. We plant, water, go to sleep and God causes our seed to grow to the point that it yields branches which provides nests for birds.

The Kingdom of God is about righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. The Kingdom of God is about faith and increase. The Kingdom of God is about the overflow of this increase to others.

Now, there were a group of fully grown men (and maybe women) who apparently remained in my childhood state of wonder and enquiry. They went to Jesus and asked Him when to expect The Kingdom of God……

“Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, The kingdom of God does not come with observation, nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the Kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:20-21.

Jesus Christ did not answer them with a parable. He gave a simple and clear response; The Kingdom of God is not a physical structure or a designated land area or visible territory. Rather, The Kingdom of God is Within Me and You!

The Kingdom is in us as integrity, uprightness and Godly virtue. The Kingdom of God is within us as calmness, freedom and stillness. The Kingdom of God is within us as overflowing joy in the Holy Ghost. The Kingdom of God is in us as faith and increase, yielding great harvest that spills over to others.

This is the Kingdom of God.

Thy Kingdom come dear Father, and Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

Tuesday November 8th 2016, was the date for the United States of America’s 58th election to determine her 45th President. The media made sure every home that cared to follow events of the election were carried along.  General opinions in and outside America seemed to resonate that both the Republican and Democratic candidates offered Americans a very thin choice line.

In my home, Arnold and I supported different candidates for different reasons. Unfortunately for my very logical, detailed and analytic author husband, yours truly didn’t have a ‘sensible’ explanation for preferring one candidate over the other. It was simply a ‘spiritual’ decision 🙂

As the election results started trickling in, there was an unusual quietness in my home. The TV set wouldn’t come on and be almost permanently  fixed on CNN at 6.30am as has been the case for many days. Arnold’s candidate lost! And although my preferred candidate won, I have to quickly say I was full of questions for America’s future. 🙂

What is God up to? Where is the world right now? Is the end truly near and if true, how near? Which aspect of John’s prophesies in the book of Revelations is happening now?

These and many more questions set me off on the journey am about to walk you through. It was a journey of many days (and has not yet ended).

I have to say at this point that you have a big role to play as you read this write-up.  Your thinking cap must be on all through this journey and your trust anchored firmly on The Holy Spirit the Teacher of all truth. The Spirit knows ALL things. The Book of  Revelations is understood by the one that has Godly Wisdom.

We are venturing into the book of Revelations!!!

The Book of Revelations is one book in the Bible that scared me in the past. Everything seemed like a horror movie. Descriptions of the heavenly creatures are the last things my highly imaginative mind want to feed on, at least never before bedtime! Naaa

It was different this time; I needed answers to my questions. And did I dig into The Lord’s Revelations to John of future events? Yes, I did!  And it kept my attention for many days……And its my pleasure to share my thoughts with you.

We’ll start from chapter 12.

Now, because the book of Revelations is highly metaphorical, we’ll need  to make sense of and attempt to unravel some of its key subjects and terms. The following are my understanding and descriptions of some of Revelation’s pivotal characters;

Woman (chapter 12 Vs 1) most likely refers to a Great Nation.

A few days ago, I met a member of a particular christian sect, who very passionately tried to convince me the Woman of Revelations 12:1 is Mary the Mother of Jesus. But is that really true?

Prophesies speak of future events (Selah).  In Revelations, John (a disciple of Jesus Christ) narrated his visions about future events after the death of Christ. John could not have been prophesying about events that have already occurred!  Jesus was already born into the tribe of Judah in Israel.

My Assertion: This Woman was not Mary of Joseph the carpenter.

So, who was this Woman? The Bible offers a detailed description that we have to try to understand…

(a) The Woman is clothed with the sun;

This suggests that this Great Nation has sunlight all the time. But since there’s no such nation where the sun never goes down on earth presently, I think this may refer to a Great Nation that has birthed or colonized many other nations such that at any time (t), each of those nations have sunlight! (fill in the gaps).

(b) The Woman had a garland of 12 stars on her head. This part is interesting. Follow me now;  The head is the focus of authority. The garland of 12 stars on a head (which is a round-shaped object), gives a picture of a decorative wreath on the head having 12 stars. The Great Nation had this wreath on her head.

Now because the head represents the focus of authority, my thoughts are that this Great Nation was subservient to an authority that had as its symbol a wreath-like crown with 12 stars.

Exercise 1: Attempt drawing a picture of a round-shaped wreath with 12 stars around it and see what you’d get (fill in the gaps). Hint: have you seen the EU image/flag? I suggest you look at it again……..

(c) The Woman has the moon under her feet;

This bit is not really clear to me yet, but I have 2 thoughts here. If the Woman is clothed with sunlight always, then she doesn’t necessarily need the moon.  Or this Great Nation actually did set foot on the Moon, putting the moon under her feet. Again, this bit is not clear and my thoughts will hover around it for some more time while I trust the Holy Spirit to sharpen my understanding.

(d) ‘The Woman was persecuted by the dragon after birthing the Child’.

The dragon sent flood after the woman to wipe her off the earth, but didn’t succeed. The dragon left the Woman and her Child and went to make war with her other children (colonies, nations) who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ…Christian Nations!

Child (chapter 12 Vs ) most likely refers to another nation, not exactly as great as the Woman, but which was birthed or colonized by the Woman.  Who is this Child? Does this refer to Jesus Christ? Again, Jesus had been born, killed and buried. He arose and ascended to Heaven giving John these visions and prophecies.  This is where I think a misunderstanding creeps in while trying to make sense of Revelations.  People strongly believe the Woman refers to Israel and the Child Jesus Christ. But is that really correct?

My Assertion: This Child is most likely a Nation.

This Child, rules all nations with a rod of iron. And the Child was entrusted to God. Who is this Child? What nation is it that has great powers enough to influence other nations? To cater for, defend other nations and trusts in God? (fill in the gap).

e) Dragon (chapter 12 Vs 3, 9) is the Devil, Satan.

**Note that Satan was cast out of Heaven to earth with his angels. The Devil has his own angels! (Selah).

There’s also a great, fiery red dragon with 7 heads, 10 horns and 10 diadems described in chapter 12 Vs 3. He had a tail that drew one-third of the stars of Heaven which were thrown down to earth.   Does this description still refer to Satan?

Heads are foci of authority, so could be Kingdoms or nations.

Horns represent rulers of nations or kingdoms

Crowns on heads are likely to be Cities, offshoot of the Heads/nations.

f) The Beast from the Sea (chapter 13 Vs 1-8). Beast most likely refers to an alliance or coalition. Three (3) Beasts are mentioned through the verses (1st, 2nd, and Scarlet Beast).

g) Harlot/Whore (most likely refers to a Religion established by a prophet. The False Prophet is therefore the head of this religion.

This has been another long blog post, if you read it patiently to this point, chances are you’re interested in understanding what times we’re in too…..     🙂

We have basically attempted to describe and understand the key characters in the verses. A Great Nation (let’s call that ‘Nation A’) birthed a Nation (‘Nation B’) that trusts in God and has dominance over the rest of the world. Satan tried to destroy Nation B through flood but failed, so Satan caused an Alliance from the sea still with the intent of wiping off Nation B. The Alliance is made from countries that practice one religion and follow a false prophet.

In ‘Revealing Revelations 12 to 20: Blog Post 2‘, we will begin to follow the narrations in these scriptures and come up with meaningful explanations. I am excited and expectant!

Stay Blessed,

My love always…….

It was a gloomy day in my walk with God. I had questions, many questions, specifically about my health. Why won’t these symptoms clear completely? Why do I still experience them every now and then? Yes The Lord in His faithfulness and sovereignty lifted the weight of them off me few years ago, but why do I still feel them sometimes? Why do they still resurface attempting to limit and depress me?

No doubt, The Lord Jesus Christ paid the full and eternal price for sin, sickness and disease, I believe and confess same regularly. And many times, Like Apostle Paul, I’d asked The Lord to completely remove the symptoms from my body. But strangely, they persist. This is unusual. Jehovah never fails me, that’s why I call Him; ‘Faithful Father’. In the darkest of nights, He’d show up, but why not now?

He did show up!

It wasn’t a coincidence that my friend and colleague Dr. Solomon Bibama sent me his latest telegram; “Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh”. Immediately, I grabbed my Bible and opened to 2 Corinthians 12 where Paul’s ‘thorn in the flesh’ stared at me for hours, days and maybe a week. My mood lightened, but what I read didn’t make sense. I had more questions….

Yes Paul had abundance of visions and revelations of The Lord Jesus Christ, but if you ask me, maybe Paul needed to, considering who Saul was. And I believe that if The Lord wanted to keep Paul humble, He needn’t give him a thorn in the flesh, there are many other ways to keep someone debased than inflicting them with disease, and really, not after you’ve paid a huge price to buy the person’s healing! (Selah). The Lord could have limited Paul’s exposure to the revelations if He considered them a threat to his humility and health.

Just to set the records straight, Jesus Christ, did not inflict Paul with a thorn in the flesh. Neither did He send a messenger from Satan to do it so as to keep Paul humble.

Pause,……

The Bible gives us Jesus’ mission statement in Acts 10:38;

“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about DOING GOOD and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him”.

Interestingly, the book of Acts of the Apostles is believed to have been written by Apostle Paul. How did he then arrive at the conclusion that this same Jesus would send him a messenger from Satan to keep him humble? Hmm… brother Paul and I will hold an interesting discussion on this when we meet at home! 🙂 There’s probably something that’s not clear to me….

Setting out to study this scripture, my intention was to refute (in love) Dr. Bibama’s assertion that Paul’s thorn in the flesh wasn’t an ailment. But depending on which Bible version or translation you read from; different phrases are used to describe Paul’s experience as told in 2 Corinthians 12:7

“Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a HANDICAP to keep me in constant touch with my limitations.” The Message Translation

“But to keep me from being puffed up with pride because of the many wonderful things I saw, I was given a painful physical ailment, which acts as Satan’s messenger to beat me and keep me from being proud.” Good News Bible

“I will say this: because these experiences I had were so tremendous, God was afraid I might be puffed up by them; so I was given a physical condition which has been a thorn in my flesh to hurt and bother me, and prick my pride.” The Living Bible

“And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger from Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.” NKJV

The dictionary defines ‘thorn’ as; “a woody plant bearing sharp impeding processes (such as prickles and spines. A small sharp-pointed tip resembling a spike on a stem or leaf.”

You see, we can read these scriptures till The Lord returns and muse over what Paul actually meant; whether he had a physical ailment or not, etc….., but it won’t do us any good!

Call it a physical ailment/condition, a handicap, a thorn in the flesh or whatever, the irrefutable fact remains that these experiences attempted to limit Paul. To keep him low and debased. He didn’t like the feel of it and he’d rather have it totally gone.

In all of this, and considering my personal experiences too, I was curious to know The Lord’s response to Paul? Paul tells us he asked the Lord, 1, 2, 3 times to take away the thorns. But the symptoms persisted!!!!

This same Jesus that came to heal and liberate all that were bound and oppressed by Satan. Could He not take away Paul’s pains and discomfort?

The Lord’s response to Paul, may also be The Lord’s response to you today, especially if you are going through a similar experience as Paul in any area of your life;

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

Notice: There is no documentation of The Lord holding any discussion with Paul about the thorns (SELAH). Do you know why? Because it’s inconsequential.

What can be more significant or important than God Himself dying for sin, sickness and disease?

For years priest after priest attempted to purge man’s sins through innumerable sacrifices without success (Hebrews 10). Jesus Christ perfected forever all those who are sanctified by ONE single sacrifice and bought an eternal redemption! It is rather rude to discuss sin, sickness and disease after paying such a huge price.

The Lord’s response was to appropriately direct Paul’s focus. It’s not about the sickness, it’s not about the physical limitations, it’s not about you and I. It’s ALL about what God can do and has done in us through Christ Jesus.

For where The Lord’s strength is, sickness is powerless. You will not be limited by sickness and disease where My strength is. Yes, the thief came to steal, kill and destroy. But I say to you, for as long as you draw from My strength, my life in you will continue to strengthen you and there is nothing you cannot do. The eternal price for sickness, sin and disease was paid in FULL at Calvary. Any symptom in your body is therefore a wandering stranger. Resist it, lay your hands on your body (as a HEALED Spirit that you are), say your healing confessions and do not fail to put on the whole armor of God always. But whatever you do, DO NOT LIMIT the potency of My strength and My life in You. My life in you is the rejuvenating grace you need and it is ALL you need. Focus on My grace, focus on My strength.

Thank You Father.

Thank You Faithful Father.

Yes, you are absolutely right, I am writing once more on Luke chapter 5. So let’s call this, blog post 3 of Peter’s meeting with Jesus; a divine connection that changed Peter’s life forever.  The assumption here is that ‘Men after God’s Heart‘ and ‘10 Things about Peter that made for a net-breaking Increase‘  occupy blog posts 1 & 2 positions respectively.  I strongly recommend you read ‘10 Things about Peter that made for a net-breaking Increase‘.

Today, I focus only on verse 4 of Luke chapter 5;

“ When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch”

Simple dictionary definitions of ‘launch out‘ means; “to make a start on a new and challenging enterprise, to throw or propel with force, to hurl, to set or thrust, a self-propelled craft or projectile”

And Deep means; “extending far down from the top or surface, very intense, very extreme, far down in”

So Jesus said to Peter; Make a start on a new and challenging enterprise thrusting forward against any resistance, propelling yourself forward to reach well beyond the top or surface.

To quickly create a contextual background, Peter and his fellow fishermen had toiled all night without any catch of fish. They pulled their boats to shore in despair and disappointment. It was a difficult, tough, challenging and seemingly unproductive night of fishing without fish.

That’s where your net-breaking miracle is; …..in that challenging, seemingly difficult task. It is a road less traveled that’s why you’re not likely to find many people on it.They do not have the vision, they do not have the passion, they cannot reach deep, they cannot press hard by faith against all odds (their feelings, experience and natural knowledge).

An experience of a heavy, weighty and overflowing miracle like Peter’s comes when we look beyond apparent difficulties associated with a trade, business, job or task and say like Peter; ‘nevertheless Lord, at thy word’ (Luke 5:5) when we know we got His word.

The winning strategy is to reach deep, well beyond the top or surface.

The Second thing I want to point out from Luke 5:4 is the part that says ‘let down your nets’ as it raises a few questions…What nets? How many nets?

Nets for a fisherman represents the tool of trade. What is yours? What tools do you need for that God-given vision, business, trade or project.  And how many do you need to use to become extremely and overwhelmingly successful?

I believe that at the point Peter and his men started packing up the fishes from the deep end, the choice of how many nets to let down was absolutely theirs. They were the determinants of how much increase they gathered. And assuming there were many more partners and nets around, the fish wouldn’t run out from source. So to directly answer the question of ‘how many nets?’ ….I say, as many as you can provide and carry.

Finally, (for today 🙂 ), Jesus was specific about the exact place to let down the nets….at the deep. So we’ve said that ‘deep’ relates to something that is far down in, extreme, intense. That speaks of going the extra mile and it also indicates specificity of location.

There is a specific place where your trade, business, job, project would yield a miraculous turnover, and The Lord knows the exact spot.

My love always.