I know Him! I know Him!! I know Him!!!

I hear you ask me; who? what? how? when? where?

And I reply…..

I know Him!

I hear Him call my name from my sleep; ‘Grace‘,  I awake and know He was at my bedside.  I know His voice; soft, distinct, laden with warmth and love. (Been awhile since He did that, and I long to hear that again).

I know Him! I see Him any time I choose, Yes! in His Word. His acts are full of compassion and love.  His words are divine, full of wisdom and life.  His miracles are miracles, simple and supernatural, bringing hope and peace to those who receive Him. He chastises and corrects purely from a Fatherly heart, seeking to make me just as He is.

He teaches me His ways. He charts my course and directs me in the path of life and righteousness for His name’ sake.  I have full access to wisdom which He liberally lavishes on me daily without reproach.

I know Him! I see Him in my life. He changed everything by one single, utmost sacrifice. Took my feet off the miry clay and placed them on His; the Solid Rock that never gives way.

No one believes my past; because He erased it!                                  Giving me a future of hope and abundance. Surely, He is in my life, otherwise my present and future doesn’t make sense.  He changed my story, No! He turned a new page and wrote a brand new story of me.  Halleluyah.  And He gives me a new day loaded with mercy and grace to live out His script and praise Him.

I know Him! Supplier of my Seed and Bread.  Provider of all that pertains to my life and godliness. The one that satisfies my mouth with only GOOD things, heals all my diseases and renews my youth like the eagles.

I know Him! Jesus Christ, Son of The Living God. The only sacrifice that effectively and everlastingly remitted sins, striping death of its powers, making a public display and disgrace of Satan and his agents.  He lives forever more, Yes! He lives in me.

Oh Yes! I know Him and I love Him; Jesus Christ the Son of God.  You too can know Him today. Make a decision for Jesus Christ. Choose Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal savior. Don’t spend another day of your life not knowing Him because he makes living meaningful, joyful and fulfilling.

 

 

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Welcome back, …. again.

It’s been such a blessing doing this blogpost series on “When the Doctor says ‘No‘”. Personally, my faith has been further built up (sometimes amidst tears as I remember the faithfulness of God to me, passing through a health challenge myself).

Very quick wrap up now; …….

In part 1, we looked at how medicine helps restore and maintain health. However, I arrived at an illogical conclusion that medicine is limited. The Bible tells us that every grass withers and fades away and man is grass (Isaiah 40:6). I therefore posit that medicine is man-made, is grass and so can fail (sometimes against the best intentions of those who administer it). But Jehovah and His Word can be trusted fully (Proverbs 3:5) . Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 24:35;

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will by no means pass away” .

I think it’s wisdom then to be plugged into an immortal life source.

In part 2, we looked at 10 awesomely fundamental knowledge to getting a ‘Yes’ out of a doctor’s ‘No’. I urge you to follow these series sequentially without skipping any. So if you missed part 1 and/or 2, just spare 5-10 minutes to get a good background and then do a detailed study later.

So we have built up our faith going from part 1 to 2 of this blogpost series, but the Bible tells us;

“Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” James 2:17

If you are reading this and thinking; ‘Oh! what ‘works’ again? ‘Did Jesus not do all the work?’ ‘Didn’t the Bible say we were saved by grace and not works?’ or you say; ‘I am incapable of doing any work as am immobile, too weak, etc’.

Imagine if when Jesus got to Lazarus’ grave with all His faith, that He just stood looking at the tomb…..I tell you, dead Lazarus wouldn’t even turn in his grave. Imagine again, that God Almighty (Jehovah) left the earth with all its emptiness and formlessness, I am pretty sure we wouldn’t have the earth we’re living in right now. Jesus Christ had to do some work Himself to save us. Try carrying a 300+ pounds (136Kg) crafted cross! ……..ain’t no joke.

So, we’ll now begin to consider some works we need to do to continue living against odds. I’ll try to summarize them into 10 sub-themes.

1. Make a paradigm shift. This is the purpose of the 10 fundamental knowledge discussed in part 2. Change your mindset, your outlook on life and change your health and life experience. Put the report of The Lord concerning your health/life, above any other; a doctor, a hireling pastor, relation, etc. His word says we were healed by the stripes of Jesus Christ. Q.E.D.

Think life. Never consider dying an option. Banish every thought about dying as swiftly as it crosses your mind. Do not brood over dying.

I find that when I think that I am strong even if feeling physically weak, strength begins to build up in me. So think like God your Father and call the things that be not as though they were.

2. Put together a Faith Confession and say it regularly: Based on your new understanding of your identity, the will of God for your health, what Christ did for you to stay in health, etc, write down a word-of-God-based faith confession. Resist the temptation to be emotional and write only things that are founded on God’s word.

My confession was something like this;

I Grace Obomanu, I am born of God. Therefore, I am a citizen of Heaven. There is no sickness or disease in Heaven none can stay in my body. My body is the temple of the living God and not a den for sickness. I belong to Jesus Christ. Bought by His precious blood. Healed and saved. The Same spirit that raised Christ from the dead is alive in me and it quickens my mortal body. Resurrection power is alive in me. Jesus Christ lives in me and He is life, so I have the life of God in me. The Lord is my Strength, my Song and my Salvation. I am victorious. I am born of God and I overcome the world including sickness and disease. etc etc

It took me at least 30 minutes daily to read through my faith confession. Many times, I did it more than once a day. And then I would recite Psalm 91 over and over again in addition to reading a few other healing scriptures.

In addition, God may just give you one word that will be an anchor through your challenge. Mine was Psalm 118:14.

“The Lord is my Strength and Song, and He has become my Salvation.”

For every feeling of weakness= I drew Strength from The Lord

For every scary symptom= I believed The Lord would save me from it.

And overall, The Lord is my Song (Victory).

Essentially, all I needed to overcome is in The Lord and He already made it available to me.

My role? = Believe and keep moving. This season would pass.

Now, I have to say this; ‘don’t be too weak to say your faith confession because spurs your faith‘. There were times that all I could say was; ‘Father, I call you faithful’, and His faithfulness would carry through the darkest night.

3. Put on the whole armor of God: You may also consider writing this up as a faith confession (with your name in it) and read it out loud daily. Doing this always made me feel like a well-armored soldier 🙂

Mine read something like;

I put on the whole armor of God; The helmet of Salvation; and I declare that I am saved by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The Breastplate of righteousness: and I declare that I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. There’s no wrong in me. I have right standing with God my Father. So no accusation against me is valid. I guard my waist with the truth of God’s word: declaring that God’s word is true. I am Healed. I am victorious. I am Strong. I am perfect and complete. I shod my feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace and with the sword of the spirit; I pull down every imagination of darkness condemning every tongue that has risen against me in judgment. And I have my shield of faith in the faithfulness of my Father to deliver.

The armor of God is actually meant to be protective (that you may stand in the day of trouble). But God won’t penalize anyone for putting them on in crisis 🙂

4. Expose Yourself to eternal life: We already established that the word of God is LIFE and it is immutable. So, you do not let a day go by without exposing yourself to this life. Study your bible and listen to good messages on God’s word. For me, I love to study the word directly myself. I open my Bible and expect God to speak to me and He does. He always gave a reassuring word every time. And sometimes, He sent me word through my Pastors. God always sent me a word that kept me going. But to get that word, I needed to expose myself to it.

5. Remember the Lord’s covenant-Break Bread Regularly: Some people have become quite religious about the communion. They believe the communion is sacred and should be administered by only certain persons. Of course the communion is sacred, but Jesus Christ commands us to do it as often as, in remembrance of Him.

“..This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 1 Corinthians 11:25

Personally, I remind the Lord about His covenant of health, deliverance, salvation, peace, wealth, fulfillment of purpose and every good thing He has promised me in His word.

Jehovah is careful to keep His covenant.

“My covenant I will not break , nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.” Psalm 89:34

6. Get Moving, Go to church: My Pastor often used to say, ‘if you say you are healed, get off your bed’. And you know, that can be some work of faith…..

You may want to flip that and consider what you get……days, weeks, months, and maybe years (if you are still alive) of lying sick on a bed!

For me, there were 3 important things about going to church;

a. I expose myself again to God’s word. And God always sent a word, halleluyah.

b. I plug myself into life. Meet and relate with the living.

c. I am forced to give someone a smile. Sometimes it may be someone who had no idea about my health challenge that needs help. I make efforts to help and by so doing exert myself.

Again, my Pastor taught me, that the devil tend to isolate brethren going through a health challenge, selling them a lie that they are weak, tired and cannot move. That gives him more time to continue keeping you down. Naaaaa! Get up and get moving in Jesus Christ name!

Now, I recognize that there may be times when getting up and moving may truly be difficult or maybe your body really needs rest. Point here is; take a step every day towards getting yourself off a sick bed. You are not sick, you are healed! Your body is simply challenged, and thank God it’s your body because you are a spirit and you are healed. So move!.

7. Lay hands on your body. The day I got the revelation that I (a spirit) has been saved, healed and made rich, my excitement knew no bounds. I remember we’d just finished evening fellowship and I was practically skipping round my house celebrating this new revelation. So if I am a healed spirit and my body is diseased, I simply lay my hands on my body and command sickness to leave. And did I really do that? Many times! And it did bring some relief all the time.

I recently took advantage of this awesome provision by our Father. One of the strange symptoms I had was difficulty remembering things. Attempts at forcing myself to remember would seem like pushing against a wall. Like a brain block. So few weeks ago, I remembered to use my hands! I laid my hands on my head and declared that my brain works perfectly. It’s amazing how this has worked so well. I no longer feel like my head would burst because I am trying to remember something. Praise God.

8. Identify a Faith/Prayer Support Group and keep in touch: This can be your Pastor, leader, or fellow brethren in Church. The Bible tells us in James 5:14

“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”

It’s really encouraging to know that some group of persons are praying for you in your time of challenge.

9. Identify your purpose in life and invest in it: There’s a God-given purpose for everyone. Find it and instead of spending your time crying over your health, get going. Help someone, help a group of persons, start blogging on God’s word, visit a homeless children home, go to work, even if it means explaining to your boss that it is just a step of faith so you are not overloaded or overworked. For me, this step gives you a focus on the future. How then will you die when you are thinking about the future with God and people in the centre of it.

Something I realize about God that encouraged me to take this path. God kept showing me things in my future! In fact, initially I didn’t get it. I was almost furious with Him. I thought; ‘Father just show me things about overcoming this challenge.’ But when I understood what God was saying, which I understood as; ‘I have a plan and a future for you, Grace, you are victorious over this challenge, in fact, this is nothing‘, my hope for the future increased.

10. Modify your lifestyle: Reconsider the impact of your life choices on your health.

a. Rest: I heard God clearly say to me; ‘Grace, I created the world in 6 days and Rested on the 7th!’ 🙂

Recently, I was listening over a discussion and I heard a young single lady planning a restful weekend considering that she’d had a busy week!

Huh? I rarely make such plans! I just keep going. 🙂

Rest is so vital to well-being and it’s an investment everyone should make.

b. Choose healthy habits: Certain habits (alcoholism, smoking, etc) may further compromise your health. Ditch them.

c. Choose healthy diet: I keep telling myself; ‘Grace, your Father recommended a diet regimen for you, switch to it.’ I have not! 🙂 But it’s right there in the Bible;

“And The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; ” Genesis 2:16

“and out of the ground the Lord God made every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.” Genesis 2:9

“...and vegetation for the service of man, that he may bring forth food from the earth.” Psalms 104:14

“…please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be examined before you……..And at the end of ten days their feature appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies…” Daniel 1: 12-15

Re-evaluate your preferred diet plan and make a healthy choice always.

d. Clothing: The purpose of clothing is to cover up one’s nakedness. So stay covered and warm. I published an interesting article on God’s idea of clothing, as I understood it. You may wish to read at: http://www.graceobomanu.com/blogsite/?s=fig+leaves

e. Exercise: The Bible tells us bodily exercise profits little (1 Timothy 4:8). It’s probably this ‘little’ that has been shown, medically, to contribute to health and well-being. I think everybody should incorporate some form of exercise into their daily program.

Of course if you’re ill, you may want to talk it over with your doctor before starting. Start little and aim to shift the goalpost (target) with time.

f. Take your Medications if you need to: If you feel you have not built up your faith to the point you can go without prescribed medications, please take them. But do not give up on enjoying God’s best provision of Life and Health for you.

So, here we are!

We have some work to do to enjoy what God has already provided for us. The 10 fundamental knowledge help build up our faith but then we must act based on what we believe; that we are healed.

Keep a date with the concluding part of this blogpost series; “When the Doctor says ‘No’ : Blogpost 4.

Stay healed and blessed. Don’t give up on God because He is counting on you to overcome whatever challenge you are experiencing presently and then become a support for others.

My love always…

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

To learn more about our healing benefits in Christ Jesus, follow this link to my book, “When The Doctor Says No” available online at https://www.amazon.com/When-Doctor-Says-No-Word/dp/1704859166/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=70RTSM062YD4ZEWJ7TTB

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

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

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

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

Remember you can subscribe to receive every new blogpost from Graceobomanu’s blog by simply checking the box at the bottom of this article that says “Notify me of new posts by email.” Please note: that we’ll need your email to be able to do that.

And you can email me privately via: talkwithgraceobomanu@gmail.com

Welcome back!

In the first part of this blogpost we looked at how medicine contributes to well-being and also provided examples of situations when a Doctor can say ‘No’, meaning; that the Doctor can’t help with your presenting medical complaints. I also mentioned, very importantly, the only source of LIFE I know that is sure and unfailing…. the Word of God. The Word of God is immutable.

I did say then, that in part 2, we will begin to look at what you MUST DO to get a ‘YES’, if ever a Doctor says ‘No’. But before we get into the doing bit, let us to consider 10 fundamental knowledge to getting a “YES” out of a Doctor’s “NO”.

1. You Must know that God is.

“.…for whoever comes (near) to God must (necessarily) believe that God exists and that He rewards those who (earnestly and diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 AMP.

I see in this scripture 2 necessities forgetting a reward/benefit from God (including healing);

(a) To believe that God exists and ;

(b) To seek and follow Him wholeheartedly (not partially).

I have shared in the past how one of my senior colleagues tried to engage me in a fruitless discussion; asking who the God I so passionately profess is? Whether God is male or female? Whether I can see Him? And that I should explain my response of “God is my Father” to an innocent little child!

Believe it or not, there are people who do not believe in the existence of God. And for some others, God means different things (that’s a big lesson I learnt recently and I have more often now, identify my God as “JEHOVAH“).

So there are gods of love, gods of war, gods of the sun etc, and I recently came across ‘Hollywood gods’. If you have any problems identifying with the God described in John 17:3; I am not sure how you can get a ‘Yes’ if and when a doctor gives you a ‘No’.

“…. the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

Now, after accepting that God exists, next, you need to seek Him earnestly and diligently.

Simply put; do not come seeking help from God with a plan B(in case God fails). Because when you do that, you so very easily fit into the doubter described in James 1: 6a-8;

“…for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

2. You Must know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

After you recognize the existence of Jehovah, then you must know Him. And the only way to know the Father-JEHOVAH, is to know His Son Jesus Christ.

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6.

“Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:5

If you need guidance on how to know Jehovah through Jesus Christ, simply copy and paste the url addresses provided below in a new tab to get going. These are my earlier blogposts that would guide you into making a decision for Christ.

(a) http://www.graceobomanu.com/blogsite/dead-man-walking/

(b) http://www.graceobomanu.com/blogsite/could-it-have-been-a-surrogate-birth/

3. You Must know the Word of God.

The Word of God is life.

“The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life.” John 6:63

“For the word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword…” Hebrews 4:12

“all things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life …” John 1:3-4

So every time you read the Word of God, you are exposing yourself to life. Meaning that, you cannot be sick, needing healing and not expose yourself to the Word of God. You will die!

4. You Must know your New Identity in Christ Jesus

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20

Brethren, our citizenship is of Heaven, where there is no sickness or disease. Therefore any sickness or disease in our bodies is alien and should expect an end of tenancy. Our bodies are temples of the living God. Not a storehouse for all kinds of strange symptoms. Knowing this therefore, we command every visiting symptom to vacate our bodies in the name of Jesus Christ. We are citizens of Heaven. There is no sickness in Heaven and none should stay in our bodies. Amen.

5. You Must know that Sickness and Disease were settled at Calvary

“..who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness- by whose stripes you were healed.” 1 Peter 2:24

“..that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying; He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses..” Matthew 8:17

Brethren, the only reason Christ bore our sicknesses and infirmities in His own body, is so that we do not have to bear any of them ourselves. Selah.

Therefore we must see every sickness in our bodies as illegal occupants. They have no right to be on our bodies because Jesus Christ took them all on Himself. Halleluyah.

6. You Must know God’s Will concerning your health

Of course from the foregoing, we already know that God wants us Healed. That’s the only reason He would die Himself to get us healed. In John 10:10b, we read why Jesus Christ came;

“…I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly.”

Beloved, Jesus Christ came to give us life, spiritual life, yes, and physical life too, to its fullness.

God wants us in health and prosperity.

7. You Must know that you were healed at Calvary

God didn’t leave us in a ‘wishlist’. He Willed for us to be healed and He ensured it.

Peter tells us we were healed by the stripes of Jesus Christ. That is the result of Christ bearing our sickness and disease on Himself. He took them away and gave us health. Halleluyah.

8. You Must know that sickness is not from God.

In “Satan demystified” (http://www.graceobomanu.com/blogsite/satan-demystified/), another of my earlier blogposts, I demystify Satan and show him as the source of all evil. Satan is the thief described in John 10:10a

“the thief has come to steal, kill and destroy..”

In fact, John 10:10 gives a beautiful contrast of the person of Satan and Jesus Christ. Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus Christ came to give us life and life more abundantly.

As long as you buy the lie that God is trying to subdue you with a sickness or disease, you will not be healed from it.

Pause, have you ever considered, why God would Himself die to take away our sickness and disease, and yet send it back on us to teach us a lesson or subdue us? It doesn’t make any sense. Neither does it make sense that someone would be sick and then seek help from a place where the devil is served and worshiped. That is absolute foolishness. Selah.

God is GOOD and there is no Evil in Him. And everything God made is GOOD.

“..the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” Psalm 92:15

“Surely God will never do wickedly, nor will the Almighty pervert justice.” Job 8:20

“So Jesus said to him, “why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is God.” Mark 10:18

God is GOOD.

9. You Must know that Death has no power over you

I have written in the past how my grandma would often tell us about times Death stood by her door, in fact, many times. And all those times, she rebuked him and he fled 🙂

I watched my mother die about 2 years ago. I was privilege to take care of her in her last days and I learnt a very good lesson doing that; death is a spirit.

The Bible tells us how a godly man should die;

“Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age.” Genesis 15:15

“You shall come to the grave at a full age, as a sheaf of grain ripens in its season.” Job 5:26

“…and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; …” 2 Kings 22:20

Good story my Grandma told us, because she lived a good long life. In fact she started planning her death at least one year before it happened. She told me specifically to avoid expensive and meaningless ceremonies and simply bury her well. My Grandma loved God, although she didn’t even have as much revelations about God as I do know. And she also knew that untimely death was not her part and she resisted it.

10. You Must know that God cannot lie.

So we’ve listed all these beautiful things we need to know. But you see, sometimes, doubt tries to steal our faith. We cannot lose grip of the FAITHFULNESS of God. God cannot lie and God is faithful.

“that by two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation,…” Hebrews 6:18

“God is not a man that He should lie; neither the son of man that He should repent: hath He said and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken and shall He not make it good?” Numbers 23:19

“And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent; for he is not a man that He should repent.” 1 Samuel 15:29

“In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” Titus 1:2

Beloved, God’s Will is for us to be in Health. He didn’t just wish it, He made certain that we have health by dying Himself on the cross, bearing our sicknesses and infirmities in His own body.

These things are TRUE.

We must believe them and hold fast to them irrespective of our present circumstances or state of health. Because God is FAITHFUL and He CANNOT LIE.

If Jesus Christ, many times raised a dead body (after all the systems and organs shut down), He can handle the disease or deadness of any one part of your body or body system, heal it and give life back to it.

Don’t give up on yourself and do not give up on God. God is counting on you NOT to give up. He is expecting you to win this trial of your faith and be strong enough to support another.

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

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

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

I have been dropping my thoughts on this blog post for months now in my notepad. During this period, as you can very well imagine, I have many times substituted one blogpost title for another. This; ….”When the Doctor Says No“……fits just fine and I love it!

I will have to split this blogpost into many parts, because there is just so much to write on it and I want you benefiting maximally.

Let me start you up from the beginning…..

I trained as a Medical Doctor, I prescribe drugs to people who need it, I also take medications sometimes, so this blog post is NOT about whether you should go see a doctor or not; take drugs or not; have that surgery or not. No! “When the Doctor Says No”,  aims to show you a source of life that is superior to medicine, that out lives medicine and is immutable.

Medicine is important to human life. Doctors have devoted their lives to saving the lives of others. Doctors help treat illnesses, they help educate the public on preventive care. Ultimately doctors aim to restore or maintain health.  While it is possible that a lot more understanding of the workings of the highly complex human body and its reactions to disease and disease agents is needed, medicine has helped fitted the very complex human body into books that when picked up helps the understanding of functioning of the human body.  But I have personally come to the illogical conclusion that medicine is limited 🙂

For years my body was challenged with strange symptoms and the more I walked from one specialist colleague to another (at home and beyond), the clearer it became that the doctors had no answers for what I was experiencing. Even more annoying, was the tendency of some of them to suggest, that my mind was playing tricks on me as all my test results have come out okay and the medical examinations yielded nothing significant.  One or two of them said to me; ‘go home and rest, there is nothing wrong with you medically’.

Nothing is wrong with me medically?!!!!  How come a walk from my bed to the toilet seemed like a cross-country race? Why is my heart racing almost uncontrollably? Why the terrible feeling of weakness and dizziness? Why has laughter become a luxury to me for fear that my heart would stop beating? Why can’t I complete a sentence on the phone for lack of strength? Why is the ground spinning and shaking under my feet? Why the churn and frequent visits to the loo in one single day? Why can’t I look into my laptop for 10 minutes without feeling sick? Why has sleep become a scarce commodity to me? Why have I been ‘resting’ on my bed for days,….weeks, ……months as advised by the doctor  without feeling any better? Why are the pulsations from my arteries so loud I can hear them with my ears? Why are they throbbing everywhere?  Why do I struggle to breathe sometimes? Why all these strange feelings?

As annoying as the ‘Nothing is wrong with you medically‘ sounded sometimes, they were right; Nothing was wrong with me! And I say nothing is wrong with me Medically, Spiritually, Mentally and otherwise. I am Perfect & Complete. Healed and made Whole. I have the Life of God in me. Jesus Christ; The Life Giving One is alive in Me! Amen!!!

So this was my experience for many months…years. Doctors can indeed say ‘NO’ when they reach the limits of their learnings and practice experience. They can say ‘NO’; when;

• When the health problem is not specific and does not fit into any medically known disease description.  Doctor genuinely wants to help but does not know exactly what to do as he cannot figure out what the problem is.
• When the prognosis for your health condition is poor ab initio  and it’s not your making (Doctor thinks you are unlucky/unfortunate, but medicine cannot save you).
• When you present to the hospital at an advanced stage of an illness with very bad prognosis (Doctor cannot help you now).

Let me just say here, that I don’t know any doctor that would intentionally want to hurt a patient. I have heard of a few unpalatable occurrences, but these are rare. Doctors are trained to save lives, so they would want to do all they can to achieve that.  When they say ‘NO’, then they must have explored all they know to do.

I bring you good news by this blog post; you can say ‘YES’ when the doctor says ‘NO’.  And the ONLY way I know to end up with a YES when a doctor says NO is found in Isaiah 40:8

“The grass withers, the flower fades, But the Word of our God stands forever“.

Medicine is man-made, made out of man’s dedicated studies and understanding.

But man himself is grass!!!

“The voice said, “Cry out!” And he said; “What shall I cry?” “All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field”      Isaiah 40:6

Medicine has limits! Do not put all your hope on medicine.

I introduce to you the Sure, Settled, Immutable and Unfailing Word of God that Stands Forever.

“Trust in The Lord with All Your Heart and lean not on your own understanding”.    Proverbs 3:5

When the doctors say ‘NO’, I dare you to trust in The Lord with All your heart.

Notice that I haven’t said trust in your Pastor/Bishop/Pope/Spouse. These people will all fail you even against their best intentions. No, let me rephrase that; these people help build up your faith, they may even pray for you, cast out devils and demons, but you’ll learn that in the darkest part of the night, when it seems life is leaving your body, that you cannot chain them to yourself. You have to fight your fight of faith drawing from whatsoever they’ve taught you, and be assured that they are praying for you.

Lean on The Lord completely. Plant Yourself in Him. You SHALL live again. I promise you that.

In “When the Doctor Says ‘NO’ : Blog Post 2, we will begin to look at what we must do to get a ‘Yes’ if the doctor says ‘NO’.

My Love always…..

 

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

“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.

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.

In this very long but interesting blog post, I throw some light on the act and practice of witchcraft, attempting to expose the spirit behind witchcraft, what it seeks to achieve, how God (Jehovah) expects Christians to handle ‘witches et al’ and how to recognize people with a semblance to the spirit of witchcraft.

The aim is not to create fear or torment, but like in one of my past posts; ‘Satan Demystified’, I sincerely hope that Christians would become liberated, fearless and equipped to recognize and tackle the spirit of witchcraft in whatever form it may want to present itself. More importantly, it is my fervent prayer, that people already immersed in sorcery and witchcraft (by choice or by birth) would seek The Only Light (Jesus Christ), who is able to liberate and set them free so they don’t burn in Hell.

The Bible asks us in 2 Corinthians 10:7;

“Do you look at things according to the outward appearance?”

And my response is; everything is first spiritual then physical!

Believe it or not witchcraft, mediums, spiritists, soothsayers, sorcerers exist.I found a very thrilling and hilarious encounter between a dead Samuel and Saul in 1 Samuel 28:3-20. A greatly frightened and troubled Saul had contacted a medium to talk to dead Samuel because The Lord wouldn’t talk to Saul either through dreams, the Urim or the prophets. Even in death, Samuel gave only the word of The Lord!

How should one born and filled with the Spirit of God handle witchery? Should a Christian be concerned about them or just ignore them? Is it okay to be intimidated and oppressed by these spirits?

By providing answers to these questions from God’s word, I believe that the eyes of our understanding on the subject of this blog post, would become enlightened. Praise God!

Let God’s people not perish because of ignorance. Amen.

 

1. What is witchcraft?

For many young inquisitive story-lovers and TV-watchers, the word ‘witchcraft’ brings to mind some of Harry Potter’s books, TV movies such as Charmed, Bewitched, etc.

While I am personally not a fan of witch-laden movies and the likes, witchcraft can mean a lot more than the nicely scripted acts we see in movies.

I am a strong believer in the notion that our thoughts (and sometimes dreams) are greatly influenced by what we expose our minds to. So I must conscientiously choose the pictures created in my mind (and those of my children), remembering at all times to guard our fragile hearts with all diligence (Bible verse) and to carefully test and name every spirit as either good or evil.   For instance, what spiritual edification is there in a film on witchcraft?  Selah.

Witchcraft is understood by many as having pact with Satan to secure power to do evil and hurt people. While some persons refute description of witchcraft, preferring instead to argue that membership into Wicca (a duotheistic worship of the ‘Moon Goddess’ and the ‘Horned God’) gives personal protective cover, a little dig however into the history of witchcraft reveals its strong connection and roots to magic.

Magic was discovered in the period of chaos, scarcity, sickness, bad weather. At such times, witches and sorcerers would cast spells and carry out rituals to draw the powers of the gods. By harnessing such powers, witches could groom, nurture or destroy,  thus breeding fear among people. In fact, the Roman law, distinguished between good and bad magic. Jail, fine and banishment were possible punishments for bad magic. Good magic on the other hand, resulted in healing and hopeful divination and was therefore sanctioned.

Before we go too far, I’d like to give you  definitions of witchcraft from the dictionary. So for all logical thinking persons, the dictionary recognizes witchcraft!! 🙂

Because witchcraft operates within cultural beliefs and practices, it can be pretty difficult to offer a uniform, precise definition. However, witchery cover a religious, divinatory and medicinal role and operates from a magical standpoint in every context.

“Witchcraft (also called witchery or spellcraft) broadly means the practice of, and belief in magical skills and abilities that are exercised by individuals and certain social groups.” -Wikipidia

“the use of sorcery or magic; communication with the devil or with a familiar spirit. An irresistible influence or fascination” -Merriam-Webster.

“the practice of magic, especially black magic; the use of spells and invocation of spirits“

The dictionary therefore suggests a strong link between witchcraft and magic. Magic means;

“the use of means (as charms or spells) believed to have supernatural power over natural forces. *magic rites or incantations. *an extraordinary power or influence seemingly from a supernatural source. *something that seems to cast a spell;  *enchantment.” -Merriam Webster.

Scientifically, magical powers and witchcraft have no credence as they have remained unsupported by experimental testing and have generally lacked scientific explanation. So again, for the very logical and scientific thinkers, magic (and witchcraft) can very well be a joke.

Does the Bible consider magic and witchery as jokes? 

Accounts of acts and practice of magic are replete throughout the Bible. Both the New and Old Testament strongly condemn witchcraft, magic, sorcery and all forms of divination and soothsaying.

Magic is an illusion, its unreal and it cannot be substantiated. Sometimes, people experience very strange feelings of ill-health that defies all known medical explanations.  A Godly intervention may be all that is required.

We have some descriptions of witchcraft in the Bible.

a. Witchcraft is sin.

“..rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, …” (1Samuel 15:23). So witchcraft is defiance, resists authority, loves control, insubordinate and nonconforming.

b. Witchcraft steals peace. 

“...what peace, as long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcraft are so many?..”     (2 Kings 9:22)

c. Witchcraft does evil and never good. 

“…practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil..” (2 Kings 17:17; & 21: 6, 2 Chronicles 33:6).

d. Witchcraft provokes God to anger.

“…and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger.”    (2 Kings 17:17 & 21:6, 2 Chronicles 33:6).

e. Witchcraft et al (witchcraft, sorcery, occultism, and all forms of divination) defile.

“Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.”   (Leviticus 19:31)

f. Witchcraft is cowardly.  Mediums make low speeches (lacking in authority). They mutter and whisper out of the dust. (Revelation 21:8;   Isaiah 8:19; 29:4).

 

2. Why do people indulge in witchcraft?

Just put a handful of toddlers in a small play room with the best toys in the world and in no time you’ll notice teams and team leads naturally emerge among them. Man seems to have misconstrued God’s command in Genesis to subdue the earth and dominate it to mean dominance over every other human! 🙂

There is a strong desire for power and dominance in every man which if uncontrolled and unchecked pushes one to search for aids to dominance. Occultism and all forms of evil divinations (including witchcraft) are primarily birthed this way. Most times, people who indulge in these ungodly associations start off seeking personal gratification and powers that can safeguard them from others. But just like other gifts from Satan, acts and practice of divination ultimately kills, steals and destroys (John 10:10).

 

3. How do witchcraft et al work?

*By ‘witchcraft et al’ I mean; witchcraft, sorcery, occultism, and all forms of divination.

(a). Witches use means to hunt after souls by influencing natural forces through supernatural powers or by invocation of spirits . Some of the means used in witchcraft include;

• Spells (Acts 19:19;  ). These include; love spells, money spells, white magic spells, doll spell, chants, spells for flying, spells with candles, spells with cats, spells for protection, etc                 **Witches generally cast their spells when they get angry and they have spells in books.
  
• Enchantments (Acts 8:11, Revelations 18:23; Exodus 8:7 ). This simply means operating under a spell, being astonished or attracted to something or greatly fascinated without good reason.
• Charms (Ezekiel 13:18-20; ). Means to become fascinated, delighted, pleased, attracted, captivated, dazzled, hypnotized, bewitched, seduced spellbound etc.
• Poisons
• Gifts   (Ezekiel  13:18,
• Invocations (Isaiah 8:19).  Witchcraft and all forms of divination invoke the dead.

(b). Initiation into witchcraft involves a passing through fire (2 Kings 17:17; 2 Kings 21:6, 2 Chronicles 33:6, ).

(c). Individuals can be initiated at birth or become enchanted or charmed using any of the means listed above (2 Kings 17:17; 2 Kings 21:6, 2 Chronicles 33:6).

I believe that a witch once entered my home in the guise of a nanny; I’d just had one of my babies. On this particular Sunday morning, I just suddenly felt feverish and literally passed out. Of course I didn’t make it to church that day. Waking up, I felt something was wrong, I immediately asked for my few weeks old baby who was brought, and she looked okay physically. The discomfort I felt made me start thinking and praying. The next Sunday, the same feverish feeling started again, this time, I got up carried my baby and the nanny to church! The nanny was very uncomfortable and restless throughout the service and a few days later she insisted she must leave my home.

My next meeting with her was at an immunization session, she’d found another victim; a harmless innocent new mum.  She almost jumped out of her skin when she saw me and tried very hard to avoid any close contact with me. But I managed to get close to her and asked her; ‘what are you up to now?’ She didn’t want her new boss to hear our discussion and so preferred we spoke a distance from her. 

I believe she’s on an assignment to initiate newborn babies. She didn’t succeed with mine! My subsequent calls to her agency to bring me another help wasn’t fruitful as the manager muttered something about my home which I can’t remember clearly.

 

4. What does God think about witches?

a. Witchcraft et al is delusional,  full of lies and does not bring comfort.  Zechariah 10:2 tells us that;

“..The idols speak delusion, the diviners envision lies and tell false dreams; they comfort in vain. Therefore the people wend their way like sheep…”

The sheep without The Shepherd (Jesus Christ) is the one most prone to following after the falsehood of divination. For the Bible records that the sheep of Jesus Christ is sensitive enough not to follow the voice of a stranger (John 10: 14, 27).

b. God does not want His children seeking after mediums. In Leviticus 19:31 God commands us;

“Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits, do not seek after them: I am the Lord your God.”

c. God turns his face away from anyone who practices witchery and consults medium.  Leviticus 20:6 reads;

“And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people”

d. God’s penalty for a witch is death.

“You shall not permit a sorcerer to live”.   (Exodus 22:18, Deuteronomy 18:10,

And Leviticus 20:27 reads;

“A man or woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them”.

e. Witchcraft et al will be destroyed in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone in the Second Death;

“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone,..“

 

5. So until the Second Death comes, how should Christians handle witches? 

How many witches should we kill and how would we kill them?  🙂 . Ephesians 6 answers these questions for us;

“Finally my brethren, be strong in The Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. stand therefore, having girded your with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; and praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all saints, and for me, that utterance may be given to me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,..” Ephesians 6:13-19.

This scripture tells us how to handle all forms of principalities and powers (including witchcraft).

• We need to be strong in The Lord
• We need to be strong in the power of the Lord’s might
• We need to pray always in the Spirit
• We need to be watchful and cultivate perseverance
• We must wear (as clothing) the full amour of God and take a stand against the devil’s schemes.  Wearing the full armour of God entails putting on  the Helmet of salvation, the Breastplate of righteousness, girding our waist with the truth, covering our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, carrying the Shield of faith and holding strongly in our hands the Sword of the Spirit. It is with the sword of the Spirit (the weapon of our warfare), that we pull down strong holds, cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. We bring into captivity every thought(certainly not of good) to the obedience of Christ and we punish every disobedience and rebellion (2 Corinthians 10: 4-6). 

We must also remember that Christ disarmed all principalities and powers, making a public spectacle of them and triumphing over them in victory (Colossians 2:15). After gaining that feat, Christ received all authority  in Heaven and on Earth which He handed over  to us-Christians (Matthew 28:20) and God the Father made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Friends, fear not for Christ has conquered the devil and all his agents. Christ is in us (John 16: 20) and He is greater than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4, Exodus:18:11). 

Can you imagine the devil walking up to Jesus Christ and saying to Him; ‘look Jesus, whatever You did at Calvary was nothing, I am here to oppress and suppress You‘. If you cannot imagine that happening with Christ, you shouldn’t accept it happening to you.

Some months ago when I got really sick without a satisfactory medical explanation, some elderly Christian friends of mine became very worried that I might die. They suggested I go inquire (from a medium) what the problem could be.  My response to them never changed; “if I was bewitched or poisoned, then that for me is much easier than being labelled with a disease. Jesus already settled all principalities and powers”.

Truth is, both the bewitching and the known disease emanate from the same source (John 10:10). And it is aimed at killing, stealing from and ultimately destroying the destiny of Christians without knowledge. Christians who have been given all authority and don’t know it.

Brethren, Fret not about witches and all kinds of principalities and powers. Apostle Paul  in Acts 13:6-12 being led by the Holy Spirit, demonstrates to us how to handle a sorcerer or witch acting under guise of a prophet.

Bar-Jesus, like many sorcerers and false prophets today, knew his trade and didn’t pretend about his intention to make money. He recognized a need in Proconsul Sergius Paulus, who though described by the Bible as an intelligent man, was very lacking in Godly wisdom. Bar-Jesus sucked up to Sergius Paulus and continuously fed him with false prophecies.

Interesting thing about Bar-Jesus, which Christians must not miss is that he knew he was a false prophet 🙂 because when Paul and Barnabas showed up, Bar-Jesus recognized that his trickery was over! Paul only made his sure exit less traumatic by simply cursing him with temporary blindness first.  Oh! I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit like Paul was in this narration such that no stinking deceitful, fraudulent, son of the devil and an enemy of righteousness like Bar-Jesus misses a taste of God’s fury.

 

In sub-theme 6, I discuss my little concern about witchery and the Church…

   6. Can a Christian be under the influence of witchcraft and not know It?

My answer to this question is a resounding ‘Yes’.

And this is where things around witchery gets a bit confusing. Sometimes the people we have very high regard for may actually be exhibiting features of witchcraft and because of the respect we have for them, we only realize after a lot of harm has been done, or we still carry on without knowing what’s up!

As a young Christian, I remember my Pastor frequently mentioning 3 main attributes of witchcraft; Manipulation, Seduction & Control (MSC).

All 3 features may not be present in one person at the same time, but the presence of any them in strong uncontrollable measure should make us begin to consider operation of a spirit other than the spirit of Christ. The Spirit of Christ is evident in the Spirit-filled life (Galatians 5:22-23).

So as I end this very extended blog-post, we must remember  as 1 John 4:1 commands;

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

Many false prophets are presently in the world, leading churches, teaching the bible, calling ‘Jesus’, ‘Jesus’ everywhere.  The Bible admonishes us to Test every spirit to ascertain whether they are of God.

Where you find Manipulation, Seduction and/or Control ruling in a church, pause, stop, look again, then conduct the litmus test;…….whose spirit is at work here? If it is Not the Spirit of God, then it must be the spirit of the devil.

Your ‘prophet’ may actually need help and the earlier you start praying in the Spirit for him, the safer it will be for you, the church and your leader/prophet.

May God help us all.

We are victories through Christ. And it doesn’t matter how the devil wants to come after us, he’ll come in one way but disperse in several directions because the Greater One lives in us.

Halleluyah to Jesus Christ.