WE TRULY HAVE PEOPLE WHO STAND FOR GOD IN THIS GENERATION

It's yet another month; the fifth month of 2012 and I am grateful to GOD for everything. He has preserved us hale and alive and our only duty is to do HIS will which I know is not too difficult, especially with the abundant grace HE has provided.

So as this month kicks off, I pray that GOD will revive us and increase our desire to draw near to HIM and know HIM even better.

Last month ended interestingly for me. On the very last Sunday I met a young girl who could lead worship so well. I had gone to a totally different church, and by different, I mean a church that is under a different ministry. Normally, I stick to churches that are under the ministry I was spiritually brought up in because most things being done in these churches are familiar and easy to adapt to.

My decision to go to a church in the CHRIST IS THE ANSWER ministries was not totally accidental because we had a lot of exchange programmes with them when I was young and I even remember they donated t-shirts to the gospel dancers(I was one). The t-shirts were a nice shed of grey; they also had an animated picture of a boy running and just below, it was written"Taking strides to reach JESUS" and then the words "Christ is the answer" were proudly written at the back. Mine was written in green and some others, some in red while the rest were written in blue. It felt so nice anytime I wore the t-shirt; too bad it cannot fit now.

I think I have digressed enough, but it is always nice to look back and appreciate the many things that contributed to our wholeness. I will now pick up from where I was.

When I saw the little girl seated next to one of the main speakers, my immediate guess was that she was her spiritual mom. My guess was so correct because when the said speaker was ushered to the pulpit, she introduced  the girl and then asked her to lead the whole congregation in a worship song. That girl sang so well and everyone was moved! Worship went on for slightly more than thirty minutes and after that, the congregation asked the little girl to tell us what her motivation is. Without a thought, she said.
"The fact that Jesus is alive is enough motivation for anyone." I was challenged and for the fast time, I wondered whether I was a true believer, if I was an absolute lover of Christ. I can't wait to see that same girl ten years from now. I sure know GOD will have invested so much in her and she will be impacting nations.

That same evening, a childhood friend rung me. Her name is Cleopatra but we're used to calling her Chite(pronounced with a long lint on the 'i'). Chite is one of the friends with whom I can never grow apart no matter what because of how deep our roots are. Actually, we only became close friends in our teenage years. Previously, my mother and her late mother were so close and that is what gradually brought us together.

So when Chite called me that evening, I knew it was going to be another long conversation about a teenage incident and I prepared my ribs to laugh. But I was wrong. In the middle of my teasing her about a certain boy who used to stalk her back then, she informed me that she was going to the convent as soon as she graduated. I laughed so hard because her family is not even Catholic in the fast place and there was no way that was going to be true. But she was serious!
"For how long have you been having this ambition?" I asked when I was sure the easy-smiling Chite was not joking.
"Since I was in form two. The Mother superior in my high school was so influential." She answered in her characteristic calm voice.

At this point, I had so many questions to ask her.

"Have you spoken to your father about it?" I asked still trying to hide my shock.
"I have. He was not for it at the beginning. But he has finally accepted." Chite said.
"And why didn't you tell me about this?" I asked for the first realizing that I had the right to at least know. But her answer made me think a bit before saying the next word.
"I was afraid Nandeche. Clem, Eugene and Vicky were not optimistic and I feared your reaction would be the same as theirs. I wanted it to be a surprise."

I understood her perfectly. I was not sure of what I would have told her if she mentioned that back then. I am partly glad that she waited until now.

I am so proud of her. I pray that her desire to serve GOD in totality will go on.

So that was how April ended for me. It was a good month with lots of rest, especially the Easter weekend which reminded all of us that we are the Children of the most high God.

On that note, I want to wish all of you a wonderful month, with lots of good tidings for HE has promised that if we labor in HIS will, we'll not be put to shame.

THE PROMISE - THE MARTINS - WITH LYRICS HD

That song speaks to the inner me. I sometimes feel that it is actually a summary of the word of GOD. He is faithful that promised so I can count on Him. Hope you get the sparkle that keeps taking me back to it. It is a nice one.

DO NOT FEAR...

Years back in high school, a friend gave me a piece of paper. It had a story written on it and although I cannot remember it word by word, I can remember it was about a daughter and her father. As the girl was driving, a very strong storm came upon the land and all the cars in the road started shaking. Most of the other motorists started pulling their cars to the side to let the storm pass. The girl wanted to pull aside too but her father refused and asked her to drive on. She complained as would any young person but because she had been brought up to respect her elders, she listened to her father and she continued driving.
Twenty minutes later, they got to clear land and the storm was behind them. The girl looked back and then at her father and told him that others were still caught up in the storm and the storm was getting worse now. Her father told her that, those who were still there were now stuck because they chose to remain in the storm. The father went further to tell his daughter that, whatever the situation in life, keep moving, struggle with whatever you have but refuse to be held back by circumstances because when you keep fighting, you eventually get a way out.
That story has been living with me since then. Sheila gave it to me when I was only 15 and in form three but it has lived with me ever since. Any time I get stuck somewhere, I struggle to move because I know eventually, there is a way ahead.

 Today, I know so may stories like those but there are these two poems I love more.

NO EASY WALK, MY SON  by Everest Stand
My son,
Stop gazing at me,
And walk straight ahead;

I know there is no road ahead
But open your eyes
And walk through that fog of reality

Keep running my son,
Keep running into the unknown,
You may stumble upon your fortune of happiness

Ignore the mutilated bodies my son,
Ignore the easy pleasures
That appear and disappear
Like bubbles in a stormy sea


Open your ears wide
And hear the message
Of the whispering voices
Open your eyes and avoid the ditches son,
Being alive is no easy task.

I love that poem so much. The other poem is actually a song

THE PROMISE by the Martins

I never said that I will give you silver and gold,
Or you will never have to feel the fire or shiver of the cold,
But I did say you'd never walk through this world alone
And I did say don't make this world your home.

I never said that fear wouldn't find you by night
Or that loneliness was something you'd never have to fight
But I did say I'd be right there by your side
And I did say I will always help you fight.

'Cause you know I made a promise that I intend to keep,
My grace will be sufficient in your time of need
My love will be the anchor that you can hold on to
This is the promise, this is the promise I made to you...

It is actually much longer than that but that is the message basically. We live for a greater cause, a cause that we cannot achieve on our own. Our only role is to follow instructions for HE is faithful that promised. Life is only beautiful when you live up to your rightful purpose fulfilling your roles, after all if you desire to create a legacy, which we all do, then you need to leave something in others. When you invest in others, you get the opportunity to create a legacy that will out live you... and remember you can only invest in others after investing in yourself. And in whatever the storm you go through in this life, remember you are a conqueror naturally; I mean by virtue of the covenant you have with GOD, you belong to the kingdom of GOD. And don't forget that the children of the kingdom of GOD like pretty flowers can not be trampled upon any longer in any spheres of life. Favoured people are meant to leave behind memories and they will be preserved for generations to come.

May the precious blood of Jesus protect you all.

IT IS A YEAR OF MULTIPLICATION!!!

It is a new year, good luck everybody!

I take this opportunity to wish all of you a blessed new year and I mean this from the very bottom of my heart... I have to point out that GOD has been so graceful to this end and it is with certainty that I ask HIM to be with us to the end of time. As for the new year's resolutions I want to tell you that you only succeed when you work with GOD, so involve HIM in your plans from the very beginning; Don't begin alone and then turn to GOD when you think things are not going right which perhaps will be too late.

I was brought up to believe that the end of anything is always better than the beginning there of. That is so true people. But wait a minute, the foundation of anything; which is always put at the beginning has a direct impact  on how everything ends. So where does that leave us?

We have to start firmly in order to bring out that concrete definite end that everyone dies for. I also believe that there is a star that looks like each one of us and that said, you know that you can never make a mistake if you follow the right star.

I am of the strong opinion that we will all be alive at the end of this year to declare the glory of GOD and give thanks for all the goodness he has bestowed on us for HIS mercies are new every morning and HIS steadfast love never ceases.

May the Lord make HIS countenance shine upon you.

ISRAEL'S ELECTION

If you happened to do Christian Religious Education in high school to at least form one level then you are familiar with that title. Israel as a nation was chosen and ordained by GOD the almighty and then set apart. Israel was not however elected so that it could sit around doing nothing. It was elected to accomplish something specific for GOD. To give the world direction by being ambassadors of the word of GOD. So in a way, Israel's election was more of a responsibility and a delicate one because the future of the world's spirituality depended on them.

I like Israel for so many reasons but most of all I admire their steadfastness in the will of GOD. The Israelites served GOD through the fires of pain but they were patient enough to see the end of GOD.

They were enslaved in Egypt for 400years and even after being let go, they wandered in a forest for 40years and here the bible says... and you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God led you these fourty years in the wilderness, to humble you, and to test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you will keep his commandments...Deuteronomy 8/2-3. That among many other things was the reason the Israelites' life can not be said to be that of glamor

But in all this saga, there is a notable man called Moses. He is actually the person I want to speak about today. He is the first in this series. Our focus book is exodus.

Moses was commissioned by GOD to lead the Israelites to the promised land. Now the background of Moses was a bit complicated. He was brought up in Pharaoh's palace as a prince but through GOD's design and will, he was able to know and retain his identity  as an Israelite.  But he was still privileged. He was well educated and among many other things he enjoyed the joy of being related to the high. But this was not all, he still had that voice deep down that said he was an Israelite and that was why he fought and even killed a man who was beating an Israelite. Due to fear, he fled. That was the turn about in his life.

What I get from here is that there is danger in running ahead of your time. Although Moses was the destined and anointed leader of the Israelites, he had no audacity at all to do that before God's time. He wanted to save that Israelite which was correct but he did that at the wrong time and that was why he ran into trouble.

So he started taking care of His father in-law's herd in Midian. All his importance by now was gone. By the time GOD appeared to him, he did not even see himself worthy and he said "I can not speak" With all his education, and everything else! I was surprised as well but I got the point later on. God wanted to bring Moses to a level where he would know that only God could make him save the Israelites.
That was a good strategy because perhaps if God sent him to deliver the Israelites straight from Pharaoh's palace, Moses would have wrongly thought that he had been chosen because of his status which would have been so disastrous.
God giving us grace next week, we'll pick up from there next week. Our topic will remain Israel's Election. May the mercies of GOD keep you in His will.

IS IT HYPOCRISY OR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE?

I went to church one day and as I prepared to step out, one of the members called me back. She was one of the stakeholders of the church and from what I gathered, a spiritual mother to so many people in that church.
I was a bit hesitant. Her 'holier than thou' look shrinked me but I do not like disrespecting anybody and more so in church. So I waited for her, worried.

She told me in the face that my dressing was not right in the house of God. (I was in a white trouser and a dress top.)
I have never been as shocked as I was that day in my life. My tears are never far from falling, so they started falling right away. Am sure she thought I was a coward. Here is my opinion.

My bible insists on decency, at least the one I read. There is a clause in the bible that says'....a woman should not wear that which belongs to a man.' it should be somewhere in Deuteronomy. Of course I have no intention of changing the bible. There is also another clause in the bible that says'......women adorn themselves...........not with braided hair......." should be 1tim 2/9.
I think what preachers in this time should emphasize on is spiritual maturity. Once that is put in place, we will not have to fight over clothes.

What we need to underline for example from Timothy is that, during his time as an apostle, women who wore ear rings, braided hair, used perfumes and e.t.c were prostitutes and that was the reason Timothy wanted Christians to look different. As a matter of fact, we no longer live under the law because it has been replaced by the holy spirit. We have the holy spirit to guide us. What is the use of "do not kill" when you are not a murderer? You cannot steal under the influence of the spirit of GOD and its why "Do not steal" will not make sense to you. Same goes for the day of worship. I have heard very many interesting debates about which day should be the sabbath. I have no answer as well. All I know is that in the old testament or during a certain time in the Christian history, Christians were not enthusiastic about going to church and that was why I law had to be put in place for them to observe the sabbath day. That reminds me. That debate of when Jesus was born. Was it really the 25th of December? I was not there so I don't know. But I have a question as well. What difference would it make if one of the ancient prophets rose up today to confirm Jesus' birth date as the 1st of June? Its all in the heart, believe me. It is about why you celebrate as an individual. It may not help much even if you knew the real date but failed to do the right thing. I need to catch some breath now.
As long as the covenant of day and night still remains, God's goodness will never depart from you.