Tag Archives: Jesus

A Lament to God’s Leaders

31 Aug

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12

It has been made clear to me that this present time is indeed a rehearsal for the time of trouble spoken of in Daniel 12:1. I hope the reader will understand this by the end of this blog.

This pandemic shares many characteristics with the time of trouble

Our global leaders employed bribery, manipulation, coercion, and some, even force, to get their populations to conform. Many willingly complied, some gave in, however, a remnant refused.

This remnant has been blamed for unsuccessful outcomes. Many have been forced to quit their jobs because they preferred to follow their conscience and reasoning instead of giving into social pressure.

If one loses his/her job, how would they be able to buy or sell? If documentation or proof is required to prove their compliance, how would they be able to function as a free moral agent?

Shame. Shame on all the spiritual leaders who did not pick up the cause of this remnant! Who with blinded eyes only saw what they wanted to see! But God is merciful. He has allowed His people to have a glimpse into what will soon come upon the earth.

This blog is not faulting leaders for receiving what they believe to be protection, rather, it is bringing to light the neglect of a remnant who refused to ignore their conscience.

For once again there will be a time of trouble, but this time, it will be far severe. There will be a great testing of our faith where again, a small remnant will stand no matter the consequences. They will have to stand on their conscience alone, fully persuaded in their hearts.

My prayer is that this period be a lesson to us all and that we do not make the same mistake twice.

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! (Isaiah 30:18

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I don’t want Jesus to return…yet.

22 Aug

Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’

19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’

22 “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’

23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’” Luke 14:16-24

A friend of mine shared a true story about a lady who lived under the dictatorship of Hitler. The focal point of the article was that Hitler did not conquer Austria with war tanks or cannons, rather, the people welcomed him with open arms. You see, at that time, the living conditions of Austria were hard: no jobs, no food, etcétéra. So when they were asked to vote, they happily gave him 98%. He was like a saviour.

As soon as He came in, he fed them and made sure all eligible people received employment. There was celebrating in the streets.

However, things began to take a turn for the worse. The Austrians were a god-faring people, but right away, the pictures of Jesus in the public schools were quickly replaced by pictures of their new leader. They were no longer allowed to pray, but had to sing their patriotic song towards him. The good morals that they held high began to crumble. Everything became nationalized and owned by the government by force and/or coercion. Every eligible person had to work and women gave up their children as early as 4 weeks old to be cared for by the state. Women were treated like men, forced to train then sent to the frontlines to war.

My friend felt compelled to share this story with others, but the response of one friend in particular hurt her. They insinuated that she was a worrier and that Christians should not worry, that things could never happen that way and will take a turn for the better.

This blog is not purporting that what happened in Austria will or will not happen. It focuses on the fact that many Christians do not want to be reminded that hardships are in the books for us; that the coming of Jesus has to unfold at some point.

I remember a good friend of mine telling me that he didn’t want Jesus to return as yet because he wanted to get married. I felt very sorry that he had said that.

Imagine just marrying the one you love or buying property to then be told, “No time to enjoy it buddy, Jesus is about to open the door!”, how would this make you feel? Would you happily stop your plans to welcome Him? Or would you say, ‘Stop with all this doom and gloom already’?

The above parable rightly describes how things will be at the end. Many Christians will be too caught up with living their best life than with seeking eternal rest.

As I said in one of my earlier blogs, in March 2020, God warned me that, “ The world cannot go on like this any longer.” He is coming and we all know that certain events must take place before He appears.

So let’s continue to abide, to live; but let us not live for this world which is quickly passing away, but let us live passionately for Jesus. Wake up. It is time.

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Overcomer

22 Jul

Have you ever had a high only to fall flat a day or two later? One day you’re exercising, eating well, being productive, then come the days when you binge on TV, junk food and you just can’t get off the bed or couch. Yes, it’s such a pain to kick a bad habit that is destroying you inside out. Many may say, “Oh, that’s a sign of depression”, or, “what’s wrong with having down days? But If it bothers you, why not make an effort to change?

We do have good intentions. The worse of us wish we could overcome ourselves, but we end up being slaves to our bodies; we end up being enslaved to our minds due to memories and feelings.

When this happens, what do we tend to do? Seek justification from those around us. Yes. If enough people agree with our behaviours, then we will feel better. Our conscience would be quieted. There would be peace in the mind, the body and soul.

Being part of a group brings comfort. Furthermore, if laws support you, well, you’re set. Not only do you have peace, but you’re a law abiding citizen.

However, what we really did was say “YES” to our feelings. We gave them power over our minds and reasoning. We quieted our conscience.

Many of us also allow others to think for us because it’s the easier thing to do. Why did God create humans with brains if not to think and reason? When we begin to think we make better choices for ourselves and our families. However some of these choices come with consequences that are hard to bear. They call for faith and discipline.

There are quite a few verses in the Bible that encourage us to discipline ourselves:

But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:27 RSV

Jesus also said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. Matthew 16:34

knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; Romans 6:6

See also Galatians 5:24 and Ephesians 4:22.

Athletes, musicians, doctors, etcétéra, must make the choice to exercise discipline if they are to master their fields. How much more should we? If we are to inherit eternal life, we must overcome the flesh with its passions and desires and submit to God. Submitting to God will require us to go against the current of this world.

To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. Revelation 3:21

Our Creator isn’t an ordinary being. He is infinitely higher that the most important person on this earth. So then, let us study the book that speaks of Him so that we may learn His ways and follow Him no matter what comes our way.

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Living our Faith

13 Jul

One early morning, I awoke to these words coming from my mouth: “ Justification by faith”. They did not seem to come from me, it was as though they were spoken through me.

Justification by faith wasn’t a concept I understood well. I always thought I had to work for my salvation and I was often very miserable. Why couldn’t I be good all the time? Why did I keep messing up?

I became a very judgmental person because I expected others to make the same efforts I was making. I was pushing to be a good person because I thought my salvation depended on it.

Only in recent months, (yes months!), did I begin to really understand the amazing provision God made for us through His Son.

“…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Do we believe this? Many of us can’t understand it or we believe that we must do something to help attain our salvation. It can’t only be confession and belief, right? Actually, it is. This is called justification by faith. Jesus paid it all.

So where do works come in? Are we now to continue living as we wish conscience free?

No. This is where sanctification comes in, and here’s how I understand how it works.

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. John 17:17 (NKJV)

Sanctification happens as we learn about who God truly is and His Son Jesus the Christ. As we learn, we make the decision or choice to follow God’s teachings. This isn’t always easy, because giving up what we’ve spent years practicing often has deep roots, but with Christ all things are possible.

For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. Romans 8:5-9 (NASB)

Personally, I experience sanctification every day. There were times when I felt that I was in an intense course! It involved changing my thoughts in order to change my actions. God’s Holy Spirit would gently tell me, “…that wasn’t a nice thing to say. Do better next time…”. It’s like a purging process, and the Holy Spirit is the agent.

For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13

Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,
“This is the way, walk in it,”
Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left. (Isaiah 30:21)

We must have respect for God, that is, understand that there’s nothing hidden and He is in us, helping us to overcome our weaknesses. I’ve found this to be extremely important and have started to really pay attention to my thoughts. This is because of late, I’ve recognized that some of my thoughts are actually God talking to me.

We grieve God when we let pride and selfishness stand in the way of sanctification. Pride says, “I want it that way”, or, “this isn’t how I feel things should go. “I’m a good person and I don’t need to be changed.” Pride lives selfishly not thinking about others. How can we become like God if we’re not reachable or teachable? Why do we often reject the labour pains that come with being born again?

In short, I’ve learnt that following God is understanding that He knows what’s best. It isn’t an easy way, that’s why Jesus calls it the straight and narrow way. Thank God that it is a path we walk with a friend; we don’t see what’s ahead, we must depend on Jesus to guide us home.

I hope this all makes sense. Send me a comment if you wish to add more insight or need further help grasping these two concepts better.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13:14)

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Do not sell your Birthright …

6 Jun

There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death. Proverbs 14:12

Esau was flippant towards his birthright. He said, “I am about to die [of hunger], of what use is a birthright to me?” (Gen 25:32) And just like that, he sold it to his younger brother for a bowl of lentil soup.

As the first born son, the birthright belonged to Esau. He could not lose it unless he gave it away. Having the birthright meant inheriting the leadership role of the family and taking the place of his father. But he rejected that responsibility.

The blessing was of more importance to Esau because it had more to offer him. It meant a future of wealth and happiness. That, he did not want to lose.

However, disdaining his birthright had set him up for losing the blessing.

That’s like many of us today; we want to receive blessings without putting in the work. We lack integrity and if there’s nothing in it for us, we treat it flippantly.

Just like Esau gave up his reasoning and despised his birthright to satisfy his hunger, so shall the people of today give up their reasoning for the comforts of this world.

But when they finally wake up, it will be already too late, they will have already sold their birthright, they will have given their will away for the desires this world. They will have thrown away their reasoning.

If we sell our birthright, it will certainly be a great struggle to receive the greatest blessing to come: entering into eternal rest from this chaotic world.

At 3 am in the morning, the above message was placed on my mind. I truly believe that it was from God, so I am sharing it with you.

The only true power we have, is the power of choice. Yes, we can be coerced, manipulated, even deceived, but, we still get to choose. God never forces us to do anything. He operates by love. He says “CHOOSE”. He never manipulates his people into doing things against their conscience or without faith.

Let us guard our individuality. Let no consequence stop us from following our conscience. It is our birth right.

“Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18

Our God is gracious. He is a gentleman. He will never force you to do anything against your will.

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The end isn’t far off

27 Mar

Hi everyone, I just wanted to share an interesting experience I had just before Spring-break 2020. No one knew what was ahead.

I was getting ready to go teach a class when a strong impression stopped me. I heard a voice in my head; a message communicated in my mind. I had one foot in my car and the other out when I was told:

“The world cannot go on like this any longer.”

I paused to reflect on the message, and somehow I knew it was God. In fact, some time before that experience, the indifference of the world felt like a burden on me. I sensed that most of us were doing our own thing, going about our own business, just taking care of our inner circles, not caring, not loving, just existing. I remember the deep sadness I felt.

Right now, we have a lot of geo-political, social and economical turmoil happening globally. They are predicting a depression that could cause challenges similar to those faced in the 1920s. There are shortages on multiple fronts: food, computer chips, lumber and pulp necessary for toilet paper.

I am not one to scare people into coming to God by shouting “Jesus is coming!”, rather, I’m more interested in sharing the gospel message to everyone; more concerned about people dying before learning that there is a Saviour that loves them immensely. However, I cannot ignore that what is happening now is the beginning of the end of all things. In prophesy, this is referred to as the winds of strife.

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” Revelation 7:1-3

Many say that this world will never have an end because of the countless false predictions that were made in the past. However, there is an end and Jesus said only The Father knows. (Matthew 24:36)

3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 2 Peter 3:3,4

Truth is, many people, yes, even Christians, don’t want to hear that Jesus is returning soon. They want to get married, build their houses, see their grandchildren, and the list goes on, but, the end must happen at some point.

Yes, everything eventually has an end, but, what is to come will be absolutely amazing! Revelation 21 says that God will make all things new. God Himself will be with us and be our God! There will be no more pain, no more crying, no more dying, all these things will pass away.

The end of this world should not be something to fear. It should be something to look forward to and we should not want to go alone. In fact, God wants us to tell everyone about this blessed hope.

I pray that all who reads this will desire His appearing. If you don’t, it isn’t too late to pray and receive the Holy Spirit.

You are loved.

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The Call

9 Jan

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:44

The Creator deals with us as individuals. It’s the most amazing feeling in the world; a tailor-made relationship that makes one know they’re special.

When I chose to follow the teachings of Jesus, it wasn’t because the teachings of a physical church convinced me. Rather, it came in the form of a dream, and it was a warning.

I had just returned to my country after spending some time in the USA. My intentions were not to stay, I had only returned to obtain a student visa to attend a college that accepted me. But when I was refused the visa, I went into a deep depression.

My dad, who was a member of the SDA church, saw my sadness and decided to give me some space. Without him “interfering”, I felt free. I accepted my dilemma and started a plan B.

I decided to become a professional singer, so I found a manager. Then I got a job as a freelance journalist at a newspaper company. With this came the opportunity to be an interviewer on a popular local TV show geared towards the youth. I had a very cool boyfriend, and our favourite pastime was playing pool at a bar with my brother and his friends. I was very carefree and would come home after 3am every morning. But one of those mornings, my dad left a letter on my bed. In it, he questioned my behaviour and asked if I was still living a pure life. This troubled me, because I knew in my heart that I was going in the wrong direction. Then I fell asleep and dreamt.

In the dream, I watched myself in two visions. In the first, I was at a wedding reception standing near a buffet table. I proceeded to dig my whole hand into a beef lasagna and ate. When I saw myself do that, I quickly shouted “I don’t eat beef!” As soon as I said that, the scene rotated to another, and in it, I was dressed as a bride. A man also dressed in white with golden hair came to stand beside me. I understood that we were about to get married. As I watched myself, I blurted out, “I’m not marrying this man, I don’t know him!” As soon as I said that, the man disappeared and I was left alone. Then, instead of being a watcher, I was now in the dream, and frantically cried out, “Come back! Come back! I’ll marry you!” Then I woke up.

Amazingly, I woke up knowing what the dream meant. It wasn’t about diet, or getting married to a random guy. This was the interpretation that was embedded into my mind:

YOU ARE DOING THINGS THAT YOU KNOW ARE WRONG. I AM CALLING YOU. IF YOU DON’T COME, YOU WILL NOT FIND ME.

After that experience, I made a 180 degree turn. I dumped my boyfriend then I gave up my job. Why? Because all of a sudden I couldn’t walk to it! It was the strangest thing. I had to take a bus then walk a kilometre to work. I’d take two steps and couldn’t move. It was as if my brain stopped coordinating with my legs. I finally gave up and miraculously found another job much closer to my home. It was through this job, that God set my future in motion.

I became an avid reader of the Bible. I wasn’t actively attending a church, just spending time with God. I had many beautiful experiences with the Holy Spirit. Then finally, I chose to be re-Baptized and join a church.

What I want to underline, is that my relationship with God wasn’t based on the church I joined, it was based on a call to follow Christ. I see the physical church as a means to Christ, not the end. Unfortunately, after some time I became distracted. I began trying to win people to my church instead of winning them to Christ. This is something many of us are guilty of.

In Christianity, we have a dilemma when it comes to denominations. Are we called to Christ or a church? Outsiders question our faith because we appear to be very divided. Jesus prayed for unity, for by it, He said, the world will know that the Father sent Him.

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. John 17:20,21

I believe that this topic of unity is very important. I think I’ll write about it in more detail in my next blog. See you then!

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