Blessing, to Taste or to Take

We will look at God’s blessing and its reach. But I especially want us to look at people who were in so close a proximity with it that it could have been theirs yet were unable to access it.

Abraham was blessed. That is what God called him for.

And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. (Genesis 12:3)

Lot, his nephew, was able to taste that blessing. That was the reason he followed him. But I think he did not realize what he was following, or he could not have trashed it when the opportunity arose.

I think Lot followed his uncle because he offered better prospects. He thought Abraham was after a better deal, a greener pasture. No wonder he could not resist the allure of the land he saw.

And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. (Genesis 13:10)

We see the same with Hagar. She thought that she was brought only to provide an heir of all Abraham possessed. No wonder she started despising Sarah when she conceived. That is the reason we see her son trying to harass Isaac. They lost their position but later got the wealth they were after.

But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country. (Genesis 25:6)

The blessing remained with Isaac.

We see the same with Esau whose life revolved around work and wealth. He never sought to know why Isaac was the way he was. He thought accessing and increasing his father’s wealth was all that mattered. That is why a birthright was of no importance to him when faced with hunger pangs as it did not threaten that wealth.

He follows the externals when looking for wives, again overlooking his heritage. He realizes too late the blunder he made and even sought to rectify it in the same way (Genesis 28: 8, 9).

Jacob was different. We do not know much about his industry. But we know his desire for the blessing. He buys his brother off his birthright because it was worth much more than the privilege of the firstborn as far as property was concerned. The blessing in that birthright was worth much more than Esau could imagine because it was a spiritual thing.

Even running away from his wounded and bleeding brother had to be accompanied by a blessing. That is why we see him looking for a valid reason to flee, thus connecting squarely with his father’s heart (Genesis 27: 46). I will get a wife that you approve of (Genesis 28: 1).

The other blessings were gotten craftily but this one was got in a way that must have given joy in Isaac’s heart. Jacob had finally chosen to perpetuate Abraham’s blessing.

We see the same thing when he is faced with his conniving uncle. For Jacob it is blessing at all cost. He hides his effort and craftiness in God so that Laban had no reason to think otherwise of him but someone who was really desirous of God.

When faced by an angel we do not see anything different. He pleads only for the blessing instead of the protection he was in dire need of then.

He faces his brother and we see the same thing. And that is where we see how different they were. Esau is still thinking of wealth (I have more than enough) but Jacob is still looking for his blessing and finally gets it even from his brother.

It is no wonder then that God finally connects with Him and links him and his posterity with the blessing of Abraham.

Do you realize that Gehazi was closer to the prophetic anointing than was Elisha? Why do I say so. Elisha was known only as the one who poured water on Elijah (1 Kings 3:11) whereas Gehazi was closely involved in Elisha’s ministry, even being given assignments and sent on errands. Yet who inherited the prophetic? Elisha. Why? He craved the prophetic inheritance from his master whereas Gehazi pursued gain.

And it is very probable he became very rich as we see him conversing with a king (2Kings 8) but only as a commentator to the prophetic.

Judas was very strategically placed as the treasurer of the King of kings yet lost out when the kingdom came into play.

And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. (Luke 10: 41, 42)

What is a blessing to you? Is it the wealth and material blessings or is it first spiritual favor with the Creator of the universe?

Are you like Lot who left the blessing for the greener pastures because they were more visible?

Are you like Hagar and her son who are fighting even today for the visible instead of the spiritual?

Are you like Esau who is so focused on the here and now instead of the eternal?

Are you in ministry like Martha who is so focused on service that she overlooks fellowship with the one she served?

The sad reality is that in these days most preachers and teachers operate in the Lot and Esau reality of blessing. Someone is blessed when they are overflowing with earthly and earth bound matter. We thus find testimonies that enrich being those that are talking about increase in the material sense; acquisitions, promotions, travel etc. Very little, if any, effort is placed in developing spiritual stature and potency. And very little emphasis is placed in the pursuit of the purely spiritual. Yet

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. (1Corinthians 15:50)

I believe that is the wave the antichrist will ride to prominence. You see focusing on the visible will make one lose contact with the eternal as happened with these we have studied.

A miracle in the flesh will be interpreted as a miracle in the spiritual whereas the spiritual will look beyond the visible to the deeper reality. That is the only way someone will be able to distinguish between Proverbs 22:4 and Luke 4:6. It is the only way healing and miracles from witchcraft can be exposed.

And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. (Revelation 13: 12 – 14)

The essence of the blessed is the differentiation between the blessing and the Blesser. The blessed will always choose the Blesser and reject the blessing when it comes to that as it must one time or the other.

A case in point is Abraham. When given the choice between the promise (Isaac) and God’s order, he leaves no doubt as to his preference. And we see the same with Job.

Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. (Job 13:15)

Is that what your pastor preaches or even infers in his preaching? Do we hear testimonies of victory in demotions and sackings? Do we hold victory parties after being dispossessed or disadvantaged because of our faith? Do we gladly endure persecution for our faith? Do we even have that expectation at the back of our minds? Yet what did Christ promise?

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

And that is why we see the disciples holding a victory service after they are released from detention in Acts 4.

And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. (Acts 5:41)

They were content to walk with the Blesser irrespective of the direction the blessing took.

King Saul was the exact opposite. Though he had held the blessing in his hands, he became too preoccupied with it to the extent that he lost contact with its source. When push came to shove he trashed the Blesser to maintain a hold of the blessing, forgetting that the source determined the continuity of the blessing.

We see the same with Balaam who for the reward lost touch with God who had given him the status that made him to be sought far and wide. And it was the same with Judas who was entrusted with the finances of the King of kings grasping after them and losing touch with the King. Compare that with Peter.

Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. (John 6:68)

So much different from the majority of followers

Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. (John 6:26)

That is the distinction I am talking about.

There is nothing inherently wrong with new jobs and promotions and visas and houses and cars. They become the problem when we become fixated on them at the expense of growing our relationship with God. They actually become idols when we define our potency and depth of our relationship with God using them. What do I mean? I know someone is asking.

I am blessed because I got two promotions last week. I am blessed because I got the car of my dreams recently. I am blessed because I bought a house the other day.

You see Abraham was blessed when he obeyed God and left all his security and relationships to go to a land he was to be shown. He was not cursed all the time he had not received the son of promise. Do we realize that the Promised Land was got over six hundred years later? By then even Isaac and Jacob were long dead. Yet they were all walking in the blessing. Job was not under the curse when his faith was being tested. Joseph was not cursed when he was thrown in the pit and prison. In fact he was thrown there because of the blessing he carried. Persecution is many times driven or activated by the blessing we carry.

Could you be feeling unblessed because the ministry God has called you is not as flowery or does not attract as much favor or support as others? Are you getting discouraged because your evangelism does not attract as many decisions or support as other evangelists? Do you wonder why your Christian life has to always attract opposition?

Are you doing what God has called you? Are you faithfully pursuing the call God has placed on you? Are you carefully listening to and following His orders as you live your Christian life? Is your relationship with God consistent with the revelation God has in His word?

Then do not depend on the externals. You are walking in your blessing. The harvest of your righteousness is on its way in the visible. Do not be swayed by the visibility seekers to trash your hope in God. Or have you forgotten that we walk by faith and not by sight? Read Hebrews 11 to get what I mean.

Are those blessings you enjoy inconsistent with a life of holiness? Do you explain away sin as you walk in those blessings? Do you depend on a person (preacher, prophet) to get your word? Do you wonder the difference between sin and moral weakness, sin and character flaws? Are you offended when someone tells you that there is something higher than that blessings you are swimming in? Are you content only in the blessings?

You could be transforming the blessing into a curse. Or it may be a curse you are enjoying.

One aspect of a blessing is in its overflow. If your blessing is constrained to your immediate circles, it is probable that it is not a blessing from above. God’s blessings reflect His nature. Again look at the blessed people in the scriptures to get what I mean. Read Job 31 for a start.

A case in point is Jacob and Laban. Jacob found his uncle with a very small flock, small enough that the shepherd was his youngest daughter. Then enter Jacob, the blessed, and the same flock explodes in size. He is in no doubt that it was Jacob who was instrumental to that increase (Genesis 30: 27 – 30).

But he develops ideas, I think because it was not his blessing; it was Jacob’s overflow getting to him. He starts feeling bad that Jacob’s flock was also increasing, which is what exposed him as poor since in my experience the really rich (blessed) strive to spread their wealth abroad.

The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth. (Psalm 37:21)

He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not. (Proverbs 21:26)

He wants to grasp the whole blessing. He even forgets that Jacob was the source of all that blessing. But that is the description of the poor; they are never content and must grab other people’s blessing.

It is not surprising that Laban disappears from the divine narrative since God had to personally step in the picture to rescue Jacob from him. Again we see someone who was so close to the blessing that he could have possessed it losing it through his desire to hoard all of it to himself.

Envy and jealousy are traits of those who will see the blessing passing them by. A blessing makes the recipient secure, not in the blessing but in its source. That is why the blessed are not stingy, selfish or envious. They are only concerned with God, the source of their blessing.

And that is why they will be content whatever situation they are at like Paul said in Philippians 4: 11, 12. No wonder they could worship in prison, even in shackles after a flogging in Acts 16. They get their security from a healthy relationship with God. You can take all their ‘blessing’ and they will still remain blessed because you have not touched on their relationship with the source like we see with Job.

How do we maintain that relationship?

We first establish it by responding to His call since He is the one who makes the invitation. We can see that from Abraham to the disciples. And we know that He already made the invitation when He died on the cross for our salvation. Romans 10, among many other scriptures, deal with that invitation.

The second is deciding that we will do EVERYTHING He asks us to do exactly as He asks without asking questions. This is because we realize that He is God and we can trust Him since He knows better than our finite minds. And He loves us better than we can ever imagine.

The best way to do that is to immerse ourselves in His revelation. We are to make His revelation the primary pursuit of our life as we see with the blessed of the past. We are to forget even the blessing for our pursuit of God, the source of that blessing. Whether the blessing comes or not should be none of our concerns because God ALONE is sufficient.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)

We will then be able to rest in Him.

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)

That revelation is His word, the Bible that we are to immerse ourselves to its study as it is the only source of untainted revelation from God, the source of all true and valid blessings.

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. (Joshua 1:8)

Do not give others the right to read and understand for you. God expects us to devote ourselves to read, study and meditate on His word for our lives to be aligned to His blessing.

Why is the Bible so important for a blessed life?

And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. (Deuteronomy 8:3)

There is no shortcut or alternative for it. We must dedicate our best effort on it.

(That is the reason we help people to read the Bible through providing reading plans.

It first demystifies the Bible and makes us realize that we can read it for ourselves as opposed to allowing others to read it for us. It also gives us a manageable plan to be able to read it in one year, even yearly for consistent spiritual nurture.

For those who would require one you can get it on this blog. I could also e-mail you if you so desire. You can get a hard copy if you are in Nairobi, Kenya.

Check our FB page (The Bible Club House) for an interactive forum of people using the plans.)

Scared of Transformation?

This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (1Timothy 1:15)

I am writing this in response to some comments I got from the message I posted last week (Are You Ready?)

The thrust of this is examining why we have issues accepting people who have been saved from the lowest strata of society by the grace of Christ. Incidentally it is important to note that all of us were saved because we had no capacity of saving ourselves.

The first reason lies with the doctrine we hold. Many believe that salvation is gradual, especially through their experience.

What do I mean by that? Their journey of faith has been on the slow lane that it dictates their theology.

Imagine being saved for decades yet never able to escape lying to get from a tight spot or strike a deal or gain an advantage? Or being saved for the longest time yet the covetousness index is so high that verses must be looked for to justify it. I have been a pastor for so long yet I can’t concentrate on counseling or praying for a needy person when I suspect that a person of means might be around.

If honesty and contentment and impartiality are taking this long to deal with, how possible is it for murder and harlotry and thievery to be dealt with conclusively in this life? Of course it is impossible according to our experience.

If truth be told, we hold the Hindu doctrine of reincarnation or the catholic doctrine of purgatory. These people can never be completely saved from their past life in this one. Again according to our experience we believe they will continue in the evils they were involved in, only in a diminishing manner. That is why we are not willing to make them fully accepted members of our fellowships. We would rather they died so that we give comforting testimonies that they died saved.

The second reason is connected to the first one. We fear how deep their conversion may go. In other words I am not ready to face the fact that my doctrine is wrong. I am not ready to see my long held doctrines and experiences being trashed by such rejects when they get saved.

I will explain. In the river we call the salvation experience we have travelers at different spots on it. Those who hold the doctrine I have mentioned normally walk along the banks of the river, sometimes wading where the water is not deep or fast flowing as they are scared of being swept off their feet. Of course they will not swim unless they get to a place where the river is dammed. They will leave the river altogether when it gets to a place where the bank is steep and walk until they get to a safer place to wade. And they still insist that they are being driven to the ocean (heaven) by the river!

Now look at these malcontents. They have been so far from the river and have the stench of the world that they are fed up with life away from the river. They will therefore throw themselves where the river is deepest and fastest so that they will be cleaned as quickly as possible. Another thing with them is that they will have a dread of the bank because many will have had personal experience about the danger the bank can place someone in because it is from the bank that the enticements of the world are seen.

This prostitute dying of AIDS is not getting saved to be respectfully buried by the church. She is fed up with her life on the fast lane. She cannot face the damage she has done to families and devastation she has done to society. She is completely fed up with that life and is looking for a way out of it. She wants to start mending the mess she has created. She has no reverse gear in her decision.

Finding a Savior does that and more. He frees her from not only guilt and condemnation. He gives her a new life (2 Corinthians 5:17). He gives her a new lease of life. She now can start reconstructing her life along new rules from a Savior who has cleansed her from that stench.

Her transformation will be so drastic that it will trash all your respectable wading on the bank. And she will not keep quiet about her former life because she will want to rescue as many as possible from the regret her life had become.

The ‘hot’ dress you so love will not be safe from her. She will tell you that it is cut and hemmed that way to ensnare men to lust and she will not be apologetic about it because her whole life was built along that. That lipstick and eye pencil and wig may be given very devilish connotations by this person who knows more than you may care to change.

The thief will expose covetousness and greed in ways that will make your life a great pretence because he has been plucked out of it and understands it because it defined his past life. The murderer will expose things that we are comfortable with for what the devil has designed them for, again from his having been in the employ of the evil one. The secular musician will expose your ‘worship teams’ and music in ways that may require that you completely do away with them as he was adept in that from worship on the other side.

Their being allowed in our fellowships will shame our complacent faith and respectable rebellion. They will insist on us joining them in the centre of the river to be swept wherever the river will take us when we insist on knowing where we stand.

The third reason is that we are scared of getting into the centre of the river since we are not willing to lose the control of our lives. And these radicals who have nothing to desire on the bank will very easily paint us as hypocrites who want to be associated with a gospel we are not practicing. And they will do that not by speaking, but by living a totally surrendered life.

Their radical conversion will show the world that we are washed out pretenders of a Gospel we neither believe nor practice.

A Muslim has to consider ultimate rejection to the point of being ready to die for becoming a Christian. How do I willingly receive him if I have problems telling the person I want to marry that I am a Christian for fear that they may call me boring? How ready am I to hug him when I am unable to resist ungodly chatter in the office or classroom because I might be labeled old school? How do I receive him when he is every time exposing my shallow Christian experience?

Why must they be radical? A person who has been saved from drowning will apart from developing a great fear of water become extremely sensitive about water bodies. They will notice things others do not think exist because the drowning will be very high in their subconscious even if they were to forget they ever drowned.

I once jumped from a tree to the ground as a child (just for fun) and felt something that denied me the joys of climbing trees as a boy though I broke no bones. Someone who has ever got a good enough electric shock may change direction when he finds an exposed wire without even examining it to find out whether it is connected to an electric source.

This will explain why these people will become sensitive to small things (sins) we assume. You see they were rescued from the depths of sin and did not get saved because a friend was getting saved or it was becoming fashionable or they wanted the preacher to feel nice some people had come forward. They came to the Savior because they needed saving and for no other reason. That is the reason sin in any shade will attract their attention, however insignificant it may appear to us.

Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. (1Peter 2: 1 – 3)

They will insist on maintaining a childlike desire for the things of God because they have a spiritual phobia for their former lives. They will not allow respectability and political correctness mar that growth. No wonder they make us uncomfortable.

The other reason is simple envy and jealousy. We hate it when they get saved after us and become deeper quicker, even surpass our carefully laid down Christianity.

I will post a chapter of my book ‘Envy, the Destroyers blank cheque’ to explain what I mean. We hate it when the last become first and become better in all ways as Christ said.

Chapter 5: Envy, the Fuel

There was this young man who was so bad. He was actually the baddest of a very bad family. I remember talking to most in the family who said they desired the young man to get saved.

We became friends and I started sharing the gospel with him over a long time. This is because he was drunk most of the time. And he was always fighting somebody.

Eventually, he asked Christ into his life and his was a conversion that didn’t need any argument. He was transformed instantly. He stopped drinking and drugs, started treating his family well. Even the neighbors immediately confessed to the change in his life.

I got him a Bible and he spent so much time reading it, then coming to me for clarification concerning some of the things he had read.

About two weeks later, he came to me very drunk and very bitter. Know what had happened? His mother and elder brother had actually taken him to a bar and got him drunk. And nothing I did could change that reverse transformation.

Then I got to think. Nobody wants to be the baddest of them all. This young man had been the undisputed black sheep of the family, meaning that the others were better than he was. His changing threatened their goodness. They had to change or they would be seen in all their badness. But they didn’t want to change. So the baddest had to continue the way he was.

I know of ladies who pray for their husbands to stop drinking or promiscuity yet respond very negatively when he actually stops. You see as long as you are very bad, my bad appears good enough. Like we know change is not always welcome when it comes to me, my desire for someone to change actually wants someone to change only for my convenience, not for their good. And that is envy.

I want to shine, and if your changing will challenge my shining, I would rather prefer you in your badness. Your change should ensure that my goodness is not challenged. And I can’t be sure of that. It would be safer if you stayed the way you are, and then I can continue sharing those prayer requests.

Several years ago someone told me, ‘I was happy when you became serious with God, but you have now become too serious’. You see, as long as I was walking in teenage rebellion, he appeared very religious, but when I really connected with Christ, his Christianity started appearing shallow. That was envy.

I know of wives who stand in the way of their husbands’ ministries because it does not give them as much visibility they feel they need or their husbands become too famous. They will therefore persecute their husbands and deny them as much as can be denied so that the ministry is strangled. They will actually send destroying angels after their husbands just so that they can be put in a prominent position to feed their vanity whatever else God says. It started as their ministry but she eventually found that the background is not a position to occupy. I would not be surprised that many of the women ministers are there just for the publicity.

I know of husbands who send destroying angels to their wives because they are excelling in their job and getting promotions faster than them. Some actually turn physical for the same reason. They had agreed that both hold a job but he had not considered the promotions.

Some will physically destroy what their partner has made since it threatens their position. Some will dispose of what they think makes their partner more popular.

How much am I willing to give up for my brother? You see as long as I have not sorted that in my heart, my prayer will be very shallow. I will be like this family that was praying for their son to get saved yet could not face it when he did so.

I might pray for deliverance for my sister but as long as I am feeling threatened by what she could become when delivered; my prayer is actually an abomination to God. I might be praying for a successful marriage life for my child, but if I fear it may be better than mine, I might be sending a destroying angel their way.

I might be praying for my brother to come off drugs and promiscuity, but if I fear that his changing might make me appear less good, I could actually be the reason they are there.

Let us examine our hearts to see whether there is a seed of envy therein. Then let us become bold and ask God to uproot it in totality. And offer to support Him by doing whatever He reveals to us.

End of chapter

I have not exhausted the reasons but I hope these will help you think through what may be making you resist the salvation of the nations, especially those who are desperate for that salvation.

One final reason I will state is that for the most part most of us are scared of taking on high risk assignments because they will sometimes expose our reputations to disrepute. I remember one time God gave me an assignment in a field which risked my whole life’s integrity and testimony because it was in a very muddied place. I remember asking God what I will do for my name if I took that assignment and His response was this verse.

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. (Mark 8:35)

I therefore had to choose between my reputation and God’s assignment. I am glad I chose His assignment because though I appeared to lose my name in the short term (I was even confronted by friends for my backsliding and even the church came for its guitar that I was using for the assignment), God bailed me out conclusively as revival broke out in that field.

But these have no names to defend. They have no reputations to protect. This means that any assignment does not place any such risks for them as serving the King of kings is enough reputation for them as they have no name to save.

It therefore means that their commitment to the cause of Christ will not have any hindrances, hindrances that our being in the field for long enough has given us a stature that may stand in the way of our obedience.

I have a friend who was a hardened criminal who got saved in prison. His commitment to ministry puts to shame many established ministers as I have seen him walk twenty km to minister when he does not have bus fare instead of give excuses or looking for someone to pay fare for him.

I also have a former terrorist who is at the frontline of Muslim outreach. He is never scared to speak about his faith even next to the mosque. He can’t remember how many times they have attempted to kill him, from stabbing him to knocking him down using whatever they could.

You see, someone who was ready, even prepared to die for the devil counts it a great privilege to die for Christ, something we are not even willing to explore.

That is the kind of commitment that scares us to death. And that is one key reason we would rather they do not join or fellowships or churches. They will expose the phoniness of our faith.

And the scriptures support that. Joseph was hated by his brothers not just because he dreamt. He was hated because the dreams had a divine twist to them.

King Saul did not seek to kill David because he was a threat to his kingdom. He knew that David was extremely loyal. But his spirituality was the actual threat because he was not willing to face his backslidden state.

Look at Jesus also. Who were His enemies? It was the spiritual leadership that was looking for ways to eliminate Him. The rabble (prostitutes and tax collectors) gladly heard Him and followed Him.

And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 8: 11, 12)

… Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him. (Matthew 21: 31b, 32)

You realize that it was the spiritual elite that killed Him. The down and outs gladly received Him.

What is the consequence of our behavior? Like the spiritual leaders of Christ’s time we will be shoved off the reward reserved for the true worshippers. And they very easily could be the jailbirds, former terrorists and murderers and HIV positive prostitutes even as we enjoy the pampering of the world and all that it offers.

I know of former Muslim women and girls who were raped and intentionally infected with HIV yet still remain in the faith. I know of men who were disinherited and even had all the wealth they had made taken away yet still remain faithful to the Savior. And many die for making that simple decision we make when all eyes are closed. All the time as we are preaching breakthrough and favor on purely material terms! And we still believe we will lead them heavenward.

It is very possible that we will be shoved aside as these rejects will lead us to God.

My suspicion (and it is something I have been saying) is that the next revival to happen in Kenya could very easily start from the Somali people. And it is simply because their salvation must have considered everything, life included. They therefore will come to Christ not as a fashion accessory but as the only solution to their sins.

Are you prepared to receive these rejects and welcome them wholeheartedly into the faith or will you be shoved aside for them to get into the household of faith. There are no other options.

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37)

But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. (Matthew 23:13)

Who are you in this scenario? Would you prefer to be somebody else?

Will you join God in reconciling the world to Him or will you be the obstacle that must be removed for His agenda to be realized?

As for me and my house, we have determined to be all and do all to ensure that the whole world comes to the realization and worship of her Savior. Who will join me?

Chronos

I thought to hit at you as you are celebrating your new year because I have encountered enough warfare from the holiday spirit. You see, early 2015 I thought to briefly expose the celebrations in the season, especially Christmas (The Harvest of Mammon on the blog) demonstrating that even casual observation will show anybody that Christ is not the object of all that debauchery.

I will therefore respond to the battering I have been going through from this spirit to try to expose the folly we expose ourselves to as we celebrate days and years God has not ordered.

Why don’t I celebrate birthdays? Why will I not celebrate new years? Why would I rather endure spiritual battery than keep quiet when wished those holidays?

Show me in the Bible where God ordered those celebrations in His name or otherwise. Second, there are so many calendars. Which one should I celebrate and why? Third, the calendar we now use is clearly heathen. Days and months are dedicated to demons (idols) and emperors. Why should I celebrate them?

Yet there is a Biblical year.

This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. (Exodus 12:2)

But God did not order a celebration even if we were to make the sacred calendar our official one. There are things He ordered us to remember, not necessarily celebrate. In other words even when there was a celebration it was the remembrance that was emphasized.

And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. (Luke 22:19)

It is not a party He calls us to but a worship relationship with Him. We break His law when we convert what should be a solemn moment into a party where the last thing to expect is heightened spiritual awareness.

And that is why even the Passover has been defiled, not just by being renamed Easter but especially because of all that baggage that has been introduced so that the remembrance is pushed to the periphery, if not out altogether. It has been merged with an idolatrous event dedicated to demons. What with the bunny and eggs and ….?

A year to me is a mark of the passage of time and nothing else. That is unless we will decide to take the sacred calendar and celebrate Biblically sanctioned feasts.

Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty: (Deuteronomy 16:16)

The first is the Passover and it was a whole week with events that reminded Israel of the struggle they had before leaving Egypt and the victory they received. The unleavened bread reminded them of the hurry their deliverance necessitated. The Passover lamb and all the processes involved reminded them of the judgment God passed on Egypt and the sacrifice that ensured that they escape that judgment.

Pentecost or feast of weeks was a thanksgiving season where they were to concentrate on the goodness of the Lord. Again it was dedicated to remind God’s people of the great acts of God through their history, receiving scriptural instruction throughout the whole season. It coincided with the firstfruits or the time they started eating their harvest so that it was a time of great gratitude to God who provided good things for them.

Succoth or feast of tabernacles was the season when they replayed the forty years in the wilderness, again to clearly appreciate and appropriate God’s favor and goodness.

Even Purim that was set up in the time of Esther and Mordecai was to remember the miracle that saved the Jews from certain extermination and not a party for the sake of partying.

Remember also when Ezra’s temple was being opened there was a festival for a long time. Yet do you realize that the whole time there was focus on scriptural instruction and the goodness of God. Remember that even the Psalms of ascents were the ones that were sung as the pilgrims from all over Israel were journeying to Jerusalem for the feasts? It was a spiritual exercise from the start to the end.

A major purpose of those feasts was the object lessons it offered to children as their parents responded to the questions asked concerning those observances.

And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. (Exodus 12: 26, 27)

And it was the same with the other festivals.

Celebrating things for the sake of a good time is neither Biblical nor Christian. The truth of the matter is that it is antichristian as it serves no Christian purpose however much we want to associate it with God. You see God either institutes it or His enemy institutes it. You can therefore be sure that if your party falls outside the three that are sanctioned by God, you are offering strange a fire in His altar even if you associate Him with it.

On the same line I will want us to look at the year itself. Who says we are in 2016? Whose calendar are we using to associate God with that year? It is the secular year associated with the idols and emperors who made it. What business do I have to align God with it? Who should align with the other? And I will repeat what I have said. It is either instituted by God or He has nothing to do with it. Remember this.

Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: (Isaiah 29:13)

Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men … (Mark 7: 7, 8)

Let us not deceive ourselves. God is not bound to your year. He is sovereign and does what pleases Him without needing our assistance. And He operates with those who worship Him in spirit and truth and walk in obedience to His revelation.

Releasing His word to a group (congregation) of a thousand that is a conglomeration of all types of characters is therefore superfluous at the least and presumptuous at the most.

Why do I call this trend a lie? The first reason is that God is personal and deals with people individually. Lumping a thousand people together to release God’s prophecy for the year is (let me not put the word I really wanted to put here)…

But the greatest fallacy of this trend is the fact that sin is rarely if ever preached against. How does God release His goodies to a people who are not connected to His redemptive purpose? How does one word apply equally to a person swimming in willful sin as it applies to someone walking with God? How does the same word apply to the persecuted and the persecutor alike?

Of course we enjoy breakthroughs and favor. But that is consistent with our walk with God and dependent on the season God has placed us in.

But at the worst we are actually pigeon holing God. We want to constrain Him to do only what we have released in His name though it be a creation of our minds. And we do it to keep the money flowing because psyched up people will easily give to continue being more psyched up to the superstar doing the psyching. Sinners who are not challenged about their sinful ways will outgive saints who are troubled by their stench of sin as their sin is being assumed absent by all this preaching about breakthrough and favor.

And like I have asked some people, if 2016 is the year of promotion (or something like that) was there no promotion before then? And will the promotions cease when the year ends?

These preachers are not more than fortune tellers, only that they are using the Bible while the others are reading palms and stars. And their results are not much different because the guesswork will finally come out.

Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee. (Isaiah 47:13)

You see if I guessed something on a group of a hundred, I can never score zero, especially if I know something about them. But I will not be accurate on all of them.

Doing the same on a thousand will give better results as more people will receive my ‘prophecy’. But you see that even more will lose out on the same.

Let’s say I ‘prophesy’ promotion in 2016. Anything positive can very easily be connected to my ‘prophecy’.  And there is a whole year for the same to be repeated all over the congregation. And I will of course get all the positive testimonies as the year progresses.

But the reality is that some people will not only be demoted but lose their jobs and stay jobless for the whole year. Some will start business that will crash in the year. Some will have relationships that they had counted on to promote them to marriage break. Some will lose their marriage (since sin that is the cause of most marital conflict is not addressed). In short quite a number will experience the opposite of the word I am preaching.

As a result I may crust the faith of someone through my ‘prophecy’ since it went opposite in his situation.

And I will repeat something I say all the time. Prophecy is either 100% accurate or it is false since God is the source of all true prophecy. In the same way if only one person in my 20 000 congregation received something different from what I prophesied, I have no excuse to argue out the fact that I am a false prophet. And I have no apologies to make for this statement because it is backed by scripture.

I ought to dwell in God’s presence enough to know exactly what He wants me to tell the people He has entrusted to me. Lack of that is the reason pastors are still leading people to celebrate pagan ceremonies in church and live according to pagan days and years.

I use chronos for my days and years. For example, recently I remembered 30 years since God called me and I responded. But I did not hold a celebration because it really is not about me. I prayed with my family thanking God for the far He has taken me since that decision. It is His faithfulness rather my usefulness that was the focus and so it brought out worship instead of pride. Landmark it is, but the landmark is about God and the favor He granted me to know and serve Him.

Do not feel sad, then, if I do not wish (again why wish when I can pray) you happy this or the other. Do not be disappointed when I fail to attend some of your parties because sometimes God refrains me for His own reasons.

I hope I have burst your bubble positively

God bless you