A THROW BACK

What did i learn in 2023? I learnt to trust God, let go and rest knowing that i am more of a priority to God than i am to myself. We say we have faith in God but worry after praying. What should follow after prayers is experiencing God’s peace but we don’t accept it because we’ve not completely trusted and sometimes that lack of peace is more unsettling than the issue itself. God wants us to receive the peace that he gives, Philippians 4 vs 6-7. 

Trusting God is like putting all your savings in an investment and knowing it won’t fail. It’s like playing a game with a friend that requires you to fall on your back without looking back and trusting they will catch you. This year i went on a walk with God, I saw hurdles on the way that left me wondering “why me?” During this walk, God lovingly taught me a lesson on trusting him fully and not hold on to anything. I learnt to trust God for the seemingly impossible and i saw it become possible. 

There were some happenings this year that i wasn’t happy about initially. One major one for me was having to move to a new place, I had already prayed not to go to because I had somewhere else in mind. My feelings led me to try to influence things but nothing worked. The way it played out, it was obvious that God was adamant about me going there. It reminds me of Jonah running away and trying to hide from God because he didn’t want to go to Nineveh. The moment i got there, i could see why God wanted me there, I mean, it left me blown away for weeks! He did order my steps really. Believers, sometimes we say we want to serve God and we pray he fulfills his will on earth through us, but we make this declaration and look back. Jesus said in  Luke 9 vs 62 “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back, is fit for service in the kingdom”.

God’s response to your declaration could be taking you from one place to another, making you meet people he wants to touch, change or save their lives through you and taking you out of your comfort zone. He will definitely interfere with your plans if they don't align for his will to be done through you. In 2023, I saw God needed me at certain places at certain times because of what he wanted to do through me for people and what he wanted to do for me as well. Honestly, there were times it was uncomfortable but i can confidently say it was worth it. 

In addition, I also learnt to be excellent in whatever I put my hands to do. This is important because, as a child of God you must pursue excellence. Being excellent also gives opportunity to propagate the gospel, this was mostly emphasized in church.

Dear reader, please trust God like your life depends on it because it does and watch your life change for good.

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REMAIN UNBOUNDED

 Some believers in the church according to Acts 15, had concerns about the Gentile brethren who were not circumcised in accordance with the Jewish law and customs. In Galatians 5, there was an unnamed person working to create division in the church of Galatia by asking that members who were not circumcised be circumcised as a requirement to be truly saved by God. In Genesis 17, God declared his promise to Abraham to make him a father of descendants of many nations. The genealogy of Christ in Mathew 1, Christ comes from the lineage of Abraham, this promise was to be fulfilled through Christ (“And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:29). The physical sign of the covenant God made was for Abraham to be circumcised because God had accepted him righteous by his faith (Romans vs 11), circumcision became a law afterwards. Circumcision is the removal of the foreskin, the promise of God in Christ is that the old nature of sin may be removed and man may be given a new nature of righteousness in Christ. Thus, circumcision is figurative of this promise which has been fulfilled by the death and resurrection of Christ, that as many that believe in him will be saved. This teaching isn’t to condemn circumcision , to do or not to do.

 

People hold on to the law because they think this is what justifies them or makes them worthy. In John 5, the Pharisees persecuted Jesus because he healed a man on the sabbath, this was Jesus’ response to them “You study the Scriptures, because you think that in them you will find eternal life. And these very Scriptures speak about me! Yet you are not willing to come to me in order to have life.” (John 5 vs 39-40). The scriptures point us to Christ. A lot of people hold on to figures in the scriptures without understanding what these figures are about and who they point to. Another case, is holding on to the traditions of men, many people will pledge their allegiance to carry out the traditions of men even when its being exalted above the word of God or contradicting to the word of God. It’s worse when these things have been practiced for years. For some, they are afraid to fail those who enacted these traditions and for others, it’s a matter of pride, their hearts are hardened from receiving light.

 

In Galatians 5, Paul says that we all have been set free! Understand what this entails and live wisely. You were not set free by Christ to be bound to another slave master in the name of traditions which contradict the will of God for you or the church. This would only limit how one lives the life God has purposed for them in Christ Jesus. The church of Galatia was disputed on the matter of circumcision which must have affected their relationship with one another but Paul rebuked their ignorance. Galatians 5 vs 6 “For when we are in union with Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor the lack of it makes any difference at all; what matters is faith that works through love.”.

 

 In addition, there are people who quote ‘The devil you know is better than the angel you don't know”. These people apply this notion to Christianity as well, they build a hedge around themselves because they are afraid to discover what more they have in Christ. They hold on to untrue teachings and false doctrines that limit them from living the life God wants them to have. When they see people live and walk in the supernatural, they are overwhelmed by the unbelief in their hearts and fear of the unknown that they avoid anything that stirs them in that direction believing it’s an irrelevant part of the faith (Colossians 2 vs 2-8, Mark 7 vs 7-13). These people are okay with being mediocre in their Christian walk. God’s will is for us to discover more in him (Ephesians 5 vs 17 - 19). Traditions are not always bad, but the traditions you hold on to, does it exalt itself in your life above the word of God, the finished works of Christ or the excellency of the knowledge of Christ? If so, let it be a loss to you (Philipians 3 vs 8). 

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BRACE UP

In the world today, policies and rules are made that makes one question the belief system of the people making it. There are statements made by people on social media that will leave you in awe. Most times, these things are targeted at Christians, to restrict or make christianity look bad. In fact, they go as far as misinterpreting scriptures, adding new information to and saying what the Bible did not say. This can leave people confused, make people backslide more and even increase the “hatred” some people already have towards God. The truth is, the people who take the bite are those who are not deeply rooted in the word and people who don’t really know the faith. A believer must be particularly careful of the “wokeness” culture. People who live by it may think the originators of this culture are their “saviours” from being taken advantage of but a lot of times, it causes harm. 

The miles people go to create havoc in the minds of people is surprising, it can send chills down your spine and leave you wondering what’s become of the world. People really think they can tarnish the image of Christ, it’s a ridiculous thought. There are movies out there claiming to portray Christ and they exhibit false doctrines. They make out Christ as someone against humanity and love or without decency. Beloved, these are the tactics of the devil. 1John 4 verse 6 “We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error”. Be discerning. 

There are other categories of these people who disguise as prophets and go about preaching their own gospel. They claim to be Christians but do not acknowledge Christ, they do not acknowledge that Christ came in the flesh and he is the son of God. The Bible refers to the spirit working in them as the spirit of “the anti christ”. Sometimes, they use entertaining acts to draw people in or take upon them the “saviour complex”, trying to do what Christ has already done! 

The aim of this is not to make anyone afraid. The Bible says that we have overcome them; because greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world, 1 John 4 vs 4. God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, love and of a sound mind, 2 Tim 1 vs 17. What we do as believers is not to pay back hate with hate, we do not involve ourselves in unnecessary arguments. We respond with love, when people see your good works, they want to know God. Keep preaching the gospel and remain steadfast in the faith. Persecution is bound to come, it’s not something to be surprised or depressed about and Christ is worth all of it. Do not be ashamed of the gospel. 

Read these scriptures; Mat 5 vs 10-11, 1 Peter 3 vs 14, 2 Cor 12 vs 10, Romans 8 vs 35-37, James 1: 12, Romans 1: 16. 

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WHO DO YOU IDENTIFY WITH?

This past week, there are events which occurred that made me grateful to God for calling me to be his own. If you are not deeply rooted in the word, you may underestimate the the sovereignty that God has over the universe and everything in it when you see things happen around the world. It’s imperative to know that the sovereignty of God is reflective of the nature of God which is love.  God showed us the purest form of love in that Christ was slain for us, he gladly laid down his life for us and we just need to believe to be saved. We do not need to appease him with blood sacrifices, we do not need to absorb ourselves in pointless phony religious acts void of love to please God. The very fact that Christianity embodies the purest form of love, love that commands us to love even our enemies shows that we are in the right path with a one true God. 

No wonder the Bible says in John 3 vs 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave….” He gave. He gave all of himself to us that we may be like him, rich with his fullness and perfect in his sight. If this is not enough, what else is wanted? Jesus loved so deeply, remember how the Bible says in John 11 vs 33 -35 that Jesus wept at Lazarus’ grave because he was moved at heart. Did he really have to weep? considering he was still going to raise Lazarus up. No, but he shared in the pain, he was hurt at heart because the people he loved were hurt by Lazarus’ death. Every pain you experience, God shares in it. That’s why he said we should cast our cares upon him and take upon us his yoke because it is easy and light. Mathew 11 vs 28 -30.

People die without experiencing God, it’s really a huge loss for them. Words are usually not enough to express what being in Christ is like but the Holyspirit helps us to express it and at the same time the Bible tells all about it. I recommend Christ for everybody, experience him. If anyone sojourns on earth without having a love relationship with God, it’s the most unfortunate thing to happen to them. Here is another opportunity to get it right with God and know what love really is. 

I look forward to hearing from you if you want to know and accept Jesus into your life.  Send an email to kekenyeubulom@gmail.com. 

If you want to build your relationship with God, send me an email as well. 

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NOW AND AFTER

There is a popular song with this lyrics ‘vanity upon vanity, the bible records it so, living a life without Jesus is vanity upon vanity’. The person reading this may be saved but have you ever pondered about the fate of the people who haven’t heard about God? Who don’t believe in Jesus? 

I’m currently on the book of Ecclesiastes, the writer was someone who wanted to experience ‘the best’ of life because he thought he would find satisfaction in that, after experiencing life, he came to the conclusion that everything has an end and there’s really nothing about life. What inspired  this post is chapter 2. I highly recommend that you read it. Its very interesting. Notably, verse 1 of Ecclesiastes chapter 2 says,  “i said to myself; come now, i will test you with pleasure to find out what is good. But that proves to be meaningless”. The writer expressed further how he built houses, planted vineyards, ruled a kingdom and did a whole lot of other things but he still didn’t find satisfaction in them.

Don’t get me wrong, a believer is meant to live life experiencing heaven on earth, enjoying his/her inheritance in Christ till God calls them home. However, we shouldn’t forget that the life we live here, we live for God and not for ourselves and it can only be meaningful when we focus on the assignment he gave to every believer, the great commission, which is to make Christ known and bring men to salvation, Mathew 28 vs 18-20. Without doing this, we live on earth in vain. We have eternal life, but have you ever thought of where the unbeliever who is your friend, neighbor, parent, colleague would go after they die? Even before death, shouldn’t they enjoy the good things you enjoy in Christ? This is a big deal, the biggest deal.

Don’t let pride or what I term “passive pride” (shyness, being an introvert etc) or any other thing stop you from saving a life. 

HOW TO TRULY NAVIGATE LIFE

​Genesis chapter 12 is a story most Christians are familiar with. God tells Abraham to pack up and go to a land that he would show him. I doubt Abraham knew where he was going to. Sometimes, I wonder how Abraham felt about moving; packing, the road journey, change of environment, new people etc. 

The good thing about this is, God had made promises to him, to order his steps and bless him abundantly in the process. God promised to give him and his descendants the land he was moving to. 

Perhaps, you’ve found yourself in a situation where God was telling you to do something but you don’t think you know your way around it. Or, you wanted to go to or move to a certain place but it didn’t just work out and then you look at the other place God is leading you to and it doesn’t look promising. Maybe, it’s just plainly about going to a particular place, starting a new job, a business and you wonder what the future holds for you there, if you have what it takes.

It could be about the need to fit into your generation.Things are changing so fast, so many trends and you wonder which is yours to follow. Sometimes you feel you are not in the right frame of mind to handle them all. 

Can you recall in Mathew 7 vs 25-27 where Jesus said we shouldn’t worry about what we are going to eat or wear. The birds of the air and the lilies, God tends to them. How much more us! He said even the hairs on your head are numbered. 

God made a promise to Abraham and he kept it. 

I wonder how Paul felt, he killed many Christians in the past and suddenly, he became one of them. Paul feared he would not be accepted by the other believers. Even though the believers had their doubts about him initially, God’s love was already in their hearts and they saw what God saw about him and accepted him. Paul went ahead to do great and mighty things in the name of Jesus and wrote the epistles.

We are children of God who carry the fullness of God. My last statement is regardless of the last thing you did before reading it. God has made us light in a dark world. We were not made to navigate this life without God or on our own. We are God’s utmost priority. His timing is different from ours. What we need to do is to let the Holy Spirit lead us so that in each season of our lives we know exactly what God’s plans are for us. This begins by you making God a priority in your life and not just a part of your life. Let God be the center of your living. God needs our obedience and trust as we navigate life with him. Life can only be fulfilling with God. 

ENVELOPED BY GOD'S PRESENCE

 Our text is from Exodus 40 vs 34-38. This passage describes deeply how God cared for the Israelites when they left Egypt.

God was very intentional that he wanted them to be aware of and confident in the love he had for them. God's presence was a cloud to the Israelites in the day time and fire to them at night. God's presence was with them everywhere they went.

Have you ever thought? if God was this intentional about the Israelites, how much more for the new testament believer whom God fully dwells in. Truth is we are not concious of the presence of God in our lives because we don't value the gift of the Holyspirit God has given to us. We've made it an ordinary thing. Value is evident on how much audience you give to the Holyspirit. 

Have you ever imagined what your life would look life if you gave value to the gift of the Holyspirit who is the presence of God in your life. You would understand how much God cares about you when you begin to allow the voice of the Holyspirit prevail in your daily living. 

God has and will always go extra miles to show us how much he loves us, don't get too distracted or carried away with life that you don't notice his love expressions.

BUILD YOUR SPIRITUAL HOUSE

 There is an automatic translation that occurs when we accept Christ into our lives. A believer is different person, a new creation. Hence, there is a value now attached to the believer that's why 1 Peter describes us as precious. When a diamond is discovered, it is cut and modified into something so thats its value would be appreciated. A believer described in this bible passage as a living stone undergoes a process of growth with guidance by the Holyspirit and with consistency those stones put together will become a spiritual house. Christ is the chief corner stone of this building.

When we grow in God, we are able to embrace the priesthood God has called us into, It's also easier to yield and accept God's calling in our lives. We are called to serve in one capacity or the other and this service we render is our sacrifice to God which is pleasing to him. Our service brings others to Christ, helps others to grow spiritually and God is able to love other people through us. When we are saved, we are called to serve and when we don't serve, a lot of people are deprived of the benefits our service would have brought to them. It pleases God when we make ourselves available for service.

A believer is different from the unbeliever, the bible also refers to them as sinners because they have rejected the gift of salvation. The life that a believer has been called into would always be offensive to the unbeliever, knowing this, we are not to conform to the world. It's a privilege to be chosen by God to be his own. The life we've been chosen to live is that of proclamation of the excellencies of God, an exemplary life because just by the way we live people can be moved to change. So, no matter how much offense we face in the world, our response and reactions to them should glorify God (put away all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and all slander- 1 Peter 1 vs 1).