Heb 12:1-2 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
As I thought of God's faithfulness the below analogy came to mind.
The best navigation equipment are installed on every ship to ensure that the can be guided to harbor safely. Captains are trained to navigate ships using several of these navigation equipment, however, their mastery of these equipment will not be enough to ensure them a command of a ship.
He needs to be trained to be guided by one more way.
The captain in addition to knowing how to navigate with these equipment must add to his knowledge how to navigate without them!
So that if there ever comes a time, when these equipment fail, He has, as a guide, something outside of his sphere of influence and control but which holds its position, remaining sure no matter the conditions he is faced with.The Captain must then learn to navigate using the Stars!
The reliance on the unchanging position of the Stars makes it suitable to be used to guide a ship for the well trained.
You see we all want to get to safe harbor, whatever that would mean to each of us. In our journey through the turbulent waters of this life,a lot of people have chosen to navigate through life using their intellect alone through forecasts, science, opinions of men and various other means. At this time when the economy of many nations are failing,navigating life, using these navigation 'tools', will not be to the advantage of anyone especially not for the believer. As the predictions about the days ahead are not too favorable.
The time has come for us to look up and receive guidance for our path and the course of our life from the Light that can not be influenced by anything that the world has to offer.
Those who get their direction from the ONE who never fails, in a world were a lot is uncertain, will always find a guiding light in the midst of darkness. Trust in Gods faithfulness and personality should be our unshakable confidence when all else fails.
Job was such a man who had all around him fail. When this happened, he could only look up to the only one that is stable in the midst of the storms of life. He said: For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.
Job looked beyond his circumstance and diseased body to the faithfulness of God. His truth that God will remain faithful after all is said and done saw him through and so can it us.
Someone authored our faith and he can finish it. The Psalmist said I will lift up my eyes to the hills from whence cometh my help...My help comes from the Lord. Your help doesn't lie in any other.
Look beyond your circumstance to the God that remains constant and be guided by the light in His word and trust in his faithfulness. Your 'ship' will arrive at a safe harbor if you do!.
Monday, 6 July 2015
Thursday, 2 July 2015
The Supreme Court vs. The Supreme Being
The Supreme Court vs. The Supreme Being
Go to this link for full article.
MorningStar Prophetic Bulletin #94 - June 30, 2015
1) What is happening?
2) What is not happening?
3) What can we do about it?
As we address these, we will begin with the natural first and then the spiritual.What is Happening?
As the four dissenting justices pointed out, the Supreme Court does not have the constitutional authority to make this decision. First, even though SCOTUS has taken this authority upon itself, it is a usurped authority and nowhere does the Constitution give it this authority. The authority to determine the constitutionality of laws was given to Congress, not the courts. We are now suffering under the very tyranny that the founders warned about if the courts ever presumed this authority. Regardless of our position on same-sex marriage, every American should be deeply troubled by the actions of SCOTUS that this case is just the most recent and dramatic.
Creeping Tyranny
The first reason this crucial authority was given to Congress instead of the Executive branch, or the courts, is because the Congress is elected every two years, and therefore would be the most accountable to the people, who in the U.S. are the sovereign. The courts were for deciding whether or not individual cases had been tried fairly and justly. But nowhere is any court, including the Supreme Court, given authority to determine if a law or action is constitutional.
Congress does have the authority to designate specific cases to the court for this purpose if it chooses to, but if Congress does not give this authority in a specific case, SCOTUS has no legal authority for such a decision, and it is therefore not valid.
The second reason why this was an unlawful decision is that the Constitution states that any authority not specifically given to the Federal Government is reserved to the states and the people. Nowhere is the Federal Government given authority to give definitions or policy on social issues such as marriage and the family. The hubris of the Supreme Court to change the definition of marriage that has been universally accepted in civilized nations for six thousand years of recorded history is not only shocking, but an unprecedented level of arrogance by the Supreme Court.
Because Congress’ accountability to the people would be the most direct, it was designed to be the most powerful of the three branches of government. It was given “the power of the purse” to maintain their ultimate authority. Because of weak leadership in Congress, both the Executive and Judicial branches have usurped Congress’ authority in recent times to the point where it is now almost powerless, and the predicted tyranny is now a reality.
Without the constitutional authority to do what it did, the SCOTUS has violated its oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States from enemies both foreign and domestic. It is against every principle of a republic to have five un-elected officials determine the law of the land. This is why Justice Scalia declared this decision “a threat to democracy.” This was not an overstatement. If this is allowed to stand, we no longer have a Constitutional Republic in America.
What the Federal Government has become is proof that you can have the best form of government and still have bad government if you put bad people in it. The whole system by which we nominate our leaders has become distorted in order to favor incumbents and the establishment so that it is nearly impossible for the will of the people to prevail now.
The government of the United States was not established to be the all-powerful authority over everyone, but rather to be the servant of the people. We, the people, are the sovereign and everyone who works in government is supposed to be working for us. It has now become a runaway monster that is consuming everything in its path. If the people do not rise up to take their authority back, then it will very soon require another revolution to recover democracy in America.
The Foundation of Our Union
The Constitution is the foundation upon which our Federal Government is based, and without the Constitution, our Federal Government no longer has legitimate authority to govern. There has been a long and continuous erosion of the links between the laws and actions of the Federal Government and the Constitution. This decision on same-sex marriage may seem innocuous and even frivolous to most Americans, but it represents such a radical decoupling the Federal Government from the Constitution that it will destroy the legitimacy of the Federal Government if allowed to stand.
The overreach of our Federal Government has put itself in great jeopardy, and in recent years it has divided Americans into factions instead of uniting them. A growing chorus of states is talking seriously about secession, and this is a very real possibility.
Paul the Apostle wrote to Titus that even false prophets can sometimes tell the truth (see Titus 1:12-13). Pravda, the Moscow daily newspaper, has been predicting for years that the United States would break up into several pieces just like the Soviet Union. Their reasoning was not based merely on sour grapes, but on the historically proven consequences of the kind of direction in which our government has been going. To date, we have most alarmingly followed the pattern predicted. We really are close to breaking apart.
Worldview
Islamists consider America “the great Satan” because of our moral and spiritual debauchery that has made us “a homosexual nation”—so perverted that the only remedy is to wipe us off the face of the earth. Their belief about the U.S. has now been affirmed by this Supreme Court decision. This decision will likely make their recruiting to this cause much easier. This is not the only issue fueling these groups, but it is a major one.
This is not to imply we should ever base our laws or domestic policy on what other nations think, but we should understand how we are perceived by the nations and how it will affect our relations with them. This has also been a major wedge driven between the U.S., Russia, and China, as well as Africa and South America. To much of the world, the U.S. and Western Europe now look like Sodom and Gomorrah.
THE ARK, THE FLOOD AND THE RAINBOW
Gen 9:12-17 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth
The new symbol of the gay movement in America is a Rainbow colored flag.
Think about it for a moment, The Rainbow was a symbol used by God to promise that He will no longer destroy the earth with the flood after the flood of Noah's time.
Amazingly this symbol that was meant to remind God of this promise to withhold a certain kind of Judgement from the earth is being used by a movement that is clearly opposed to the God of Heaven who gave the symbol.
I wonder, could American be saying, that they know a judgement will come but remember You(God) promised never to destroy the earth with a flood? or is this meant as a reminder of the days of Noah when the flood destroyed all living and God repented? or Is this a cry for mercy in judgement or the arrogance of a nation to God?
I do not know but America should know that God can not be mocked. What they have sown they will reap in due season.
To the few who stand for God in this Time, The Ark is still available to save. You can enter today and be safe by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. He still saves!!!
PS: After posting this I was made to understand that this symbol of a rainbow has been used by the gay movement all over the world. Also other countries like France legalized this years ago, to this I say that America stands in the spot light now because it declares on its currency 'In God We Trust'. I doubt this is their stance as a Nation or at least I hope this is not.
The new symbol of the gay movement in America is a Rainbow colored flag.
Think about it for a moment, The Rainbow was a symbol used by God to promise that He will no longer destroy the earth with the flood after the flood of Noah's time.
Amazingly this symbol that was meant to remind God of this promise to withhold a certain kind of Judgement from the earth is being used by a movement that is clearly opposed to the God of Heaven who gave the symbol.
I wonder, could American be saying, that they know a judgement will come but remember You(God) promised never to destroy the earth with a flood? or is this meant as a reminder of the days of Noah when the flood destroyed all living and God repented? or Is this a cry for mercy in judgement or the arrogance of a nation to God?
I do not know but America should know that God can not be mocked. What they have sown they will reap in due season.
To the few who stand for God in this Time, The Ark is still available to save. You can enter today and be safe by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. He still saves!!!
PS: After posting this I was made to understand that this symbol of a rainbow has been used by the gay movement all over the world. Also other countries like France legalized this years ago, to this I say that America stands in the spot light now because it declares on its currency 'In God We Trust'. I doubt this is their stance as a Nation or at least I hope this is not.
Wednesday, 25 March 2015
Be Ye Holy Series 4 -POWER TO LIVE HOLY
Gal. 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Have you ever struggled with an addiction or a habit which you seem unable to put an end to? Have you ever made countless resolutions that you end up breaking in the end? I bet almost all of us have experienced this at one time or the other.
Given the above, many have sort by strict adherence and discipline to achieve holy living. While this is commendable(before men at least), I believe that the truest form of holiness lies not in the adherence to rules but in a change of an inner nature. A man may bark like a dog but if he does not have the nature of a dog, he will never be able to live a dogs live to its fullest.
Many have adopted a life style that portrays the holy life but no change in the inner life.
The testimony of the Christian life is not in a changed life but is an Exchanged life.
Please do not misunderstand the statement above to mean that the Christian life would not affect or change you, in all honestly it would kill you!(not literally though) but the life you live would be so far removed from who you were because another person would live His life through you.
Without an exchange of our old nature or live for His(Jesus) life in the practice of holiness, we remain no different from the morally-sound Buddhist monk or other men who are morally sound but not born again.
The power to live a whole life comes from our connection to Jesus and not in the adherence of rules.
Just like the analogy of the computer that I have used through this series, if we open ourselves up to be operated by the Christ, He first of all uninstalls the old software(which is our carnal nature) and installs a new software(His divine nature) in us.
If this exchange does not occur in us, our best efforts at living holy lives would only be futile.
If we allow our lives to be run by Him, then the scriptural passage below becomes true for us:
1Jn 3:9 Those who are children of God do not continue to sin, for God's very nature is in them; and because God is their Father, they cannot continue to sin.
If we ever sin after this it could only mean that we have inserted a new software to operate through us that was never that which He imparts in us.
If you would surrender your ambitions, dreams and all to Him, seeking only to be operated by His Spirit, then can you find the power to live a holy life.
Wednesday, 18 March 2015
Be Ye Holy Series 3:- OWNED BY GOD BUT OPERATED BY WHO?
Rom. 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield
yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey;
whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Still building on the illustration of the computer(I set forth in the previous write up), I would like you to consider that a computer can be owned by one individual and be operated by another.
Please note that the book of Romans was written by Paul to believers in Rome. He wrote in Rom 1:7
To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Though Paul wrote to believers, he tells them that, who they yield themselves to, will determine whose servants they become. In Galatians, he wrote to the believers of being bewitched. That means they have been influenced to live in a certain way by a spirit other than the Holy Spirit. Owned by one yet operated by another.
In some churches today, it is easy to find men who will still lend themselves to be used by the devil.
We all, as believers, must realize that we are bought with a price. Someone died, so we can live.
Its like in all those old movies, where a man is saved from certain death and then he pledges his life to the one who saved him. He lives the rest of his life to serve the purposes of the one that saved him effectively becoming his bond slave. He is bond not by force but is obliged or honor bond to the one who saved him from certain death. That is why Paul spoke of being a bond servant of Christ Jesus.
However, the christian faith demands more from us. Having been saved from certain death, we are not only obliged to follow Christ but to declare his generation. To declare his generation means to live out the life he would have lived if he were still on the earth or to be a continuation of his legacy upon the face of the earth.
Holiness should instill in us the continued awareness that we have been bought with a price and that we are to continue his legacy. It becomes a question of it is not I that lives but Christ. As we invite him into our hearts, we by our continued obedience to his will surrender to Him as His servants. This remains the only reasonable response any believer can give when we consider the price paid.
Jesus has paid the price and if you have accepted His sacrifice then He owns you but in your daily living do you show this? Who operates you? Who determines what you do?
Are you owned by Christ and run by another?
Still building on the illustration of the computer(I set forth in the previous write up), I would like you to consider that a computer can be owned by one individual and be operated by another.
Please note that the book of Romans was written by Paul to believers in Rome. He wrote in Rom 1:7
To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Though Paul wrote to believers, he tells them that, who they yield themselves to, will determine whose servants they become. In Galatians, he wrote to the believers of being bewitched. That means they have been influenced to live in a certain way by a spirit other than the Holy Spirit. Owned by one yet operated by another.
In some churches today, it is easy to find men who will still lend themselves to be used by the devil.
We all, as believers, must realize that we are bought with a price. Someone died, so we can live.
Its like in all those old movies, where a man is saved from certain death and then he pledges his life to the one who saved him. He lives the rest of his life to serve the purposes of the one that saved him effectively becoming his bond slave. He is bond not by force but is obliged or honor bond to the one who saved him from certain death. That is why Paul spoke of being a bond servant of Christ Jesus.
However, the christian faith demands more from us. Having been saved from certain death, we are not only obliged to follow Christ but to declare his generation. To declare his generation means to live out the life he would have lived if he were still on the earth or to be a continuation of his legacy upon the face of the earth.
Holiness should instill in us the continued awareness that we have been bought with a price and that we are to continue his legacy. It becomes a question of it is not I that lives but Christ. As we invite him into our hearts, we by our continued obedience to his will surrender to Him as His servants. This remains the only reasonable response any believer can give when we consider the price paid.
Jesus has paid the price and if you have accepted His sacrifice then He owns you but in your daily living do you show this? Who operates you? Who determines what you do?
Are you owned by Christ and run by another?
Be Ye Holy Series 2 - HOLINESS BY CHOICE
Rom. 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
The clearest illustration of Holiness I have heard of in recent times, is that of a computer(heard it in an excellent teaching on Holiness by Apostle Arome Osayi, though I have expanded the initial illustration a little).
I will use this illustration as a reference point throughout the rest of these series. So your understanding of the illustration will be the key to understanding the entire series.
A computer could be put to several uses. It could be used to design webpages, prepare documents, store data; explore social media, skype etc. (I guess you get the general idea.) The only restriction the computer has is what type of program is installed in it. The type of program installed is in turn determined by who owns the computer or who will use it.
If the owner of the computer is a graphic designer;you would expect that he would have such softwares as help his profession. There may be several other programs that the computer can run, alongside the graphic designing software but it will be constrained to function as the user wants it. Hence the choice of program to be run by a computer is not dependent on the computers capacity but on its operator. Even though I have several programs on this computer, some of them I do not explore that often.If a program does not suit my purpose I can uninstall it.
What does the explanation above have to do with the topic of this write -up you may ask?
Well, you are that computer! Depending on who runs you or who you lend your body to, you will get an output,that is either holy or unholy. Like Paul said in the scriptural passage above.
If like the computer, you decide to install pornography in your "system"(by watching it); you expose yourself to an operator that finds that "program" useful. Many find that they are bond by addictions that they accommodated for long periods and fed. Hence an operator has come to fully utilize this program.
As a human being, you are physically capable of doing a lot of things but as a child of God, you must for the love of God deny yourself the explorations of these things. Do not install that software!
For instance, as a man I may have the capacity to chase after ladies but capacity should not determine what I do. As a fine young lady, you can deplore your body to seduce and attract to yourself any young man you want. You have that in built capacity. Once you wear a dress that exposes your curves you could easily gain the attention of any man but I ask again, the fact that you can do it does it mean it should be done?
That it can be done is not the only thing to consider, also consider if it should be done.
Satan is concerned with ability or power. If something can be done he believes it should be done. He said to Jesus, turn these stones to bread. Why not use the power that God gave you to do this? But Jesus was more concerned about authority. Who gave the authorization for this to be done? Who is the one that is running the software on this system.
Friend, Your life will serve a purpose but it all depends on whom you yield it to.
Holiness is a choice you make of whom you lend your capabilities to.
The clearest illustration of Holiness I have heard of in recent times, is that of a computer(heard it in an excellent teaching on Holiness by Apostle Arome Osayi, though I have expanded the initial illustration a little).
I will use this illustration as a reference point throughout the rest of these series. So your understanding of the illustration will be the key to understanding the entire series.
A computer could be put to several uses. It could be used to design webpages, prepare documents, store data; explore social media, skype etc. (I guess you get the general idea.) The only restriction the computer has is what type of program is installed in it. The type of program installed is in turn determined by who owns the computer or who will use it.
If the owner of the computer is a graphic designer;you would expect that he would have such softwares as help his profession. There may be several other programs that the computer can run, alongside the graphic designing software but it will be constrained to function as the user wants it. Hence the choice of program to be run by a computer is not dependent on the computers capacity but on its operator. Even though I have several programs on this computer, some of them I do not explore that often.If a program does not suit my purpose I can uninstall it.
What does the explanation above have to do with the topic of this write -up you may ask?
Well, you are that computer! Depending on who runs you or who you lend your body to, you will get an output,that is either holy or unholy. Like Paul said in the scriptural passage above.
If like the computer, you decide to install pornography in your "system"(by watching it); you expose yourself to an operator that finds that "program" useful. Many find that they are bond by addictions that they accommodated for long periods and fed. Hence an operator has come to fully utilize this program.
As a human being, you are physically capable of doing a lot of things but as a child of God, you must for the love of God deny yourself the explorations of these things. Do not install that software!
For instance, as a man I may have the capacity to chase after ladies but capacity should not determine what I do. As a fine young lady, you can deplore your body to seduce and attract to yourself any young man you want. You have that in built capacity. Once you wear a dress that exposes your curves you could easily gain the attention of any man but I ask again, the fact that you can do it does it mean it should be done?
That it can be done is not the only thing to consider, also consider if it should be done.
Satan is concerned with ability or power. If something can be done he believes it should be done. He said to Jesus, turn these stones to bread. Why not use the power that God gave you to do this? But Jesus was more concerned about authority. Who gave the authorization for this to be done? Who is the one that is running the software on this system.
Friend, Your life will serve a purpose but it all depends on whom you yield it to.
Holiness is a choice you make of whom you lend your capabilities to.
BE YE HOLY series 1-TRUE NATURE OF HOLINESS
1 Pet. 1:14-16: As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation: Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
Holiness. As a believer the importance of this word should not be lost on us.We are called a peculiar people and a holy nation. Holiness should be our lifestyle and our call is to be holy as our God is holy. Having said the above, I would like to ask, what does it mean to be holy?
Many associate holiness to a mode of dressing, a carriage or a solemn disposition while holiness will affect a believers dressing, carriage or disposition. These things should only be the outward working of that which is taking place on his inside.Holy living will affect your outward appearance. So many have set out strict rules in other to conform to God's standard of holiness. Morally sound principles are being put forward and legalism is fed large in our churches today. if these moral standards are adhered to without first an inner working in the life of the believer we become legalistic and carnal
Last Sunday, I sat in church to a teaching on Holiness and this teaching stirred my desire to learn more.
I have seen morally sound men and women who are not yielded to Christ. In fact their level of morality seems to exceed that of a believer. Jesus spoke of the righteousness that the Pharisee had and if you ever get to hear of the disciplines of a lot of Buddhist monks you would come to the conclusion that if a christian can attain such level of discipline then he will be perfect.
So my first question is this: what does Holiness truly mean?
I will attempt to define holiness as that thing which is of one sort or one source. it is homogenous in nature. Holiness means that a thing is reserved or kept aside for only one use. These definitions address two things: Source and reservation.
All true holiness must have its source from God; for as the bible says it is He that works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Any holiness whose source is not from God is legalistic self righteousness and can only amount to filthy rags before God.
Have you been trying by rules and regulations to meet Gods standard? Do you seek by pious observation and strict discipline to attend what is freely given by grace? Do you trust your own ability rather than the mercy that God provides?
Let God be your source and He will live out His life through you.
Also a truly Holy person understands that he is reserved or meant to be operated by one Spirit and that is the Spirit of God. He avoids places or things that would bring another influence upon his life.
Based on this description, ask yourself are you holy? Are you of one sort or are you one person in church and quite another outside Church? Are you reserved for one use or do you deploy yourself to all and every kind of use? Are you committed to serving the purposes of God or the World?
To be continued......
Holiness. As a believer the importance of this word should not be lost on us.We are called a peculiar people and a holy nation. Holiness should be our lifestyle and our call is to be holy as our God is holy. Having said the above, I would like to ask, what does it mean to be holy?
Many associate holiness to a mode of dressing, a carriage or a solemn disposition while holiness will affect a believers dressing, carriage or disposition. These things should only be the outward working of that which is taking place on his inside.Holy living will affect your outward appearance. So many have set out strict rules in other to conform to God's standard of holiness. Morally sound principles are being put forward and legalism is fed large in our churches today. if these moral standards are adhered to without first an inner working in the life of the believer we become legalistic and carnal
Last Sunday, I sat in church to a teaching on Holiness and this teaching stirred my desire to learn more.
I have seen morally sound men and women who are not yielded to Christ. In fact their level of morality seems to exceed that of a believer. Jesus spoke of the righteousness that the Pharisee had and if you ever get to hear of the disciplines of a lot of Buddhist monks you would come to the conclusion that if a christian can attain such level of discipline then he will be perfect.
So my first question is this: what does Holiness truly mean?
I will attempt to define holiness as that thing which is of one sort or one source. it is homogenous in nature. Holiness means that a thing is reserved or kept aside for only one use. These definitions address two things: Source and reservation.
All true holiness must have its source from God; for as the bible says it is He that works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Any holiness whose source is not from God is legalistic self righteousness and can only amount to filthy rags before God.
Have you been trying by rules and regulations to meet Gods standard? Do you seek by pious observation and strict discipline to attend what is freely given by grace? Do you trust your own ability rather than the mercy that God provides?
Let God be your source and He will live out His life through you.
Also a truly Holy person understands that he is reserved or meant to be operated by one Spirit and that is the Spirit of God. He avoids places or things that would bring another influence upon his life.
Based on this description, ask yourself are you holy? Are you of one sort or are you one person in church and quite another outside Church? Are you reserved for one use or do you deploy yourself to all and every kind of use? Are you committed to serving the purposes of God or the World?
To be continued......
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