WHAT IS YOUR REALITY/TRUTH?

John 18:38 (TLB)

“WHAT IS TRUTH?” Pilate exclaimed. Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime.”

Growing up as a Christian, one thing I have had to battle with constantly is “faith statements” or “prophetic declarations.” Then, each time I stood my grounds to make such assertions, I always hear an annoyingly loud voice in my head commanding me to stop joking and be realistic like every other normal human being walking the earth. And each time I try to make a case for the declarations, the voice begins to present facts both in audio and visual forms.

For example, the pastor leads us to declare: “I am not poor; I am rich. I will not die untimely; I will live long. I am not a failure; I am a success. I am not cursed; I am blessed beyond measure in Christ. etc.” The minute we take our seats after those powerful declarations, I will hear that annoyingly loud voice saying, “You are rich yet you are hungry and don’t have a job. You will live long yet you are sick and that sickness according to statistics is killing people faster than you think. You are a success yet everything you touch fails. You are blessed beyond measure yet people can’t stand your presence because of the bad luck you carry.” And each statement is backed with a good picture of a current or past situation in my life that makes me eventually accept the reality/truth presented.

And this happens to be the current situation/challenge many Christians are facing in their Christian walk today. 

When the subject of truth comes to play in the life of a Christian, there is but One (John 1:17/14:6); He came in the form of a man, walked on this earth, was crucified, died, was buried, but He resurrected on the third day and is now seated at the right hand of God, the Father. His name is JESUS! He is the Living Word of God. He is the Light of the World. He is the Living Bread. He is the Living Water. Until a Christian fully accepts Him, that is, grants Him access into his/her life, his/her reality/truth will remain distorted for life. He/she will continue to walk in this world’s reality/truth instead of the reality/truth He came on this earth to present.

In His short life on this earth, He presented a snippet of the reality/truth the world would benefit from if it would only accept Him as the Son of God and believe in the only true God who sent Him.
He came to a world with various incurable sicknesses and diseases, yet He showed another where every sickness and disease has a cure (Matthew 4:23). He came to a world where demonic possession was a lifestyle; yet He showed another where demons trembled at His presence (Mark 1:23-26). He came to a world where fear was the only reaction when the elements of nature act up; yet He showed another where the elements of nature listen to its creator (Matthew 8:23-27). He came to a world where it was never possible to walk on water; yet He showed another where at His word and concentration on Him it was easy to do the same (Matthew 14:25-29). He came to a world where death was the end of life; yet He showed another where the dead could be brought back to life at His word (Matthew 9:23-25). He came to a world where one needed a year’s income to feed over five thousand people; yet He showed another where five loaves and two fishes were enough to overfeed over five thousand people (Matthew 14:15-21).

He lived in the same world, we live in today, yet walked in a different reality/truth. He listened to the facts, but He didn’t accept them as His reality/truth. He only believed in the reality/truth presented by His Heavenly Father.

Again, I ask, what is your reality/truth? What is real/factual to you? What the world is presenting as truth or what the Lord is presenting as truth according to His Living Word?

Yes, I heard you when you said you are sick or feeling pains. Yes, I have seen the doctor’s report. Yes, I have seen the X-ray of that cancer. Yes, I have seen the test results. Yes, I saw you hungry and helpless. Yes, I can see that the women in the family are barren. Yes, I can see the business going down the drain. Yes, I can see the landlady/landlord giving you the final eviction notice. Yes, I can see you in the wheelchair. Yes, I can see that the men in the family die at age 50. Yes, I can see that the arm is broken. Yes! I can see that you are addicted to that hard substance. Yes, I can see all of that.

What I am refusing to do is to accept the reality/truth you are presenting. All I see is the reality/truth Jesus keeps presenting to me through His Living Word. In His reality/truth, I can choose never to be sick. I can choose to live long. I can choose to have my body parts replaced if the need arises. I can choose to have my provision daily. I can choose to have every problem bow to its knee at the mention of His name. Those are His promises to me. And that is my reality as a child of God. I walk not by what I see, feel, taste, smell, or touch; I walk by what He says.

Yes, sometimes I felt I was stupid for saying things that were not as though they were. And truth be told, most times, that annoyingly loud voice made so much sense to me as compared to the other which kept encouraging me to keep speaking and trusting in those assertions. But each time I kept at those declarations, I felt that strong sense of painting a picture on a black canvas with black paint. I may not see what I am painting, but it doesn’t also mean I am not painting a picture. If a strong light should be provided, the painting would be visible. 

Blessed as we are, our Savior and Master is the Light of the World. Keep painting on the black canvas with the black paint you have, His Light will make it visible at the right time.

Remain in the blessings of the Lord as you remain in Christ.

MD.

PICTURE THIS:

In the Gospel of John chapter eighteen verse twenty-eight downwards, we see Jesus being escorted to Pilate’s palace for His trial. After Pilate questions His accusers, Pilate takes Jesus aside to have a tete-a-tete. During that short conversation which was to ascertain the veracity of Him being the “King of the Jews,” Pilate ends the conversation with a rhetorical question – WHAT IS TRUTH? And this was after Jesus had said this to him, “Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.”

From that statement, Pilate found his truth. It, therefore, came as no surprise to me when he boldly posted a sign over Jesus reading, “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” When asked by the chief priests to change it, Pilate made this bold statement, “WHAT I HAVE WRITTEN, I HAVE WRITTEN. IT STAYS EXACTLY AS IT IS.” (John 19:19-22)

Learn from Pilate. Learn to stick to the realities/truths you find after interacting with the Living Word.

PRAYER:

My Heavenly Father, grant me the grace to stand my grounds when it comes to what you have declared as my realities/truths in your Living Word in Jesus' name.

WEEKEND RANTS #1 - THE TWO GOD THEORY

Malachi 3:6 (TLB)

“For I am the Lord – I DO NOT CHANGE. That is why you are not already utterly destroyed, for my mercy endures forever.

Who came up with this “Old Testament God” versus “New Testament God” balderdash? Who is making you think the God you are worshipping today has transitioned or changed in some way to meet your standard or come to your “level” as some will put it? Who is filling your head with such messages? Why are you believing that a mere human whose intellectual prowess is as minute as a grain of sand at the seashore or as a droplet of water in an ocean if it should ever be compared to that of God?

There has been, there is and forever will be one God in the universe. He is the Creator of the Heavens and the earth. He alone owns the intellectual property rights to every single thing we see, feel, smell, hear, and taste. He alone is the great provider. He alone is the great protector. He alone is the great revelator. He alone is the great warrior. He alone is the great judge. He alone is the truth, mercy, grace, wisdom, etc. He alone is who He says He is. He alone is God.

God has not changed and God will never change. The same God who opened the mouth of the earth to swallow offenders is the same God who gave His only Son as a sin offering for sinners to be made right with Him. He is the same God who has created hell for those who will not accept His Son and live as He has stated. And He is also the same God who has created heaven for those who would accept His Son and live to please Him.

The same “Old testament God” who many have tagged as wicked and heartless because of certain bible stories handpicked to affirm some bias notion is the same “New Testament God” they have tagged as loving, caring, or kind.

But, if you think the “Old Testament God” was not loving, caring or kind, please consider only the book of Hosea and let’s have a conversation.

GOD WILL NEVER CHANGE. HE IS THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER.

Remain in the blessings of the Lord as you remain in Christ.

MD.

PICTURE THIS: The same God who drove His Creation from the Garden of Eden for disobeying a direct order was the same God kind enough to clothe them before their departure. 

Throughout the old testament, this “Old Testament God” who has been tagged as wicked and heartless is the same God who has been screaming for His Creation to return to the same Eden, He drove them from. Which wicked and heartless being would ever do that?

WHY IS MY LOVE FOR GOD GROWING COLD?

Luke 7:47 (GNT)              

I tell you, then, the great love she has shown proves that her many sins have been forgiven. But whoever has been forgiven little shows only a little love.

Have you ever had that one friend who is always finding a new way to show appreciation for something you are even shy to talk about because to you, it was no big deal? For example, that friend needed one hundred Ghana cedis badly and you, at the moment he/she was asking, had ten thousand Ghana cedis so giving that one hundred Ghana cedis meant nothing to you. Yet for some strange reason, that friend is so touched about that kind gesture that each time he/she meets you, he/she wants everyone to know what you did and how he/she appreciates it. It may not have been money; it could have been that clothing or gadget you didn’t want or thought was useless. To you it was nothing, yet it meant the world to him/her. And to show his/her appreciation, he/she keeps saying it every time and everywhere. 

The truth is, the value of a gift is not determined by the giver but by the recipient. How he/she reacts shows how grateful or ungrateful he/she is for that particular gift or kind gesture.  And that is the case of this woman who had come to meet Jesus in the house of Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:36-50). 

The first thing you should know about this woman and this man is that the woman was a known sinner in the city and the man a reputable servant of God in that same city. That is, she was known in the whole of Accra or Tema or Takoradi or Kumasi as a sinner. I mean, every single person – baby, boy, girl, woman, man, grandpa and grandma – knew about her and her licentious activities. She was a “famous sinner”. And this famous sinner had the audacity to enter the house of an eminent and esteemed Man of God in that same city who was hosting Jesus. 

According to the passage, this “famous sinner” came into the house holding an alabaster box of ointment - the modern equivalent of the most expensive perfume. When she got into the house of Simon the Pharisee, she knelt behind Jesus at his feet, weeping, with her tears falling down upon his feet; and she wiped them off with her hair. She kissed his feet and then poured the perfume on them. While this was going on, Simon the Pharisee made this strong statement to the hearing of all present, “This proves that Jesus is no prophet, for if God had really sent Him, He would know what kind of woman this one is!” If Simon the Pharisee had known that Jesus was sent by God to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21), he wouldn’t have made that irrational statement. But reading the passage and knowing Jesus, He had the right response to keep Simon the Pharisee thinking. According to Jesus, the very things the “famous sinner” did to Him the time she had the opportunity to meet Him were the exact things Simon the Pharisee refused to do to Him when He entered his house though it was customary.

This clearly represents two types of Christians: the one who had to find Jesus, and the one who had Jesus all along. 

Most of the Christians we see today who are zealously worshipping the Lord in truth like they have no other option(s) are those who had tried it all. They thought happiness was in a fat bank account, highest academic achievement, luxurious properties, a green alcoholic bottle, the ends of a wrapped paper, between the legs of a woman, watching naked bodies, stealing the hard sweat of others, killing, among many others. At their darkest moment when they thought all was lost, they heard of Jesus. They did all they could to meet Him. And when they did, like the “famous sinner”, they gave their all to show their appreciation to this wonderful man who also gave up everything to reconcile them with their Heavenly Father.

The other Christian who had Jesus all along is the one who may have been introduced to God and church activities very early. He/she may have had Christian parents or siblings or relatives who made it difficult to miss a church meeting or a Christian gathering. Like Simon the Pharisee, most of these people haven’t yet found the value of Jesus in their lives. To him/her, Jesus is like any other prophet/guest and must be treated as such. To him/her, getting Jesus to come around is no big deal so why make a special occasion out of it. And to these people, Jesus says, “I tell you, then, the great love she has shown proves that her many sins have been forgiven. But whoever has been forgiven little shows only a little love.”

In other words, how our love for God or our worship grows cold or remains constant is dependent on how big/small we saw our sins when we met Jesus. 

For Christians who were like the "famous sinner", they know how big their sins were because they had been judged by the world and by the Word of God. These were the adulterers, fornicators, murderers, serial killers, rapists, armed robbers, terrorists, homosexuals, among others. In the eyes of the world, such people must have no place in society. For this Christian, the gift of Jesus still means the world to him/her. If not for Jesus, he/she would have been lost forever. To that, he/she would do anything to remind him/herself of what Jesus has done for him/her and to also tell others like him/herself who would benefit immensely from Him. 

For Christians who are/were like Simon the Pharisee, they have been living a morally upright life from the very day they were born. Their biggest sin could have been a lie to have a candy or to take the juice from the fridge without telling mum or dad. In the eyes of the world, their little errors change nothing in society because their several good actions outshine those little errors. To this Christian, please carefully consider the next paragraph.

We are not sinners because we committed a sin. No! We are sinners because we are of Adam. The day we accepted Jesus Christ, we were instantly made right with God and were translated from the kingdom of darkness (satan) to the kingdom of light (God). Though most of the people who give their all to worship and serve God in truth are those who feel they were worthless and were on the highway to hell; the truth is, “Every Christian was once worthless and was headed for hell because he/she did not know Jesus Christ and had not accepted Him as his/her Savior and Lord.” It had nothing to do with what we were doing before we met Jesus; it had everything to do with what Adam did. 

If we didn't know Jesus Christ and should have lived a morally upright life before we died, we would have been in hell with the murderer we hated so much for mass killing.

If we can come to understand that we were all on the highway to hell irrespective of the lives we lived before meeting JESUS, our love for God would never diminish. We will keep finding new ways to show our appreciation each day for the gift of JESUS.

Remain in the blessings of the Lord as you remain in Christ.

MD.

HOW MY LATE FATHER TAUGHT ME “THE FEAR OF GOD”

LUKE 12:5 (TLB)       But I’ll tell you whom to fear – fear God who has the power to kill and then cast into hell.

It was one cool evening in one of the residential areas in Accra. The sun was slowly being swallowed by the earth. Darkness was gradually taking control of the sky. At the rooftop of my father's house sat my little brother and me as we tried our best to enjoy the boring evening view of this “dry” neighborhood. This happened to be our spot anytime daddy and mummy were busy with visitors, and this evening they happened to have had one and as culture demands from every “good” child, we had to excuse them. Sincerely, being away from daddy especially was a breath of fresh air; especially when he is not in a good mood. With me, daddy was never in a good mood when his children were around him. He always had the face of a man irritated by the presence of houseflies. So, anytime I found myself away from him, it could be compared to that housefly that was so glad that it missed that heavy swat by an inch.

As we enjoyed the view from the rooftop, one of our next-door neighbor’s daughter, the eldest who I happened to be of the same age with, came to join us. Though it was normal for her to come to the house, we were surprised to see her at that particular time since darkness had almost taken control of the sky. We did not complain because we thought she had met dad, mum, and the visitors who were sitting directly facing the gate before coming in. Little did I know that my worst nightmare was to happen in a few minutes.

It is true that time flies when a boy and a girl meet. Unknown to us, we had been at the rooftop till 7pm. This was abnormal because my brother and myself do not usually sit there after 6pm because of mosquitoes. And for some strange reason, we have been there till 7pm. Dad, who was at this time a bit worried, yells my name from where he was sitting. I quickly run off leaving my little brother and the lady.

Thinking I was quick to get to him when he called, I was wrong. According to daddy, he had been yelling for some minutes. I didn’t want to worsen the anger so I quickly apologized. Since he knew that I was there with my little brother, he asked that I called him so we can go and get our favorite Hausa Koko for supper. Now, this is where I made the greatest mistake in my life. Instead of calling my little brother and the lady, my naïve little-self went to call my little brother, who also foolishly left the lady there with the excuse of returning in a minute. The minute we walked out of the gate to go and get the porridge, we knew we were up for trouble. For five minutes we stood in front of the gate wondering if we should go back in and come out with the lady. But the thought of daddy’s mood just made it difficult to accept that option. I called the lady on the phone and asked her to come out so we go and get the porridge together. Without hesitation, she was quick to add that she could not come out because she was also scared of dad. At this point, I wished I had Harry Potter’s invisible cloak.

Then the final option came to mind – “Madam-I-do-not-fear-anything”. If you are guessing who that is, that is the lady’s little sister. Like my brother, she was two years younger and she was scared of nothing. I mean, if Hitler stood at one corner and asked that no one disturbed him with questions and unfortunately for Hitler she had a question, she would disturb him with that particular question till he gives her an answer. And she happened to be a very close friend of my dad because of that. When she comes to the house and meets dad, they could talk like colleagues trying to catch up with life after some years. 

We quickly went to their house to narrate our little “wahala” to her. Without a word, she walked past us, went into our house and within minutes came out dragging her shy sister behind. Embarrassed but glad, we asked her how it went and she just smiled. We laughed it off and went with them to get the porridge. I had totally forgotten that the ladies had set a bomb in the house for me. Again, we took forever buying the porridge. When we had seen the ladies off and finally arrived at our gate, reality hit me like never before. As I stretched my hand to open the gate, my prayer was for my dad to be in the room preparing for bed.

I was very sure the devil had given himself a seat at one side of the house and was sipping on a glass of champagne when I opened the gate and dad was right there facing the gate. In my mind, I had selected a good spot for myself at the Awudome Cemetery, my coffin design and was ready for the death sentence. The first quick strategy was to act like nothing had happened. But daddy was not ready to let this go. He was not ready to let this slide like that. It was the first time his first son had brought a lady to the house at night and he needed to address the issue as a responsible father before his house turns into a brothel in the near future.

DAD: So, you were bold enough to take a lady to my room when I stepped out for some minutes and when I came yelling your name, you told me you were at the rooftop with your brother?

(At this time, my little brother just accepted his role as the victim. He silently took his seat by dad and watched the scene unfold.)

ME: Daddy…

DAD: Shut up!

STEP MUM: O Emmanuel! How can you say that? He wouldn’t do that.

(Anytime mummy comes in, we knew we would walk free. But no! Like I said, the devil was not ready to end his movie too soon for any emergency.)

DAD: Now, if this is the life you want to live, listen to me very carefully. If any lady should call you with a pregnancy report, let these words ring in your ear immediately – I HAVE DISOWNED YOU! Do you hear me?

STEP MUM: O Emmanuel!

To this, my little brother helps him to his feet and escorts him to the room with step-mum following. I stood there and watched them go as if my feet had been held by a shackle. This was the first time my dad was threatening me, and instead of threatening me with death, he rather threatens to “DISOWN/ABANDON”.

The question I asked myself was, “Is dad already fed up with me in his life?”

I was around 13/14years when dad said those words to me. And like magic, those words kept my third leg in check for some good years. The devil created all the avenues for a good show, but each time I thought of those four words, the lady immediately looked like my dad. If you have watched “Truth or Dare”, you would understand me. We would do every other thing but immediately sex came up, I would see dad repeating those words.

Growing up as a Christian, the Lord has used that incident to teach me about the “FEAR OF GOD”. If I was not ready to lose my earthly father by impregnating a lady, then how much more my Heavenly Father? 

According to the teachings of Jesus, the sign of true love for someone is in the keeping or doing of the commandment(s) set by the one you claim to love (John 14:15). And this doing and keeping of commandment(s) totally has nothing to do with what one feels and wants; it has everything to do with what the person one claims to love feels and wants.

What we have ignorantly come to label as “old testament doctrine” is, in fact, the definition of “True Love” biblically. Instead of doing what pleases God, we do what pleases us and claim to love God. Meanwhile, the ABSENCE OF “THE FEAR OF GOD (LOVE FOR GOD)” is the reason we live as we please and not as it pleases God.

To fear God is to love God. To love God is to do as He wishes.

Remain in the blessings of the Lord as you remain in Christ.

MD.

JESUS, I WILL TRY AGAIN.

“Sir,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if You say so, WE’LL TRY AGAIN.”

Luke 5:5 (TLB)

Thanks to my step mum, Mama Mercy, I encountered the mercy of God at the age of 12. I officially recited the sinners’ prayer at the then Winners Chapel International Headquarters, now Winners Chapel Ghana. Though I have been going to church since birth, this was a special year and it was all joy for me. I was so eager to work for God that I lied about my age to the Teens’ Department Head of CCU to join the team. Before that, from the day I walked into Winners Chapel with my step mum I had hated children’s service that I mostly spent my offering outside till service ended. If I couldn’t stay with her in the adult service, then it was time to visit the food sellers outside. So, when I finally accepted Christ, I had to find a way to run from children’s service to join the Teens’ Church because it was almost like the main church; they had their own choir, ushers, CCU, etc. Looking back, I really regret running from the children's service. I would have curbed most of the troubles I later encountered in my Christian walk if I had started from the children’s service for the nitty-gritty of Christianity.

Anyway, as a member of the Crown Control Unit (CCU), it was part of my duty to be present always to arrange the chairs before and after service, and to be on watch during service for any strange happenings. The best part of joining the team wasn’t the work, it was the way each member of the team was treated as a member of a nuclear family in the midst of an extended one. One thing most churches today are missing out on strategically. Our team leader was so concerned about each one of us that we just couldn’t miss our meeting day – Saturdays. Though the church met during the week, Saturdays were our official meeting day to prepare for the teens' Sunday service. And these were the meetings our leader, Aaron, will share his Christian faith and some stories to encourage our faith. There were days I had to walk from Mataheko to North Kaneshie industrial area just to join this new family I had found and felt attached to.

Fast forward some months or years later, my dad asked us not to attend any Nigerian church again (I still can’t explain because I still don’t have the full story). Just like that, I was forced to stop attending Winners Chapel. Dad was barely in the country for a month or two, but for some strange reason, I thought he would notice if I disobeyed him. Though I later attended Pure Fire Ministries (I joined them at Circle before they officially moved to their permanent location at Achimota), Foursquare Gospel Church (the Mataheko branch); I did not enjoy the intimacy I had encountered at the Winners Chapel teens' church that shaped and encouraged my faith. At both churches, there was a teen church but again it was nothing like what I had experienced at Winners Chapel. (Please, I am in no way trying to belittle or tarnish the image of these churches; I am only sharing a sincere opinion.)

At this juncture, I had to take my faith journey into my own hands.  And as ignorant as I was then, I tried to make up several rules and vows to keep myself morally correct in the eyes of all.  And as you guessed rightly, I failed at every one of them miserably. The little boy who was then so eager each day to tell others about Christ was now toying with two or more immoralities each day. I was now going to church because it was a requirement at home instead of it being out of eagerness to assemble with other Christian brothers and sisters to share our faith and encourage each other. And, since it was a requirement, I wanted to find a way to make good use of it. Without thinking twice, I decided to make it a preying ground for ladies. At that young age, I had already started drinking alcohol, watching pornography, gambling, etc with no hesitation. I had tasted beer, gin, kasapreko, etc. Twice in JHS, I was caught and punished for drinking alcohol. In JHS 1 for example, I was part of a group of students who were caught for drinking palm wine during “Our Day” (the last day celebration we have at the end of each term). Though we were to face discipline the following term, it didn’t stop me from drinking some more after school. I got home drunk and drowsy. As I made my way into the house through my step mum’s shop which was in front of the main house, I stopped at the exit which led to the main house and slept. Luckily for me, my dad and step mum were in Dubai. My sister took me to the bathroom, bathed me, clothed me, fed me, and asked me to promise her never to repeat it again. My dad died never knowing about it.

What am I driving at with the above story? From the age of 12 till today, I can say I have recited the sinners’ prayer more than ten (10) times. Each time I have vowed to God never to repeat the old life. And like a song on auto-repeat, the same lifestyle is repeated or another thing pulls me back. Sometimes or often than not, the experiences are worse than before. Though I feel disgusted and rejected, I have always sensed the Lord still stretching His hand and pleading with me to come back to Him. There were times I told Him I needed to work on myself before coming back to Him again and all He would say is, “No, come the way you are and let Me do the perfect cleansing.” For the days I refused, I had ended up in the worst state that it again took only His Grace and Love to get me out of those ragged experiences. I have ever since stopped depending on my strength or some rules and regulations to look perfect in the eyes of men. My agenda has and will forever be one – “To please God through Christ”. If along the way I make mistakes or fall out, I will keep trying as long as I can still hear Him calling out for me from the Cross. Like Peter, I will try again because He has promised never to leave me nor forsake me.

If you are reading this and you are thinking you are of no use to God because you have fallen out after making this or that vow or failing to abide by the six hundred or ten commandments, I want to tell you this, “Jesus is still calling out from the Cross. He wants to remind you of the reason He left eternity into time – ‘To save you from your sins.’ He allowed those lashes which ripped the flesh off his back because He was thinking of this moment. He endured the excruciating pain of nails going through his palms to keep yours perfectly opened and sealed to hold on to His love. He hanged on a cross naked to cover yours. The least you can do for Him now is to try again. Do not give up on your faith or on yourself. Ask for His forgiveness and depend on Him to cleanse you. Jesus still loves you. Make that commitment to try again no matter what others will say.”

NB: If you are not depending on the Holy Spirit as a believer, you will always fall no matter the rules or regulations you adhere to. We can do all things through the Spirit of Christ who strengthens us from within, not through rules/vows which strengthens us from without.

Remain in the blessings of the Lord as you remain in Christ.

MD