PRAISE REPORT

Jesus Christ says: “I was naked, and you gave Me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for Me. I was in prison, and you visited Me” (Mt 25:36)

Last Friday, our church went to do ministry at the Warri Okere Prisons. All the male prisoners were gathered in their open hall and waiting. There is a great revival going on there. Pastor Leigh preached a message of salvation. He told them that God arrested them to talk to them. That it is better to be in prison and become saved by Jesus Christ, than to be ‘free’ walking in the town and maybe killed by police. At the end Pastor gave an altar call and many came forward to give their lives to Christ. They prayed and prayed with loud voices and tears. Their ‘prison pastor’ brought a plate for offerings. My husband and our church members were surprised to see that the prisoners had money and gave offerings. (The money was for their prison pastor and his ministry and not for our church.)

The next day, the prison pastor called to say that one of our church members forgot his Bible there. The prisoners found it and returned it to him. Inside the Bible they found 700 Naira. They gave the Bible and the money to their prison pastor. This is a miracle. They could have stolen the Bible and the money but they did not.

God bless the prisoners in Okere Prison Warri, especially the ones who are children of God!

To God be all the glory! In Jesus name, amen!

“A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much… I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak” (PV 20:19; Mt 12:36)

Gossip is idle talk or rumor, especially about the private affairs of others. It is the work of the devil, a form of spiritual attack. The Hebrew word is defined as “one who reveals secrets, one who goes about as a talebearer or scandal-monger.” A gossiper is a person who has privileged information about people and proceeds to reveal that information to those who have no business knowing it. Gossip is more than just sharing information. The intent of the gossipers is evil! Their desire is to build themselves up by making others look bad; by exalting themselves to be like God, as the source of all knowledge and secrets. Gossipers speak of the faults of others, revealing potentially embarrassing details about the lives of others without their knowledge or approval.

In the book of Romans, Paul reveals the sinful nature of mankind, stating how God poured out His wrath on those who rejected His laws. Because of that He gave them over to their sinful natures. The terrible list of sins includes gossips and slanderers (Romans 1:29-32). We see from this passage how serious the sin of gossip is and that it characterizes those who are under God’s wrath. Men and women practice gossip. But the single or divorced women and also young widows have a higher tendency to gossip because they have more time to spend with one another and learn to talk too much. This is how they bring God’s judgment on themselves (1Tim 5:13).

Gossip is a very dangerous activity. It is a slow poison poured in the midst of families and church. Gossip may look like innocent entertainment but it is sin and God hates it! Because gossip is ‘sweet’ it becomes more addictive that heroin. Demons take control over the heart and the tongue. The character of the persons practicing gossip changes radically. They become trouble makers, liars, boasters, proud and lazy. Gossips need deliverance in the name of Jesus! (PV 18:8). The gossips become traitors, home-breakers, deeply hurting many (PV 11:13; 12:18; 20:19). The gossips ignite quarrels and divisions. They destroy friendships and can lead couples to divorce (PV 16:28; 26:20). The gossips are cowards, untrustworthy and rebellious people. They reject God’s law that says ‘love your neighbor as yourself’.  In fact, they hate their neighbors unto death. God is watching and we are to pay for every careless word we speak! “Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people. Do not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is threatened. I am the LORD” (Lev 19:16; NLT)

What is the solution? Hope and healing is found in Christ alone! If you are a gossip, repent of the sin and turn away from it. Come to Jesus! Stop this wicked, restless and reckless way of life. Settle down! Learn to walk in the Spirit and live a godly life! If you are not a gossip but you have friends who practice this sin, then separate immediately from them. Do not associate with them so that they may feel ashamed of their conduct. The Holy Spirit will convict them of sin and He will vindicate your choice to withdraw from them. In this way, you avoid evil and you cut off the possibility of hurting your emotions, your marriage and your children (1Thess 3:6-15)! God will help you!

“Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer” (Dan 10:23)

Intercession is a blessed work. The greatest favor and love you can show to someone is to pray for him or her. The devil hates it! But keep on praying! When you pray for someone, learn to keep your eyes on Jesus! Stay focused! Be patient, loving and faithful! The devil attacks with doubts and distractions. Do not get lost in details. Persevere in prayer and you shall be rewarded with God’s presence and a testimony.

The following examples are taken from my ministry as a wife and as a pastor. These are to encourage you to persevere in prayer. The first example: your husband is passive spiritually. You pray for him to be a man of God. Then one day he buys a religious book that is not a Christian book. Or he starts praying in a way that is not good, or he wants to attend a ‘dead’ church.  Do not panic! Encourage him in his efforts. After many ups and downs he will arrive at Jesus and become born again. The second example: your husband is not loving or romantic but you want him to be. You pray for him! One day he invites you to the wrong restaurant or buys for you a gift you hate, trying to be romantic. Do not complain! Encourage him. It takes great effort to improve in life. This is the third example: your husband is lazy and you pray that he will become more responsible. He needs to work so that he can provide for the home. Suddenly, he accepts a wrong job (according to you). Do not be discouraged! God is working in mysterious ways! He may have to learn from a wrong job with a wicked boss.  But the wrong job will force him to wake up in the morning and go to work. That is already a gain. It may be a little gain, but the little gain will increase when God is inside.

These are just few examples to increase your faith and patience. Trust God that once you start praying, an answer shall be released in your favor. The devil will try to stop the work of God but he will surely fail! Do not be afraid! The answer to your prayer has come! God can never lose! Be ready for a great testimony!

“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:  looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears” (Heb 12:14, 15; LBT)

The root is the underground (invisible) part of a plant. Roots make up around one-third of the total dry weight of a plant. These are the main functions of the roots:

*To anchor and support plants

*To absorb and conduct water and minerals to the leaves and the fruits

*To store products of photosynthesis (carbohydrates, sugars, proteins)

*For winter survival of perennials

It is difficult to predict the root spread of any plant.  Under favorable growing conditions, the typical root spreads very fast. For example, I read that the total length of root tissues in a single rye plant is around 380 miles!

Bitterness is the result of a past painful injury that has not been healed. It comes from broken promises, lost dreams, proud and unrealistic expectations, childhood neglect or sexual abuse. Bitterness starts with blaming God for the pain. Its root is in rejecting Christ crucified, the only mediator between God and man. Bitterness is lack of peace between God and man. God chastises His people. That is He loving work as a Father. We should be grateful for His corrections. Jonah was angry with God. He eventually repented when rebuked by Him. Absalom was angry with his father and brother but he never repented and died a bitter rebellious man. What a loss…

The work of the Holy Spirit is to create the peculiar loving bond between the believers which is the unity of the Spirit. Bitterness destroys this holy bond of peace and love. Bitterness is a major source of divisions in the churches, quarrels and divorces even among the believers.

In Christ I declare:

I am a child of God!

As much as it is in my power, I shall pursue peace with all people!

I repent and reject all forms of quarrel, division, slander and jealousy!

I pay the price for holiness for I desire to see the Lord Jesus Christ!

I humble myself so that God’s grace, God’s favor may increase on my life!

I repent and uproot any root of bitterness! I have no regrets!

I am deeply grateful for what God has done and what He does in my life!

The deep root of bitterness has been replaced with the deep root of gratitude and peace!

The new root of peace shall be fruitful in my life!

I am a peace-maker!

I separate myself from any loser who lives in habitual sexual sin and idolatry like Esau!

I vow to immediately repent from any sin the Holy Spirit reveals to me!

I vow to give God all the glory for all good things in my life!

In Jesus name

Amen!

“But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.” (Eph 5:13, 14)

From time to time I meet believers who are under demonic spells. They need help and deliverance. But mostly they need to hear the truth and wake up from the bewitching slumber. Truth is like cold water in the morning. It is not pleasant but it will do you good! The normal adult needs eight hours of sleep daily to stay healthy. Many have difficulty waking up early in the morning. These are some of the causes: you do not sleep enough; you drink too much coffee or tea in the evenings; you hate the things you do in the mornings; depression and other sicknesses.

What can you do to wake up easier in the morning? You need to get up from the bed immediately you hear the alarm. The longer you stay in bed, the greater the temptation to fall back to sleep. Do not worship sleep! Go to the bathroom and take a (cold) shower. Put on the light. Sleep hates the light but you need to wake up! You also need a good plan for the mornings, something to make you happy. For example, do you remember, as a child, if you have a bad teacher you will not like to wake up to go to school? But if in the morning you plan to go on vacation, you will wake up early, quickly and excited. Spiritually it is the same. The devil brings negative thoughts, fears and depression. These are spiritual arrows and attacks. Sleep is like a drug. That is why going to sleep you will not like to wake up, so that you do not have to face these terrible thoughts.

Sleep in the natural is the same as spiritual slumber. If an evil person places a spell on you, your spirit just goes to sleep. You become like the ‘sleeping beauty’. The mind, the spirit becomes dull and passive. This may be the result of demonic attack. Lack of vision or fears of tomorrow, these are common reasons why you will not like to wake up from the spiritual slumber. It is like you close your eyes hoping the tragedy or the pain will go away. But you need to wake up and stand to fight the battle to free your soul! Do not hide behind food or sleep. It is your duty to do spiritual warfare. Child of God, I encourage you! Stand up! Take the whole armor of God and fight back! May your body soul and spirit wake up and shine for all to see Christ on you! Pray in the Spirit! Pray in your language! But wake up and pray! Pray to be like God who does not sleep or slumbers! God will glorify Himself in you! This is a new season! You cannot afford to be sleepy, lazy or weak!  God loves you!   God will help you! I trust God for you!

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,  that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself” (Eph 5:25-28)

The answer to this question is taken from the Word of God, from my experience as a wife married for more than 41 years and my experience as a Pastor. The devil hates godly marriages. A successful marriage takes a lot of effort. That is why the spiritually lazy are unhappily married.

Any woman, but especially if she is born again, has her own dreams concerning marriage. This is because she reads the Bible and she sees God’s standard concerning the men. What does a Christian woman desire from her husband? The husband must love her ‘as Christ loves the Church’. This is the greatest love of all. This love is not just a seasonal emotion, but a forever sacrificial love. The husband must pray with and for his wife. Before praying for friends and the extended family, the husband must regularly pray for his wife. One of the sweetest times for me it is when my husband calls me and says: “My wife, let me pray for you…” To me this is the highest for of love in action.  A godly husband must ‘wash’ his wife with eth Word of God. He must study the Bible to have enough ‘water and soap’ to do it.

A husband must provide for the wife. He must be an ambassador of Jehovah Jireh in the home. A godly husband is to be a trustworthy man. He must keep his word. He should not promise things he cannot perform. Breaking a promise to the wife means breaking her heart. And that takes long to repair.  The husband must lead in the skill of communication. They should both talk ‘heart to heart’, about everything. Silence is not a good communicator. You may misinterpret the absence of words. My husband and I we talk about everything. We are friends, lovers and co-laborers in ministry.

The husband must correct the wife in love. This correction is an art. Do not correct in anger, but always in love. Be patient and expect good changes. Rejoice when the changes come.  The husband must be a good father to the children. The husband must help carry the wife’s burdens. He must pray to understand his wife. This is not an easy task but with the help of the Holy Spirit he will succeed. He must make her laugh for laughter is like a medicine. He should discuss the issues of money with her. They should not be greedy or wasteful. They should pay their tithes and offerings in the church.

He must encourage her to be all that God wants her to be. He should not expect perfection for no man or woman is perfect. But they should mature spiritually and rejoice in the journey of life. Each season of life is beautiful in the presence of God!

This is a prayer I pray for many years. It has worked for me. If you have faith, it will work for you!

“Lord Jesus, help me to see You in my husband’s eyes…help me to feel Your touch thru my husband’s hands. Bless our marriage. Bless our Home with your presence. Let the water be changed into wine in our marriage, In Jesus name, amen!”

The prayer meeting started slowly. Maybe it was the rain outside that made some people spiritually cold. Maybe it was an attack. Only God only knows. But long ago we made a vow to God that each time we come to church we must seek God’s face until He reveals Himself to us. We praised and we worshipped until the atmosphere changed. We became hungrier for the Word. Then the message came.

What does it mean to pray in Jesus name?
“If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (Jn 14:14)
This promise is so simple. Even a child can understand it. Then why does God not answer it more often when we pray? The asking is the easy part. What we stumble at is ‘in My name’. We do not understand what it means to pray ‘in Jesus name’. The following is a simple story that helps us to understand the authority we have as children of God to pray in the name of Jesus!
It is like a poor man going to Zenith Bank. All he has in that bank is 10 naira. His child is sick and he needs 1000 naira for the doctor. He writes a personal cheque with his name for 1000 naira. He presents it to the cashier. The Bank refuses to give him the money for he does not have that amount in his account. Even if he begs or screams and tells the bank officials that his child is sick, they will not give him the money.
The police arrest him for trouble making. They beat him and send him home. His child is still sick. He almost gives up. Then a stranger comes and gives him a cheque for 1000 naira in His name. The name of the stranger is Jesus Christ. He tells him that each time he has a need , he should ask and He will come back and supply. The poor man is not sure if that cheque will be honored. He has no other option. He goes back to the same Bank. The bank officials insult him at the gate. (When you learn to use the name of Jesus, the demons will mock and hinder you). But he ignores their insults and goes in. he presents the cheque signed by Jesus. The bank official looks at his computer. He discovers that under the name of Jesus are millions upon millions. Jesus has unlimited credit with the bank of heaven. They give him the 1000 naira and they even bow to him. It does not matter if he has money or not in his account. Pastor Tony added that even the Bank manager comes to bow down to this poor man.

This is the difference between asking in your name, using your self-confidence and asking in the authority of the name of Jesus, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. I have to depend on the merits of Christ. If I depend on my righteousness no money shall be given to me, no matter how much I beg. But the grace and provision of my Lord is limitless!

We ended the prayer meeting with thanksgiving for God’s Word and God’s Spirit.

HAPPY WITH CHURCH TONIGHT
This evening we had a wonderful time in the presence of the Lord. We had the ‘women fellowship’ in our church. Five sisters shared their testimonies.
Sister H said that last Sunday morning, as they were coming to church, her 5 years old daughter suddenly jumped on the main street. A fast car passed by, millimeters from her. Her daughter could have died on the spot. The angel of the Lord protected her. Today Is her birthday. She is 5 years old, happy and well.
Sister A said that God healed her daughter miraculously of acute appendicitis. She was supposed to do surgery, but they told the nurse to wait! The medical team had to wait until the parents prayed. After the prayer the parents had faith saying that their daughter does not need surgery because ‘her body belongs to the Lord’. This event happened 4-5 months ago. She was healed. Since then she had no pain again.
Sister B said that her 6 weeks old baby girl was to be dedicating last Wednesday. The baby started crying on and on for no good reason. All attempts to pacify her were in vain. She was worried how she will dedicate her baby screaming like this. They cane to church. Immediately they stepped into the sanctuary, the baby stopped crying and became calm. I am a witness for I carried the baby in my arms for the dedication. She was quiet and happy like an angel.
Sister R leads the Prison and Helps ministry in our church. Today they went to the prisons to preach to the inmates. The devil tried to stop the outreach but he failed. Pastor Leigh preached that it is better to be in the prison and alive, than on the streets and killed. He said that the only true freedom is to be found in Christ alone. Many prisoners gave their life to Christ. There is joy in heaven today because of Warri, Nigeria!
Sister E said that after her first baby died unexpectedly, she thought that she will never be happy again. But God changed her sorrow into joy. She is the happy mother of a year old handsome baby boy called Noah.

THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT

This is a letter I received from a sister in Christ, a married woman and a mother of three. She comes from a difficult background before she got married. She was proud, rebellious and very stubborn.  Her marriage suffered greatly because of her attitude. Both she and her husband came for counsels and prayers. Thanks be to God! Their marriage is now an example to many. She has repented and changed very much for the past few years. She is now a committed Christian and humbly and faithfully serves God in the church. In the women’ fellowship we have been discussing the need and the importance of the unity of the Spirit in the marriage. She is a testimony that the Word of God is working when you chose to believe. All glory to God!

“Good morning Ma.

I can’t thank God enough for what He has been doing for me and my family. I have been praying for unity of the Spirit for my husband and me. Not just for a few things but for all things. A few days ago, my husband got an amount of money though not much but there was a way I wanted the money spent which I strongly believe will bring glory to God. Usually I will tell him what God puts in my heart, but this time I didn’t. When my husband told me the things he wanted to do with the money it was exactly how the Lord had told me. I was shocked. I give God all the glory because these things are very big to me considering my history which is now a testimony. My mouth will continue to sing His praise forever! Thank You Jesus!

Your daughter…”

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the Unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph 4:1-3)

I received this letter from a young Christian man. It is about Bible translations. Read his letter and my reply.

“Good morning Ma,

There is something bothering me for some weeks now. I came across a link online claiming NIV has removed 64,575 words from the Bible and also removed 45 complete verses. I was able to confirm from my bible on my phone and also proceeded to check a hardcopy to clear my doubt and to my surprise those verses were actually not there. I tried bringing it up in our light house but nobody has heard about it. I discussed it with some brethren. A brother told me when King James wrote the bible, he wasn’t having enough materials then so he assumed somethings which NIV decided to remove when they discovered more materials when they were writing. I wasn’t too convinced yet. I decided I was going to ask from my father & mother in the Lord first before drawing conclusions. I went to a church about 3weeks ago and I was faced with this same challenge again.

Ma, I know you use NIV & Tali uses KJV/NKJV. I need help in this subject matter likewise others in our church. Thanks for your time and God bless Ma”

Dear…

Thank you for your note. This is my opinion in the matter. I will not join the train of arguments about translations. What matters the most is that I am saved. I am a born again child of God and God is speaking to me thru His Word, by the Holy Spirit. All I want is the read the Bible every day and pray. That is my business! There is no ‘perfect’ translation of the Bible. Even we, the believers, no one of us perfectly understand the Bible, in any translation. As you know, English is not my primary language. I use mostly NIV for I find it easier to understand the words. But I also use KJ, NKJ and others. To me, KJ version is too difficult to understand. I will waste too much time in finding the meaning of the words in the ‘old English’ and that is not profitable to me. The discussion about different translations and their weaknesses is an old one. Just the way some men say that the Roman Catholic Church is the only church approved by God, in the same way, some men say that the KJ version is the only one approved by God. To me, these arguments about translations, is a temptation in itself. In the country of my birth Romania, which was Communist for many years, the believers in a city use to have just one copy of the Bible. They will tear it and each one will take only one page to secretly read it at home. ‘When you finish your page I exchange it with mine…’ This is because religion in all forms was considered a state crime. That is why I did not see any Bible with my eyes before I came to Nigeria. So why will I complain about translations today? This is the truth, both in the natural and the spiritual: Hungry men appreciate even a small slice of dry bread. The rich and spoiled reject even fry chicken saying that it has too many calories. I hope you understand…

These arguments take away from us the desire to study the Word of God. There is a Nigerian proverb that says “a lazy man complains about his tools when he cannot perform”. I believe that this argument about which Bible translation is better is started by an evil spirit of religion and not by the Holy Spirit. If you follow this evil spirit (God forbid!) you shall soon find out that no translation is good enough for you and there is no need to read the Bible anyway. In the same way, a single (foolish) man will say that no woman is perfect therefore he will not marry at all. This evil spirit wants you to leave the most important things in life, go after details and get lost in them. I advise you to reject this evil spirit for it produces doubt, restlessness and depression. It is a spirit of spiritual suicide and backsliding! Reject it! If not, soon you will find fault with all things, including your wife, your child and all! God forbid!

Deceived men have divorced their wives and marry others, for they thought these were more spiritual, better ‘versions’ of women or better ‘translations’. I hope you see the evil spirit and the damage he intends to do! The only men who fall to these wicked schemes are the ones who are spiritually lazy and who do not love the truth!

“Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge” (1Tim 6:20; NLT). The Word of God is the Word of God! No matter the translation! The Holy Spirit witnesses to it! And brings peace to my soul! I hope this has helped you! If you are helped, pray about it and you be the one that will explain and encourage the others who are confused.

Love in Christ alone,

Malia!

May God help all true believers in these ‘perilous times’! Find peace with God! Jesus is Lord!

“For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the LORD sends rain and the crops grow again!” (1Kg 17:14; NLT)

PRAISE REPORT

This is letter from a young sister. She is in her thirties. She is a committed Christian. She prays and she worships God like few people can do. She can’t sing very well but she joined the choir by faith. She is a beautiful, faithful and kind young woman of God. But she has a tendency to feel sad and lonely. This is because of rejection from family and friends in the past. She has been praying for marriage since I know her. I know that she will be a bride one day. This is God’s will for her. She knows for I told her. If you have any words of encouragement for her, please comment, for she will read them.

“Good day Ma! I have a testimony, the Lord has removed the spirit of boredom away from my life & He gave me peace of mind, no more fears, no more worries, no more doubts, my Faith 100% has increased, Before now each time my birthday is approaching, the devil always use to put fears in my heart, that am growing old, no marriage, that I have not achieved anything good in life… Each time I see young singles celebrating birthdays, I always feel they don’t know what they are doing, instead of waiting to celebrate their marriages they are celebrating birthdays. Although I prayed & thank God in my closet, I was still ungrateful to God in my heart. But today I have been delivered! I thank God! I have life and hope. CHRIST in me is the hope of all Glory! I have been delivered, I been set free! Am enjoying peace in Christ today!

Malia, God bless you for all the encouragement & prayers! Thanks Ma Lia!

Your daughter…”

“If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen” (1Pet 4:11)

This ‘little’ scripture is a great treasure for them who ‘find’ it. It only applies to the children of God who desire to serve their Father. God gives you a work to do or He sends you on a holy ‘errand’. Do not go anywhere before receiving the strength from Him which is necessary to perform that assignment. Do not work for God in your own strength. Flesh, no matter how religious, willing or zealous, profits nothing in the Spirit realm. For example, If you hire a driver, you do not expect him to pay for his food. Is the boss that pays for all his expenses! How much more God supplies all that you need for your work on earth!

In Greek, the word ‘strength’ means ability, force, power and might. It also means the state of being strong, the capacity to endure, the power to resist attack and also moving forward. Ability is the physical, mental and legal power to perform, to accomplish something; to be skillful, competent and effective, producing the desired effect. It means to be forceful; fruitful; ready for service or action, efficient and with no waste of energy or resources.

In Greek, the word ‘provide’ is a very interesting one. It is ‘choregeo’ from which the English word choreography (the art of dancing) comes from. This word means to be a dance or a choir leader and to help others becoming one. It means to give or to minister, to generously supply what is needed so that others may perform their duty.

If you use your personal strength to do ministry (even if it is to sweep the church) the glory will not go to Jesus, but to yourself. That is very dangerous! You will be a fake political religious man using the strength supplied by the evil territorial spirits around you!

But if you use God’s strength to do ministry, the glory goes to God alone! Jesus wants you to come closer to Him, so that both of you sing together, dance together and become lovers and friends. This intimacy is the source of all supernatural spiritual strength.  Talking like Jesus, singing like Jesus, dancing like Jesus, serving others like Jesus, will release the fragrance of His Person to all others around you. Be like Jesus and your life will give Him all the glory.  Men will know that you are heavenly person, an ambassador of Christ. Your ministry will be approved by God and by men! What a wonderful promise! May this word touch your heart today! In Jesus name, amen!

“I returned and saw under the sun that—

The race is not to the swift,

Nor the battle to the strong,

Nor bread to the wise,

Nor riches to men of understanding,

Nor favor to men of skill;

But time and chance happen to them all” (Ecc 9:11)

This expression is attributed to Charles Darwin who brought the idea of ‘Evolution of the species’. He believed that the animal species develop from one another, from the inferior to the superior. He also believed that the weaker species die and the strong ones survive. He said that the fittest survive because they can better adapt to the environment and because they have stronger ‘genes’ to multiply faster. It is Darwin that said that men came out of monkeys. This theory was later applied to the human behavior in general.  Even today people believe that the leaders, the champions and the heroes are the strongest men. They are the ones who are physically fit, eat well and daily train in a gym. It has affected many intellectuals all over the world. It is the basis of racism, discrimination of all kinds and the culture of abortion. The people who believe in this theory say that those who are eliminated in the struggle for existence are unfit to live anyway. They are not sorry for the weak, the handicap, the ugly, the poor and the humble.

The following is an example taken from a famous book that expresses this idea. “He was a killer, a thing that preyed, living on the things that lived, unaided, alone, by virtue of his own strength and prowess, surviving triumphantly in a hostile environment where only the strong survive.” (Jack London; The Call of the Wild)

Now, I want to say: This is a worldly theory. The world is the system of men that works without God. The devil is called ‘the god of this world’ (2Cor 4:4). The theory of evolution totally ignores Elohim- God, who is the Creator of all that is created. The survival of the fittest ignores God who is in charge of His creation, who decides who lives and who dies. God promotes and demotes any man He wants. In fact who the world calls strong is nothing to God. “That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble” (Jam 4:6)

When Jesus Christ came to this world He did not seem ‘fit’ as the world describes its heroes. He died on the Cross in weakness. Men and devils thought that is the end of Him. But Jesus ‘survived’ over them all. His descendants are like the stars of the sky and the sea on the seashore. We are His children and we are like Him. We may look weak and foolish but we live forever! In Christ, we overcome the world! The wisdom of the world is foolishness to God.

This is my testimony: I grew up in Romania, a communist country at that time. We studied Darwin and his theory in school and we believed in it. I did not believe in God. I really thought that monkeys were my ancestors. Thank God for Jesus! After I got saved, I repented of all my foolish and dangerous worldly ideas! I now believe and know without any shadow of doubt that God has created me, saved me and sustains me.  God loves me! I have no business with Darwin and his world. My business now is to serve and worship my Savior and Hero forever! He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God! Halleluiah!

“Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.  Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life” (1Tim 6:17-19)

The word ‘command’ is a military word. This is not a suggestion. The Word of God commands us not to be proud or to trust in Mammon! God commands us to do good things and to be generous! That is how our heavenly account will increase and our trust and love of God will increase accordingly!

Do you want to store up treasures that are absolutely secure for the future? Then put your money where neither moths nor rust corrupt, where thieves can’t break in to steal (Matt. 6:19-21). Anything you invest in this life can be taken from you. Anything you invest in eternity is secure in the bank of heaven. If you had thousands of dollars in paper money that you needed to store in a safe place, you wouldn’t put it in a shack in a forest known for its frequent fires. And yet people who take a measure of caution in making sure their earthly goods are safe never stop to consider that the earth is going to burn (2 Pet. 3:10). Only what you invest in God’s kingdom will remain.

I read a very interesting story. A sailor shipwrecked on a Pacific Island. The natives captured him, put him on their shoulders, carried him to their village, set him on a crude throne and made him their king. Little by little the man learned that it was their custom each year to make some man a king for a year. He liked that idea until he began wondering what had happened to all the previous kings. He discovered that after the year was up, the kings were banished to a deserted island where they starved to death. The sailor didn’t like that idea, but he still had some time left. So he put his subjects to work, building a house, transplanting fruit trees, and planting crops on that deserted island. So when his year was up, as he knew it would be, he was banished, not to a barren island, but to a place of abundance.

We all die one day. You can’t take money with you at the time of your death. How then can you be ‘rich towards God’? You can pay into your heavenly account while you are still alive here in earth. It is called ‘paying forward’. You pay to your heavenly account where there is no inflation or recession. There is ever increasing profit. This is how you pay into your sure eternal heavenly account: by paying your tithes, by giving generously to the work of God and to the people who are in need. Just in case you doubt saying: ‘does God know how much I give to Him and to men?’ The answer is “Yes! He knows everything! He will reward you for every cent you have given to His work on earth! Believe in God! He is not a man that He should deceive you! The promise of reward is sure and the reward is also sure!  Trust God!

“And Pharaoh said to his servants: “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?”… And Pharaoh said to Joseph: “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt… Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt” (Gen 41:38- 44)

The story of Joseph is one of my favorites. Joseph suffered much for many years. He was betrayed, sexually tempted, slandered and rejected. He had to wait for a long time before he saw his childhood dreams come true. But in those difficult years one thing never changed: “God was with Joseph!” The waiting was difficult but his sweet promotion came suddenly. It is the Holy Spirit in him that gave him the strength to endure and the wisdom to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh. He went the extra mile and even recommended the only solution to the crisis.

He woke up that morning in his prison cell. It was like any day. Over the years he has lost his trust in men but he had not lost his trust in God. In fact, his faith in God increased daily. Then there was noise at the gate. Pharaoh is calling him. Pharaoh needs him! ‘Are you saying Pharaoh…? The last thing that he did in the prison was to quickly have a bath, shave and take new clothes to see Pharaoh. He took nothing from the prison. He left everything there. In that shower room he left the sweat, the dirt and the tears. He did not take any old accusation, misunderstanding, bitterness or the sour taste of sleepless nights. He did not take the chains of loneliness. Everything became new. Dressing up with new garments was the first thing he did in readiness for the new beginning. Joseph woke up as a prisoner that morning. But that night, he slept in the palace, as the prime minister of Egypt, the greatest country at that time.

Joseph was promoted to the highest place, next only to the Pharaoh. He was above Mr. and Mrs. Potiphar, all magicians and ministers. His promotion was greater than he could have imagined. At the time of his promotion the whole world was suffering and dying from hunger. The whole world depended on him. He became the savior of the world. Then God gave him a wife, a free gift from Pharaoh! They have two sons. Manasseh means Forgetfulness for God has helped him to forget his painful past. The second son is Ephraim- Fruitful, because God made him fruitful not only in riches but even in poverty.

Joseph is a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ. He came from heaven to earth. He was betrayed by His creation. He died on the Cross for you and me. He was buried in a tomb. On the third day He rose to life having the keys of death in His hand. He bodily ascended to heaven. He sent the Holy Spirit. He is now the King of kings and the Lord of lords! Do you know this Jesus? Give your life to Christ today!

Lessons for you, child of God:
All God’s promises and dreams that God has given to you shall be fulfilled!
Your enemies do not have the last word in your life! God does!
Be filled with the Holy Spirit! He is your recommendation before all men!
No man can resist the wisdom given by the Holy Spirit to you!
Things can change suddenly because God is with you!
Your promotion comes from God!
Your promotion is greater than what you have imagined!
Many people shall rejoice at your promotion for you shall be a blessing to many!
Your children and friends shall be more numerous and much greater than all your past proud enemies!
God has helped you to forget your sins, shame and pain!
The peace that passes understanding is now your portion!
God has made you fruitful in all things and all seasons! Your gain, spiritual and natural, must increase!
It is your destiny to marry well! At the end of your suffering, your promotion package includes happy marriage!
You are a fruitful vine! You shall have children, spiritual and natural!
Your faith will increase daily! You shall do greater exploits than in the past!
Nobody can destroy your testimony for it is God’s gift to you!
Your life is to the glory to God!

“But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal 6:14)

Nothing can save your soul except faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross, where He shed His Blood for you. The Cross is the only power that can deliver you from the bondage of the devil of the world and of sin! I love the Cross! It has brought eternal salvation to me! That is why I rejoice, I boast in the Cross of Jesus Christ! I have no other things to boast about! Nothing else matters, not my beauty, my education, my intelligence or my successes! To me Christ is my life! I am dead to the world and the world is dead to me. There is no more love or attraction between the two of us! The Cross did it! It is finished! I am free!

Jesus is my Lord and my Savior! He is my Doctor and my Lawyer! He is my Wisdom and my Peace! He is my Testimony and my Victory! Praise His holy Name! I am now singing: “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back! The Cross before me, the world behind me! No turning back, no turning back!” Glory to the Lamb upon the Throne!

“When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all”
(By Isaac Watts, 1707)