“When he (Boaz) gets ready to go to sleep, take careful notice of the place where he lies down. Then go, uncover his legs, and lie down beside him. He will tell you what you should do. Ruth replied to Naomi, “I will do everything you have told me to do” (Ru 3:4, 5)

Naomi came back to Bethlehem as a bitter and disappointed woman. Ruth, her Moabite daughter in law followed her back home. Behind the scenes, God directs Ruth to glean grains on the field of Boaz, a relative of Elimelech, Naomi’s late husband. When Ruth comes back with a sack of grains telling Naomi about Boaz, Naomi suddenly becomes hopeful. This is the first time that she utters godly words of blessings: ‘The Lord bless him!” (Ru 2:20). The mercy of God is greater than the anger. The spell of bitterness starts to tear away from her soul. She acknowledges the long time kindness of Boaz. She forgot about this man and the authority he has to change their lives. Ruth also tells Naomi that Boaz counseled her to work only in his field. Naomi confirms the wisdom of Boaz in telling Ruth to stay only in his field where she can be protected from sexual predators. “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, and that people do not meet you in any other field.” (Ru 2:22). The command to stay in a particular place will test Ruth if she obeys his word or not. Going away from his field will mean sin, trespass and rebellion. We know that Ruth obeyed the counsel of both Boaz and Naomi and stayed in that field until the end of the harvest. This submission was a great point scored with Boaz when he decided to marry her. (This is a great lesson for them who plan to marry: if a single sister submits to her spiritual mother or other godly sisters, she will easily submit later to her husband. A rebellious single woman will not make a good wife)

The story continues. Suddenly Naomi is happy and she thinks of a way to bless her faithful daughter in law. She prepares Ruth for a possible marriage with Boaz. She tells her to dress well, to perfume herself and to go in the night to meet with Boaz, who sleeps in the open air in his field guarding his harvest. Naomi tells Ruth to go and to propose marriage to Boaz. This proposal is not a lustful manipulating act. It is based on a Jewish law. Naomi warns her to ‘take careful notice of the place where he lies down’. She should go there. She was to lift the blanket that covers his feet and lie down there waiting for him to wake up. Then he will tell her what to do.

This was a very dangerous assignment for a single woman, even a Moabite. It was dark and there were other workers sleeping on the field. If she went to lie down at the feet of another man, tragedy could have happened. Naomi tells her to mark the place where Boaz sleeps. She should lie down at the very spot where he lies down. The word ‘lie down’ appears two times in that sentence. In Hebrew it means to lie down to rest, to sleep, for sexual activity or death. The risk Ruth is taking is great. If Boaz was not a man of God, he could have taken advantage of Ruth who was alone, ‘available’, lying at his feet. Ruth is a woman of God. Ruth has faith in the word of Naomi. She promised to do ‘everything’ Naomi told her to do. As you know, Boaz too was a man of God and he decides to cover her with his ‘blanket’ of authority in marriage. The story ends well, thank God!

What are the lessons for those who plan to marry, especially for the single sisters? To marry well is risky. The devil will fight ‘a haven made marriage’. You need faith, wisdom, love and courage. Dear sister, to identify the very man who shall be your husband is risky. To submit to that man alone is hard. To be ready ‘to lie down’ were ‘he lies down’ is not easy. To agree to rest with him, to sleep with him, to be sexually intimate only with him, ‘until death do you part’, that is hard work. You need God to help you! No woman can submit to her husband unto death except she is born again and Spirit filled. No man is able to love and protect his wife unto death except he is born again and Spirit filled! Selah!

Boaz stands for our Lord Jesus Christ. Ruth stands for us the worshippers, the Church and the Bride of Christ. Mary of Bethany sat down at the feet of Jesus to listen to His Word. Her sister rebuked her for that. The former prostitute came to sit down at the feet of Jesus to anoint them with oil. If she made the mistake to do the same at the feet of another man in the room, she could have been insulted and rejected. John saw the resurrected Christ and fell down at His feet. He was afraid but Jesus laid His hands on him, encouraged him and lifted him up.

The place at the feet of Jesus is a special, holy and unique place. It is a place where you hear God’s Word free from the anxieties of life. It is a place of intimate worship. It is a place where you die to the world so that you live for Christ alone! It is a place where Jesus Himself will protect you from the insults, intimidation and rejection of men. It is a place where His love covers you. It is a place of revelation, of service and of strength to do ministry. It is a place where two become one. It is a place of prophetic new beginning. It is the place where God’s promises come true. Boaz proposed marriage to Ruth at mid night. The place at the feet of Jesus is the place of mid night mystery and romance. Your marriage to Jesus and to your Boaz starts at that very place. Mark that place well! Refuse any other voice to go astray! Seek the place thru fasting, prayers, tears and worship. Go there! Stay there!  And you shall find your greatest treasure your soul shall desire. Marry well! And worship the Lord!

‘I will answer them before they even call to Me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!’ (Is 65:24)

We are living in our new beautiful pastor’s house for more than a year. We are very grateful to God. When we moved in last year my husband explained to me that the plumber made a mistake and there shall be no hot water in the kitchen. There was a heater in the store next to the kitchen but no pipe to connect it to the tap. He said that to connect the pipe it means breaking the wall and that will not be nice. Of course I could have liked hot water in the kitchen but I told him ‘no problem’. This is my general strategy: I pray for my needs and I wait for God to answer in His own time and His own way. Once I pray, I never complain or worry. Since then I only use the tap for cold water. I have a kettle by the side and if I need to wash the dishes I boil the water with it. No problem, really. I got used to I. I even forgot about the hot water. (Let me say this… I live in Nigeria since 1980 and I have learned many good things from the people here who are very creative in times of need. As we say in Nigeria ‘dis na small tin… No wahala!)

“I see the Lord, I see the Lord
Exalted high upon the worship
Of the people of the earth
I see the Lord, I see the Lord
My eyes have seen the King
The Lamb upon the throne
Who reigns forever more

The love story between Boaz and Ruth is worth studying and imitating. This is my testimony: I am a child of God, a woman of God, a wife, a mother of three and a grandmother of six. My husband and I are happily married for 42 years. He is very much like Boaz. Each time I read of a true godly love story my heart beats faster with joy and gratitude because God makes ‘all things beautiful in His own time’. Boaz is a wonderful example of a prince, a godly gentleman, a man most single girls dream to marry one day.

2. A GODLY HUSBAND IS SENSITIVE TO THE PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL NEEDS OF HIS WIFE

Let’s see how a man must treat a woman to win her heart. Early in the morning Boaz comes to his field and he greets his workers in the name of the Jehovah. He says: ‘The Lord (Jehovah) be with you’. They answered back: ‘The Lord (Jehovah) bless you’. This must have impressed Ruth. In her native country Moab all the ‘big men’ are too big to personally come to their fields to supervise the work. The unbelievers make a practice to ignore poor people. They do not greet or bless their workers in the name of the Lord. They are too ‘big’ for that. All wealthy unbelievers are bossy. Jesus said this: “You know that the rulers of the unbelievers lord it over them and their superiors act like tyrants over them” (Mt 20:25; ISV). Here Boaz proves to be a man of God. He knows his workers well and has a good relationship with them. They appreciate and respect him and are happy with their ‘conditions of labor’. Boaz is a wealthy man ‘of standing’ but also godly humble man. He is friendly with his workers but he is still their boss. Ruth discovers that she was working for a man who fears God, who is humble and kind enough to care for his laborers but secure in himself to know that he is in charge.

Boaz came to the field to supervise his workers. It was ‘a business trip’. As he scanned the field with his eyes he quickly saw a new worker, a foreign looking woman who was gleaning at the back of the field. He immediately asked his foreman: ‘Whose young woman is that?’ He was informed that she was the Moabites who followed Naomi back home. Apparently he heard of her. He was told how ‘Aunty Naomi’ came back from Moab as a poor sad widow. She was followed by her Moabite daughter in law, also a widow. The news was all over the city of Bethlehem. He must have pondered on their fate before that morning when he discovers Ruth gleaning in his field.

Boaz knows that as a close relative he has some responsibility in helping them. For others, the responsibility to help a poor relative is seen as a seriously unwelcomed burden. But not so for Boaz! He is a truly fearless, kind and generous man. He does not waste time at all. He approaches Ruth and instructs her to stay in his field, following his servant girls. He tells her that he has commanded his men not to ‘touch’ her inappropriately. He tells her that she can come to his shade and drink water freely. We see that Boaz is very sensitive to her needs. He imagines that as a single woman, as a poor foreigner looking for food, she must be scared of ‘sexual harassment’. The truth is that Ruth is in a very vulnerable position, alone in the fields. The only person who knows her is Naomi, who is old and poor. She knows that the Jews hate the Moabites because of a long troubled history between them.

What Ruth needs is protection, food, water and shelter. She also needs encouragement. Boaz knows her fears and he openly and lovingly encourages her at their first encounter. He does not ‘play safe’. He is not afraid that his kindness may be taken for granted. He is not afraid of what men may say about him. As a rich man he could have ignored her. But he does not ignore, oppress, manipulate or take advantage of Ruth. Boaz is a symbol of Christ. He is straightforward, confident, wise, gentle, encouraging and friendly from the very beginning. He is kind. He is responsible. He is godly. He is a good communicator. It looks that for Boaz, it was love at first sight. But he patiently waits praying to know the will of God. As you know, he eventually marries her.  This is truly impressive!

Any single sister will fall in love with a man who is truly born again, whose identity in rooted Christ, who is hard working, strong and friendly, romantic, kind and happy in the same time… (And a little wealth is not bad too…)… May God provide a Boaz for each Ruth in this world who prays for her dream marriage! In Jesus name, amen!

Today, Pastor (Mrs) S L Leigh preached a sermon titled ‘How to deal with your Jericho’. The scriptures were taken from the Book of Hebrews 11 and Joshua 6.  “By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days” (Heb 11:30). The story of how the wall of Jericho fell is not just history. The spiritual lessons can be applied in spiritual warfare as you trust God for victory and for a great testimony. The city was shut because of the people of God. Faith is the instrument of victory! Faith is the fruit that comes from trusting God’s Word with all your heart. If you ‘marry’ the Bible, if you become one with the Word of God, your spirit shall produce ‘a baby’ called ‘Faith’. Any faith that is not based on the Word of God is fake and it shall fail in times of need. God promised the victory at the very beginning (Josh 6:2). God commanded Joshua that His people have to walk round Jericho a total of 13 times in seven days. This command seems foolish but they needed to obey it by faith. Everybody was involved in the work of God: the soldiers, the priests and the rest people. The priests lifted up and carry the ark on their shoulders. The ark is a symbol of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Faith needs to be tested. True faith needs to be accompanied by works (Jam 2:14-26). God blesses faith and obedience.

To walk round the city for one week is not easy. Please observe that there was no change in the wall, no crack at all until that final moment when the shout of faith went up to heaven. This is a great lesson: delay is not denial! Waiting time is not wasted time! You continue to read the Bible, pray, go to church and serve God the best way you can. Nothing may change in your circumstances until God’s moment! Keep your faith! The victory came suddenly! It was a unique miraculous total victory! “When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city” (Josh 6:20). In Hebrew, the word ‘collapsed’ means to fall down flat, to go down to the bottom, to go underground.  It means that the wall was ‘swallowed’ by the earth. There was no rubble to climb on top. It was like the God’s judgment upon Korah when the ground opened its mouth to swallow the enemies of God (Nu 16:31). The only house which remained standing was the house of Rehab, a pagan woman who became a hero of faith. The enemies laughed and mocked the people of God as they went round and round Jericho. But their end was destruction. Nobody could save them.

Child of God, be encouraged today! Jericho represents a long standing problem that has been blocking your way. It is a gate of hell that cannot prevail in stopping your progress. The wait may be long and the work may be hard. Trust God who, in Christ Jesus, has promised to lead you from victory to victory. God has opened a door of healing, of deliverance and of prosperity that no one can shut! Shout, for the Lord has given you the long waited blessing! Give Him all the glory! Worship the Lord!

HAPPY WITH CHURCH TONIGHT

The prayer meeting was good but difficult. We were reminded today that there is a price for intimacy with God few churches are willing to pay. But thank God most of us were willing. At the beginning of the service we prayed and praised God ‘as usual’. The Holy Spirit ‘came down’ but remained unmoved, like a cloud in the ceiling. For other churches that level of anointing may be more than enough. But for us in Father’s House it was not. Since this church was born it is our passionate desire that the Holy Spirit comes down to us and feels free to move in our midst; to do what He wants to do without any conditions. We want God to be our Father and Friend and not just a ‘passing by’ visitor.

The hindrance tonight was ‘a demonic blanket’ of religion placed over the hearts of the people. Some struggled to be free. But many stayed passive waiting for God to ‘start the show and to perform’. This passivity grieved the Spirit. Thank God for the revelation. Immediately we chose to actively humble ourselves. We had to chastise ourselves. Religion tells people to be spectators. This is how the evil spirit of religion talks: ‘Let the worship leader and the choir do their magic. I am here to enjoy myself’. The congregation stays passive. The leaders say to themselves: “I am already a leader. I cannot be demoted from my position. I am too big to pray. I am too big to worship. How can I kneel down in the presence of all these youths and children?” This religious pride grieves the Holy Spirit. He then refuses to move in our midst. But we cannot argue our case. We can only surrender and plead mercy. Our hearts are like the fire place. The fire comes from God, from heaven, but it only comes on the place prepared by men. If fire falls on the table or on the bed, it will burn down the house. We needed to prepare the fire place. Without the fire place, the fire will not come down.

Thank God we remembered that our salvation and every blessing we have received are all because of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who died that we may live! This grace is the un-merited favor of God. We shouted… ‘Grace…Grace… Grace…’ The grace of repentance was released. We interceded with the words of this song:

“Turn my eyes to see Your face

As all my fears surrender

Hold my heart within this grace

Where burden turns to wonder…”

We all knelt down or sat on the floor praying and weeping. We humbled ourselves and pleaded for mercy. Little by little the atmosphere changed. People wept openly repenting of sins. We interceded for this land. Then God graciously gave us a word. We did not have the liberty to stop the anointing and preach. But we received a word. It is enough for now. Like hungry people we ate it. We believed that prophetic word: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (Jn 1:5). The light of God from heaven shines over this land: Warri, Effurun and environs. The darkness is ‘older’ than the light on this land. The darkness is the ‘landlady’ of this land. Our parents and grandparents only knew darkness. This Darkness reacted and fought the light. It tried to stop, to scatter, to arrest, to hinder and to slander the light. But the efforts of the wicked darkness failed completely. We experienced this battle this evening. We are witnesses that light overpowered the darkness! Halleluiah!

We saw the light shining in the midst of the darkness, lifting the flag of victory over a land cursed by demons, rejected by men but loved by God. This land Nigeria belongs to God! As the light started to shine even in the service, our weepy eyes began to see the Lord, high and lifted up, seated on His throne. What a relief! What a change! Baptized by His presence our eyes and hearts rejoiced at this glimpse of heaven where all cry holy. Yes, the devil failed to destroy the prayer meeting. The worship shall continue forever! We sang:

“I see the Lord, I see the Lord

Exalted high upon the worship

Of the people of the earth

I see the Lord, I see the Lord

My eyes have seen the King

The Lamb upon the throne

Who reigns forever more

The train of His robe

Fills the temple

A cloud of heavenly worshipers

Surrounding His throne

We join with them now crying

“Holy, holy is the Lamb

The Lamb alone”

Forever and ever, Forever and ever

Forever and ever, Forever and ever…”

“I praise You God because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Ps 139:14)

About six months ago I broke my leg. I am healed now. I am a child of God and a medical doctor by profession. These days I am so much more grateful to God for His miracles of healing. I can now walk without pain or limping. I want to stir your minds and hearts to worship God even more by considering the complexities of the human body. This information is taken from the medical books. Read this with a worshiping heart…

Every second more than 100,000 chemical reactions take place in your brain. It has 10 billion nerve cells to record what you see and hear. That information comes to your brain through the miracle of the eye, which has 100 million receptor cells (rods and cones) in each eye. Your retina also has four other layers of nerve cells. Altogether the system makes the equivalent of 10 billion calculations a second before an image even gets to the optic nerve. Once it reaches your brain, the cerebral cortex has more than a dozen separate vision centers in which to process it. Your tear ducts supply a bacteria-fighting fluid to protect your eyes from infection. The tears that fight irritants differ from the tears of sadness, which contain 24 percent more proteins. That’s not to mention the miracle of the ear and how it translates sound waves into meaningful speech and sounds; or of touch, taste, and smell.

Part of your brain regulates voluntary matters, such as muscle coordination and thought processes. Other parts of the brain control involuntary processes, such as digestion, glandular secretions, the rate at which your heart beats, etc. How did it accidentally happen that your body could speed up your heart rate to the proper speed to meet increased oxygen demand when you exercise and slow it down when that need is met? One square inch of your skin has about 625 sweat glands, 19 feet of blood vessels, and 19,000 sensory cells. Working in coordination with your brain, it maintains your body at a steady 98.6 degrees under all weather conditions.

Your stomach has 35 million glands which secrete the right amounts of juices to allow your body to digest food and convert it into stored energy for your muscles. To avoid digesting itself, your stomach produces a new lining every three days. Your body is an efficient machine: to ride a bicycle for an hour at ten miles per hour requires only 350 calories, the energy equivalent of only three tablespoons of gasoline.

You have more than 200 bones, each shaped for its function, connected intricately to one another through lubricated joints that cannot be perfectly duplicated by modern science. More than 500 muscles connect to these bones. Some obey willful commands; others perform their duty in response to unconscious commands from the brain. They all work together to keep us alive. The heart muscle itself beats over 103,000 times each day, pumping your blood cells a distance of 168 million miles.

Coupled with that, your lungs automatically breathe in the right amount of life-giving oxygen (about 438 cubic feet each day), which just happens to be mixed in the right proportions (about 20% oxygen, 80% nitrogen) in our atmosphere. Each of the other vital organs and glands in your body works in complex conjunction with the others to sustain life, which science can’t explain or create.

I haven’t even mentioned the complexity of human cells. Listen to this: A single human chromosome (DNA molecule) contains 20 billion bits of information. How much is that? What would be its equivalent, if it were written down in an ordinary printed book in modern human language? Twenty billion bits are the equivalent of about three billion letters. If there are approximately six letters in an average word, the information content of a human chromosome corresponds to about 500 million words. If there are about 300 words on an ordinary page of printed type, this corresponds to about two million pages. If a typical book contains 500 such pages, the information content of a single human chromosome corresponds to some 4,000 volumes….

WORSHIP THE LORD!!!!!!

Please read and meditate on the love story between Boaz and Ruth. It is one of the most beautiful romantic stories ever written. Boaz, the kinsman-redeemer, is a type of Christ. We see the beauty, the strength, the wisdom and the grace of Christ in him. Ruth represents the Church. In the Book of Ruth we have a glimpse of how Jesus Christ ‘dates’ His Bride, also called the Body of Christ or the Church of the living God. Jesus is the heavenly Bridegroom! Worship Him!

Boaz falls in love with Ruth and marries her. This is a symbol of the reality we have in Christ. This is the free gracious revelation that comes from the Spirit of God: Jesus loves you! He is passionately in love with you! He is romantically in love with you! Jesus sees you beautiful for He has made you for Himself! He died for you so that you, the sinner, might become His beloved bride. You are saved by grace alone and by faith alone! This extravagant passionate love of Jesus for His Church is one of the greatest revelations from the Holy Spirit to comfort and strengthen us, the true believers!

1. A GODLY HUSBAND APPRECIATES THE GRACE OF GOD IN HIS WIFE

Ruth prayed to find favor (grace) with a landlord, to be allowed to glean in his field. Probably Naomi told her that the God of Israel is a God of compassion. She knew that the law of Jehovah gave to the poor foreigners ‘the right’ to glean, to pick the grains left behind the harvesters (Lev 19: 9, 10). But Ruth did not stubbornly insist on ‘her right’. She did not argue her case based on the law. She was a woman of grace so she prayed for grace. Her encounter with Boaz happened on the foundation of grace!!!

Ruth is a true woman of God, humble and gracious. These are signs of heavenly royalty. In the natural, she was a poor childless widow, dressed in faded ‘second hand’ clothes. This is what everybody saw on the outside. But spiritually, she was a princess with God. The grace of the Living God was shining thru her. Boaz discovers and marvels at this grace, especially as Ruth was a foreigner. Later in the story you see that the other kinsman did not appreciate this grace of God upon Ruth. He saw her just as a liability that will ‘endanger his own estate’ (Ru 4:6). He refuses to marry her and gives that right to Boaz. Unbelievers only appreciate outward beauty and external benefits. They despise and mock the grace of God. But Boaz is a man of God just like his Master, Jesus Christ, a man of grace and truth. He appreciated Ruth not only for her outward beauty but especially for this spiritual gift of God’s favor upon her. He sees her as his true ‘twin’ sister in Christ, his helpmeet, his lost rib, his future wife and the mother of his children. In Christ they are one! This grace recognized by Boaz in Ruth is the major reason why he ‘fell in love’ with her and why he chose to marry her.

I am sure you know this scripture: “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD” (PV 18:22). The godly man seeks and finds a wife. Like a rose among thorns, so this wife is found in the midst of women folk. This gift of a godly wife is good and filled with favor from God. This favor is located inside the wife. This is a warning! If a man divorces his godly and faithful wife, he will not be able to retain the favor of God in her absence. For that grace was found inside the package called ‘wife’. Brother, did you find the grace of God inside your wife? Then love her without fear! Cherish her and protect your marriage, for if you lose her, the favor will go away too. Be wise! Finally these are some questions for the men: Brothers, do you know what I am talking about? Do you know the grace of God? Can you identify the grace of God in a single woman? Then marry her! Husband, are you able to see the grace of God in your wife? Then thank God for your wife! Your marriage is blessed! This is the gift of God to you! Give thanks to God for He loves you!

Do you pray for grace? Have you experienced the power and the glory of the grace of God? Do you know that grace is enough for you, sufficient to solve every problem you may have (2Cor 12:9)? Proud and selfish people know nothing about grace. For God only ‘shows favor to the humble and oppressed” (PV 3:34). Are you humble? Are you oppressed, afflicted and unfairly treated? Then rejoice! The grace of God shall locate you and shall deliver you from your enemy! This word is settled in heaven and on earth! Believe it!

These words are taken from my diary three years ago. There is no way to describe the presence of God among His children. I pray that the Sweet Holy Spirit helps you to feel and dance the holy dance of everlasting love…

“I prepared my sermon for this evening prophetic prayer meeting. I prayed in English and in the Spirit, that our evening’s sacrifice may be accepted by the Lord. With my hand on the handle, in front of the door, ready to go, I quickly reviewed my notes once more. Then suddenly I felt the hush of the Spirit blowing over me. He said: ‘This evening, like Cinderella and her prince, you shall forget the mundane…for we shall dance together…’ I smiled and said ‘Thank You Lord…my heart and my feet are ready…’

“Look, I go forward, but He is not there,

And backward, but I cannot perceive Him;

When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him;

When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him.

But He knows the way that I take;

When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:8-10)

There are times when the Holy Spirit ‘withdraws’ from the conscious feelings of the believer. All the saints testify to times when suddenly, for no apparent reason, they feel lost and without comfort. Some call it ‘the dark night of the soul’. The Word of God seems tasteless. Prayer becomes just an un-exciting routine. Going to church is hard. The first time such a thing happened to me, I almost died of depression. I tried to search my heart for any known sin. I wanted to repent but I could not identify any particular sin. I felt like dying, like a fish out of the water…

Job was a righteous man, a child of God. The devil asked God for permission to attack him. Surprisingly, God granted that. The devil attacked and Job lost everything he had: his children, his property, the joy in his marriage, his health and the sympathy of his friends. But the most painful experience for Job was the fact that he felt he lost God. He tried to look for God but could not find Him. Looking north, south, east and west, Job could not find God. Then he knew that this pain must be a trial from God, a painful gift to him. He decided to pass thru this fire holding to his faith. He testified that he shall come out as gold. It happened just like that. After this fire, Job came out ‘approved and improved’ (Matthew Henry). This pain ended in a great testimony.

What are the lessons? First of all know that God has a purpose for allowing this trial. It is for His glory and for your good!!! Also know this: Trials are not forever. God supervises them. Once the character is established, once the gold shines and God can see His image in that gold, the trial shall end. Immediately beauty is revealed from ashes! Darkness ends and the sun shine forth! Great blessings follow such trials. God permits these trials so that we do not take His presence for granted. After the trial you shall fear God and appreciate His Spirit more than ever before! It is a great privilege for God to choose you to pass thru His fire! You and your ministry will rise to a higher level of grace and anointing! Praise the Lord!

Be encouraged, child of God. Wait at that place where you last ‘saw the Lord’. Even if you have to wait for hundred years, God is worth the wait. The hundred years shall become just a day for the Lord. God shall reward your faithful waiting. Under no circumstances you should think of backsliding. Patiently wait for God. Continue to read the Bible even if the Word feels tasteless. Continue to pray and serve God the best way you can. Pass thru the pain! God knows the way you take. In Hebrew it means that God has approved the way you took up until this moment. You are not lost. You can never be lost. The fire will only burn the impurities. The fire can never destroy your soul. Encourage yourself in the Lord! It is not easy but it is worth it! It is well with your soul!

“As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after Thee

You alone are my heart’s desire

And I long to worship Thee

You alone are my strength, my shield

To you alone may my spirit yield

You alone are my heart’s desire

And I long to worship Thee”

“I love the Lord, because He has heard

My voice and my supplications

Because He has inclined His ear to me,

Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live” (Ps 116:1, 2)

The evening prayer was very good. The Holy Spirit encouraged us to pray with boldness and make ‘big’ requests before the throne of God. One of the most beautiful things we see in revival is how adults and children pray together in one accord. The children in Father’s House pray ‘like the adults’ or even better. They lift their little faces to heaven and tears pour down on their cheeks as they pray. It is a wonderful thing to witness the grace of God upon our children. Money cannot buy this grace! Glory to God! Thank You Jesus!

We prayed against the evil spirits of infirmity, stomach ulcer, fibroids, bareness, diabetes, depression, skin diseases. We prayed against the evil spirit of fear, poverty, doubt, religion and witchcraft. We prayed that God’s grace will manifest and His people will buy lands and build houses. They will not die as tenants. Their landlords will not organize their ‘service of songs’. They will fulfill God’s plan for their lives. We said “YES!!!” to the will and to the way of God! We shouted NO to the devil! The Holy Spirit helped us so that all these prayers were done in faith and were very real to us. The God who invented prayers will answer them, for His glory and for our good! We shall love and worship God even more because He has heard and answered our prayers. We then sang: “Baba-ooo… Baba-ooo…” (In Nigeria God Almighty is sometimes called Baba, which means Father- in heaven).

The word was from Acts 4. Peter and John were persecuted because of an act of kindness done to a cripple. They prayed and the crippled man was healed. The religious leaders were angry and tried to stop the faith in the Living God from spreading. But nobody can stop the power of the name of Jesus! They warned Peter and John never to speak the name of Jesus again. The apostles then went to their friends who are believers and they organized a prayer meeting. They prayed for two things: Boldness to speak in the name of Jesus and faith that miracles will follow their ministry. They prayed until the place was shaken. There is power in congregational prayer. For the unbelievers, prayers look like a joke. But when the believers gather to pray, power is released from heaven.  Question: do you attend the prayer meetings organized in your church?  If not, you miss many blessings!

They prayed specifically for boldness and for miracles. The word boldness means to continue to do what God told you to do, in spite of the opposition coming from the evil spirits of fear, doubt, rejection and shame. You need to confront your fears, your doubts, your rejection and your shame. You need to reject them. Then you strengthen yourself in the Lord. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Your life will change and you shall testify to the goodness and power of God! “Baba-ooo… Baba-ooo…We worship You!”

I just finished writing today’s article called “The young men” when I received this letter in my inbox. It is from a young sister who attends our church. She is a committed born again Christian. She is about 30 years old. She is very beautiful and a little bit plump (I do not like the word fat). I know how it feels to be overweight for I have battled this issue myself for many years. Read this letter as an encouragement to all singles not to compromise in your choice for a life partner. Have no inferiority complex in the way you look. God made you and not yourself. It is good to try your best to be healthy but do not be over concerned about the way you look. All God’s children and beautiful for Jesus is beautiful! If you have any counsel for her, please comment. She will read it! God bless you all!

“Malia, I thank God that I have a spiritual mother, that I can open my heart to you without any fear or shame. God bless you Ma. I really wanted to come see you. It’s about the matters of the heart. I will try my best to explain in writing, cos it’s long. I am at the point of my life where I am confused. And I know I should not be confused, I don’t want to be confused cos it’s not of God. Recently my friend (brother …) of over 10years asked me out, initially I objected cos I’ve never seen him in that way. I like him as a friend but I don’t see us living under same roof cos I’m not attracted to him and I don’t see me being happy with him. More so as friends in the past he has always expressed his hatred for fat people; that they are disgusting in bed and are liable to die young. When I remembered all his words in the past I said no to his request. But then after much conviction from him that those were words of ignorance I told him I’ll pray about it. I prayed but did not get any answer from God so I said let me give it a try and see how it goes.
That was how we started.

Then 6 weeks ago after a wonderful service in the church, he called me on phone and started talking about me being fat. He said that he has accepted his fate to get married to a fat lady but that he hopes when I give birth I’ll be able to control my fat. Bcos I wanted to retain the anointing from the service I did not react. But after much thought days later I told him it won’t work between us. At the beginning he didn’t see anything wrong with what he said but when he saw that I was angry he then said sorry. His words hurt me and I started feeling low and ashamed of myself. Now he keeps apologizing and says that he can’t let go of me. My answer to him was that unless it is God’s will I can’t go on with him. I said that I need to pray and hear God’s will concerning this matter. But he’s disturbing and putting pressure on me for answer.

Malia, I don’t want to get married and be miserable, unhappy, frustrated and depressed. God has been so good to me and has favored me as a single, so I want marriage to be an improvement of my state now. I want to be happily married. I can’t afford to make foolish mistakes about this. Please Malia I need your counsel as my mother. Thank you Ma. Your daughter…A’

This is my answer to her:
Dear A… No need to waste time! This man is not your husband. Tell him so. Let him go. Because in the past he was an ordinary friend, now that friendship must stop too. Things have changed! That is why you are confused. As things are now, you cannot reject him as a husband and keep him as an ordinary friend. You have to stop all conversations with him. Talk to him just once that you do not want to continue any relationship with him. After that, delete his phone number. The Holy Spirit will help you. The man you will marry will appreciate you as you are. He will see you beautiful as you are now. He will not try to make you into another woman. I wish you well!
(By the way, I just wrote an article today called “The young men”. He is a ‘young man’ and he is not your Boaz. Read my write up today!)
Love in Christ alone,
Malia

(In the picture you see a beautiful ‘plus size’ bride. This is to help your dream. This is to encourage all the sisters, no matter what is your size or your complexion, to trust God for your wedding day. You shall marry your Boaz, not his ‘house boy’! You shall be a beautiful bride! You shall be happy! God will make it happen! In Jesus name, amen!)

“Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the YOUNG MEN not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the YOUNG MEN have drawn… And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his YOUNG MEN, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. Also let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her… Then he said, “Blessed are you of the Lord, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after YOUNG MEN, whether poor or rich” (Ru 2:9, 15, 16; 3:10)

The words ‘young men’ appear four times in the Book of Ruth. In Hebrew, the words ‘young men’ describe boys or servants who are hardworking, zealous, restless and noisy. These are the ‘house boys’, the workers and the servants of Boaz. Their boss commands them and they must obey. Boaz forbids them to ‘touch, reproach or rebuke’ Ruth. He commands his men not to sexually harass, insult, angrily rebuke, hurt, confuse or embarrass Ruth. They are also commanded to quietly help by dropping grains for her, as by mistake. These kind actions of the young men are not because they are naturally nice. They have to obey their master Boaz who hired them. Ruth will be a fool if she thinks that these ‘young men’ act nice on their own. She will be a fool to chase after them.

Later, when Ruth tells Boaz that, according to their tradition, he can marry her, he congratulates her by saying that she is a wise and godly woman. There are two major reasons why Boaz appreciated Ruth. The first is that she forsook her people, to follow and help her mother in law who is a relative of Boaz. The second reason is that Ruth did not run after ‘the young men’ on the field. To Boaz this was a sign of a true godly woman and it was the reason why he loved and married her.

The Bible says that we should reject the sins of the youth. “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2Tim 2:22). This is a great lesson for all who want to work for God or want to marry well. To be ‘a vessel of honor used by the Master’ you need to hate sin and in particular all forms of sexual lust which is called ‘the sin of the youth’. No matter your age, you should run from every appearance of evil, especially in connection to sexual sins. Like Joseph, you have to learn how to run away from the lustful temptation of the devil, represented by the Potiphar’s wife. Like Job, you need to make a covenant with your eyes, that they may be holy, seeing only what God revels to you and to be blind to what the devil shows you. Sexual lusts must be replaced by a desire to pursue the things of God. That creative strength you used to chase lovers, use it now to pray and seek God. Choose between fornication and prayer. In fact, I am free to say, that any believer who is spiritually weak, especially in prayer, is still in bondage to sexual lusts.

Boaz appreciated Ruth for not running after ‘the young men’. Any godly man looking for a wife should do like Boaz and appreciate a woman who is free from sexual lusts and the restless frustrations associated with the youth. You should appreciate a spiritual woman of God who has a quiet spirit, is prayerful, strong, gentle, hardworking, humble, submissive, kind, romantic, creative and helpful. You sisters, pray that you may be like Ruth. Then Boaz will locate you and marry you. The Bible never gets old. The same stories are repeated by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is my testimony: I am very happily married to a wonderful man of God. I know what I am saying. I experience love and dreams come true. I wish that God will bless you as He blessed my husband and I. To God be all the glory!

“So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor… So she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?… Then she said, “Let me find favor in your sight, my lord; for you have comforted me, and have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants” (Ru 2:2, 10, 13 )

Ruth prays that she may find favor with a wealthy man so that she can glean and gather grain on his field. She did not use her natural beauty to seduce the man. She did not manipulate the rich man with her many needs. She prayed for God’s favor on herself so that the rich man may not see her, but sees Christ in her. God answered her prayer. That man was Boaz. She finds favor ‘in his eyes’. The word ‘favor’ means beauty, mercy and grace, revealed when a greater man humbles himself, bends down in kindness and appreciates an inferior person. This favor is always supernatural. In the natural, no rich man ‘bends down’ to a poor one. Without the Holy Spirit all rich men are proud. So, when you see a wealthy and truly humble man, give God the glory. For this is the work of the Holy Spirit who is able to humble any man, great or small.

Have you ever prayed like this: ‘God grant me favor with that person?’ This is a very powerful prayer. This is a very good prayer. I am a witness to it. Please know that God can only answer this prayer if you are a born again Christian. I pray like this before telling my husband something very important. I pray before I meet strangers when I need a favor. I pray before an exam or an interview. I pray before I minister to others. Even now I pray: “Father in heaven, please give me favor with the readers! To You alone be all the glory! In Jesus name, Amen!”

“So Ruth went out to gather grain behind the harvesters. And as it happened, she found herself working in a field that belonged to Boaz, the relative of her father-in-law, Elimelech” (Ru 2:3)

The word ‘providence’ means God working ‘behind the scenes’ with wisdom, power and kindness, to do His will in your life. The working of providence is for God’s glory and for your own good. For example, ‘it happened’ that Ruth went to work in the field of Boaz, who will be her husband later. This ‘it happened’ was in fact the (hidden) leading of the Holy Spirit. All true marriages ‘made in haven’ are the result of the workings of the God of providence!

“For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope” (Rom 15:4)

I was reading today the first chapter of the Book of Ruth. If you identify with Naomi, then you can say that life is extremely unfair. Everything that can be wrong happened to her. She was once a happy married woman with two sons. The family went to live ‘abroad’ where the ‘grass was greener’. They had dreams of success, prosperity and happiness. But while living in Moab, her husband and her two sons died. This was a tragedy. She was left with her two pagan daughters in law. A broken hearted poor widow, Naomi hears that God has blessed her country with prosperity. She decides to come back home. Her daughters in law follow her. She discourages them to go with her to the land of Judah. She tells them there is no future for them over there. Orpah weeps and goes back to her people and to her gods. But Ruth ‘clung’ to her. She makes one of the most beautiful speeches in the Bible. She commits herself to be with Naomi even unto death. This is a stronger commitment than marriage which ends ‘until death do us part’.

Naomi saw only darkness and no hope at all. But Ruth sees a ray of light and a faint hope ahead. Naomi complains that God afflicted her. She blames God for changing a pleasant fulfilling life into an empty barren hopeless bitter existence. But to her surprise, Ruth chooses this very God who ‘afflicts’ people. By faith in the same God of affliction, she is not afraid of passing thru darkness knowing that there is light at the end of that tunnel. Ruth’s trust in the God of Naomi is rewarded with a new life. She will soon marry Boaz and has a son. She becomes one of the three foreign women in the line of Jesus Christ. This is a wonderful story of grace.

I have seen this phenomenon in the church. Old believers compromise their faith and backslide internally. They still attend church but they carry a grudge against God. They get disappointed and bitter against the very God they try to serve.  Then a new believer comes along full of faith and zeal to serve God. The old bitter believer tries to discourage the new Christian. The new believer tries to encourage the old one. This is a spiritual battle. In the case of Ruth, she won over the heart of Naomi and later Boaz by her simple pure faith in Jehovah God. She made a radical commitment to serve God and His servant Naomi. The God of Israel rewarded her beyond her dreams.

The Word of God says that by reading these ‘old’ stories, we shall find the strength to endure hard times, encouragement and hope. We need to totally surrender our hearts and lives to the Living God. Like Ruth, we need to cling to God and to serve the human delegated authority He had placed over us. We set both our hands on the plow and we do not look back. We chose to die to the past of sin, if it was sweet or bitter. We change natural people for spiritual company. We change natural desires for spiritual ones. We take our cross and follow Jesus! We all need one another. We encourage ourselves so that we can encourage others. Your testimony may be the only hope some people have before committing (spiritual) suicide. Just hold on there! For your sake and for the sake of many! Lastly, we need to remember that God sees and He knows everything. There may be a time of persecution, suffering, loneliness and broken dreams. But God can change any pain into progress and failure into success. Child of God, be encouraged today! I hear the sound of rejoicing in the tents of the righteous! In Jesus name, amen!

Me singing this song, today, at the church service:

‘Oh Thou who knowest my beginning
Thou who created the plan
Who orchestrated my life’s journey
God, You are my God

God of decisions, Creator of answers
Thou who ordained my way
Through my transition, held my position
God, You are my God

I will forever give You praise
Honor and celebrate Your name
God of the past, present and Who is to come
Oh, God, You are my God”

(By Joann Rosario)

HAPPY WITH CHURCH TONIGHT

The evening prayer meeting was wonderful. The Holy Spirit freely moved in our midst. Some people were weeping and others were laughing. Only God knows each heart and the deepest needs of each person. We acknowledged the presence of the Holy Spirit; the God who knew was before we were conceived in our mothers’ wombs. God loved us before He created the stars and placed them in the sky. We felt the love of God. Like a mighty fire that cleanses, like purging spiritual medicine, the Spirit did His peculiar work in us. The unity of the Spirit was strong. We witnessed this wonder: old and young, adults and children, stayed together under the Blood and moved with one accord in the Spirit. We rejected the evil spirits of fear, lust, of empty religion, of homosexuality, masturbation, of Jezebel and computer pornography! To the pure all things are pure! We prayed for our ears, that they may be circumcised. We shall hear only the truth, the Word of the Spirit. We prayed for our eyes that we should see only what the Holy Spirit reveals to us. We prayed for our emotions that we should feel only God’s heart. We shall be blind and deaf to the attraction of the devil. The singles prayed and made a covenant with God that they shall keep sexually pure until the wedding day. Their bodies shall be living sacrifices on the altar of God.

The anointing was strong enough for burdens to be lifted; for the sick to be healed, for the barren to become fruitful and for the depressed to be joyful. We got drunk with the Holy Spirit and rejoiced like Sarah of old. She was barren until she was 90. Then she and Abraham had a son named Isaac, meaning laughter. He was the son of promise. Laughter was promised to them. They shall not die sad and disappointed. “Sarah said: “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me” (Gen 21:6). By faith we identified with Sarah and rejoiced in the knowledge that God is faithful! This evening, by the power of the Holy Spirit, God has replaced our sadness with the joy of the Lord, which shall be our strength from now on. We sang and praised the ‘God of the past, present and who is to come. Oh, God You are my God!’ As I am writing these notes, I want to say this: I personally thank God for church prayer meetings under the prophetic anointing of the Holy Ghost. If you have never attended one, you really ‘miss better thing’ (as we say in Nigeria)! To God be all the glory!

HAPPY WITH CHURCH TONIGHT
We just ended the women’s fellowship. It was wonderful. We praised God, we prayed and shared testimonies. Sister D said that she almost died but God saved her. Sister O told everybody how she did spiritual warfare to be pregnant after many years of bareness. Sister T said that God woke her up in the night to put off a stabilizer that could have been on fire and possible burn the house. Then the Word came…
It is more than five months since I fell and broke my leg. I am healed now. Thank God! It is such a pleasure and daily excitement for me to walk freely. You never know the value of something until you lose it. For eight weeks I had to stay in bed with a cast on, not able to walk except with crutches. If ever in the past I was praying for beautiful (smooth, slim, long) legs, I forgot all about that as I lay down with a cast on. My prayers changed! I only wished to have healed and strong legs. Nothing else matters.

There are many lessons I had to learn from this time of affliction. Like I said, it was an evil spirit that ‘pushed’ me to fall on the stairs. It is not my imagination. I felt the darkness pushing me from behind. But once I fell, the darkness ‘ran away’ and the Holy Spirit took over. He embraced me like a mother holds her wounded child. God used especially my husband to comfort and encourage me. Others helped too. But all the glory goes to God for helping me pass thru this fire of affliction and making me a better person.

The following are some of the lessons I personally learned during my affliction. These are based on the Word of God and can be applied to all believers who pass thru pain, suffering, affliction or sickness. These lessons are pieces of gold purified in the furnace. These are life time lessons that will help me to be a better woman of God, wife, mother and grandmother. Sickness has come and sickness has gone. So, what are my gains left behind at the end of this suffering?

*I LOVE THE BIBLE MORE!
Suffering drove me to the Bible! I re-discovered the power and sweetness of the Word of God! I fell in love with my Bible all over again! “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes” (Ps 119:71)
*I LOVE PRAYER MORE!
Suffering drove me to prayer. I love prayer now more than before. Prayer works for me. “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray” (Jam 5:13)
*I LOVE REPENTANCE MORE!
Suffering helped me to examine my life and to repent of self-sins, especially pride and stubbornness! “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word” (Ps 119:67)
*I LOVE HUMILITY MORE!
Suffering humbled me, giving God a chance to increase His favor on me. As a pastor I need His anointing and His power. I find these blessings for ministry resting on me now more than ever before. “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2Cor 12:9)
*MORE JOY!
Suffering has supernaturally increased my joy in the Lord. The devil wants me to be sad but I found joy replacing sadness. Suffering has made me more patient with God’s work in me, with myself, with my husband, with my children and with others. Suffering has made me spiritually mature and fruitful. “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (Jam 1:2-4)
*MORE HOPE AND GODLY CHARACTER!
Suffering has increased my hope that my future is better than my past or present. My faith that God will not disappoint me is now strong. “We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint” (Rom 5:3-5)
*I LOVE MY MINISTRY MORE! TO THE GLORY OF GOD!
Suffering has enlarged and blessed my ministry. It has become a sermon topic, a source of encouragement to others and a way to glorify God! “Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (Jn 11:3, 4)

Dear Child of God, if you are sick, afflicted, oppressed or rejected… whatever is your problem now, lift up your eyes from yourself and your circumstances and look unto Jesus Christ who understands your pains like no other. Remember! You are sick and poor but you are not alone. Look at the gifts and gains that come to you. These are brought by the pain you now hate. You are in the fire of the furnace. But you shall not end there. You shall come out of that fire like pure gold of eternal value. Men shall envy you! Angels shall rejoice because of you! Be encouraged today! Give thanks to God even now, for your story is not yet over. God is increasing your testimony and ministry. Let Him use any means He wants. You shall rejoice at last. Why not start the praises now?

“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a man can commit is outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body” (1Cor 6:18-20)

A young sister asked for counsel recently. She has been sick on and off. I told her to search her heart and confess any known sin. Some sicknesses are the direct effect of un-confessed and un-repented sin. She is a ‘nice’ girl and very active in her church. Then she told me that she has been committing fornication. This did not surprise me for I have seen many young men and women who are very active in the church but still active sexually, thinking it does not matter what they do in secret. The truth is that God knows and God sees. You can deceive your parents, your spouse, other people and the pastor. But nobody can deceive God. Sin plants only evil. The result will be a life of guilt, fears and health problems. I told this young woman to cancel all her imagination that she is born again. I told her to start afresh. To give her life to Christ. This time without hypocrisy! She has agreed and she told me that she feels so much better after ‘opening up’ about her double life. Bellow is part of my counsel to her: