“Rise up, you women who are at ease,
Hear my voice;
You complacent daughters,
Give ear to my speech” (Is 32:9)

We continue with the message given to the women in Father’s House Bible Church, Warri, Nigeria.

In the previous chapter Isaiah rebukes the men for going to Egypt to look for wealth, help and counsel. There is a curse upon the men who do that. “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses…Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out His hand, both he who helps will fall, and he who is helped will fall down. They all will perish together” (Is 31:1, 3). These verses describe the men of Israel, the husbands of these women at ease. The men look for help in the world. The wives were to advice their husbands not to go to the world for help and prosperity but to trust in God. But they did not care about the methods their husbands used to become wealthy so far they become rich and famous. The wives are seen here passively waiting for their husbands to come back from Egypt with horses. In today’s language, these women are waiting for their husbands to come from America with big cars, clothes and money. The wives do not pray, therefore they are ignorant of the plan of God to make the men fall and fail abroad. In Hebrew, these words describe a man becoming a fugitive, inferior and lost like a slave in another man’s land. This is seen as a terrible waste of opportunities, a tragic and unfulfilled life. Their wives at home live at ease and dream big but they shall be totally disappointed by their husbands. This is God’s judgment on any one who forsakes God and worships the world.

Try to imagine these women. A commentator describes them as lazy and superficial. “They have no thought beyond the wardrobe”. But the truth is that generally, most Christian women are not at ease. They work hard and desire to be spiritual. They love their home but do not worship its comfort. They pray and intercede for their families. This is God’s gift to them. So why are these women ‘at ease in Zion’? Egypt is a symbol for the world, the system of men who live without God. The explanation for being at ease is the sin of loving the world. Remember that we are all born sinners. The world is what we know and love before coming to know the Savior. As Christians we are to repent and reject the love of the world. If not, the world will attract us to its adulterous arms again. Women, be watchful! The interest for the world starts small. Slowly, it creeps back into our hearts. We silently admire the fashion of the world, their mode of dressing. We learn to play games, seducing men just for the fun of it. The movies, the magazines, they call us by name. Little by little we develop a wrong contentment and a false peace with no longing for God.

We repent of every desire of loving the world. May we desire to be women of God indeed! For the glory of God! For the sake of our souls! For the sake of our families! For the sake of our communities! In Jesus name, amen!

HAPPY WITH CHURCH TONIGHT

This evening the sisters in our church gathered for the ‘women’s fellowship’.  It was truly wonderful. We prayed, praised God and encouraged each other as we shared testimonies. The presence of God was strong in our midst. I still feel a trembling in my chest and my knees. I told them that the last time we gathered, I prepared a message on healing. But I was not free to deliver it. We only prayed and interceded. The message of today revealed a hindrance to our healing. The Holy Spirit revealed a tendency to take our blessings for granted, to become spiritually lazy, a secret desire to backslide and to be ‘at ease in Zion’. We repented and prayed for revival to come.  Healing shall follow. No doubt at all. This is part one of the message:

“Rise up, you women who are at ease,

Hear my voice;

You complacent daughters,

Give ear to my speech” (Is 32:9)

This passage is the warning of the Prophet Isaiah to the women living in Judah. At this time the northern Kingdom of Israel has been conquered by the Assyrians. Its inhabitants, men, women and children have been sent into exile. Shenacherib was preparing to attack Jerusalem but the people, especially the women, were careless regarding the coming danger. They are described as being ‘at ease’. In Hebrew, the word describes someone who is at peace, secure and quietly resting. To be at ease it means to be comfortable, free from pain, labor, constrain, difficulty or embarrassment. It means to be free to be yourself and none can rebuke you for that. Being at ease can be seen as negative or positive. In verses 9 and 11 it is used in a negative way. It describes women who are proud, careless of other’s pains and living in a ‘fool’s paradise’, as they say. They are successful as wives and mothers but have no longing to know God. They are prosperous but do not pray. They are settled but not spiritual. They are wealthy but do not worship God.  But the same word is used in a positive way in verse 18 and it describes the true rest and peace of the repentant woman who is spiritual, humble and loving.

Isaiah identifies the sin of these women and rebukes them. He wants them to repent, to change. Like a military commander, he uses one verb after another to wake them up from their foolish slumber and false peace. He tells them to rise up and to tremble. He commands them to listen to the Word of God. He tells them to strip from their fancy dresses and to dress up with ‘sack clothes’, as a sign that they have truly repented.

These words are painful but necessary. May we repent from being at ease and unspiritual! May we hear the voice of the Lord! May healing come!  In Jesus name, amen!

“By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible” (Heb 11:24-27)

Some time ago I read a story. It is called ‘The eagles and the turkeys’. In the story, a baby eagle became restless and curious. Against his mother’s advice he leaned over the edge of his nest and fell down. He landed in a farm in the midst of a family of turkeys. They welcomed him. He grew up thinking he was a turkey. He ate with the turkeys. He remembered that his mother eagle hunted and brought meat for him. Now he has to eat corn like the other turkeys. He was afraid to complain because he wanted to belong. He wanted to be a turkey. He slept with the turkeys. He learned the turkey’s language. He planned to marry a turkey. He convinced himself that his destiny is to be a turkey. But he knew in his heart that he wasn’t a turkey. He tried hard to kill his eagle’s dreams. He wanted to forget the power of his wings. Life went on and on…until one day…
One day he looked up to saw an eagle soaring majestically in the afternoon sky. That was the moment of destiny! At that moment he knew that he was an eagle. He opened his wings and flew away.

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

An inferiority complex is a lack of self-worth, a doubt about the value of your person. It manifests as depression, anxiety, feelings of failure, of not measuring up to standards. It is often subconscious. Most of these people try to overcompensate, resulting either in spectacular achievement or wrong behavior. This inferiority complex develops in children whose parents are either too harsh or too soft with them.  If your child hears negative words in the home, with time he will believe them. If you spoil your child and pamper him too much, he will become helpless in life and develop inferiority complex.

O, how I love the Word of God. Here I have found a treasure. These are just some few of the life changing lessons I have learned. In the Bible I am commanded to deliver myself from all negative thinking, from all inferiority complexes. I am not supposed to feel offended when others think or say that I am too young or too old, too white or too black, too ugly or too un-fashionable. For me in particular, as a woman of God, I am not to apologize for being a foreigner or a woman.

This is my testimony: As a young woman I was afflicted by an inferiority complex based on my looks. Foolishly, I was comparing myself with Miss. Romania and or course, I failed the test. I forgot that I had other gifts that she did not possess. With all my academic achievements, my life became sad and restless. I worried a lot about the future. For example: ‘I am ugly. Who will marry me?’ I knew that my way of thinking was wrong but I could change myself. I tried to free myself from these negative thoughts but could not do it on my own. Even my husband tried to change me but could not.

I finally became free when I met the Lord. The light of God shone in my dark heart. I became born again. I became a child of God. He changed my heart and my mind. This change was gradual but sure. Little by little I started seeing myself thru the eyes of Christ. I started believing that Jesus loves me, so I started loving myself. I had the boldness to believe that He bought me with His Blood. Therefore I must have a great value in His eyes. God lifted up my head. I stopped desiring to be someone else. I stopped comparing myself with others. My infatuation with Miss. Romania died.  I became free indeed!

I testify to the glory of God that the old familiar demon of inferiority was totally defeated and ran away. The new mind of Christ gave me peace, joy, the assurance of eternal life and the right standing in the presence of God. I declared the Word of God over my life.  I saw myself as the Work of God. How then can I be ugly? It is impossible! How can I be a failure? It is impossible! How can I be last when God declares me to ‘the head and not the tail’? How can I be called barren when God says that I am a ‘fruitful vine’? I am not made on earth! I am made in heaven! I totally believe the report of the Lord! I am deaf to the voice of the devil. He is not my Creator. He is not my God. I reject all lies. I believe and rejoice with the truth! Praise the Lord O, my soul!

Finally, Child of God, stop worrying! Be encouraged you there! God loves you! If God can change my heart, my mind and my circumstances, He will do the same for you! Be patient and have faith to the end!

1. As ‘ugly’ as I thought I was, the most wonderful and handsome man I ever met married me. That was 41 years ago. We have three children and six grandchildren (for now). God sent him to Romania to marry me!!! God makes all things beautiful in His own time and in His own way! What a mighty God we serve! This is my story! This is my song!

This is our wedding hall in the new church. We need more chairs, but you can see the beauty already…Many shall start their marriages here. To God be all the glory!

This is our pulpit in the new church. It is made by our church people who are good in carpentry. Praise the Lord! The Word of God shall be proclaimed to the nations, to the glory of God!

“Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible” (Lk 1:36, 37)

Angel Gabriel came from heaven to Mary. His words were not his own, but God’s who sent him. Just imagine! What does an angel know about ‘old age’? Does the word ‘menopause’ is whispered in heaven? How do they talk about barren women in the angels’ club? An angel does not grow old. He does not understand the weaknesses and trials we humans face on earth.

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand” (PV 19:21)

God is not an influence. God is a Person. God has His own mind, His own plans. Men make theirs, but it is God’s purpose that prevails against theirs. That is why it is good that in every situation you pray first of all to know God’s mind. You should not go ahead and make plans by yourself, waiting for God to bless them. It will not work!

In Hebrew, the word ‘plans’ means to plot, to conceive something in your mind, the effort to think, to imagine or to invent.  People who have the gift of curiosity always invent something new in their mind. They are the poets and the artists. We admire them but there is a danger. They imagine themselves to be wealthy, to live abroad or to marry someone rich and famous. They live in a dream land until they are cut off from reality. This is a very dangerous road. Many have perished in their reckless paths.

The truth is that God has His plans about us, about me and you. His plans are good and not evil. But we hate His plans if they are different than ours. But remember! No one can fight God and win! God’s plan and purpose shall ‘stand’ and all other plans shall bow down in failure. The Word of God shall accomplish the purpose for which it has been sent. If God seem silent now, it is because He waits for you to repent, to come to Him and align with His eternal plans for your life.

This is my testimony: There was a time I thought of myself as a very intelligent person. I (quietly) boasted of my achievements. I had many plans for my future. I thought I can achieve my goals without God. I tried to reason without prayer. I tried to sing without a voice. I failed! And thank God I failed! That is how I met my wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ! His plans for my life are too wonderful for me to write down in English or any language. Christ has now become my wisdom. I can freely boast of Him!

This is my counsel: If you are worried about someone who is going astray, someone you pray for, I say this to you! Take your eyes from that person or the surrounding circumstances. Look up unto Jesus and you shall see total victory and joy in His plans for that person. God is able to stop a fugitive! God is able to arrest a backslider! God is able to change the heart of that stubborn man! God is able to stop that woman who runs towards hell. Jesus has the keys of both life and death. Jesus is the Judge of all the earth and He has the last say in all human affairs! Stand on God’s side and you shall never fall! Have peace! Be strong! In Jesus name, Amen!

“Bless the Lord, O my soul;

And all that is within me, bless His holy name! (Ps 103:1)

This evening in the church we praised the Lord nonstop for two hours. I told the congregation that there are many things we can do in one hour. We can spend it in eating, sleeping, reading or visiting people. But the best way to spend one hour of your life on earth is in the presence of God. The best investment you can make, the highest value you can get for one hour is to dedicate it to praise and worship God. The second best is prayer.  Any other thing, no matter how good, is below.

So we decided to increase the value of our lives. First of all we prayed to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We received power as the Holy Ghost fell upon us. We then praised God with all that is within us. From one song to another, dancing and clapping, the Holy Spirit led us on. One thing is clear: praise is a sacrifice. It is not easy to praise God. It is not just singing. It moves the whole being: body, soul and spirit. Another thing is clear: lazy people cannot praise God. It is a privilege to praise God. It is the right and duty of the children of God. Not everybody can praise God. So we, who can do it, must do it!

PRAISE REPORT

Just before the evening service, I was informed that a sister who attends our church is on admission in the hospital with her 15 years old daughter. The sister lost her husband about two months ago. Now her daughter is sick. The doctor diagnosed appendicitis saying he will perform the surgery tomorrow. That is why he admitted mother and daughter. I held hands with Pastor Trish, just before the service and we prayed that God will intervene and heal her by Himself. As we praised God I forgot about the problem. All I remembered was The Lamb upon the Throne! At the end of the service, after two hours of praise, the mother phoned and said that the doctor came again this evening, examined the daughter and changed his mind. He said that there is no need to surgery. This ‘little’ testimony is just one good thing following the praise that touched heaven tonight. The praise must continue tomorrow and forever!

Praise the Lord!

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Mt 7:13, 14)

This is the main gate entering our church, Father’s House Bible Church Warri, NIgeria. We call it the Narrow Gate of Life! Pray that all people who shall enter thru this gate will be saved! All glory to God!

“Say to this mountain: ‘Go!
Be cast into the sea!’
And doubt not in your heart
That it will be to thee.
It will be done! Stand on His Word!
Challenge your mountain in the Lord!”
(F B Meyer)

“For thus says the High and Lofty One

Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy!

“I dwell in the high and holy place,

With him who has a contrite and humble spirit,

To revive the spirit of the humble,

And to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Is 57:15)

The Almighty God tells us where to find Him. He who created the Universe has revealed to His creation, to us human beings, where we should go to seek Him. God is omnipresent. But there is a special place where God, whose name is Holy, dwells in a particular way.  The revelation of God’s dwelling place is not just for our general information, but it is an invitation to seek God until we find Him. In the presence of God there is peace, strength, revival, fruitfulness, fulfillment and fullness of joy.  Do not seek happiness for you shall never find it! Seek God and all these blessings shall follow!

Most people who called themselves believers do not pay the price to find God. They worship Him from afar and are satisfied with a distant, ‘second –hand’ relationship.  That is the tragedy of religion. Listen now to the Gospel: Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, left heaven for thirty three years and came down to earth to reveal God the Father. He died for our sins to restore us back to God. Our Savior is a Person. Only in Christ we can know God intimately and personally.

God lives in heaven. Most people believe that, at least in theory. But God says that He has a second home. He also dwells with ‘contrite and humble people’ for the specific purpose to revive their souls.  Who are these people? These are the children of God who take their cross daily to follow Jesus.

To be contrite it means to be repentant, to be deeply sorry for sin. In Hebrew the word means to be a victim of oppression, to be crushed to powder or to have a broken heart.  A humble man is a submissive man, one who is not proud and who thinks little of himself. In Hebrew it means to be put down, to be humiliated until you become depressed. God Almighty says that He dwells with these people just the way He dwells in heaven.

Emmanuel means ‘God with us’. This is the promise of God: if you humble yourself, repent of your sins, and come to Jesus, the Spirit of God shall comfort and revive you. In Hebrew, the word ‘revive’ means to give life and to keep alive forever. It is not just a temporary emergency procedure to a dying man, the way doctors are doing it. It means to completely destroy the bondage and the damage of sin and death; to nourish, restore, repair and made completely whole. It means to make a new man who lives forever with God.

God says He dwells with people who suffer injustice and oppression. Simply said, God is your ‘Tenant’ and Friend.  Can you imagine having Doctor Jesus living in your guest room? You will never fear any sickness, poverty or any life crisis at all. But this revelation is more than a dream, more than a nice imagination. It is the truth found in the Bible. Now you know why I never worry, why I love my home. Jesus Christ lives with me and in me. What a wonderful promise! What a mighty privilege! Glory to Emmanuel!

“Those You have given Me I guarded and protected, and not one of them has perished or is lost” (Jn 17:12; AMP)

This is the testimony of Jesus Christ hours before He died: He did not lose any of His children (except Judas, who is called ‘the son of perdition’, to prove that the Scripture is true!).

Child of God, Fear not! The Lord will not lose you! Your name is written in the palm of His hand! Your salvation is sure and eternal! Rest in His love! Rejoice always! Worship God! It is well with your soul!

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Mt 6:34)

All unbelievers worry about things they cannot control. And they can control nothing. This is God’s law: Nobody can control his future. God designed life in such a way that tomorrow always remains hidden in mystery. We need to live one day at a time. We pray for our ‘daily bread’. Today is the day of salvation! Tomorrow is not my property! Let me seek and find God today!

“Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (Jn 10:25-27)

In Greek, the word translated ‘church’ is ‘ecclesia’. It means to call out someone by name. In other words, the members of the Body of Christ are people who are ‘called out of darkness into God’s marvelous light’. The church on earth is a mixed multitude. Some are the true believers, called by God. Others have called themselves. These are the false believers. Jesus used a parable to describe the true believers as sheep and the religious unbelievers as goats. For a long time these groups of people look identical. But with time, as they mature, you shall see the difference. The true believers produce the fruit of the Spirit; they truly love God and one another. The false believers do not love anybody except themselves. You shall be deeply disappointed if you deal with them.

When the children are grown and leave the home, any sweet memory of them is sweeter, it becomes a treasure. This evening I remember something about our daughter, Jemine. One of her all times favorite snacks was roasted plantain. It is called ‘bole’ in Nigeria. Each morning I will give her money to buy ‘bole’. Once I was very busy with my patients in the hospital and I forgot to give her ‘pocket money’. Jemine went to school early that morning. I was in my office when the door opened. It was Jemine with our driver, Monday. Breathing hard she said: “Malia, I told Monday to make a U turn and to come back so that I can collect my ‘bole’ money”
I smile as I write this. I hope Oliver, her son, will like bole too…

(in the picture you can see ‘bole’)

“There is no need for you to defend a lion when he is being attacked. All you need to do is to open the gate and let him out”
(Charles Spurgeon – The Prince of Preachers)

Preach the Word of God! In season and out of season! The Word of God can never fail! The Lion of the tribe of Judah will roar and all the goats will run or die!

HAPPY WITH CHURCH TONIGHT

The prayer meeting was wonderful. We praised God in songs. We thanked God for the privilege to know His Son Jesus Christ, to be saved, to read the Bible, to come to the house of God, to listen to sermons, to pray, to be led by the Holy Spirit and to live in victory.  We should never take these holy things for granted. Then the sermon followed:

“He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.  ”Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Mt 16:15-18)

THE ROCK CONFESSION

Jesus Christ builds His church. He needs stones. The children of God are the living stones. The question still remains: who do you say Jesus Christ is? Peter answered correctly and ‘passed the test’: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God! This confession, when made with all your heart, in full assurance of faith, it is the proof that you are saved. The revelation of Peter is directly from God the Father. It was not thought or manipulated. It was a direct revelation from God. With your heart you believe and with your mouth confess that Jesus Christ is Lord; you preach Christ crucified and resurrected.  Professing the Lord Jesus is the proof that you are a material approved by Him, a living stone to build His Church. Religion or just going to church does not transform you into a living stone to be used by the Master Builder, Jesus Christ!

THE CHURCH

The Greek word for church is ‘ecclesia’.  It means ‘that which is called out’ from the multitude. To be a living stone, you must hear the voice of the shepherd and follow him. Then you are a living stone. If you are deaf to the voice of the shepherd, then you are not saved. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (Jn 10:25-27)

STONES AND THE ROCK

In Greek, the word Peter is ‘petros’. It means a little stone cut from a bigger one. This describes the one David used to kill Goliath. The second word translated ‘rock’ is ‘petra’ in Greek. It means a massive unmovable rock, a mountain. Therefore, the church of the Living God is built not on Peter (as the Catholic Church says) but on the massive unmovable authoritative heavenly confession and declaration that His Son Jesus Christ is Lord of all!

THE GATES OF HELL

For a long time I thought that ‘the gates of hell’ describe active attacks coming from outside, from the devil. The revelation I got now it’s this: the Kingdom of God is always advancing. To the increase of God’s kingdom there is no end (Is 9:6).  The Church is moving on. It conquers new territories. As you move on, you shall meet these gates of hell, hindrances and strongholds directly on your path. They will try to stop your progress but they will always fail! The proof that you meet these attacks is that you are moving on, you are making progress! The gates of evil cannot stop the advance of God’s kingdom! The building has always opposition. The battle is continuous but unsuccessful! There is no man saved without opposition. No church is built without opposition. But the victory is sure!  Praise God!

God will bless you with new surprising fresh blessings! In Jesus name!

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Is 43:19)

“In unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to glorify the LORD… saying: “He indeed is good for His lovingkindness is everlasting,” the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God” (2Chr 5:13-14)

The ways of God are opposite from the way of the natural man. In the world, if you withdraw from an exam, it is considered that you failed. I remember, long ago, in the medical school, I did not prepare enough for one examination. I chose to withdraw from the examination room. I was given a paper to repeat that same exam. Thank God I passed it later. But I still have the memory of feeling like a failure, bad, lost and cheated. To my surprise, the Holy Spirit gives me the option to withdraw from a test, if I chose to. It is not called failure. It is called sensitivity, strength and wisdom.

We just ended the evening service. We praised God and we shared testimonies of God’s goodness and faithfulness. Then it was time for me to preach.  I prepared the sermon. But as I stood on the altar, I did not have the liberty to tell the people to sit down and listen. There was an opposition, a type of oppression, a spiritual intimidation. The needs of the women were many. One sister just came from the hospital. Her husband is lying there unconscious for the past three days. Others told me that they were sick, victims of armed robbery and all. I felt inadequate to preach or teach. They needed the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, not me. The best I could do was to facilitate His coming, His moving in our midst.

We prayed and rejected all evil spirits, especially the spirit of fear, doubt, religion and depression. We invited the Holy Spirit to come. He came… as a cloud… as a rain… as hope and peace and strength for tomorrow. This is the truth: The Holy Spirit had free access in our midst. The cloud of glory filled our church. There was nothing more I could add. I withdrew and allowed Him to do His work, His peculiar work. I do not know exactly what He did, but without any doubt, it is a good, deep and strong work. Testimonies shall surely follow, to the glory of God! That is why I say, that I am happy with church tonight!