“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Mt 24:35)

It is my greatest eternal privilege to honor and worship my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ! This scripture spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ reveals the eternity, power and glory of God’s Word. In Greek, the words ‘pass away’ mean to disappear, to become a thing of the past, to fade away, to become irrelevant, to ignore of neglect.  Our Lord says that nobody is able, now or in the future, to shun or to avoid the Word of God. It means no man who has heard the Word of God can depart, withdraw or run away like nothing has happened. The Word blesses or condemns. There is no room for ignoring the Word of life!

No man is able to prevent the effectiveness of the Word of God. No man can expel the Word of God. To expel it means to throw out by physical force or higher authority; to fire from job, to force to resign or to leave an organization, to take away the person’s rights and privileges. No man can do that to the Word of God. No man can evict the Word of God! To evict it means to drive out someone from his house or home. No man can do that to the Word of God!

Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh!  Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever! He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords! At the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven, on earth and under the earth; every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father! All hail the power of Jesus’ name! Crown Him with many crowns! Jesus is Lord!

“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,

And do not return there,

But water the earth,

And make it bring forth and bud,

That it may give seed to the sower

And bread to the eater,

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;

It shall not return to Me void,

But it shall accomplish what I please,

And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Is 55:10, 11)

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Mt 24:35)

I am a white woman and a pastor living in Nigeria. Last night we had our mid-week service and it was wonderful. This story touched me; that’s why I write this letter. This morning I heard this breaking news: last night, a ‘white’ young man went to a church in Charleston, USA. This is an old, historical ‘black’ church. The congregation was doing Bible study at their mid-week service. For some time, the young man stayed in the pew and listened to the preaching of the Word of God. Suddenly, he drew his gun and shot the pastor and eight others. They all died on the spot. Many were wounded. The criminal ran away. Police is calling this a ‘hate crime’. The police are looking for him right now. Most people are now afraid of backlash, of increase hatred between the races. This is the normal thing to do. But I pray that God glorifies Himself in this tragic story! I pray for a miracle of reconciliation, peace, forgiveness and hope! I pray that men and women all over the world, black, brown, white or yellow give their lives to Christ! I pray that God will do something new in that city! I pray that revival will come to America, that these believers did not die in vain!  Holy Spirit please comfort the broken hearted!

As for the young man who hated blacks, Christians or the Bible, one thing is sure: He cannot run away from God, from His Word. I do not know the topic of the Bible study in that church last night. But whatever the pastor preached, it is the Word of God and this man listened for some time. He may hide from men, from family and friends even from police, but he can never hide from God, from the Word of God he heard last night! The Word of God has done its work in him! God can never lose!

“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,

And do not return there,

But water the earth,

And make it bring forth and bud,

That it may give seed to the sower

And bread to the eater,

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;

It shall not return to Me void,

But it shall accomplish what I please,

And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Is 55:10, 11)

Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever!
There are seasons when I long to know the Holy Spirit better. There are other times when I long to know God the Father. Since yesterday, I had a deep longing for my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. I shared my feelings with the congregation this evening. I told the choir that I want to hear the name of Jesus Christ, in songs, in prayer or praise. That is what we did. We just sang praises to the Lamb upon the throne. Until the very atmosphere became charged with the presence of the Holy Spirit. I prepared a sermon but I could not stop the river of life flowing down from the throne of God. So I joined in the celebration. Eternal life has a taste, a sound and a feel. We experienced all these during the service.

Lastly, we all sang:
“Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, because He lives, all fear is gone,
Because I know He holds my future, my life is worth a living just because
Christ lives!”

“Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise— why destroy yourself?

Do not be overwicked and do not be a fool— why die before your time?

It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other.

Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes” (Ecc 7:16-18; NIV)

Have you seen a man walking on a tight rope? To me and you it seems impossible!  But some men are trained to stay fearless, focused and balanced. They do not look right, left or down! They keep balanced all the way until they cross to the other side. They are the champions we admire!

One of the sure marks of a mature believer is spiritual, emotional and mental balance. Our Lord Jesus Christ was perfectly balanced in all that He did. We should strive to be like Him. We should pay the price for spiritual maturity and divine wisdom. The reward is greater than silver or gold.

This is my testimony: as a young believer I had a tendency to go one way or the other. If I was in a bad mood, I will preach only hell to others. If I was in a good mood, I will preach only. The Holy Spirit helped me to go to the Cross, to die to personal opinions and natural feelings. He established my heart in His grace. The result was spiritual maturity and balanced poise. I could avoid all wicked, religious, dangerous and foolish extremes. With time, I could rebuke a sinner but also encourage a sinner. Nobody could tag me as a trouble maker or a fault finder. Nobody also could say that I am ‘a soft, sweet, prosperity or worldly Christian’. The Holy Spirit helped me to identify sin and giving me the strength to rebuke, to speak the truth in love. The same Spirit helped me to discern something good in the same sinner, to encourage him to move on, to go closer to God.

Divine balanced wisdom cannot be bought with money, learned from a Bible school or borrowed from men. Applying the Word of God daily to all that you do and to all your conversations, will make you wise and strong! If men hate God, they will avoid you. That is ok. But if men really want to hear from God, they will come to you! There is no need to advertise wisdom. It advertises itself! Her children, her fruits will speak well of her! This spiritually balanced mature fruitful wisdom comes only from above, directly from the Wonderful Counselor. This is my counsel: you should strongly desire to be a man or a woman of wisdom! To God be all the glory!

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28)

One of the major weapons of the devil is discouragement. This is one of his favorite fiery darts. To be discouraged it means losing courage and confidence until you are unable to do something you need to do. Discouragement is an attack on the emotions and the will. It weakens them. You cannot find joy and excitement in the things you need to do. Courage is the mental strength to stand and persevere in times of fear, danger or difficulties. Courage ends in success. Discouragement ends in failure and defeat. There is no middle road. No Christian should be discouraged! Reject depression! The Holy Spirit is life, truth, power, peace and joy! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!

“Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven” (Lam 3:41)

This is a great model to help ignite prayer or praise. Sometimes you are discouraged. Life is not easy. The devil sends its fiery darts of fear, doubt and depression. You do not ‘feel’ like praying. Your hands are limp, going down and your heart goes with them. But then, the Word of God tells you what to do, for the Holy Spirit to revive your soul. You cannot lift up your heart directly. But you can make the effort to lift both your hands towards God in heaven. By faith, your heart, your spirit and soul shall be stirred to go up too.

There is a lifting in the Spirit realm! I command every evil spirit of discouragement, depression, empty religion, doubt or witchcraft to leave you and to go away in the name of Jesus!

Child of God, be revived! The Word of God is an injection of life. Have faith! Practice the Word! It has worked for millions of believers! It works for me! It shall work for you! Now, lift up your hearts, to your hands, as you praise your Father in heaven!  Glory to God!

We have been praying for months for revival in our church, our homes and our city. We have followed the Psalms of ascents, going closer to God. We have prayed for our ‘dreams to come true’. Tonight our theme was the success of our homes, the godly marriages and families with children. There was opposition to our prayers.The devil wants us to ignore the need for intercession for our families. But we did our best in prayer and trust that the Holy Spirit will continue the work in the hearts of the people of God! This was the message:

“Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain.
It is vain for you to rise up early,
To sit up late,
To eat the bread of sorrows;
For so He gives His beloved sleep” (Ps 127:1-2)

This is a Psalm written by King Solomon. It describes the beauty and power of a godly spiritual and victorious family! It can be applied to your natural family; father, mother and children. It can also be applied to the spiritual family, in particular your local church, as a part of the Universal Body of Christ. It describes spiritual parents, mentors, teachers or pastors who invest their lives in other people, thru the Word of God and by personal example. This family is a spiritual unit that God blesses and becomes stronger with time.

This is a song of ascent! It does not seem to do so! The interest of the family does not seem like ‘ascending’! After praying for months about ‘dreams to come true’ this looks like going down not up. But God wants us to have a deeper revelation of the grace, beauty and sweetness of marriage and family life with children, with grandchildren. The word ‘ascent’ means to go on a journey to a higher place or degree and promotion. Therefore a godly happy home is counted as a greater achievement than all the material blessings combined.

The most important lesson here is this: human labor without the Holy Spirit is useless. It is in vain. In Hebrew, the word ‘vain’ means a lie, something evil, destructive, useless, deceptive and false. It also means vanity and idolatry. The root of the word describes a storm that destroys everything in its path. It means without God, all our work, watching and worrying, will only be able to build sand castles in the path of the coming hurricanes. These labors and dreams will not last. Their fall, their destruction is sure and it means painful loss and danger to all. Without God, human labor ends in failure! That is the source of much sorrow to many!

This a great lesson: No matter how hard you work, how much educated you are, and skillful or talented you are, you cannot guarantee your prosperity in this life! It is God who blesses (or not) the work of your hands! There is no true success without God. But with God all things are possible and success assured!

All the doors in Malta have knobs for knocking. For centuries, the people there are very good in making them. Some are very old. Some a new and shining, ready for sale. I took this picture from a little shop selling them. It reminds me of the command of Jesus not to be intimidated by closed doors. “Knock and the door shall be open to you” (Mt 7:7)
This evening I made up my mind to keep on knocking, keep on praying and believing until God comes down to me! In Jesus name, amen!

“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him” (Mk 6:3)

Because I want to know my Lord better, I searched some information of what makes a good carpenter. This is what I have found: A good carpenter needs the following:

*Passion for his work; an admiration and understanding of the beauty of wood

*A desire to be perfect, to improve through experience having the skill of using wood to create durable and beautiful things that stand the test of time

Carpentry is not an easy work. It is not learned in a class room out of text-books. A carpenter learns most of the technical skills directly on the job. He is taught by an older carpenter who is his master while serving as a helper for three or four years. A good carpenter is focused on the details. An error of one inch can make a huge difference between success and failure. He can’t afford to be distracted when measuring and cutting.  A good carpenter is dedicated to his job. Old carpenters say they can train anyone with adequate manual dexterity and simple math skills to become a skilled carpenter. But it’s the attitude toward the job, the passion and the dedication to do your best that can’t be taught by men. Being humble, diligent, hardworking, grateful, happy and faithful to the Master are highly sought qualities in an apprentice.  A good carpenter needs good health and physical strength. The job is hard and requires considerable standing, bending, kneeling and climbing for many hours.

Our Lord worked as a carpenter for 18 years. Surely he had all the qualities listed above. Joseph, his foster father thought him all he knew. Because Jesus worked so long and so hard, he made work for daily bread to be special. By His labor, He condemned laziness and stealing. Many are unhappy with their jobs. They think that it is too low for their social status. Look unto Jesus and learned from Him! Never be ashamed of the labor of your hands! Jesus made yokes for the oxen. I am sure His yokes were the best in the country, smooth and easy to carry. All the oxen that were privileged to carry His yokes were happy and grateful animals. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:28, 29)

Spiritually speaking, He was faithful to His heavenly Father, who was also His Teacher and His Mentor. Jesus Christ is God, but as a Man on earth He learned obedience to God by the things He suffered. That is why He is the Source of eternal salvation to all His obedient children (Heb 5:8, 9). He humbled Himself even unto death. He died on a Cross made by a carpenter like Him. Humanity is His raw material, His wood. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are His tools. Each time He touched a soul, something eternally beautiful was created for the glory of God! That is how we should be, trained by the gentle and strong hands of the heavenly Carpenter! Dear children of God, welcome to ministry!

“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him” (Mk 6:3)

Between the time when our Lord was 12 years old and His Baptism in the River Jordan that announced the beginning of His public ministry, nothing is said about Him in the Bible. These are called the 18 silent years. From the scriptures we deduce that He worked with His adopted father, Joseph, as a carpenter. This is a great revelation! Our Lord’s preaching ministry was about three years in duration. But His quiet ‘secular’ work as a village carpenter in Nazareth was six times longer than that. The lesson here is that preparation for full time ministry takes a long time. It is a time of quiet difficult labor done in obscurity, very far from the public praises of men. May we never be in a hurry! May our foundation be on the rock!

The people of Nazareth were amazed and also angry at the power of the Lord to do miracles and also at His wisdom. They could not see how or why their humble village carpenter suddenly received such supernaturally gifts. They became jealous and angry, and rejected Him from Nazareth. They did not mind Jesus to be their carpenter but they hated Him as a preacher. This is another lesson: when God calls you to ministry, the same people who accepted you in your secular work will reject you as a servant of God. For example, my husband and I, we are medical doctors by profession. When God called us to change our private hospital into church, most of our patients were angry with the idea. They wanted a doctor and not a preacher. They wanted medicines and not scriptures. But God’s will prevail at last! To God be all the glory!

“His father said, ‘Son, you don’t understand. You’re with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he’s alive! He was lost, and he’s found!’” (Lk 15:31, 32; TM)

This is known as the parable of the prodigal son. But a better name could have been the parable of the sad religious son. Our Lord spoke this parable in response to the accusation coming from the Pharisees; that Jesus is a ‘Friend of sinners’.  They complained: “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.” Their grumbling triggered this story. The main character in this parable is not the prodigal son. It is the older brother who represents the religious teachers and leaders. The main lesson here is not repentance from backsliding, coming back from the world of ‘harlots’.  It points to a religious proud spirit found among the people who attend church. The father stands for God. Here we have the clear revelation of the Father’s love for men, for sinners. Their repentance produces joy in heaven.

Who is this older son?  First of all we can say that he is a good boy. Any parent will like a son like him. He goes to church always, active in ministry and he pays his tithes. He marries a Christian girl and they have nice children. He is a hardworking man. He is a friendly man with his own group of faithful friends. So then what is wrong with him? You can never discover his fault, except by the direct revelation of the Holy Spirit.

He is a religious man who obeys God’s laws but without joy. He is faithful to God and to his wife, but without holy romance. His has forsaken his first love and he is not bothered about it. He does not understand the ways of love. He plays safe. He does not understand the Lord, who came to seek and save the lost. He does not understand why God should be excited about saving sinners. If the Father had quietly killed a small goat for the welcoming party, he may have hidden his anger and jealousy. But sacrifice the special fattened calf? Are repentant sinners’ royalty? He does not believe that!

He does not understand a heaven who bubbles with joy for the sake of one sinner who falls on his knees and repents of his sins. He does not understand the power and the passion of the Cross. He does not understand the fountain of Blood flowing from Emanuel’s veins… He does not understand the risk love is taking to stretch its hand to a desperate lost soul. He does not understand the price love is willing to pay so that one weak, foolish and confused soul may be set free. He does not understand why the ointment of the alabaster box should be wasted at the feet of the Lover… He hates a God who loves sinners. He hates the love that invented Calvary. His religion is good but cold. His feet are steady but they never dance. His handshakes are strong but they never touch another. His salvation is sure but there is no song, no romance and no holy joy in it. Does this describe you?

Listen now to God the Father speaking:

“Son, you do not understand Me… you work so hard… so close to Me, living every day, in My house and yet, you do not understand My heart…  or My longing to set the prisoners free, to make the blind see, to destroy the spell of ignorance, sadness and fear in the hearts of men… to declare the acceptable year of the Lord… the reveal the miracle of resurrection life imparted to humble broken men… to see Salvation revealed on earth… to offer things money cannot buy… to hear men lovingly calling the name of my only Beloved Son… to have a place of praise so that I can inhabit the earth in their mist… Son, you do not understand Me… Pray that you do, for only then we can have true fellowship together… only then you shall taste and see that I am good… let’s draw together with joy from the wells of salvation on earth… open your heart and your eyes and see… this very season it is wrong to be sad and serious… it is the right thing to celebrate… No bride should walk to the altar with tears on her face… she should smile and dance and rejoice, for her childhood dream has come true… listen to the sound of laughter… join in the dance…sing with the willing volunteers who assemble to make the choir… this is a wonderful time for all of us… for heaven and for earth… for angels and men… feel My heart… feel the fire of love that never fails to cleanse… see the light of love that never fails to shine… love is strong… love lifts higher than you imagine, embracing eternally… we are forever one…

My Son, please, understand…”

“And when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord also began” (2Chr 29:27)

This is a holy adventure. God sponsors its excitement. I am hearing a new song…It comes in waves of pure love…acceptable to God, angels and men. Worship is like a fragrance coming out from a sacrificial life. Spiritual idleness kills the passion, quenches the fire and the song. We do not like to pass thru trials of faith, but during times of pain, loneliness, misunderstanding and rejection, there is this great opportunity to come to the altar of God, for a fresh revival touch.

The burnt offering is a total sacrifice. The animal is killed and placed on the altar. No man, not even the priest, is permitted to partake from it. It is an offering to God alone. Jehovah will ‘smell’ the unique aroma and accept the sacrifice on behalf of the worshipper.

Love’s ways may seem strange; its price is the highest. But love never fails to multiply its fruit, in heaven and on earth. Quench not the Spirit! Let God rejoice over your offering! Lift up your hands! Worship God just for His pleasure alone! Leave men behind. See the smile of God, rejoicing over you! From this moment on, anything is possible…May the ‘song of the Lord’ begin its journey in your spirit! The worship must continue…

.

EACH MORNING NEW MERCIES I SEE
This is a testimony from one of the sisters in our church. She is a young woman happily married. They lost their first son when he was 11 months old, partly thru foolishness and carelessness. God was merciful to them. They now have another son who became sick in the same way like the first one, but this time their faith was stronger and the baby is healed. They passed thru many trials but they are much better and stable spiritually. They cried many tears but now they are happy and committed Christians. May this testimony of grace and comfort, of a second chance, encourage all the readers, especially the mothers who have small children. Never forget! God loves you and your family! To God be all the glory!

“Dear Malia…
My testimony is long. This is just part of it. Please forgive my mistakes. Unfortunately for me, my husband did something that made me bitter. Instead of me to take the pain to my Maker, I took it to the world and that was how the world gave me what they had for me by snatching my first born. I want to thank God for you in my life because your sermons have driven foolishness far from us. Now i take my pains to the cross no matter how. When I make mistakes, I run to the cross because that is where my life is.

Before the tragedy, the devil succeeded in removing Jesus from our lives; no more morning devotions,no more prayers. I couldn’t even remember any scripture. Even John 3:16 was strange in my mouth. Then i learnt that without Jesus, I am finished. I learnt my lessons the hard way. Since then till now, I have faced worst challenges especially from my husband, but i took all my pains to the cross and the Lover of my soul Has never left me alone. Jesus saw me through and fought for me. He has given us the victory. Hallelujah!

Today is 21st of May. On the 26th, my son will be 11 months. This date, 2 years back, was when we lost our first son… I had fears but the Lord always made me strong and courageous. Immediately my second son was 10 months, a strong attack came on my marriage. That is when u preached about deception in women’s meeting. You said’that even if we were fools and deceived in the past,we should refuse to fall again and we prayed. God helped me and this time I wasn’t ignorant of the devices of the devil. Right now I am so angry with the devil for what he did in the past. Thank God that He lifted up a standard against all their evil strategies.

Last week I heard a still small voice that told me to go and run a test for my baby. I was like ‘why?’ He is playing fine, eating well and all. So why a test? Immediately, i remembered I also heard this same voice the time my first son was sick, but I ignored it because of same reasons. This time I obeyed. I rushed to the laboratory and they ran the test. They said he has typhoid fever and serious malaria (2+). They also said that his blood level was low. I was shocked because there was no sign @ all. When we got to the hospital, the doctor said he will be admitted but when he saw the way he was playing, he placed him on injections for 3 days. He siad that we should come daily from home. After the treatment my son became worse, He was running very high temperature and was vomiting his food. He looked dehydrated, just the way his brother looked before he gave up. Fear came upon me. Immediately my husband and I joined hands together and prayed. We reminded God of the promise He gave us that nothing shall take this joy away from us. That we are forever free from sorrow and grief (Isaiah 51).

After the prayers our faith grew stronger knowing that the Word of God is ‘Yea and Amen’. We went to run another test in the hospital and they said malaria is nil. But the temperature was still high. The doctor said that I should give him the drugs he gave me. This is how he became well. I know that Jehovah Rapha healed our son. What would have happened if I had not listened to the voice of the Holy Spirit? I discovered that God is love and the Father cares even more than we do.
Thank You LORD JESUS for my life! I wonder how my life would have been if not for JESUS. He is the difference in my life.

This my testimony Malia. This is my story…this is my song… GOD bless you for you’ve been our mother indeed. You never talk nonsense! You give 0% space for the devil. Faith 100%! Doubt 0%! You thought us how to pray; how to trust God in all situations! Because of you I’m a stronger woman in the LORD now. I know I still have many things to learn, but I am willing to pay the price to mature spiritually, just the way you said we should do! I give GOD all d glory Ma. I thank you again,
Your loving daughter…”

This is the Word of God: “I, even I, am He who comforts you” (Is 51:12)

“Now there were six waterpots of stone standing there, as the Jewish custom of purification (ceremonial washing) demanded, holding twenty to thirty gallons apiece… And said to him, ‘Everyone else serves his best wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then he serves that which is not so good; but you have kept back the good wine until now!’ This, the first of His signs (miracles, wonderworks), Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory [by it He displayed His greatness and His power openly], and His disciples believed in Him [adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Him]” (Jn 2:6, 10, 11)

“As I was with Moses, so I will be with you” (Josh 1:5)

Dear Child of God, the God of Moses, the God of Elijah, the God of Esther and Ruth, the God of Peter, John and Paul, the God of the Bible, He is your God! Read His promises and trust Him for same manifestations in your life! I am happy to read about the exploits of old, how Daniel came out alive from the den of lions, how Esther saved her people, how Peter healed the lame. But that is not enough for me. I don’t know about you, but I want to see God’s work here and now, in my life, in my home, in my city! Things change, kings come and go, governments elected by men pass away and get replaced by others, but God never change! Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever!

This is the promise of God to Joshua! As I was…so I will be with you! I AM never changes! God never gets old, weak, forgetful or sleepy! Read God’s Word daily, no matter how little! Think about His Word! Believe that the Bible is written for you! It is YOUR BOOK! Mediate upon God’s deeds and believe that He will do the same! Water shall come out of that your dry rock! That impossible hopeless situation shall become a visible testimony to God’s power working today! Rivers shall flow and change your desert into a garden! Fire shall come down from heaven, upon your sacrifices! God shall give you a visible sign that He approves your praises, blesses your ministry! Your enemies shall be confused and defeated! They mock now, they laugh now, but they shall be sadly and finally silenced! The glory of God shall visibly shine on your face! In Jesus name, amen!

“May all our pains, all our joys, all our ordinary moments become worship, to the glory of the Father! In Jesus name, Amen!”

“God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality)” (Jn 4:24; AMP)

“And so it was, when Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another person?” (1Kg 14:1-6)

*Deceptions shall fail

In this story we see how deceptive religious spirits try to manipulate others. One way is by the mode of dressing. The queen dresses as a poor woman, as a mother who loves her son seeking for his healing. Jeroboam tells her ‘to disguise’ herself as an ordinary woman. In Hebrew, the word ‘disguise’ means to fold into two, to duplicate or pervert the original. To disguise it means to change the appearance, the dressing, as to conceal the true identity of the person with the intention to mislead others. The man who disguises to deceive others is like an actor who changes his clothes and his behavior, to make a theatric character seem real. It is the practice of the hypocrites.

But the deception failed for God reveals the truth to the prophet, telling him that the queen pretends to be ‘another woman’. In Hebrew the word ‘pretend’ means to be strange looking. It also means to look carefully, to scrutinize, to discern, to suspect, to reject or ignore. To pretend means to live a fake life in an unreal world. This is purely the product of an unsanctified imagination.

Jeroboam did not visit the true prophet Ahijah until his son was dying and he needed help. He knew that he is a wicked man but he refused to repent. He wanted a prayer or a prophetic word from Ahijah who once told him he will be king. Jeroboam made rich men priests. He knew that they are false prophets.  But when his son was sick he did not go to them for help, but to the true prophet Ahijah. Even so, his deception failed.

Finally, some soul searching questions: Do you desire to impress God? You should desire to please and serve God, never to impress Him. For nobody can impress God. To impress means to gain the admiration of somebody. Do not be deceived: God knows your heart and you cannot hide from Him. He knows that you are a sinner. He knows that only His grace can save you. God can never ‘admire’ any man, for that means to share His glory with man. And God can never do that. Only proud people foolishly imagine that they can impress God with their words, actions, offerings or ministry. Are you proud? Do you desire to please men or only yourself? Then you can never please God. Do you dress like an actor playing different roles? If you want others to see you as humble, then you dress like poor women? If you want to seduce others, then you dress like prostitutes? Do you have different standards of fashion in the church, on Sunday morning, than other days of the week? Do you go to God in prayer, or to a prophet, only when you are in trouble? Be honest with God and with your conscience! Repent and change! Let truth be the belt of your soul! Be free! In Jesus name, Amen!

“Jesus said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Mt 14:24-33)

The storm was great. The disciples, experienced fishermen by trade, did all they could to keep themselves alive. Suddenly they saw Jesus coming towards them, walking on the water. They became afraid, for they thought He was a ghost. He spoke and encouraged them not to fear. Then Peter said “Lord…” Jesus called Him to come. Jesus did not warn him saying: ‘Peter, make sure that you do not step in the rough area of the sea, be careful how you step out of the boat…’ No! Jesus simply said: “Come!’ Peter should not have looked at the waves. You see that doubt is of our making! That call ‘Come!’ should be enough for Peter. That call should be enough for us.

Peter came out of the boat. The storm was still raging. He walked on the water towards Jesus! (Clap your hands for Peter!!!). Peter started so well but ended so badly. Peter lowered his gaze and looked at the waves. He started sinking. Why? Because of ‘little faith’! Please observe that Peter had no excuse to doubt. There was no need to be startled, to shake. The storm did not start suddenly when he was walking on the calm sea. No! The storm has been there all along. Nothing new about that wind!

When doubt encroaches, your faith becomes ‘little’. Believers can doubt. If the doubt remains little, you can still go on, but with some difficulty. But if the percentage of doubt is greater than your store of faith, if doubt starts to control you, you will ‘sink’, you will fail at last. Doubt is like a virus, an infection or poison to your soul! Reject it!

Your problems, your battle with poverty, your marital crisis, your sickness…all these are not new challenges. These are ‘old’ problems you knew about even before you decided to exercise your faith and ‘step out of the boat’ of your comfort zone. So why do you allow an old problem to shake you afresh? Why doubt when you can believe? Please remember how great your God is! Night time or day, during peace or war, poverty and riches, health and sickness, on the land or on the seas, during calm waters or the storm, Jesus Christ is Lord forever! He is calling you ‘Come!’ His holy call is to greater heights of spiritual adventure with Him, where the word ‘impossible’ does not exist! Why wait? Why doubt? Go to His waiting arms! What are you afraid of? Do you fear death? He has the keys to it, the power to shut it down! Even if sinking, He is able to keep you from falling until that glorious day when faith shall become sight and glory will cover all His creation!

As for me, I have left the boat of the cowards and I step on the waves. My feet are wet, but that’s all! The wind is blowing spoiling my new hair style, but that is all! A little rough, I look straight on the face of my Christ! His gaze sustains me! Deep calls unto deep! Love lifted me! Doubt can never dwell in my heart as I look long and hard on the face of my King! I confess this…I did not know I can dance this ‘oceans dance’, but now I do! Glory!