“But he refused…” (Gen 39:8)

The Saturday evening prayer meeting was very good. The hunger for the presence of the Holy Spirit was satisfied by Him. No one else can do it. Empty religion promises much but will always disappoint! Only The Holy Spirit can quench the longing of our hearts! The King of kings was in our midst receiving the evening sacrifice of willing hearts. “Lord, prepare me to be Your sanctuary pure and holy, tried and true… With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living, sanctuary for You!” This was our longing, song and prayer. God knows when hearts are united in a holy supplication. He never ignores the desperate prayer of His children. We worshipped at His feet… Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!!!!!!!

Then the Word came. We are in a prophetic season called ‘Shalom’. This is one of the most important words in Hebrew language. It means more than peace. It means a combination of health and wealth, favor and friends; peace and prosperity. We’ve already tasted from the blessings of Shalom. For some time we have been studying the life of Joseph, who is a type of Christ, the Prince of Peace. We read Genesis 39. We studied the secret of Joseph, how he overcame sexual temptation. His secret was the presence of God the Holy Spirit. Four times in this chapter we are told that ‘the Lord was with Joseph’. This is how he conquered the lustful liar! Lesson: if the Lord is with you, you shall overcome all trials and temptations! No man or devil can destroy your life, destiny or testimony! Warning: a Christian can grieve the Holy Spirit thru disobedience. In that case the protective fence of the Spirit is broken; the Christian becomes vulnerable because the devil has access to his mind. The devil is not original. Many servants of God, men and women, have lost their ministry and peace of mind because of falling into sin. The sexual sins and the love of money are top of the list. You cannot fight these sins in your strength. Filled with the Holy Spirit you can resist the devil and he will flee from you. In Christ, victory is not only possible but expected. To the glory of God!

One of the easiest ways to fight sexual sins is to obey six commands based on the Word of God. I found this ‘formula’ in a book written by John Piper. It has been very useful to me since then. I tried it and it works. It is to remember the word ‘Anthem’. ANTHEM!!!! Each letter is connected to a command.   Simply said, what do you do when tempted sexually?

A — Avoid! (Avoid sin and any person who you know is sexually impure. Like Joseph did, run for your life! Your legs will not fail you in your pursuit of passionate purity!)

N — No! (Say No to any proposal to commit fornication! Say it courageously, strongly and quickly! Say it within 5 seconds!)

T — Turn! (Turn your eyes away from sinful pictures and look unto Jesus! See Christ crucified! See the price He paid to set you free!)

H — Hold! (Hold on in your mind the picture of Christ crucified for you until the dirty image is gone and replaced with the wonder of His love!)

E — Enjoy! (Enjoy God and His Word! Enjoy the fellowship of the believers! Enjoy spiritual things, the greater pleasures of the blood-bought promises of God!)

M — Move on! (Move away from mistakes to a meaningful Christ-exalting activity. Work for God in the church. Any ministry is useful and holy if it is done for Christ’ sake. It is better to wash the floors in the sanctuary than to watch pornography on the internet!).

We ended the prayer meeting with grateful hearts for a good time in His presence!

‘Thank You Lord Jesus!”

“Do not drift away…” (Heb 2:1)
“In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem” (2Sam 11:1)

Drifting is defined as a slow and gradual movement from one place to another, especially as a result of outside forces, with no control over direction . Spiritual drifting is very common among Christians who are ignorant of its dangers. Read the Scripture above… Something is wrong with King. David… He used to love leading his men to war, to gain victory over the enemies of Israel. He used to love the presence of God. He used to love the fellowship of the brethren. Now the ark of God and his men are in the open fields. General Joab is in charge enjoying what David used to enjoy. David withdraws from his responsibility and his duty. He abandons the ministry of encouraging his men. He is ‘tired ‘ of doing the right thing. He wants to taste a little sin, just for the fun of it, just because it is something different…David is lonely and bored… Have you been there?

My name is Sivia Lia Leigh. I am a pastor, a servant of God, wife, mother and grandmother. I was born in Romania. Since 1980 I live in Nigeria. My husband of 44 years, Dr. Richmond Sisan Leigh is a Nigerian. Both of us are medical doctors by profession but now in full time ministry. We started a church in Warri Nigeria called Father’s House Bible Church. We have three adult children and seven grandchildren. I was an atheist until thru a crisis conversion I met the Lord and became born again in 1986. Since then it has been Jesus and Jesus alone for me! To God be all the glory!

After a month of vacation to see our children and grandchildren we are back home to Nigeria. We missed church. In the picture, me worshiping the Lord!
“Surround me, oh LORD
Romance me, oh LORD
Let YOUR SPIRIT fill this place!”

“While I was among the exiles by the River Kebar, the heavens opened and I saw visions of God” (Ez 1:1)
The prayer meeting started slowly but surely. The expectation was building… The brethren were hungry but too shy to ask for food. The angels shared from their portions of heavenly bread. ‘Down at Your feet Oh, Lord is the most high place, in Your presence I seek Your face, I seek Your face…I live to worship You’… I came to test the waters… the engine of the anointing plane was on… faith was rising… we waited… and we waited… for the Lord to come, to sing over us… we prayed in ‘waiting tongues’… and waited some more… young people are impatient… waiting is hard for them… but no matter how hungry or how needy we are, we cannot afford to go before the Lord…
The Lord spoke: ‘I saved you, not by money, not by effort, not by might or by power… I saved you by the power of My Love!’… The agape love of God manifested… the fear of God descended… we cannot preach without the oil of joy… suddenly Doctor Jesus came in and there was healing in the house… The Balm of Gilead was applied, to every wound, every puncture, to stop every leakage… Scars were beatified… Doctor Jesus healed hearts, marriages, lives… How can you work for 100 Naira and lose 50 Naira? This is not good! Accounts were balanced … Worship the Lord who paid the debt of your sin! From now on, money shall meet money and none shall be lost… the account shall manifest increase and no loss shall be reported… I am not a failure! Love never fails! This is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit… The joy of the Lord is our strength…

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance.” (Heb 11:8)
George Washington was America’s first president. His life story is an inspiration to me. He was known as a hard worker. His father died when he was 11. He joined the army. He retired from the army in his thirties and bought land in a small town called Mount Vernon near present Washington. His dream was to be a farmer. He married and planed to settle down cultivating the land. He was successful and happy. But then the call to duty came. He did not really want to go but he felt the duty to answer the call. At the age of forty he took the command of the colonies’ army to fight the British. After eight years of wars America won and became independent. George retired back to his farm and wife. But the call came again to go to Philadelphia to be in charge of the Constitutional Convention. That is how the first constitution of America wax written. After that George went back to his farm to retire. But it was not to be. Unanimously they voted him to be the first president of the United States of America. He was the one who wrote the law that a president should serve a maximum of two terms. After serving two terms as the first American president he finally got his wish. He retired to his farm which has suffered much from neglect. Even in his old age he was seen working the land.

George Washington sacrificed much for his country. He was a rich man before the call to duty came. He did not enter politics to make money. He did not have a great ambition to be famous or rich. He sacrificed present comfort and personal dreams for the sake of duty to his country. Because of that his name is synonymous with love for the country, freedom, honor, loyalty and the call to duty. His inspiration was Abraham in the Bible who also left his father’s house to go to a place called the Promised Land. It was not easy to leave a place where things were going well to go to the unknown just because God called him. God promised Abraham that he will be the father of nations and that his name will be great. He will be a blessing to many all over the world. ‘Abraham trusted God and obeyed’. That is called faith.

I am not comparing myself with these giants: Abraham or George Washington. But this is our testimony: God called my husband and I to leave America and to go back to Warri, Nigeria to start a church called Father’s House. It was not easy to leave our children behind. It was a sacrifice to leave America and to go back to Nigeria. But God gave us the grace to obey. We came back in November 1999 and started the church in March 2000. The rest, as they say, is history.

This is my prayer for you this evening: whatever God says to you, even if it seems impossible, trust and obey Him! As we have no regrets to sacrifice our dream to live in America for the reality of living in Warri Nigeria, for the sake of Christ, you too shall have no regrets in obeying the call of God whatever it is! Glory to God!!!

‘May you live to enjoy your grandchildren’ (Ps 128:6)
My husband and I did not know how happy we can be in our older age as grandparents. God had indeed blessed us beyond imagination! We live and do God’s work in Nigeria. We appreciate so much the annual visits to re-bond with our family who lives far from us. These two pictures are a glimpse of joy revealed in the heart of a grandpa and his grandchildren. In the first picture, my husband lovingly holds our oldest grandson Alex who is now a student in the University of Houston reading mechanical engineering. As I was writing these words Alex sent message that he made a A+ in his very first exam! Praise the Lord! In the second picture my husband lovingly holds our youngest grandson (for now…) Oliver, who is 3. May our joy touch your hearts and become a harvest of thanksgiving to the glory of God!

‘Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need’ (Eph. 4:28)

Once a thief tried to break into our house. He failed to enter but in the morning we saw the broken place in the roof where he attempted to come in. I remember thinking ‘what type of man is this thief trying and failing to steal? He must have been disappointed that his labor of breaking in failed to make a profit. Maybe God warned him to repent…’ This was in my mind that morning seeing the damage to the wall.

The Bible commands us not to steal! It is one of the Ten Commandments. A thief is somebody who takes something from another without permission and without desire to return back the stolen property. A thief steals money or material things. Jesus said that we should not gather wealth on earth because there will always be thieves to covet and steal. But we should store spiritual riches because these are under the protection of the Holy Spirit and thieves cannot steal them. Even then, thieves may damage your peace of mind, your joy of living or your testimony as a servant of God. The evil spirit of stealing does great damage in a family or congregation. This is because when property is missing and the thief is not found people become suspicious and afraid of one another. This destroys the unity of the Spirit.

God does not bless a thief. He will eventually lose the stolen property. Both the victim and the thief suffers. Stealing is the work of the devil. To be able to practice stealing you must be an apprentice to the devil. It is only in Christ that freedom from this demon may be found! The Holy Spirit alone is able to stop and reject the thief who comes to only ‘steal, kill and destroy’.

Of course, the worse form of stealing is to steal from God, by refusing to pay your tithes, to give offerings for the work of God, or by coming to church and refusing to serve God in any way at all! Religious stealing is very dangerous! Repent! Worship God!

The thief does not wish to work, but rather to live off of others who work. The thief looks upon the needy as the vulnerable, whose weaknesses he may very well use to his advantage, and thus to prey upon them. The Christian must put away laziness and go to work. The Christian views the needs of others as the opportunity to manifest the love and grace of God to men, and thus reaches out to help, giving of his own resources. Nothing more dramatically demonstrates the radical change which conversion, faith in Christ, produces in the life of a sinner than that change which should occur in the Christian who was formerly a thief.

Stealing takes from others with no thought of giving in return. Justice demands that when one takes he must give something equal in return. Christianity teaches us to give freely, with no expectation of getting something in return. Child of God, prove that you are converted by producing fruits of repentance, by becoming generous and kind to others! Pay your tithes! In Jesus name, amen!

‘Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good’ (1Pet 3:1-3)

My husband and I we are on a vacation with a group of brethren. Yesterday we discussed the matter of envy. This morning, I used the topic of envy as a Bible study for myself. I share some of my thoughts with you…

One of the troubles a successful person encounters in life is the envy of others. Envy is defined as an angry, bitter feeling rising against a successful person combined with a strong desire to have what that successful person has (money, social status, happy marriage). Spiritually speaking, envy is a work of the flesh produced under the influence of evil spirits. The Holy Spirit never produces envy!!! Envy is like a spiritual virus. We are commanded to kill it, to get rid of it, to uproot it. God will give you the power to do it but He will not do it it for you! You have to get rid of it by yourself! This is God’s command! If you allow envy to grow in your heart it will destroy every little joy and peace you ever had. Envy kills the spiritual appetite for the Word of God. Envy hinders spiritual growth. No matter how long you call yourself a Christian and you attend a church, envy will keep you in bondage and you cannot be spiritually fruitful. You must get rid of it!

This is my testimony: I am a very happy woman. With the help of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God I identified envy as my personal enemy. For a long time I did not know that envy exists in my heart. If you asked me: ‘are you envious of other people?’ – I will say: ‘of course not!’. Envy works thru deception. Envy is a liar! I decided to prayerfully study my heart. One day I discovered something strange: each time I hear that somebody gained something that I desired or prayed for, I will become angry in my heart with that person. I also will be angry with God for making the ‘mistake’, by giving another the answer to ‘my prayers’. This angry feeling of envy was very strong and spoiled my peace. I could not control it on my own. I was ashamed of it and tried to hide it. It was not easy but at least I identified it in my heart! That was a good thing and the beginning of my deliverance!

One day, tired to be tormented by this wicked demon of envy, I decided to obey God’s command. I prayed for the strength to confront and uproot envy from my heart. I prayed for the Holy Spirit to help me to be grateful for what God has given me while waiting and praying for more blessings, without being envious on others. Like a cat waiting for the rat hiding in that hole to come out, I waited for envy to manifest once more. It surely did. Immediately I sensed the envy ‘coming out and talking the old wicked talk’ I got it by its neck, drew it out from its hiding and threw it into the fire of the Holy Ghost. This is how I got rid of this my old fleshly enemy! I then asked the Holy Spirit to fill me in that particular space envy was formerly occupying. He graciously did. I became free and free indeed! I now continue to preserve my freedom thru a sanctified life empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Dear friend, I pray for you this morning. The truth is that my life is very good. I am happy with what God has done and is doing in my heart, in my marriage and in my family. My life should be an inspiration and a holy challenge to you, not a source of envying. You can be free from envying too! Pray for freedom and contentment. Have a grateful and wise heart! Give thanks to God for what you have today, waiting in faith for what He will do tomorrow. From my vacation in The U.S. I greet you all!

(I wait for you to share with me your encounter and deliverance with the demon of envy)

The handsome royal son of David called Absalom was a murderer. He killed his brother for raping their sister. He went into exile for three years. He manipulated his way back to his father’s heart. He was also an over ambitious young man. Back to Jerusalem, the city of peace, he positioned himself as a man who can provide justice to all who feel neglected and cheated. All who feel that they cannot find justice from God but they need a man to judge their case came to Abslaom. He promised them a great future but at last, it proved to be only false hopes. He was a prince – politician. He pretended to be humble. He spoke softly. He provided himself with chariots and men to follow him. His entourage looked impressive. This was designed so that men can easily imagine him to be the supreme ruler in Isreal. He told everybody: ‘Oh, if only I were appointed judge in the land!’. Little by little he ‘stole the hearts of the men of Israel’ (2 Sam 15:13). He also convinced David’s counsellor to betray his king and master and to come to his side. “Someone told David: “Ahithophel, your counsellor, is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O Lord, I pray, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!” (2Sam 15:31).

King David ran away from the palace, weeping and barefoot, ‘to give chance’ to his son to be king, if that was the will of God. But it was not! Absalom’s pride and inordinate ambition blinded him to danger. He became foolishly bold. He entered battles he should not have fought. He understimaed his ‘old’ father, who still had the heart of a lion. He lost the battle against the king and started running on a donkey to save his life. His beautiful hair that all men admired hooked him on the branches of a large old oak tree. The murderer of his brother, the thief of men’s hearts, the adulterer and the betrayer of King David, found his end hanging on a tree.

What a tragic end to a young man who had everything to give him a great future! Absalom of old is dead. But his spirit is still doing damage in the churches. If you have been influenced by this evil spirit you need to pray. You may need deliverance. Touch your chest and see if your heart is still there. For the spirit of Abslaom steals emotions. You may discover that even if you desire to love somebody you will not be able to do it. This is not normal! It is a spiritual ‘heart attack’. That is why many marriages are loveless and many relationships are spiritually dry. May his short and sad life be a warning to all who desire to manipulate God’s presence for their selfish ends!

Let’s pray: ‘Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that if in any way my spirit and my emotions have been damaged or polluted by the evil spirit of Absalom, You heal my heart and deliver my soul. I command the evil spirits of Absalom, of pride, foolishness, manipulation, religion, selfish ambition, stealing, anger, bitterness, political adultery and untimely death to leave me and go away in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth! Taking the sword of the Spirit I destroy every emotional or spiritual connection I have made in the past with this wicked demon! In the name of Jesus! Holy Spirit please fill me afresh I pray! Father God I bow before You! I worship You! In Jesus name I pray! Amen!

‘Then Jesus answered and said to her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire’. And her daughter was healed from that very hour’ (Mt 15:28)

This is Sunday morning. My husband and I, with some brethren, have traveled for a needed vacation. We are far from the place of ministry routine. But the Holy Spirit is here with us. This morning, during my quiet time, I received strength and encouragement thru the story of the Gentile woman who was in great need because her daughter was possessed by demons (Mt 15:21-28).

In this story we see the Lord in a very different light than the way we are used to see Him. Jesus is usually quick to help any needy person. He never sent away any one who was sick or rejected by men. He had compassion on needy people. Jesus did not break a bruised weak reed that cannot stand. He did not snuff out a smoldering dying wick in the oil lamp but He repaired it so that it can shine again. That is why all the nations put their hope in His name (Mt 12:20, 21). But here we see Jesus acting so strangely according to our understanding of Him. He seems cold towards the plight of a needy woman. It seems that He discriminates her based on her faith and nationality. Is this the Jesus that we know? Let’s be careful that we do not worship an imaginary ‘better than real’ Master! Let Jesus be Jesus! Do not worship ‘another Jesus’ that looks better than the real one! Let’s humble ourselves and accept Jesus as He is so that we will not be ‘offended’ by Him, by His words and deeds that we may find unacceptable to our religious fleshy ideas of Him (Mt 11:6)!

This is the background of the story. Jesus miraculously fed the multitudes and did not tell them to wash their hands before eating. The Pharisees were particular about the laws of ceremonial washing. In their minds, no man should receive a miracle except that miracle passes thru their religious approval. They criticized Jesus for breaking the religious rules to help the needy people. Jesus rebuked them sharply calling them ‘blind leaders of the blind’ (Mt 15:14). As a Man Jesus was thirsty and tired. It seems that He became tired by the wickedness and rejection of the religious leaders and took His disciples to a distant place where they can all rest. He left His public ministry in Israel and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon for a little ‘vacation’. This is another good lesson we must learn from our Lord. From time to time, we must leave the routine and the demands of people and just go away by ourselves. Worship is good with the congregation. We should not ‘forsake’ the assembly. But sometimes we need to be alone with Jesus! Another lesson is this: even Jesus has ‘needs’! The Holy Spirit has ‘needs’ that we know nothing about! Doctor Jesus needs to rest from the demands of His medical or religious ‘practice’. As a doctor myself, I understand that it is very hard for the patients to have compassion on a tired Doctor. But the doctor is a human being too and the patients need to learn to respect that. The patients should never control their doctor with their needs, they should never overcrowd their Helper with impatient demands! Men in need should pray and wait patiently until the King comes out of His resting holy separate chamber. Patience and faith is required of us all!

This woman heard of Jesus, that He can heal and deliver everyone who had faith in Him. She had a daughter who was demon possessed. She was seeking help that only Jesus could offer. Jesus was ‘hiding’ in a house in that area ‘yet He could not keep His presence secret’ (Mk 7:24). Lesson: the presence of God the Holy Spirit is everywhere, even in non religious ‘pagan’ places. If you have faith in God, you pray and He will answer you anywhere; in a ship floating on the ocean, in a plane flying in the air or even when crying underground in a forgotten coal mine. Faith in Jesus will ‘locate’ Him everywhere! That is faith!

In this story Jesus seems to reject this woman’s request for help. There are three things that Jesus does here that we find hard to believe. The first is that Jesus ‘does not answer her a word’. The Word did not give out a word! Jesus kept silent only when He was on trial before Herod. But He was never silent before a needy person. But here, Jesus gives this woman a cold silence ‘answer’ to her prayers. Question: can you accept this cold silence from God and still have faith in Him? Will you continue to pray without grumbling that God is ignoring you? Then you are making progress on the path of an expected miracle!

The second thing Jesus does is to ‘discriminate’ this woman. The disciples were probably told by Jesus to let Him rest a bit, to protect His privacy. But this woman comes and cries aloud disturbing the peace. They tried to send her away but she refuses to go. Against their wishes, they now have to ‘disturb’ Jesus too by joining in her requests. They advise Jesus to grant her desires so that they can all rest. But Jesus refuses to be manipulated by all men, even by His disciples. He still keeps on the path He decided to walk on. He continues to delay the answer. Lesson: are you able like Jesus to keep calm under the provocation of demands from men? Or do you answer men just so that they can leave you and your Jesus alone? Do you compromise your conscience fir the sake of peace? Men should never control your emotions or your account with their needs. Do everything lead by the Holy Spirit, even when the Holy Spirit says ‘ignore them for now’! Do not be impatient even when helping men! Learn from Jesus how to behave in the presence of stressful demands from men!

To the credit of this woman she does not take offense with any of the ‘negative’ strategies of the Master. She calls Jesus ‘Lord’ each time she addresses Him. She does not lower her respect for Him. Her worship during difficult times continues uninterrupted. This is called ‘great faith’ and it is commended by Jesus! Lesson: are you able to continue honoring Jesus thru worshiping Him in Spirit and in truth, no matter your ‘urgent needs’? Then you are walking on the Royal holy way of the Cross! Your prayers shall be answered, sooner or later!

Then Jesus calls this woman ‘a dog’. But she does not flinch. She does not draw back from that position of humble faith! In fact she accepts the word of rebuke as a blessing. She said ‘yes Lord, I am a dog. You created dogs too. I am a hungry dog under the table of Your children. I am waiting for some crumbs of mercy falling from their mouth. That is good for me. If I am healed as a dog or as a human, it does not matter. But let Your mercy reach me too’. Lesson: be careful that your opinion about Jesus is not influenced by people’s doubt. Go back to the Word of God and study it! Your life, your thoughts, your emotions and your choices must be ruled by the Word of God! Walking by faith will lead you on paths away from your family and friends’ opinions! Lesson: follow the Holy Spirit and you will arrive at your miracle! If Jesus ‘insults’ you receive that word as the ‘appetizer’ to your miracle! Delay is not denial!

Finally, Jesus removes His mask of coldness, for it was indeed a mask. Behind the Lord’s ‘rejection and disrespect’ His heart of compassion was exposed once again. After the storm of cold words and cold shoulder approach, the rainbow of compassion was displayed on the worshippers’ tears wet face! The daughter was healed and the woman was commended by the Lord. ‘Woman, great is your faith!’ May these words fall on your ears too! May God answer you for His glory and for your good! Happy Sunday to you all! God bless you!

‘Deep calls unto deep
In the roar of Your waterfalls
All Your waves and breakers
Have swept over me.
By day, the Lord directs His love
At night, His song is with me;
A prayer to the God of my life’
(Ps 42:7,8)

Since I became a Christian and I read these words in the Bible: ‘Deep calls into deep…’ I always imagine the great Niagara Falls. Yesterday my husband and I had the privilege to see this mighty waterfall with our eyes. The sound of the waterfall covers all other little voices. Just to see and hear this beautiful fall I am reminded that God is indeed great!

This is some info I gathered about it. Six million of cubic feet of water fall over the edge every minute. You hear the sound from far away. Millions of people travel long distances just to watch this natural wonder. This land belonged to the Native Indians. The word ‘Niagara’ in their language means ‘the neck’. The way they saw it is that this waterfall is the narrow but vital connection between this Body of land and God, who is the Head above all. It is easy to see why they connected this waterfall with God who created it. It is indeed mighty and beautiful. Some time ago men decided to harness its power by building an electrical dam up the river. Because of that the flow of the waterfall reduced to a trickle. But men who love God and nature fought against it and after a long battle they won. The dams where minimized so that Niagara Falls will display once more its might and beauty in all of its fullness. It is illegal to jump over Niagara Gall. Some reckless men called ‘daredevils’, from time to time, run over the obstacles and jump over the water fall. Very few survive. Many die trying to prove they are bold. But the truth is that only a fool will try to tame this force of nature.

To me, this is a great spiritual lesson. Men should never ‘use’ the free anointing of the Holy Spirit for their own benefit. The Holy Spirit should move freely and should manifest His power in His church. It is a pity that many congregations have ‘drained’ the flow of the anointing by ‘over using it’ for men’s benefit. To satisfy men’s fleshly needs, they grieved the Holy Spirit. That is why the ministry of praise and worship in many Churches is now just a trickle. It is dangerous to oppose the anointing of the Holy Spirit! Fear God!

As God created the mighty Niagara Falls, so He desires to receive all of our love from our hearts, in a worship that is full and free. God The Father seeks worshippers who should worship Him in Spirit and in truth. God’s best stirs our best. His deep desires ignites the deepest longing in us. Let us leave the superficial shores of mediocrity, of church entertainment and superficial manipulated religion displayed for the greedy fame of men. Let us dig deep into the mystery of the Cross, to see our Savior hanging there, between heaven and earth, where His heart was broken for the sins of men, when His Blood poured out to forgive, to cleanse and to renew lives.

Like Niagara Falls, the Cross is ‘the neck’ connecting heaven and earth. Like Niagara Falls, the grace of God flows freely and is never failing. In the night, God directs His love towards His children. God’s song is with me. Like the steam rising and surrounding the Niagara Falls my prayers shall go up to God. His answers will come down in a awesome overflow! Like Niagara Falls, the Holy Spirit released at Pentecost has flooded the earth and our hearts forever. May our worship go deeper and higher like never before!

As for me, I bow this evening before God once more. My deep calls unto His deep… ‘May we never lose our wonder’… My heart can never be idle… I can never be tired to worship my God… the worship must continue! In Jesus’ name!

“By faith Abraham OBEYED when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going…By faith Sarah herself also RECEIVED STRENGTH TO CONCEIVE SEED and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised… By faith Abraham, when he was tested, OFFERED UP ISAAC, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son… concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead” (Heb 11:8, 11, 17, 19)

Faith is a great subject. It should interest all believers, young or old. Many people have needs. Many pray for miracles. Not many boast of a good testimony. Faith is the key the opens the door of miracles and the cup that holds the God’s grace. Child of God, God does not need your money, but He surely expects that you exercise faith in Him, as God. He will reward you if you believe! What does faith look like?
*Faith obediently follows the call of God no matter where He leads…
*Faith expects and receives strength for a miracle, even in the face of the greatest obstacles
*Faith is willing to give back to God that which is the dearest; expecting that God will reward the sacrifice of faith

The story of Abraham, the man of faith is always an inspiration. Abraham and Sarah’s testimony is wonderful. How can we describe faith? ‘Abraham obeyed God’. This means that he left his family and friends following God. He traveled many miles and settled in the Promise Land. When did his faith start? With the first step! He traveled on foot or on camels. He had no map or GPS. He lived as a temporary citizen and not as a permanent citizen. Faith is obedient following! For Abraham faith means tents and not big buildings. His eyes were on the eternal and not on the temporary. May you answer the call of God and follow wherever He leads you! In Jesus’ name!

Faith is consistent in expecting a miracle. Faith believes that the promised things in the future are real in the present. Abraham and Sarah trusted God in their hearts for the miracle child. But there are dangers to faith: fear, doubt and impatience (these produced Ishmael). You need to fight to protect your faith. Be jealous for the faith blooming in the desert of your soul. It is worth more than silver of gold! Sarah received strength to receive seed. This is how Isaac, their promised son, was conceived and born. Faith is a family thing. May it be so in your family, in Jesus’ name!

Finally, God tries Abraham’s faith. By faith he offers Isaac of the altar. God gave him Isaac. Now God demands Isaac. God demands back the answer to the promise. This time, without any grumbling, doubt or fear, Abraham obeyed God. He places Isaac on the altar. He raises the knife… But God intervenes and provides the replacement. Abraham believed in the resurrection. This is faith! He has never seen a resurrection before. But faith believes in God even when it does not see or cannot imagine the solution to the problem. When he was waiting for Isaac to be conceived, Abraham was afraid and impatient. But now, as an old man, in giving, there is no fear! Only faith! You give God the best you have, and God will give you the best He has! This is faith! This is worship! May you give God your heart, and He will give you more than you can imagine! In Jesus name, amen!

This is a good story that describes faith. A Christian man was lost in the desert. He was dying of thirst. He prayed and the Holy Spirit directed him to an old house. In front of that house, there was a rusty water pump. He tried to pump it but no water came. He went inside the house and he saw a jug filled with water. He was happy and quickly, he wanted to drink it. Then he saw that on the jug, there was a note, saying: ‘Don’t drink it! Use this water to prime the pump. Water shall come thru the pump. Then fill the jug again before you leave for the benefit of the next traveler’. He was tempted to drink the water in the jug. But he resisted the natural urge. He obeyed the instructions. He poured the water in the pump, to prime it. Then he pumped again and again but nothing happened. The devil tempted him saying: ‘you could have drunk the water in the jug. You have wasted it. You will now die of thirst…’ He rejected the evil voice and continued pumping…Suddenly, fresh, clean water gushed in the desert!!!! This was the water of life that saved him. At last, leaving the old house, he obeyed the instructions and filled the old jug for the benefit of the next traveler. That traveler may be you or me… This is what faith looks like… This is the story of faith!

BEHOLD, OLD THINGS HAVE PASSED AWAY!

“So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom 6:11)
A dear sister in Christ who attends our church got saved on the 16th of July, 2018. She was attending the Roman Catholic Church. After she got married, she and her husband started attending our church (Father’s House Bible Church). This was about 6-7 years ago. She is a humble and very well behaved woman. She is a good mother to their child. She is a successful business woman. She is very faithful to all the church activities. But she had a serious problem: her marriage was very unhappy. She tried to be the best wife she can be. But her husband is a difficult man and no matter what she did, he found fault with her. She came to me office many times in tears. I prayed with her. I counseled her with the Word of God. But the pain was there always. I could see it on her face. At a time, she was very sick. God healed her body but the torment in her marriage did not go away.

Last month she came to my office weeping, telling me that the husband was again abusive to her. She said: ‘Malia, why is God not answering my prayer? What can I do that I have not done?’ This time, I was silent… I could find no words of encouragement like in the past. I prayed a quick prayer for help in my heart. Then I told her: ‘The only thing you have not done is to die! You are too alive! You have to die to self, to sin, to the world and to the devil!’ She stopped crying. She was ready. Holy Ghost ready! She said: ‘Malia, just tell me how to do it…’ I said: ‘if you are dead, lying in a coffin, will it pain you if your husband insults you?’ She said: ‘No, ma…’ I said: ‘that is the key! Don’t you see it? Go to the Cross! See how Jesus won the battle! Just pray and tell God that you are ready to experience the Cross of Christ; that you are ready to let go of everything in this world and keep only Christ. God will do the holy chemistry…you have between now and 12 midnight. If tomorrow I hear that you have died in sleep, thank God. We will do a good burial for you. But if you survive 12 midnight, then you are free! You will live on earth but as a new woman and the devil can never find your heart! You will weep no more! You will be a woman of God!’ She said: ‘ok’. She prayed and went home.

I did not hear from her again. Then I saw her last Saturday during the prayer meeting. She was on the floor praying in tongues totally under the power of the Holy Spirit. Today she came to see me. As she entered my office I could see that she was not the same woman that I knew for all these years. She was so happy! Even her eyes were smiling. She shared with me her testimony, to the glory of God and to the shame of the devil. She said that she went home that day. The husband was still moody. She went to lie down on her bed, and trusting God that death will come. Immediately 12 mid night came, a great peace that passes all understanding came over her. She slept like a baby. She woke up happy like never before. Since that time until today, the husband has never said any negative word to her again. He is now trying hard to be friendly and good. Last Saturday she said that she was filled with the Holy Spirit. Last Sunday, during worship, she had a vision and she saw herself bathed in oil, inside and out.

She told me today: ‘Malia, for all these years I thought that I am saved. Now, I know, beyond any shadow of doubt that I am a born again child of God. I am a woman of God! I died to the past. I am alive by the power of resurrection. This experience of salvation is real. In the past, when I heard other people talk about it, I thought that I too have it. But I was deceiving myself. Now I know that I am saved. I fear nobody, only God. My greatest surprise is how God changed my husband. Since that day at 12 mid night, the Holy Spirit has changed the heart and mouth of my husband. I am just getting used to this happiness. I also discovered a new desire to share to others the joy of my salvation. I witness to all the customers that come to my shop. Life is so good! To God alone be all the glory!’

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (1Cor 5:17)