“No weapon that is formed against you will succeed;
And every tongue that rises against you in judgment you will condemn. This [peace, righteousness, security, and triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And this is their vindication from Me,” says The Lord” (Is 54:17,AMP)

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (Jam 1:19, 20)

More than three months ago I fell and broke my ankle. My cast was removed about four weeks ago. Since then I have been trying to exercise my leg and to walk as normal as possible. This vacation trip was planned since last year. For a moment there was the possibility that I could not travel. I did not want to go in a wheelchair, to be a burden on the other brethren who are traveling with us. But God made a way. I started the journey with one crutch. Then I walked with a walking stick. Two days ago I abandoned the stick also. I am now walking by myself, though limping. If I am very tired, I hang on my husband’s arm. I am grateful to God for the small daily improvements. If you have never been sick, you will not appreciate the joy of getting better. God is great, I tell you!

“The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell therein.
For He has founded it upon the seas,
And established it upon the waters” (Ps 24:1,2)

“There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you” (Deut 12:7)

We are on vacation, on a cruise ship, together with twelve other Christian couples. We are seeing new sights, eating new food, experiencing new things in different other cultures. The purpose of this trip is relaxation and excitement, as couples, in the presence of God. Some have already learned how to ‘enjoy’ life. Some others still struggle with fears of losing control or with guilt about spending money. They cannot fully enjoy this time.

“Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Mt 14:31-33)

We are traveling on a cruise ship. It is Sunday morning and we are having church. Pastor Leigh preached from the Book of Matthew 14. He said that the Lord interacts with the crowds differently than with His disciples. He heals the sick and He provides food for the hungry. Satisfied that their temporal needs were met, most people go home. They do not remember to worship The Lord.

“Therefore, since Christ suffered in His body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God” (1Pet 4:1-2)

Today is 13 weeks since I broke my ankle. I am felling much better. My bone is healed. I am still limping because of the weakness of the ligaments and muscles. But the improvement is clear and I am so grateful to God! There so many wonderful lessons that I had to learn during this trial of faith. The Holy Spirit helped me to simplify and clarify my mind. I was ignorant that there was a lot of unholy, unnecessary ‘dust’ settled on my mind, making it dull and slow. The pain in my leg and the limitation in my body helped me to rearrange my priorities. I had to think thru all these things, what is important and what is not.

Read the scripture above. Your mind is not just for thinking. It is designed by God to be a weapon against the attacks of the devil. ‘As a man thinks in his heart, so is he’. The mind purified by approved suffering in the will of God becomes one of the greatest weapons in spiritual warfare. As a child of God, you are commanded to ‘arm yourself’ with the mind of Christ! Your thoughts, your attitude to life will protect you from sin! The helmet of salvation protects your mind from anxieties, fears, confusion and useless distractions. You need to cultivate the same ‘attitude’ with our Lord Jesus Christ! He was humble and obedient to His Father unto death! As a Man, He learned obedience thru the things He suffered! He was tempted at all points as we are, yet without sin! He became the source of eternal salvation to all others who are obedient to Him! He is the Lion and the Lamb of God! His mind is my mind! His attitude is my attitude! That is what I pray for! That is what I desire!

Yesterday, My husband and I went to a beautiful mall in Miami called The Falls. There was a river gently flowing in between the shops. We entered a shop selling beautiful shoes. In the past, I will admire the shoes and even try some. This time I chose to sit down quietly by the water admiring God’s beauty. There was no need to try the fancy shoes I could have liked in the past. I still cannot wear high heals. I have to ‘manage canvas flat shoes’ because of my balance as I learn to walk again. But that is ok. The battle has been fought over my mind. The devil has lost it! Jesus is Lord!

I have peace in my heart as I know that God allowed this trial for my good. I lost the feverish restlessness to compete with the world! I le go of the anxiety to please men! I shook off the fears growing from the dirty soil of inferiority complexes! My life is simpler now, but more focused. My worship is free! I now love God with a purer love. I celebrate Him who loves me forever. To my amazement, I discover that shoes are not the most important things in the universe. I smile… There is so much more to life…

“Father, I adore You… May my life please You… In Jesus name, amen!”

(in the picture, the river flowing at the Falls Mall in Miami, Fl)

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than all of them–yet not I but the grace of God that was with me” ( 1Cor 15:10)

I received a note from somebody saying: ‘Ma, who are you? Are you a doctor or a pastor? Is there no confusion between these two professions? I am just curious… Please explain…’

This was my answer:
“Dear… By the grace of God I am who I am. It is the grace of God that defines me. It is not what people say, but what the unmerited favor of God says about me that matters. First of all I am a child of God. I am also a wife (for 42 years), a mother of three adult children and a grandmother of six. I am a medical doctor by profession. I am a pastor by His grace and by His calling. It is the same with my husband, Pastor Richmond Leigh. We both worked as doctors for about 20 years. My husband and I we founded Lily Clinic in Warri, Nigeria. We sold the medical equipment and the name of the clinic when we started the church. Since 2000, we are in full time ministry, as the founding pastors of Father’s House Bible Church, Warri, Nigeria.

As you see, there is no confusion. But, the way a believer and an unbeliever thinks is totally different. I am sinner saved by grace. I was an atheist, a complete unbeliever until I met The Lord in 1986. Since then, God has helped me change my view of life, death, sickness, the trials of life and eternity in general. In the medical school they teach you what they know: the science of medicine. They cannot give you what they do not have. As a doctor, I did not believe in God, devil, heaven, hell, prayer or the Bible. I practiced medicine the way I was thought in school. Pure science!

But after I became born again things changed radically as they should! God took center stage in my thinking. I started asking each patient who came to my office: ‘what do you want: prayer or medicine?’ The wealthy ones always say ‘medicine’. So I did what they requested. I examined them and gave them their medicine. I charged them high, I might add… But the poor ones who could not afford to pay for treatment, they usually said: ‘Doctor, I do not have money, please pray for me…’ I usually tell them: ‘God bless you! You are very wise! You have chosen the best I have…’ Then I prayed for them and did not charge money at all. Most of them will come back with a testimony of supernatural healing. This is how I have discovered the power of God available in Christ alone and the Holy Spirit in action, ready and able to save, heal and deliver. This revelation changed me and my practice! Along the way, I have learned so many wonderful lessons from others. The humble, generous and willing believers thought me faith, patience, divine wisdom and the value of prayer.

In particular, I loved the terminal cases, the ones given up by other doctors… When a doctor tells his patient: ‘I have done everything I know. I cannot help you anymore. You will die in few weeks…’ A person like this has no other options except what God provides. I always appreciated when these hopeless cases came to me at their ’11th hour’. They suddenly wanted prayer. Their faith will increase. In this way I had more freedom to ‘experiment’ with prayers and the ministry of the Word. Many dying people were brought to Lily Clinic by their families just so that they can die ‘in peace’. I witnessed how a man’s face changes according to his spiritual ‘status’. From an angry face he will have a peaceful countenance and die smiling. Others, against all medical odds, received their healing miracles. I am a witness to all these things… I know that God is good!

Like I said, there is no confusion. In heaven there is no sickness, suffering or death. It is only eternal pure holy worship. Even now as a pastor, my priority is not physical healing but spiritual healing. If a man gives his life to Christ, that is the best thing he can do in this life. If a man is sick or is well, rich or poor, educated or not, he still needs Christ, first of all! I always point people to The Lord Jesus! He is the only Savior, the only Healer and the only Lord! I am just a servant to my Lord! If you see anything good in me, please give all the glory to God who has made it possible to have some good inside. I hope this answer will help… God bless you!”

“No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it” (1Cor 10:13)

This scripture is safely stored in my heart and I have used it many times to strengthen myself in The Lord. More than twelve weeks ago I fell and broke my ankle. I am now recovering from that fracture. My cast has been removed. I started walking with two crutches, then one crutch and now, with ‘just’ a walking stick (which I intend to throw away as soon as possible). We are now on a vacation, planned since last year. I had to strengthen my faith to go even though I still have pain, a swollen leg and I am limping. Two times in one day I was tempted to ‘backslide’ from my healing faith. This is my story…

At Lagos airport we had to wait for a time. I saw a place where they had comfortable chairs. They said that the place is designed for ‘the pregnant women, the elderly and the sick’ to rest. My husband and I went there to ask if can seat for a while. The young man (about 30 years old) in charge of the place saw me limping with a crutch. He said that I cannot seat. He said I should go to my airline and bring a note from them that I am ‘qualified’ to use a wheel chair. My husband told him that my leg was broken, that is why I am using a crutch but that by faith, I refuse to seat in a wheelchair and be pushed around by another. He stubbornly insisted that without that ‘wheelchair note’ I cannot seat there even though almost all the seats were empty. We did not want to argue and decided to just stand there, next to their sign board. (I was happy in my heart that at least he did not ‘qualify’ us as ‘elderly’).

I was really surprised at the un-welcoming attitude of this man, especially as we prayed before the trip, that we may find favor with strangers. Suddenly, a Nigerian woman of about my age who was seated there came to my ‘rescue’. She begged and begged that man who was in charge saying that ‘you never know who you reject in this life in the day of visitation’ and that my husband looked like a pastor… Anyway, suddenly the man left and another came to start the shift. This one was very nice and begged us not to be offended and told us to seat down thee for as long as we want. Thank God that my need for rest did not made me to ask for the ‘wheelchair note’.

When we arrived in Houston, as usual, there were many wheel chairs waiting for any passengers who needed them. They were almost calling my name to ‘enjoy’ the comfort they provided. Thank God that I did not even ‘greet’ these wheelchairs and limping on my crutch went ahead like that.

The desire for an ‘easy life’ is a strong temptation. But my desire for a spiritual victory is always greater than my need for temporary comfort. So, this is my testimony: I rejected the wheelchairs for the glory of God, for the shame of the devil and for the encouragement of others. I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me! Praise The Lord!

 
“But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me” (2Cor 12:9)

We are on a vacation trip that we planned since last year. Because of my injured ankle, for a moment, I was afraid that we cannot make it. But God has been so faithful and good to us… I limp a little… I have some pain…but I can walk by myself... Thank God! I decided to take one of my crutches so that i can support the weight of my body when we have to wait for a long time. My husband and I also decided that I shall not use a wheelchair. By faith, I have graduated from that level.

“Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God” (Eph 5:17-21)

To be filled with the Holy Spirit is God’s command to His children! It is not just His ‘suggestion’. We cannot afford to be passive, to ignore or to rebel against God’s Word! This is the truth: No unbeliever can receive or be filled with the Holy Spirit. They may receive a religious evil spirit, a fake ‘holy spirit’ but never the real Spirit of the Living God that comes with the power of resurrection!

“Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God” (Eph 5:17-21)

We are commanded to be wise and have spiritually understanding. Foolishness is not a virtue. We are to know and to do the will of God. What does God want from us, His children? God wants us to be like His Son, Jesus Christ and to be filled with the Holy Spirit! Selah!

What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit? Just like a drunkard is ‘filled’ with alcohol, is under the influence of alcohol, so also the child of God should be filled with the Spirit of God. When you become saved, you receive a deposit of the Holy Spirit. As a child of God you know who the Holy Spirit is. The challenge now is to yield to God, to open your heart and to allow the Holy Spirit to fill every ‘room’ inside. Then you shall receive supernatural power to obey the Word of God and you shall make great progress as a Christian.

In Greek, the word translated ‘filled’ is ‘pleroo’. It is a very interesting word. Basically, it means three things:

*Pressure! Just like the wind blows and pushes a sail boat, this is how the believer who is filled with the Holy Spirit is propelled forward. The ‘wind’ of the Spirit gives you the power to walk like Jesus walked and to run the race to the end. The same Holy Spirit keeps you from backsliding or going astray! With just a little effort, you shall feel this wind gently blowing from behind and you shall move on in life from one testimony to another! Hallelujah!

*Permeation! If you put a drop of color in a glass of water, soon, it will spread to the whole liquid. If you are filled with the Holy Spirit you shall have a new attitude and a new heavenly fragrance. You will change and become like Jesus! Your mind will change! Your words will change! Love will become the way of life for you. Others will notice this change and this will be your testimony to the glory of God.

*Control! The Person of God the Holy Spirit will control your thinking, your emotions and your behavior. Each person is controlled by one dominant emotion. For example, a man can be controlled by greed; another by anger or by depression, by fear or by sexual lust. All his decisions bow to the this internal invisible idol. In the same way, when you are filled with the Holy Spirit all your thoughts, emotions and choices are under the control of the Spirit of life. Doubt, fear, confusion, selfishness have no place in your heart anymore. They disappear because of the new controlling power working in you. You now live a life pleasing unto God! Think about these words! Desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit! Fast! Pray! Worship The Lord! Be filled with the Holy Spirit! And you shall receive power once the Holy Ghost comes upon you!

HAPPY WITH CHURCH TONIGHT

“David inquired of the LORD, saying, “If I pursue after this troop, shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue; for you shall surely overtake them, and shall without fail recover all.” (1Sam 30:8)

The prayer meeting was very good. Today is 12 weeks since I fell and broke my ankle. I missed ‘my sheep and my lambs’. They missed me too… By the grace of God we rejoiced seeing each other in the presence of God. Physically I was limping and shaking a little, but my spirit was ready and strong. I saw that many of our sheep ran away to hide in the ‘bushes’ of religion. I know that the intent of the devil was to ‘strike the shepherd so that the flock will be scattered’. But The Holy Spirit is so faithful… As we started praising God and praying, The Holy Spirit came down to embrace us in His everlasting arms. We all felt His presence, calling us back to Him, to where we belong. The anointing was that of a joyful family restoration.

“Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer” (Dan 10:12)

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

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (Jn 8:36)

As a mature believer, you need to do spiritual warfare. The devil is a real enemy and he has some power. But the power of God is supreme. God limits his activity when he is attacking God’s children. These are some basic revelation facts: The devil is a thief who comes only ‘to steal, kill and destroy’ (Jn 10:10). He is a liar and a deceiver. The devil is a religious spirit saying that he ‘believes in God’. He attacks the believers mostly with sickness, poverty, discouragement, fear, confusion and depression. There are different ranks of evil spirits, just like a wicked army of terrorists. Some are attacking people and some are against nations. When God promotes you, the higher levels demon powers will attack you. You need to be spiritually ready! You need to resist the devil and he will flee from you! We do not fight ‘against flesh and blood’. We do not focus and fight against human beings. These are only the pitiable slaves of the devil. We fight against the demons who manipulate these men and women. So, you cannot afford to be ignorant or passive! Put on the whole armor of God and fight back! You shall have the victory! Believe it!

Please note this: the devil steals not just material prosperity but spiritual blessings too. For example, he can steal part of your joy. You wake up happy in the morning. Then you hear a word and suddenly you plunge down into an ocean of sadness. This is a spiritual thing. If you are not aware of this spiritual battle, you may blame the person who troubled you. You need to see these spiritual realities and fight a spiritual battle. Victory is very sweet!

Let’s talk about JOY. According to the Bible: The Joy of the Lord is strength; joy is medicine to the soul; joy is a sign of hope for the future; joy is a proof that you live in the presence of God; joy is a sign that your troubles are over; joy is a sign that you have faith in God; joy is a proof that you have swallowed and believed the Word of God (Neh 8:9-18; PV 17:22; 10:28;   Ps 16:11; 30:5; 33:21; Jer 15:16). From these scriptures you see that the devil wants to steal or damage your joy as a Christian. If he succeeds, you shall be spiritually and physically weak, you will feel hopeless; suddenly your future looks dark; you feel like a backslider, outside the presence of God, you feel like your troubles will never end, you start to doubt the Word of God; your faith goes down; your prayer life does down; you lose your testimony as a child of God and you become afraid of the future.

This is the good news: If you are a child of God, rejoice! And I say again: REJOICE!!! I command you to rejoice!!! There is nothing to fear! In Christ the victory is sure. We fight from a position of rest and victory achieved for us by the Lord Jesus Christ at the Cross of Calvary! Praise the Lord!

Now let’s pray with faith and with a loud voice: “Dear Heavenly Father, I come to You in the name that is above every other name, Jesus Christ, the Son of God! I am sorry for being careless with my spiritual blessings. I pray for total restoration of my body, soul and spirit, of my marriage, my children, my job and my ministry. I take authority in the name of Jesus and I command every evil spirit from the pit of hell to leave me and mine and to go away right now! I completely destroy every sympathy or agreement I have done, knowingly or un-knowingly, with evil spirits or their human agents! Holy Spirit please come and fill me afresh! Use me for God’s work! I vow to give You God all the glory! In Jesus name I pray, amen!”

After praying this prayer you must feel better. You must feel happier! You must feel stronger! It is the work of the Holy Spirit! Give Him glory! Praise His Holy Name!  Come back with a great testimony of freedom and deliverance!

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

The answer to this question is found in the Word of God. I also confirm it from my experience as a wife of more than 42 years and also from my experience as a Pastor. One thing is clear: the devil hates successful godly and happy marriages! To have a successful marriage it takes a lot of effort. That is why the spiritually lazy are all unhappily married. Any woman, but especially if she is born again, has her own expectations concerning marriage. This is because she reads the Bible and she sees God’s standard concerning the men. She is not happy if her dreams do not come true.

What does a Christian woman desires from her husband?

*Love! The husband must love her in a particular way: ‘even as Christ loves the Church’. This is the greatest love of all. It is not just a seasonal emotion, but a forever sacrificial love.

*Prayer! The husband must pray with and for his wife. Before praying for children, for friends and the extended family, the husband must regularly pray for his wife.

*Cleansing! A godly husband must ‘wash’ his wife with the Word of God. He must study the Bible to have enough ‘water and soap’ to do it.

*Providing! A husband must provide for the wife. He must be an ambassador of Jehovah Jireh in the home.

*Trustworthy! A godly husband must keep his word. He should not lie or give false hopes. He should not promise things he cannot perform. Breaking a promise to the wife means breaking her heart. And that breaking takes a long time to repair. He must be sexually faithful to his wife.

*Communicate! The husband must speak the truth in love! He should be a lover and a leader using good words! They should talk ‘heart to heart’, about everything. Silence is not a good communicator. You may misinterpret the absence of words. My husband and I we talk about everything. We are friends, lovers and co-laborers in ministry.

*Spiritual covering! The husband must take responsibility for the mistakes of his wife. He should not blame her harshly. He must correct the wife in love. This correction is an art. Do not correct in anger, but always in love. Be patient and expect improvement. Rejoice when the good changes come.

*A good father! The husband must be a good father to their children.

*Co-laborer! The husband must help carry the wife’s burdens. He must pray to understand his wife. This is not an easy task but with the help of the Holy Spirit he will succeed.

*Rejoice with her! He must make her laugh for laughter is like medicine. He should discuss their finances with her. They should not be greedy or wasteful. They should pay their tithes and offerings in the church.

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

This is our testimony. My husband loves me and I know it because he has proved it to me numerous times.  He loves me with words and action. He prays for me. One of the sweetest times for me it is when my husband calls me and says: “My wife, let me pray for you…” To me this is the highest form of love in action. I so appreciate it! Recently, having some health issues, my husband’s prayers carried me on. My husband studies the Bible daily. I love it! We discuss the wonderful things we find in the Word of God. He provides for the financial needs of the home. He is not a lazy man at all! I trust him when he promises me things. He does not lie to me. He encourages me and he corrects me when I need both. He is happy when I improve in my character. We rejoice together. He is a good father to our children and a good grandfather. We share in the burden of the ministry. We laugh together, we work together. My marriage was not perfect from the beginning for we were both sinners when we fell in love. But after we became saved, the spiritual fruit started to appear and now our marriage is a garden of the Lord.

This is a prayer I often pray. It has worked for me. If you have faith, it will work for you! “Lord Jesus, please help me to see You in my husband’s eyes…help me to feel Your touch thru my husband’s hands. Bless our marriage. Bless our home with Your presence. Let the water be changed into wine in our marriage, In Jesus name, amen!”

“Simon, Simon, satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Lk 22:31, 32)

After 11 weeks of not being able to attend church services, today I came back to the fellowship of the saints. I told them that my accident was an evil attack. God permitted it for His glory and for my good. The devil could only break my leg but he could not break my spirit, our marriage or our ministry. Glory to God! I publicly declare the devil is a liar and a loser! I told the brethren: ‘I am back to strengthen you, children of God! Holy Spirit, help us!’

What happens to Peter is similar to what happened to Job. Satan requested from God for the permission to attack Job, a righteous man. Interestingly, his desire was granted. Satan attacked his family, his property and his health. But thru it all, Job held to the integrity of his faith in God. This faithfulness in times of trouble defined his character. What are the lessons? God permits His children to be attacked by the devil, for a season. Satan is real and he has some power. But his power is limited and controlled by God, who has the ultimate sovereign power! “God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: that power belongs to God” (Ps 62:11)

Many believers struggle with this question: Why does God allow satan to attack His children? The answer is this: for God’s glory and for their good! Something supernaturally wonderful happens when we enter the sufferings of Christ, when we share in His pain! When the Bride suffers together with her Bridegroom they shall both rise to a higher level of intimacy unknown in times of prosperity! Together they arrive to a greater unity of the Spirit! They suffer together and they shall rejoice together! They share together in their reward which is always greater than past their sufferings! “If we suffer (endure), we shall also reign with Him” (2Tim 2:12)

God is glorified by using the weakness of men to defeat satan. At the Cross of Calvary, satan was totally defeated. The Cross is God’s weakness which is stronger than the power of men (1Cor 1:24, 25). We preach that Cross! We carry that Cross! God allows us to be weak and ‘defeated’ for a season, so that satan will foolishly attack us. We are ‘bait’ for satan! Oh… the unsearchable wisdom of God! What is the good that comes out of these peculiar afflictions? Passing thru fire, our faith increases and becomes purified! This is great gain! Faith is more precious than silver and gold. Like in the case of Job, God will reward patient humble faithfulness with many blessings! If you want to be a man of God, a woman of God, your faith must be tested, for you to be approved for ministry!

In the scripture above Jesus describes satan as a farmer who uses a sifter to sift wheat. He violently shakes the grains up and down and right to left. The intent is to separate the grains from the chaff, which is the cover of the seeds. If he succeeds, the ‘naked’ grains are smaller in size, pass thru the holes of the sifter and they fall into his lap. But the grain covered with the chaff is too big to pass thru. Spiritually, we are the seeds. The chaff is a symbol of the shield of faith, our spiritual covering. The sifting of satan’s is intended to separate us from our faith.

This is the lesson: If we hold on to our faith, we are ‘too big’ for satan! We shall survive the fire! This tested faith is great victory! (1Jn 5:4). This is a great encouragement that even when our faith shakes, we are sur that it will not be destroyed. Peter’s faith failed him temporarily but not completely. What is the secret of this faithfulness? The prayers of Jesus! He is our Great High Priest who prays for us! God the Father and God the Son are not passive during your trials! They are actively interested in your condition, especially in the status of your faith! God allows you to pass thru trials so that at last, He can use you to strengthen others. Dear brethren! For better for worse, we are in it together! We shall rejoice together! Glory to God! Be encouraged today! Be strong in your faith today! In Jesus name, amen!

PRAISE REPORT

After 11 weeks of not being able to attend services, I was in the church today worshiping God and strengthening the brethren! To God alone be all the glory!