Atheists and Christians—who lose?

They fool themselves trusting in God; where is He?

There is no supreme being in my life, but me.

No Creator here; from nowhere I came into being

I’ll remain skeptical of God unless He’s seen.

An imperfect being, filled with problems worth solving

What hopelessness when filled with sickness without ending!

At times death knocks my door

Then I regret being born into the world of oh

I know, here, I will either cry till I am no more

Or be lost to the world of suicide

Who will counsel and come to my side?

Atheists and Christians—who lose?

Unlike you, I am blessed to have been made by a loving Creator

God—yes—created me and put me the Earth’s administrator

Oh I was deceived and lost to the futile plans of the tempter

But the prevailing grace found me and put me on the right path

Thanks to Jesus, I am saved from the future judgment wrath

Oh yes, now I walk in the newness of life

Saved from meaninglessness, he put hope in my life

For those who believe, there is the gift of eternal life

Come what may, I am not alone; He is right by my side

Every problem has solution; there is no room for suicide

There is a better world for those who believe

Blessed are the children of the pardoned Eve!

 

Test God and fall

This is probably going to be a controversial post, given that, at times, we all test God. The truth is that since the Lord is so attentive to our prayers, and tells us to pray without ceasing, if we pray for what lines up with His will, we should be sure to receive as we ask. But, if we do otherwise, we are more likely to have Him silent for our own good. For example, do you think God would respond with yes to ‘a kill-me prayer’? Is that His will? Does he kill people? Isn’t it the Devil? Of course, only the enemy is happy with that request; if it’s ever granted, it’s the Devil’s answer. In a nutshell, since the Lord loves you, He’d rather keep you from suicide than  expose you to it. Every evil prayer will not be granted by God. What do you think Jesus was saying in Matthew 7:9-11 when wondering the possibility of asking for a loaf of bread but be given a stone instead?

How often do you feel tempted to put God to the test?  Ever since the world was created, the devil, upon defeating the humankind, has always enticed people to put God to the test. This could also be linked to temptation. The loving God always warns His creatures of the danger of falling short of his glory. To Adam and Eve, He warned of losing the gift of eternal life. Notwithstanding the warning, they put God to the test and, as a result, did fall. Adam might have said, “God, I am falling; hold me up!” And the answer, in the light of the Scriptures, was this: “No help from me; down to the pit!” Despite the forgiveness, their sin has had far-reaching repercussion.

Lot’s wife received the warning with regards to the future destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Initially, all seemed everything was going to go well; she might have thought to herself, “I am saved from the destruction thanks to the warning.” During the exile to other safe areas, she, however, looked back to her devastated riches and thus turned into a pillar of salt. What was she thinking about? Wasn’t this–“Oh Lord, save my estate”–that burned her to ashes? Let’s suppose you love and have a large sum of money, but, while flying, it suddenly all flies away. Would you venture into the sky in an attempt to grasp it? Amid the loss, you would certainly cry out to God as you feel your death looming in the sky. “Oh God, hold me up onto the plane again!” you’d cry. But the answer would be precisely the same as that of Lot’s wife: “No, you die with it!” Why would you go insane for the sake of money?

The enemy will use every possible device to deceive you into putting God to the test until your eternal loss. This is what he attempted to do to Jesus in the wilderness. There were many stages of temptation, but let me focus on the overt test: “…If you are the Son of God, Jump off! For the Scriptures say, He will order his angels to protect you and guard you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone” Luke 4:9-11 NLT. Here, the devil distorted the Scriptures so as to deceive our Lord into testing the Father. Thankfully, Jesus, knowing the trick, told him off and explained the right meaning of the verse:

“Scriptures say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” v12

Will you understand this and thus not give way to the temptation? Or will you test God and fall?

Sabbath Joy

While there’s been some awakening as to Sabbath keeping, there are still arguments as to what day is the biblical Sabbath—whether it is Saturday, the Seventh-day of the week or Sunday, the first day of week—to which the church is still seeking solutions (get the truth here). On the other hand, even after knowing the true Sabbath day, people are still on the fence as to whether or not to keep it holy. Could this be the case with you? If so, perhaps you find it difficult to decide because you are not aware of the benefits of Sabbath keeping. Hence the need to share them with you today.

Have you seen that this world goes busy all week long? People go to and fro trying to earn a living; it is as though we are born only to make a living. If you could argue that you do spend time with your kids, you’d likely find a paucity of it in your life. If so, what could you do with that when you need more time with your kids to educate them? Unless you commit yourself to disciplining your children, the world will see to it that they are led astray. Have you thought where that could lead? Hopefully, you don’t want to be reduced to tears when they are astray.

Given the busyness of life, stress also haunts you; looking at your to-do list, you get overwhelmed as you see no way to get it done unless you keep yourself from rest. What terrible sleepless nights trying to work things out! Despite your health, next day you feel extremely fatigued. Unless reversed, a healthy man will turn into a sick man.

With the rise of computers and smartphones, the world has taken a different turn: folks keep busy indoors; they prefer virtual world to the real world for the outdoor; they would rather be your friend on Facebook than socialize with you out here. What is the use of that? If we don’t talk out here, why should we do only on the internet? Why miss me only on Facebook? Why bemoan my troubles only when shared on social networks? Why can’t you lend a hand in the time of trouble?

Only through keeping the Sabbath day can busyness, stress, indifference be solved, as we gather together to worship the Creator of Life, who—despite His untiring power—deemed it relevant to cease His work so as to establish this Rest Day for the entire humankind.

What else can I say to get you to keep the Sabbath day? Well, it’s your choice now; be a follower of Christ:

“And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.” Luke 4:16 AKJV

Interpretation of John 14:1-3

Last Saturday, I was at a funeral for the burial of my neighbor’s grandmother, who died at the age of 88. As the time for burial drew near, a Bible preacher from Presbyterian Church stood up and invited all of us to read John 14:1-3, where she then encouraged the mourners to have hope even amid death. Interpreting the verses, she said, “here Jesus was encouraging his disciples not to lose hope when faced with the death of their loved ones, because He was going to prepare them a place to which He would take one by one at death”. Look, I’m just quoting her. That’s what she said about the verses. But, let’s be honest! Was Jesus talking about death? If yes, whose death was it? Did Jesus say that He would come to take one by one at death? And what do you say about this? I invite you to look at the verses again:

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. There’s more than enough room in my Father’s house. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am”. John 14:1-3 NLT

What is Jesus saying here? The truth is that time had come for Jesus to depart from the Earth. Here, we get the idea of death, but notice that it’s His death on the Cross, not that of our beloved ones. At best, the preacher missed the point of the message of Christ; at worst, she deceived the mourners. To begin with, Jesus was talking about His departure (not His disciples’); he was both promising to come back for us who believe and to take us all to heaven (not to take one by one); His return and taking us to heaven is not happening at death.

Until now, Jesus is preparing a place for us in heaven by interceding for us before the Father (see Hebrews 4:14), and, as promised, when everything is ready, He will come back to take us all home. Please, don’t be deceived into believing death as both synonymous with the Second Coming of Jesus and the ascension to Heaven, because that’s not true. Jesus has not yet returned to the Earth, but He definitely will.

Want to know what happens at death? Click here.

The Irony of Life

It’s so sad that life is filled with an irony that it’s taken for granted, till we are no more. Despite the inappropriate words, let me describe it. Those who gave birth to us were also given birth to (this takes us back to the Garden of Eden). It was a joy when they were born just as much as it was when we were. The world welcomed them in their state of innocence and metamorphosed them. Under the influence, they chose the beliefs on which to set their minds. Of all their endeavors, they got their first job, got married, had kids too and went on living ‘their life’ with the set of beliefs, with which they could be identified. They viewed job, marriage, kids and life as theirs without examining their thoughts; they took life as an accident; wealth as synonymous with health; health with immunity. But the uncertainty of life caught them unawares. Their possessed life hit them where it hurts: they lost their cherished jobs; their adultery led to divorce; their undisciplined kids went astray; their heartbreaking experiences led to heart attack, which was terminal. How ironic! While alive, they thought all they had—job, marriage, kids and life—was theirs. They never viewed them as borrowed items, entrusted to them by the Owner of Life to whom they were accountable. Yes, whether or not you believe in God, this is the eternal truth: whatever you have and/or whatever you are is entrusted to you by God to whom, in the end, you will be accountable. Wished they were given one more chance to live? That’s too late. Life is lived only once; twice only with the promised resurrection from God, which is also made possible by how you live this present, borrowed life. Most often we turn away from God. Never are we aware of the enemy disputing over our lives! What are you waiting for? Please reverse it and surrender it all to the Owner of Life—before it’s too late—because He does care about Life.

By the way, I’ve been thinking of writing a book about this Life (should I?); if I do, I will include this chapter.

It’s so Unbelievable

That while I’m writing, you’re reading this line

That I’ve found a family within WordPress community

That your care and support, day by day, make my pen fine

That while in Mozambique, I can touch souls with my Christianity

What a community with different penmanship!

Drawn together through relationship

 

It’s so Unbelievable

That while down, tomorrow we’ll be upbeat

While deprived of food, tomorrow we’ll have plenty to eat

Then we can go ahead and have a feast.

Are you still sick? Tomorrow you’ll be fine

Are you in despair? Hope is the bottom line.

 

It’s so Unbelievable

That while our lives, here, cease

We can then rest, in the grave, with ease

For there’s resurrection for those who believe

There’s no other key to it than to believe

Are you cross?

Instead, thank Christ on the Cross

Bear your cross for the life’s promised

Without it, Life would be forever ceased.

Life in Reverse

While drafting the pages of our lives, at times we scribble them, and thus wonder how to reverse them. You and I wish that was possible. Despite the silent reading, our lives are a book in progress; we keep writing these invisible lines until we breathe our last. Will our lives last? That said, how are you taking your life? You were born into the world, yet you wonder why you are here. Blind to the meaning of life, you mess up with your life. Honestly, our birth was not planned so much that all should go well. What a Warfield you haven’t felt! While a kid, you were taken by the hand and led everywhere by the parents. This was a long process; you enjoyed their company and instruction, but grew and felt outgrown the need of direction and protection. There you are! What direction are you taking now? Are you going to google it? Believe me, that’s also misleading. Obviously, you are more likely to go off the track. And when astray, are you going back to google it? Or are you crying out to God? You want to find your way back to life, but are blind to that too. Immersed in drugs, you sink and sink; you are going down to pit. Eagerly, the enemy is coming your way. As lost, how are you hiding from him, the owner of the territory? Rather, you’ve become an easy prey. Like a hen protecting its chicks, parents were your very protection, but you ran away from their care into the drug snare. Now you’re drug dependent. How to shake free from these chains is what you missing out on; apology to your wife is what you lacking; committing suicide to yourself is inevitably looming. Before it’s too late, why don’t you throw drug and resentment away? Your daggers away? It’s time to stop looking daggers at everyone around you and humble yourself. Notwithstanding those to blame, you and I have to mind our own steps in the world instead, as they determine our fate.

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The Power of Music and Its Evil

Though we all love music, we should not listen to every kind of music out there. We should be selective in our playlists. The reason why we are to select music is owing to the fact that not every music is uplifting to the soul. There is a set of music that has no regard for the ethic; it endorses doing evil, instead. Sadly, this set is so popular that almost everybody likes it.  So, we all get caught up in it. As a matter of fact, on one occasion, while traveling, I heard a woman condemning playing obscene music in a minibus. She no longer wanted to hear it. So, she suggested that the music should be stopped. But the driver did not take heed to her request, he deliberately continued playing it in such a way that she got caught up in the track and started singing it. The other passengers and I, then, got shocked at her singing it. Did you notice how weird this was? Though she initially hated the music, she later sang it enthusiastically. So, I started wondering why she had had that abrupt behavior. I then discovered that no matter how much you initially hate music, you gradually come to like it as long as you listened to it. Though this is particularly good for good music, frequent listening to bad music may have a bad impact on you, as you may find yourself repeating those words; as it is widely known, the more you repeat something, the more it enters your life. So, I wonder, “Which kind of music is your favorite? Does it encourage you to do good? Or to do evil?  Why do you like it?” Each of us should answer these questions.

Similarly, King Saul experienced the power of music in his life. In his struggles, he learned to make good use of music. Basically, when the king was shaken by an evil spirit, he would send for David to play a harp for him. Surprisingly, the spirit would go away at the playing of David (1 Samuel 16:14-16, 23). What a powerful healing of the music! Unlike Saul, we listen to music just to be misled by its evil. If only we could use music for good purposes!

Watched as You Fall into Sin

It’s so funny how you are watched fall into sin. Reading the first chapter of the book of Job in the Bible, you get stunned at the scenes presented there. Thus, you’re introduced to a new reality check about your long unfathomable life on Earth. Yes, so many things happen that you don’t grasp in here. You and I must have been wondering about our lives enshrouded in mystery. As matter of fact, I had no idea how my life was viewed on the other side; I always thought I was in charge of my life. It wasn’t until I read the book of Job that I knew the things behind our lives. Unless you have read this book, you are entirely unaware of the mystery of this world. And the danger is you’re more likely to again and again mess up your short days in the world. Of course, you will neither know your origin nor your destiny.

Upon opening the book of Job, you get a quick overview of the wonderful life of Job; you are amazed at his righteous life. What a blessed life he had! Moving on, you get to the heavenly scenes. As in a movie, God is depicted as assembling the heavenly beings. Suddenly, an intruder goes in and God wonders where he came from. The earthly intruding enemy challenges the Lord to let him tempt the righteous Job, hoping to defeat him as he once defeated Adam and Eve. God trusted Job so much that He let him be tested. And He trusts you too in such a way that, if necessary, He can let you go through temptation. In doing this, the Lord hopes that you will be victorious over the evil; it pleases Him that we should be overcomers. Thus, He let the enemy tempt Job. Initially, the devil was allowed to do away with Job’s belongings and kill his children. As a result, he had one calamity after another until he lost all he had. He bemoaned all his losses and was in despair. Yet, he maintained his loyalty to God despite all his losses; he did not blame God for any evil. Now put yourself in the position of Job. How would you have acted then? Would you have acted otherwise? Later, this calamity passed, but the devil, amid the unchanging character of Job, was granted to do even more harm. An even worse calamity was coming his way. The enemy had thus challenged the Lord to afflict Job with some ailment, hoping he would forsake God on account of the agony. Though he was tortured, urged by his own wife to forsake God and die, Job remained loyal to God. Again, he did not compromise nor blame God for the affliction. Instead, he just acknowledged the sad reality of life, saying “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!”Job 1:21 NLT. How true is this! No matter how powerful we grow up to be, when death knocks our door, none of our belongings will go with us; the blessing God can also take away His blessings. Yet, I assume too many people do not know this: when they become powerful, they do not want to look back at their origin, perceive their looming fate and then realize how useless life can be unless put in the hands of the Lord. How blessed was Job! Though grown to be powerful, he always knew this truth in his heart.

It’s stunning to see the enemy talking about the world as though he’s been watching our lives here. Of course, the enemy has been going to and fro seeking whom to devour (see 1 Peter 5:8). On the other hand, the Lord too watches the world; He does so, I believe, to see who follows him and who does not. Conversely, our lives are closely watched in this battlefield; while God seeks to save us, the devil wants to ensure we turn away from God and die.

As I mentioned earlier, God trusted Job—as much as He trusts you—to successfully go through temptation. More important, God loves us and never wishes any harm upon us. For this reason, God does not tempt us; what He does, because it’s inevitable, is let the enemy tempt us (remember that’s the job of the enemy, he always wants us to fall). While the enemy tempts us, God strengthens us to overcome the evil; all it takes is “prayerful willingness” to defeat the enemy. Thankfully, the wise Job understood it and thus defeated the enemy throughout the tests. Like Job, will you understand this and defeat the enemy?

The Benefit of Believing in Jesus

 

How dare you say whether you believe in Jesus is all the same?

Don’t you know that sin makes you lame?

How can you reach the blessed life without aim?

That’s why you are clueless to the problem of life

For you reject Jesus, the right saving life

Now tell me, who is it that can lay his life for you?

There is nobody other than Jesus that can pay the ransom for you.

He takes the eternal death you deserve and dies in your place

He has risen, so that He could go and prepare you a place

When the time comes, with him you will live and thus see his face

No longer will death hold you a slave!

For He will have, then, calmed your storm wave

Please believe in Him

May this poem be your hymn!