Have The Faith Of A Little Child

I started volunteering at my church's Homework Academy last week Tuesday. The second day that I was there, I was put with three little girls all aged 7 years. I watched their bright-eyed candor and enthusiasm as they talked to each other while they looked at their picture books. I felt a sense of wonder and contentment by just being with these three youngsters.

I was reminded anew that Jesus said that we must become like little children if we are to enter the kingdom of heaven. I understand now what He meant. Children are so open, especially the very little ones. They laugh uncontrollably at what they think is funny, even if it is someone they are laughing at. They know quickly if they can get around you or not. They listen and look with such amazement at the world around them. When they have faith in God or anyone else, they have complete faith, with no doubts!

I know that God wants me to be like these little children and have total faith in Him. To have faith to provide for my every need, for His help in standing in the midst of less than perfect circumstances. To have faith to be thankful for all the blessinsg that He has bestowed on me, like my family and friends, my computer and the chance to write a blog. I'm so thankful to be able to help with those beautiful children for two days a week. Most of all, J'm grateful for the fact that Jesus Christ died for me, and when I accepted the free gift of His atoning sacrifice for my sin on the cross at Calvary, I became His child. Lord, help me to have faith, just like little children.

At that time the followers came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Jesus called a little child to Him and stood the child before His followers. Then he said, "I tell you the truth, you must change and become like little children. Otherwise, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18: 1 - 3 (New Century Version)

Should Bobbi Kristina Houston Be Alone Right Now?

Last night I saw Bobbi Kristina Houston on TV. She spoke about how she was coping since her mother's (the late singer/actress Whitney Houston) death the night before the Grammy Awards. It is reported that she has inherited all of the mother's estate. She now lives alone in her mother's house. Although she tried to appear bright and cheerful, as if she was managing her loss well, I still remembered that she had been almost overwhelmed in the days right after her mother's sudden demise.

I for one am very concerned that young Bobbi Kristina has been left alone in that big house. That house has been her home for a long while, and all the powerful memories in that house may cause her to spiral into depression rather than help in the healing proces if there is no one to help her in the grieving process. Should she be alone at this period, so soon after her mother's death? Especially as it is alleged that she also has problems with drugs?

Here are what I recommend:

1. Bobbi Kristina should have someone with her right now. She is too vulnerable emotionally, and may try to dull her pain with drugs, or alcohol. She needs someone to talk to. like a relative or very close friend with her mother that she can share her memories with. This is healthy.
2. Grief counselling is also advised at this time, to help her cope with her mother's death. I would recommend biblical counselling because she would realize that Jesus loves her and is with her, even in the midst of this sad, tough time of her life.
3. I would recommend that she be protected from too much pressure from the press until she is again able to cope with this. Even though she appears to be handling this okay at this point in time, it is only a few weeks since her mother died, and she needs the time to heal without being a source of perusal from the press and the fans.

I'm hoping her father, Mr. Bobby Brown, would keep to his word and take care of his daughter. She needs him at this time. Please, Mr. Brown, do as you has sworn and let her stay with you. PLEASE, do arrange for the counseling that she so badly needs.

"He healeth the broken in heart, binding up their wounds." PS. 147:3

What to do when you've done all you can, prayed and nothing happens!

I listened with delight as my friend testified of how God answered her prayer for guidance. I could really relate to her situation. I have been praying about certain situations for a long time, without any answer. I was happy  about her answer, but I could not help thinking about my situation and wishing that God would give me such a quick answer too.

Later on, I read in an devotional email about a woman whose husband suffers from depression. She ended her discourse by saying "I think recognizing that I've done all I can is good. It's bringing me to the place where all I can do is ask - I expect that'll change something."* I incredulously wrote in the diary provided, "what do you do next when you've done all, prayed and nothing happens?"

When a nobleman asked Jesus Christ to heal his son, Jesus told him that he would not believe iunless he saw signs and miracles. Jesus then told him that his son had been healed, and it was by faith in that world alone that he  went back to him home and met his son healed.

What do you do when you done all that you can, pray and nothing happens?

• The 'why' question - It is quite normal to ask why, but I have learnt that God hardly answers that question. So in the long run I said, "OK, Lord, I don't know why this happens, but I'll trust you."
• Surrender - surrender  whatever you've been praying about to God. Surrender your desire for that thing. person or situation to God, as as offering of surrender and love to Him. This entails giving your will over to Him.
•  LEAVE IT IN HIS HANDS. This is not an easy thing, for Jesus said that without Him you cannot do anything@ (John 15:5) Ask Him to help you.
• Praise God for answer, NO MATTER W HAT THAT ANSWER IS! Jesus does not make a mistake! He know what you need.

None of these points are easy to do, but with God, all things are possible.  Like the lady who wrote in the devotional did this morning, as I am doing right now, all of us come to this point of not knowing what God  will do at some time in our lives. . It is not just "all we can do!" As a matter of fact, having to do these four steps is the BEST place we can be.  These steps are the BEST  things we can when we've done all we can , prayed and nothing happens!

"Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe."  John 4:48 (KJV)

5 REASONS WHY WOMEN ARE NOT SUBHUMAN

I was listening to my favorite Christian radio station yesterday where a lady psychologist was speaking about the rights of women and girls all around the world and at home. Yesterday, Thursday March 8 had been designated 'International Women's Day.'. She made a statement that I found extremely startling. In this so-called modern-day 21st century world, women and girls were still considered 'subhuman' or animals in many countries.

Well, I was very glad that I was living in my country!. But then I remembered that there was the same blatant disrespect for and abuse of females here too. The music and lifestyle advocated by some of the radio stations (one in particular) makes me righteously indignant. What hurts me is that many women buy into the degrading philosophical crap that they are a man's property, his potty (a receptacle for his sexual fluids) and his punching bag.

But my sisters, here are five reasons why you are not subhuman:

• We are made in the image and likeness of God, just like our male counterparts (Genesis 1 verses 27).
• God made BOTH men and women to rule over the earth (Genesis 1 verse 28)
• Women are not animals!!!! When Adam looked for a partner for himself among the animals, none was found suitable for him. God had to take a rib FROM HIS SIDE (NOT UNDER HIS FEET) to make a companion for him - woman!!! (Genesis 2 verses 18 - 23)
• In God's sight there is no gender who is more eligible to be saved and to inherit the blessings of the Lord (Galatians 3 verses 26 - 28.
• One practical thing, IF THERE WASN'T WOMEN, THE HUMAN RACE COULD NOT REPRODUCE OR BE PERPETUATED.. So Happy International Women's Day, to all my sisters of the world, both young and old. You are created in God's image and likeness, HIS CREATION. You were so valuable that God sent His son, our Lord Jesus, just to die in your place. So accept Him as your Savior and Lord, and claim the identity and dignity of being a beloved child of God.

"In Christ Jesus, there is no difference between...male and female. You are all the same in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3 verse 28 (New Century Version)

DISCOVER WHY MARRIED WIVES SHOULD FIGHT TO KEEP THEIR HUSBANDS! PT.2

Yesterday, I began telling married woman why it is so important to fight to keep their husbands.  It is always distressing and disheartening to hear about long-standing marriages breaking up because one or both spouses were unfaithful.. When this happens it is usually to the shock of their friends and colleagues. Children are the most vulnerable persons in these cases. 

v     HEB. 13:4.                   Marriage should be honored by all everyone and husband

and wife should keep their marriage pure.  God will judge as guilty those who take part in sexual sin.” (NCV) The KJV version says it so much more colorful. “Marriage is honorable in all, and bed undefiled; but whoremonger and adulterers God will judge.” A whore-monger is a single person who sins sexually, and the adulterer is a married person who has sex with someone other than his or her spouse. So what that woman has done by coming between you and your husband is against what Jesus commanded, AND IS A SIN! Your husband is also sinning and both of them will be judged. You, on the other hand, have remained faithful to your husband, and believe me, God knows this! Stand your ground, sister and take back your husband from that woman, from that Jezebel in the Name of Jesus! Pray for him that he would be saved, repent of his unfaithful and return to you, his LAWFULLY WEDDED WIFE!

v     1 COR. 6:9-10,13b, 15-19.   "Surely you know that the people who do wrong will

                                                   not enter God’s kingdom. Do not be fooled. Those

                                                  who sin sexually, worship idols, take part in

                                                 adultery…will not inherit God’s kingdom…The body is not for sexual pleasure but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. ..Surely you know that your bodies are part of Christ Himself. So I must never take the parts of Christ and join them to a prostitute. It is written in the Scriptures, “the two will become one body. So you should know that anyone who joins with a prostitute becomes one body with her… So run from sexual sin. Every other sins people do is outside their bodies, but those who sin sexually sin against their own bodies. You should know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you."(NCV). Again, if your husband and that woman don’t repent and turn from their ways, they will be judged.

So with all these Scriptures that show that your marriage is not only legal in the law books of the country but also God-ordained, what should your mindset be now?

  Phill. 4: 7-8.  Do not worry about ANYTHING but PRAY and ask God for

                 everything you need, always giving thanks . And God’s peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters, think about the tings that are good and worthy of praise,. Think about the things that are true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected. (NCV). Stop thinking about how your husband looks happy and nice and stop listening to what people tell you. Married women, shake the devil off and think about what the word of God says. Sing songs of worship and praise. PLEASE PRAY, even if it is to say, “ God, I give my marriage over to You. Have your way.”  These two points are EXTREMELY important to your warfare.

2 Cor. 5:6-7. So we always have courage…     WE LIVE BY WHAT WE BELIEVE, NOT BY WHAT WE CAN SEE!!!!! (NCV). What do we believe? The word of God. So whatever you see, or hear, you judge by the word of God. Be like your Savior, who…will not judge by the way things look or decides by what He hears, but He will judge the poor honestly; he will be fair in his decisions for the poor of the land.” {Isaiah 11:4 NCV). Make right choices based on what God’s word says.

 Heb. 10:35-38. So do not lose the courage you had in the past, which has a

                                     great reward. You must hold on, so you can do what God wants and receive what He has promised. For in a very short time, “The One who iscoming will come and will not be delayed. Those w ho are  right with me will live by faith. But if they turn back with fear, I will not be please with them.” (Habb.2:3-4NCV). This talks about not giving up the hope that Christ will return. But this also holds true for all of God’s promises. If God holds marriage in such honor, I believe that it is His will to heal your marriage.

SO WEAR YOUR WEDDING RING WITH PRIDE, KNOWING THAT GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE. WHOM HE HAS PUT TOGETHER NO MAN SHALL PUT ASUNDER!! AMEN, SISTER? AND EVERYONE SAYS<AAAAAMMMEEEEENNNNNN!!!!

DISCOVER WHY MARRIED WIVES SHOULD FIGHT TO KEEP THEIR HUSBANDS! PT. 1

I talked recently with some women concerning marriage. It is a sad fact that this sacred institution is taking a vicious beating, both inside and outside of Christendom. "Shacking up" has been given an equal status as marriage nowadays. The "outside woman" or the "deputy" (as the saying goes in my neck of the woods)  has  obtained the same rights as the married wife. 

You wives out there, I write the first blog post in this topic. If some women is trying to take, or has already taken your husband away from you,  I am giving you some reasons why you should stand your ground and believe that God will bring back your husband to you.

v     GEN 2: 18 – 25.          Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be

alone. I will make a helper who is right for him.  From the ground God formed every wild animal and every bird in the

sky, and He brought them to the man so that the man could name them…But Adam did not find a helper that was right for him. So the LORD God caused the man to sleep very deeply, and while he was asleep, God removed one of the man’s ribs, Then God closed up the man’s skin at the place where he took the rib. Then God used the rib from the man to make a woman, and then He brought the woman to the man.  And the man said. “Now this is someone whose bones came from my bones, whose body body came from my body. I will call her “woman” because she was taken out of man.” So a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one body (Taken from the New Century Version). Right in the middle of the Creation God instituted marriage. He knew the importance of marriage. Like a Father, he brought his first “daughter” to his first “son” Don’t you know that your marriage is just as important to Him as the first marriage? Believe me, it is!

v     MATT. 19: 3 – 6.         Some Pharisees came to Jesus and tried to trick Him. They

Asked, “Is it right for a man to divorce his wife for any reason he chooses?” Jesus answered, “Surely you have read in the Scriptures: when God made the world, He made them male and female. And God said, ‘So a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one body. So there is not two, but one/ GOD HAS PUT THE TWO TOGETHER, SO NO ONE SHOULD SEPARATE THEM.”(NCV)  Jesus Himself stresses the importance of marriage. He says that once a couple has been bound by marriage, NOTHING AND NOBODY SHOULD DESTROY THAT BOND!! NOT EVEN A HUSBAND-STEALING WOMAN!!!!

v     EPH. 5: 22 – 25, 31 –32. Wives, yield to your husbands, as you do to the Lord, because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the Church. And He is the Savior of the body which is the Church. As the Church yields to Christ, so you wives should yield to your husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it…The Scripture says, “So a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife and  the two will become one body. That secret is very important-I m talking about Christ and the Church. (NCV). The marriage relationship is so important that it is used to describe the relationship that Christ has with His body, the Church. So do you see how important the marriage covenant is to God? Your marriage relationship is JUST AS IMPORTANT TO GOD!

I will continue on this topic tomorrow!

Pain In The Pews

I listened to a testimony segment on my favourite radio station this morning. The person hosting the program this morning was not the usual female host, but a man. This male presenter would normally take over when she was absent.. Usually the testimonies would be joyful and upbeat. But the first person who called in spoke tearfully about being sexually abused by someone, and that testimony set the tone for the whole 45 minutes of the testimony segment. I listened as, one after one, the ladies talked about their horrible ordeals when they were children. The majority said that when they told an adult, usually their mother, that someone was abusing them, they would be beaten and forbidden to speak about it to anyone in case shame and disgrace came to the family because of it. Only one woman said that her mother believed her when she told her the reason why she was behaving disrespectfully to a certain gentleman that the mother had respected. The woman said that she was surprised at her mother's reaction; they had not been in good speaking terms because of her (the woman's) rebellious ways.

I listened with fresh disbelief and sadness as these poor women gave their testimonies. Even though it was a time of testimony, I could still hear the pain and hurt in these women's voices when giving their stories. The male host was so overwhelmed that he cried. He could not speak for a moment when one of the women asked him a question. He said later that he could not understand how an adult could abuse a child. He was flabbergasted at the fact that mothers refused to believe or even listen to their children when they were told of the abuse. When the program shift was over, he admitted that he was still overwhelmed by the types of testimonies he had heard.

I believe that nothing happens just like that; that male presenter was there because God wanted him to be here to hear the testimonies of these women. Maybe God wants him to do something about the incidence of sexual abuse that young children had, being a father himself. 

Listening to that program today made me realise anew how much the Body of Christ is in pain. In an organisation whose Head promised healing of wounds, love, joy and peace, how come there are so many hurting people sitting in the pews? Those hurting ladies that spoke so brokenly on the telephone may be seemingly serene, smiling, well put together women in churches. Maybe even leaders and elders. Maybe even pastors' wives! It means that something is very wrong in the churches today. It is either that the Holy Spirit is showing the leaders those people who are hurting, and they are ignoring His word or are helpless to help them, or the leaders are not seeing the hurting people in the churches. Whatever the reason is, the Body of Christ, the Church is in big trouble!

"(God) healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." Psalm 147:3 (KJV)