Month: September 2012

Posted in GLORIFY GOD, WORD OF GOD

DOES GOD GIVE AND TAKE AWAY?

Posted on by Uplifting Christ

doubtingI grew up in a society where people, including Christians, believed God takes away the good things He gives us. They would quote this scripture Job 1:21 “Naked I came from my mother’s womb,and naked I will depart.The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;may the name of the Lord be praised.” They used this scripture to support their argument. Most ministers of the Gospel quote this at funerals, or when the devil steals from God’s children. Let us not forget that  Satan‘s job is to steal, kill and destroy. Jesus told us “the thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life“ (John 10:10 NLT). Satan is a Destroyer. I want believers all over the world to know that when something bad happens, the mastermind behind is Satan because “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17 NIV84). I believe Job didn’t know Satan was responsible for his sufferings that was why he made that statement.

God doesn’t take back the gifts he has given or disown the people he has chosen. (ROMANS 11:29 CEV)

Today, I want you to take a look at your life. Do you have any sickness in your body? Is business slowing down? Do you sense any weakness in your spiritual life? Do you read your bible, pray, fellowship, etc? Do you have work? Are you happy in life? Are you selfish? Do you have peace in your home? Is your ministry progressing? Have you lost anything precious in the past days, months, years? Etc. don’t forget Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy. Satan wants you poor, he wants you sick, he wants you depress, he wants to take away the good things God, through Jesus Christ, had placed in you. But Jesus came that we will have life, joy, happiness, live in abundance, remain healthy, etc. The Lord takes pleasure in the prosperity of his children.

You may be at the edge of loosing something(property, child, business, etc). I will encourage you to read Luke 10:19

“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.“

God has given you Power to overcome all the power of the enemy. Satan can’t steal from you when you confide in Jesus. He can’t touch you because of the Blood of Jesus. The most important of all is Jesus is seated at the Father’s right hand interceding for you. I want to encourage you to Pray without ceasing. And always remember that

The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].

In Jeremiah 29:11-13 says “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.“

DOES GOD GIVE AND TAKE AWAY?

My answer to the question is NO. God doesn’t take back the gifts he has given or disown the people he has chosen. (ROMANS 11:29 CEV)

At that moment the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”“Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!” “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.” (Genesis 22:11, 12 NLT). God didn’t not take Isaac away from Abraham.

God bless us

Posted in HOPE, SOUL FOOD

WHO HAS YOUR ATTENTION?

Posted on by Uplifting Christ

Whatever you focus on magnifies. When you spend more hours focusing on your situation, it gets bigger and bigger. However, when you focus or fix your eyes on Jesus, He becomes bigger and bigger than your situation. That is when He steps in to help you.
We all face challenges in our lives but I have learnt that the more I think about my problems, instead of how big God is and how He is waiting for me to take steps of Faith, the more burden I place on myself. I quit focusing on my problems and that took away worry and anxiety.

God loves us and He wants us to cast all our cares on Him. He cares. God wants your attention. He wants you to see Him as a Father who has the Power to do immeasurably more than all you ask or imagine.

Satan is a liar. He works with deception. He would make you believe all his lies. He works with FEAR. Someone had said FEAR means False Evidence Appearing Real. He wants your attention.

Your Father wants your attention, and your enemy also wants your attention. The choice is yours. But I would encourage you to turn your back on your problems and satan. You can do this by studying The Word daily. When you know the truth, it will set you free. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (Philippians 4:6 KJV).

And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.” Romans 4:19-21.

Abraham knew the fact yet He focused on God. He believed God was able to perform. I don’t know what you are going through now but I believe that if you could give your attention to God, if you could believe that He is more than able to get you out of that situation, He will deliver you in Jesus’ Name.

The woman with the issue of blood said if I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. Notice her attention was on Jesus’ garment. She knew her problem but that didn’t prevent her from moving through the crowd. She saw Jesus as a Person bigger than her sickness. She got her healing.

Acts 3:4-6
Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”

Peter knew where we fix our eyes in times of trouble is very important. He remembered What happened when Jesus asked him to come on the water. He remembered what happened when he focused on the storms. Jesus saved him when he cried for help. That is when he looked to Jesus. What I have learnt from this verses is that I have to give my attention to or focus on the One who I believe can help me out of any situation. And the Only Person Who could do that is God, through His Son Jesus Christ.

I will give one instance where people focus on the problem and no one was able to face it because it became bigger than all present. It happened in 1 Samuel 17.

“Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was over nine feet tall! Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. “Why are you all coming out to fight?” he called. “I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken. (1 Samuel 17:4, 8, 11 NLT).

Saul and his men were terrified when they focused on Goliath. Thank God David didn’t see what Saul and his men saw. He focused on the living God.

Friends, Satan wants your attention. He would try to make you focus on your problems. He is happy when you move about telling people about how bad your situation is. He feels big when you cry every night because of your problems. He torments you more when you shift your focus from God. Job suffered for long because he was always talking about what he was going through. He repented and shifted his attention to God. He focused on God and God gave him double.

Then Job replied to the LORD:
“I know that you can do anything,
and no one can stop you. You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’
It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about,
things far too wonderful for me. You said, ‘Listen and I will speak!
I have some questions for you,
and you must answer them.’ I had only heard about you before,
but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said,
and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.” (Job 42:1-6 NLT).

Conclusion:
This is how it works; your situation is real but God is bigger than that situation. Only Believe in Him, and also Believe in His Power to perform. The next step is you take steps of Faith. We walk by faith. Abraham accepted the fact that he was old but he believed God was able to do what He has promised. He didn’t doubt God’s Power to perform. He walked by Faith.

I trust you are going to give your attention to the Almighty God. Believe me your life will never be the same in Jesus’ Name. Amen

Posted in FAITH

IS THE LORD’S HAND WAXED SHORT?

Posted on by Uplifting Christ

“Is the Lord’s hand waxed short?”

We answer there is but one creature that God has made that ever doubts Him! The little sparrows doubt not—though they have no barn nor field, yet they sweetly sing at night as they go to their roosts, though they know not where tomorrow’s meal shall be found. The very cattle trust Him, and even in days of drought, you have seen them when they pant for thirst, how they expect the water—how the very first token of it makes them show in their very animal frame, by some dumb language, that they felt that God would not leave them to perish! The angels never doubt Him, nor the devils either—devils believe and tremble! But it was left for man—the most favored of all creatures—to mistrust his God! This high, this black, this infamous sin of doubting the power and faith- fulness of Jehovah was reserved for the fallen race of rebellions Adam! And we alone, out of all the beings that God has ever fashioned, dishonor Him by unbelief, and tarnish His honor by mistrust!
–Charles Spurgeon