Month: November 2021

Posted in Motivation, PRAYER, Safe with Jesus, Uplifting Christ

2 Reasons Why People Pray To God (30sec read)

Posted on by Uplifting Christ

People talk to God for varied reasons. It could be about talking to him about a need, or showing gratitude about an answered prayer. In fact, there are millions of prayer topics that ascend to the Father every second and I have found out two important reasons why people pray to God. If you aren’t praying, these reasons would spice your appetite to pray hence. I arrived at this conclusion based on the premise that a matter shall be established by the accounts of two or more witnesses. This was a genuine way of establishing the fact of a case in the Bible. ( Deut 19:15, Matt 18:16, 2 cor 13:1, 1 Timo 5:19). I have found different people and an Angel saying the same thing about God at different times and circumstances which gives me the confidence that what they said about God is true. In this case, I saw God Himself as my first witness.

  • #1 God is Able.
    • Witness 1: God
      • Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is there anything too hard for Me? (Jere 32:27, AMPC)
    • Witness 2: Angel Gabriel
      •  For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment. (Luke 1:37, AMPC)
    • Witness 3: Jesus Christ
      • But Jesus looked at them and said, With men this is impossible, but all things are possible with God. (Matthew 19:26, AMPC)
    • Witness 4: Apostle Paul
      • Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]— (Ephesians 3:20, AMPC)
  • These words confirm the potency of God to supply every need of mankind. I have always said that if God could feed and care for the elephant, then He is also able to feed and care for the ant. If He could care for over 2 million people for 40 years in the wilderness, then He is also able to care for you, and your family. Thus people pray to God because they believe He is able to perform what they seek.
  • #2 God is Faithful.
    • Witness 1: God
      • Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it. (Jeremiah 1:12, AMPC)
      • The least one shall become a thousand [a clan], and the small one a strong nation. I, the Lord, will hasten it in its [appointed] time. (Isaiah 60:22, AMPC)
    • Witness 2: King Solomon
      • And he said, O Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing mercy and loving-kindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart. You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father. You also spoke with Your mouth and have fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day. (1 Kings 8:23-24, AMPC)
    • Witness 3: The Leaders of the Levites
      • …And You have fulfilled Your promise, for You are just and righteous. (Nehemiah 9:8, AMPC)
    • Witness 4: Author of Joshua 21
      • There failed no part of any good thing which the Lord had promised to the house of Israel; all came to pass. (Joshua 21:45, AMPC)
    • Witness 5: Apostle Paul
      • So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgement of it, for He Who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word. (Hebrews 10:23, AMPC)
      • Faithful is He Who is calling you [to Himself] and utterly trustworthy, and He will also do it [fulfill His call by hallowing and keeping you]. (1 Thessalonians 5:24, AMPC)
  • There are countless number of people who testified about the Faithfulness of God. Since God has been proven to keep His word, people confidently go to Him in Prayer because they believe in His Word, and they also believe that He will answer them.
    • His Word says that
      •  For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, [the door] will be opened. (Matthew 7:8, AMPC)
      • And call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall honor and glorify Me. (Psalm 50:15, AMPC)

Maybe you have had enough motivation to talk to God in the past but let today be a new day, a new beginning, where you see God in this new light. Or maybe you have been praying but you feel your answers are some thousands of miles away. Focus here: All those who testified about God’s power to perform, and about His faithful did so looking back. It’s Only God who did so Looking Forward. We look back to gather momentum to pray it forward. I believe that you (also) can testify that there are things in your life now that you thought were impossible some years ago. Therefore be strong in Faith and Keep praying because at the right time, what you are saying to God (now/today) will be real and/or tangible in your life.

Posted in Beyond Comfort Zone, Motivation, Safe with Jesus, Uplifting Christ

Important Lessons From a Blind Man

Posted on by Uplifting Christ

The story of blind Bartimaeus has some secret codes you should learn in your walk of Faith. It’s worth noting that Faith is your currency and it gives you the power to withdraw from God’s unlimited resources.

Bartimaeus might have heard a lot about Jesus so when he heard that Jesus was passing by, he knew it was a great opportunity he wouldn’t miss. Mark records that there were many people around Jesus. This would mean that one has to do something extraordinary in order to get Jesus’ attention.
In Bartimaeus’s case, all he could do was to shout when he felt Jesus was near since he couldn’t see and his helper (probably) wasn’t around. He didn’t want to miss this opportunity so he shouted “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” This humble cry for help became a nuisance to the crowd. Consequently, he was rebuked and told to shut up. However, the people’s reaction didn’t deter Bartimaeus from grabbing his opportunity so he even shouted louder till Jesus heard him.

Bartimaeus didn’t see Jesus as those around him did yet he believed that Jesus was his last stop. I believe this was what caught Jesus’ attention.

Finally, the people who once shut him up began to cheer him up when Jesus heard his cry and called him to come.

Lessons:

  • Know what you want: Often we assume that God sees our situations and that we expect an automatic reaction from Him. From Bartimaeus case, one would have thought that Jesus would call him and perform the miracle but it’s one thing seeing what a person is going through and another thing knowing what that person want. Therefore when you go to God in prayer, remove assuptions and be real with your feelings and needs. Bartimaeus was straight with his needs. In simple words he said “Rabbi, I want to see”.
  • Make every effort to seize opportunity when it passes by: When you know what you want, it becomes easier to see opportunity. Bartimaeus was a beggar. People saw him as a person who wants money, food, etc. It may never have crossed their mind that he needed something more than that. Yet his demonstration when he saw Jesus proved that he wanted to be free from that mess. This energized him to do all he could to get Jesus’ attention. Do you know that many people around would have been an opportunity for him to ask for more money, food, etc? But he knew his priorities. He knew that that day was for a higher purpose. Some opportunities don’t appear every day, especially those that can change your life for good. Thus when you see one, make every effort to grab it.
  • Focus on what you want and not the people around you: People rebuked him and told him to shut up but the same people turned around and told him to cheer up when his effort yielded the desired result. This is evident in a football game; spectators often boo a player who misses an important chance to score but later shout his name when he focus on the game and score more. Don’t focus on people and don’t listen to them especially when your inner conviction is strong and you believe that that moment is the moment you have been waiting for. It’s possible you are waiting on God for better job opportunity, then one pops up but people(friends, family, etc) tell you that you don’t qualify. Here is the truth, when you go for it and get it, same people will come to congratulate you.
  • Let Go the Old in order to Grab the New: Bartimaeus understood that “forward ever, backward never”. He threw away his old garment as he went forward to meet Jesus. In order to grab your life changing opportunity, you must to be ready to let go some ideas, behaviours, beliefs, etc. Some opportunities would require that you quit smoking, or lying, or gossiping, or womanising, or anger, or laziness, etc. You know what I am referring to and it shouldn’t hold you back. Something definitely has to go so that you can be free for the new life.

I trust that God has great opportunities coming your way and you should be strategically ready to grab them. They will change your life for good so that you would ascribe all Glory to His Name.